The bite of winter. The gentle rays of a half moon. The soft splashing of water. These were the few things one would expect if they went to the bridge over Canter Creek. Had they been present two weeks ago, they would've seen a broken girl standing on the guardrail just a breath away from taking her own life. If someone were to come now, they would be greeted with a similar scene. A teen girl stood on the guardrail, her red trench coat billowing in the wind as she looked out over the near-frozen water. Her dark pink hare hung loosely around her shoulders as she held herself steady with a hanging wire.

So this is what she saw that night, Pinkie thought, reaching for something in her coat pocket with her free hand. It's so peaceful here.

As she thought that, she pulled a small box out of her pocket and flicked it. A thin paper tube poked out of a hole in the top. She grabbed it with her teeth and pulled what at first glance looked like a cigarette until Pinkie pocketed the box and bit off the tip in her mouth. As she pulled the candy replica away from her teeth she let out a slow breath out of reflex just before spitting out the bit of paper wrapping in her mouth. For a moment, she let the bittersweet taste of green apples distract her from her troubles as she peeled away enough of the wrapper around her piece of candy to pull it out completely without letting go of her makeshift handhold. While she wasn't as willing to go back to old vices as Rarity was, Pinkie was willing to relive them in other ways.

I guess if I had to choose, this would be a nice thing to see before I died, she thought, placing her now naked candy cigarette in her mouth.

Yet again her mind drifted towards that night at Sugarcube Café. The destroyed look on Sunset's face as she dropped her journal and left. It was at that moment that she felt something wasn't right. That this wasn't the kind of thing the old Sunset would do. She should've said something. She should've done something. Why didn't she do something?

"I'm so spineless," she muttered lips pulled into a rueful smile as she stared down into the frozen abyss below. "If I wasn't such a coward, Flutters and I could've stopped her. She never would've had to pick a last anything."

Her smile slowly shifted into a grimace as anger took the place of her grief.

"Why did this have to happen!? Everything was going great for her! Why did they have to start this whole thing!? Why?.....Why!?........... WHY!?"

With a furious snarl, she threw her candy as far as she could.

"WHY DID EVERYTHING HAVE TO GO SO WRONG?!"

Feeling her grip on her emotions start to slip, she took a few deep breaths to regain some semblance of control of herself. It worked, mostly, as with a slightly shaking hand she pulled out her box of candy cigarettes to replace her previous one. As she did she glanced down at the water below her.

It would be so easy, she thought as she repeated the steps to get her fake vice out of its box. All it would take is just one step. One step and it would all be over. No more pain. No more heartache. I can see why she tried.

As she put the newly prepped piece of candy in her mouth she stared up at the half-moon above her, a look of resolve on her face.

"I'm going to make this right. I don't know how, but I'm going to fix this. Even if it takes me a million years, I'm gonna fix this."

She stared out over the water towards the shining city lights in the distance, a determined smile spread across her face.

"You hear me?!" she cried. "I, Pinkamena Diane Pie, swear that I'm gonna fix this or die trying! Cross my heart! Hope to fly! Stick a cupcake in my eye!"

A big smile spread across her face as for the first time in days she felt a weight fall off of her shoulders. Things were going to get better. They had to! No matter what it took Pinkie was going to make it happen. The happiness inside her continued to grow as the thought of a better tomorrow entered her head only to turn into frozen terror a second later. With a loud snap, the cable she was using as a handhold broke away from the bridge. Her heart felt like it was in a vice as her lack of balance tipped her towards the waters below her. Desperate, she tried to pitch herself back towards the bridge's main platform, but it was too late. Time seemed to slow as she fell off the railing to her doom, her fear stopping any screams from leaving her. Out of reflex she took a futile grasp at the railing, only to come just short. As she saw the key to her survival rise further out of reach, countless memories flew to the forefront of her mind. It was funny, they say that when you were going to die your whole life flashes in front of you. But these weren't just any memories to Pinkie. The sleep overs. The time they spent in the cafeteria. Having drinks at Sugarcube Café. They were the memories of Sunset before Anon-a-Miss. Before she took away Sunset's smile. When they were still friends. And now, she was about to experience what would've happened to her if someone hadn't stopped her. If she "had it her way" as she put it the day before.

In a matter of seconds, her thoughts disappeared as she made contact with the water below her. The pain was beyond imagination, as though she had been hit by a truck with frozen knives welded to its front. Then she began to sink and the knives turned into fangs as she felt the cold water tear into her. Shock kept her from resisting as she continued to sink, her head soon falling beneath the surface. The cold was agonizing, almost as much as the lack of air as she continued to sink. As death came for her and the world turned dark, a single thought flickered in her head like a dying ember.

S...un.....se....t.

And so we begin again. Now, before any of you try to hunt me down and beat me to death over what happened here, please wait until chapter two to give me hell on behalf of the pink party princess. There is a method to my madness, trust me. Things are going to be bad before they get better.

All was quite in the Castle of Friendship as Sunset strolled through its halls. The crystal walls gave the mare a sense of ease, the similarities to Canterlot Castle bringing back happy memories of her fillyhood. It also reminded her that she was in a world of magic for the first time in six years. She felt the castle's magic pulsing through the walls and coiling
gently around her horn. She felt welcome, but also guilty as the accepting energies also reminded her of what led to her exile in the first place.

She sighed as she thought about how stupid she was back then. What was she thinking? Demanding that her mom make her a Princess? Just how selfish could she get?! And when she was refused she tried to force a pair of wings onto herself. With forbidden magic no less!

Stupid, she thought, continuing to wander aimlessly. I was such a colossal moron back then. Me? An Alicorn? HA! The last thing Equestria needed was another megalomaniac trying to take it over.

Before her thoughts could get even more self-reprimanding, a call from a familiar voice down the hall caught her attention.

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked slowly moving towards her.

"Yeah," she smiled, meeting her halfway. "Just wanted to get some air is all."

"Right," Twilight chuckled glancing back the way she came. "It got a little wild once they figured out how to walk, huh?"

Sunset nodded, a little giggle slipping past her lips at the memory of her friend's first steps. To say they were graceless was like saying Celestia was a little powerful. At least Lyra was the only one who tried to use her other new abilities, though it was pretty funny seeing her get her back legs tied up by her own tail. After an hour of stumbling around like town drunks, Sunset suggested they pretend that they were walking on all fours on their knuckles and the tips of their toes. That ended up being the trick they needed to get a basic grasp on walking like a pony. Now if she could get Lightning to quit reminding them that they were all naked, things would go a lot smoother.

"They're really good friends," Twilight smiled.

"Yeah," Sunset sighed, gaze becoming slightly distant. "They really are. I don't know where I'd be without them."

Twilight nodded, then slowly turned her gaze to the ground. As she did a frown formed on her muzzle.

"Sunset...I-"

Sunset put a hoof over Twilight's muzzle cutting off what she knew was coming eventually.

"Stop," she said, tone even and eyes sharp as she lowered her hoof to the ground. "You don't need to say anything. What happened wasn't your fault."

"But-"

"No Twilight," Sunset snapped, again interrupting the lavender Princess. "I'm not going to let you beat yourself up over this. What happened happened. You could't've done anything to stop it anymore than Principal Celestia could. Hell, The only reason things got resolved the way they did is because Derpy worked herself to the bone trying to find those little monsters."

"I-I know," she said, tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes as she stared at her. "B-But still! I could've done something. I should've done something! I should've gone through the portal the second I got your last message! I should've tried to talk some sense into those girls when you said they abandoned you! I should've been there for you! If I had then maybe you never would've....would've..."

By the time she ran out of words tears were falling down her face in thick streams, her sadness choking her. Slowly and gently Sunset approached her crying friend and wrapped her forelegs around her. Twilight flinched from the unexpected contact, sure that to some degree Sunset hated her for abandoning her. She expected Sunset to yell at her, to blame her for everything that happened to her in the other world. The hug was both a relief and agony for the Princess of Friendship as she was happy that her inaction didn't cost her a friend, but she was not willing to be so easily forgiven.

"Do you want to make it up to me?" Sunset asked as she gently stroked the Princess' back.

She nodded, sniffling.

"Then learn from this. Move forward and don't let what happened to me happen to anypony else."

She pulled back enough to lock eyes with Twilight a small smile gracing her muzzle as she stared at her friend.

"Do you think you can do that?"

Twilight nodded, then wiped her tears away.

"I-I'll try," she smiled.

"That's all I can ask," Sunset smiled. "Now C'mon. let's head back before my friends destroy your castle."

"Oh please," Twilight laughed, still wiping a few stray tears away. "I doubt they're that bad."

"Lyra still wants to know how to shoot lasers," Sunset deadpanned.

"Did you teach her?" Twilight asked with a raised brow.

"I'm still debating whether its safer to teach her or have her figure it out herself."

Twilight giggled at that as they made their way back to the throne room.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed down the hall towards them.

"What the hay?" Twilight muttered as they stopped.

A loud series of shouts could be heard coming from the throne room. Some of them were from Lightning Dust, while the other voice was not from Sunset's group. It was bone-chillingly familiar though.

"Sunset, " Twilight said, tone shaky. "Did you tell your friends about other world counterparts yet?"

"No," Sunset responded, equally stiff. "Did you tell yours about Anon-a-Miss?"

"No."

Both mares stared at each other for a moment, turned their heads back down the hall, then ran to the throne room doors. All the while a single thought ran through their minds.

CRAP! CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!

***

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY FOLLOWED US HERE!" Lightning snarled as Bonbon and Octavia held her back. "LET ME AT HER! I'LL TEAR HER WINGS OFF AND MAKE HER EAT 'EM!!!

"JUST TRY BITCH!" Rainbow roared, Applejack holding her back by her tail with her mouth.

Lightning let out a growl as she tried to force herself out of her friend's grip. There was no way in hell she was going to let these girls near Sunset. Unless Sunset told her to in the flesh, that wasn't ever going to change. Especially Rainbow. The things she said in the locker room still made her blood boil. If she still had fists they'd be clenched to the point of drawing blood as that oblivious idiot's voice echoed through her head. But she had hooves, and while they couldn't make fists they could still hit hard.

While the two Pegesi struggled against their bonds, the remaining ponies on Lightning's side of the room assumed the closest things to defensive stances their new bodies could manage.

"What has gotten into her?" Rarity asked, taking a step back from the struggling mares.

All sound came to a halt as a quiet voice sliced through the room.

"Are you serious?"

Cautiously, everypony present turned towards the voice's source as she slowly walked towards Rarity her eyes closed but ears pointed straight at the unnerved mare.

"Even after everything you heard yesterday, you still want to pretend you don't know what you did?"

Rarity backed up scared of the eerily calm and familiar bat pony walking towards her. This slowly changed as she closed in, a cold frown gracing her muzzle. "Then here. Let me make it simple. YOU ALMOST KILLED SUNSET!!!"

As Fluttershy shouted that her face contorted into a look of absolute hate. That combined with the piercing glare from her now open red eyes and pointed fangs put the fear of god into all who looked at her.

She saw the fear in Rarity's eyes. She saw it and did everything she could to make it grow. She didn't care that the light hurt. She only cared about the mare in front of her and making her feel the weight of her crimes. This was stopped by the one thing she never expected.

"You leave her alone!" cried a yellow Pegasus as she jumped between the two mares.

Fluttershy was ready to turn her hell gaze onto the newcomer, only for her rage to be replaced with shock. Standing before her was what could only be described as a more Pegasus-like version of herself. She stood with her wings out like a set of fluffy feather shields as her teal eyes locked with Fluttershy's red ones. It was a surreal experience for her to be stared down by herself, but what made her take a step back was just how pretty her equestrian counterpart was. The light bounced off of her coat and mane in such a brilliant way that she tried to endure the pain to look at her as long as she could. Then, there were her eyes. While they weren't that different from how her's were back home this version of her held a shine that her's lost weeks ago. Eventually, the pain became too much and Fluttershy had to close her eyes. At the same time her own wings burst open of their own will.

"W-Who are you?" she stammered in the general direction of her counterpart. "A-And why do you look like me?"

"Because she is you," Sunset said drawing everyone's attention towards her as she stepped into the room. "Well, a different version of you at least."

"Huh?" both Fluttershy's said in unison as they alternated between looking (or listening in one Fluttershy's case) at each other and Sunset.

"It's true," Twilight sighed as she stepped into the room. "On the other side of the portal there are alternate versions of you."

As she said that she pointed at her friends then moved her hoof towards their visitors.

"These are Sunset's friends from that world."

"Okay," Rainbow said still glaring at Lightning. "So is it normal to jump somepony when you meet them?"

"Well-" Twilight started only to get interrupted by Sunset.

"Your counterparts messed up. Big time."

Twilight's friend's first instinct was to ask Sunset to elaborate, but her flat glare killed the urge in all of them.

"I'll...tell you all later," Twilight sighed, then smiled as she added, "But now, I think we could all use..."

"A PARTY!!!" Pinkie exclaimed, showering everypony present with confetti and streamers as she pulled a small cannon from...somewhere. With a loud bang from the weapon, the room was flooded with a dense cloud of streamers and went through a drastic transformation. The ceiling and walls were decorated with looping green streamers and red ribbons that should've taken hours to arrange. The Cutie Map now held trays covered with various types of holiday themed snacks and drinks on top of a red and white table cloth. Five feet away from the map were ten large wooden barrels with the picture of an apple on the side and spigots on the front.

"Your Pinkie does that too, huh?" Sunset groaned, spitting out a mouthful of confetti.

"Yep," Twilight smiled as she walked further into the room.

"Well, When in Roam," she muttered to herself as she followed her friend, all the while echoing a single thought.

They aren't the same girls. They aren't the same girls

"Hey Sunset," Lightning called, standing by one of the barrels. "Could you help me work this thing? I don't know how to use my hooves yet!"

"Sure," she chuckled as she approached her friend. "But are you sure you want that? Equestrian cider is pretty strong."

"It's booze?" she asked, staring at the barrel with a bit more caution. "Second thought, I'll probably go have some punch or something."

Just as the light-green Pegasus was about to step away from the barrel, a harsh laugh caught her attention.

"What?" Rainbow grinned, pouring herself a mug of cider form a nearby barrel. "Can't handle a bit of cider? Lame."

"No," Lightning growled as she turned towards the cocky Pegasus. "I'm a minor, dumb ass."

Rainbow leveled a glare at Lightning as she set her mug down on the ground.

"Actually," Sunset cut in, breaking the tension before it could grow. "The legal drinking age in Equestria is sixteen."

"Huh?" Lighting gawked, turning away from Rainbow. "Really?"

"Yeah," Sunset smiled. "It's because Ponies reach full physical maturity by that point and don't visibly age beyond that until they turn eighty."

"You're kidding."

Sunset shook her head.

With that Lightning turned towards Rainbow, a cocky grin forming on her muzzle.

"First one down's the loser."

Rainbow's glare was instantly replaced with a cocky grin of her own.

"Deal!" she snickered as she poured her opponent a mug.

"I'll grab ya a straw since you can't grab anything yet."

"Thanks," she grumbled, tailing the much more balanced pony.

Sunset's smile faded as she watched the two ponies walk away.

Stop it Sunset. They aren't the same girls.

"Are you okay love?"

Sunset shook herself out of her thoughts as Vinyl and Octavia approached her, concern plain on their faces.

"Yeah," she sighed, forcing a smile. "Just trying to readapt to things again."

"I see," Octavia said, brow raised. "By that, do you mean your body or company?"

"Both I guess," she groaned. "They just remind me of them, you know? It's difficult to remember that they aren't them."

"Yeah, no kidding," Vinyl grumbled, staring at Applejack. "I almost jumped Applejack when I saw her. Leave it to Lightning to beat me to it. Flutters was a surprise though."

"Indeed," the dark gray mare cringed. "Remind me not to cross her here. Those eyes...I think I'll be seeing those in my nightmares for the next few days."

"Imagine how bad Rarity feels," Vinyl added, a shiver running down her spine. "I hope she's okay."

As she said that the small group turned towards the Unicorn in question. On the surface she seemed fine, talking amiably with Twilight and Derpy about something. But Sunset could see it in her posture that she was very shook up by her interaction with the Thestral. The stiffness of her movements, the slight tremble in her smile, all of it pointed to a pony trying to bounce back from an extremely tense situation. All in all, Rarity looked like a mouse that was just pulled away from a predator at the last possible second. And now she was trying to pretend nothing happened.

"I think she will be," Sunset said, a slight tremble present in her voice. "Just give her some time to catch her breath. That reminds me. Where is Fluttershy?"

Octavia sighed, then said, "Apparently, Pinkie's cannon was too loud for her to handle, the poor dear. So her double decided to take her someplace a bit quieter to recover."

"Oh, right," Sunset cringed. "Thestrals have super sharp senses. A loud pop for us is like a fog horn to them. I hope she's okay."

"Oh believe me," Vinyl grinned. "I think she'll be just fine."

***

All Fluttershy could hear was a ringing. It was all she knew. That and pain. A horrible ringing in her ears and searing pain in her eyes. She knew it would pass, but that didn't help with the fear. She was helpless with only her sense of touch and smell to guide her. Desperate to get some sort of relief she focused on those two senses. What she was able to glean from them just left her with more questions about her surroundings. Pine, pastries, alcohol, fruit, but one scent demanded her attention; the unmistakable smell of wildflowers. It steadily grew in intensity by the second as the staggered Thestral tried to make sense of everything. Eventually, the smell of wildflowers dominated her senses and when it did her fear started to weaken. It was at that point that she realized that she was laying on the ground and an eerily familiar voice was talking to her. She couldn't make out the words through the ringing, but she could tell that they held no malice. With what little nerve she could muster she tried to talk to the being.

"Can't hear....can't see....help."

More muffled words then Fluttershy felt someone take her foreleg and drape it over what felt like their shoulder. The sensation of hooves gripping what would normally be her arm was strange, but not unwelcome to her at this point. With unsteady steps she let whoever had her at their mercy take her away from the noise and light. The dimming light and sounds let her overloaded senses recover a bit quicker and she was finally able to open her eyes. Her surroundings were still blurry, but that was beginning to fade the farther they got from the throne room. Suddenly, something soft and yellow blocked her vision followed by a soft voice that she now could just hear over the ringing.

"Not yet, it's still too bright for you. Just a little bit longer."

"O...Okay," Fluttershy stuttered, closing her eyes.

Soon, the ringing stopped, but all that did was allow her to hear the two sets of hoofsteps from her and her guide echo off the walls. What made her experience more bearable was the smell of wildflowers that seemed to surround her now. As they walked, she took long, deep breaths of the sweet scent. It put her heart at ease, reminding her of her mother's garden back home in the spring.

"Here we are," the soft spoken guide said, stoping. "Can you stand?"

"Y-Yes," Fluttershy stammered as she gently tried to pull her foreleg free.

Her guide didn't resist as she freed herself.

"That's good. Just don't open your eyes yet."

She nodded and instead tried to see if she could hear anything that could give her a hint about her surroundings. All she could make out was that they were very far from the throne room and that her guide was very quiet. It wasn't clear to her if that was on purpose for her sake or normal for the pony, but she was grateful all the same. A soft click and the sound of a door opening in front of her caught her attention as well as the now familiar soft voice of her guide.

"There we go. Now, follow the sound of my voice."

Fluttershy followed her guide's orders and walked into what she presumed to be an empty room.

"Wait here."

With that, Fluttershy stayed put as a gentle breeze filled the room. Faintly, she heard the fluttering of wings as the light dimmed behind her eyelids. Once the room was dark enough, she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was in what looked like a guest room furnished with the bare necessities one would come to expect from such a room though much more ornate than what she was use to. The second thing she saw was that the room was made of what looked like some kind of crystal structure. She assumed that the whole castle was made of this material, and now that it wasn't trying to blind her she could admit that it was very pretty looking. That all paled in comparison to the yellow Pegasus she saw descending from the top of a nearby window. Even in the dim light, Fluttershy couldn't deny that her Equestrian counterpart was beautiful. Maybe it was because of her sharper senses, but she couldn't help but take note of the mare's delicate and gentle aura. In short, she was like an angle in pony form while the human in pony form felt like a monster.

"Are you okay?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, noting her counterpart's stunned demeanor.

"Y-Yes," she stammered, feeling her wings start to twitch on their own as she locked eyes with herself.

"Are you sure?" she asked as she landed.

"Y-Yes," Fluttershy repeated, now hiding her face behind her mane.

Recognizing the gesture, Equestrian Fluttershy backed off. Even with what happened in the throne room, she didn't want her counterpart to feel uncomfortable. She knew it was a mistake and wasn't willing to hold it against her, even if she was still a little mad at her.

"That's good," she sighed. "Um, it should get dark enough for you soon, so stay here until then. I'll bring you some food later. Unless you want something now of course."

"Just some water would be fine," Fluttershy smiled. "I'm not very hungry right now."

"Oh, okay," the Pegasus smiled. "I'll be back with your drink in a minute."

With that, she walked back towards the door. But just as she was about half way through, the bat pony said something that made her pause.

"I really like your perfume by the way. It's nice."

"Um, thank you," she said, giving her guest a confused smile. "But I'm not wearing perfume."

"Oh," Fluttershy subtly cringed. "Sorry."

"It's okay," the Pegasus smiled, then left the room.

The second the door closed, Fluttershy let out an irritated groan before she threw herself onto the bed in the far corner of the room.

What was all that about? What the heck is wrong with me? Seriously!

"Stupid nose," she pouted before burying her face into a pillow.

***

The room was cold and dark. Scraps of torn paper covered the floor along with a now empty bottle of wine. The room's soul occupant laid on her bed, white skin bare and exposed to the chill of the room. Trails of mascara tainted tears running down her cheeks and luxurious purple hair reduced to a rat's nest. To say Rarity had seen better nights would've been an understatement as in one fell swoop, her heart was shattered beyond the point of repair. Betrayal. That was the hammer that broke her. Her sister. Her friend. The hammer was swung with ruthless efficiency in regards to the people she held so close for so long that she didn't know if the pieces could ever mend. It was in this moment of weakness that something decided to sample its handy work.

A dark mass slithered like a twisted serpent from a dark corner of the room, silently orbiting over her like a vulture. It stared at her, hunger coursing through it. A hunger that shifted to anger as it was reminded of the prizes that slipped through its metaphorical fingers. The time it took to ripen Sunset Shimmer was an arduous process, but a worthwhile one none the less. The pain and guilt that sat in her heart was tantalizing all on its own, but with a liberal application of despair? It took all the shadow had to let her darkness grow. Once the final knife of betrayal was stabbed into her back, it was finally time to harvest. The wraith's mouth was watering as it worked its subtle magic on the broken girl's mind, guiding her towards her domain. Once she was on the bridge, it was just a matter of tugging on her subconscious to get her to jump. It was all going according to plan, only for everything to fall apart at the last second. In the span of a second, her meal was robbed from her by a magic coated bystander. Just the memories of the girl filled the wraith with rage. Her misaligned eyes. Her blond hair. Everything about her made her see red.

But that was nothing compared to her most resent loss. She still had no idea how it happened. The girl named Pinkie Pie fell. That was true, but for some reason she couldn't be harvested. She couldn't even find a body! The lack of a person to blame for her missing prey drove the wraith to near hysterics that day.

No matter. I will feed soon. I just need to be pAtIeNt, she thought, trailing a black tendril lovingly across Rarity's face.

The wait will only make the fruit taste all the sweeter. Be patient Lily. Be PaTiEnT.

With that, the specter slithered out of the room, eager to check the progress of other potential victims.

***

Cold.
Pain.
Can't breath.
Fall.
Sunset.
Sunset.
Sunset!

"SUNSET!" Pinkie exclaimed as she forced herself into a sitting position, gasping for air as water splashed around her.

After hacking and coughing the water out of her lungs she took slow, deep breaths to try and make sense of her surroundings. Though blurry eyes, she noticed that she was in a bathroom with shining purple walls and expensive silver furnishings. The tub she sat in looked to be made of polished silver with the fixtures looking like they came from period movies. Her mind struggled to make sense of her situation, but as it stood the best way she could get any answers was by first getting out of the tub. A task that was easier said than done, as for some reason her body didn't want to cooperate with her. At least, not completely. Something about it felt off to her, like she was moving in ways her body wasn't normally meant to. Eventually, she managed to pull herself out of the tub filling the room with a wet slap as her red trench coat hit the ground. Dizzy and confused, she staggered towards the sink on all fours until she was able to reach for its polished marble surface. It was then that she noticed the lack of fingers on her hand. Mind still struggling to process this, she was able to force herself to her feet and look at the mirror that hung over the sink. Instead of being greeted by a waterlogged teenager she saw a drenched pink pony with blue eyes dressed in an equally soaked trench coat.

"W-What?" was all Pinkie could manage before the world turned black and she knew no more.

Merry Christmass everypony!

There were few things that Discord hated. It wasn't that nothing got under his hide, he merely felt that such things were a waste of time for beings like himself. However, he did occasionally find things that made his blood boil from time to time. This was one such occasion as he stood beside Celestia's bed. Early morning light shinned on the dejected Solar Alicorn laying with blank amethyst eyes locked on the ceiling. He hated seeing her like this, even after what she put him through a few days ago. At least then she didn't seem so dead to the world. As it stood, he would've much rather had Celestia trying to kill him over the state she was in now.

"Tell me Discord," Celestia said, voice fragile. "Am I a good pony?"

The Chaos Lord raised a brow, not sure were this conversation was headed.

"Better than most," he shrugged.

Celestia nodded, still staring at the ceiling.

"I was going to kill them. I was going to kill every single one of them. I had always tried to find the most peaceful way to resolve problems of state and citizen only resorting to violence when it was absolutely necessary. Three foolish children almost made me destroy an entire world. They almost made me a murderer. And I wouldn't've batted an eye. Tell me Discord. Am I really a good pony?"

He had no answer for her. The Lord of Chaos was helpless before the Princess' self-loathing. Yet another thing he hated. Frowning he snapped his fingers, disappeared, and reappeared in bed next to the numb Princess. Before she could protest, he pulled her into a tight embrace. She hesitated, then melted into her former enemy's hug, her head resting on his shoulder as tears started to flow.

"Their's no easy answer for that," he sighed. "You thought your daughter died. Again. Honestly, I'd be worried if you didn't loose it."

He waited for her to respond. To laugh. To snap at him. Heck, he'd even take one of her infamous hour long lectures. All he got was silence that was only disturbed by sniffling.

He sighed, then asked, "How many?"

"Huh?"

"How many foals have you had in your life?" he asked.

Silence, then with a shaky sigh she said, "Three. Sunset was the third."

"I see," he sighed, holding her tighter. "Not the most open mare in the world are we?"

She chuckled a little at that.

"When you have power over the sun, most stallions feel somewhat inadequate. But after Orion was born, I felt that getting too close to mortals was a foolish venture."

"One that you repeated," Discord chuckled.

Celestia chuckled wetly as a sheepish smile played across her muzzle.

"Even I have needs Discord."

"Don't we all," he smiled. "So was Orion as much a pain in the flank as his mother?"

"More so," Celestia smiled, eyes becoming distant as she gazed into the past. "He was the first Earth Pony to become Captain of the Celestial Guard. His skill with a spear was unrivaled by his peers."

"Sounds like a real Mama's colt to me."

"He was. And quite the mare magnet as well."

"What about his sibling?"

"Firefly wasn't born in his time," she frowned. "She was born a thousand years later. She was the fastest Pegasus of her time."

"Now were have I heard that before," Discord mused aloud, earning a light giggle from the mare in his arms.

"Rainbow Dash came from a good line."

"We better not tell her," he smirked. "If her head got any bigger, she'd never be able to get off of the ground."

"My thoughts exactly," she smiled.

For a moment they just laid there, enjoying each other's company as Discord did something he hadn't done in several centuries; choose his words carefully. What he said next could make things worse or better depending on how he said it. So, with a caution that he seldom let others see, he broke the silence.

"And how did you handle their...deaths?"

Celestia frowned and held him closer.

"Not very well. When Orion passed, I left management of the sun and court to Luna for three months. I didn't eat or really sleep the whole time. Food tasted like ash and my dreams would be filled with nothing but memories of him. Luna had to force me to resume my duties and forced me to confront my dreams until I regained enough of myself to function. With Firefly I wasn't much better, but Luna was able to spot the signs of my relapse before they could consume me. I grieved over them like any mother would, but I also tried to prevent the pain of loss from coming back."

"But then...Sunset happened," Discord sighed.

"Yes," she sighed. "And it was the greatest, and most terrifying moment in my life. I loved her with everything I had, but I was afraid of the pain that would come further down the line."

"So you kept a distance," he guessed, stroking her mane idly.

With shame in her heart, she nodded.

"And in a way, that made it worse when I thought she died the first time. The second I found out she had her journal, I tried to contact her. I spent days trying to get in touch with her, sending message after message. But she never replied, and I didn't have my sister to help me pull myself out my despair. But I did have one of her descendants to keep me distracted."

"A certain Twilight Sparkle I presume?"

She nodded.

"I wasn't the only one to have children, though my sister was a lot less reserved than me. That was probably why she was able to save me. She was used to the pain that came with a mother's joy while I was still new to it."

He nodded as he stroked her back.

"You aren't a bad pony," he smiled sadly. "You're a mother that controls the sun. And that's something that shouldn't be a thing."

"What are you-"

"As such, I think it's time for you to have a vacation."

With that, his tail let out a snap and Celestia felt her link to the sun shift away from her.

"What did you-"

"I can handle moving the sun for a week while all of the nobles can send their complaints to Lulu's court. The way I see it, you and Sunset have way too much time to make up for as it is."

"Discord I can't just-"

"Ah, ah, ah! I insist," he smirked as he pulled back enough to lock eyes with her. "Think of it as a Hearths Warming present from me."

She tried to find a reason to argue, but nothing came. No, that wasn't right. No arguments came that didn't amount to excuses. So instead, she gave him a small smile and a peck on the cheek.

"Thank you Discord," she smiled, then with a flash she was gone.

Discord laid there, stunned as he brought a hand to his cheek. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. For thousands of years, The Lord of Chaos took pride in always holding all the cards. Nothing surprised him. He was never caught off guard. He also never had a friend before he met Fluttershy. Firsts were becoming a common thing for him it would seem. As he stared at the ceiling, a single thought ran through his head.

I wonder how Sunset will react to all this?

***

Okay Pinkie, stay calm, she thought as she sat in the bathroom corner. No point in freaking out! Just take a moment and breathe.

Slowly, she took her own advice. At the same time she felt a small trace of joy over being able to breathe considering her former circumstances. That was the most terrifying moment in her entire life. She could feel it all. The cold sucking the life out of her. Her lungs filling with water as she begged for air. And the dark. That was the worst part. Seeing everything turn dark as she felt herself sink towards the bottom of Canter Creek.

"Okay. No more of that," she muttered, a shiver shooting down her spine. "Let's try to make sense of things."

She gave herself a quick once-over and was able to make a few simple observations. First, that she was indeed a small pink horse. Second, she was soaking wet. Third, with the exception of her jacket, she was completely naked. The last bit of info was concerning to her, but while examining her new body she discovered an interesting feature, a tattoo of an open zipper with confetti flying out on her flanks.

"What's all that about?" she mumbled, staring at her rear.

Suddenly, the door burst open revealing a teal Pegasus with a blond mane and tail. Though her face looked more green then teal at the moment. With frantic eyes and a hoof pressed against her muzzle she scanned the room, barely taking note of Pinkie just before she locked onto the toilet. In a flash she was at the porcelain throne, muzzle just short of drinking the water as the sound of retching filled the room. Pinkie watched with morbid fascination as the Pegasus proceeded to empty her stomach into the toilet, not entirely sure if it was normal or healthy for a Pegasus to puke for five minutes straight. What she was able to glean was that butt markings were normal for whatever type of horse she and the poor creature were. The one in front of her was sporting a pair of tornados with lightning bolts crossing through them on her flanks.

"Ugh, god that was hell," the Pegasus groaned as she staggered away from the toilet. "I think I lost ten pounds."

After flushing the toilet, she made her way over to the sink and turned it on. She quickly sucked in a mouthful of water and swished it around a bit before spiting it into the drain. As she turned off the sink, she glared at her own reflection.

"Never again Lightning. You are never going to drink again!"

She instantly cringed at the sound of her own voice.

"Ugh! Fucking hell. Why do people put themselves through this? Why?"

With that, she staggered out of the open bathroom door, a small stream of swears trailing behind her.

"Lightning Dust?" Pinkie gasped, staring out the still open door. "But...how? Why was she a horse?"

She glanced down at herself.

"Why am I a horse?"

Knowing that she wasn't going to get any answers here, she stood up and tried to walk towards the door. The only problem was that she tried to walk like a human. With a startled yelp, she fell backwards into the still filled tub taking the curtains with her on the way down.

This is going to take some getting used to, she thought bitterly.

***

Celestia walked with a bit more pep in her step as she strolled through the castle. While she was more than willing to let Discord and Luna handle the many dramas of the Solar Court, there were a few things she wanted to handle herself before enjoying Discord's present. Three things to be exact. As she closed in on one particular room, her elation dampened. Within, she heard one female voice and faint traces of three other voices along with a few thuds. Assuming a neutral mask, she opened the door and stepped in. She was in an empty twenty-by-twenty square room normally reserved for storage. The white walls and marble floors reflected the lights from the various fixtures built into the walls as she acknowledged the four ponies in the room. One was a gray Unicorn mare with a black mane and tail and a black quill for a Cutie Mark, while the others were a set of fillies that left a less than stellar impression on the Solar Princess.

"Good morning Raven," Celestia said, stepping towards the group. "How are you today?"

"Well your highness, thank you for asking," the mare said with a bow. "To what do I owe this meeting?"

"I'm sure you can guess," she said, glancing at the three fillies struggling to walk ten feet away. "How goes their progress?"

Raven turned towards the three fillies, a faint narrowing in her eyes slipping past her mask of professionalism. Naturally, as Celestia's personal aid Raven Quill was briefed on the situation surrounding the three fillies. It was because of her dedication to professionalism and efficiency that she was chosen to be their watcher and physical therapy coach. Though even a mare as grounded as her couldn't help but feel anger towards the three. Not enough to do anything rash, but more than enough to keep her from sympathizing with them. As such, she didn't offer them any real kindness when they fell or otherwise struggled with their new bodies. She gave them advice on how to reduce the chances of hurting themselves, but that was as far as her compassion went.

"Slow. It seems they are having some difficulty adapting to their bodies. Even with the advice your daughter gave her allies. From the way they are moving, balance appears to be a defining issue, but I feel that their may be more to it."

"How so?"

"Simple," she frowned. "They seem to be unwilling to improve."

Celestia stared at her aid, brow raised.

"Come again?"

Raven turned towards her ruler and frowned.

"Normally, when somepony tries to perfect a skill there will be a deviation from previous attempts. Whether it be an advancement or backslide in progress, the iteration will always change. They have been at the exact same point of progress for the past three hours."

"I see," she frowned. "Any reason for that?"

"I have my theories," Raven sighed. "But I feel that the most probable is self-flagellation."

Celestia's eyes widened slightly at that.

"And you haven't tried to stop them?" she asked, a hint of incredulity coloring her tone.

"Of course I have, your highness," Raven said, an irritated huff slipping past her muzzle. "I may not think favorably of them, but I don't desire the harming of foals. But there is only so much I can do."

She locked her ruby eyes with her Princess's amethyst ones and with an executioner's finality said, "If they are unwilling to learn, I can't teach."

"I see," Princess Celestia sighed as she turned towards the staggering fillies. "Perhaps it is time for you to take a break."

Raven tilted her head in confusion at the sudden turn in their conversation.

"Your highness?"

"Go on. I can keep an eye on them while you're gone."

Understanding slowly crept into Raven's features. A faint smile graced her muzzle as she gave her ruler a nod.

"As you wish, your majesty."

With that, she saw herself out leaving the three fillies at the mercy of the Princess of the Sun. With cold indifference she approached them, her stomach twisting the closer she got. Not helping were all of the visible bruises covering them. It was clear Raven wasn't exaggerating and from what she could see, her theory held some water. Once she was about five feet away from them, she cleared her throat to get their attention. They turned and froze when they saw the shin of her forelegs, only moving their heads as they struggled to make eye contact with her.

"Y-Yes your majesty?" Sweetie asked, trembling.

Celestia fought her more maternal urges as she saw the fear in Sweetie's eyes. Instead, she decided to cut strait to the point.

"Why are you sabotaging yourselves?"

"Wh-what do yah mean?" Applebloom asked.

"My aid is not stupid," she answered flatly, making the fillies flinch. "Nor am I. So don't lie to me. Tell me why you are making things harder for yourself. Now."

The three fillies trembled before the mammoth pony, each struggling to find the nerve to answer her question. Eventually, Scootaloo found it though she secretly wished she hadn't

"W-We wanted to make it even," she stammered.

"By harming yourselves?" Celestia frowned.

They nodded.

A pregnant silence filled the room as the Princess let the words settle. Her jaw clenched to the point of almost breaking teeth as she shattered the peace with a hard stomp of her hoof. Not hard enough to break the marble tiles, but enough to startle the fillies all the same.

"Stand straight!" she demanded.

The fillies quickly jumped to attention, doing the closest thing a pony could to a militaristic stand.

"Take ten steps forward!"

Though it was stiff, they once again complied.

"Again!"

Ten more steps.

"Again!

Another ten.

"Again!"

By this iteration of ten, they stood with their muzzles just an inch away from the wall.

"Now turn to the left!"

It was clumsy, but they managed to obey.

"Again!"

Again they complied, now facing away from the wall.

"Ten more steps!"

They obeyed, their stride more leveled this time.

"Again!"

Again, they marched forward.

"You seem to understand the basics," she frowned down at the stationary humans-turned-ponies standing before her. "You will repeat this until you make it to the next wall. At which point, you will turn from the right and repeat your progress. When you have mastered walking, Raven will teach you how to use your hooves. You will need to learn how to use them to finish your punishment. Next you will learn how to run. A castle maid needs to be quick and efficient and I will not have you slow any of my staff down."

A bead of sweat trailed down Scootaloo's forehead as Celestia's eyes drilled into hers. She could see the challenge in them, begging her to try and defy the Alicorn that towered over her. With an audible gulp, Scootaloo nodded an acton her friends mirrored as the Princess' gaze passed over them.

"I will be asking Raven for progress reports once a week, and if she tells me that you are not putting an effort into your practice, I will be the one to train you. If I hear about you hurting yourselves, I will get involved. Do you understand?"

Again they nodded.

"Good," she said evenly. " And keep this in mind. Atonement is not paved in pain, but acceptance of responsibility."

"W-What does that mean?" Scootaloo asked.

Still wearing a mask of calm, Celestia said, "Figure it out for yourselves. Now, walk!"

They quickly snapped to attention and obeyed, stopping every ten paces before resuming. Celestia watched them, all the while her own words echoed her own mind.

Acceptance of responsibility. Just how long overdue am I truly, my Little Sun?

***

The whole world felt like a spinning blur as Sunset laid. What was left of her senses told her that she was laying on the floor. That, or Twilight needed to buy softer mattresses. She was also warm. Very warm. It was as if she was wrapped in the greatest electric blanket in the world. A blanket that smelled like fresh vanilla and was as soft as silk. When she opened her eyes a blurry mass of gray and gold greeted her, the early morning sun reminding her of how much she drank the night before. Groaning in pain she berried her face into the gray mass, eager to hide from her mother's twice damned servant of evil. She was rewarded not only with shadows, but more of the soothing scent of vanilla. She let out a happy purr as she reveled in the moment of peace only for it to be ruined by a small giggle from the gray mass.

"Stop that Dinky. You know I'm ticklish."

Sunset's eyes popped open as she registered what was unmistakably Derpy's voice and just how close it was. Slowly, she raised her head and took stock of her surroundings. Like she thought, she was laying on the ground in the throne room only now it looked like a yuletide war zone. Countless plastic cups and food wrappers covered the floor with fourteen ponies, counting herself, knocked out on the floor. The only exception being Twilight, who was passed out on the Cutie Map in a less than dignified manner with a half-empty mug of cider standing next to her. That was another constant, as each pony in question had at least one silver mug within foreleg's reach. That was also true for her and the sleeping Pegasus she was cuddling just a few seconds ago.

As she stared at the adorable creature before her, a deep blush colored her muzzle. This wasn't the first time she saw her sleeping, but it was the first time she saw her this close. If it was even possible her new pony form was even cuter than her human one, curled like a cat with her wing blanketing Sunset's lower body. A peaceful smile graced her lips as she dreamed sweet dreams. Her mane was twisted into a messy bed-head that only added to the Pegasus' charms. A small smile joined her blush as she watched the mare sleep, all the while wondering how they ended up like this. A sharp pain shot through her head as a reminder.

Oh, right, she thought bitterly as she held a hoof to her head. Just how much did I drink last night?

A light groan slipped past her lips as Derpy started to stir.

"Ugh, someone kill the sun," she whined covering her eyes with her hooves.

"Good morning sunshine," Sunset smirked as Derpy pulled herself into a sitting position.

"Whatever, " she grumbled as she massaged her temples. "If I ever see another beer again I think I'll puke."

"I warned you," Sunset sighed. "C'mon, let's see if any food survived the party."

"I don't think I want to," Derpy groaned, staggering to her hooves. "I feel like I swallowed a gallon of printer ink."

"Trust me. Some food will make you feel better."

"If you say so," she sighed.

With that, the two mares traversed the battlefield of a throne room searching for anything edible. Much to their relief, a lone cookie survived last night's festivities which they split. The second the treat hit her stomach, Derpy was shocked to find that most of her nausea had faded away. Sunset took note of her friend's reaction and giggled.

"A pony's metabolism is different from a human's. If we get something like a hang over, we can recover quickly if we have something sweet."

"Cool," Derpy smiled. "But I don't think I'm going to make a habit of this."

"Good call," she smiled. "Do it too often and the amount of sugar you'll need to eat will get bigger too."

A groan from her left caught her attention. Staggering into the room with the grace a zompony, Lightning glared at the two mares.

"Do me a favor and shut up."

"Hey," Sunset frowned. "You're the one who challenged a heavyweight to a drinking contest. Don't give us any crap."

"Bite me," she growled.

"How about a cookie?" Derpy smirked.

"No," Lightning whined, falling to her haunches and clutching her stomach. "Don't mention food."

"You'll feel better," Derpy smiled.

"I just spent the past five minutes puking my lower intestine out in the bathroom. The last thing I need to see right now is food."

"Point taken," Sunset grimaced. "I doubt their would be anything sugary enough for you right now anyway."

Lightning raised a brow at that, only for a bit of movement in a corner of the room to get her attention. What she saw made her jaw hit the floor.

"Yo, take a look at this," she whisper-yelled as she pointed to the corner in question.

Curious, they investigated the corner. They were greeted by the sight of two sleeping Fluttershys. They laid intertwined with each other in perfect symmetry, forehead to forehead, with forelegs and wings wrapped around each other. They both had peaceful smiles with one showing a hint of fang as they held each other close. As the trio stared, Sunset couldn't help but question what led up to this. Not that she had any objections to it, as odd as it was in a cosmic sort of way. Though the pile of empty cider mugs a foot away from the pair gave her a pretty good idea how it got to this point.

"Hey, Sunset," Lightning whispered. "I think I just got diabetes."

"Ha ha," she said, rolling her eyes. " Still, I wish I had my phone for this."

"No kidding," Lightning smirked.

"Eh," Derpy shrugged. "I ship it."

Suddenly, the mirrored ponies started to stir, eyes groggily fluttering open. For a moment they laid still, eyes not fully processing what they were seeing. That changed when the Thestral of the duo's eyes widened. Her face quickly turned a bright shade of red and with a terrified eep, jumped to her hooves and ran out of the room. Never before had the phrase 'running like a bat out of hell' been more accurately personified then in that moment as the throne room doors slammed shut. Still groggy, Fluttershy pulled herself to her haunches and stared at the door before turning her attention to the three nearby mares.

"W-What happened?" she asked, bringing a hoof to her throbbing head.

Sunset smiled awkwardly then said, "Let's just say, you'll need to sort things out with my world's Fluttershy a little later."

"Oh?" she asked, only for something to seemingly click into place in her head and her face broke out into a massive blush a second later. "Oh. Right."

A chorus of groans started to fill the room as the rest of the ponies in the room started to come to.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Octavia groaned as she staggered to her hooves.

"I'll Tell you later," Sunset sighed. "But first, who wants breakfast?"

Twilight and her friends all raised a hoof while the remaining foreigners gave her the evil eye. Well, most of them at least.

"I'm game," Vinyl beamed, sauntering over towards Sunset's group.

Sunset stared at her in shock. She knew that the DJ had a few drinks last night. Not anywhere near as many as Lightning, but more than enough to feel it in the morning. Yet the mare was acting as if nothing happened.

"Vinyl? How come you're not-"

"Hungover?" Vinyl smirked. "Sunset, I work at a club and live with a bunch socialites. Do you really think I've never had a drink or two?"

"It's true," Octavia frowned as she stood next to Vinyl. "Though she does pace herself while in proper company."

"Hey! C'mon sis," she smirked, giving the grey mare a playful hip-check. "Like I said, a couple drinks here and there. Don't go making them think I'm some lush or something."

"You drank twenty mugs of cider last night," Sunset deadpanned.

"And Lightning drank fifty," Vinyl shrugged. "You're point?"

Lightning let out an agonized groan as memories of what her actions led to just a few minutes ago flashed through her mind.

"Don't remind me," Lightning groaned. "I'm never going to look at cookies the same way ever again."

Vinyl laughed and walked over to her nauseous friend.

"Hey, don't worry," she smirked, throwing a foreleg over her shoulders. "You just need to build a tolerance. A few more parties like last night and you'll put Rainbow under the table in no time."

"Ha! Fat chance of that!" Rainbow cheered, pulling herself out of a nearby three foot tall pile of mugs. "Nopony can take my cider crown."

"Except Pinkie," Applejack smirked as she joined the group, not a trace of last night's wear-and-tear present in her features.

Rainbow scratched the back of her head sheepishly then said, "Yeah, okay. She could probably take it."

"What's her limit?" Vinyl asked.

"I don't think she has one," Twilight frowned as she staggered towards the growing group.

"Really?" she asked. "What makes you say that?"

"Long answer; she consumes so much sugar on a daily basis that her body naturally metabolizes alcohol at a hypersonic scale. Thus, preventing her from getting drunk in the first place. In short, she's Pinkie Pie. Nature doesn't apply."

Vinyl wanted to press for a better explanation, but Twilight's flat stare told her that such an inquiry would be futile. Instead, she decided to change topics to something a little less confusing.

"So what's for breakfast," she smiled.

"I think Spike said he was going to be making pancakes with honey today," Twilight said, putting a hoof to her chin in thought as she stared at a nearby window. "In fact, he should be ready in a few minutes if I'm reading the sun right."

"Awesome!" she cheered. "Lead the way Princess!"

With a smile, she guided the herd of mares out of the throne room towards the dinning room. It was as they all filed out of the room that Octavia noticed something was missing.

"Where's Pinkie Pie?" she asked.

"Probably in the bathroom," Lightning sighed as she moved towards the door. "That's the last place I saw her."

"Okay?" Octavia said, brow raised as she fallowed her friend out of the room. "Why were the two of you in the bathroom together."

"We decided to try pony-style while you were all knocked out," she deadpanned before exclaiming, "What the hell do you think was happening?!"

Octavia cringed both at the volume of her voice and rancid breath she sent her way with her declaration.

"I see," she grimaced, trying to ignore the smell of vomit in the air. "That's good to know. Maybe later I could have a talk with her."

"About what?" Lightning asked.

"Nothing in particular," she shrugged. "She interests me. She's so similar to our Pinkie yet I noticed a few key differences between them last night."

"Like?"

"This one seems a bit more empathetic than ours," she replied, brows scrunched in thought. "She also seems to be more grounded in comparison. But above all else, she seems a lot more loyal to her ideals."

"What do you mean?" Lightning frowned in confusion.

"Both Pinkie's claim to want to make people happy, but were our's seems to do it for herself, this one does it for others. That is, if what I saw last night and what Vinyl's told me are accurate anyway. I won't know for sure until I have a one-on-one conversation with her."

A moment of silence passed between the two mares as Lightning mulled over what Octavia told her, then with a weary sigh said, "Whatever. If you want to talk to her, go ahead. I won't stop ya'. Just know I've got an ice pack and whatever counts as Aspirin here waiting for ya'."

"Thanks," she laughed, than took on a more serious expression. "And good luck with this Rainbow Dash. I know you are feeling conflicted about her and the others. We all are in our own ways."

"Yeah," she said softly, thinking about how far south things went the day before. "I still want to be friends with her, ya' know?"

"I know, love," she frowned. "You two were friends since Junior High. it would be odd if some part of you didn't. I still feel an urge to patch things up with Rarity from time-to-time, but there is no way I would betray Sunset like that."

"No kidding," Lightning growled. "She doesn't deserve that."

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the dinning room, which was shattered by an excited cry from Lyra when she saw a purple and green lizard setting a table. Poor Spike had only enough time to blink before a mint Unicorn had him in her hooves, a manic grin plastered across her muzzle as she held him over her head.

"A Dragon! Oh my god! An honest to god Dragon!"

She turned towards the stunned group of ponies, terrified Dragon still held in the air.

"Bonbon! Look! A Dragon!"

"Yes Lyra," she groaned. "It's a Dragon. Now could you please put him down before we see if Unicorns are fireproof or not."

Realization seemed to hit both of them as Lyra slowly turned her head towards Spike, who leveled a flat glare at her. Slowly, she lowered him to the ground and sheepishly dusted off some dirt on his shoulders before scrambling towards her friends. With an annoyed huff, he waked back towards the kitchen to get another plate of pancakes. An awkward silence dominated the room as all ponies present took a seat at the table, Sunset set between Lightning and Derpy while Twilight sat across from her with a nervous Rarity and a fidgety Fluttershy flanking her. Between the embarrassment felt from the former humans courtesy of Lyra's antics and the lack of real common ground from the Equestrians, nopony knew what to do to break the ice. It wasn't until Bonbon took a bite of her pancakes that the silence was finally broken.

"Oh my god," she gasped as she took another bite. "These are amazing!"

"Really?" Lightning asked, cautiously giving her breakfast a nibble.

Her eyes widened before turning her nibble into a savage chomp. Tears started to flow down her face as she wolfed down her food.

"I take back everything I said about Dragons," she sniffled as she wiped away her joyous tears. "You rock Dragon dude!"

"Uh, thanks?" he said, not sure how he was supposed to take that comment.

The Equestrians gave Sunset a questioning look.

"Don't ask," she sighed as she cut up her food with a knife and fork held in her magic.

"It's an inside joke," Lyra chuckled sheepishly. "Unless you guys have video games here, you wouldn't get it."

Looking a little confused, the Equestrians decided to drop it and resume their eating.

"This really is good," Derpy whispered as she bit into her food. "Remind me to ask the little guy for the recipe later."

"No problem," Sunset giggled, then added in a tone just loud enough for her friends to hear, "His name is Spike by the way."

With the ice officially broken the group started to exchange stories about their exploits, the only interruptions being Sunset explaining things to Twilight's friends that were foreign concepts to them such as televisions and cars. It was right around the time Bonbon was talking about how she accidentally added salt instead of sugar to a batch of her namesake when Sunset felt a surge of magic closing in on them. She had just enough time to cover Derpy's good eye and Lightning's face with a hoof before a massive flare of light filled the room, blinding all who weren't prepared. A second later, Princess Celestia stood by the table just a foot away from Sunset.

"Good morning my little ponies!" she cried, the biggest, brightest smile she could manage spread across her muzzle.

All the Equestrians in the room bowed while the humans-turned-ponies not protected by Sunset let out groans of pain as they tried to blink the stars out of their eyes. Not even Vinyl's glasses could protect her from the Solar Princess' grand entrence.

"Is that normal?" Lightning asked as she pushed Sunset's hoof out of her face.

"Nope," she laughed. "But that's Equestria for you."

***

Pinkie watched through a gap in the door to the dinning room, barely able to understand what she was seeing. Thirteen candy colored ponies sat at a table talking and eating pancakes like nothing strange was happening. After she figured out how to work her new body, she decided to try to figure out where she was. She had to part with her soaked trench coat due to it literally dragging her down, but that was small sacrifice if it meant gathering information. Hopefully by the time she made it back to it, it would be dry enough to wear again. She stared at the ponies in the room and shock was slowly replaced by confusion. The way the ponies acted and talked reminded her of her friends back home, only something about them seemed different. She just couldn't place her finger (or hoof) on what it was. But out of all of them, the light orange Unicorn with the red and gold mane held her attention the most. Her voice. Her mannerisms. Everything about her brought Pinkie back to how things use to be before Annon-a-Miss tore everything apart.

Sunset! she thought, a strong yearning growing inside her to be at the Unicorn's side.

She reached a hoof out to open the door, only for a bright flash of light to make her pause. Once the stars left her vision, she saw that a new creature had joined the group. This was a white horse with a horn sticking out of her head and a pair of massive wings coming out of her back with a quad-colored mane and tail that flowed as if in an unfelt breeze. Though the creature was smiling, Pinkie could feel in her bones that this was something she should avoid at all costs. Trembling, she turned to walk away from the room only to be met by a set of half-lidded blue eyes.

"Hello me," Equestrian Pinkie said, an uncharacteristic frown decorating her muzzle. "What do you say we have a little chat."

Pinkie gulped as the fear she felt earlier doubled.

The cold burned. Applejack never new how much the winter season could burn before Anon-a-Miss. The gentle warmth of her family always chased away the bite of the snow. With strong bonds and unbeatable love, The Apple Family stood unmoving against everything. Just like the trees that filled their orchard. All of that ended when Anon-a-Miss' identity was revealed. In an instant, the family lost its warmth as the crimes of one of their own was brought to light. As she wandered listlessly through the snow covered orchard clothed with nothing but the bare minimum, memories of that day ran through her mind. She remembered the shock of hearing what Sunset tried to do. She remembered the fury she felt as Applebloom's guilt was shown to her and the whole school. She remembered the shame of being so easily fooled. She remembered the heartbreak of knowing that her sister wouldn't be home for a long time. But more than anything, she remembered how hollow she felt when she understood the meaning behind Lyra's words when she begged her for a chance to talk to Sunset.

"I can't say all that much, but you guys really fucked up."

Applejack let out a bark of humorless laughter at that memory.

"Understatement of th' century," she muttered as she staggered about.

When everything was said and done, she had no idea what to do with herself. With no school or lengthy list of chores to contend with, the farm girl had nothing to do to get her mind off of things. She briefly considered sneaking into the family cider reserve, but decided against it. Not only did she know that doing so wouldn't solve anything, she felt that she didn't deserve a release from this pain. For what she did to Sunset, she deserved to feel this way and so much more.

Sad chuckles slipped past her lips as tears ran down her cheeks. So many dark thoughts ran through her head as she continued her aimless march that nothing else could be processed. Things she would've done to her sister if she hadn't been taken to Equestria after the assembly. How she would do anything to make it up to Sunset. How alone she felt now that her family was forever scarred by this travesty. How the cold burned like acid on her skin. How dead she felt inside.

She fell to her knees, her sad chuckling turning into a mournful laughing fit. She was angry, but she didn't know at who. She was sad, but she didn't know for who. She was in pain, but she didn't know if it was physical or emotional. All she knew was that she burned and that she was laughing. Slowly, her laughter and tears petered out, leaving her a kneeling wreck staring at the ground like a woman at the gallows.

It was then that she saw what stood before her; the Memorial Tree. At some point her wanderings brought her to this sacred part of the orchard. For the first time ever, she felt like a trespasser in the tree's presence. Like she wasn't a true member of the family. That fact alone made her tears return as she kneeled before the great tree.

The soft crunch of boots in the snow caught her attention as she turned towards the source. Standing roughly five feet away from her was none other than her tower of a brother Big Macintosh, a faint trace of concern visible on his stoic face.

"B-Big Mac?" she asked, voice a feeble, trembling imitation of its formal glory.

"C'mon sis," he intoned closing the gap between them and reaching a hand out to her. "It's too cold out for ya' to be out here without a coat. Ya' know better than that."

She nodded, staring at the ground as she took the offered hand. He lifted her to her feet with next to no effort and guided her towards the farm house. On the way, a faint part of her scattered mind had a thought that brought a chill down her spine. For the tiniest fraction of a second, she considered going to the bridge over Canter Creek.

All the while, just outside the view of the two farmers a shadowy mass slithered through the true shadows among the trees.

***

Everything was cold. No matter what she did, she could never get any warmth. Tea tasted like ice water in her mouth when it didn't taste like ashes. When she walked the streets, she may as well have been naked for what little good her expensive designer coat, sweats, and boots did against the unforgiving cold. Even now, as Rarity stood in the shower, water so hot it should've burned her, she shivered.

"Oh what's the point," she sighed listlessly as she turned off the water.

With a faint shiver, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. A faint haze covered her vision as she staggered out of the bathroom. Faintly, she wondered if maybe the wine she drank last night was still in her system, but tossed that out the window. She knew that wasn't how it worked. She had enough experience to know that much at least.

As she staggered into her room, her mind wandered towards the full bottle hidden beneath her desk. She frowned as she stared at it, a strange mix of longing and detest swirling around inside her gut. The temptation was there, like a giant leech sitting on her back draining her resistance by the mouthful and weighing down on her. But the hate that seemed married to it put a wall between her and the bottle. While the drink made her forget her troubles, it was only for a moment. Not long after, her thoughts would turn dark and twisted. A part of her that she kept berried deep in her soul would flow to the surface. It wanted damnation. It wanted to hurt those that hurt it. It was that side of her personality that tore the sheets off of her bed the night Sweetie was taken to Equestria. It was that personality that threw the comforter out the window. It wanted to hurt her. Her, and everything the sixth grader had touched. She hated that part of herself. She hated that such an ugly monster was a part of herself. It wasn't until she was standing before a wall holding her sister's photo against it with one hand while holding a pair of scissors like a knife in the other that her mind cleared the last time she drank, but by that time it already had several holes jammed through it. It was in that moment of clarity that she decided against using her old vice and to be safe, she locked the door to Sweetie's room from the inside and gave the key to her parents. But the tug of her old "friend" would always drag her to that bottle.

And so it was that Rarity, still wrapped in a towel, found herself holding the bottle of wine. Her hands trembled, from the cold, the rage she felt within herself, or the fear of what hid beneath the surface of her heart, she didn't know. All she knew was that she was a horrible person. A person that left a shelterless friend to make an unchangeable decision. A person that let her pride get in the way of her friendship with an incredible person. A person that wanted to harm her sister.

She knew the bottle held no salvation. She knew that it would only make her pain worse. She knew it wouldn't give her the peace she craved. That was why her trembling fingers removed the bottle's cap and she took a long pull. As the bitter drink slid down her throat, she felt her mind drift into a pleasantly familiar haze. She sighed in satisfaction, enjoying the warm fog for as long as she could knowing that at any moment it was going to turn into a frozen miasma as her true self rose to the forefront of her mind. In time, the warmth faded into the familiar cold that followed her since the day she realized her sins and the world turned black.

In what felt like a blink, she stood at the heart of her room, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hands. Her eyes widened as she took in what she was holding. It was a picture Sweetie had drawn for her when they were little. A crude crayon drawing of her and Sweetie Belle standing in the center of a glue heart covered in glitter with the words "Best Sister Ever" written with red marker. It was a gift for her on her eleventh birthday when the little kindergardener tried to find something to get her. Even with all the expensive gifts her parents had given her, this simple drawing was the greatest gift she could've ever received. It was because of that tears slid down her face when she noticed the small rip at the top of the paper before it slipped out of her hands.

The final nail in the coffin was a memory of the last thing Sweetie said that night so many days ago when she shared a bed with her.

"Sis, I love you."

"I-I-I love you too," she stammered, falling to her knees. "S-S-Sweetie."

With that, what little restraint she had shattered as her tears fell like rain, all the while a shadow slithered out of the room.

***

Empty. That was the only word Rainbow could use to describe how she felt as she stared at her bedroom ceiling. Dead also came to mind, but that didn't quite fit in her opinion. The day of the assembly ran through her head like a broken record, every detail of that day feeling like a punch to the gut. It all stayed clear in her head. Sunset's speech. The evidence against Scootaloo and her friends. Princess Celestia's punishment. All of it was so clear and perfect in her head, like her brain had become a video camera and was mocking her for how bad she screwed up. But one thing sent a chill down her spine. When Anon-a-Miss was revealed, she thought she would be angry. She thought she would be relieved that it was all over. Instead, she felt...... nothing. It was as if a part of Rainbow died that day.

Since then, everything seemed like too much effort. Eating, drinking, everything seemed like their was no real point to it. If it wasn't automatic, she would've wondered if breathing was worth the trouble. As a result, the normally energetic jock spent all of her time in her room shut off from the rest of the family staring at the ceiling or sleeping. At one point her father had to bring her food and force her to eat because she wouldn't do it herself. Even then, she didn't eat more than she needed to as the food had no flavor to her.

She knew this wasn't good. That being this numb wasn't healthy, but she just couldn't bring herself to care. Everything was just so gray and bleak to her. She hated it. A small part of her wanted to be angry with herself for being so weak, but couldn't muster up the strength to do it. Instead, her mind drifted to the dreams she had before the assembly after Lightning punched her.

For days, the dreams were the same; a blindfolded version of herself would yell and scream at her for thinking Sunset was Anon-a-Miss. Naturally, Rainbow was defiant towards her double and was absolutely positive that Sunset had gone back to her old ways, but then things started to escalate. The double started to get physical, slapping and punching her while all the while telling her to snap out of it. Soon, she started the dream tied to a chair with her double assaulting, her demands for Rainbow to get a clue becoming akin to begging. Eventually the double's demands started to sound desperate before the dream that scared her to her core came. Even in her lethargic state she could remember it clearly, and it sent a chill down her spine.

***

Rainbow was bound to a chair. Countless cuts and bruises covered her body. Her double stood over her, panting and blindfolded eyes glaring a hole through her. Her knuckles bled from their most recent "debate" as she scowled at the battered girl.

"Why?" the double hissed through clenched teeth. "Why won't you listen? Do you like being in pain? Do you want me to do this?"

Rainbow glared at the double, but remained silent.

Her double trembled with rage as she struggled to keep her arms at her side.

"Stop it!" she roared. "I don't want anymore rage! I want you to snap out of it! Don't you get it?! I can't protect you from her if you keep this up! If you don't snap out of it.....I'll have to leave you!"

"Then go!" Rainbow barked. "All you've done this whole time is hit me! How is that supposed to help me?!"

"BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE MAKING ME DO!!!" the double roared. "I don't want to hurt you," she whimpered, voice choked by barely contained tears. "But your treachery is rejecting me, and I don't know what else to do to make you see. Loyalty is my core. Leaving my host is the same as getting split in half for me. I don't want to abandon you, but if a better host comes I will leave regardless unless you come to your senses. And if I leave, you will be at her mercy."

Black trails of what looked like ink slipped past Loyalty's blindfold and dripped onto the ground as she stared at Rainbow, filling the bound girl with dread.

"You won't last against her," Loyalty said, voice an eerily calm whisper as her hands reached for the knot to her blindfold. "She'll twist your heart and hollow out your soul. She'll turn you into nothing but a shell of your former-self before she breaks you. Then, when your ready, she'll kill you."

As she said that she pulled the blindfold free, black fluid trailing from her eyes like wet mascara and walked towards Rainbow. The girl struggled to free herself from her restraints as her double approached, ice cold fear running through her veins. Once she was in reach, the double slowly and deliberately placed her hands on Rainbow's shoulders and lowered her face to be level with her own. Then her eyes snapped open, revealing eyes identical to Rainbow's covered with black blotches like someone threw ink into them.

"For the love of god," Loyalty whispered while Rainbow stared in horror. "WAKE UP!!!"

She woke up at that point, screaming bloody murder into the night.

***

After that the dreams went back to normal before her double finally changed color and left. Ever since, her mind was constantly at war with itself. Like something was scrambling her thoughts around and there wasn't a lot she could do to stop it. Now she felt empty, as if her soul had been scooped out and all that was left was a body that just wanted to function and nothing else.

Maybe the others will want to do something, she thought.

With a hollow sigh, she reached for her phone on the nightstand. After a few minutes of scrolling she found her friend's numbers and set the numbers into a group call. She wasn't all that surprised when Fluttershy didn't answer, but Pinkie not answering was something to raise an eyebrow over. She didn't think about it for too long though, as Applejack and Rarity answered.

"Yeah, Dash?" Applejack said, tone a little strained.

"Y-You called, darling?" Rarity choked, words slightly slurred.

"Yeah," she sighed, ignoring the tone of her friend's voices. "I was thinking of going to Sugarcube Café later. You want to come with?"

"Sure," Applejack said, tone shaky. "Reckon Ah could use the distraction."

"Agreed," Rarity sighed. "I-I really need to be somewhere else right now."

"Cool," Rainbow said, tone metallic even to her own ears. "See you all in an hour."

With that she hung up and forced herself into a sitting position. Sighing, she staggered around the room in search of anything clean enough to wear. All the while a black shadow slithered out of the room.

***

A world of complete darkness. That was the only thing that such a void could be described as, where the only sound that could be heard was the wails of the doomed as its inhabitants wallowed in the misery of their choices. Choices that could never be taken back as they laid formless and miserable on what passed for the ground in this world. One sole inhabitant was exempt from this fate for not only did she have a form, but she was in relatively good spirits as she stared at a shimmering tear in the abyss. From its light, the ruler of this forsaken world could be seen. She was a tall, slender woman with long, ebony curls trailing to the middle of her back and covering the right side of her face. Her skin was a deathly shade of ivory that accentuated her midnight black ball-gown. Matching elbow length gloves covered her hands and arms as she gazed through the portal. Her black lips turned into a cruel smile as her golden eyes with black sclera analyzed the three girls shown.

This was Lily's favorite part of her hunt. Nothing made her black heart flutter quite like tearing a person's heart apart. And they made it so easy for her! Just a twinge of self-loathing, a splash of broken pride, and a liberal helping of the ugly truth and these mortals become so easy to ripen. Of course, she had to be much more brutal with these three than she had been in the past what with two of her previous meals escaping her. Her smile faltered slightly as her grumbling stomach echoed through the void. With an irate groan she narrowed her attention onto the portal, shifting her weight to be more comfortable in her throne of lost souls.

"Not long now," she muttered, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth with her wrist. "At the rate the seeds I planted in them are growing I should be able to feed on them in about a week. In the mean time though."

As she said that she made a beaconing gesture into the surrounding darkness. A back tendril rose out of the "ground" and presented her with what looked like a black apple. With a wide smile, she snatched it out of the tendril's grip and took a savage bite out of it. She smiled blissfully as she savored the taste.

"Such sweet misery," she mused as she took another bite. "Not quite as tasty as Sunset's or Pinkie's crumbs, but delicious all the same. I can't wait to have all of her. I need to have them!"

She moved the portal closer, a wide manic grin of pointed teeth spread across her face as she stared at her prey drinking milkshakes together.

"Ripen them faster my seeds," she growled. "Let me devour them!"

It was then that she saw something that snapped her out of her hunger driven obsession. A red skinned woman with gold and orang hair wearing a light-blue blouse and dress-skirt approached the girls. As Lily only had enough surplus energy to make a visual portal she couldn't hear what she said to her prey, but she could sense a strange mix of emotions in them as she watched. Curiosity, Shame, Fear, but also relief and, most disgusting of all, hope. Lily felt her metaphorical blood boil as the woman talked to her prey, but it didn't reach the breaking point until she handed the girls her business card. The second the cards made contact with their skin, Lily's seeds let out wails of agony that only she could hear as all but a few fragments of them were obliterated.

Lily let out a wail of fury as she jumped to her bare feet, a manic scowl decorating her face as she glared at the woman.

"MY SEEDS!" she snarled. "HOW DID SHE DO THAT?! WHO IS THIS BIT-?!"

It was then that the woman turned enough to make her face visible to Lily through her portal. A deep growl built in her throat as recognition settled in her core.

"HEARTHS WARMING," she growled through gritted teeth.

Her rage only grew as the red woman seemed to stare at her through the portal, lips pulled into a patronizing smile. With a snarl of pure rage, her hand morphed into long claws and she ripped the portal to shreds once again plunging her world into pure darkness. Slowly, her rage melted into irritation as she struggled to get her hunger driven mind to focus. She took another bite out of her crumb to aid in the process.

"It's fine," she sighed as she took another bite. "My seeds still live, so she isn't as strong as she once was. All she's doing is prolonging the inevitable. I will feed. In the mean time, I still have enough crumbs to sustain myself until then. I just need to be patient. Patient."

As she devoured what was left of her crumb, she found that she was slowly starting to hate that word.

Fluttershy let out a sigh as she stood before a now familiar guest room, plate of pancakes balanced on one open wing. Apparently, her human counterpart had decided that said room was going to be her shelter during her stay. She gulped as she stared at the door, nerves keeping her from reaching for the handle. It shouldn't be this difficult for her to do what needed to be done. Step one, open the door. Step two, give her the food. Step three, talk about last night. Step four, see what happens after. It was step four that made her so nervous. From what she could remember from last night, her counterpart was different from her in ways beyond just her tribe making the results of said interaction very difficult to predict. Not helping was the fact that she had very little experience dealing with Thestrals, what with how elusive the tribe can be even in the best of times. She let out a thoughtful sigh as the events of the previous night came to the forefront of her mind, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

***

The party was in full swing. Everypony was drinking and mingling with Pinkie being the most active as she passed out food to anypony that asked. All the while, two nearly identical ponies stood in a far corner of the throne room, enjoying each other's company in the pocket of calm they found in the sea of excitement that filled the room.

"You're amazing," Fluttershy giggled, red eyes slightly unfocused as she stared at her Equestrian counterpart.

"N-No I'm not," Equestrian Fluttershy slurred, lowering her half-full mug of cider.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, taking a swig of her own drink. "You faced a crazy Moon Goddess, a Dragon, a Chaos God, a King, an army of bug monsters, a Minotaur, and a magic-eating Centaur. You. Are. Amazing."

"I was only there for most of that," Equestrian Fluttershy smiled bashfully, taking another sip of her drink. "I didn't do all that much."

"Says the girl who helped fill her world with magic," Fluttershy smiled, a bit of fang showing as she leaned into her counterpart's side.

The yellow Pegasus's face turned beet red at the contact, though it could've just as easily been because of all the cider she drank. Oddly enough, she found she didn't dislike the attention she was getting. Setting aside the fact that the mare near her was her from another world, she found that Fluttershy was rather easy to be around. She didn't judge her that much and wasn't afraid to be blunt when it was necessary. She also seemed bolder then her Pegasus twin, giving her affectionate nuzzles and hip checks. Though all that could've been the alcohol talking and the Thestral was more reserved then she seemed. Strangely enough, she wasn't too bothered by that either. If anything, the contrast made her more interested in the bat pony.

"I guess I am pretty amazing when you put it that way," she said, hiding her small smile by taking a drink.

"Unlike me," the bat pony sighed, looking into her mug with a frown.

"What?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, shocked by the mare's sudden drop in mood.

"I blamed my friend for something she didn't even do and then let her go off to go kill herself. Even after everything she did for us, I stabbed her in the back the second it looked like she went back to her old ways."

As she said that, tears started to fall from her eyes as she gazed at her reflection in her drink. "I'm a terrible person. No. A monster. No wonder I look like this."

As she said that, she gestured to herself before she turned her attention towards her double.

"But you, you're an angel. You stood by your friends even when things looked bad. A coward like me would've ran the second I had a chance. I'm so pathetic!"

For a moment, the two Fluttershys stared at each other, one with tears in her eyes while the other stared at her with concern. Then, before the Thestral could react her counterpart pulled her into a tight embrace. Warmth and the smell of wildflowers enveloped the guilty drunk's sharpened senses, calming her as her Equestrian counterpart gently stroked her mane.

"You're not a bad pony," she whispered as she held her slowly calming double. "Or a coward. Or a monster. Or anything like that."

"Th-Then what am I?" she sniffled, letting her rattled nerves settle.

"Somepony who's hurting, made a few big mistakes, and doesn't know how strong she really is."

"Wh-What?" she stammered, pulling back enough to lock her red eyes with her double's teal ones.

"I stood up to a Dragon, but you stood up to your friends. That doesn't sound like a coward to me. And the fact that you feel so bad about what you did and are willing to make up for it proves you're not a monster. You're a better pony then you think."

The yellow Pegasus could see the conflict in her double's eyes. She could see doubt try to push her words to the side, to call her a lier. But then, a small smile graced the Thestral's muzzle and she knew that her words had hit home.

"Th-Thanks," she sniffled as she wiped away her tears and gently pulled away from the yellow Pegasus.

"Your welcome," she smiled. "Are you okay?"

"No," she sighed, once again taking ahold of her mug. "But I do feel a little better."

"Well, that's a start, right?" she asked, taking her own mug.

"Yeah," she smiled, turning towards her counterpart and holding her mug out towards her. "Cheers! To new beginnings!"

"To new beginnings," Equestrian Fluttershy giggled, mirroring her double's actions and tapped her mug against her's.

While the native Fluttershy took a dainty sip of her drink, her bat pony version downed her drink with gusto. Much to her company's surprise, by the time she came up for air the mug was completely empty. With a satisfied sigh, she licked her lips and leaned into the shocked Pegasus with a wide smile plastered across her muzzle.

"I'm so happy I came here," she muttered, eyes half open and muzzle lightly reddened.

"O-Oh?" Equestrian Fluttershy stammered, face heating from the look her counterpart was giving her. "Th-That's nice."

Fluttershy giggled then snuggled into the nervous Pegasus' side, a content smile gracing her muzzle.

"You're so soft," she sighed. "Can I stay like this for a little bit?"

"Uh, um, o-okay," Equestrian Fluttershy stammered, not sure how to handle this turn of events. "B-But only for a few minutes."

Fluttershy let out a pleased hum and nodded as she let herself get comfortable. The yellow Pegasus let out an exasperated sigh as she stared out into the madness that was the party with a smile. A savage blush quickly spread across her face as she came to a very intimate realization. She was so close to her double that she could pick up her scent, a strange mix of pine and fog. It made her think of walking alone in a forest at night while a pair of red eyes watched her from the shadows. She gulped as she stared at the pony using her as a pillow, a bit of fang poking out of her wide smile. She could see it in the mare's physique that she was more than fast and strong enough, that should such a scenario come to pass, the bat pony would have her completely at her mercy. In spite of the fear such a situation would spawn, the thought thrilled her a little. Blaming the alcohol she let out a wistful sigh and stroked her companion's mane, earning a pleased sigh from the Thestral.

What is wrong with me? she thought, eyes getting heavy as she finished off her drink. Having thoughts like that about her. She's me, isn't she?

It was then that the world began to blur and the yellow Pegasus started to fall into a deep sleep, the smell of pine and fog the last thing she could remember before she entered Luna's domain.

***

If Fluttershy's cheeks got any hotter they would've burst into flames as she stared at the door to her counterpart's room. She took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves before making what felt like the hundredth attempt to reach for the doorknob.

Relax Fluttershy, she mentally coached herself. You're just bringing her breakfast. That's all. The poor thing is probably having a really bad hangover and really needs these. Just bring her some food and maybe talk with her for a bit if she wants to. Easy as that. You can do this.

With a gulp, she forced herself to open the door and step inside. Unsurprisingly, the room was dimmed to the border of true darkness to better accommodate its sole inhabitant, but that didn't unnerve the yellow Pegasus. What put her on edge was the silence. It was heavy, similar to the kind one felt when entering dangerous territory like the deeper portions of the Everfree Forest. Such a thing would normally fill her with fear, but it instead made her face grow hot with a blush. The source being a faint trace of pine and fog in the air that seemed to hang like a thin cloud of mist around her. As she quietly examined the dim room, she marveled at how something could sooth her while at the same time make her so nervous.

"Fluttershy?" she asked, briefly acknowledging the strangeness of using her own name to address somepony. "Are you here?"

A muffled whine beneath the bed was all the answer she got from the Thestral. With a sad smile, she walked towards the bed. After setting the plate down on the ground, she peeked under the bed to find a very unhappy bat pony. Her face was contorted in agony as she clutched her head, tears welling up in her closed eyes. Her ears were tightly folded against her head to block out any and all sound as even the slightest blip sent a red hot nail into her skull.

"Please stop," she whined.

"Stop what?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

"Breathing," she groaned. "Talking. Everything. Just don't do anything."

In spite of herself (literally), she couldn't help but giggle a little bit. She remembered her first hangover and boy did it hurt. Until she figured out how to fix it, she spent the first three hours the next day trying to make as little noise as possible. A simple task for her, if it wasn't for the fact that blinking felt like she stuck her head into a storm cloud.

"Here," Equestrian Fluttershy smiled, pushing the plate under the bed. "Eat this. It'll make you feel better."

She was going go argue that she didn't really feel like eating, but the second the plate was in sight her stomach demanded that she quit complaining. Tentatively, she took a small bite which quickly turned into a savage chomp as instinct took over. Never before had she tasted anything so amazing, something that became all the more enjoyable as her hangover started to fade. Unbeknownst to her, her counterpart had seen the whole thing, a strange mix of shock and intrigue settling in her chest. It was like watching a wolf devour its prey as the ravenous Thestral tore into the pancakes at a startling rate. When she was licking the honey off of the plate, she had to turn away before her blush made her face burst into flames.

"That was amazing," Fluttershy sighed, pushing the plate out from under the bed. "So sweet and fluffy. And my hangover's gone! Thank god."

With a happy hum, the Thestral crawled out from her hiding place and smiled at her double.

"Thank you. That was a huge help."

"Oh. It was nothing," Equestrian Fluttershy smiled, waving her off. "I'm just glad you feel better."

"Yeah," she said, with a content sigh only for an awkward frown to fallow. "By the way."

"Yes?"

"How much do you remember about last night?"

"N-Not much," she stammered, her feathers ruffling slightly as she blushed. "I blacked out after you asked to...um...lay on me."

"Oh," she blushed, her own wings starting to twitch as that particular memory came to mind. "Th-That's the last thing I remember too. So then we didn't...well....we didn't....uh....do it, did we?"

"WHAT?!" the shy Pegasus exclaimed, whole head a brilliant shade of red as she struggled to process what her double said. "Nononononononononono! We didn't!"

"Oh, okay," she said with a sigh of relief. "I just wanted to make sure."

She nodded, face still a little red as she tried to center herself. It was then that she realized how close she was to her counterpart as a faint trace of foggy forest graced her muzzle. This made it even harder to get her blush under control.

"Not that you aren't pretty or anything," she hastily added, seemingly oblivious to how her presence was effecting the yellow Pegasus. "I just wouldn't want to jump into something like that with someone I've just met."

"That's pine-FINE!" she exclaimed, realizing her error. "That's...fine. Sorry."

"It's okay," she said, brow raised.

It was at that moment that they both had the same thought as they remembered how they felt together just a couple hours ago.

I wouldn't be against it though.

"Anyway," Fluttershy started, clearing her throat. "What time is it?"

"Not sure," she shrugged. "I didn't track the sun before coming in here and if I try to now I might blind you."

"Track the sun?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion. "What?"

"Don't you use the sun to tell time?"

She shook her head in the negative.

"We used to, but now we use watches and clocks to tell time. Do you have those?"

"Yes," she smiled. "But most ponies prefer to track the sun. It's a little more convenient."

"I see," Fluttershy mused. "Can you guess how long it will be before sunset?"

Equestrian Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin in thought as she tried to come up with a rough guess.

"About five hours I think."

"Great," she groaned. "That means I have to find a way to keep myself occupied for five hours."

"Well. I could keep you company," Equestrian Fluttershy said, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

Fluttershy's wings opened slightly as her own face turned just as red.

"Y-You don't have to do that," she muttered, trying not to stare at her adorable double.

"B-But I want to," she insisted, gnawing on her lower lip nervously.

"W-Well, okay," she sighed as she caved. "So how do you want to kill time?"

"How about we try to get to know each other?"

"Okay," she smiled. "Hello, I'm Fluttershy.

"Nice to meet you," the Pegasus smiled with a nod. "I'm Fluttershy."

"Likewise."

The two sat in silence for a moment only for it to be broken shortly afterwards by a shared fit of laughter as the craziness of their situation sank in.

Maybe, Fluttershy thought as she wiped a happy tear from her crimson eye. This won't be so bad after all.

***

Equestrian Pinkie panted, her hooves pounding into the castle's crystal floor as she pursued herself down the hall. Even with the fear she saw in her double's eyes, she didn't expect her to run. Normally, it wouldn't be so hard for her to catch somepony. Heck, she could even keep up with Rainbow Dash when she needed to. When you took into account how clumsily this Pinkie was running, she should've been able to catch her in a heartbeat. What gave her some trouble was that the pink pony in front of her seemed to disappear every so many steps.

Every time she came within forelegs reach, she would wink out of existence and reappear ten feet away still running. To make matters worse, her Pinkie Sense couldn't pickup on it, making it impossible for her to predict when it was going to happen. Meanwhile, Terran Pinkie was having a major panic attack as she tried to put as much distance between herself and her Equestrian counterpart as possible. With wide eyes, she let her instincts rule her as she ran through the castle's winding hallways. She didn't know why, but every cell in her body was telling her to run from her lookalike and the strange shimmers that appeared in her path was a way to do so. She hung onto enough of her conscious mind to know that moving through them moved her further away from her peruser, but her thoughts began and ended there as she ran.

Desperate to find an escape rout, she gave her surroundings a quick look over. All she saw at first were just solid crystal walls, but that changed when a window came into view. A smile graced her muzzle as she poured all of her speed into running towards the window. She didn't know where she was or if she was even on the castle's ground floor, but considering the alternative option she decided to test her luck. When Equestrian Pinkie saw her clone pickup speed towards the window, she doubled her own efforts. She didn't know why the other Pinkie was so scared of her, but there was no way in Tarterus she was going to let her jump out a five story window. Her heart hammered in her chest as she struggled to close the gap between them, praying to Granny Pie that the double wouldn't wink out before she could stop her. Time seemed to slow as both Pinkies closed in on their targets, each praying that they could succeed before it was too late. Just like before, just when Equestrian Pinkie's hooves came an inch away from grabbing the double she winked out of existence. Panicking, she threw the window open and looked down. Much to her relief, no pink ponies were plummeting to their demise. But that did raise a question; where did the other Pinkie go?

"Horse apples," she muttered to herself as she closed the window. "Now what am I gonna do?"

***

Pinkie let out a startled yelp as she landed muzzle first onto cold stone, silently grateful that her gamble payed off. Groaning, she forced herself to her hooves. Breaths came out in heaving gasps as she prepared to start running again only to stop short when she took in her surroundings. She was still in a castle, but instead of being made of crystal this one was made of standard issue gray stone. Everything was furnished in ancient trappings like she would see in castles from her own world, only most of the tapestries were heavily decorated with ponies instead of humans. If the twin thrones were anything to go by, she was in the new castle's Throne Room. Though calling it a "new" castle was a bit of a stretch if all the weather damage she could see on the walls was anything to go by. The air was as silent and unforgivingly cold as a tomb as she took in her surroundings, her breaths coming out as thick clouds as if she had gone back to her old habits.

"N-Now where am I?" she asked, exasperated as she shivered in the cold. "N-N-Never m-mind. I n-need to f-find someway to warmup."

As she said that, she rose to her hooves and started moving towards a passage to the left of the thrones hoping that there was something she could find to combat the cold. All the while, she hoped that her double didn't somehow fallow her here. She never wanted to feel that kind of fear again.

After a couple hours, she stumbled across what looked like a bedroom furnished with everything one would come to expect in such a room albeit in a much more ornate style. It surprised her how clean and fresh the furniture looked when compared to the castle itself, but that took a backseat when she saw the massive queen-sized bed at its center with a thick and fluffy violet comforter. She charged towards the bed without a second thought and wrapped herself in its soft warmth. With a blissful sigh, she curled herself into a ball in the fabric cocoon she built for herself. It was then that she realized how tired she was as a yawn forced its way past her muzzle.

"So tired," she mumbled, eyes growing heavy. "Just a quick nap. Then I can...can...figure out...what...to...do...next."

With that, she fell into a deep sleep completely unaware of what would be waiting for her in the land of dreams.

The room was filled with laughter, the Princess of the Sun flashing a wide grin as her Daughter did everything in her power to hide herself behind her hooves. While a part of her was glad that her friends were getting to know her a little better, she wished her mother would do it through her less embarrassing moments. Like how she was the top of her class in Magic Kindergarden or how she learned how to levitate things when she was two. Not things like the time she thought the toilet tank had a Dragon trapped inside and got stuck inside trying to get it out. Or when she sneezed and fired a laser through her mother's pet's cage. Probably the crème de la crème of all her stories was how things went on her seventh birthday.

"And then," Celestia smirked. "My Little Sun burst out of the cake, covered in frosting and said, "Mommy, where's the cream filling?" with the biggest pout I'd ever seen. The Chef is still trying to figure out how she managed to teleport in there without destroying the cake."

While Twilight's half of the table tried to keep their composure, Sunset's half wasn't so reserved. Octavia, Bonbon, and Derpy merely chuckled while Lightning, Vinyl, and Lyra were rolling on the ground in laughter.

"O-Oh god," Vinyl gasped between chuckles as she staggered back to the dinning room table. "Please tell me you've got pictures."

"Well, as a matter of fact," Celestia smirked, eyeing her blushing daughter.

"Please tell me you're kidding," Sunset begged, face still hidden behind her hooves.

Still smiling, Celestia's horn glowed and with a flash all of the plates vanished and in their place was an aged photo album that just so happened to be open. Dead center of the page was a picture of a light orange filly with a red and gold mane sticking out of the side of the central tier of a four-tier cake. Just as the Princess had described it, the little equine had the biggest, most adorable pout plastered across her muzzle. Half of Sunset's friends let out D'aws while the rest resumed their lung-breaking laughter now with Rainbow added to the mix. A loud thud from the table got the attention of everyone not laying on the ground as Sunset shifted from hiding her face behind her hooves to letting it fall onto the table.

"Are you okay?" Derpy asked, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

"Yeah," she sighed listlessly as she turned her head towards her friend. "But do you think you could help me dig a hole later? I suddenly feel like burying a body today."

"Your mom's?" she asked with a raised brow and half-smile.

"No, mine," she groaned.

"Oh, relax Sunset," Lightning smiled as she pulled herself back to the table. "Don't forget what happened to Fluttershy this morning. I think that's gonna top anything you did as a kid."

"Which one?" Vinyl giggled as she reclaimed her seat. "Ours or theirs?"

"Yes," Lightning replied with a knowing smirk.

"Pardon?" Octavia and Rarity said in unison.

"Let's just say, Flutters might like herself a lot more then you'd think," the teal Pegasus smirked.

With the exception of Derpy, Sunset, and Lightning, everyone at the table looked confused. That slowly changed when they thought about her words a little harder.

"No way," Rainbow muttered, a shocked smile growing on her muzzle.

"How does that work exactly?" Bonbon asked, bringing a hoof to her chin in thought. "It's not incest, right?"

"Technically, no," Twilight mused, mirroring Bonbon. "Though they look similar, they are completely different ponies. It would be like asking if two physically identical birds from different nests were the same bird."

"Ah don't know if that example works here, Twi," Applejack added, scratching her head in thought.

"I suppose," she sighed. "But it's the closest thing I can think to compare to at the moment."

"Fair enough," Bonbon sighed. "It's still weird though."

"Says one talking pony to another," Lyra shrugged as she retook her seat.

"Game. Set. Match," Vinyl chuckled. "But seriously, I hope they hit it off. Lord knows the girl could use a lucky break right now."

All of Sunset's friends and the two Alicorns in the room nodded in understanding while the rest of the ponies and Dragon in the room gave confused looks.

"Okay, seriously," Spike groaned. "Is anypony going to tell us what happened or what?!"

"I agree dear," Rarity frowned, slowly eyeing each of the foreign ponies in the room. "If not the full story then a basic summery would do."

"More than jus' 'somepony bucked up'," Applejack added, crossing her forelegs with a frown.

Rainbow nodded in agreement, frowning at Lightning.

Sunset sighed, then said "Right. Let's wait until Pinkie gets here first. No point telling this story now if I'm going to need to do it again later."

"What story?" Pinkie asked as she stepped into the room, seeming slightly winded.

"Excellent timing, dear," Rarity said, a flat look leveled at the light-orange Unicorn. "Princess Sunset was going to explain what happened to her in the other world."

"Oh! Cool!" she smiled, bouncing to the unoccupied chair next to the ivory Unicorn.

While she didn't show it, Sunset was floored by the apparent title given to her by her fellow Unicorn. Her? A Princess?

"I'm not a Princess," she said flatly. "I'm a HIgh Royal. While I may be on the top of the food chain, I'm only that in regards to the nobles."

"Oh, my apologies, darling," Rarity said sheepishly.

"Anyway," she sighed. " Now that everyone's here, I guess I can tell you all what happened."

And so, with a heavy sigh, Sunset told Twilight's friends what happened to her over the past couple of months. Aside from having to explain how the internet worked, there were no interruptions or questions asked as Sunset told her story. All the while the five Equestrians looked more and more mortified as she continued, then shifting into righteous fury as she got to the end. At least, that was the case for four of them. Pinkie was the only one to don a flat poker face at around the middle point of the story, her movements slow and careful as she used a knife and fork to cut into the plate of pancakes Spike served her, a far cry from her usual method of stuffing her whole stack into her mouth with her hooves. When Sunset finished a heavy silence dominated the room, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow, and Spike looking ready to tear somepony's head off.

"THAT NO GOOD HORSE APPLE!" Applejack roared, shattering the silence like a sledgehammer through a glass window. "Let me through that portal Twi! Ah wanna knock some sense into that varmint!"

"I concur, darling," Rarity hissed, eyes narrowed into a cold glare. "I have a few, shall we say, words I would like to say to my double."

"I just wanna to deck mine," Rainbow growled.

A loud bang made everypony jump, Celestia included as Pinkie jammed her knife into the table. They watched her carefully as she picked up her plate, face still a blank mask as she carried it to the kitchen. Even when she came back, she was unreadable.

"Thanks for the breakfast," she said, voice void of any emotion. "It was great. Goodbye."

With that, she slowly walked out of the dinning room and out of sight down the hall.

"Sunset?" Bonbon said, voice shaky.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

"We all are," Twilight said with a gulp.

Everypony and Dragon in the room felt a shiver run down their spines. A second later, Spike raised his claw and exclaimed "I vote we keep Pinkie away from the portal! In favor?"

"Aye!!!" everypony unanimously declared.

"Moving on," Princess Celestia said, clearing her throat. "I have a few questions for my daughter's friend."

As she said that, she leveled a knowing smile at Derpy who let out a nervous gulp under said gaze.

"W-What kind of questions?" she asked, smiling behind her nerves.

"Well, courting a High Noble is no small task," she said, cheshire grin growing on her muzzle. "Why, her father had to slay an Ursa Major to prove himself worthy of me. What are you planning to do to prove yourself?"

"Uh, um," Derpy floundered, mind torn between being embarrassed that she got found out and struggling to find a way to meet the mare's standards.

"Just kidding," Celestia chuckled. "I think saving her life is more than enough."

Then with a wink she added, "Just don't take too long to put a ring on her."

"Moooooooommmmmmm!" Sunset groaned, earning a chuckle from everyone.

"Hey, that reminds me," Bonbon said staring at the album. "What was your dad like?"

"Yeah," Lightning added turning towards Sunset. "I don't think you've ever said anything about him."

"That's because I never met him," she shrugged. "He died about a week before I was born."

"What happened?" Octavia asked, a concerned frown decorating her muzzle.

"Well," Celestia said, looking sheepish. "You have to understand. An Alicorn's passion is as fierce as it is powerful."

An awkward silence filled the room, only for it to be destroyed when Bonbon voiced what all of Sunset's friends were thinking.

"So in other words, death by snoo-snoo."

The Equestrians gave her confused looks while the Terrans burst out laughing.

"Damn it Bons," Vinyl sighed once she stopped laughing. "You beat me to it!"

"What's snoo-snoo?" Celestia asked.

Sunset gestured for her to lower her head and once she complied whispered into her mother's ear. After a moment, she nodded in understanding before resuming her original posture.

"I suppose that is one way to put it," she said with a light chuckle. "Which means that you had better be careful little Pegasus."

"H-Huh?" Derpy squeaked, a faint blush coloring her muzzle.

"Well, you know what they say about apples and trees, right?"

Derpy's blush spread to the rest of her head as the solar Princess' words sunk in. Sunset wasn't much better off as she went back to hiding her face behind her hooves. Celestia chuckled at the scene, happy to see that her daughter's suitor was just as much fun to tease as her daughter.

"In fact, maybe she should come and see the rest of the family," she mused. "I know Luna would love to meet her as well as her niece."

"Luna?" Sunset asked. "Who's that? Another Ascended Princess?"

"Princess Luna is-" Twilight started only for her muzzle to be gently sealed shut by a golden aura of magic.

"No~no~no~," Celestia said with a smile that oozed mischief. "Let's not spoil anything my dear Twilight."

The Princess in question only blinked owlishly for a moment before giving her former teacher an unsure nod.

"Now," she smirked, returning her attention to the nervous duo. "What do you say my Little Sun? Care to visit your old home for a day?"

"Well," she said, suddenly feeling awkward under her mother's eager gaze. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. What do you think?"

Derpy looked back and forth between Sunset and her smiling mother before giving an uneasy shrug and saying, " Why not?"

"Excellent!" the solar Princess beamed, a golden aura shining around her horn.

A second later, a similar aura surrounded the two ponies and with a flash all three of them were gone. For a moment nopony said a word as they tried to process what happened.

"Well now," Octavia said, breaking the silence. "That happened."

"What now?" Lightning asked, looking around the room.

"Well," Twilight said, locking eyes with her interdimensional guests. "I could give you all a tour of Ponyville if you want."

"Sounds good to me," Vinyl shrugged. "No point in visiting another world if we're only going to stay in one building."

"Magic road trip!" Lyra exclaimed with a bright smile and stars in her eyes.

"It's a tour Lyra," Bonbon deadpanned. "Not the starting point to Dragon Quest."

"Don't care," she deadpanned, then switched back to her previous state a second later with a hoof in the air.

"Onward! Lands of magic await!"

"Sunset's friends are so weird," Rainbow whispered to Applejack.

She nodded, then with a faint smile said, "Seem like a good bunch though."

"I agree darling," Rarity added sporting a faint smile of her own.

A series of grunting got everypony's attention as they watched Spike struggle to get Pinkie's butter knife out of the table.

"A little help here?" he grunted, pulling with everything he had with little success.

"I've got it Spike,"Twilight smiled, grabbing the knife with her magic.

When Twilight pulled a baseball sized chunk out of the table with the knife, a chill shot down everyone's spine again.

"So, Earth Ponies are that strong, huh?" Lighting asked, nervously eyeing Bonbon, Octavia, and Applejack.

"Pinkie's a...Special Case," Rarity said with a gulp.

"Uh huh," Bonbon nodded, face flat. "Again. let's not let her anywhere near the portal."

Everyone, Twilight and Spike's party included, nodded in agreement.

***

Derpy struggled to find a word to accurately describe how she felt about her friend's old home. Impressed was an understatement worthy of an award. Amazed didn't do the job either. Awe came close, but wasn't quite right as she stared at the glistening marble and gold that made up the twenty foot tall throne room she was in. Floored was good, but not quite there either. Dumbstruck was ultimately what she settled on as she followed the two native ponies, eye scanning her surroundings. It was like she was in some Roaman fortress back in ancient times, complete with guards garbed in golden armor with brush-like decorations on their helmets. The fact that the inhabitants were ponies instead of people did little to break the illusion.

Celestia spied her guest's reactions with well hidden amusement. To those outside looking in, she was a picture of majesty and grace. Should they take a peek in her mind, they would see an Alicorn dancing with reckless abandon with the biggest smile on her muzzle.

She's back! She's back! She has somepony courting her and she's back! Oh by the Maker she's back! I can only imagine the look on Luna's face when she sees them!

She glanced at her daughter and her inner smile faded slightly. The mare looked to be on edge as she cautiously observed her surroundings. She acted as if she expected an attack to come at a moments notice, body coiled like a compressed spring.

"What has you so tense?" she asked, making Sunset flinch.

"I saw that smile of your's back there," Sunset frowned. "That was your "pranking" smile. So what's the joke? Are we going to get to "Luna's" room and it's just going to be Raven with a glamor on her?"

The Solar Princess let out a small chuckle then said, "I assure you, my Little Sun, that your Aunt is very real. She just wasn't around when you were here."

Something we both have in common, she thought bitterly.

"Right," she groused. "And Derpy's the long lost Queen of Cantlantus."

"Well then," she smiled turning towards the still gawking Pegasus. "It's an honor to meet you Your Majesty. How goes the Hippocampi Kingdom?"

"Huh?" Derpy blinked.

Sunset let out a groan and continued to follow her mother.

Fine. If she wants to continue this stupid joke, I'll humor her. It's the least I can do, considering everything I did before I left.

As they continued to move through the glimmering marble halls a familiar set of grunts made the two nonAlicorns freeze. They turned there heads towards the sound and found a door no different from its ornate neighbors. The sound of small, unsteady hooves served as its only unique feature. Five seconds later, Celestia noticed the absence of additional hoofsteps and stopped to see what had caught their attention.

Sunset frowned at the door, then said, "That's were they're practicing, isn't it?"

Celestia nodded before she rejoined the group.

"Raven is helping them learn how to use their bodies. It will take some time for them to be capable of doing more then the basics, but according to Raven they should be able to carry out their punishment by the end of the week."

"I see," Sunset nodded, eyes cold as she continued to stare at the door. "I'm glad. The sooner they can get started, the sooner they can leave."

As she said that she shifted her gaze up towards her mother and sported a skeptical grin. "Now about that fake Aunt of mine."

Celestia sighed and continued to guide the two ponies further into the castle only to pause a second later when she saw that her group was one short.

"Derpy, are you coming?" Sunset asked.

"Maybe later," she said, eye still locked on the door. "I have a few things I want to check on first."

They looked at her, then at the door, a sense of unease washing over them.

"Come on Derpy," Sunset said, a sad smile gracing her muzzle. "It's over. We don't need to deal with them anymore."

"I know," she sighed. "But I still have a few things I want to say to them. Call it closure I guess."

A brief pause dominated the hall before a gold aura gripped the door's handle. Both of the shorter ponies turned their heads towards the Princess, shock covering their faces.

"Raven is as skilled a Secretary as she is a combatant," Celestia warned. "So long as you remain civil, she won't give you any trouble."

A faint smile graced Derpy's muzzle as she gave a the Princess a nod. With that, Celestia opened the door and the gray Pegasus entered the room. As the door closed, Sunset leveled a nervous look at her mother.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?"

"No," she sighed as she resumed her stroll down the hall. "But at least this way she won't tear the castle apart trying to find them later. I trust my aid to allow her her catharsis without causing any damage."

Sunset looked back at the door, worry plain on her face as she followed her mother.

Derpy, please don't do anything stupid in there.

***

The door closed with a soft click as Derpy walked into the room. With a cursory glance she was able to guess that the room used to be used for storage based on the inferior luster of the marble in the room. At its heart staggered the reason she was even here in the first place. Three fillies bearing the colors of the three girls responsible for one of the biggest scandals in their school's history were walking from wall to wall across the room. Though to call what they were doing walking was a rather generous assessment. Five feet away from the line the three fillies walked stood a light gray Unicorn with a black mane and tail. A black feather-quill with its tip dipped in an inkwell decorated her flanks. Her red eyes tracked the fillies with mild interest.

That must be Raven, Derpy noted. Hope she's really as tough as Princess Celestia says she is. I don't know what I might do to the little brats if it was just me and them!

Her jaw clenched painfully as she moved closer to the group, her anger growing by the step. By the time she was standing next to Raven she was silently seething. A bored sigh from the mare momentarily drew her attention away from the group of troublemakers.

"Take a breath," Raven said, face void of emotion as she watched her charges. "Otherwise I will have to ask you to leave. They already received a chastising from Her Majesty and have only just stopped hurting themselves. I don't want to have them backslide in their training if it can be avoided."

She glared at the aid for a moment then decided it would be better to follow her advice.

I'm not here to fight, she thought, taking a deep breath through her nose and slowly out through her mouth. I'm here for answers.

She repeated this a few more times until the raging inferno inside her dwindled down into a few small embers. Then with a much clearer head, she looked at Raven and nodded.

She gave the tiniest trace of a smile and said, " Much better," before she gave the three fillies her attention and yelled "Fillies! Front and center!"

The three fillies almost fell over themselves at the suddenness of Raven's order, but caught themselves at the last second. They quickly made their way over to the Secretary, none eager to incur the wrath of her superior again if they could help it. On unsteady hooves, the three of them stood shoulder to shoulder about a foot away from the two mares. It was then that she noticed all of the bruises and scrapes visible through their coats. A bit of concern came over Derpy as she took in their condition, but she quickly buried it. She could worry about them later. Right now, she had business to attend to first.

She gave Raven a questioning glance, who nodded to her unasked question. With a sigh she took a step towards the fillies, her face a cold mask that hid her emotions.

"I want to say this now just to make things clear," she said flatly. "I'm from the same world you're from and know about everything you did."

She saw the fear grow in their eyes at that, but ignored it and continued.

"You really have no idea how lucky you three are. I've seen people get put in the slammer for the kind of stuff you did. Heck, you would've been lucky if that was all that happened to you. Not only did you push someone to suicide, you ruined countless people's lives and reputations. Do you think just because you got caught that all that stuff you posted is gone? Hell no. It's stuck on the web for anyone to see at anytime if they know where to look. But hey, if you three were willing to risk all that and wreck so many lives, it must've had some really great pay out. So I have one question for you three."

She leaned down to their level, her eye drilling a hole through them to their very souls.

"Why? Why'd you try to destroy Sunset? What did you have to gain from making her so miserable that throwing herself off a bridge seemed like a good idea?"

They stared back at her, eyes wide with fear.

"Well?" she growled.

"W-We were stupid," Applebloom stammered, shame pouring into her features.

"Oh, I know that," Derpy said, a trace of venom slipping into her tone. "I said I wanted to know why you three did this."

"W-We were scared," Sweetie added, trembling. "We thought Sunset was-"

"Ah for craps sake!" Scootaloo snapped, tears starting to run down her face. "We were jealous,okay!?"

"Jealous?" Derpy asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah," she muttered, anger replaced by shame. "Sunset was hogging everyone's attention and we felt left out. So we formed Anon-a-MIss to try and get them to spend less time with her."

"I see," Derpy frowned. "And the secrets?"

"Sunset was known for that kind a' thin'," Applebloom sighed, her shoulders slumping with the weight of her guilt. "It was the best way to frame her."

"It helped that she didn't have a lock on her phone," Sweetie frowned, voice sounding drained of life. "Just a little tweaking here and there and boom, complete access to her photo album."

Derpy was silent as she processed what she heard. The strength seemed to leave her hind legs as she fell to her haunches, her eye slowly widening.

"So you're telling me you put Sunset through hell because your sisters weren't spending time with you?"

"Mentor," Scootaloo corrected, looking away in shame.

A strangled sound slipped past Derpy's lips at that, her disbelief matched only by the incredible stupidity of the trio. This was the reason? This was the motivation behind everything? It felt like some elaborate joke to the gray Pegasus. Some sort of divine comedy laid out at her expense. As such, she couldn't help the mirthless laugh that broke past her emotional mask.

"The Princess was right," she sighed, lips pulled into a sad smile as she looked at the three fillies. "But even if there was no good reason for what you did, I was hoping it was a better one than that."

They flinched, but she didn't care as she continued.

"I should hate you for what you did. Heck, maybe a small part of me does. But when I look at you three, all I feel is pity. You had plenty of chances to stop way before shit hit the fan, but no, you chose to keep going. And now, look what it got you. You lost the trust of everyone who love you and have to live the rest of your lives knowing that you almost killed someone. Really, I can't think of too many ways someone could mess up more spectacularly then that."

The fillies looked like they were on the verge of tears, but still she continued.

"But you know what else? I feel I should be thanking you."

Their eyes widened at that, their jaws falling slack as they saw a sad smile grace Derpy's muzzle.

"Cuz as messed up as that whole situation was, I probably never would've met Sunset if it hadn't happened. So for that at least, thanks."

With that, she pulled the three fillies into a gentle hug, further stunning them. As she did she said one last thing, not with malice or spite, but genuine kindness in her words.

"You guys are gonna have a really hard time for a while. But know that no matter how bad things look, you will have people that love you. That's what family is all about, right? Even when they're mad at you, in the end they still love you. You just need to get them to trust you again."

When she let go of them, all three of them struggled to keep their tears at bay, but all of them held a small smile.

"You got that, right?" she sighed, staggering to her hooves.

They nodded, wiping a few stray tears from their eyes.

"Good. Now get through this whole pony thing and you can get started with your families. It should be a good start if nothing else."

Again they nodded, a bit more fire in their eyes.

"Good luck," she smiled, then made her way towards the door, a red glow from a faintly grinning Unicorn turning the nob for her.

***

Sunset stared at the walls as they navigated the castle halls, a scrutinizing frown marring her face. It was difficult to notice at first, but as she made her way through the castle she couldn't help but spot a few things that clashed with her memories of the building. It was normal that things would change considering how long she was away, but the scale was what surprised her. Whole new wings dominated what she remembered as simple pet projects her mother arranged for local contractors as a way to maintain the aging building's infrastructure. What few portions of the castle that suffered from her occasional magic flares when she was younger were repaired with stronger wards put in place. Even the castle's mana network felt as if it had been updated, allowing for a much more efficient distribution of magical focus for everypony it housed. In many ways, it was as if she was walking through a brand new building.

"Is something wrong My Little Sun?"

"Huh?" Sunset asked, snapping out of her musings and looking at her mother. "Sorry. Just taking in everything. It's amazing how much things can change in six ye-I mean moons."

A confused look crossed Celestia's face.

"Six? Sunset, I'm afraid you've been gone far longer than that."

"What?" she asked, eyes widening. "How long?"

With droop in her posture, Celestia looked into her daughter's eyes and said, "Thirty moons."

Her eyes wandered to the floor as they walked, things that felt unimportant at the moment suddenly holding much more weight as what they meant clicked into place. Chief among them was her journal back home, or more specifically the first hundred or so pages. For the first two months after crossing through the portal, the book was constantly glowing and buzzing as her mother sent her swarms of messages. The first few were written hastily and without grace, as if she was desperate for a response. As she turned the pages the writing became more fluid at the expense of the writer's hope. The messages were short pleas, begging the wayward High Royal to respond. It was a prayer that went unanswered. Unanswered for thirty years.

"M-Mom," Sunset said around a lump in her throat. "I-I'm so-"

A gilded hoof covered Sunset's muzzle and guided her face towards its owner's.

"I know, My Little Sun," she said, lips pulled into a sad smile. "And I am willing to forgive you if you are willing to forgive a foolish old mare for her own past mistakes."

Sunset gawked at her mother for a moment before she gave her a faint smile and nodded.

"Good," she smiled. "But let's leave that for another day. You have an Aunt to meet!"

As she said that, she stopped in front of a massive dark-blue door with moons and stars painted across it. With a wide smile, she shoved it open with a fore-hoof and with the Royal Canterlot Voice thundered, "GOOD MORNING LUNA DEAR!!!"

Unbelievable bloodlust oozed out of the open door as a set of hoofsteps staggered across the pitch-black room. From the darkness emerged a navy-blue Alicorn just a head shorter than Celestia, her mane and tail a mass of dark-blue mist spattered with flecks of starlight that moved in an unfelt breeze. Her dark-blue eyes were narrowed into a sharp glare as they locked with the grinning Solar Diarch's.

"Sister," she hissed, jaw clenched to the point of almost breaking teeth. "For the sake of all that is sacred in this world, you had better have a good reason to awaken us at your most unholy of hours or so help us you will never have a restful night again."

Ignoring her sister's threat, she gestured towards Sunset, the biggest grin plastered across her muzzle.

"Luna, I'd like you to meet Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, this is your Aunt Luna, Princess of the Night."

The two looked at each other, neither able to process what they had been told properly. Then her sister's words started to take hold, and the Lunar Princess' scowl was replaced by an excited smile. At that moment, for a split second every dog, cat, and Thestral in Equestria cringed as a happy squee only they could hear filled the land.

***

Pinkie walked, a heavy dread pressed against her back as she navigated familiar looking halls. She was human again, a fact that filled her with relief at first but quickly shifted to confusion as she took in her surroundings. She was back at the school and while things looked normal it didn't take her long to know that something wasn't right. It was the silence that did it. Not a single sound could be heard as she walked the empty halls. Not even her own footsteps or breathing could be heard. It was as if she had become deaf, something that sent a chill down her spine as she considered what such a possibility would mean for her. Another thing that filled her with dread was the realization that she was trapped. No matter where she went she couldn't find a door or window that led outside. She felt like a mouse trapped in a maze as she struggled to find a way out of her prison.

It was when her panic started to cloud her mind that she felt something calling to her. The sensation made her stop, not sure at first if it was just her mind playing tricks on her or if it was really there. It was faint at first, like a light tug on her shirtsleeve. But it became insistent the longer she remained idle. Seeing little in the ways of options, she decided to let the pull guide her as she resumed her journey.

Her mind was wrapped in a calming numbness as she walked, like a gentle fog was swirling around inside it turning her thoughts into a pleasant slurry. A drunk smile grew on her face as she took in her surroundings with glassy eyes. She wondered why she was so scared earlier as the pull guided her towards the school's gymnasium. Everything was fine. She was going to face her punishment and everything was going to be fine. It was going to hurt. She was going to die. Everything was going to be fine. Maybe the harvesting would be quick. Her grin grew more twisted as she reached out for the gym's door. It was going to be a good death. It was going to be fine.

When the gym doors closed behind her, the fog in her mind vanished. The dread she felt before came back with a vengeance as her eyes darted around the room. She could feel it. Something was here. Something dangerous. A wet snap made her jump, the first trace of sound she heard since coming to this strange world ripping through the silence like a beast's claw through silk. Slowly she turned towards the sound, head tilting up towards the rafters. What she saw nearly broke her mind. It was humanoid in shape, but only in the barest of minimums and massive. Roughly seven feet tall at the slimy black shoulders. Its body was bulky and composed of what looked like oil-drenched plant roots like some twisted reed woven doll with no clothes to obstruct its deformities. Its right arm was thick with muscle while its left one was a mass of writhing tendrils that dripped with inky-black slime. Its face was what scared her the most. It was feminine with milky-white skin. What should've been eyes for the monster were black holes with black slime oozing out of them like melted wax. Its mouth was a gaping maw with two-inch long needles for teeth fixed to a jaw that was a foot too long to be human. It stared at her, its long black hair framing its hideous face like a mangled Christmas wreath.

Pinkie was trapped in a vice of complete terror as she stared at the horror above her. She was going to die. There was no question about it. She could feel it as surely as she took her next breath. As the monster dropped to the ground with an earth-shattering thud, she knew that there was no point in fighting or running. This creature was death and now that it had her in its sights there was no escaping it. As it reached out to grab her she braced herself as best as she could for the pain that was sure to come. An effort that was put to waste as the creature's hand fell away from its wrist.

Both stared at the bleeding stump in shock for a moment, its black fluid staining the gym floor. Then the creature let out an earsplitting screech of agony as it took a couple steps away from her. Pinkie staggered back , mostly free from the fear that trapped her. As she struggled to make sense of her situation a sound caught her attention. A light chuckle filled the air, faint at first but gradually growing into a deep series of guffaws that shook the whole gym. Both Pinkie and the monster looked around the room, desperate in their own ways to find its source. Then it stopped and a cultured male voice echoed through the gym.

"My, my. I never thought I would ever find a Wraith Seed in my realm. How very interesting for me, but unlucky for you. You may have been the hunter where you come from, but here? You are prey. Rare prey, but prey all the same. But anyway-"

The voice paused then a shape began to form in the space between Pinkie and the Seed. It was faint, just a mass of violet mist, but that quickly changed as it took a more solid shape. The creature was feline in form, not quite bulky enough to be a tiger but not as lanky as a cheetah, though it did have the general size of the two creatures. Its fur was short with flecks of silver that sparkled like small stars with a larger spot on its forehead like a crest. Its eyes were a dark shade of blue like the night sky just before the rise of the sun and full of cunning. At its shoulders were a pair of pitch-black raven wings that seemed to swallow all of the false light in the gym like a void as they spread wide in a guarding fashion. The giant winged cat stared at the Seed with a playful smile on its joules.

"Please," the cat continued. "Entertain me."

The Seed let out a furious screech as it charged, tentacle-mass for an arm writhing in the cat's direction. With practiced ease, he dodged the incoming tentacles as the monster closed the gap between them. His confident grin stayed in place as he swatted the monster's bleeding stump aside with a claw, tearing away even more of the limb from the Seed. It roared in agonized fury as it tried to ram the cat, only to receive a claw to the face for its trouble. The two continued to trade blows, the Seed gradually becoming more and more damaged while the winged cat didn't even have a scratch. As a matter of fact, he never moved from the spot he appeared in at the beginning of the fight only knocking aside incoming attacks or tearing away whatever limb his opponent was foolish enough to send his way when he couldn't dodge. After what felt like an hour the Seed was reduced to a limbless mass of black vines, its face covered with thick gashes while it legs looked like hacked tree trucks. Its arms were gone, bleeding stumps the only evidence that they ever existed in the first place as it fell to its knees.

The cat let out an annoyed sigh as he examined his handy work.

"Is that all you have left? What a shame. I guess even a Seed fattened by magic can't take that much abuse. Oh well. Thanks for the fun, but now you must die. Good night."

With that, he turned away from the battered monster as a pillar of pure light burst out of the ground around it, a pained shriek filing the gym as it completely faded out of existence.

Pinkie fell to her knees in shock, jaw long sense lost the strength to keep it from hanging as the cat approached her.

"My my," he said, an impish smile coloring his face as he slowly circled her. "You're certainly a first. Just what kind of pony would dream of being a creature like you?"

"Pony?" she asked dumbly as she followed the circling feline. "Dream?"

"Ah, I see. You're not quite lucid yet. Let's see if we can fix that."

A small ball of light drifted off of the cat's tail and flew into Pinkie's forehead. A second later, she blinked and seemed a lot more aware of her surroundings. The cat's smile grew at her sudden lucidity, seeming to revel in how mesmerized she was by his presence.

"Now, show me what you really look like pony."

"B-But this is what I really look like," Pinkie stammered, scared of what the strange cat would do to her if she tried to trick him.

The cat frowned, fixing her with an inquisitive look as he orbited her.

"Hm, did I miscast? You should be lucid now. Hold on."

As he said that he placed a paw on her chest, making the girl flinch as she felt the strength and claws the limb held. A dull light filled the cat's eyes for a moment, his face locked in a state of deep concentration. When he pulled his paw away, the light faded from his eyes and a wide smile grew across his lips.

"Incredible," he whispered. "Another Walker like mother and I. Wait."

He took a deep whiff of her shirt and hair and his smile grew.

"Stardust! You're the same type as Lord Discord! Tell me human, what is your name?"

"Pinkamena Diane Pie," she said, an uneasy smile spreading across her face. "But most people just call me Pinkie."

"Pinkie. I like it. My name is Midnight Tantabus, but you may call me Tattle if you wish."

"O-Okay," she said, smile less nervous as she reached a hand out for a shake. "Nice to meet you Tattle."

"Likewise," he smirked as he raised the hand up to his mouth and gave it a small affectionate lick.

So, will Sunset survive her encounter with her crazy Aunt? Can Ponyville withstand the craziness that is two lyras in the same town? Will Derpy be able to find Sunset in the maze that is Canterlot Castle? And what kind of crazy mess had Pinkie landed herself in now? These answers and more in the future, so stay tuned!

It really threw Bonbon for a loop just how similar the Equestrian Apples were to their Terran counterparts. As such, it was a very jarring experience for her as she stood in the Apple's kitchen, the three ponies of the house working with incredible ease and dexterity to make a welcoming brunch for her and them. All it took was an off hand (or was it hoof?) comment about her family having been business partners with her world's Apples and suddenly they were pulling out all the stops to make her comfortable. Probably more jarring was when she met Applebloom's counterpart. When the filly saw her Cutie Mark, she was instantly bombarded with questions about it, namely why it was different from the last time she apparently saw it. When she told her she was from a different world, that led to another tidal wave of questions for the Earth Pony to wade through. It was only thanks to Applejack that she was able to get any peace as she convinced the rambunctious filly to spend some time with her friends.

Oddly enough, she didn't mind the little terror's presence. Being an only child, she often wondered what it would've been like to have a sibling. She thought about Applebloom's enthusiasm and chuckled a little as she stepped out of the kitchen.

I bet she drives them up the walls, she thought as she stepped into the dinning room. Is it bad that I'm a little jealous?

She sighed as she took a seat at the table.

Still, it's so weird how similar this place is to the one at home. They even have pigs. Why does a farm owned by vegetarian ponies have pigs? Unless...

An image of Applejack bringing a pig to a slaughter house on the farm popped into her head. Her stomach started to churn as the pony in her head raised an ax to do the deed before she decided to banish the unpleasant thought. Her stomach slowly started to settle not long after.

Nope, not gonna explore that line of thought! Nuh uh! Not happening! Hell no!

As her unprompted nausea passed, she marveled over what led to her current situation. She couldn't help it! Some part of her demanded that she give the mare a chance to be her tour guide . Though she knew that there was almost nothing tying the Earth Pony to her human counterpart, she still felt awkward being near the mare. Even while thoroughly buzzed the night before, she couldn't bring herself to interact with Applejack beyond a simple nod or a few one word answers.

Come on Bonbon, get a grip, she thought with a rough shake of the head. She's not the same girl! Heck, she's not event the same species as her! Just talk to her and be civil. If you can deal with a candy lab without blowing half the building apart, then you can manage this.

"Bit for ya thoughts?" Applejack sighed as she took a seat across from Bonbon.

"Am I that obvious?" she said lips pulled into a tired smile.

"A little," Applejack shrugged. "But if ya'll've got somethin' on your mind, Ah got an ear for ya."

"Are you sure?" she asked, letting her smile fall. "You probably wouldn't like what I have to say."

"Not all Apples have soft skin, sugarcube," she smirked. "Try me."

"Okay," Bonbon frowned. "I keep seeing my world's Applejack when I see you and I hate it."

To her credit, aside from a couple shocked blinks, Applejack remained unmoved by Bonbon's words. A fact that raised her opinion of the Earth Pony above her counterpart by several levels.

"It's not fair to you," she continued, eyes wandering towards the table. "I don't even know you and I've already got such a bad image of you. And don't even get me started on your sister. I really am the worst kind of person, aren't I?"

"Enope," Applejack said flatly.

Bonbon's head snapped up towards the mare, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Far as Ah can tell, yer good company. It's just gonna take some time for ya' ta' shake that image."

"I know," she sighed. "It's still not fair for you and Applebloom though."

"Nah, it ain't," Applejack sighed, then smiled and added, " but that's what life is sometimes."

Bonbon was stunned by that bit of wisdom, not really sure how to proceed or counter the Earth Pony's point. She didn't think she really wanted to even if she could.

"Just take yer time," she smiled. "Ah can wait. Now, let's get some food in ya' so we can show ya' around town."

On cue, Granny Smith and Big Macintosh stepped out of the kitchen, plates of food balanced with practiced ease on their backs. What surprised her more than the expert display of balance from the family Matriarch was the sheer amount of food they were bringing into the kitchen. Apple salad, baked potatoes the size of a boxer's fist, a two foot long loaf of cornbread, and a hearty vegetable stew were all lowered onto the table with care along with all the proper table settings as the remaining members of the family took their seats. Bonbon gawked at the veritable feast in front of her, the smell alone bringing a roar out of her suddenly empty stomach. While she was willing to admit that the walk from Princess Twilight's castle to Sweet Apple Acres had made her a bit peckish, she doubted she could eat even a tenth of what was on the table. With a audible gulp, she allowed herself to be served a bit of everything, all the while hoping the Apples wouldn't think her rude for not being able to clear her plate. She knew that It was a silly thing to be concerned about, but years of her mother telling her to always clear her plate added a sort of OCD pattern to her eating habits.

Maybe they won't be too offended if I have a little of everything, she thought as she reached for a fork. When her hoof came back empty, her insecurities were replaced with frustration as she glared at the offending utensil.

Right, no fingers. How did Sunset explain it again?

Her mind drifted back to the night before when Sunset was explaining how grabber magic worked and how to use it. While her memory was a little hazy for, obvious reasons, the gist of it was to channel their magic into their hooves to grab things. The trick being that they had to imagine that they still had hands and use the magic to make fingers in a way. The end result looked like the object in question was magnetically stuck to the bottom of a pony's hoof. According to Sunset, Earth Ponies were generally better at using this type of magic due to how their magic worked. A fact that Octavia was able to demonstrate with little effort while Bonbon struggled with it. As a result, it was more than a little frustrating for her when trying to pick up a fork became as big of an obstacle as climbing a mountain. After some work and silent swearing she was able to get her fork to stick to her hoof and jam it into a rather large chunk of carrot in her stew. She gulped as she raised the vegetable to her muzzle, its tantalizing aroma making her mouth water.

Well, here goes nothing.

With that, she popped the morsel into her mouth. She blinked, and suddenly, most of the food on the table was gone, most of it appearing to have been torn into by a ravenous beast. She also noted that she didn't feel hungry anymore. In fact, she felt that if she ate one more thing she was going to explode. Looking around, she saw that every Apple was staring at her in wide-eyed shock, Applejack and Big Mac in particular seeming to be frozen in the act of putting a piece of cornbread in their mouths.

"Wh-What happened?" Bonbon asked, slightly dazed.

Applejack lowered her cornbread and gave the human turned pony a wide smile.

"Hoowee! For land sake's girl, you put all that away faster than a starvin' swarm of Parasprites!"

I did what now?!

"S-Sorry about that," she she said bashfully. "I think I blacked out for a second there."

"No problem sugarcube," she laughed as she rose from her seat and walked around to the blushing glutton. "Just glad ya' liked it all."

As she said that, she threw a foreleg around her and gave her a half-hug. Still embarrassed, she gave the mare a slight smile and returned the embrace.

Maybe it won't take that long to accept her after all, she thought with a chuckle. She sure makes it hard not to.

***

Octavia was in true bliss as she laid on a massage table, a set of nimble hooves rubbing all of her stress away in ways she never knew was possible.

Oh god, don't let this ever stop, she thought as she melted into the table, a dull haze flooding her mind.

"Enjoying yourself darling?" Rarity said from her own table to her left.

A happy groan was all she could muster as a response as a pony she dimly identified as Aloe worked her magic on a particularly large knot in her lower back. Rarity let out a pleased hum as her masseuse, Lotus, did the same with her shoulders.

How can they do this kind of work without fingers? she thought as she struggled to stay awake. And how can they be this good at it?

"Glad to hear it," Rarity sighed as she let the tension melt out of her. "You looked like you could use a bit of pampering after everything you've been through."

"Tell me about it," she sighed, an unladylike groan fallowing as another knot was rubbed into oblivion. "Between my sister's antics and Sunset's situation, I am surprised my head hasn't flown off these past couple of weeks."

"Yes, darling," she said, a touch of venom in her tone. "After what's happened, I hope you all can have a chance to breathe."

The trace of aggression didn't go unnoticed by the musician, as a small frown spread across her muzzle.

"Yes, and that is precisely why I'm going to give you a bit of advice, love."

"Yes?" she asked, perplexed.

"Don't go to the other world," Octavia said, a cold finality in her voice. "The battle is over and those not slain must face the consequences of their actions."

"A rather cold assessment, darling. Don't you think?" Rarity asked, taken aback by her companion's frozen tone.

"Perhaps," she sighed. "But I say it for your good just as much as your counterpart's."

"I simply wish to have a word with her," Rarity said stiffly. "To do anymore then that would be a massive overstep of boundaries."

"Could you guarantee that your friends wouldn't follow?" she asked. "And if they did, do you think they would be satisfied with just words?"

Rarity meant to argue, but the words died on her tongue before she got the chance. Thinking on it, Rainbow would do a lot more than say a few harsh words while Applejack would at least give her counterpart fair warning before breaking her jaw.

"I see what you mean," Rarity conceded. "It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth to leave her be."

"I understand," Octavia sighed. "But there's no point in raising a fuss when everything is already settled."

"Very well darling," she sighed, only to smirk as she found another topic to latch onto. "So, Sunset and Derpy."

"Yes?"

"How long and how did it happen?"

"I would assume it was when she saved her life and gave her a place to live," she sighed, closing her eyes and enjoying Aloe's work. "As for exactly when, you'll need to ask Sunset herself."

"Oh poo, you're no fun," she pouted, earning a smile out of the dark gray mare.

"I can be plenty of fun love, but gossip is something I take little amusement from."

"Then perhaps you could tell me your thoughts on Fluttershy," Rarity said, a light smile decorating her muzzle.

"As Vinyl would put it, I don't swing that way love," Octavia smirked.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," she frowned.

Octavia chuckled a bit at the mare's expense, then decided to throw her a bone.

"Very well. Put simply, I can safely say that I didn't see that coming, but I hope things work out for them."

"Agreed, on all accounts. I just wonder how dating would work for them, what with your Fluttershy's attributes."

"Don't ponies date at night?" Octavia asked.

"Normally," Rarity relented. "But our Fluttershy is not very fond of the night or the dark in general."

"I see," Octavia mused, then smiled slightly as she added, "Then it should work out just fine between them."

"Pardon?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Think about it, what could be a better arrangement for someone who is afraid of the dark then to be with someone who can see in total darkness?"

"Go on," Rarity coxed, a smile of her own growing on her muzzle.

"Imagine it, the two of them go on a moonlight stroll, the stars sparkling high above them like a curtain of diamonds. They stay close, one in fear of the distant shadows while the other bravely guides her through the dark. They make it to a place of safety and look deeply into each other's eyes, the shine of the moon framing their faces in a rose quartz shine from their hair. They lean in close."

A pause fills the room, the white Unicorn waiting with baited breath. After two minutes of silence, Rarity's patience ran out.

"Well?" she asked, a blush growing on her muzzle. "Go on."

"Why?" Octavia smirked. "I'm sure you can guess what happens next."

"Oh you!" she pouted.

A light chuckle slipped past Octavia's lips at the irked tone that came from her comrade.

"All the same," she smiled. "I do hope things work out for them."

"And Derpy and Sunset?"

"I think Princess Celestia has claim on that particular matter," Octavia said with a knowing smile.

"Let the maker have mercy on them," Rarity sighed, a faint smile hidden in its shadow.

"We can only hope," she laughed.

With that the two mares slipped into content silence, enjoying both each other's company and the ministrations of their masseuses. All the while, Octavia scrolled through her interactions with the mare. She talked the same and acted the same, but was so different at the same time. She seemed so much more refined, yet also relaxed enough to keep others from feeling insecure around her. She also felt more grounded then the version Octavia was familiar with, in spite of sharing several of her finicky attributes. As she let the haze of her massage wash over her, a single thought echoed through her mind.

Is it wrong that I want to be her friend?

***

Two Pegesi stood on a cliff overlooking Ponyville, neither really comfortable with the other's presence. They didn't hate each other per se, but did have rather unpleasant interactions with their counterparts. Rainbow still remembered how much of a pain her world's Lightning Dust was as well as what was the tipping point between them at the Wonderbolts Academy. At the same time, Lightning couldn't get over her own issues with her world's Rainbow Dash. It didn't matter how mad you were with someone, there were lines you were never supposed to cross. Then there was how the two met. Needless to say, most stable friendships didn't start with threatening to feed someone their own limbs and calling them a bitch. Then again, most relationships didn't start with your crush putting the fear of god into one of your friends either.

"So," Rainbow said, avoiding eye contact and scratching the back of her head. "Do you read Daring Do?"

"Nah," Lightning said, eyes locked onto the town below. "You heard of a TV?"

"A what?" she asked turning towards the teal Pegasus.

"Thought so," she sighed.

Well, that killed about ninety-percent of my hobbies, Lightning thought bitterly. Come on Lightning, think!

"The weathers nice," she said, casting a glance at the sky.

Brilliant Lightning, she thought, mentally face-palming. Maybe next you can talk about how hard the dirt is.

"Yeah," Rainbow smirked, staring at the sky. "The weather team did a good job today."

"Weather team?" Lightning asked, staring at Rainbow with a raised brow.

"Yeah?" Rainbow frowned, quirking a brow herself as she stared at Lightning. "You know, the Pegesi responsible for controlling the weather over Ponyville?"

Lightning's eyes widened at that.

"Wait, hold up! Are you telling me that Pegesi control the weather here?"

"Yeah?" Rainbow said, tilting her head in confusion. "Who runs the weather in your world?"

"Nobody," she said, exasperated. "It does it all on its own."

Now it was Rainbow's turn to gawk. While wild weather wasn't an alien concept to her, the very idea of a whole world full of it was beyond her.

"Sweet Celestia, how are you all not dead yet!?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"How do you stop major storms or hurricanes?!" she asked, suddenly frantic. "How do you keep homes safe from stray lightning?! How do you keep snowstorms and floods under control?"

"Easy, easy," Lightning exclaimed, hooves up in the closest thing to a placating manner her new body could manage. "Geez, most places don't even get those kinds of weather problems and the ones that do have ways to mitigate damages. They're not perfect, but they keep the body count low."

"That's crazy," Rainbow said, staring at the clear sky above. "I can't imagine living in a world like that."

"I guess you know how I feel then," she said staring at he sky, a new kind of appreciation taking hold of her. "Hey, what's flying like?"

"Huh?" Rainbow asked, shifting another confused frown at Lightning.

"Flying," she repeated, still staring at the sky. "What's it like?"

"You've got wings, right?" Rainbow said, a playful smirk spreading across her muzzle. "Wanna find out?"

Lightning gave her a matching smile and locked eyes with her.

"Sure, if you think you can teach a scrub like me how to use them."

"Hey, none of that," Rainbow laughed, giving Lightning a playful shove. "I promise ya by the end of the week, you'll be flying like a real Pegasus, no problem."

"I'll hold you to that," Lightning laughed. "But I think we should get to the tour first."

"Eh, you'll see everything better when you get in the air," she shrugged. "We could just focus on step one for a little while, then hit a bar if you want."

"How about a burger and fries instead," Lightning grimaced. "I kinda wanna keep my distance from booze for a while."

"Eh, fair enough," she shrugged. "Anyway, step one."

"Which is?"

"Opening your wings."

"Right," Lightning nodded. "How the heck do I do that?"

"Easy," Rainbow smirked. "Just focus on the back muscles connected to your wings and try to manipulate them. Imagine that you have a set of legs on your back and move them like you would your legs."

Nodding, Lightning closed her eyes and did as she was instructed. It was a strange feeling, trying to move a new set of limbs. It was kind of like waking up one morning with an extra set of arms, complete with all the dexterity and nerve endings. The difference though was that these "arms" were going to help her make her biggest dream a reality. For the longest time, her biggest dream was to fly. To soar high above the clouds, free from the shackles of her life at home and all of her responsibilities. Just her and the ever expanding sea of blue with the wind flowing through her hair as she traveled far beyond the horizon. She felt a slight twinge in the sides of her back as she thought about that. Guessing that those were her wing muscles, she focused on that, trying to see if she could make that feeling stronger. After a minute of failure, she went back to visualizing the sky and the gentle breezes in it. She imagined that the wind was pushing up at her from below, teasing at the alien sensations on her back. Slowly, the "twinge" started to grow until after a minute, she felt like she had a set of fully spread arms on her back. It felt strange. It felt awkward. It felt...liberating. In her mind, she was high in he sky. She was free.

She held onto that image as she opened her eyes, Rainbow flashing a proud smile at her.

"What?" Lightning asked.

"Looks like you figured out how to do step one."

Her eyes slowly widened as she glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, spread wide and proud were a set of teal wings, their feathers catching the early afternoon sunlight in a brilliant display. A bright smile spread across her muzzle as a simple truth came to her; she could fly.

"Alright!" she cheered.

Just then, a twinge ran through her spine and her fully extended wings decided that that was the perfect time to flap, hard. With a startled yelp, she shot twenty feet into the air. It was at her apex that her wings also decided that staying open was too much effort and snapped shut. Just when she was about to curse everything and everyone, a set of light-blue forelegs wrapped around her from behind.

"Don't worry, I got ya," Rainbow smirked as she slowly lowered them back to the ground.

Once they made it to the ground, Rainbow let her go and settled onto the ground herself.

"I guess I should've told you about step two, huh?" she chuckled sheepishly.

Lightning ignored her as the last couple of seconds ran through her mind. Slowly, a smile spread across her face followed by small chuckles. Soon, it grew into a wide smile with a gut busting fit of happy laughter. Rainbow watched the display with intrigue as well as a bit of apprehension.

"Uh, Lightning? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," she said, laughter starting to die out. "Better than okay. I got to do it. I fucking flew!"

A light chuckle slipped past Rainbow's lips as she took in her fellow Pegesi's good cheer.

"Almost ," she smiled. "Wanna try that again?"

"Definitely!" she cheered.

"Then let's get started."

I think I'm gonna like it here, she thought, once again closing her eyes and letting the imagined wind take her away.

***

"How ya holding up Princess?" Vinyl asked, snickers barely hidden behind a smile.

"About as fine as you would expect," she sighed, several portions of her mane popping out of place. "And Twilight's fine."

"Cool," Vinyl smirked, staring at the glowing Unicorn party balloon gawking at her surroundings above the Princess as they made their way though Ponyville. "Thought maybe Lyra was starting to get to be a bit much for ya."

"No," Twilight said behind a slightly strained smile. "Not at all. She's great!"

Using the levitation spell she heard Twilight teach Lyra, she lifted her shades up just enough to show her eyes and leveled an unconvinced look at her.

"Twilight, you look like you're trying to figure out if she should be used as a baseball or a soccer ball."

"Is it that obvious?" she sighed.

Vinyl nodded, returning her glasses to their previous position.

"Not your fault girl," she smirked, throwing a foreleg around the Princess' shoulders. "Lyra can be a bit much sometimes, but trust me, she's a blast once you get to know her."

Literally, Twilight thought, casting a glance over her shoulder at Sugarcube Corner and its recently repaired roof.

"Um, I'm right here," Lyra frowned, crossing her forelegs and glaring at her two companions only to shift to an ashamed grimace as she looked away. "And sorry if I'm being a pain. It's just, I've always wanted to come to a world of magic."

That got the two to stop, a concerned frown shared between the two land-bound Unicorns.

"Wizards. Dragons. Knights. Faeries. All of that stuff has been a big part of me since I was little, so to get a chance to be a part of that for real is a big deal for me. Without it, I... Anyway I'm sorry if I'm being a big pain in the butt for you Princess Twilight."

For a moment, Twilight didn't know what to say. While on one hoof, she was willing to admit that the mare in her magic's grip had ruffled her feathers, she didn't seem like a bad pony by any means. If anything, the mare's only problem was that she was too eager to dip her hoof in things. That wouldn't be such a big problem in and of itself if it wasn't for the amount of magic Lyra had at her disposal. And not just her. Each of Sunset's friends had a lot of magic at their disposal, several times what was the norm for most ponies. Not so much that they could be a major threat to anypony, but enough to do some damage if not fully controlled. Lyra in particular seemed to have the largest pool of magic in the group, only just short of Sunset and Twilight prior to her ascension. A fact that made the mare's lack of proper training all the more concerning.

"It's fine," she sighed, then smiled as she set her back onto the ground. "I get it. Magic is a part of you, just not quite as literally as it is now. You want to know as much about it as you can, right?"

With a shy smile, Lyra nodded.

"Well," Twilight continued, a proud smile decorating her muzzle. "I just so happen to be one of the best mages around and if you want, I could teach you a few more things. What do you say?"

"Uh, no offense Twilight," Vinyl cut in, killing Lyra's growing smile before it split her head in half. "But I don't think teaching her magic is a good idea. I think people want to keep their houses intact if you catch my drift."

"Ha ha," Lyra deadpanned. "You're one to talk Miss Sonic Boom."

"Hey!" Vinyl snapped pointing a hoof at her mint antagonist. "At least I pointed my horn out a window when that happened Miss Laser Tip."

"How could I aim?" Lyra snapped back. "I sneezed!"

"Actually," Twilight cut in, drawing the attention of the two bickering Unicorns towards herself. "The main point of what I want to teach Lyra is how to prevent things like that from happening."

"Smart," Vinyl smirked, earning a glare from Lyra.

"You too Vinyl," Twilight deadpanned. "I don't think we want to know what kind of damage that sonic blast could've done if you didn't find a window in time."

"Aw c'mon!" she whined.

"Nope, come on," she smirked, guiding the two Unicorns back to the castle.

"Do we have to," Vinyl groaned as she tailed the Princess, Lyra not far behind.

"Yep!" the Princess said, maintaining her smile.

"Why? I get why Lyra needs it, but why me?"

"Can you fix an entire building if you blow it to smithereens?" she asked.

"No?" Vinyl frowned.

"How about guaranteeing that anypony hit by your spell won't be fatally wounded?"

That made the two foreigners pause for a moment.

"Wait, that could happen?" Vinyl asked, eyes widened behind her shades.

A moment of silence, then in a solemn voice, Twilight answered.

"A pony's body is tough, but not indestructible. The magic in our bodies make it so we can take a significant amount of damage, but if a spell is strong enough, it will hurt us if not outright kill us. If you're going to be around other ponies, you need to learn how to control your magic. Otherwise, you will always run the risk of hurting others as well as yourselves. Understood?"

Both nodded, dread running through them at the risks they represented thanks to the horns they now sported.

"Good," she sighed. "And I want to apologize for not doing this sooner. As a Princess and Mage I should've known better."

"No, it's my fault," Lyra said, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "I shouldn't've pushed you to let us out so soon."

"Yeah, same," Vinyl frowned. "I just couldn't take being stuck in that castle for so long if everyone else was seeing the sights. Left me cagey, you know."

"Right," Twilight said, a sad smile crossing her muzzle.

Lyra frowned as she stared at the Princess, a heavy stone of guilt sitting in her gut. With a huff, she quickened her pace until she was standing to the left of the Alicorn. Before she could react, she gave her a playful shoulder check, earning a surprised yelp out of the mare.

"Hey, we all messed up. Quit beating yourself up over it," she smiled.

"Yeah," Vinyl added, taking up point on Twilight's right. "Let's get all this magic stuff sorted out and have some real fun."

With a growing smile, Twilight nodded as the trio made their way back to the Castle of Friendship. All the while, Lyra gave her friend an appreciative smile that went unnoticed, familiar swamp covered mountains flashing before her eyes. When she looked at Twilight, a different image came to her mind. She saw wide forests full of life that slowly transitioned into open plains that melted into hazy swamps only to change a moment later to high mountains with a wide ocean view just beyond. The image was as massive as it was powerful, an image of infinite possibilities and harmony. Unknown to her, in the second it took her to see this image her horn glowed for the tiniest of seconds. It was also in this brief moment that a single word slipped past her lips. A tiny whisper, just a touch louder than a breath.

"Quintessence."

"Did you say something Lyra?" Twilight asked, turning her head towards the mint Unicorn.

"Huh? No," she said, roughly shaking the cobwebs from her head.

Twilight shrugged then looked forward. All the while a shy smile spread across Lyra's muzzle as a thought ran through her head.

Looks like I might have a deck to build when I get home.

"There you are!" a familiar female voice cried from behind the group.

Startled and a little confused, they turned. Walking towards them from a store ten feet away was Bonbon, a pair of stuffed sattle bags on her sides and scarf wrapped around her neck. The mare looked annoyed as she closed the gap between them.

"Seriously, I turn away for a second and you're gone!" she exclaimed, stoping a foot in front of Lyra.

"Uh, aren't you supposed to be with Applejack?," Lyra asked, mirroring Vinyl's thought.

"Why would I be with Applejack?" Bonbon asked, her irritation seeming to grow. "Now Come on we-"

"Hey Bony!" an eerily familiar voice called, its mint colored speaker quickly coming into view. "Why'd you run off?"

When Lyra's pony counterpart stopped next to Bonbon, pieces started to fall into place for the Unicorn trio. The same could not be said for the native Bonbon as her head snapped back and forth between the two Unicorns.

"What? But? You're over-But then you-WHAT THE HAY IS GOING ON HERE?"

While Bonbon continued to short circuit, the two Lyras looked each other over. The native Lyra looked confused, while the visiting one looked more intrigued then anything.

"*Pst*, feel anything?" Vinyl whispered.

Terran Lyra thought about that for a second as she continued to observe her double. While she was willing to admit that she was a good looking Unicorn, that was about as far as her thoughts went in that regard.

"Nope," she whispered back. "Still happily hetero."

"So it's not some multiverse thing," Vinyl smirked. "Tavi owes me fifty bucks when we get home."

"Oh sweet Celestia," Equestrian Bonbon groaned, a heavy layer of dread in her tone as she fell to her haunches. "My marefriend's multiplying."

I'm not going to give away too much here, but the next chapter is going to be up around Valentines Day and it's going to be heavily centered around one of the ships in this fic's universe. Care to guess which one? Prepare for adorabieties folks.

The early evening moonlight poured into the room past the recently opened curtains, the guest room bathed in a healthy balance of light and shadow. On a bed in one corner of the room, two ponies were close together, their ministrations making the bedsprings fill the room with squeaks and groans while one was pinned face-down beneath the other. The normally shy Pegasus held her Thestral counterpart to the bed, her hooves gliding across her prone and defenseless body. Soft squeaks and groans joined the ones made by the bed along with the sounds of quickened breath.

"Does it feel good here?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, rubbing her hoof into her victim in slow, deliberate circles.

"Yes," her double moaned, face reddened and breath coming out in soft pants. "Please, don't stop."

The Pegasus' smile grew a little as she put a little more pressure behind her hoof. She was rewarded with a blissful groan from the Thestral below her.

"So tense," she whispered, moving her hoof to another area. "So this really was your first time."

"Y-Yes," Fluttershy gulped, drowning in the scent of wildflowers as her counterpart continued her work. "And you?"

"Oh, I do it at least once a week," she smiled, leaning in close to her victim's ear. "It was scary at first, but after a while, you get used to it. And it feels amazing the more times you do it."

Fluttershy gazed deeply into her counterpart's eyes, her heart hammering in her chest as she took in just how beautiful she was in the dim lighting. As if on cue, her wings burst from their confines at her sides, the finger-like bones in the membrane trembling with need. Whether that need was escape or something else was completely unknown to the heavily blushing Thestral. They didn't go unnoticed by the native Fluttershy as she moved towards her left wing, drawing a wave of anticipation with a touch of fear from her bat pony victim. She closed her eyes, giving way to touch as she waited for those hooves to close in on her wing. A startled gasp slipped past her lips as they did, not aware just how sensitive her new appendages were.

"Are you okay?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, letting go of the wing with a nervous frown. "I didn't hurt you, did I? I've never done this with a Thestral before so I don't-"

"N-No," Fluttershy stammered, glancing over her shoulder at her counterpart. "You didn't hurt me, I was just a little surprised. I didn't know wings were so.....sensitive."

"Oh," she smiled, staring at the fully extended wings. "That's good. Shall I?"

Fluttershy nodded, once again closing her eyes. Again, she felt hooves grip her wing and had to fight to keep a squeak from slipping past her pursed lips. It was an unbelievable burst of sensations as nerve endings she never had before started feeding her information. It hurt a bit at first, but that was quickly washed out by a tsunami of pleasure the closer the Pegasus' hooves got to the base of her wing. The second she made contact with that spot, stars exploded into her vision and a throaty groan burst out of her muzzle. Her breaths were heavy pants as she reveled in the afterglow of the greatest sensation of her life. She barely had enough of her mental faculties running to acknowledge how limp her wing was before she felt a set of hooves grip her other one.

"Now for the right."

A thrill tore through her clouded mind like a hurricane, bringing a hungry smile to her lips.

Thank god for wings! was the last thing she thought before she was drowned in a sea of endorphins. After a few minutes of pure bliss, she became aware of the lack of weight on her back as Equestrian Fluttershy gently lifted herself off of her double, a soft breeze signaling each wingbeat. Lazily, she turned her head towards the Pegasus as she landed at the side of the bed. In her idled state, the mare looked like a literal angel, her whole form seeming to sparkle in the dim light of the room.

"That....was.....amazing," she said between gasps, a slight slur in her tone.

"I'm glad you liked it," Equestrian Fluttershy smiled. "Next time, you should let Aloe and Lotus at the Spa work on you. They're much better at massages than me."

"No," Fluttershy said with a drunk frown. "Only you get to massage me."

Equestrian Fluttershy blinked owlishly at her double, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"B-But they're-"

"Don't care," Fluttershy said, frown slowly turning into a roughish smile as she added, "It's you or no one. I don't care if they're massage masters, I want you."

The Pegasus' face turned red hot at that, her Thestral companion too drunk on her endorphin high to fully understand what she had just said.

"W-W-Well, if that's what you want," she stammered, suddenly very interested in the floor tiles.

Fluttershy smiled, enjoying the afterglow of her massage as her heightened senses started to recalibrate. Her whole body felt as light as air as she tried to move. Gone were the unusual twinges she felt each time she moved her legs or back. Her wings felt more natural to her as she consciously tried to move them, the slow movement creating a small breeze that stirred up her mane. As she rose, a light surge of energy shot through her that drew a startled gasp out of her.

"Are you okay?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, quickly moving to her double's side.

"Y-Yeah," she said, a small smile gracing her muzzle. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Better than fine. She felt as if each muscle in her body had awakened at the same time and was ready for action. A sensation that she found she liked a lot. The bed let out a squeak as she stepped off of it with a happy hum as she reveled in how light she felt.

"Thank you again for the massage. I promise I'll make it up to you later."

"Oh, you don't need to do that," the Pegasus blushed.

"I want to," Fluttershy insisted with a smile.

"Well, okay," she smiled.

Fluttershy giggled, then took a look out the window at the darkening sky.

"Looks like I can leave the room now. Do you have anywhere you need to be?"

She shook her head.

"Not really. Most of my animal friends are hibernating right now. Why?"

"W-Well," Fluttershy stammered, fidgeting a little as she shifted her gaze to the ground. "I want to take a look around, but I don't know were anything is. Could you help me?"

"Sure," Equestrian Fluttershy said with a light smile.

"Thank you," she said, lips pulled into a grateful smile with a bit of fang.

A small flutter filled her heart at the sight. What was it about her counterpart's fangs that did that to her?

***

Ponyville was a scene strait out of a Christmas card. Countless lights and ornaments covered all of the houses in festive displays that showed how much the ponies loved the holiday. A thin blanket of snow covered the streets and rooftops adding to the festive feel in the air. Fluttershy marveled at the care the ponies put into the many decorations she saw, all the while tugging at the scarf her double insisted she wear. Apparently, Thestrals have a much higher tolerance for the cold, a feature born from a mix of their Pegasus ancestry and their thick coats. In spite of that, her double insisted that she wear some article of clothing before they left the castle. At first, she was fine with taking the scarf, but quickly started to find the accessory to be rather stuffy. The only thing that kept her from discarding the forest green scarf was the fact it came from the Pegasus directly and that it held her scent as a result. Though, she was more than willing to put up with a bit of discomfort if it meant seeing her double in the snow. A small smile spread across her muzzle as she watched said Pegasus lead her through town. The little yellow Pegasus was bundled up in a thick green snow jacket with pockets weaved into the back for her wings as well as a pare of snow pants for her hindquarters with an opening cut into it for her tail. A matching beanie covered her head and ears while a spare scarf was wrapped around her neck. The end result was a ball of squishy pony with legs walking down the street that Fluttershy had to fight the urge to through her hooves around.

She's so cute! she thought, her wings shifting a little.

"Are you okay?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, looking over her shoulder at her double. "You've been quiet this whole time."

"I-I'm fine!" she stammered, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "Just taking in the sights."

The Pegasus shrugged then went back to the tour, all the while her companion tried to stare at anything other than the ball of cute walking in front of her. A few stores caught her attention, mostly because of how unusual their wares were. One store called Quills and Sofas made her wonder how such an oddly specific business could function while a store called Fire Hydrants and Tumbleweeds made her question pony society as a whole. Probably one of the most interesting buildings she saw was a towering building with carousel horses built into the sides of it like a giant merry-go-round. Lights and holly wreaths covered the building in an intricate pattern that looked to have taken hours of careful planning to execute.

"What kind of place is that?" Fluttershy asked, more to herself than to anyone else.

Equestrian Fluttershy noticed and followed her double's line of sight.

"That's Carousel Boutique," she said. "It's were Rarity works and lives. Do you want to take a look?"

"If it's not too much trouble," she smiled.

With their destination set, they navigated the surprisingly busy streets of Ponyville towards Carousel Boutique. All the while, Fluttershy took note of all the ponies carrying boxes and bags full of toys and various other spoils. Her eyes drifted towards the Pegasus walking ahead of her, a thoughtful frown forming on her muzzle.

What kind of gift could I give her?

Before her mind could wander through any possibilities, they arrived at their destination. The shop was even more magnificent up close, its lights adding the shine from the surrounding snow to its own as an accessory. Fluttershy stared at it with slack-jawed amazement, her sharpened eyes picking up all the fine details in the building's structure that amplified the arrangement's effects. A light nudge from her double snapped her out of her trance as she made her way to the shop's front door. Mildly embarrassed, she followed.

The store's interior was just as extravagant as its exterior, with changing rooms divided with red curtains decorated with holly prints and wreaths. Similar decorations covered the walls and ceiling with several pony-shaped mannequins sporting antlers and false red noses. Fluttershy flinched when a bell above the door rang when the door closed behind her, earning the device a sharp glare from her before her attention returned to the shop's main room. A familiarly cultured voice called out "Just a minute~" from an out of sight back room. A moment later, Rarity stepped into the room, much to the pair of shy's surprise, Octavia not far behind her.

"Octavia?" Fluttershy asked, taking a step towards her friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Rarity gave me a tour of Ponyville and treated me to some tea," she said, briefly giving the Unicorn in question a thankful smile. "What brings you here, love?"

"Well, Fluttershy was giving me a tour and I wanted to take a look at the Boutique," Fluttershy smiled, shifting quick glances at her double as she said hi to her friend.

"I see," Octavia smiled, casting a passing glance at the bundled Pegasus. "Did she by any chance take you to the spa? If not I can vouch for the Masseuses' skills."

"No, I didn't feel like getting another massage," she said, eyes drifting to the ground as a deep blush spread across her muzzle.

"Another?" she asked, raising a brow. "It only just got dark out. How could you have gotten a massage if you couldn't leave the castle?"

A second after she asked the question, things started to fall into place and a devilish smile spread across her face.

"My, my you do work fast, love."

"I-It was her idea," Fluttershy sputtered, face turning beet red. "She noticed how stressed I've been because of my new body and wanted to help me relax."

Octavia giggled, and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.

"Relax love, I won't judge you for finding someone you fancy, no matter how unorthodox the situation may be. Just don't rush ahead too much. You don't want to scare her off after all."

"Right," she nodded, a bit more confidence behind her blush, then smiled as she added, "Thanks Octavia."

"Anytime love," she smiled. "Now, do you have any idea what you're going to get her for Hearths Warming?"

"Hearths Warming?" Fluttershy asked, unfamiliar with the holiday in question.

"It's apparently the Equestrian version of Christmas," she explained. "While the origin of it differs from ours, the spirit and traditions seem to be the same."

"Oh," Fluttershy nodded, before letting out a frustrated sigh. "I was thinking about that on the way here, actually. Do you have any ideas?"

"I don't unfortunately," she sighed. "I haven't spent nearly enough time with her to give you any reliable advice on that."

"I see," Fluttershy sighed with an irritated grimace.

She wasn't mad at Octavia per se, it wasn't her fault that the Pegasus was an enigma to her. If anything, it was her own fault that her new friends didn't get to spend time with her double. It was the fact that her crush was herself and she still couldn't think of a gift. Combine that with all the new rules she had to follow in regards to her body, and you got a very irritable Thestral. A very irritable love drunk Thestral.

"You know, Rarity is one of Fluttershy's friends" Octavia mused. "Maybe she could give you some advice."

Fluttershy lit up at that, only for her good mood to deflate a second later with a guilt-ridden frown.

"Maybe if I hadn't tried to give her a heart attack yesterday," she mumbled.

"You'd be surprised," Octavia smiled. "Apparently, when you've "stared oblivion in the face" a few times, you grow a thicker skin for it. Give it a try."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive," she nodded, then with a cocky smile said, "And if I'm wrong I'll eat my cello when we return home."

With a slight giggle, Fluttershy nodded then moved towards the Seamstress. As she did, Equestrian Fluttershy noticed and moved away to give them privacy as she switched places with her. The Thestral was a bundle of nerves as she locked eyes with Rarity, noting the flinch she did when her red orbs alined with her blue ones.

"U-Um I was w-wondering if you could help me with something."

"Like what darling," she said with a soft, patient smile.

"W-Well," she stammered. "I want to get Fluttershy a present, but I don't know what to get her. So, I was wondering if you had any advice. If you don't mind, of course."

"Are you serious?" she frowned, making the nervous Thestral cringe, before it was replace by a wide smile. "Of course I don't mind!"

"O-Okay," Fluttershy stammered, suddenly nervous for a completely different set of reasons.

***

Sugarcube Corner was a buzz with action as everypony enjoyed their treats. Like all the other businesses this time of year, the sweetshop was decked out in full winter fair, with rings of cotton meant to look like snow decorating the bottom and middle of tables with holly and mistletoe hanging from the ceiling in random formations. Wreaths, bells, and Christmas (or Hearths Warming) ornaments covered the walls like family photos in a living room with care and precision, giving the store a happy and festive feel. In one corner of the room, the two Fluttershys enjoyed their drinks with bubbly smiles.

Oh I can't wait! Fluttershy thought with a giggle as she sipped her mango shake. She's going to absolutely love her gift. Good thing we have the same measurements or it would've been harder to make it.

Talking with Rarity had been a little nerve-wracking at first, but after a few minutes, she found the mare to be very easy to talk to. She took the time to listen to the awkward bat pony's concerns in a much more patient manor than her human counterpart, a fact that both relieved and made her feel a little guilty after she made the comparison. All it took was a momentary trip to the back of the store for some measurements and some questions on what colors she wanted to make all of Fluttershy's worries vanish. She had a gift for her crush and an entire evening to spend with her outside of Princess Twilight's castle. For the first time in days, everything seemed to be looking up for her.

"Hey, um, Fluttershy, do you think we could check on Pinkie before we leave?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked over her vanilla shake.

"Huh?" she asked, snapping out of her musings. "Oh! Um, sure. I don't see why not."

"Thanks," she smiled, casting a glance at the door leading to the shop's kitchen. "I'm worried about her."

Fluttershy nodded, following her double's line of sight. Octavia had warned her of the native Pinkie's strange behavior earlier that morning, and while she doubted she would do anything to her, she was still an unpredictable element in an already alien world to her. As a result, she was a bit hesitant to go near the pink Earth Pony, but if her double was willing to risk it, then so was she. Thought she did try to nurse her drink as much as possible.

Just relax Fluttershy, she thought as she they made their way towards the register. It's just Pinkie. Sure, it's a different Pinkie, but its still her and you know she wouldn't hurt a fly. Though she did make me go deaf for a little while. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Why hello Fluttershy," a blue Earth Pony mare with a neon pink mane behind the counter said. "What can I do for you sweetie?"

"Hello Mrs. Cake," Equestrian Fluttershy smiled. "We were wondering if we could see Pinkie Pie for a little bit. If its not too much trouble."

It was then that the mare noticed that Fluttershy wasn't alone, but if she was shocked by the other Fluttershy's appearance, she hid it really well.

"I don't see why not," Mrs. Cake shrugged with a smile. "She should be up in her room right now. Do you remember where it is?"

She nodded.

"Well don't let me stop you. Have fun you two!"

With that, the two Fluttershys made there way through the door to the kitchen and living quarters of the sweetshop. Fluttershy marveled for a moment at all the different cooking tools and equipment they passed as they made their way through to the residential section of the store. When they got to the stairs to the second floor, Fluttershy picked up on a strange scent in the air. It was a strange mix of sugar and candle smoke with traces of bubblegum scattered through it. There was also a hint of some sort of metal, something she was only vaguely able to recognize from when she stumbled into her father's rusty toolshed. That particular scent put her on edge, especially when it grew with the rest of the bizarre cocktail of smells she was catching on the way up the stairs. Carefully, she quickened her pace so that she was just short of next to her double, ready to spring into action if something happened. She wasn't sure what she would do if something happened, given her limited understanding of how to use her body, but she did know how to bite at the very least. Given her new dental additions, that should be more than enough to get the job done.

She stayed on high alert when they reached the top of the stairs, eyes searching through the darkness and fangs unconsciously baring. The smell grew as they closed in on a door with a set of balloons on it as well as Fluttershy's nerves.

"Pinkie?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, making her double jump as she knocked on the door.

The second her hoof made contact, the door creaked open. To say what they saw next surprised them would've been a slight understatement. Pinkie sat on her haunches at the center of her room, each of her forelegs were level with the sides of her head holding a cupcake in each hoof. A look of pure calm dominated her features, her closed eyes not even flicking open in response to the two Pegesi invading her space. Looking around, the Shys could see dozens of incense holders hanging from the ceiling, each holding a single birthday candle laying on its side. As they stepped in, mesmerized by the shear randomness of the situation, a soft click from the ground made them jump. Looking down, Equestrian Fluttershy spotted a tape recorder. With the soft crackle of static, the device activated.

"Dear Fluttershy and Fluttershy. Hiya! Thanks for coming to visit! Sorry I can't hang out right now. I am currently in deep meditation in order to find myself and enact righteous justice in the name of Sunset's honer. I don't know how long this with take, but I'll try really, really, really, really, really hard get this done soon. Until then, have fun and happy Hearths Warming."

With that, the recorder stopped, leaving both mares dumbfounded.

"Your Pinkie does things like this too?" she asked, staring at her gobsmacked double.

She nodded, staring at the meditating pony in wonder.

They stared at Pinkie for a few minutes, taking note of just how novel a moment like this was considering the mare's usual antics. Seeing little else to do, Equestrian Fluttershy moved towards to the door. The Thestral was just about to follow her out when a baby alligator appeared by her side, another tape recorder in its mouth and what looked like some type of mouthguard on its head. The gator dropped the recorder at her hooves and nudged her foreleg before looking up at her.

"Um thank you?" she asked as she reached for the tape recorder and hit the button.

"Oh! Before I forget, take this fang cover with you. Those chompers of yours are a lot sharper then you think! And well....you know what they say! Always use protection, right?! Good luck with your double Flutterbat! I'm rooting for ya!"

Fluttershy had never been more happy to be mostly alone in a room before then she was at that very moment. Without really thinking about it, she took the fang cover, stuffed it in her mane, and with a face hot enough to bring winter wrap-up to Ponyville three months early, stepped out of the room.

***

The outskirts of Ponyville was silent, only the tranquil serenity of nature at the heart of winter waited for those who took such a scenic route. The two Fluttershys reveled in the peaceful silence as they made their way towards the cottage at the edge of the Everfree Forest. While the town itself was fun and full of energy, it could be a bit suffocating for most ponies not familiar with it. The outskirts was a welcome respite from the noise, more so for the Thestral of the duo. It was also starting to get late, a fact punctuated by the diurnal Fluttershy's frequent yawning. As such, Fluttershy insisted that she walk the bundled Pegasus to her house before heading back to the castle.

The outside air filled her with a serge of energy, her sharpened senses picking up everything around her with perfect clarity. She never felt so aware of everything. It was liberating in a way that she couldn't adequately describe with words. It was as if a part of her had been sleeping this whole time and had started to awaken. As her eyes locked onto various things in the darkness and her ears flicked towards alien sounds outside her field of vision, she wondered if this was what it was like to be a cat, so aware of everything even with most of her guard down.

"I had a lot of fun today," Equestrian Fluttershy said, snapping the Thestral out of her musings.

"I'm glad," she said, smiling a little sheepishly. "To be honest, I was afraid I was being a bother to you."

"What?" she asked, shocked. "Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"No real reason," she frowned, staring at the ground as they walked. "It's just that, ever since I came here, you've been looking after me, which I'm grateful for," she added hastily before continuing. "I just figured you had better things to do then babysit me all day."

A moment of awkward silence surrounded the duo, then a soft weight settled on Fluttershy's back as her double pulled her into her side with a wing.

"Please stop saying things like that," Equestrian Fluttershy said, killing any startled protests her double had before they could form. "You need help and I want to help you. And you know what? There's nothing wrong with that."

"B-But-"

"No buts," she said firmly. "Besides, you're a lot of fun to be around. You're smart and funny. You're easy to talk to and patient. You're really strong and pretty and-"

Her mind quickly shut down as she realized what she just said, a bright blush coloring her muzzle as she looked away.

"Y-You really think I'm pretty?" Fluttershy asked, her own muzzle breaking into a faint shade of pink.

She nodded, tongue too numb to function.

"W-Wow, um, thank you," she said, blush deepening and staring at the ground."I-I think you're pretty too."

Both walked in relative silence as they tried to process what the other said, their faces threatening to burst into flames. Neither were willing to get their hopes up, sure that the other said what they did just to be nice. Surely they didn't like them like that. Things like that only happened in fairytales, right? Life could never be that convenient, right? There was no way such a pretty mare could be interested in somepony so plane. There was no way such an amazing person could be interesting in someone so strange. Eventually, they made it to the native Fluttershy's cottage, neither ready for the other to leave. With heavy reluctance, Fluttershy pulled herself free of her double's grip as the Pegasus stepped up to the door.

"W-Well, it's been fun," Fluttershy stammered, a light blush still coloring her cheeks. "H-Have a good night."

As she turned to leave, she stopped when she heard a soft voice say,"W-Wait!"

Curious, she turned back to face her double, who gave her a beyond nervous smile.

"Y-You don't have to go. You could spend the night, if you want," she muttered, blushing.

Fluttershy's eyes widened at that.

"I-It's no problem," she stammered, heart pounding in her chest like a jackhammer. "I think I know the way and the cold doesn't bother me that much."

"It's okay," the Pegasus smiled, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "I have the room and I'd be worried sick about you wandering around out here in the cold."

Fluttershy didn't know what to do. Her stomach was doing happy flip-flops at the idea of spending the night at her double's house, but at the same time, she didn't want to be anymore of a burden for the mare then she already was. Maybe it was pride. Maybe it was guilt. Either way, a part of her wanted to reject the mare's offer. But then she saw the earnest desire in her double's eyes, almost begging for her to say yes. It was a force that no one, pony or otherwise, could ever hope to resist.

"Okay," she said with a faint smile.

"Thank you," the Pegasus said with a smile as she opened the door.

The second they were through the door, the native Fluttershy flipped on the light, momentarily dazing her guest as the room was suddenly flooded with light. As she waited for her eyes to adjust, she heard her double shuffling about the room. By the time she could see properly, the still bundled Pegasus had a stack of blankets and pillows on her back.

"The guest room hasn't been used in a while, so the bed doesn't have a sheet or anything on it, but its clean, so you shouldn't have to worry about dust or anything."

"Thanks," she smiled as she followed her host towards the room in question.

The guest room was as one would expect. A simple square room with light blue walls and ceiling with no decorations or furnishings beyond a bed and a light built into the ceiling. A small window with a thick set of closed curtains was set into the wall to the left of the door. Quickly and efficiently, Equestrian Fluttershy made the bed, even setting a couple stuffed animals onto it along with the pillows.

"I hope you don't mind," she said, indicating the stuffed sheep and rabbit plushies. "They sometimes help me sleep at night and I thought you would like them."

"No, its fine," she smiled, a bashful smile pulling at her lips as she added "I have a few stuffed animals at home too, so it should help. Thanks."

"No problem," she smiled. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

And with that, the Pegasus left, softly closing the door behind her. With a happy sigh, the former human shut off the light and got into bed. As she curled up with the sheep plushy, her mind started to wander. Namely towards the fang cover hidden in her mane and the talk she had with her double. A dopy smile spread across her muzzle as a single thought followed her into the land of dreams.

She thinks I'm pretty.

All the while, the native Fluttershy was doing the same. Though she had removed her winter gear, her face felt like it was going to burst into flames. Never had anypony had this kind of effect on her. It was just as exciting as it was terrifying for her. She had no idea what to do with herself, but at the same time was more than willing to see how this played out. She knew how she felt about the Thestral, but a sprinkle of doubt kept her from accepting that she felt the same way. Though one very recent memory made that doubt weaker by the second.

"It's you or no one. I don't care if they're massage masters, I want you."

She buried her face into a pillow, hiding her red face and stifling her happy squeal.

I wonder if I should try writing clop. Anyway, yeah I know I said in the last AN that this was going to be uploaded on Valentine's Day, but it was finished a lot sooner then expected. So, yeah, happy early Valentine's/ Hearts and Hooves Day. Also, at some point I'm probably going to provide links to songs that helped me come up with the personalities for the major cast of characters. No real reason, just thought it would be fun. See you all later.

Sunset stared at the ceiling of her old room, a hard glare trying to bore a hole into it in the late evening shadows. She wasn't foolish, she knew that magic had plenty of interesting uses in Equestria. Medical, judicial, heck sometimes even social issues were solved using some form of magic. There were even rumors that Starswirl created a spell that could allow the caster to go back in time. But with all that advancement, there also existed spells that, when used, could negatively impact a pony's life. Not always maliciously, but always in ways that could make a pony want to slam their head into a wall.

She can enter my dreams, she thought, left eye twitching. My crazy, chronologically displaced Aunt, can enter my god damn dreams. IS NOTHING SACRED?!

With a huff, she rolled to her left. She was greeted by something that turned her frown into a weary smile. About a foot away from her was Derpy, her face wreathed by a shameless mop of bed mane. Sunset let out a snort as she brushed some of the sleeping Pegasus' mane out of her face, careful not to wake her.

Her mother and aunt's insistence that she and Derpy share a bed was about as awkward for the two as expected, both torn between objection and embarrassment. Thankfully, Sunset's bed was more than big enough for the two of them, but the "encouragement" of the two Alicorns only added an extra trace of awkward to the situation.

At least I'm not the only one she terrorized, she thought, rolling her eyes as the events of the previous day came to mind.

***

Sunset was trapped in the most powerful form of confinement imaginable. No magic or alloy could even compare to the dark-blue forelegs wrapped around her. As she glowered in her Aunt's embrace in her mother's private quarters, said Solar Princess was trying and failing to keep a strait face. An ornate table stood between them with an ancient tea set spread out across it along with an assortment of small sandwiches and cakes. A brush caught in a dark-blue aura was running through her mane as Sunset scowled in silent humiliation.

"Sister dear," Princess Celestia snickered. "Do you think you could let the poor mare breathe?"

"Please sister," Luna scoffed, continuing to brush Sunset. "It will take far more than this to vanquish a pony of our line."

Maker, God, whoever's listening, please take me, she thought as she saw a collection of bows and ribbons float towards her.

"Oh, I agree," the Solar Princess smirked. " Though I believe she would rather be pampered by her special somepony then her Aunty."

Luna's forelegs went limp, giving the captured mare the opening she needed. When she scrambled out of her aunt's grasp to the opposite side of the table, a cold chill shot down her spine. When she turned to look at the Lunar Princess, a wide, knowing grin greeted her.

"Would this special somepony happen to be a gray Pegasus with a light yellow mane and tail? An artificial eye perhaps?"

"No," Sunset said quickly, silently panicking.

How the hell does she know?! I've never even met this lunatic and she guessed Derpy to a tee!

"Are you sure?" Princess Luna asked, her smile seeming to grow. "We were certain that you looked just like what another pony of that description confessed. Something about cinnamon muffins and looking adorable as a pony."

A trace of confusion slipped into Princess Luna's tone as she recounted that little tidbit of information before taking a nonchalant sip of her tea. Meanwhile, Princess Celestia gave her daughter a faint smile while said Unicorn tried to hide her blush behind the shadow of her bangs.

Yep, that's Derpy alright, she thought with a gulp. How did she know?

"Hypothetically speaking," Sunset started, struggling to lock eyes with her Aunt. "If that was my special somepony, what of it?"

A light chuckle slipped past Luna's muzzle as she leaned towards her niece.

"We would honor them in a way fitting of our status. Knighthood, a manor, a plot of land, all of it at their disposal and discretion. And should she add a ring to your horn, all the privileges worthy of a High Royal."

Sunset was flabbergasted by what her aunt was offering, as well as blushing up a storm at the second mention of a ring. She wondered how Derpy would've reacted to all of that. Sure, she could adapt to almost anything, but she doubted the simple city girl would be able to wrap her head around the idea of possibly becoming literal royalty. She could see the Pegasus receive the news in her minds eye, only for her to faint from the magnitude of it a moment later.

"We haven't even had our first date yet," Sunset muttered as she dropped her head onto the table.

"So I was right," Luna said with a cocky grin. "Well, our niece, that is a crime that we shall quickly correct."

"Huh?" Sunset asked, raising her head up from the table just enough to look the Princess in the eye.

"We shall have one of Canterlot's finest designers craft dresses for you and your lover. In addition, reservations will be made at the best restaurant in the city. It will be the finest night of your young lives! This we promise!"

Sunset was floored. Half of her wanted to refuse her aunt's offering, but the other was quick to warn that doing so could be a bad idea. Besides, she could see in her eyes that she wouldn't take no for an answer anyway. Much like her mother in the human world, her aunt wasn't asking for permission. She was telling her what was going to happen, the only bit of a courtesy she was going to get in this endeavor.

"W-Wow," Sunset stammered, taking a shaky sip of her tea. "You really want to pull out all of the stops, huh?"

"What can we say," Princess Luna shrugged, taking a sip of her own drink. "She left a good impression on us."

"You met her?" Sunset asked, taken aback.

"In a sense," she smiled. "We find that you can meet many interesting ponies when the proper gaps are crossed."

Just as Sunset was about to question the meaning behind her aunt's words, the doors to the study opened to admit the very Pegasus they were talking about. She locked eye with the grinning mare only for her smile to slightly wilt as the Unicorn mouthed a single word.

RUN.

The doors gently clicked shut and locked before she had a chance to reach for the nob. Derpy gulped as she took stock of her situation and note of the two other mares in the room. Princess Celestia earned a grateful smile out of her, while the sight of the Princess of the Night made her give a shocked gasp.

"W-Wait," she stammered, backing up a step. "Your real?"

"Indeed, we are," Princess Luna smiled. "Greetings yet again, Derpy. Please, join us for some tea and treats. We have much to discus."

"Right," she said, a deep blush growing on her muzzle. "By the way, you didn't say anything weird before I got here, right?"

"As we told you," Princess Luna smiled as the hot faced Pegasus took her place at the table at Sunset's left. "Our lips are sealed."

"O-Oh," Derpy said with a nervous laugh. "Right, thanks."

Luna simply nodded before taking a sip from her drink. All the while, Celestia pored a fresh cup for the latest member of their party.

"Okay, when did you talk to my aunt?" Sunset asked as she levitated a slice of cake onto a plate for Derpy.

"Uh, last night," she said, frowning as she struggled to get her hoof to grab a fork.

"When?" Sunset stammered. "I know we were pretty drunk last night, but I think I'd remember another Alicorn poofing into the room."

"I don't know," she said, glaring at her fork. "The last thing I remembered was taking a swig of cider, then suddenly, BOOM, there she is."

"Oh," she frowned, giving her aunt a brief cautious glance before taking note of her friend's struggle. "Here, let me help."

As she said that, she took the fork with her magic and cut off a piece of the cake. As she bought the loaded fork to Derpy's muzzle, the Pegasus' face turned beet red.

"What's wrong?" Sunset asked, noticing the hue of her friend's face.

"N-Nothing!" she exclaimed, blush spreading to her ears as she ate the offered bit of cake.

"Dreams truly do come true sometimes, do they not?" Princess Luna smirked.

"R-Right," Derpy laughed with an audible gulp, though whether it was from her offered snack or something else was up for debate.

***

It wasn't hard for Sunset to guess what happened, though a small part of her wondered what Derpy and Princess Luna talked about. Considering how Derpy was acting, she probably wasn't going to find out anytime soon. A small problem that she could live with as she stared at her sleeping friend. She let out a light chuckle as she slowly rose out of bed, trying not to disturb her. Before she could make any progress, a grey wing flew forth and pulled her back to her friends side. Sunset let out a small yelp as Derpy pulled her into a tight embrace, her face nuzzling into her chest. Left with little choice in the matter, Sunset eased herself back into bed. All the while, she let one of her forelegs wrap around Derpy's back, careful not to touch her wings. She giggled a little as Derpy's breath tickled her chest, all the while nuzzling the top of her head. A faint blush colored her cheeks as the scent of vanilla hit her nose. It grew as she remembered Luna mentioning Derpy talking about cinnamon in regards to her.

She knew that ponies had distinct scents, each unique to that pony in particular. She remembered how her mother always smelled of sun-soaked flowers when they hugged. A memory that always brought a smile to her face as well as, until recently, guilty tears. The stronger it was, the closer the ponies were. Though that mostly related to family, there was another thing that a stronger scent could show; compatibility.

One of the perks of having magic in your blood, she thought, idly running her hoof through Derpy's mane. Who needs dating sights when all you have to do is just walk around for a little bit?

A faint frown replaced her smile as she thought about what woke her just a few moments ago.

Of course, I guess the trade off is that your family gets a bit more involved then they need to be. I mean, really? A Saddle Arabian Palace? Really?! And did she have to make all the servants Derpy clones? I mean, sure, I didn't mind it too much, but the harem chamber was a bit much!

She grimaced as she let out a yawn, knowing what was likely waiting for her when she closed her eyes. It was inevitable, the warmth and comfort of her bed lulled her easily into the border between the waking world and her aunt's domain. Not helping was the security of Derpy's embrace. Though she didn't want to admit it, a small part of her was terrified that it was all a dream. That everything that happened the last couple of weeks had all been an illusion and she was going to wake up back at the warehouse alone and hated again. Her grip on her bedmate tightened slightly as the fear crept into her. She didn't want to go back to that. She wanted to be happy, to be loved. Something that came so easily to most that felt always just out of reach for her. A faint whimper made it past her guard, a pitiful sound that filled her with shame as a tear slid down her cheek.

Then, suddenly, Derpy did something that made her gasp. She kissed her. It was on her chest and she was asleep, but the feeling was unmistakable. The feeling of soft lips pressed to her chest. Sunset looked down at the sleeping Pegasus, eyes wide with shock. Her eyes widened further as she heard her mutter in her sleep just the words she needed to hear.

"Sunset...don't cry. I'll always....protect you....promise."

Happy tears started to run down her face as she buried her face into Derpy's mane, a wide smile growing on her muzzle as sleep started to reclaim her.

I really owe you a lot don't I? she thought with a yawn. Guess I'd better get on that soon. Okay Aunty, give me your....best......shot.

With that, Sunset returned to her aunt's mercy, a big smile on her tearstained face.

***

Derpy was a pile of nerves as she paced through the room, Princess Luna watching her with mild annoyance as she tried to style the Pegasus' mane. In just a few minutes, she was going to go on her first date, ever. She was thrilled, but also on the verge of having a nervous breakdown as she tried to find something to do with herself. At the same time, Princess Luna fought the urge to trap the mare in her magic as she tailed behind her to get Derpy's mane into some semblance of order. It befuddled her how the mare could stay calm when she was getting fitted for her dress only to turn into a gray, hornless version of Twilight Sparkle two hours later.

Maker have mercy on us when she puts a ring on our niece, she thought as she managed to corner the panicking mare long enough to work on her tail.

"Derpy, if you don't stay still, we will tie you to the ground and leave you to the mercy of the maids!" the Lunar Princess snapped, forcing the frazzled mare to freeze. "Thank you," she sighed as she gently ran the brush through Derpy's mane and tail. "What has you so worried? The affection shared between you two is strong and true, if not a bit awkward. Surely that is not enough to stagger you to such a degree."

"I-I can't help it!" Derpy exclaimed, struggling to stay still. "Before, I had Anon-a-Miss to keep me busy, but now I've got nothing to distract me! All the stuff I kept ignoring about Sunset is jumping to the front of my head all at once and it's making me a wreck! The good and the bad."

Her head wilted as she said that, her nervous tremors reduced to faint twitches.

Princess Luna sighed, knowing where this line of thought was headed.

"You fear that now that she no longer needs you, you and her will drift."

She nodded, lips trembling as she fought her tears.

"Such blasphemy," Princess Luna muttered angrily as she set the brush aside for a comb. "Blasphemy and foolishness. The products of a frightened youth. Listen well, young Derpy. The bond you share with Sunset Shimmer is one that is quite strong. Do you know what that is?"

"W-What?" Derpy stammered, meeting the Princess' gaze.

"Trust," she said, a proud smile decorating her muzzle as she set the comb aside. "She trusts you, more than any of her other friends. She knows that, in the end, no matter what happens, she can rely on you the most."

Derpy gaped at that, not sure if she could process the magnitude of Princess Luna's words.

"W-Wow," Derpy smiled shyly, suddenly interested in the ground. "I-I don't know if I'm really worthy of that kind of thing. I didn't really do all that much."

"Such modesty," Luna chuckled as she guided Derpy's face back up to hers with a hoof. "You gave her a home, true friendship, justice, and the will to live. The only thing left is the heavens and we are sorry to say that our sister and we are far too attached to part with it."

Both chucked at that, Derpy's nerves seeming to melt a little in the Princess' presence. Her smile shifted into an uncertain frown a moment later, a hoof subconsciously moving to her false eye.

"But am I really worth all that? I mean, she could do way better than me. I'm just some dork with a computer and she's, well, her. Maybe Octavia or Bonbon would've been a better fit. Well, if they swung that way anyway."

She shook her head, then continued.

"I just don't want to screw things up for her, you know? What if I make things worse for her and she tries to...to..."

Terrified tears started to run down her face as an unspeakable possibility crossed her mind. It was a fear that always sat at the back of her mind, tickling at the edge of her conscious thoughts. She knew that the odds were small, that Sunset had made excellent progress the past few days, but the fear was always there. The small percent chance that she would walk into Sunsets room and be greeted by a hanging body. Just like in the nightmare she had just after Anon-a-Miss was defeated.

A pair of forelegs and wings gently wrapped around her, shocking her out of her dark musings. Luna rubbed her back reassuringly, lightly shushing the mare's concerns away. Derpy stiffly eased into the embrace, letting all of her anxiety wash out of her as the Lunar Princess' warmth enveloped her. It reminded her of when she was little and had a bad dream. Her mother would come into her room and hold her just like this until the monsters went away. It was so nostalgic, so simple, so funny, and just what she needed. As her nerves settled, Princess Luna released the Pegasus, an understanding smile on her lips as she stared down at her.

"Listen well, young Derpy," she started, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Though your fears are valid, they are not going to come to pass. The bond forged between you and our niece is like iron and steel. Through it, you have made her stronger than ever and we highly doubt that she will let it break so easily. Do you not feel the same?"

"Definitely," she said, a determined smile on her muzzle and a fire in her eye.

"Then be at ease," she smiled. "And don't bother trying to impress her, that trial was conquered long ago. Just focus on enjoying your time together. If you try too hard, it will make things more difficult than they need to be. Stay calm and let things happen as they will."

"Thanks Princess," she smiled. "You're pretty good at this kind of thing."

"Let's just say," she smirked, eyes going distant for a moment. "That we have some experience with matchmaking."

"Chats in their dreams?" Derpy asked with a knowing smirk.

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no," she winked.

A knock at the door got their attention.

"Your Highness," a guard said from the other side of the door. "A package has arrived for your guest."

"Thank you guard," she said, facing the door. "Leave it by the door and we shall retrieve it."

A pause, then the sound of hooves fading behind the door signaled the vacancy of the guard.

"It would seem that your dress has arrived," she smiled as she turned her head towards Derpy. "Are you ready?"

She paused for a moment, then, with an easy smile, said, "Now I am. Thanks again Princess Luna."

"Anytime," she smiled. "And please, just Luna is fine. Such formality only serves to distance a Princess from her friends."

"Right," she chuckled. "Thanks Luna."

With an appreciative nod, the Princess walked towards the door to receive Derpy's package. All the while, the gray Pegasus brought a hoof to her false eye, a faint smile gracing her muzzle.

Broken or not, I'll do whatever I can to make Sunset smile. That's a promise.

***

Day Court was cut early for the day due to a noble insulting Discord when he refused to expand the stallion's land. It took some convincing on both Princess' part to return the noble to his original form, but Princess Celestia was able to arrange something with him. Though all High Royals present would admit, Lord Redblood did make a spectacular balloon animal. As a result, the throne room was abandoned, save for two ponies waiting at its heart. One was Princess Celestia, a bundle of excitement hidden within a regal package. At her side was Sunset, dressed in a vibrant red and gold dress with a gold chain holding a brilliant ruby pendant in the shape of a phoenix feather at her neck. All throughout her dress were faint weaves of phoenixes flying through the gold and crimson fabric like a dazzling wildfire, the biggest and most defined centering around a print of her Cutie Mark on the train just above her flanks. Her mane was styled into a braid with a gold and red ribbon tied into a bow at its base. Though she seemed calm, the Unicorn was on the verge of a major panic attack.

Oh, god! Oh god! Oh god! It's happening! It's actually happening! I am about to go on a date with Derpy!

She took a shuddering breath, desperate to get a grip of herself.

Come on Sunset, get a grip! It's not like this is your first date or anything. You dated Flash for a while, right?

She groaned inwardly.

While she did date him for a couple months, it was entirely for materialistic reasons. None of it meant anything really, but this was different. Sunset did care about Derpy, a lot more then she thought she would ever about anyone. While this wasn't her first date it was her first real date and that scared her to death.

"Don't be so tense," Princess Celestia chuckled, giving her daughter a gentle shoulder nudge. "You're acting as if you're meeting her for the first time."

"Right," Sunset chuckled nervously, shifting her eyes to everywhere except where her mother stood.

"Sunset," Celestia said, tone soothing as she stepped in front of Sunset. "Look at me."

Hesitantly, she obeyed, locking eyes with her mothers.

"Good, " she smiled. "Now, take a deep breath."

Slowly, Sunset took a breath, holding it for as long as she could, before slowly letting it out through her nose.

"Again," Celestia said calmly.

Sunset repeated her actions, her exhale taking away a bit of her nerves. She repeated this for several minutes, the catharsis almost euphoric as her stress started to fade. When she finally stopped, she was mostly back to her normal self. The panic was still there, but it was at a much more manageable level compared to before.

"Better?" Princess Celestia asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Sunset sighed with a smile of her own. "Thanks."

"Anytime, my Little Sun."

She smirked and rolled her eyes at the use of her nickname. A second later the throne room doors opened slightly, admitting a grinning Princess Luna.

"Lady Sunset Shimmer," the grinning Princess declared, the doors enveloped in her magic aura. "Tonight, we present to you your date for this evening. Behold! Lady Derpy!"

With that, the glowing doors opened to reveal a sight that made Sunset's jaw hit the floor.

Derpy was dressed in a dark-purple dress with silver highlights and streaks that hugged her form like a good friend. Scale-like patterns covered the dress' silver train accompanied by purple sea serpents seeming to be moving between them as they moved towards the ground. Her wings and coat were groomed to perfection with her mane styled in such a way that it covered her false eye while drawing attention to the rest of her face. It was thanks to that that she noticed the light application of makeup; just enough to emphasize Derpy's charming features without looking too obvious.

When Derpy looked at Sunset, she was equally stunned. It was as if she was staring into the flames of the sun, only instead of being painful to witness, it hurt to look away. The intensity in Sunset's eyes brought some of those flames to her face as she blushed. She barely noticed her wings rustling at her sides as she approached her date for the evening. Sunset was equally oblivious to the small sparks of magic that came off her horn as she watched the Pegasus. She felt like she was watching a mist spirit as the silver and dark-purple of Derpy's dress shimmered around her. By the time the gray Pegasus closed the gap between them, Sunset's face was almost the same color as her dress.

"H-Hi," Derpy stammered.

"H-Hey yourself," Sunset chuckled nervously. "Y-You look great."

Come on Sunset, get it together! she thought desperately. You know you can do better than that!

"Oh, uh, thanks," Derpy giggled. "You too."

She likes the dress! Yes! Yes! YES!!! Derpy thought, doing mental backflips. Now let's keep it up! No screwing up now!

"Seems that everything is in order, right sister?" Luna asked, giving Celestia a mischievous smile.

"Indeed," Celestia replied, a matching smile on her lips.

The exchange didn't go unnoticed to the couple, a sharp frown forming on Sunset's muzzle.

"What are you planning?" she asked, a slight edge to her tone.

"Oh nothing, my Little Sun," Celestia smiled, waving off Sunset's glare with a hoof. "Now run along. A chariot has already been arranged at the Palace gates to take you to where you will be dining tonight. Your table will be reserved under Sunset."

Sunset gave her mother a long hard look before nodding and moving towards the doors, Derpy not far behind with a visibly worried frown. Once the throne room doors were closed, the two Princesses stood in silence for a minute. Then, with a cheshire's smile, Celestia turned towards a side passage out of the room and said, "Come Luna, I am not going to miss this."

"You need not ask us twice, dear sister," Luna giggled, following her sister through the door.

***

The chariot ride had been uneventful for the most part. The only thing of any real note was Derpy's reaction to being so high in the air. The smile on her face as they soared over the city streets was just as much a thing of beauty as the stars in the sky to Sunset. Things she would've taken for granted was a thing of wonder to the Human-turned-Pegasus, a fact that made Sunset look at things in a different light. While things had changed quite a bit over the years, most of the things in Canterlot remained generally the same to Sunset. The castle was still made of marble and the architecture spreading out away from it shifted in order of how many bits a pony had. It was for that reason that Sunset had no problem answering any and all questions her date had as they flew. It gave her something to do besides stare at Derpy, and made the former human smile. As the chariot closed in on what was presumably the restaurant they were going to be eating at, the two mares silently started to brace themselves. Though it wasn't for the chariot's landing.

Okay Derpy, remember what Luna said, she thought, taking deep breaths. Don't try too hard to impress her. Just relax and let things run their course.

Okay Sunset, stay calm, she thought with a barely audible gulp. You can do this. Just try to have a good time and don't screw up. No, that's not right. Uh....

She stared at Derpy's smiling face out the corner of her eye. Instantly, her nerves started to settle and a matching smile spread across her own lips.

Let's just see what happens and have fun with it.

The two mares made their way towards the restaurant, all the while oblivious to the two Unicorn mares tailing them in the shadows. One was dark-blue with a lighter shade of blue coloring her short mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was a moon with a cluster of stars to its left. The other was white with a bright-pink mane and tail. A golden sun decorated her flanks. Both of them were only slightly taller than a normal pony, a rare trait but not completely unheard of in most circles. The mares waited until the couple entered The Silver Spoon before stepping out of the shadows.

"This seems a bit much sister," the dark-blue mare said crossly. "We think a simple request from your special somepony would've been so much simpler."

Her companion gave a flustered sputter before saying, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh please sister," the dark one groaned, rolling her eyes. "It is plain as your charge and you know it."

"It isn't like that," the white mare huffed with a light blush.

"So you say," she smirked. "But your dreams tell a different story. Should we warn our niece to be ready for a little brother or sister?"

"Enough!" Celestia snapped, earning a light chuckle from her disguised sister. "I am not the main focus tonight."

"Indeed," Luna chuckled as she moved towards the restaurant.

Grumbling, Celestia tailed behind, various ruthless pranks running through her mind.

My vengeance will be swift and merciless!

Meanwhile, Sunset and Derpy were already at their table, going through their menus. The Silver Spoon was one of the most popular restaurants in Canterlot with a price tag to match. Most ponies were lucky if they could eat their once in their lives as a single course could run up a bill equal to a mortgage on a house. And if by some miracle you could afford to eat there you still had to make a reservation, a task that has been compared to navigating the Everfree Forest blindfolded in terms of difficulty. The only exceptions were The Princesses and foreign Dignitaries that came more for business than the food. The fact that the young couple were not only able to dine there, but do so in the portion of the restaurant reserved for VIPs was nothing short of winning the lottery by first date standards. In spite of this, a thin layer of irritation permeated the air around them as they stared at their menus.

It was brief, but both noticed the look their server gave Derpy as Sunset claimed their reservations. While it was relatively uncommon to see Pegesi and Earth Ponies in Canterlot, it was almost unheard of to some of the city's upper class to see one in their domain. Some of the more adaptive nobles like the Fancy Family took it as a sign of progress while some of the more traditional families such as the Bloods saw it as an unfortunate product of the times. The worst of these were the Tribalist families, such as the Crystal or Vine Families who insisted on returning to the way things were before Equestria's founding. Needless to say, such minority families were not very popular in most social circles and ultimately made things very uncomfortable when dealing with the Noble Court. It also made interactions with lesser known nobles more difficult then it needed to be, as it was often a chore to find out what ideology they followed.

Both mares decided to shelve the small moment and enjoy their evening. A bit of surprise from a waiter was no reason to go to war after all. It was while Sunset perused the drink selections that she decided to ask a question that had been bugging her since she found out about Derpy's secret identity.

"So, what made you retire?"

"Huh?" Derpy asked with a start, looking up from her menu.

"What made you retire?" she repeated, setting her menu down. "From being Meme Queen I mean. From what I heard, you did some really amazing things back in the day, so why give it up?"

Derpy blinked, then stared down at the table with a frown.

"It became too much," she sighed. "At first, sure it was cool. Using my skills to help the cops catch the bad guys, it was like I was some kind of super hero, you know?"

Sunset nodded, eager to see where this was going.

"But," she continued. "After a while, it started to grate on me. When you run around looking through people's dirty laundry, you get a pretty cynical view of the world. I started to assume the worst in people, seeing only their ugly sides and ignoring their good."

She looked up at Sunset, lips pulled into a sad smile.

"The moment of clarity came to me when Lyra invited all of us to her place for Game Night. She made each of us a deck and we had a big Magic free-for-all. I still remember what everyone got. Lyra used her white knights, Bonbon had her blue wizards, Lightning ended up with some white-red solders, Vinyl used some weird red-black circus deck, Octavia had a black-white vampire deck, and I had....blue-black assassins."

She looked away in guilt while Sunset raised a brow. Admittedly, her knowledge of her new hobby was rather limited, but even she knew that the meaning behind that arrangement was a little off. Blue was an intelligence centered color while black was all about taking huge risks to get the upper hand, a fact that actual black magic had in common. Derpy didn't strike her as the type of person who would be compatible with such a play style considering how cautious she was against Anon-a-Miss.

"It was so easy," she muttered, a trace of self-loathing in her tone. "Using what I knew about them, I was able to pick them off one by one. I narrowly managed to beat Lyra using a bunch of strange combinations she didn't see coming by keeping track of how she organized her attacks. I mentally screwed with them, and it was so easy to do it."

A heavy silence settled between them. It wasn't easy for Derpy to come clean about what her skills almost turned her into. Yes, she helped a lot of people, but at the same time it made everything in life look so ugly. Maybe she would get back into it in the distant future, but now? No. She was done. Done living in that ugly world. Unless something major happened again, nothing could force her back into that place.

She felt a grip on her hoof. With a start, she looked towards it and was greeted by the sight of an orange hoof locked with her own. When she looked up from it, she saw Sunset, sporting a sad smile of her own as she locked eyes with her.

"Guess we make a perfect match then, huh?" she said with a sad smile.

It took a moment for Derpy to process what Sunset said, and when she did, a sad laugh slipped past her muzzle.

"The retired hacker and the former bully?" she laughed as Sunset released her, a small smile on her muzzle. "We should start a sitcom when we get back home."

"Sounds about right," Sunset laughed. "We're already living together, so why not?"

"R-Right," Derpy blushed, taking note of a fact that should've been painfully obvious.

If this works out then that means I'll have a girlfriend that's-

Her face burst into an intense blush as both Sunset picked her menu back up and Derpy's mind went to places she wasn't ready for yet.

Okay, no alcohol tonight, she thought, not trusting herself as she stared at the drink options.

A second later, a Unicorn waiter stepped up to their table, set a wine glass up for each of them and poured them a drink from an ornate looking bottle.

"Golden Rose, two thousand B.C. as requested in advance with reservation," he intoned, face completely neutral.

"Thank you," Sunset smiled.

"Y-Yeah," Derpy said with a forced smile. "Thanks."

The waiter bowed, then walked away, all the while Derpy glared at the glass of red wine in front of her.

Crap...

Meanwhile, Luna and Celestia sat in a table of in the farthest corner of the room, observing the young couple.

"You sure don't hold anything back, Luna," Celestia smirked as she levitated a glass of wine to her lips.

"Never sister," Luna chuckled. "Should Lady Derpy join our family, our niece will be trotting on cloud nine. It is only natural that we pull out all the stops so to speak."

"You certainly hold her in high regard," she stated with a raised brow.

"And you do not?"

"Of course I do," Celestia smirked. "I gave my blessing after all. I just wasn't expecting you to be so accepting of her so soon."

A small smile graced Luna's muzzle as she stared at the couple.

"She brings back memories," she sighed. "Velvet Star was just like her. Kind and scattered, yet always at odds with herself. We suppose that is were Twilight Sparkle gets her quirks now that we think about it."

"Then it was no wonder I was so conflicted about sending her to Ponyville," Celestia chuckled. "Which reminds me, how is Midnight doing."

Luna rolled her eyes and let out a groan.

"A hoofful as usual," she moaned. "That catty son of ours just can't sit still, even at the best of times. We shudder to think what would happen if he discovered he has a cousin."

"It's only a matter of time sister," Celestia smiled.

"And we intend to enjoy the lull as long as possible."

Celestia laughed in the face of her sister's pout as she shifted her attention to her daughter. It warmed her heart to see her happy and willing to let her crush get so close to her. Compared to how she used to be, the Unicorn before her was like a brand new pony. It reminded her of Philomena and how she rose from the ashes of her past life to start a fresh one anew. Pride swelled in her heart as she watched her Little Sun and the beautiful mare she had grown into. A pride that changed into protective anger when a nearby table caught her attention.

"Sister," Luna said, a cautious edge in her voice.

"I see her too," Celestia frowned. "Stay on guard. There is no reason to make a scene if she won't."

Luna nodded, her eyes briefly shifting towards Derpy before she glared at the target of her sister's anger.

They weren't the only ones who noticed. Since they got their drinks, Sunset had felt the familiar feeling of someone glaring daggers at her back. Using a trick she learned from her mother, she took a spoon in her magic and used the reflection in it to help her get a better look at her surroundings. About four tables away behind her, a mare with a gold coat and silver mane and tail was watching them. The elaborate violet dress she wore hid her Cutie Mark beneath its train, but that held little interest to her. Her face was void of any visible emotion, but Sunset could tell by her stiff posture that she wasn't happy to see them.

A faint frown decorated her muzzle as she tried to enjoy her salad. The waiter was one thing, but this was different. As she ate, she took careful note of exit routs that put as much distance between them and the mare as possible. Part of the arrangement Celestia made with Sunset's reservation was that any and all expenses were to be sent to the Crown. As a result, they wouldn't need to wait to pay anyone when they left, though they would need to request names to assign tips later. Derpy was oblivious to the situation, lost in her crab salad and light buzz from her heavily nursed wine. What did get her attention was how tense Sunset seemed to get all of a sudden. With a smile, she placed a comforting hoof on Sunset's that got a small flinch out of her. Attention once again centered on her date, Sunset sported a small smile of her own. A smile that faded away when an indignant shout made everyone jump.

All ponies present turned towards the source of the shout as the very same mare that had been glaring at Sunset rose from her seat. The mare made a slow beeline towards their table, a look of utter contempt plastered across her upturned face. As she closed in, Celestia's caution turned into anger. Not quite at the level that almost doomed a city, but enough to concern her sister.

"Easy sister," Luna whispered, holding the seething sun goddess in her chair with her magic. "This is under control, we promise."

"How do you know that?" Celestia said, tone colored by a faint snarl.

A mischievous smile graced her muzzle as she said, "Don't underestimate your daughter's suitor."

At that moment, the mare made it to Sunset and Derpy's table and the gauntlet was ready to be thrown.

"Can I help you?" Sunset said, a trace of venom in her tone.

"Yes," she said, casting her gaze over towards Derpy. "You can start by removing your serf from this property."

A few ponies in the room gasped at the mare's choice of words while others glared, Sunset was among the later.

"Excuse me?" Sunset hissed.

"You heard me," the mare said, unfazed by the ire aimed at her. "This establishment is meant to cater to the top echelons of society. A filthy cloud trotter has no business being here, let alone breaking bread among her betters."

White hot rage flooded Sunset's veins at the mare's words. It was only thanks to an extremely strong amount of effort on her part that she was able to stop herself from turning her into a pile of ash. That and the gray hoof still gripping her's.

"Really?" Derpy asked, tone bored and face devoid of interest as she locked eye with the mare. "Then how about this, I give you five minutes to tell me how you're my better and maybe my date and I'll walk out of here."

The mare's glare hardened.

"You insolent horse feather! Do you know who I am?!"

"You've got five minutes," Derpy said, still stone faced. "Make me care."

"I am Lady Gold Vine!" she snarled. "Matriarch of the honorable Vine Family!"

Honorable my right cheek, Derpy thought bitterly.

"And I should care why?"

Gold was momentarily taken aback by this. Normally, her family name was more than enough to get most ponies to do her bidding. Everypony in Canterlot and the surrounding cities knew the influence and power of the Vine Family. Yet, this Pegasus was not only ignorant of the importance of the pony that stood before her, but dared to defy her in front of her peers.

"You miserable whelp!" Gold Vine growled. "What could breed such insolence?"

She glanced at Sunset and a sick smile slid across her lips.

"Oh, I see. How unfortunate that this poor mare has to set her standards so low, but I suppose it is the only way for a Cloud Trotter to get anywhere meaningful in life. Let me fix that for you dear."

As she said that, a faint orange glow enveloped her horn and Derpy's hoof. Sunset was a step away from sending Gold Vine to the moon when Derpy intervened. With her free hoof, she picked up her unused spoon and tapped it against Gold's horn. With an outraged yelp, she stepped back and canceled the spell.

"You leave Sunset out of this," she growled. "You have a problem with me? Fine, but that's it."

"Why you-"

"Also," Derpy continued. "If Sunset wants to hold ha- hooves with me, that's our business. Not yours. Got it?"

Gold Vine leveled a venomous glare at her unimpressed opponent. This went far beyond civil disobedience. This was outright rebellion!

"You worthless-"

"Unless you have something important to say,"Derpy added, tone icy. "I'd suggest you go back to your table and let this go. Unless you want to make an even bigger ass out of yourself than you already have."

Gold Vine gave the Pegasus another heavy glare before she took stock of her situation. It was then that she realized what kind of situation she had placed herself in. She had announced her name, position, and family in a public venue while yelling at a fellow Unicorn's date. While she could't condone her kinsmare's choice in company, she did know the kind of backlash her brash actions could lead to. She hated to do it. It broiled her blood like hot oil to do it, but she had to admit that the Pegasus had her cornered. She could do what the laws of nature demanded and lose her legacy, or make a tactical retreat and strike another day. Begrudgingly, she made the best choice she could, given the situation.

With a huff, she turned and made her way out of the VIP dinning area.

With the crisis averted, both mares let out a sigh of relief as a concerned smile formed on Derpy's lips as she rubbed Sunset's hoof.

"Are you okay?" Derpy asked, releasing her grip.

"Me?" Sunset asked, incredulously. "What about you?"

"Eh, I'm okay," she smirked, taking a swig of her wine. "I'm not the type to let people like that get to me."

Sunset's jaw dropped at how nonchalant her date's attitude was in the wake of what had just happened, only to shift into a big smile a moment later.

"Hey Derpy?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna hit a club after this?"

"Sure, why?"

"Because after seeing that I feel like dancing!" she laughed.

Derpy joined her, as what few traces of tension Gold Vine left behind faded away. At the same time, two hidden Alicorns watched with approving smiles.

***

Cadence stared out her window in the tallest tower of the Crystal Palace, an excited smile on her muzzle as she gazed at the moon above her. Love was thick in the air, she could feel it in her bones. It was what kept her from the comfort of her bed and husband's embrace. Somepony needed her guidance in Ponyville, bad. It both put her on edge and filled her with glee as she tried to guess who it was that needed her.

Twilight? No she would've told me if she found somepony. Spike maybe? Oh, I need to know!

A light giggle slipped past her lips as she gazed into the darkness behind her towards her sleeping husband.

I wonder if I can convince Shining to take a trip with me to Ponyville soon.

Sorry for any confusion. This is the real upload. Enjoy!

Pinkie stared at the mirror with intense interest, turning a little to one side then the other. Thanks to all the confusion two days ago, she didn't take full stock of her new body. Encountering her double and the chase that followed didn't help matters either. Though she did get some kind of consolation out of that little disaster.

"Hmmm. You know, you look pretty good as a pony," Tattle said, his voice a gentle purr in her mind.

After he saved her from what he called a Wraith seed, Tattle promised to help her learn how to control her new abilities. The only things he wanted in exchange was to borrow her senses while she was awake and for her to help him leave the Dream world, conditions she was happy to agree to.

Pinkie blushed, earning a light chuckle out of the astral cat.

"Thanks" she stammered, smiling at her reflection.

Pinkie flinched as she felt a paw pat her on the head.

A part of her had to admit, Tattle had a point, she did look pretty good for a pony. Granted, she looked a lot like her double, but a few differences caught her attention. Chief among them was her mane and tail. While her double had her usual ball of curls on her head and rump, Pinkie's mane and tail were straight and ended in a bundle of wavy curls. She was also sleeker then her double, holding a physique more built for speed then strength.

"Could you please leave my eyes?"

A faint tingling left her eyes as Tattle's connection to them faded, only for it to shift to her ears.

"I still don't get why you won't let me have more connections."

"Cuz its weird ," Pinkie grimaced with a shiver. "It's like having someone hovering over my shoulder all the time."

"You don't have a problem with that in your dream lessons," he said, an audible smirk coloring his tone.

Pinkie rolled her eyes as she walked towards the wardrobe in her temporary bedroom. While the dream cat's flirting made her blush from time to time, she had mostly learned to tune it out after a while. She also noticed that ever sense the Seed died, she'd felt a lot better. She still felt guilty about what she did and still intended to keep her promise, but now the task didn't seem so hopeless. She felt stronger, happier, and so much lighter than she had in weeks. It was as if a sheet of lead had been pulled off of her back, letting her rise back to her former glory from a quagmire of poison-laced mud.

A thick cloud of dust made her cough as she opened the wardrobe. Once it cleared, she looked inside and was happily rewarded with a thick gray fur coat. With a relieved smile, she pulled the coat out and put it on. Like everything else in the room, it was too big for her, but at the moment she didn't really care. It was warm, she could wear it, and it was intact.

"I wonder what pony would have a bearskin coat," Tattle muttered idly.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she shrugged, then flashed a cheeky smirk before she tightly closed her eyes.

"Hey!" he snapped.

"Get out of my eyes!"

Tattle let out a small stream of irritated mumbles before synching with her hearing again.

"You know," he grumbled. "You are going to need me to have more access sooner or later. I am the more experienced Walker after all."

"And when that happens, I'll let you know," she smirked, adding as much cheek to her tone as she could.

A happy hum slipped past her lips when she realized the coat had a hood as she pulled it over her head. As she stepped out of the room into the cold stone halls beyond, she tried to get a better grasp of her situation. Based on what Tattle told her, she was in a world called Equis, a world mostly populated by sentient equine creatures as well as Griffins, Dragons, and Diamond Dogs just to name a few. She was in a country called Equestria, which was ruled by four Princesses, two of which had control of the sun and moon. They were also immortal and immensely powerful, a fact that scared her to death, considering her circumstances. Even with his reassurances that they weren't generally the violent type, she remembered the look Princess Celestia gave her and all of the other students at Canterlot High. The other night, Tattle had to pull her out of a nightmare the memory inspired.

She was also apparently something called a Gap Walker or Walker for short. According to Tattle, there are many different types of Walkers in the world, each having a variety of powers based on their type. Tattle and his mom were Dream Walkers, beings that can cross the gaps in the Dream World at will. Normally, his type could also cross the gap between the Dream and Material Worlds, but for some reason, he couldn't. When she asked him why, he would always tell her he didn't know how and his mom wouldn't teach him. He also told her that her type of Walker was extremely rare. She had the power to walk through the gaps between dimensions, an ability that made her very difficult to track by conventional means as well as impossible to predict in most situations. If she had complete control at least.

As it stood, she only stumbled across the most basic of basic Walking abilities; seeing and summoning dimensional gaps. Granted, as it stood she could only use this ability when she was stressed or in danger, but it was a step in the right direction as far as her teacher was concerned.

A cold breeze washed over her, drawing a chill down her spine in spite of the coat as she made it to the end of the hallway into the throne room. Like the day before, the throne room was as cold as a meat locker as she made her way through it to another hall on the other side of it. After a few seconds of walking, she took a left into a room full of open barrels. Humming a happy tune, she peeked into each of the barrels in turn. As she did, her good mood started to sour.

"Empty," she muttered with a sigh as she walked away from the last barrel. "Tattle, do you think anything in the forest is edible?"

"Possibly," he said, shrug audible in his tone. "Though I wouldn't recommend it. The Everfree Forest is notoriously hazardous, especially as far in as we are."

"Why?" she asked, stepping out of the store room. "What's out there?"

"Timber Wolves and Cragodials, mostly," Tattle growled. "Though I've heard rumors about a rogue Dragon as well."

"A Dragon?!" Pinkie gaped. "Seriously?! What the heck is one of those doing here?!"

"I said it was a rumor," Tattle sighed. "Besides, even if there was a Dragon here, it would probably be hibernating right now."

"Oh, okay," she said with a relieved sigh. "And the other stuff?"

"Dangerous," he said flatly. "One is impossible to kill without fire magic and the other is nearly indestructible."

She cringed at that, but a rumbling from her stomach reminded her of her current predicament.

"Then what do I do?" she whimpered. "We're all out of food!"

"I know," he groaned. "Give me a minute to think."

For a moment he silently weighed his options, all the while, Pinkie anxiously paced the hall.

After a few minutes, she broke the din with a strained, "Well?"

Stammering, Tattle answered her.

"I...Well....There is a town near the outskirts of the forest. You should be able to find some ponies there that are willing to help you."

"I'm sensing a "but" there," Pinkie frowned.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle lives there," he sighed.

She blinked, then said, "So what you're telling me is that the only safe way I can get some food is by going into enemy territory."

She could sense Tattle's concerned frown as she felt a paw rest on her shoulder.

"Pinkie, I promise it isn't like that. If you just-"

"NO!" she screamed, falling to her haunches as she brought her forehooves to the sides of her head and closed her eyes. "I can't Tattle! I just can't! I know she hates me! Heck, I hate me for what I did! I...."

Slowly, her panic started to level out as she felt a warm wave of energy wrap around her. She smiled as she let her new friend's magic envelop her, letting her scattered mind reorganize itself.

"Better?" he asked, voice a gentle whisper in her mind.

"Yeah," she smiled, letting her forelegs fall to her sides as she enjoyed the warmth. "Thanks."

"Anytime," he smiled, pulling back his magic. "I wish I could send more than my magic to you."

"It's alright," she giggled. "But yeah, I don't know if we should risk it."

"Pinkie, you don't have any food and most of the plants in the forest are out of season." he said, frown heavy in his tone. "Unless you think you can live off of snow and mud, I think it's worth the risk."

An irritated groan slipped past her lips as she tried to find a counter argument to her friend's logic.

"Mud doesn't taste that bad," she pouted.

"Pinkie."

"Fine," she sighed, only to start fidgeting a minute later. "But.....um......I, uh.....don't know the way. So, I guess....you can have access to my other senses for a little bit."

"Are you sure?" he asked with a smirk in his tone.

"Yes," she groaned.

"Just checking," he purred as a tingle ran through her whole body.

"SWEET MOTHER OF CELESTIA!!! IT'S COLD OUT HERE!!!" he exclaimed in her head, earning a laugh out of his pink friend/student.

"You sure you wan't to stay linked?" she smirked.

"G-Give me a minute," he stammered. "The shock just got to me for a bit. I'll be fine."

"O-kay," she giggled.

"Right," he coughed. "Anyway, let's head out. You need some food and we should get moving while you still have the energy."

Nodding, she reluctantly made her way through the hall back to the throne room, tension forming into a small stone in her gut with every step.

***

"I can't do this," Pinkie whispered as she looked past the forest's border.

"Yes, you can," Tattle stated flatly. "As long as you avoid the castle, you should be able to stay under Princess Twilight's radar."

"B-But what do I do about money?" she stammered.

"Check your coat pockets," he said with an audible smirk.

Curious, she obeyed and was rewarded by the clinking of metal. Fumbling with her hooves, she managed to pull a large felt bag sealed by a pair of pull strings. Intrigued, she opened the bag and her jaw dropped at what she saw inside. Gold coins, each the size of a silver dollar, greeted her in all their metallic splendor.

Holy mother of Cherrychongas, she thought, a bright grin growing on her face. I'M RICH!!!

"Hmmm, yes this should do," Tattle said casually. "We're going to need to be careful for a bit, though."

Pinkie stared at the gold coins with a starry-eyed smile on her face as she imagined all the things she'd be able to buy back home.

"Pinkie?"

"A party nuke," she giggled, lips pulled into a dreamy smile as images of a town drowning in an ocean of confetti and streamers flooded her mind. "None shall escape!"

"Pinkie!" he snapped.

She quickly fell back to reality, blinking out of her greatest ambition.

"Huh?"

"Food first. Fantasies about conquering worlds later."

"Right!" she chirped, only to add a "Sorry" with a sheepish smile a second later.

With that, she resealed the bag, put it back into her coat pocket, and stepped out of the forest. The second she set hoof outside, a cold dread ran down her back. Shaking it off, she moved away from the forest and towards what looked like a path leading away from it.

"This is the right way to Ponyville, right?" she asked.

"If memory serves," he said casually. "And if not, there's a large buildup of magic about an hours walk ahead of us, so this path leads to some kind of settlement at the very least."

Nodding, she followed the path, an awkward silence settling around her as she struggled to think of a way to kill time.

"So," she started, uncomfortably looking around a she walked. "How'd you put the bag in my pocket?"

"I didn't," he said calmly. "That was just a happy accident."

That got a raised brow out of the pink mare.

"Then how did you know they were there?"

"I heard them," he said easily, an image of him shrugging in her head.

"Huh?"

She could see him grinning in her mind's eye as he added, "You don't know how sharp your ears are. While you were focused on....other things, I picked up the sounds of bits in your pocket. And while we're on the subject, don't spend any of them recklessly. If we talk to the right ponies, we should be able to get some basic necessities that will last you a few days for a decent price."

"Wait, some people will just give me stuff?" Pinkie asked, shocked.

"Nothing fancy," he said flatly. "As long as you don't get greedy and are willing to pay them back somehow later, Ponyville Ponies tend to be on the generous side."

"Huh," Pinkie said, furrowing her brow. "That's pretty cool. Wish home was more like that."

"It's not a sure thing though," he stated flatly. "You will always find those outliers in society. If that happens, we can always haggle."

"Now that's something I can do," she smirked.

With that, the "duo" went on their merry way, talking about what they needed and how to go about getting it once they made it to town. When said town came into view, they had already concocted a strategy on how to go about their business without drawing too much attention. As long as they kept the hood up, nopony was going to be able to identify her that easily and it kept her Cutie Mark hidden well enough to further hide her identity.They both agreed that the market would be the best place to start with stores being a plan B when looking for necessities. With all this in mind, Pinkie was a lot more confident when she passed the border into Ponyville.

"Alright," Tattle sighed. "Now that we're here we can-"

He paused, making Pinkie stop dead in her tracks.

"Tattle?" she whispered, a trace of dread entering her voice. "What's-"

"Pinkie! See that alley to your left?!" he asked urgently.

She looked to her left and spotted an alley between two tall buildings ten feet away from her, then said, "Yeah."

"Get in there, now!"

Frantically, she did as she was told. When she turned to the alley's opening, she was greeted by a sight that turned her blood to ice. Standing where she had been five seconds ago was her double, a serious frown on her face as she scanned her surroundings. Panic ran through Pinkie as she stared at her Equestrian double, every fiber of her being telling her to run. Before it became too much for her to handle, she felt the familiar warmth of Tattle's magic envelope her. An appreciative smile graced her lips as her fear started to fade, only for it to grow when the other Pinkie let out a frustrated huff and left.

"Thanks," she sighed as she peeked out from her hiding place.

"No problem," he said, his smiling face briefly appearing in her mind.

Once the other Pinkie was out of sight, she stepped out of the alley and made her way towards the heart of the town. As they made their way towards the market, a single question nagged at her.

"Hey Tattle," she whispered. "How did you know she was coming?"

"I sensed her magic," he casually answered. "Some how, she used some sort of Security Spell that let her know the second you stepped into town. It wasn't until I felt her make a beeline towards us that I thought anything of it."

"Oh," she said simply, keeping a close eye on her surroundings as she walked. "Do you think you could-"

"Already doing it," he said with an audible smirk. "If she gets too close I'll let you know."

"Thanks," she sighed.

With that, she entered the market and headed for the closest stall. As she was perusing what the stall owner had on sale Tattle told her to tell the story they agreed upon on the way from the castle, but not to lower her hood. With a subtle nod, she asked for a bag of potatoes and casually mentioned how hard traveling was this time of year. In response, the stall owner added three more potatoes to her bag and took three bits off of her seven bit charge. Pinkie nodded in thanks and went on her way. The other stalls were equally generous, each willing to add a little extra to her purchases in addition to a slight discount. She nearly had a heart attack when she came to an apple stand and saw an eerily familiar pony running it.

"Howdy," Applejack smiled as Pinkie approached. "What can Ah do for ya?"

"Um," Pinkie muttered, taking note of the bags of apples on sale. "I'll take a medium sized bag of apples."

"That's all?" Applejack asked, perplexed as she grabbed the bag.

She nodded, then said, "Yeah, I don't plan to stay here for very long, and I've got a lot to carry as is."

Applejack gave her an understanding smile and nod as she slipped something into the bag before putting it on the stand.

"That'll be three bits."

Nodding, Pinkie took out her bit bag and paid the apple farmer before slipping the bag onto her back.

"Have a good day miss," Applejack smiled with a wave.

"You too," Pinkie nodded with a smile and went on her way.

Things continued to go smoothly for them, until they made it to the town's shopping district.

"Pinkie!" Tattle exclaimed, making the mare flinch.

"Were is she?" she asked frantically.

"Behind us about half a mile away and closing! Get into a store! Quick!"

Frantic, she looked around for the closest store and was greeted by one that looked like a giant gingerbread house. Not thinking twice about it, she ran into the store. She was immediately greeted by the smell of sweets when she closed the door and froze. The table arrangements, decorations, and pastries on display brought her back home. Some of the memories were good, while one in particular made her stomach lurch. Even without looking at the pony behind the counter she knew where she was and it put her even further on edge. A shout from Tattle snapped her out of her stupor and she quickly made her way towards the Cashier's stand.

"Bathroom please," she said, frantically.

"Oh," Mrs.Cake said with a start before pointing to a door in the back corner of the room.

With a quick thanks, she ran to the indicated door, threw it open, and ran inside it. Without thinking, she jumped into a nearby stall and locked the door. Thinking fast, she lowered the toilet's seats and jumped on top of it, groceries still sitting on her back. Pinkie silently prayed that her pursuer would loose her trail, but an irritated growl from Tattle told her otherwise.

"Pinkie, I'm going to need you to listen to me," he said, tone serious. "Can you do that?"

Trembling, she nodded, eyes locked on the door in front of her.

"I'm going to need you to visualize our bedroom. Anything you can remember will work."

Nodding, she closed her eyes and thought about everything she could remember. The bed, the dresser, the aged vanity with its slightly cracked mirror, even the cold stones that made up the floor and walls.

"Do you want to go there?" he asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

She could feel his smile as he said, "Keep that want and image and open your eyes."

When she did, a strange shimmer stood in front of her. It was about the size of a small car and constantly shifted in color like oil stained water. It kind of reminded her of heat shimmers, only a lot more colorful.

"Is that-"

"No time," Tattle said quickly. "Jump through it!"

Nodding, Pinkie jumped through the Gap. A second later, her double burst through the bathroom door, eyes scanning the stalls for her prey. When she found the room empty, she let out frustrated growl and stomped out of the bathroom.

"Dang it," she growled as she angrily made her way up to her room. "I almost had her!"

She silently fumed as she pushed the door to her room open and returned to her meditation circle. Before she could get back into her trance, a deep rumble came from her stomach. A pained groan slipped past her lips as she realized her folly. While meditation did amplify the range of her Pinkie Sense, it also made it hard for her to keep track of time. As such, not eating for two days strait and running through town at top speed had taken a heavy toll on her.

"Right," she groaned, clutching her stomach. "Eat first, track later."

***

Pinkie stumbled into her temporary home through the Gab she created with the grace of a deer on ice as she tumbled onto the bed. At the same time, all of her groceries scattered through the room with just as much decorum as the mare that bought them. Groaning, she pulled herself into a sitting position as she took stock of her surroundings, the hood of her bear skin coat flopping to her back. Right before her eyes, the Gap she summoned faded out of existence and as she watched, a smile started to grow on her muzzle.

"Did I just-"

"Yep!" Tattle said, a bright smile briefly showing in her mind's eye. "You opened a Gap!"

With a smile that threatened to split her head in half, she let out a happy cheer as she jumped on her bed in joy.

"I DID IT! I DID IT! I REALLY DID IT!!!"

A loud, angry roar from her stomach made her stop and blush as Tattle let out a stream of laughter.

"Maybe we can celebrate after you eat," he said, some cheek coloring his tone.

"Right," she laughed awkwardly as she reached for the bag of apples.

As she pulled out an apple, a soft clanking from inside the bag got her attention. Curious, she looked inside and was greeted by a long bottle. Munching on the apple, she pulled out the bottle, only to earn an approving whistle from Tattle.

"Apple Family Cinnamon Apple Cider," he purred. "Now that's what I call quality."

"Is it good?" Pinkie asked, chomping down the last of her apple.

"Good? Pinkie, one bottle usually costs anywhere from fifty to a hundred bits per bottle! And that's if its not in an enchanted bottle!"

Pinkie gave the cider a once over, before frowning.

"Is it supposed to be hot?" she asked.

Tattle let out a happy cheer before saying, "An enchanted bottle! We've struck gold!"

"I'll take that as a yes," she said as she uncorked the bottle. "What do ya say? A toast?"

"To you're first Step," he said, pride heavy in his tone.

"To my first step," she smirked, then took a good swig of cider.

A satisfied sigh slipped past her lips as she came up for air and let herself flop onto the bed, careful to cap the bottle first. Licking her smiling lips, she stared up at the ceiling.

"That was nice," she sighed, eyes growing heavy.

"Could've been better," Tattle said, an image of the cat shrugging gradually becoming clearer in her mind. "We should focus more on your Walking for next time. It should make things a bit easier."

"Yeah," she laughed, eyes just a breath away from closing. "Tattle?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

With that, a soft set of snores filled the room, earning a chuckle from the dream cat.

"Anytime Pinkamena," he smirked, before severing his links to her body to join her in his world.

Scootaloo let out a yawn as sunlight streamed through her open window. Groggy, she pushed off the covers and slid out of bed. As she fell, she braced herself for the small shock of landing on her hooves. Instead, she felt like she was standing in a tub of jello. With an irate sigh, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and took note of her surroundings. Just like the three days since she and her friends were brought to Equestria, she was greeted by a sparsely decorated guest room with three small beds, a dresser, a vanity with a built in mirror, and a large window opposite the door. Granted, these were all finely crafted and of high quality, but all the absence of color aside from white drove Sweetie Belle up the walls the first day. Of course, Applebloom didn't care all that much. As long as she had a bed to sleep in and the room's restroom had running water, she could live with a boring room. Scootaloo was much the same as far as the room was concerned, but one thing she couldn't get past was one unconscious habit Sweetie's new body tended to do while she was asleep.

"Sweetie!" Scootaloo snapped as she drifted past her floating bed, body wrapped in a green glow. "Wake up!"

Said Unicorn let out an unintelligible grumble in her land-bound bed and turned away from her friend.

"SWEETIE!" Scootaloo barked, floundering helplessly as she floated aimlessly through the room.

"What's goin' on?" Applebloom mumbled groggily as she sat up in her floating bed.

"Sweetie's sleep-floating again," Scootaloo groaned as she drifted past.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she took note of the situation. Frowning, she grabbed one of her pillows and threw it at Sweetie. With a yelp, Sweetie pulled herself into a sitting position, her eyes still closed and a dim glow coming from her horn.

"Hmm?" she mumbled dumbly, "looking" around.

"Yer breakin' the laws of gravity again!" she snapped, clutching her mattress as she started to drift out of it.

Sweetie nodded, then flopped back into her bed.

"SWEETIE!!!" both fillies shouted, pelting pillows at her.

With an irate huff, she threw her covers off and got out of bed.

"Alright, alright sis," she mumbled groggily. "I'll get ready. Just give me a sec."

Eyes slightly opened, she staggered to the bathroom. At the same time, everything still caught in her magic grip was trailing behind her. With a pair of squawks, the two fillies flopped into the walls framing the door as it slammed shut. A loud series of thuds filled the room as Sweetie's magic canceled itself. Applebloom and Scootaloo groaned as they slid down the wall, all sleep effectively kicked out of them with the grace of a wild bronco.

"You think we can get her horn blocked?" Scootaloo groaned, rubbing her bruised snout.

"No Scoots," Applebloom sighed as she staggered away from the wall. "Ya'll remember what Miss Raven said, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she groaned, following her friend with just as much of a daze.

A second later, the very mare they mentioned let herself into the room.

"Fillies, it is time to-"

She paused, a tiny raise of eyebrow the only sign of emotion on the mare's blank face as she took in the state of the room.

"Sweetie Belle?"

The two nodded.

"I see," she sighed. "Well, no matter. Once you all are ready, breakfast will be waiting for you in the staff dinning hall as usual."

With a flash of her horn, all of the furniture in the room teleported back to their original positions.

"You have fifteen minutes. Do not make me wait."

And with that she turned and left, gently closing the door behind her.

Scootaloo let out a frustrated groan and stomped over to the bathroom door.

"Sweetie! Don't take all the hot water this time!" She called, pounding her hoof against the door.

"Yeah, yeah," Sweetie said with an irritated groan, the sound of the shower turning on a second later.

Rolling her eyes at her friend's antics, Applebloom moved back towards the beds to make them. A small hint of pride filled her as she gripped the fabric with her hooves. While her friends could do the same, she was much better at it and was able to figure out how to use her's first. Oddly enough, it was right after they talked with that Pegasus a couple days ago that she was able to figure out how to do so. It was also around that time that Sweetie started using magic in her sleep.

As she set the pillow in place on Scootaloo's bed, a slip of paper fell out of its pillowcase. Curious, she picked it up and investigated. The writing was scratchy and sloppy, but it was clear enough for her to decipher what was written.

Atonement is not forged by pain, but acceptance of responsibility.

No matter how bad things look I still have people that love me.

An understanding smile spread across her muzzle as she slipped the paper back into her friend's pillowcase.

"Sweetie!" Scootaloo shouted, slamming a hoof against the door. "If you don't get out in the next two minutes, I'll tell Raven you like ghost peppers in your food!"

The water stopped and after a minute of unintelligible mutterings, the door opened to reveal a very unamused towel wrapped Sweetie Belle.

"No fair," she grumbled as she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Whatever," Scootaloo sighed as she ran in and slammed the bathroom door.

"What crawled up her butt?" Sweetie grumbled as she turned towards Applebloom.

The Earth Pony filly gave her a flat stare, then said, "Probably had somethin' ta' do with her bed bein' ten feet in the air this mornin'."

A sheepish blush colored Sweetie's cheeks.

"I did it again, didn't I?"

"Eeyup," Applebloom nodded.

Sweetie stared at the ground, lips pulled into a frustrated frown.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, then glared up at her horn and added, " I wish I knew how to work this stupid thing."

Applebloom giggled at that and pulled Sweetie into one-armed hug.

"Ah think Scoots can relate."

"Huh?" Sweetie squeaked, blinking at her friend.

"Those wings aren't easy to wrangle in most of the time," she sighed, staring at the bathroom door.

"I guess," Sweetie grumbled. "You're lucky, Applebloom."

"Huh?" she asked, shifting her attention back to her moody friend.

"You don't have to worry about all this magic stuff."

She faced away from Sweetie with a frown and said," Ah wish."

"What do you mean?" Sweetie asked.

Grumbling, Applebloom let go of her friend and walked over to her bed.

"Remember that nightmare Ah had our first night here?"

Sweetie nodded, a brow raised.

With a sigh, she lifted a bit of comforter closest to her bed's headboard. The main boards holding the headboard to the wrest of the frame was covered with large cracks and splinters. Sweetie stared at the shattered piece of wood in shock, then shifted her gaze towards her grimacing friend.

"Miss Raven said Earth Pony Magic is internal," she explained with a grimace, tracing her hoof across the damaged wood. "Makes em' stronger and tougher then the other types. When Ah had that nightmare, Ah must've punched my headboard while my Magic was runnin'."

Sweetie gulped as she remembered how close her friend was just a second ago and how much potential danger she was in. Applebloom saw the fear in her eyes and let out a defeated sigh.

"It scares me Sweetie," she said, voice trembling as she stared at the floor. "Ah scare me. It's like you and Scoot's are made of glass and if Ah'm not careful Ah'll break ya'."

Tears started to slide down her cheeks as images of her friends broken bodies flashed to the front of her mind. She let out a startled gasp as she felt a pare of forelegs wrap around her. Eyes wide, she raised her head and was greeted by a sea of soaked purple and pink hair as her friend held her close.

"I-It's okay," Sweetie stammered, gently stroking Applebloom's back. "It's just one more thing we need to figure out, right?"

Sniffling, Applebloom nodded, desperately fighting the urge to hug her friend back. Slowly, the two started to center themselves, the dread in their veins fading away. All the while, a faint glow emitted from Sweetie's horn that went unnoticed to the two fillies. By the time Sweetie let go of Applebloom, the fear in the fillies hearts faded away with the faint shimmer of her horn.

"Are you going to be okay?" Sweetie asked.

"Yeah," Applebloom smiled, wiping the tears from her face. "Ah think so."

At that moment, Scootaloo let herself out of the bathroom, flooding the room with a thin layer of steam with a towel draped over her head.

"Alright Applebloom," she sighed, dropping to her haunches to towel-dry her mane. "It's all y-"

As she turned her head towards her friends, she took note of their state and a look of concern crossed her face.

"Hey, are you guys okay?' she asked, taking a few steps towards them.

"Yeah," Applebloom laughed as she stared at her friend's frazzled mane. "But Ah think Sweetie can help ya' with your hair."

"Ha ha," Scootaloo grimaced before she shook water out of her wings. "Maybe you can help me with these later."

"Deal," she smirked before closing the bathroom door.

Scootaloo stared at the door, blinked, then turned towards Sweetie Belle and said, "She knows I was kidding, right?"

"She's kind of out of it right now," Sweetie sighed as she moved towards the vanity.

"Okay, what the heck did I miss?" she frowned as she followed her friend.

"I'll tell you while I'm brushing you," she said with a strained smile.

"Deal," she grumbled as she sat in front of the vanity.

***

While not as grandiose as the Royal Dinning Room, the servants dinning hall was still a sight that stood as a testament to the staff's hard work rewarded. Instead of being dominated by one massive table, the room was filled with several evenly spaced tables arranged in neat rows of seven. Each one was covered with a white silk tablecloth with complete table settings for six. Like the rest of the castle, the room had walls and floors made of finally polished marble with silver inlay. Silver chandlers ignited by Mage Fire lit the room from top to bottom at all times, giving the staff a taste of life as a noble without the corrupting influence of decadence. The food was fantastic as well, the chefs willing to give their fellow workers their best effort so long as they did the same. As a result, what the staff would call a Cafeteria, others would call a five-star restaurant was at their disposal three times a day.

At one table towards the back of the room sat three fillies and a stone-faced Unicorn mare, a bowl of oatmeal placed in front of them. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stared at their bowls with a grimace while Applebloom was elated.

"Is there a problem?" Raven asked, slowly eating her food.

"Well," Sweetie fidgeted as she stared at the spoon sitting next to her bowl.

Raven sighed, then took Sweetie and Scootaloo's spoons in her magic grip and scooped a small portion of food up to their mouths.

"Open," she monotoned.

Blushing in embarrassment, they obeyed. All the while, Applebloom wolfed down her oatmeal with gusto.

"It has come to my attention that the three of you are having difficulty controlling your magic," Raven said, still feeding her charges. "Not too surprising, considering your circumstances. Most foals know how to work their magic once they turn five, but you three are a few years late for that. As such, you will each be taught separately by a pony of your same tribe."

Scootaloo and Sweetie almost choked at that, while Applebloom looked at her with wide-eyed fear.

"Y-Yah'll are gonna separate us?" Applebloom stammered.

"That wasn't part of the deal!" Scootaloo barked, torn between fear and anger as she stared at Raven.

Sweetie whimpered as she stared at the unfazed Unicorn.

"It will only be for two hours each day," she said flatly, ignoring the shock and daggers aimed at her. "Afterwards, the three of you will be free to spend the day as you see fit. So long as you remain in the castle grounds, at least."

They let out a relieved sigh, then Sweetie asked, "What about our walking exercises?"

"I think you understand the mechanics well enough," Raven said, taking a sip of tea. "Any further development will come naturally at this point. Though you will continue to see me to learn how to control your magic Sweetie Belle."

"Who's gonna train us?" Scootaloo asked, gesturing towards Applebloom and herself.

A faint smile graced Raven's lips that put a chill down Scootaloo's spine.

"Why, my sisters of course."

At that moment, the Dinning Hall's doors flew open and two mares walked into the room. The three fillies watched in shock as they approached, jaws hanging open in terror. One of them was an Earth Pony with a messy mane and tail and a relaxed demeanor that clashed with the irritable and rigid gate of her Pegasus companion. But it wasn't the sloppy disposition of the Earth Pony or the militaristic poise of the Pegasus that had the CMC on edge. It was the fact that they looked exactly like Raven Quill. With the exception of presentation, Cutie Mark, and tribal attribute, all three were exactly the same. Same light-gray coat. Same pitch-black mane and tail. Same blood red eyes.

"Honestly Crow," the Earth Pony huffed as they approached the table full of shocked fillies. "Did you need to be so rough."

"Pah! You're too soft Quail," the Pegasus, Crow, scoffed as they walked. "These walls can take more than a few door slams."

The Earth Pony, Quail, rolled her eyes at her companion's antics. By that point, they were standing next to the table the quartet occupied.

"Hi sis," Quail said, smiling easily.

"Big sister," Crow said with a slight bow.

"Quail Down, Crow Feathers, thank you for coming."

"Still as formal and stuffy as always," Quail chuckled, pulling her sister into a hug before taking note of the three fillies. "I take it these are the fillies you told us about?"

Raven nodded as the two mares took the unoccupied seats on either side of her. Quail Down gave the Earth Pony filly sitting across from her a soft smile while Crow Feathers scrutinized Scootaloo with the critical intensity of a hawk.

"Applebloom, this is my sister Quail Down," Raven said, gesturing to the mare to her left. "She will help you learn to control your strength." Next, she did the same with Crow Feathers. "Scootaloo, this is my other sister, Crow Feathers. She will teach you how to tame and maintain your wings."

"H-Howdy," Applebloom said, bashfully.

"H-Hey," Scootaloo said, gulping under the intensity of her teacher's gaze.

Quail chuckled, while Crow gave a cold smile.

"No need to be so nervous," Quail smiled leaning in close towards Applebloom and added, "Between you and me, you lucked out. Out of the three of us, I'm the nice one."

"O-Oh?" Applebloom said, some of her dread receding.

"Don't think that means you can push me around though," she said, a frown briefly marring her gentle features. "I'm a lot tougher than I look, okay?"

Applebloom nodded, a smile spreading across her muzzle in spite of the warning.

"So you're Scootaloo, eh?" Crow said, her hunter's smile growing slightly. "Oh I'm gonna have fun dragging you through the wringer, shrimp."

Scootaloo gulped, not liking the looks of this.

"Crow," Raven said, tone stern.

"Relax big sister," Crow sighed, smile shifting into a heavy frown. "I won't go too far with her. I'm not a monster. But I do want to make one thing clear."

As she said that, she narrowed her eyes at Scootaloo, then said, "I don't like you, shrimp. I don't like what I've heard about you and I don't like the defiant way you carry yourself. I won't put you through the same tartaurus I put the recruits through, but you better bet your flank you're gonna be sweating by the time I'm done with you. If you want that to change, you better get me to like you. Got it?"

She nodded, a large bundle of nerves settling in her stomach and a faint flicker of fire in her eyes at the challenge presented to her. Crow noticed this and a faint smile decorated her muzzle.

Let's see that fire grow shrimp.

***

Sweetie Belle sat on her haunches, eyes closed and desperately trying to empty her mind. All the while Raven slowly orbited her, impassive eyes drilling into her a little more with each pass. Her hoofsteps and Sweetie's frustrated breathing were the only breaks in the silence that dominated the very same room the three fillies used when they were learning how to walk. Now it was the two of them alone making use of it.

"Don't try so hard," Raven intoned, voice neutral as she walked. "Relax. Let your mind drift naturally until you feel the flow of your magic."

"I-I'm trying ," Sweetie stammered, eyebrows furrowing.

Raven frowned, stopping in front of the young Unicorn.

"Too hard," she sighed. "Tell me, do you not know how to stay still?"

"W-What do you mean?" she asked, still trying to "find her magic".

She let out a startled yelp as something touched her horn.

"Don't move," Raven said, a hint of tenderness in her tone.

With a nervous frown, she nodded and stayed as still as she could. Again, she felt something touch her horn, but this time she refused to move. Immediately, a gentle warmth washed over her, like a blanket just pulled out of the dryer. She smiled as she let it envelope her, flowing around her in a constant current.

"Do you feel that?" Raven asked.

"Yeah," Sweetie said. "What is that?"

"My magic," she said, a faint trace of warmth in her tone. "Right now, I am letting my magic field intermingle with your own. It should help you calm down and at the very least help you understand what you are looking for."

"O-Okay," she stammered, feeling a little of her previous anxiety returning.

"Relax," Raven whispered. "Unicorn magic is linked to the mind. If you let yourself get flustered, it will be that much harder to find it. Let your mind wander. Think of nothing in particular. Let your magic flow through you like water through a river."

Slowly, Sweetie took a deep breath, letting her stress ease out of her body as she breathed out. She did as she was told, letting her mind wander. Suddenly, she felt a faint disruption in the warmth that surrounded her. It was for but a moment, but she swore she felt a gap in the warm curtain that was Raven's magic. Curious, she tried to focus on that disruption, only to be greeted by more warmth. Slightly annoyed, she shifted back to her previous mental state. As she did, a faint color started appear in her mind's eye. She took note of it, but refused to focus on it exclusively, gradually identifying it as a deep red. She didn't know why, but a part of her knew that this was Raven's magic and welcomed its presence. It was then that she noticed a small break in the mass of magic. Again, she took note of it but didn't focus on it exclusively. To her surprise, the new color jumped to the front of her mind of its own volition, like a jealous child demanding its mother's attention. Now dwarfing Raven's magic, the magic she was "looking" at was a bright-green and moved like a wild set of rapids as opposed to the steady red stream of her teacher's magic. The magic quickly wrapped itself around Sweetie, covering her with the sensation of a crisp, spring morning breeze. The wild energy ran through her like running water, filling her with both a pleasant and eery feeling that gradually grew as she became aware of it. Soon, it became too much for her, and with a startled yelp, she opened her eyes, sweat dripping down her brow and breath coming out in ragged pants.

"Well done Sweetie Belle," Raven said, a ghost of a smile decorating her muzzle. "It seems you have found your magic."

Sweetie stared up at Raven with a look of shock and pride.

"I-I did" she said between pants.

"Indeed," she nodded. "But you are far from being able to weald it properly. For now, try to remember both the color and feel of your magic. They will be the key to helping you gain control."

"Right," Sweetie smiled. "Thanks."

Raven's face returned to its normal sense of stoicism as she said, "Do not thank me yet, filly. There is still work to be done."

"Right," she chuckled, shakily rising to her hooves.

"But for now," Raven added, her horn glowing with magic. "I feel you have earned a nap."

"And a shower," she yawned as she felt herself being lifted off of the ground.

"Indeed," she nodded.

With that, Raven lowered the drowsy filly onto her back and walked out of the practice room, a faint smile decorating her face for the tiniest of seconds.

***

A gentle breeze moved through the trees, the warmth of spring rebelling against the wrath of winter within Canterlot Garden's barrier. Quail and Applebloom sat at its heart, an ornate tea set and arrangements placed on a table between them.

"Peaceful, isn't it?" Quail smiled, adding a sugarcube to her tea.

"Uh, yeah," Applebloom said giving her teacher an awkward look. "Uh, Miss Quail Down?"

"Yes Applebloom?"

"Not that this isn't nice or anythin', but when are we gonna get to mah trainin'?"

"An excellent question," she smiled, pushing the cup of sugar cubes towards her. "Sugar cube?"

"Thanks," she nodded, plucking a single cube out of the cup and dropping it into her own.

Quail's smile grew a little at the sight.

"Would you believe me if I said you are training right now?" she asked, taking a sip from her cup.

"Huh?" Applebloom asked, head tilted in confusion. "How's us sitting around drinking tea teaching me how ta' control mah magic?"

Quail giggled, then said, "Earth Pony magic is different from Unicorn and Pegasus magic, but fairly similar at the same time. For us, our magic is mostly stored in our bones. As a result, our bodies are a lot more durable and stronger than Unicorns and Pegesi. It also grants us a wide variety of other advantages, such as having more hoof dexterity and grip. We can also affect the plants and animals around us if taught properly."

To prove her point she casually raised a hoof, only to have no less then six small birds land on it. Applebloom stared in awe at the small spectacle, only to gape as more birds gathered on the mare's head, back, and shoulders. Quail chuckled at the filly's reaction as she lowered her hoof, forcing the birds to flutter to her shoulders.

"Anyway, to answer your question, the whole point of this tea party is to help you learn fine control of your magic. To hold your cup, take a single cube of sugar, or even manipulate silverware requires a very fine level of magical control. Something that can only be perfected through practical application. Do you understand?"

Applebloom nodded, staring down at her hooves with a new found appreciation.

"Ah, think so," she blinked, eyes still trained on her hooves. "So, what you're saying is that Ah can control mah magic if Ah just use it to work with small stuff for a while?"

"Yes and no," she sighed. "But it's good to see you are on the right track. Your training will have three phases. First we'll focus on you using the lowest amount of magic possible, then your medium, and then your absolute maximum. By that point, you should be able to freely use your magic without fear of hurting others."

Applebloom beamed at that, relieved beyond words that her greatest fear could be managed.

"Thanks Miss Quail Down," she smiled, a slight quiver in her tone. "It really means a lot to me if Ah can keep mah strength under control. Ah don't know if you know this, but Ah'm kinda' a hugger so..."

"Just Quail is fine Applebloom," she said, an understanding smile decorating her lips. "And no problem. As the castle's Head Groundskeeper, I have a lot of free time on my hooves. It's nice to have somepony to spend that time with for a change."

Applebloom smiled and took a sip from her cup.

"By the way," Quail added with an impish smirk. "I'm a bit of a hugger too. And it drives my sisters absolutely batty!"

Both of them laughed at that as they enjoyed their tea, the delightful warmth of the Castle Gardens adding to the pleasant atmosphere.

***

The frigid winter wind twisted and twirled around Scootaloo as she looked down. She was at the top of the castle's highest tower, all the ponies on the ground looking like small colorful dots on a mostly white surface. She gulped, knowing full well the fate that awaited her if she fell, wings be damned at her current level.

"Hey shrimp!" Crow snapped, pulling her away from her morbid fantasies. "Unless you want to learn the sparrow way, get the buck away from there!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Scootaloo chirped, scrambling away from the drop.

Crow frowned at the little filly standing before her, eyes narrowed into a sharp glare.

"Listen carefully shrimp, cuz I hate repeating myself. Today we are gonna focus on wing control. Mostly how to get you to figure out how to open and close your wings, something big sister tells me you're having trouble with."

Scootaloo nodded, remembering all the times her wings spontaneously shoved her out of bed in the middle of the night or blasted water everywhere when she took showers.

"That's because you aren't using them," she sighed. "Shrimp, a Pegasus' wings are where most of their magic is centered. It gives us our flight, sure, but it also lets us command the skies. Unicorn magic lets them mess with the laws of nature. Earth Pony magic lets them work with nature. But Pegesi? We get to go where they can never hope to stay and work with something completely our own; the sky. That is the kind of freedom unique to our tribe that all Pegesi hold in their very soul. Even if you weren't born one, that same spirit is sitting inside you and is demanding attention."

Scootaloo gawked at her. She never thought about her wings like that. Yeah, a small part of her did like the possibility of flight, but she hadn't thought there was so much to it.

"So...how do I do that?"

Her frown softened a bit at that, then said, "First, close your eyes."

Nodding, she did as she was told.

"Now, pay close attention to the wind. Focus on how it moves over your wings, how it eases them to open like an old friend. Let the feeling grow and follow it forward."

Nodding again, she felt the wind tickling her feathers, earning a slight shiver down her spine. It wasn't from the cold, that she was able to deal with. It was from what felt like a small current of electricity coiling around her wings. Slowly, the tingle started to grow by the minute until it eventually felt like she had a pair of lightning bolts on her back. In spite of that, she felt no pain from the power she felt. It felt like she was holding something in, like a spring being fully compressed just waiting to be released. Following her instincts, she let the power loose and her wings burst open. Her eyes popped open and a startled yelp slipped past her lips at the shock of the wind hitting all of her feathers.

Crow let out a poorly smothered chuckle before resuming her aggressive demeanor.

"Good job shrimp, now take a minute and feel the wind around you."

Again, Scootaloo closed her eyes and focused on her wings. It was a surreal experience for her, feeling the wind rushing through limbs she never had before. The rustling of her feathers sent an excited shiver down her spine as images of moving through a cloudless sky entered her mind. It brought a smile to her face, something that felt so alien to her after so long. She felt a yearning, for what, she didn't know, but it drew a frustrated tear from her eyes as it grew. She felt like she was anchored to the floor, that it wasn't were she was meant to be.

"That's it," Crow said, slowly bringing Scootaloo to open her eyes and break the trance. "You felt it, didn't ya'?"

"I-I felt something," she stammered, staring at her still open wings. "What was that?"

"A Pegasus' freedom," Crow said, a wistful smile decorating her muzzle. "It's an instinct that all Pegesi have to take to the sky and the secret to controlling our magic. When we need to open our wings, we tap into that instinct to take flight. Closing them works the same way by focusing on our desire to come home and rest. Its that sense of freedom that gives Pegasus magic its strength. Something that you have at your hooftips."

Scootaloo gawked at her teacher before giving her wings another look over, a newfound appreciation for the appendages growing inside her.

"But," Crow continued, mild disgust covering her face. "Before we get to closing them, I think I should teach you how to preen your wings."

"Huh?" Scootaloo said, giving Crow a confused head tilt. "What's that?"

Crow gave her a flat stare.

"It's when you clean your wings."

"Oh, I already did that in the shower," Scootaloo smiled.

Crow blinked, then facehooved with an irritated groan.

"No wonder your feathers look like crap."

"Huh?"

"Listen shrimp," she groaned, lowering her hoof. "Preening your wings isn't like washing your mane. You need to do it right or you can really damage your feathers. You've still got baby down so it's not such a big deal, but when you get out of the shower you have to blow dry them immediately, then get them preened to keep them in good shape."

"W-Wow," Scootaloo cringed, worriedly glancing back at her wings. "I didn't know that."

"Of course you didn't," Crow sighed as she moved to Scootaloo's left side. "Big sis may be smart, but she's totally clueless when it comes to Pegasus stuff. By the way, don't let random ponies mess with your wings. I'm only doing this for ya because you don't know how, but you usually only let family or your special somepony preen you."

"How come?" she asked as Crow manipulated her feathers with her muzzle.

"Let's just say, wings are sensitive and leave it at that," she replied, plucking a broken feather from Scootaloo's wing.

Scootaloo thought about that for a moment, then a rosy-faced look of realization crossed her face.

"Oh."

"Yep," Crow said, spitting out another broken feather. "That's why social preening is seen as a sign of trust for us. Don't let others mess with them. Period. And if anypony does, let me or my sisters know right then and there. Got it?"

Scootaloo nodded, mildly distracted by the odd sensation of her first preening.

After a few minutes of observation, Scootaloo's wings were preened to Crows standards and she was told to close them. Taking her teacher's words to heart, she closed her eyes and focused on the strange tingling she felt in her wings earlier. She noticed how much easier it was to feel it, now that her wings were properly groomed as she focused on her desire to "land". Gradually, the tingle and passing wind started to fade, until she eventually felt the warmth of her closed wings at her sides. She opened her eyes and glanced at her sides to be greeted by a pair of closed wings.

"Alright shrimp," Crow barked. "Don't relax just yet. Now that you know the basics, I want ta see ya do it all on your own. By the end of the day, I want you ta to be able to control those chicken flaps like a real Pegasus. Ya' got me?"

"Yes Miss Crow Feathers."

"I can't hear you shrimp," Crow barked, glaring down at her charge.

"YES MISS CROW FEATHERS!" she cried, instinctively standing in attention.

"That's more like it!" Crow barked, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "And just Crow is fine. That Miss crap makes me sound like an old maid."

"Yes Ma'am," Scootaloo nodded, face blank.

"Was that cheek I heard shrimp?" she frowned, brow raising.

"No Crow. Sorry Crow," Scootaloo said, still standing in attention.

Crow let a genuine smirk grow on her muzzle.

"Good, now get to work."

"Yes Crow," she said with a nod.

While the filly closed her eyes and worked with her magic, Crow watched with a faint chuckle.

Here and I thought this job was gonna be a drag. Looks like things are gonna get interesting around here for a few days.

All was peaceful in the Castle of Friendship, its new house guests enjoying the gentle lull of the structure. After some of the brief traces of chaos that came up the day before during their tours, the four ponies could use some time to decompress. Spike thought about some of the stories they mentioned over dinner last night as he swept the library. Some of it was pretty funny, especially what happened to Bonbon at the Apple's, but one thing made him a little uneasy.

***

"It would've been great if I could remember how good it all tasted," Bonbon grumbled as she took a swig of her apple juice.

Everyone else laughed good naturedly at their friend's expense as they enjoyed an amazing vegetable stew Spike had cooked for them. The baby Dragon smiled at the mare's reaction to the Apple's cooking, knowing full well the level of skill most of the family had at their disposal. It was thanks to them that he knew how to make more than sandwiches and nachos, the later of which he had made for himself for dinner due to dietary requirements.

"Hey, relax Bons," Vinyl smirked from her left. "At least you didn't almost blow up a building today."

As she said that, she gave Lyra a cheeky smile, who glowered back at her.

"I. SNEEZED!!!" she barked, cheeks red with embarrassment. "How the heck was I supposed to know that I'd shoot a laser doing that!"

"You can't be serous," Octavia frowned, turning towards Twilight for confirmation.

"She's telling the truth," Twilight sighed.

Octavia's eyes widened at that.

"Well that explains the light show," Lightning said casually as she took a swig of her water. "At least my flying lessons aren't going to take a building out. Good luck with that Princess Twilight."

"Hey!" the two Unicorns and Alicorn exclaimed, earning a chorus of laughter from everyone present.

"Anyway, I met my double today," Lyra smirked, staring at Octavia.

"And?" Octavia said, tone betraying a trace of interest in spite of her stony expression.

"It was love at first sight," Lyra sighed, a goofy smile decorating her face as she stared at her food. "The second I saw her, I just had to have her!"

Octavia stared at her, a heavy silence filling the room before she broke it with a sigh.

"I will have your money ready when we get home."

"Thank you," she smirked. "But seriously, my double is a total weirdo."

"Hey pot," Lightning smirked. "Names kettle. Guess what, you're black."

"Hey, I'm not that bad," she pouted.

"You tried to purpose to Sunset's mom just because she was from a magic kingdom," Vinyl said flatly.

Twilight and Spike's jaws hit the floor at that.

"You did what?!" Twilight gawked.

"What did she say?" Spike asked.

Everyone turned towards the Dragon, all bearing a deadpan.

"What?" he shrugged. "Just curious."

"Anyway," Lyra, continued, earning everyone's attention again. "The second my double found out I was from another world, she got this really creepy smile on her face and started asking me a bunch of questions."

"What kind of questions, love?" Octavia asked, a trace of concern in her tone.

"Stuff like what I was at home and what kind of gadgets we had over there. I didn't tell her about the portal or anything like that, cuz she was seriously starting to creep me out."

"Did you tell her about us?" Lightning asked, a trace of edge in her tone.

"Nah, I kept you all out of it," she smiled. "But I think she knows about Vinyl since she was with me."

"Ah damn it," Vinyl grumbled. "I forgot about that. Great."

"That's a bit....disconcerting," Octavia frowned. "Perhaps we should stay close to the castle for the time being, just in case."

"Aw come on Tavi," Lightning groaned. "We finally get a lay of the land and you want to hide in the castle from a wild Lyra?"

"It's just as a precaution," she amended, raising a hoof in a placating manner.

"Yeah, yeah," Lightning grumbled, stuffing a spoonful of food into her muzzle.

"You didn't tell her about the castle, right?" Twilight asked.

"Nah," she smiled, shaking her head. "I told her I was sleeping at a hotel on the other side of town."

"That's good," she sighed. "I don't want to have to recalibrate the castle's defenses again so close to Hearths Warming. It's always such a huge drain on me."

***

Spike shivered at the thought of Native Lyra infiltrating the castle. While he didn't hold anything against the human obsessed Unicorn, her reputation made her something of a suspicious character in town. Fortunately, her skills with a harp caused her to take a significant number of out of town gigs. A fact that let the already chaos-prone town to take a breather from her brand of madness.

With a sigh, he shifted his attention back to his chores, taking comfort in the familiar monotony. Suddenly, a chill shot down his spine, making him drop the broom with a yelp.

"W-What the hay was that?" he stammered, picking his broom back up.

After giving the library a quick once over, he resumed his sweeping. As he did, a single yellow eye watched him through a cracked open door. Slowly, his observer moved away from and closed the door, a noise dampening spell hiding her hoofsteps from the castle's inhabitants.

***

Lightning Dust let out a groan as she dragged herself back into the waking world. While she wasn't a morning person per se, she wasn't the type to oversleep either, hating how sluggish it made her feel thoughout the day. This was compounded by how her new body operated, with her wings feeling like a pair of lead weights if they fell asleep on her. Never before had she wondered what it would be like to have her shoulder blades go numb before coming to Equestria and now she knew from first hand experience.

"Lucky me," she yawned as she stepped out of bed and made her way towards the bathroom.

As she reached for the doorknob, a strange feeling came over her. She froze, ears unconsciously swiveling as she looked around for what could've been giving her such a feeling. Suddenly, a sharp pain from her flak made her yelp, dragging her attention to it. Any swears she had died on her tongue as she stared wide-eyed at a blowdart sticking out of her right cheek. Before she could let out a cry for help, her whole body went numb and fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. As her eyes grew heavy, a mint-green Unicorn stepped into the room, a wide grin plastered across her face and a blowgun held in her magic.

As everything turned black, a single thought echoed through her head.

Aw fuck me...

***

Octavia let out a pleased hum as warm water ran through her mane and down her barrel. While being technically naked twenty-four seven was a new experience for her, it did make the necessary steps to get ready in the morning a lot shorter. Granted, working her hooves took some getting used to in addition to using a separate shampoo to clean her coat instead of a simple bar of soap. Trifling things in the grand scheme of things, but key in the ever important quest to appear presentable. After a quick lather and rinse, she reluctantly turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Navigating the hazy bathroom, she found some towels to dry herself off with. When she dried herself as throughly as she could with them, she picked up a hair dryer off of the bathroom counter and finished the job, all the while humming happily to herself. After a few minutes of that, she switched the hairdryer for a brush to tame her now windswept mane.

Curious. This world seems almost devoid of technology, yet they have devices such as hairdryers and sewing machines. Maybe magic has something to do with it.
After making sure her mane was properly brushed, she took a moment to admire herself in the mirror. While she wasn't an expert on pony appeal, she did have to admit that she looked quite fetching by her standards. While shamelessly posing, she noticed something in the corner of the room reflected in the hazy mirror. Frowning, she turned towards the object. The second she did, a towel flew into her face, flooding her senses with darkness and the strong smell of chemicals. With a panicked scream, she struggled to get the towel off of her face, but to no avail. Eventually, whatever the towel was soaked in started to take effect and her eyes started to get heavy. With a desperate groan, she fell to the floor, knocking the towel away from her face. As she started to blackout, a mint-green blob started to close in on her, a golden glow centered on what looked like a horn at its peak.

"Wh-what....?" was all she could manage before the darkness claimed her.

***

Bonbon hummed a happy tune as she stepped out of the shower, eager to get more of Spikes godly pancakes or anything else the Master Chef Dragon wanted to surprise her with. As a sweet maker herself, she admitted to being outclassed by the youngster. Granted, she mainly worked with candy, but it was still something that made her nod her head in appreciation to him as a confectioner.

If he was about seven years older and a different species, she thought ruefully as she made her bed. There's always something isn't there?

Suddenly, a light melody started to fill the room. Intrigued, she sat and listened to it, a faint smile starting to form on her muzzle. It was a soft, gentle tune that brought to mind lazy afternoons at the beach, scenic routes through forest trails on a sunny day, and other such calming images. Dimly, she became aware that she was swaying slightly to the music, all the while trying to place the instrument that was being used. It sounded so familiar, like a memory just outside her reach to recall. Slowly, her mind started to grow hazy, the music demanding more and more of her attention by the second. Soon, all she could think about was the music and how peaceful it was. Her head slowly started to droop as her eyes gradually grew too heavy to keep open. It was when she finally fell asleep that she figured out why the instrument sounded so familiar. How could she forget what her closest friend's favorite instrument sounded like after all?

***

Vinyl strolled casually down the halls towards the dinning room, an eager smirk spread across her muzzle as she closed in on her target. Countless possible delights ran through her head as she tried to guess what kind of spread awaited her.

Waffles? Bacon and eggs? No wait, ponies don't eat meat. Damn. Maybe some kind of veggie omelet? Hmmm.

It surprised her how quickly she managed to adapt to a mostly vegetarian diet since coming to Equestria. Especially when she considered how much she loved burgers back home. A part of her suspected that her new body had something to do with it. If that was true, she silently thanked the portal for letting her turn into a pony. The last thing everyone needed was a Vinyl Scratch suffering burger withdrawal.

She was so lost in her musings that she didn't notice the mint-green figure hiding in the shadows to her left until it was too late. A muffled yelp slipped past her lips as a pair of forelegs grabbed her and dragged her into the shadows, a hoof holding a foul smelling rag over her muzzle as she struggled. Slowly, the drug coating the rag started to take effect and the DJ's strength faded. When she went limp, her capturer lowered her to the ground, a manic smile decorating her muzzle as she observed her handy work.

One left, she thought, a crazed chuckle slipping past her lips.

***

Lyra smiled as she let herself into the kitchen, the sweet smells of breakfast summoning her like a siren's song. Her heart leapt with joy as she saw a plate of chocolate chip pancakes waiting for her at the table, still fresh and steaming with a tall glass of orange juice next to it. Licking her lips, she power-walked towards the table to devour her offering of fluffy paradise. Just when she was about to take a bite, she paused, noticing that something didn't seem right. It was quiet, a fact that probably didn't mean much to an outside observer, but for Lyra, it was a massive red flag. Especially when she remembered that Vinyl and Lightning were in the building. Another thing she noticed was the fact that there was only one plate set on the table.

Okay, this screams trap, she thought as she stepped away from the table.

Suddenly, the doors and windows slammed shut, making her jump into the closest thing to a defensive stance her body could manage. A split-second flash of light above her caught her attention as small silver orb fell to the floor. The second it made contact, a dense purple cloud of smoke poured out of it. In seconds, the room was flooded with the smoke, making the trapped Unicorn cough and wheeze. All the while, her vision started to blur and darken as the chemicals in the smoke started to take effect. Coughing and stumbling, she tried to move towards a nearby window only to fall over as a result. Desperately, she struggled to stay awake as she crawled towards the window, but as her limbs started to numb, she could tell it was a futile effort. As she started to black out, she saw a figure moving towards her in the mist, a golden glow surrounding them.

Really should've asked......how......to do......that.......

***

Lyra groaned, her head throbbing as she came back to the waking world. At first all she could see were a bunch of colorful blurs in dim darkness. That changed quickly when she realized she couldn't move as adrenalin obliterated the remainder of her grogginess. Panicking, her vision instantly cleared and she turned her head around to get a handle on her situation.

She was tightly tied to a chair with only her neck and head being left unrestrained. The room she was in was cold and dim with solid stone walls and a low-hanging wooden ceiling with visible beams. All of the crates on one half of the room suggested that it was some kind of storage room while the table in front of her made it clear that the room had additional uses. Hanging from the ceiling above the table was an old drawstring lamp providing the room with its only source of light. Bound to chairs in a similar manner to her, her friends were sat around the table, all of them slowly coming to as well.

"Ugh, fuck drinking," Lightning groaned, blearily blinking as she tried to wake up. "The next time someone tries to stick me with something, I'll knock their head off."

"Seconded," Vinyl groaned, red eyes visible in the absence of her shades as she grimaced. "Thought that chloroform shit only worked in movies."

"Apparently not," Octavia frowned, briefly struggling against her bindings.

"W-What's going to happen to us?"Bonbon whimpered as she frantically tried to break free from her chair.

"I-I wish I could tell ya," Lyra said, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"I can."

A cold chill shot down everyone's spine at the familiar-sounding voice. Slowly, they turned their heads towards its source and collectively gulped. Equestrian Lyra gave them all a bright smile as she stepped down the stares towards her captive guests, oblivious to the looks of sheer terror on their faces. Happily humming, she approached the table with a small gray metal box hovering behind her in her magic grip.

"You five are going to help me prove the existence of one of the greatest legends in Equestrian history," she beamed, setting the box onto the table.

"A-And how are we going to do that?" Octavia asked with a shaky smile.

"Oh, just a snip here. A sample there. No biggie."

As she said that, she opened the box and levitated out several tools. Most of them were harmless things such as petri dishes and test tubes, but when a knife and pair of scissors came into view all hell broke loose.

"I SWEAR IF YOU COME NEAR ME WITH THAT, I'LL MAKE YOU EAT IT!!!" Lightning snarled, struggling against her ropes.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!" Bonbon wailed, tears falling down her face.

"Geez, calm down," Equestrian Lyra cringed, setting the knife aside. "I'm just going to take mane and feather samples from you all. That's it!"

"And the knife?" Octavia said evenly, keeping her fear well hidden from their capturer.

"I need to take hoof and horn shaving samples from my double to compare them to mine."

This made the Terran Lyra flinch, an action that didn't go unnoticed by the Unicorn.

"Don't worry," she said, leveling an understanding smile as she approached her. "It won't hurt. It's like picking off an old scab."

As the Unicorn closed in on her, knife and petri dish held afloat in her magic, Lyra tried to tap into her own magic as a means to escape. Her heart sank as she realized she couldn't feel her magic at all. Equestrian Lyra frowned, slowly setting the knife to her double's horn.

"Don't strain yourself," she said, gently scraping the blade against the captive Unicorn's horn and collecting the resulting dust into the dish. "You don't want to force your way past a horn suppressor."

Helpless, she stopped trying to use her magic and just went with what was happening as her double took the knife to her hooves.

"There," she smiled, sealing the samples and storing them in the metal box. "Was that so hard?"

Lyra glared daggers at her Equestrian double.

"Well," she gulped. "Moving on."

As she said that she levitated five small containers onto the table and switched the knife for a pair of scissors. With laser precision and speed, she snipped a half-inch piece of everyponie's mane and levitated them into their own containers. Lightning let out a yelp as one of her feathers was plucked and levitated into another container.

"And now that that's all taken care of," she smiled as she lowered all of her samples and tools back into the metal box and levitated it to a far corner of the room. "Let's get to the interview!"

"Interview?" Vinyl asked, her and everyone else a great deal calmer now that the tools were gone.

"Yep!" Equestrian Lyra smirked.

"Okay?" Octavia said, raising a brow. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, where's your ship?" she asked.

The group blinked, not sure they heard her properly.

"Our what?" Lightning asked.

"Your spaceship," Equestrian Lyra said, and eager smile growing on her muzzle.

"We don't have one," Vinyl said flatly. "What do you think we are, aliens?"

"It was one theory," she shrugged.

That earned an amused snort out of Lyra.

"Well then," Equestrian Lyra smirked. "How did you all get here."

A moment of silence passed as the captured ponies tried to think of something to say.

"Princess Twilight summoned us," Octavia said calmly.

Equestrian Lyra raised a brow at that, then put a hoof to her chin and hummed in thought.

"So a summoning ritual. That makes some sense actually. If that's the case then more study would be required for my theory to hold any water."

She stared at Octavia and asked, " Is that why you all look like ponies?"

"Yes," she said flatly, holding a perfect pokerface. "It was so we wouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves. A futile attempt it would seem."

"Ah, makes sense," she nodded. "Humans would naturally stand out like a sore hoof here."

"Hey, I've got a question," Vinyl growled.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you just ask us this stuff yesterday? Why kidnap us like this?"

A manic grin started to grow on her face as she said, "Are you serious? If I started to interview you then and there, Princess Twilight would've tried to confiscate any findings I made. After so many years of painstaking research, I finally found flesh and blood evidence of one of Equestria's greatest legends! There is no way I was going to let an opportunity like that pass me by!"

"And the rope?" Lightning asked flatly.

"A safety precaution," she said, casually waving a hoof at her. "Can't be too careful considering all the legends about your kind."

Suddenly, Equestrian Lyra's eyes widened as she realized she missed something.

"Aw how stupid of me," she groaned, face-hoofing.

"Um....what?" Bonbon sniffled, earning a flinch from both Lyras.

"I, uh, missed a human," she said, face a strange mix of guilty and crazed. "I heard some ponies talking about two Fluttershys walking around yesterday."

Everyone's eyes widened at that as the native Lyra quickly made her way towards the stares.

"I'll be right back," she called as she ran up the stares and slammed the door shut behind her.

The five Terrans stared at each other in shock, not sure what to make of their situation.

"So, what do we do now?" Lightning asked, leveling a glare at Lyra.

"Charades?" Lyra offered weakly.

"You smell that?" Vinyl asked, crinkling her snout as a sharp stink filled the room.

"Indeed," Octavia scowled, looking around. "What is that?"

"W-Well," Bonbon frowned, fidgeting in her seat. "She pulled out a knife."

Everyone stared at her in confusion before a steady dripping caught their attention. A dripping that seemed to be coming from Bonbon's chair.

"Oh," Octavia said, awkwardly.

"When this all over, I'm gonna punch her," Bonbon muttered, cheeks burning.

"I do believe there is going to be a line," Octavia frowned.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

***

Equestrian Fluttershy hummed a happy tune as she worked in the kitchen, all of the windows covered to give the house a dark and gloomy feel. In spite of that, the yellow Pegasus was on cloud nine as she made enough oatmeal for two. A glance at the two bowls she had setup in advance brought a happy squee out of her at what they meant as she worked. A brief flash of light in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Curious, she turned towards the light. A second later, a black bag was forced over her head from behind. Panicking, she flailed blindly behind her with her hooves, screaming in terror. Grimacing, Equestrian Lyra pulled a bottle out of a pair of sattle bags on her barrel with her magic.

Just a couple drops and nighty-night, she thought, struggling to pull the cork out of the bottle with her magic while holding her target.

"Excuse me," a soft, calm voice said from the darkest corner of the kitchen. "But what do you think you're doing?"

Both ponies froze, a great relief settling in the yellow Pegasus while cold dread filled her attacker. All the warmth in the room seemed to drain away as Equestrian Lyra turned her head towards the voice. A pair of glowing red eyes greeted her from the void, freezing her to her soul in the face of their barely contained rage.The Unicorn struggled to find her voice as the demon took slow, deliberate steps towards her. Her heart pounded in her chest as the gap between her and those eyes grew thinner by the second. Pure terror flooded her as Fluttershy stepped out of the shadows into the dim light of the kitchen, a deep scowl defacing her normally sweet face.

"Well?" she said through clenched teeth, a glint coming off her fangs. "What. Do. You. Think. You. Are. Doing?"

***

"I spy with my little eye something....brown," Lyra said dully.

"Wood?" Lightning groaned.

"Yep. Your turn."

Lightning groaned as she let her head fall limp into her chest.

"I must admit," Octavia sighed. "Never before had I considered boredom to be an effective form of torture."

A deep snore filled the room as Vinyl's head shifted position.

"She really can sleep anywhere, can't she?" Bonbon frowned.

"Yep," Lightning grimaced.

Yet another moment of silence befell the group as they struggled to find a way to kill time.

"Hey," Lightning smirked. "Do you think she "walked in" on them?"

"Really Lightning?" Bonbon sighed.

"Hey, if what Octavia said is true, those two are absolutely nuts about each other."

All conscious party members turned towards the pony in question, who nodded in the affirmative.

"And she didn't come back to the castle last night," Lightning smirked impishly.

"A blessing considering the circumstances," Octavia grumbled.

"So, do you think other me is dead yet?" Lyra said flatly.

Everyone looked at her in shock at that, each receiving a blank look.

"She used Spike's cooking as bait. She gets no mercy from me."

"Oooooohhhhhhh," everyone chorused, nodding in understanding.

"Pancakes!" Vinyl snorted, waking with a start, only to frown as she took in her surroundings.

"How long was I out?" she yawned.

"About ten minutes I think," Bonbon said with a trace of uncertainty.

"Really?" Vinyl asked, raising a brow. "One, what the hell is taking her so long? And two, how do you know?"

"Don't know about one, but I've spent this whole time counting from about half an hour after she left to now."

"That bored, huh?" she smirked.

"Says the girl who fell asleep," Bonbon said evenly.

"Touche," Vinyl laughed.

Suddenly, the basement door slammed open and the sound of multiple hoofsteps could be heard coming down the stares. In addition to a shellshocked Lyra, Equestrian Bonbon and both Fluttershys ran down the stares to the bound mares.

"I am so sorry about all this," Equestrian Bonbon said, a look of mortification decorating her face as she untied her counterpart. "She's never done this sort of thing before. I swear she isn't like this normally."

"Good to know," she said, letting out a relieved sigh as she slid off of the chair. "Thanks by the way."

Once everyone was free, a loud cacophony of groans and snaps filed the room as stiff joints and muscles were stretched. After all that was out of the way, they collectively turned towards their jailor, ready to enact their own brand of justice. An urge that died almost immediately when they saw the state of the mare. She sat, almost lifelessly while staring at a wall and strumming a small harp.

"Uh, is she going to be okay?" Lyra asked, concerned for her double in spite of recent events.

"I hope so," Fluttershy frowned, her red eyes showing a trace of guilt as she stared at the mare.

"Damn Flutters," Lightning whistled, eyeing the other Lyra with concern. "What did you do to her?"

"Let's just say," she growled. "We had a little "chat" about sneaking up on people."

"O-Oh," Lightning gulped. "Well, looks like she got the message."

"A little too well," Fluttershy sighed, turning towards her Equestrian counterpart, shame heavy in her features.

Said Pegasus noticed and gave her an understanding smile, which eased her pain a little as she turned back to her friends. "I think she'll be okay once she gets over the shock."

"I hope so," Lyra said, giving her double a sad smile. "All things considered, she seems like a pretty cool pony."

At that moment, now no longer restrained by a suppressor, a tiny glimmer of magic formed around her horn and a faint image flashed into her minds eye. A forest almost choked by thick muddy swampland infested with large insectoid creatures and slimes. She blinked and stared at her double and sighed, the onset of a migraine making itself apparent.

Looks like things are gonna get complicated.

A great tragedy was afoot. Something so horrible that the laws of nature should never let it come to pass. Doomsday prophecies were written by seers from the darkest times of Equestrian history foreseeing this point of oblivion. The foulest beasts in Tartarus trembled in fear as they sensed the passing of the moment they all dreaded.

Discord was bored.

For most, such a mundane aspect of reality wasn't anything quite so dramatic. Most didn't have to resist the urge to rearrange the laws of reality on a daily basis. Though "resist" wasn't quite the right word to describe Discord's control of his magic. It was more like setting a few easily followable and direct rules to not break under any circumstances so long as they didn't go against his nature. The biggest one being "Not Doing Anything Permanent to Anypony", but another was "Don't Break a Promise."

As a result, The Lord of Chaos was trapped in Princess Celestia's throne listening to a noble attempt to test his patience for the hundredth time that day. After what he did to Lord Redblood the day before, Celestia made him promise not to do anything like that again, though it did bring a smile to his face when he thought about how hesitant she was about it. Admittedly, there were a few nobles he liked, even among the nonchaotic herds. Fancy Pants was pleasant and Blueblood was charming when you got to know him. The latter of which being a massive contrast to his insufferably self-entitled father.

While the no-name noble prattled on endlessly about property taxes and how they should be exempted for X reason, the Dreconequis briefly considered telling him to stuff his upper horn into his lower one and grabbing a tall glass of hard chocolate tar. The memory of a destroyed Celestia laying in bed made him rethink his decision, or at least decide against neutering the moron talking to him with his own horn.

"Lord Hedge Line," Discord said, tone neutral. "I will not exempt you from paying your property taxes on the grounds of "family contributions"."

"However," he added, a cruel smile forming on his lips. "I can raise them on the grounds of attempted abuse of political standing."

The stallion's face paled at that.

"Th-That won't be necessary," he stammered, slowly backing away towards the Throne Room doors.

"Are you sure?" he asked, false concern bleeding out of his tone and expression. "I would hate for you to leave empty hoofed. There's nothing worse than wasted time after all".

Hedge LIne gulped, then bolted through the open doors. Discord blinked, then turned towards one of the guards standing next to the throne.

"Was it something I said?"

The guard shook his head, though Discord noticed the quickly killed start of a smile on the stallion's muzzle. He shrugged, then leaned back into his temporary throne. All the while, he was laughing his head off on the inside at his latest bit of handy work. True, it was the pettiest form of chaos one could craft, but considering what he had to work with it was a breath of fresh air and the only thing keeping him from snapping.

Not helping matters was how hectic things had been lately. Oh how he wished he could be a fly on the wall when sweet Luna struggled to get Derpy to sit still. It was always a scream to see the lunar Alicorn get frazzled over little things. Of course, nothing compared to seeing her older sibling internally staggered while getting Sunset ready for the date yesterday. But even that was nothing compared to what was happening in Ponyville. More specifically, what was happening with his dear friend Fluttershy. Never in a million years did he think she would fall for another version of herself, and so hard! One semi-date and the Thestral was camping in the shy mare's guest room for the night and most of yesterday! If it wasn't for that delightful Unicorn, the two could've had a nice breakfast together and filled the world with enough cuteness to drown the world in adorabeities. Although, seeing just how far Terran Fluttershy was willing to go to protect her mare was truly a sight to behold. Those red eyes still gave him goosebumps in the most literal of ways as he was scared into the form of said water fowl when he watched yesterdays events before bed that night. Even watching the fillies learn how to use their magic had been an interesting affair.

While he wasn't fond of them for what they did, he was happy to see them making the best of their situation. The whole point of their punishment wasn't to make them miserable, at least not entirely. Discord knew how cruel Terra could be and what repetitive darkness can do to somepony. Celestia was aware of it as well, a fact that lead to the current fate of the three. They needed safety, but also structure. The last thing they needed was for the girls to think this was some sort of vacation. As a result, they became Raven's problem to deal with due to her no nonsense attitude and infinite patience. Her sisters were a similar kind of animal, though were known for taking different approaches. Most notable being Crow's tough love approach to training the castle guards. If they weren't tough enough to pin a manticore with their bare hooves by the end of training, they got the ax. When a trainee called her out on how impossible such a feet was, she arranged for a wild manticore to be brought to the castle training grounds for her to fight, just to prove a point. Nopony ever challenged her standards of expectation ever again after that. They say she still has that manticore's pelt as a throw-rug in her living room till this day.

And to think, that wasn't even the hard part of their punishment! They still had to survive Princess Twilight's classes! The second Sunset and her friends headed home, those three fillies were going to be drowning in books and paper. Discord cringed as he imagined the unfortunate fate of the three Terrans, but a small part of him wanted to see how Princess Twilight would handle the situation. After all, these were the three responsible for almost killing one of her friends.

Before he could fall deeper into his musings, a loud cacophony of shouts could be heard from outside the throne room doors. He raised a brow as they burst open and a parade of Unicorns dressed in identical black suits marched into the room in two rows. In perfect synch, they sidestepped away from each other and turned facing their neighbor. On cue, a mare walked through the gap between the two rows. She wore a shining silver dress that perfectly complimented her golden coat and silver mane. Her orange eyes locked with the Chaos Lord's as she smugly shortened the distance between them, the former sporting a proud smile while the latter held his disgust behind a strait pokerface.

Great, somepony with a bigger ego than Rainbow Dash, he thought bitterly. Let's see what stupid request she has.

"Good morning, Lord Discord," she said with a bow.

"The same to you ma'am," he said, a trace of surprise creeping into him from the mare's display of respect. "Please, state your name and what brings you to court today."

"Very well," she smiled. "I am Lady Gold Vine of the honorable Vine Family. Today, I stand before you with the humble request that a great wrong be corrected."

"I see," Discord frowned, already disliking where this was heading. "And what is this wrong you speak of?"

Gold Vine's smile turned almost venomous as she began to plead her case.

"Last night, a Pegasus and her date disrespected my family and all who have served us for countless generations by invading our territory. In addition, she refused to apologize for said insults and acted in a manor most unbecoming of somepony of her class. I request that the Pegasus in question be punished in a manor most suitable of her crimes against my family and I."

"I see," he frowned, raising a brow. "And what kind of punishment did you have in mind?"

"Oh Lord Discord," she daintily laughed. "Surly a strong and magnificent being such as yourself can guess just what I mean."

Unfortunately, he thought spitefully.

"Humor me," he said behind a fake smile.

"But of course," she said with a slight bow. "But could you impart some privacy for us? These are some rather delicate matters, and I would hate for some loose lips to hear us."

As she said that, she gestured to the two guards near Discord's borrowed throne.

At first, he considered refusing her request and telling her to leave, but the mare's words made him hesitate. Clearly Gold Vine was in the top tier of the nobel hierarchy, a fact that made what the mare was most likely proposing more than a little disconcerting. The mare reminded him of a viper, pleasing to the eye by some degrees, but lethal if provoked. A comparison that gave him a wide internal smile. After all, who was better at kicking vipers then him. Especially when those fangs hit their owner's tail.

"Very well," he smirked.

With a snap, the guards were gone and the throne room doors shut.

"Now," he said, leaning forward in his seat, cruel grin ever present. "What is it that you want?"

Gold vine smiled confidently, orange eyes locked with the red and yellow orbs before her.

"As I am sure you are aware," she started, venomous smile still present on her muzzle. "The Vine Family has been the Crown's greatest asset in making problems, shall we say, disappear since before the mistake known as the Unification of the Tribes. We still are, I am happy to admit, but our current statue of government has made such practices rather, difficult to preform without consequence. As such, I request that you give me permission to carry out the justice my bloodline deserves without the wrath of the misguided masses descending upon us should we be discovered."

"I see," he said, smile hiding his disgust for the mare. "And what do I have to gain from this? You are basically asking me to let you get away with murder after all."

"Whatever you like," she shrugged. "I have more than enough bits to get you whatever you could want. A private island to do with as you see fit. A manor of your own with the prettiest maids money can buy willing to do whatever you wish. I could even be your personal lover if you wish. I guarantee that you wouldn't be disappointed."

"I see," he smirked, internally gagging at that last proposal.

I would rather do it with an active volcano with my powers sealed away then do you lady.

"I'm afraid I will have to think about that for a bit," he said, trying to decide just how he was going to deal with her.

"I understand," she said, again bowing slightly at him. "Perhaps, I could help you in exchange?"

"How so?" he asked, genuinely curious where she was going with this.

"Well, as I have stated, my family's skills are matched by none and while it would be a tall order, well, Alicorns are not completely immortal after all. A well placed blade can do to them what time cannot."

An inferno raged through Discord at what Gold Vine was suggesting as he stared her down. He wanted to turn her into a bug and stomp her into the dirt. He wanted to throw her into the Everfree and see how she held up against the unforgiving beasts that dwelled within. He wanted to give her to the Dragon Lord as a tasty treat to roast on an open flame. He wanted to completely destroy her. It was then that an idea hatched in his mind. A horrible, awful, cruel, and all so magnificently delicious idea.

"As tempting as that may be," he said, his smile no longer fake or forced. "I'm afraid I will have to decline, but your proposition certainly has my attention."

Gold vine's smile widened slightly, sure that she had successfully appealed to the former villain's true interests.

"But while I mull over my prize, I think I'll leave you and your family a sign of good faith."

With that, he snapped his fingers and seventeen bags appeared in front of each of Gold Vine's stallions and the mare herself. Curious, she peeked inside, a wide smile growing on her face as she took in what sat before her.

"I wasn't sure what you all specialized in," Discord said, waving a hand casually in the air. "So I gave you all a little of everything."

"My, my," Gold Vine purred. "How generous of you My Lord. Am I right to assume that these are not just ordinary tools?"

"But of course," he laughed. "Each and every one of them are enchanted to do exactly what their owners want them to do. I never give less then the best kind of presents my dear."

Grinning like a demon, Gold Vine sealed her bag and held it up to her side with her magic. Her serfs did the same as their mistress let out a girlish giggle that put a chill down their spines.

"Thank you Lord Discord, may the rest of your day go as gracefully as mine."

"Ta ta Lady Gold Vine," he smirked, watching her step towards the slowly opening throne room doors. "May you get exactly what you so rightly deserve."

Once the last of Gold Vine's entourage was out of sight, Discord let out a chuckle that could only be described as evil as he rose out of the throne. At the same time, a copy of himself melted out of him, assuming the same pose and expression he had just before standing up.

"Time to make some truly delightful chaos," he said, turning towards his seated duplicate. "Cover for me."

The double nodded, his wicked smile a perfect match of the original Chaos Lord before him. With a snap of his fingers, the original Discord disappeared and the previously missing guards winked back into existence, dazed looks decorating their faces.

"Wh-What happened?" one asked, clutching his head while he waited for the room to stop spinning.

"Oh nothing much," the Discord clone said, nonchalantly admiring the talons on his Griffin arm. "Just business as usual."

***

Sunset and Derpy smiled, walking close together as they navigated the busy streets of Canterlot. Each of them had a pair of saddle bags strapped to their barrels loaded with a few basic necessities such as maps and bit bags as they began the most difficult mission one can hope to complete this time of year; gift shopping.

"So we need to get something for the girls," Sunset hummed, looking at her map as they walked. "Any ideas what we can get them?"

Derpy thought for a minute, then said," Lyra, Vinyl, and Octavia should be easy enough. Just get them something music related and they should be happy enough. I don't know if we can get anything Lightning and Bonbon would like here though."

"Yeah," Sunset sighed, remembering what Bonbon told her about her thoughts on unnecessary clutter. "Though I guess Fluttershy should be easy enough to shop for."

"They sell Twilight clothes in Equestria?" Derpy asked with an impish smile.

"No," she laughed. "But I think their's a dress inspired by her."

"The vampire or the Princess?"

"Yes," she said flatly.

"Huh?"

"They both sparkle don't they?" Sunset shrugged, turning back to her map.

Derpy burst out laughing at that.

"Anyway," she said, glancing at Sunset's map once she regained control of herself. "I think anything running related will work for Lightning."

"She did switch over to the track team a couple weeks ago," Sunset agreed, scanning her map for anything that could be useful. "Hey! There's a store selling Wonder Bolt merchandise!"

"Our soccer team's in Equestria?" Derpy asked, frowning at the map.

"Same name, different thing," Sunset shrugged. "The Wonder Bolts in this world are a team of paramilitary Pegesi separate from the Royal Guard made up of the best flyers in Equestria. Most Pegesi consider joining the Bolts the biggest honor you can get."

"So its like the Air Force, Olympics, and Special Forces all in one?"

"Pretty much," Sunset smiled. "Though most of the time they just do air shows and charity events these days."

"Ah," she nodded. "Guess that explains how they got a fan base going."

"It's also the best place to get anything speed related that Lightning can take with her through the portal," Sunset nodded as she folded up the map and placed it in her bags.

"Well then, onward!" Derpy smiled, pointing forward like a General commanding a battalion. "To riches and glory!"

Sunset laughed and after taking note of their current location, guided her mostly-marefriend towards the store in question. All the while, a nagging question sat in the back of her mind as they made their way through the crowded streets.

But what do I get her?

A question that both mares mulled over as they continued their quest.

At the same time, Princess Celestia tailed them about ten feet behind them, again donning her usual disguise with the addition of a pair of sunglasses and a gray snow cloak. Hovering next to her was a large soda that she had purchased from the small diner Sunset and Derpy stopped at for a quick lunch earlier. As she walked, she took the occasional sip as she pretended to look around to make herself less obvious.

"Really Celly? That old disguise?"

Celestia flinched at the familiar voice behind her, quickly turning around. Standing behind her was a light-brown Unicorn stallion with a messy and short gray mane and tail. His red eyes with yellow sclera locked with her hidden violet ones, impish glee meeting shock.

"Discord?" she asked, leaning towards him.

"The one and only," he smirked. "Mostly."

She took a quick look around, then leaned in close and whispered, "What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be dealing with Day Court!"

"Don't worry," he said, knowing smile ever present as he booped her nose. "I know a guy."

Blinking, she reeled back in confusion at his comment then leveled a harsh frown.

"Please tell me you didn't turn somepony into something."

"What?" he scoffed. "Please Celly, you know I don't do repeat performances."

A deep scowl grew on his face as he added, "Though I did have to deal with an especially foul creature today."

"Really?" she asked, unnerved by her company's dark shift in demeanor. "Who?"

"Tell me," he said, jaw tightening. "Do you know somepony named Gold Vine."

Celestia barely noticed the way Discord spat out the name as a deep frown of her own graced her muzzle.

"Unfortunately," she nodded.

Quickly, he explained what had happened earlier that morning and what had lead to him being where he was. The look of pure rage coming off of Celestia made a Dragon passing a kidney stone look like mating season in a harem chamber as her eyes drilled into him.

"You made a deal with the one mare that wants to kill my daughter's suitor?" she hissed, her drink vaporizing in her magic grip as the cup itself slowly imploded on itself.

"Wait," he said, ignoring his companion's ire. "Derpy was the one who shoved a stick up her plot?"

She nodded, leveling a harsh glare at him.

"Oh this is just too perfect!" he gleefully exclaimed, smile threatening to literally split his head in half.

Celestia gawked at him, but before she could tear into him, Discord leaned in and whispered into her ear. As she listened, her rage slowly started to dim. Instead, a vicious grin started to grow on her muzzle as The Lord of Chaos told her his plan.

"Discord," she said, her smile still present as he pulled his head back. "That is the most horrible, devious, and all around evil thing I have ever heard. Care for some company?"

"Why Celly," Discord said with a false gasp that shifted back into a wide grin. "I thought you would never ask."

With that, the two of them navigated through the busy streets, Discord easily zeroing in on Sunset and Derpy's location as they walked. As they stood outside a store selling Wonder Bolt paraphernalia Discord nudged his now partner in crime then pointed to a couple of suited Unicorn stallions standing near the store's entrence. On reflex, she motioned to walk towards them, only to stop when Discord placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Watch," he said, summoning a bucket of popcorn and offering her some.

Grimacing, she stayed put and took a hoofful the offered snack. As the young couple stepped out of the store, the two stallions closed in on them from behind. With a faint glow from their horns, they each levitated a knife out of their inner suit pockets. Just when they looked like they were going to strike, a small smile grew on the blades and large flowerpots fell onto the two assassins from above. Sunset and Derpy walked on, oblivious to the two groaning stallions behind them as they went about their merry way. Celestia smiled as she followed her daughter through the streets, Discord not far behind her.

***

Celestia could barely breathe through her laughter as yet another pair of assassins fell to seemingly random unfortunate circumstances. Throughout the day, would-be assassins were taken down by things that only karma's cruelest sense of humor could concoct. Nothing fatal, but more than enough to incapacitate them while Sunset and Derpy shopped. The best incident was when an assassin tried to sneak up on Derpy with some piano wire, only to fall through a damaged manhole cover at the last second. Discord was more willing to agree with her if it wasn't for that one assassin that made the mistake of standing near a loaded port-a-potty when he tried to through a knife at the couple. Discord had to place themselves into a separate plane of existence to hide their laughter as they fell to the floor at that.

"Th-This is the most I've laughed in centuries!" she gasped between breaths as they followed her daughter through the busy streets. "Oh, Maker that was great!"

"Tell me about it," Discord grinned as they phased through a few ponies. "I doubt that one stallion's ever going to look at chocolate the same way again."

Celestia burst into another fit of laughter at that, leaning into the other disguised immortal for support.

"I-Indeed," she chuckled, barely regaining her composure. "Quite a shame."

They watched as the two stepped into a jewelry store, curious as to what fate the would-be killers would fall to in such an environment. As they waited, they watched Sunset and Derpy separate to explore the store's wears more throughly. She couldn't help but move closer to her daughter, practically hovering over her shoulder as she perused the aisles of horn rings and necklaces. Discord did the same with Derpy, more to give the Alicorn her moment then out of genuine interest. That changed when her saw how intently the Pegasus examined the store's merchandise. His nosey intrigue wouldn't let him leave as he followed her through the store, wondering what would perk her interest. In synch, unbeknownst to the other, the two ponies found something that not only satisfied their hunt, but brought an elated smile to their stalker's faces. As the two ponies covertly made their purchases, Celestia and Discord scrambled out, both eager to tell the other the good news.

"You're not going to believe this!" they both exclaimed in perfect unison as they faced each other.

"You first," she said, shaking with glee.

Grinning like a fool, he told her what he saw. Celestia giggled like a schoolfilly as she relayed what she had seen. They shared a warm smile as they watched the pair step out of the store, smiles that turned into side-tearing laughter that shattered their disguises as an assassin met an unfortunate end as he tried to through a knife at them. Neither of them questioned why a Pegasus was delivering a barrel of wet cement that day, but mentally thanked them all the same.

***

Gold Vine was fuming as she stared at her servants. All sixteen of them were in severe states of disrepair, with countless stains and rips covering their suits along with the many injuries that speckled their bodies. All of them trembled slightly in her presence as she looked at them over the hard oak desk that dominated her circular study. Framed pictures of past Heads of House glared down at the defeated assassins along with various weapons and tools from their mounts on the walls, some decorative and others not so much. A wide, rectangular window stood in the wall behind Gold Vine's desk, filling the otherwise dark room with the dim lights of the city and Luna's moon. The image gave the impression of a judge preparing to deliver an incontestable verdict as she glared at the stallions, two bottles visible on the desk before her in the dim light.

"It was a simple job," she said, tone icy in spite of her building fury. "Find the target. Kill said target. Leave as little evidence as possible. Simple."

A few of the stallions gulped as their Mistress rose to her hooves from behind her desk.

"How can you fail so miserably at something so simple!" she barked, making the group flinch. "You are the best of the best! The most skilled killers from all across Equestria! Not even the Royal Guard can match you in the killing arts! So how! Could! You! All! FAIL?!"

None of them had the nerve to explain themselves, knowing full well the kind of consequences that giving her an unwanted answer would earn. The silence spurred the mare's temper further, her orange eyes drilling into the scared stallions with the growing intensity of a furious viper. Each flinched as she locked eyes with each of them one by one with her venomous glare.

"Get out of my sight," she hissed, rage barely contained as she used her magic to open the door out of her study. "Before I do to you all what you failed to do to that cloud trotter!"

Not needing any more of an excuse, they ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them. Gold Vine stared at the closed door for a long moment. Then, with a ferrel snarl, she paced in front of the window, her magic grabbing one of the bottles on her desk.

How? she thought fiercely as she thought about how each of her serfs had failed in their mission.

No pony had actively tried to stop them. It was as if the world itself wanted to keep that filthy Pegasus alive and was more then willing to crush all that tried to change that. It infuriated her like nothing ever had any right to as she unscrewed the cap of the bottle in her grip.

My servants are skilled assassins, further improved by my family's teachings. They shouldn't have had failed such a simple task, yet they preformed with the humiliating grace of amateurs.

"Perhaps," she smirked, her rage slowly shifting into excitement as she brought her drink to her lips. "It true what they say about if one wanted things done right."

With that, she took a swig of her drink and flinched. Instead of the bitter burn of brandy, she was greeted by the blank flavorless taste of water. Confused, she looked at the bottles label, eyes widening as she started to loose feeling in her limbs. As she fell to the floor, the bottle of paralyzing agent fell out of her magic's grip. As she silently cursed all of creation for her moment of stupidity, she failed to notice the small smile on the bottle's label before it quickly vanished.

Fluttershy let out a happy hum, nuzzling into the softest pillows in both worlds as the scent of wildflowers saturated her senses. It was everywhere. The covers wrapped around her, the mattress beneath her, the actual pillow under her head, and especially the bright yellow Pegasus held tightly in her forelegs. Her cheeks burned as she watched her double sleep, her long mane making a truly wild bed-head that made her heart flutter. Slowly, she unfolded one of her wings and draped it over her bedmate's barrel like a second blanket, the thick membrane lightly tickled by the Pegasus' soft feathers. Everything about Equestrian Fluttershy was soft, delicate like the wings of a butterfly, and just as beautiful. A fact that filled her with joy as well as shame when she considered what she herself was like.

Her eyes were harsh like a wild wolf and could strike pure fear into anyone unfortunate enough to see them. Her body wasn't soft. Instead, it was taut with thin, but very dense muscle that her thicker coat hid behind the illusion of fluff. And then their were her fangs, permanent weapons that could rip right through flesh as easily as a flaming knife through butter. Even if she wasn't a monster by her friend's standards, she knew from all her time studying animals what she was built to be. She was a hunter, a predator, a creature born with the need to kill to survive like a wolf or a bear. The thought of killing an animal to feed scared her and made her feel sick to her stomach, but she knew that it would come soon. Even vegetarians needed some kind of protein in their diet to function.

What will she think about me when that happens? she thought, gently brushing some of her double's mane out of her face. Will she abandon me? Will she be scared of me? No. No! I don't want that!

Small tears fell from the corners of her eyes as images of her double staring at her in terror before running away screaming entered her mind. She could almost taste the blood and viscera from her imagined kill, making her stomach twist both in disgust and shame. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she laid her head back down onto the pillow, resting her forehead against her double's as memories of the night before came to her, lulling her into a moment of blissful pain.

***

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked over her salad.

Equestrian Fluttershy nodded, eyes locked onto her own dinner as a faint blush colored her cheeks.

"A-After this morning, I don't know if I can get to sleep by myself. And, well, we've slept next to each other before so..."

Equestrian Fluttershy's face turned redder than the tomatoes in her salad as she tried to find the nerve to continue. Her Thestral double wasn't any better, countless dirty thoughts running through her mind based on the possibilities presented. She mentally slapped herself as she locked eyes with the fidgeting Pegasus sitting across from her. She sported a blush that matched her host as she nodded in the affirmative.

"I don't mind," she smiled as she picked up her fork and speared a bundle of lettuce on her plate.

"R-Really?" Equestrian Fluttershy squeaked, eyes and smile wide.

She nodded, placing her forkful of food into her mouth.

"Th-Thank you," she mumbled, staring at her half-finished salad with a deep blush.

Fluttershy let out a small giggle through her mouthful at her double's antics. For the hundredth time, she fought the urge to fly over the dinning room table and snuggle the little Pegasus. It wasn't fair! Being that cute had to be against some sort of cosmic law!

As she swallowed her food, she flinched as a very slight pain filled her mouth. Using her tongue, she traced the sore area and mentally groaned. One of things she had to get used to when it came to her fangs was how they would occasionally poke her lower jaw if she bit down too hard. It wasn't unbearably painful, no more irritating than biting your tongue or cheek by mistake, but it was still annoying.

"Maybe," Equestrian Fluttershy whispered, pulling her attention away from her sore gums. "I can give you a massage before bed. To say thank you, I mean."

"Yes please," she smiled, powering through a flinch as her fangs jabbed into her lower gums again.

As soon as they finished their food, they practically ran up the stairs to get to the main bedroom. After an amazing message session, Fluttershy laid bonelessly on the bed as her double turned off the lights then pulled the covers over both of them. It was silent for a long time as the two ponies laid beside each other, one barely awake while the other sported a heavy blush. Nervously gnawing on her lower lip, Equestrian Fluttershy turned towards her panting double, not sure what she was going to do next. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about that for long, as the barely conscious Thestral pulled her into an gentle embrace, eliciting a small squeak from the shocked Pegasus. Slowly, she melded into the embrace as all the tension left her body as her world was dominated by the familiar scent of fog and pine while her bedmate happily drowned in wildflowers.

***

A soft smile decorated her muzzle as she stared at her sleeping bedmate's face. She wondered how something so perfect could stand to be near her. Her eyes trailed down her face to the graceful curve of her neck to the soft roundness of her shoulder. As she did, a gentle heat grew within her, starting at her chest and spreading towards her mouth. Her vision started to become hazy as the heat spread to her face, her jaw going slack as her breath came out in slow pants. A dull tingle surrounded her fangs as the heat slowly consumed her mind, her eyes lingering on the sleeping Pegasus' shoulder as her mouth opened a little further. Memories of what Equestrian Lyra tried to do the day before briefly flashed into the forefront of her mind, and a strong feeling that she couldn't identify came over her. She wanted to protect the mare in front of her. She wanted to be accepted by the mare, to be by her side always. But above all else, she wanted her double all to herself.

An alien instinct held her tightly as she moved her open mouth towards the sleeping Pegasus' exposed shoulder, her fangs glinting in the fragments of morning light that managed to slip past the curtains. A portion of her mind not in a warm fog knew that this was bad, that what she was doing wasn't normal, but that was blocked out by the instinct that had command of her senses. Just as her jaws hovered over their target, Equestrian Fluttershy moved, tapping her shoulder against the side of the Thestral's right fang. The shock of having such a sensitive part of her body struck knocked her out of her trance. A tall wave of guilt washed over her as she carefully pulled herself back from the Pegasus, eyes wide and on the verge of tears.

"W-What was that?" she muttered, stumbling out of the bed to put as much space between her and her double as possible. "Why was I-? What's wrong with me?!"

Tears fell as she registered what she was going to do, what she still wanted to do as she stared at her Equestrian doppelgänger. Slowly, the little Pegasus started to stir, eyes fluttering open slowly. Terrified, she forced herself to move as quickly and quietly into the bathroom connected to the master bedroom as she could. As she hid, she tried to make sense of the situation, but try as she might, she couldn't find an adequate explanation. One minute she was admiring her crush, the next, she was about to sink her fangs into her shoulder.

Is this a Thestral thing? she thought, panicking as she paced the bathroom. Are they cannibals?

A startled eep slipped past her lips as a soft knock came from the door.

"Fluttershy? Are you okay?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, grogginess present even while muffled by the door.

"Y-Yeah," she stammered, a slight hiss in her tone. "B-But I think it's going to be a while before I come out. Go ahead and have breakfast without me."

"Okay," she said, concern heavy in her tone.

Seconds later, she heard the soft clip-clop of her host's hoofsteps as she exited the room. Sighing, she decided to take advantage of her situation while she tried to figure out what she was going to do and grabbed the toothbrush she bought on the way back from the native Lyra's house yesterday. After she got the dental implement ready, she looked in the mirror and opened her mouth. What she saw made her drop her toothbrush in shock.

"D-Did they get bigger?" she gaped, staring at her now two inch long fangs.

***

If there were any bearable perks to Twilight's ascension, it was that it made the sight of an Alicorn less of a novelty in some places. Cadence smiled widely as she stepped out of the train onto the busy platform, taking a deep breath of the rural winter air as she walked. Not waisting any time, her horn gave off a discrete glow as she cast the right Tracking Spell for her personal mission. A light giggle made its way past her lips as she walked, letting the spell guide her towards the pony that needed her help. From what she could gather, the pony in question was massively crushing on somepony, but was equally indecisive in how to go about acting on their feelings. Using a scrying mirror, she found that the pony's crush felt the same way and was weakened by the same indecision. Cadence couldn't bear to watch such a thing go on. Without a second thought, she told Shining what she was doing, then teleported to the station closest to Ponyville that her magic would allow. As such, she was high on bits, but low on magic as she strolled through the snow-soaked streets of Ponyville's market district.

It seems like the pony's crush is nearby, she thought, scanning her surroundings. But who is it?

As casually as she could manage, she strolled towards the weaker pull her magic used to guide her. All the while, she scanned the crowd for any ponies showing the signs of being linked to the pony in question. A soft smile graced her muzzle as she saw what she was looking for. About ten feet away from her was a familiar bright yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane and tail. Unknown to her and the ponies surrounding her, a faint cornflower aura surrounded her. The same glow that would mark whoever her potential special somepony was to Cadence thanks to her spell. As she approached her, her smile shrunk as she took in the mare's condition.

Her gate was tense as she frantically looked through the crowd, eyes searching for something specific among the booths.

"Please," she muttered as Cadence closed in on her from behind. "Please tell me somepony has it."

"Has what?" she asked, now a foot away from her.

With a startled yelp, Equestrian Fluttershy spun to face the pony behind her.

"Oh, hi Princess Cadence," she said with a relieved sigh. "What brings you to Ponyville?"

"Hi Fluttershy," she chuckled, then with a faint smile added, "Nothing much. Just a bit of personal business."

"Oh, okay," she smiled, eyes quickly shifting between the Alicorn before her and the booths behind her. "Well, I don't want to hold you up."

As she said that, she gave the Princess a small bow and started to walk away.

"Actually," Cadence smiled, taking point at the Pegasus' left as she walked. "I was wondering something?"

"Yes?" she asked, dividing her focus between the Princess and the stalls.

"Has anything interesting happened to you recently?"

"Not really," she said, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"Are you sure?" she asked, a knowing smile growing on her face. "Maybe somepony interesting?"

Equestrian Fluttershy's face turned beet red, eyes now deliberately trying to look at anything other then the grinning Alicorn beside her.

"M-Maybe," she stammered.

Cadence smiled in victory, knowing how hard it was to get the shy Pegasus to admit certain things through her nerves. In a lot of ways, it made her worry about Fluttershy in regards to social circles, especially when it came to the pink Princess' domain. She had seen more than her fair share of wallflowers fall into lonely pits because of their fear and insecurities. Naturally, she tried to help them whenever she could, but sometimes it was too late. Despair and loneliness could push ponies to do some very dark things sometimes. Things even a Princess can't change.

"That's great," she cheered. "Need any pointers?"

"U-Um well," Equestrian Fluttershy stammered, momentarily staggered by the offer as she looked at Cadence. "I-If it isn't too much trouble."

"Nonsense," she said, waving off the mare's concerns with hoof. "So, are they nearby?" she asked, looking around.

"No," she sighed with a worried frown, again staring at the different stalls. "She's at my house right now."

"I see," Cadence frowned. "Any reason?"

"She can't handle bright lights and wasn't feeling well, so I came out here to get her something to help."

"Is she okay?" she asked, concerned.

Equestrian Fluttershy nodded, then said, "She was stuck in the bathroom all morning. I think she might've eaten something funny, so I was going to make her some Eel Liver Soup to help, but no pony seems to be selling any eel liver."

Cadence cringed at that.

While great at fixing stomach issues, Eel Liver Soup was not exactly renown for its taste. At best, it was compared to eating moldy carrots and at worst, it usually tasted the same coming back up as it did going down. Only heavily pregnant mares, Griffins, and Thestrals could stomach the brew enough to actually benefit from its effects.

"I guess it's out of season," she said, scanning the stalls. "Maybe I can help. I know a few healing spells and I was heading out that way anyways."

Equestrian Fluttershy beamed at that.

"Would you really? Thank you Princess!"

"No problem," she laughed. "And just Cadence is fine."

***

Fluttershy anxiously paced the living room, harsh pants rolling out of her muzzle. She didn't know what was happening to her. Since the incident in the bedroom, her mind continued to shift in and out of that warm haze that threatened to devour her mind. At the same time, she was flooded with energy that she didn't know what to do with. It was like she drank six espressos and a can of Red Bull as she frantically paced. The tingling around her lengthened fangs reminded her of what happened the last time the haze overwhelmed her as she tried to figure out what to do to protect her double.

It's too much, she thought, falling to the floor and curling into herself. I-I want to bite her. Why do I want to bite her?!

The haze started to cloud her mind again as she laid, her breathing hitching as she fought. With a growl, she brought her hoof to her mouth and bit down. A sharp pain shot through her, snapping her out of whatever spell had a hold of her. With her head mostly clear, she grinned in victory then pulled the limb out of her mouth. The pain from her fangs coming out of her flesh made her grimace, but she powered through it.

"N-Never," she panted, staggering to her hooves. "I'll never hurt her."

The haze started to come back as she limped her way towards the downstairs bathroom. She grimaced as the coppery taste of her own blood hit her tongue while she walked, the flavor making her physically sick. Her limp faded as the strange tingle that coated her fangs moved to her foreleg, slowly numbing the pain. Wanting back control, she raised the same limb to her mouth and bit into it again. The haze faded enough for her to know she was headed in the right direction as she staggered forward as quickly as she could. She hadn't even taken three steps before she had to turn her fangs onto herself again. By the time she made it to the bathroom, her right foreleg was covered with puncture wounds, the blood leaving a crimson trail from the living room to her current location. The taste of blood was heavy in her mouth, leaving her on the verge of dry heaving as she stared at herself in the mirror.

Her eyes were unfocused and looked feral to her. Her mane and coat were wilder then they normally were. And her fangs, fully visible in her panting maw and covered with a thin layer of blood. What she saw scared her, but also fascinated her at the same time. So much so that she barely noticed the sound of the front door opening or the sound of hooves on hardwood.

"Fluttershy?!" Equestrian Fluttershy screamed, following the red trail to the bathroom.

When she got there, a look of pure terror formed on her face. The Thestral in the bathroom gave her a similar look, only more drunkenly as she scrambled back.

"St-Stay back," she panted, fear lacing her tone as the smell of wildflowers choked her with her guilt. "I-I don't want to hurt you."

"Fluttershy?" Cadence asked as she came into view. "Is she okay?"

Before the Pegasus could respond, a fierce growl filled the room.

"Stay away from her!" Fluttershy snarled, her previously fearful poise replaced by tense aggression.

The small Thestral's eyes seemed to glow with fury as they locked with the shocked Princess'. Her still bloodied fangs glinted wickedly in the dim room like a pair of polished daggers as she slowly crept closer like a wolf ready to pounce.

"F-Fluttershy," her double said, fear and confusion covering her face as she tried to get the Thestral's attention. "C-Calm down pl-"

Before she could finish, Fluttershy's wings burst open and with a high pitched roar, flew over her scared host towards Cadence. Thinking fast, the Alicorn caught her attacker in her magic just as she was about to bring her fangs to her throat. Fluttershy thrashed wildly in Cadence's grip, desperate to tear into her. All the while The Princess of Love struggled to keep the flying mass of hooves and fangs restrained long enough cast her second spell.

"You can't have her!" Fluttershy snarled. "She's my everything! I won't let you take her!"

"I won't," she grunted, finally gathering enough of her magic for her next move. "But you need to calm down for a hot second."

As she said that, a light-blue heart drifted out of her horn and slammed into her attacker's chest. Suddenly, all the fury seemed to fade out of the captured Thestral as she stayed suspended in Cadence's magic. A sigh slipped past her lips as she went limp, relief taking the place of rage.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, red eyes heavy with guilt and fatigue as she stared at Cadence. "I don't know what came over me. Somethings wrong with me and I have no idea what it is!"

"I think I do," Cadence said, muzzle decorated by an understanding smile.

With that, she walked into the living room, one Fluttershy still held in her magic while the other followed on hoof. Once she took a seat on the sofa, she lowered her captive onto the sofa across from her and cancelled her Levitation Spell. The native Fluttershy quickly took a seat beside her double, placing a supportive hoof on top of her's.

"Okay," Cadence sighed. "From what Fluttershy told me, you come from another world, right?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Then I suppose it's safe to assume that you aren't usually a Thestral."

Again, she nodded in the affirmative.

"Well then," she sighed. "That explains everything."

"Huh?" both Fluttershys said in unison.

"You see," she smiled. "Thestral Magic is a bit more primal than Pegesi, Earth, and Unicorn Magic. It's largely focused on instinct and has a habit of manifesting violently if it's unnaturally restrained. This can lead to a Thestral mentally regressing to a wild animal until the problem is fixed or their magic is drained."

"Is that what you did to me?" Fluttershy asked.

She shook her head.

"All I did was reduce your anger and fear. If you keep suppressing your magic, you'll go back to the way you were in a few hours."

Fluttershy stared at Cadence, tears starting to build in the corners of her eyes. She remembered the fear in her double's eyes, the pain in her foreleg, and the rage that filled the world with red.

"I-I don't want that," she stammered, trembling.

"Is their something you can do?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, desperation heavy in her eyes.

"Actually, there is a way to fix this," she smiled.

"What?" they both said, again in unison.

"You see," she chuckled. "Thestrals have a custom called a Marking Ceremony. It's what they do when they find their special someponies."

"Okay?" Fluttershy said cautiously. "How does it work?"

"Well," she smiled. First, the Thestral gathers their magic into their fangs, holds their partner close, then injects some of it into them."

"They bite them!?" Fluttershy gasped.

She nodded.

"While they have a lot in common with Pegesi, the main focus for Thestral Magic is their fangs. Through them, they can paralyze threats as well as heal wounds by injecting magic into others. And since teeth are linked to a pony's skeletal structure, their magic also strengthens them in a way similar to Earth Pony Magic."

" But that's not really important here," she shrugged. "What is is that you're refusing to Mark Fluttershy. Why?"

Fluttershy gaped at Cadence for a moment, then said, "I don't want to hurt her! I thought something was trying to make me eat her or something!"

Cadence gave her and understanding nod then said, "I see. And now?"

"I-," she paused, then turned towards her double, a nervous gulp almost choking her when she met the Pegasus' gaze. "O-Only if she's okay with it," she said evenly, still locking eyes with her double. "I want to, but I don't want to hurt her."

A heavy silence filled the room as The Princess of Love and a nervous Thestral waited for the native Fluttershy to give her answer. Then, with a soft smile, she wrapped the scared Terran in her forelegs and in a voice just above a whisper said two words

"Do it."

Her shock didn't last long, as the smell of wildflowers summoned the mind numbing haze that plagued her the whole day. But this time was different. As she let the fog take hold of her a part of her seemed to guide the magic to her fangs in a more focused and steady stream. Then, with a faint hiss, she sank her fangs into her double's shoulder. A soft squeak was the only noise she made as the fangs penetrated her skin, but other then a slight pinch, she didn't feel any pain. What she felt was a gentle warmth fill her veins as she held her double closer. Fluttershy continued to let her magic control her, letting her instincts guide her actions. Soon, the small torrent of magic that had gushed from her fangs trickled down and she gently pulled herself free. Quickly, her fangs shrank back to their original length, and with a dizzy sigh, she slumped bonelessly into her double's forelegs. Lightheaded herself, Equestrian Fluttershy held her as gently as she could as she struggled to ignore the incredible warmth running through her.

"Are you okay?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, stroking her double between her wings.

"I......I think so," she slurred, eyes unfocused and weary. "Just need to sit for a little while."

Cadence watched the whole exchange with a teary smile. This wasn't the first Marking Ceremony she had helped along, but it was the most beautiful one she had seen in a long time. So much so, that she refused to ruin the moment, even as one of the Fluttershy's Cutie Marks appeared next to two rapidly healing puncture marks on her shoulder. Nothing was more beautiful then blossoming love.

Octavia laughed daintily, cup of tea gripped firmly in her hoof as Rarity dropped another cube of sugar into her own. The boutique was otherwise silent as the two mares enjoyed each other's company, a rare moment for the Fashionista this time of year. Something Octavia appreciated greatly after yesterday's insanity, though it did give her an interesting story to tell.

"I hope the poor thing can bounce back from that," Octavia sighed.

"As do I darling," Rarity said, cringing slightly at her own memory of crossing the soft-spoken Thestral. "Your friend can be quite terrifying when she wants to be."

Octavia nodded, briefly shuddering as she remembered her own momentary graze with her friend's glare.

"Fortunately, she tries to keep that temper of her's under control, love."

Rarity nodded, then took a sip of her drink before adding with an impish smile, "So long as nopony tries to hurt her marefriend, that is."

"May god have mercy on their soul," she giggled. "Personally, I think Lyra got off rather easy all things considered."

"Quite," Rarity sighed. "That mare needs to learn the meaning of the word restraint. I mean really, ponynapping somepony to interview them? Has the art of tact truly died?"

"Many, unfortunately, have opted to forgo such concepts I am sad to say."

"So it would seem," she frowned, raising the teapot to pour herself a fresh cup.

To her chagrin, only a few drops came out of the pot's spout.

"Oh dear," she grumbled, rising out of her seat with the teapot still held in her magic's grip. "Please excuse me darling. I shan't be gone more than a moment."

Octavia nodded as her host left to make a new pot.

While she did that, Octavia took a moment to enjoy the familiar atmosphere of the boutique. Even though it was a different version, it brought bittersweet memories of the time she spent with her world's Rarity. Time spent talking over tea, discussing crushes, enjoying music, and being a shoulder to cry on when the time was right. While they didn't spend as much time together as they did with their usual group of friends, they were still very close to each other. But that changed when Annon-a-Miss entered the scene. The second she heard what Sunset's former friends did, a deep gash had run through her bond with the Seamstress. In time, it turned into anger as she decided to sever such a tie. Did she hate the girl? No. Hate was too strong a feeling to give to a social puppet like her. Maybe things will change in the future and they could become friends again, but now? No. Not for a very long time.

The sound of the store's front door opening broke her out of her musings as the clopping of hooves followed. Seeing that Rarity hadn't returned yet, Octavia decided to see if she could keep the possible customer entertained until that changed. Stepping out of the residential section of the boutique's first floor into the showroom, she flashed her nicest smile as she approached the pony.

"Greetings welcome to th-"

She paused as she stared at the pony that stood before her.

"Well" Equestrian Octavia said, face only showing a trace of shock as she looked her counterpart over. "I can't say I was expecting this."

"Quite," Octavia said, her face a perfect mirror of her doppelgänger.

The two stared at each other in awkward silence for a moment, neither sure how to proceed. Then, the native Earth Pony let out a sigh and turned around.

"Very well," she grumbled. "Unzip me."

"Pardon?" Octavia asked, taking a startled step back.

"Well, we can't both wear the same thing in Ponyville," Equestrian Octavia said, looking over her shoulder with a small, mischievous smirk. "That would be most uncouth."

"I see," she said, again mirroring her double's expression. "Quite right, love."

They stayed like that for a few seconds before a fit of giggles broke them out of what little tension remained in the moment.

"So," Equestrian Octavia smiled, once again in control of her poise as she turned to face her double fully. "Are you the result of a spell or a Changeling perhaps?"

"I do not know what a Changeling is, but does a portal to another world count as a spell?" she said, tone measured

"So a letter C then," she nodded.

"As in "Other", correct?"

Equestrian Octavia nodded.

"You know love, you are taking this rather well," Octavia said, cocking a brow.

"Dear, this is Ponyville," she said flatly. "While I don't know how your world works, for me, this is just another Tuesday afternoon."

"I see," she smiled. "Care for some tea?"

"I think I can spare a bit of time."

***

It was a beautiful winter day that day. Snow bunnies were hopping. Snow was glistening. On a day like this, a Pegasus like Lightning Dust....should be falling from the sky.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" was all Lightning could manage as she plummeted like a lead weight into the soft snow-covered field below.

A yell that turned into a muffled groan when she made contact, doing a perfect impression of an ostrich in the snow. Rainbow slowly drifted to the ground, face twisted into a deep grimace as she touched down.

"See? I told you you weren't ready yet."

A loud series of grunts could be heard through the snow that sounded dangerously close to expletives as Lightning struggled to free herself.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed as she pulled her head out of the snow. "I thought I had it!"

Rainbow sighed, then sat down next to the fuming Pegasus.

"Lightning, you only just figured out how to use your wings. It's way too soon for you to try flying."

"I know," she groaned, then pointed at her head and added, "I know that up here anyway, but I can't help it! I've always wanted to fly!"

With a frustrated huff, she slammed a hoof into the snow in front of her.

"Always..."

The field fell into a gentle silence as the two Pegasi sat, one lost in thought while the other brooded. Slowly, a smile started to form on Rainbow's face as an idea took shape. While she wasn't as much of a bookworm as Twilight, Rainbow knew enough math to understand the finer points of flight. She had to for most of her more dangerous stunts prior to joining the Wonder Bolt Reserves. As such, her mind ran through the numbers almost as fast as her wing speed as she ran her plan through countless theories. And her excitement spiked further at what each result presented to her.

"Alright," Rainbow beamed, jumping to her hooves. "I know what to do."

"What?" Lightning grumbled.

"Well, from what I can tell you've got more than enough magic to get in the air. You just need to learn how to use your wings."

"Okay?" Lightning said, raising a brow as she stood up to face her friend/teacher. "So how do I do that? Just practice moving them around?"

"Yes and no," Rainbow smirked. "You need to learn how to use them on the move. Otherwise you'll just crash all over the place."

"Yeah, that would be bad," Lightning cringed, briefly glancing at the snow crater a few feet away."So how do we work on that?"

Rainbow leaned towards Lightning and with a challenging smirk said, "A simple game of tag."

"Huh?" Lightning blinked.

"Yep," Rainbow nodded, taking five steps back from Lightning. "For the next two hours, you and I are gonna play tag. Whoever's it when times up loses and has to pay for lunch."

"That's it?" Lightning smirked. "Sounds easy enough."

"Yeah," she said, then donned a wicked smile as she added, "But you have to do it with your wings open."

"Huh?" Lightning asked, head tilted in confusion.

"Trust me," she smirked.

"Okay?"

With that, she spread her wings and took the closest thing she could to a running stance that her body could manage.

"Alright," Rainbow smirked, crouching low in preparation. "Ready?"

She nodded, eyes narrowed in challenge.

"Set-go!"

In a blink, the native Pegasus appeared in front of her and tapped a hoof against Lightning's shoulder.

"Tag! You're it!"

Lightning flinched, then took a swipe at Rainbow with a forehoof only to hit empty air as the mare moved just out of reach. Making sure to keep her wings open, she lunged at the native Pegasus only to come up short yet again as she sidestepped past her at the last second. A frustrated growl slipped past her lips as she ran after her grinning teacher, the mare easily ducking and dodging past all of her attempts to tag her. As her frustration grew she became faintly aware of how much drag her wings were giving her. The way her feathers were grabbing the air made it feel like she was running through tar.

Damn it! she thought bitterly as she missed Rainbow for the fiftieth time. I need to be faster then this! God damn wings! If they weren't dragging me back so much I'd have her by now! I need to MOVE!!!

As if answering her silent demand, her wings angled themselves in a way that took away most of their drag, giving her a sudden burst of speed that neither mare was ready for. Rainbow barely managed to get out of the way while Lightning tore past her like a speeding missile into a nearby tree.

"Ow~," she groaned as she staggered to her hooves away from the tree. "What the hell happened?"

"You flattened out your wings," Rainbow said, a proud smirk on her face. "When you fly, that's how you accelerate. When you try to slow down, you fan your wings out towards your front for drag. Do you get it?"

Once Lightning managed to blink past the stars in her vision, she took note of what her teacher said and slowly started to figure out what she was getting at. Basically, she was playing tag with her breaks on and only just shifted gears into drive. Thinking about it that way, she felt like an idiot for not figuring out what the problem was in the first place.

"Yeah," she smirked turning towards her teacher and reopened her wings, this time making a conscious effort to open them flat. "Now let's have some real fun."

"Bring it," Rainbow smirked, crouching low.

The two stared each other down for a moment then, Lightning let out a battle cry as she charged towards Rainbow at a speed that dwarfed her first few charges. At the last second, Rainbow sidestepped her and again Lightning found herself colliding with a tree. A low groan was all she had time to make before a large conglomerate of snow fell out of the tree on top of her.

"Should probably wait until you learn how to turn before you decide to blitz me," she smirked.

"Aw shut up," she groaned as she struggled to pull herself out of the snow.

As Rainbow waited for Lightning to get out of her prison her thoughts drifted to a certain dark-orange Pegasus filly and what her new idea could mean for her. An exited smile bloomed on her face at the implications.

***

Bonbon walked through the streets with a faint smile as she went about her business, saddle bags bulging with the various ingredients needed for her personal project at the castle. Needless to say, when she saw the gold coins Princess Twilight gave her on the way out her jaw nearly broke the planet's crust. It was one thing to be told that a world used gold as freely as paper bills, but something else entirely to have it as a reality. A small part of her considered taking a few coins back with her when the trip was over. Not a lot of them, just a small handful to squirrel away for emergencies. At the present though, she was more than happy to spend the coins on what she had planned.

"Um, excuse me?" an eerily familiar voice said as somepony tapped her shoulder.

She turned and wasn't entirely surprised to see her own face staring back at her. It did put a slight chill down her spine though.

"Yeah?" she said, guarded as she walked. "Can I help you?"

Equestrian Bonbon gulped, then nervously said, "I, uh, just wanted to say, s-sorry about what happened yesterday. I swear, my marefriend's not usually like that. I don't know what got into her and none of you deserved what happened to you. I'm really really sorry!"

Bonbon stared at her double for a few seconds, then sighed.

"Okay, I forgive you," she smiled. "Both of you. My Lyra can do some crazy stuff sometimes too, so I can kind've relate. Besides, I think Fluttershy made her think twice about pulling a stunt like that again."

Equestrian Bonbon nodded, a worried frown decorating her muzzle.

"Yeah. I hope your marefriend is doing better then mine right now."

Bonbon blinked at that, then said, "My ma- oh! No-no-no! We aren't like that. We're just really good friends."

"Oh!" Equestrian Bonbon said, an embarrassed blush coloring her cheeks. "Sorry, I just assumed..."

"No problem," she smiled, waving it away with a hoof, then gave her a concerned frown as she asked, "What's wrong with your Lyra?"

Equestrian Bonbon sighed then looked at the ground.

"She had nightmares last night. Every hour she'd wake up screaming, crying about eyes in the darkness and sharp fangs. I don't blame her for what she did, but its hard to see her like that, you know?"

A frown grew on her face as a memory she tried to forget jumped to the front of her mind. An empty house. A dark bedroom. A dead-eyed mint-green teen sitting in a corner of the room.

"Yeah, I get where you're coming from."

"She'll bounce back from this," the native Bonbon said, a hint more confidence in her tone as she locked eyes with her double. "I'll make sure of that."

"Damn strait," Bonbon cheered, giving her double a playful hip-check."That's what we're for, right?"

She nodded, a bright smile on her muzzle that slowly turned into a curious frown when she saw the saddle bags.

"What's all that for?"

"Oh, nothing much" Bonbon shrugged. "Just things I need for some sweets I plan to make while I'm here."

"Want some help?" she asked eagerly.

"Do you make candy?"

"Last time I checked," she smirked, jerking her head towards her flank.

"Then sure," Bonbon laughed. "Why not? You know what they say after all."

"What?" She asked.

"Two bons are better than one."

Both burst into a fit of giggles at the play on words as they strolled through town, a new friendship taking root in the most unusual pair.

***

It was quiet in the castle's library, the crystal walls catching the rays of the early afternoon sun as it filled the room with a gentle light. Three ponies were at its center, two of which sat on their haunches in deep meditation while one stood before them. Twilight could see that the two mares before her had quite a lot of magic within them as she observed their flowing magical auras. For most Unicorns their magic moved like a colorful river, often taking certain attributes of their wielder's personalities into their structure. A pony with a short fuse could have a magic aura that resembled wild rapids with jagged stones while a more patient one would resemble a still stream. Vinyl and Lyra differed from this description. Vinyl's magic aura resembled a series of pulsing rings, each expanding and retracting in rhythmic beats like a heart. Lyra's magic aura was especially strange, resembling a golden spiderweb that refused to move in any way whatsoever. Something about it made the young Alicorn raise a brow. Aside from its bizarre structure, it felt like it was incomplete in some way, like something was restraining it for some reason.

Curious, she reached out with her magic and to her surprise, it accepted her. Slowly, she followed the flow of magic like the trail of a great maze until she came to heart of the web. A bright flash filled the room and she was quickly overwhelmed by a sense of vertigo. Slowly, she blinked the stars out of her eyes as her surroundings became more pronounced. She stood outside, the land's features seemingly divided perfectly down the middle. Long open plains dominated her left while rotting swamps festered at her right. In the distance, she could see a castle standing directly on the border. Curious, she moved towards the castle, all the while taking note of strange armored figures that seemed to rise out of the ground. At her left, tall humanoids materialized out of the tall grass covered head to toe in glistening white armor, some armed with shields and swords and others with just a sword. At her right stood beings dressed in jagged black armor, menacing ornate swords and halberts clutched tightly in their hands designed to bring as much pain as possible with each strike. In time, she made it to the castle's gates and was greeted by a being that filled her with equal parts awe and fear. The gates to the castle was guarded by a towering human woman, easily ten feet past Twilight's horn in hight. She wore a flowing robe that was pitch-black on the right and porcelain-white on the left. Her hair was long and as gold as the sun on the left side of her face while it was the color of volcanic ash on the right. Her skin looked like it was made of glistening metal, a fact that made her blue left eye and her red right one all the more eery as they bore into the stunned Alicorn. Six wings opened from the figure's back in response to Twilight's presence, a display of power and warning in equal measure as the sun bounced off of their shining white feathers on the left while the right ones seemed to devour it like a ravenous beast.

"Who are you young one?" the figure demanded, her voice holding the force of thunder.

"I am Twilight Sparkle," she said, tone even and respectful. "And you are?"

The angel stared down at the Princess, her face unreadable.

"I have no name. I am only a guardian."

"I see," she frowned. "Then is it okay if I call you that?"

"If you must," Guardian said. "Now state your business. What could bring a being such as yourself to the heart of my mistress' magic?"

"I want to help her learn to control it," Twilight said evenly.

"I see," Guardian said, a faint grimace marring her features. "From what I know, that should be a simple task for you."

"In theory," she sighed. "But for some reason, Lyra's magic aura is paralyzed. It's like she's personally fragmenting her magic and I don't know what to do to fix that."

Guardian nodded, then let out a sad sigh as she said, "My mistress is ashamed of a part of herself. Ashamed, and stubbornly refuses to access her fullest potential."

"What do you mean?"

With another sigh Guardian stared out into the murky gloom of the swamps.

"I cannot say. All I can do is ask you to help her."

"How?"

Guardian stared down at the worried Alicorn and with a sad smile said, "Ask her about the knights in the swamp and what they mean to her."

Confused, Twilight nodded.

With that, a bright light filled Twilight's vision and another wave of vertigo washed over her. Just before the light became to much for her to handle, a figure peaked out from behind Guardian's foot. A figure with two-toned gray hair and mint green skin. With a groan, she opened her eyes to find herself back in her library with her guests looking at her with worried looks on their faces.

"Hey, are you alright?" Vinyl asked, rising to her hooves.

"Y-Yeah," Twilight said, rubbing the left side of her head. "Just a little dizzy, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Lyra asked.

She nodded, then said, "I'll be fine after a few minutes. In the mean time, let's take a quick break."

"If you say so," Vinyl said, doubt coloring her tone.

A deep gurgle filled the room, reminding everyone present what time it was.

"But if we're taking a break, I guess I can nab a few things from the kitchen for everyone,"Vinyl said, laughing sheepishly.

"Sounds good to me," Lyra grinned. "Want some help?"

"Actually," Twilight said, cutting off Vinyl before she had a chance to reply. "I need to ask Lyra a few things first. Is that okay?"

"Uh, sure?" Lyra said with a hint of unease.

"Alright then," Vinyl said, a trace of concern in her tone as she walked towards the library doors. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Thanks," they said together as the DJ left the room.

A heavy silence filled the room as the two Unicorns stared at each other, one not sure how to go about asking her question while the other worried about what was on the Princess' mind. Eventually, Twilight decided the direct approach was the best one in this case.

"What do knights in a swamp mean to you?"

Lyra's eyes widened at that, then turned somber as she stared at the ground.

"Where'd you hear about that?"

Twilight gave a brief description of Guardian and what she saw when she linked with Lyra's magic aura. A rueful smile spread across her muzzle as she continued to stare down at the ground.

"I guess that makes some sense," she said as she locked eyes with the Princess. "You probably never heard of a game called Magic The Gathering, have you?"

She shook her head.

For a few minutes, she gave the Princess a brief summery of how her favorite game operated. Not a detailed description, but enough to give her the basic idea.

"When I first started playing, I wasn't the nicest person," she explained, eyes becoming distant as her mind wandered to what felt like a lifetime ago. "Back then, I didn't have any friends. I don't think I really wanted any at the time either. All I cared about was winning. No fun. No friendship. Just victory. As a result, I gravitated to black magic more then the other colors. I don't know what it was, but that color just worked best with me, especially the knights. I crushed anyone I played against, but I didn't really see them as people. Just someone I had to take down to move forward in a tournament. The only person I couldn't beat was my Grandma."

A sad smile graced her muzzle as she remembered her Grandmother, a bittersweet topic she hadn't focused on in a long time.

"She used white," she continued. "And she sure as hell knew how to use it. No matter what I did, I could never land a single point of damage on her. I remember asking her one day 'why she was so strong'? You know what she told me?"

Twilight shook her head.

"She was having fun," she chuckled. "She told me, if I wanted to be strong, I had to have fun with it whenever I could. I thought she was full of it at the time, but...... that changed after she passed."

Twilight gasped, hooves flying to her mouth as she saw a few tears form in the corners of Lyra's eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered.

"I-It's okay," Lyra chuckled thickly, wiping the budding tears out of her eyes.

"Anyway," she continued. "After the funeral, I was a mess. Everything just felt so pointless. Except for my games. They let me escape reality for a bit, but they didn't do much for me after a while. Even Magic became just another empty part of my life. Then I found Grandma's cards, and things started to look up for me. I don't know what it was, but when I held her cards, it felt like she was with me. Like she was watching me through our greatest past time. So, with her deck at hand, I jumped into a tournament for the first time in months. I got completely destroyed, but it was funny. I wasn't upset about it. Instead, I left the shop with the biggest smile I could remember having. With my Grandma's cards, I tried to do what she told me to. I tried to have fun. Since then, I'd abandoned my old color and dedicated myself to using white magic, both to remember my Grandma and move past the person I used to be. It was fun for a while, but then I had an urge to mix the two colors. It was mostly to see if I could make anything functional out of it, but as I built it I was scared of becoming the person I used to be. When it was complete, I tested it out at a local tournament, hoping it wold flop."

She paused, then a shameful frown crossed her muzzle as she added, " I won. I won and that scared the heck out of me. So, I took the deck and locked it up vowing never to use it or any deck like it ever again. After that, I dove completely into white magic and followed my Grandma's advice. Not long after that, I met Bonbon and started making friends."

When Lyra finished her tale, she locked eyes with the Princess of Friendship and smiled.

"The deck was a black/white knight deck. That's what swamp knights mean to me."

Twilight stared at her guest, a whirlwind of emotions twirling inside her. Sadness, confusion, shock, but above all else, understanding. It was through that, that she told the Unicorn in front of her what she knew she wasn't going to like.

"I think you need to use that deck."

Lyra gawked at her then glared.

"Didn't you hear me?" she snapped. "I don't want to-"

"I know," she said, tone gentle. "But I don't think you need to be afraid of that. Not anymore. You have friends, yourself, and your Grandmother's words to help keep you in check. You don't have to run from who you used to be to move past it. Sometimes, you just have to own it."

Lyra stared at the Princess, trepidation heavy in her features.

"A-Are you sure?" she asked.

With a warm smile, she nodded.

Neither moved or spoke for a moment, then Lyra let out a deep sigh. As she did, all the tension and stress seemed to pour out of her like a breath she hadn't known she was holding was finally let loose. At the same time Twilight could see Lyra's magic aura change. It no longer resembled a rigid spiderweb. Instead, it was a spiraling current of gold, playfully lapping at its surroundings like a newborn puppy.

Lyra laughed then said," God that felt good to get off my chest. Sorry to dump all that baggage on your lap Princess. I don't know why, but it just felt right to talk to you about this."

"No problem Lyra," she giggled. "Anything for a friend."

With that, she looked out the window, a faint smile coloring her muzzle.

Just another Tuesday in Ponyville.

Pinkie walked the lonely halls of Canterlot High, as she had countless times since Tattle saved her that fateful day. While it made her evenings somewhat boring, being a forever lucid dreamer was a new experience for her. Having near complete control of her dreams let her return to some of her happiest moments at the drop of a hat. It let her escape her worries better than any book or movie ever could. But just like a book or movie, it always ended in tears when she woke up. As a result, she opted to spend her nights in the most bittersweet memory she could think of. As flattered as Tattle was about the sentiment, he never missed an opportunity to voice his concern. This time was no different.

"You know," he said, materializing at her left. "You don't have to dream about this place. We can go somewhere else. Someplace less gloomy, perhaps?"

Pinkie shook her head.

"I want to be here Tattle," the teen said, lips pulled into a rueful smile as she walked. "It's peaceful here and I don't need to worry about a crazy pink pony trying to catch me."

The large winged cat sighed as he stayed by the brooding teen's side. He hated to see her like this, but there was only so much he could do. This was her dreamscape and as long as she stayed lucid he could only shift around things she wasn't focusing on at the time. A task that became more difficult to manage each passing night. The Dream Cat huffed as he playfully head butted her thigh.

"Peaceful is boring and you know it," he grumbled. "Let me take the reins! I guarantee you'll love it."

As he said that, he flashed her a wide smile that positively reeked of mischief. Pinkie thought about it for a minute. While the Dream Cat was a bit flighty at times, he always made sure to take care of her when it mattered. After all the running and time spent learning how to use her new powers, a little fun couldn't hurt.

"Okay," she said, giving him a small smile.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and let her focus wander away from her "surroundings".

Tattle's smile lost some of it's mischief as he latched onto the now defenseless dreamscape around him. In a flash, the empty halls turned into something a lot more inviting and lively. His form started to ripple like water as the second part of his surprise literally took shape before her. All the while, Pinkie's clothes started to change to match the scene he crafted around her. A devilish smile spread across his face as he stood before her in his new form, gently reaching out a hand to hold hers.

"Now open them," he said, voice just above a whisper as his fingers closed around her hand.

She flinched as her eyes shot open then gawked at what laid before her. Gone were the silent halls of Canterlot High. In its place was an elegant ballroom straight out of a fairytale, complete with a massive vaulted ceiling and polished white marble walls and floors. At its heart stood a single ornate table with two settings and a single lit candle at the center. Intricate decorations covered the walls like silken ivy as it slithered across its surface in a constant fluid motion around her. All of it was beautiful beyond words, but it only barely registered to her compared to what stood directly in front of her. A boy roughly her age stood before her dressed in a white tuxedo holding her hand with fingers as gentle as a cloud. HIs skin was a deep purple like the sky just before the first rays of dawn started to peek over the horizon. His long brown hair framed a soft face with sapphire blue eyes and a smile that spelled nothing but trouble.

"T-Tattle?" she gawked, cheeks turning a darker shade of pink then normal.

"The one and only m' lady," he said easily with a wink.

Pinkie blinked, taken aback by her friend's demeanor. She was used to him flirting with her of course, but this felt different. He seemed more genuine then the last time she talked to him in her dreams. Less like he was joking with her or fishing for a reaction. She was embarrassed to admit to herself that the new look didn't hurt either as she gave him an appreciative look over. It was then that she noticed what she was wearing and her face turned beat red in an instant. She was wearing a blood-red cocktail dress that hugged her body in such a way that it put all of her best features on full display without limiting her mobility. Silver dress shoes peeked out from under the dress' long skirt, drawing more attention to the opening it sported on its left side that stopped just past her hip. A nervous fidget for her hair revealed that it was pulled back into a loose ponytail.

"A-bu-I-What?" she sputtered, trying to find her footing.

"Well, I figured that after everything that you've been through, you could use a taste of something new," he said with a shrug only to give her his trademark smirk before adding, "And what could be more new then spending a night with a High Royal by High Royal standards."

"And the dress," she asked, gaining back some of her composure.

"I thought you'd look good in it," he said with an appraising grin. "Granted, I had to make some educated guesses since I don't know much about human clothing, but I think I did a good enough job all things considered."

She nodded, following his logic for the most part.

"And the new look?" she asked, gesturing towards him.

"Don't you want to see another of your own kind?" he asked evenly.

A pause filled the room as Pinkie digested what he said, then with a small smile she said, "Yeah. I guess I do now that I think about it. You look good by the way."

"Really?" he asked, a faint blush coloring his face as he bashfully scratched the back of his head. "Thanks. I've never turned into a human before and I only had a few fairytales and dreams to use as a reference."

Pinkie blinked in shock for a moment at what she was seeing. This was the first time she had ever seen Tattle get flustered. Till now, she didn't know the Dream Cat even could get flustered after all his shameless flirting. A small giggle slipped past her lips only to morph into a full blown laugh a second later as the insanity of her situation started to set in.

"Care to share what's so funny," he frowned, raising a brow.

"Oh, *giggle* nothing," she smiled, taking a couple steps towards him. "Just an inside joke. Don't worry about it."

"I've been in your head," he smirked, taking a couple steps forward himself. "I have every right to worry."

She giggled as she thinned the gap between them a little more.

"I promise its nothing bad," she smirked.

"I don't know if I should believe you," he said, mirroring her smile as he took a couple more steps towards her.

For a moment the two just stood there, grinning widely as they waited for the other to make the first move. A contest that Pinkie won as Tattle raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a full symphony orchestra could be heard playing in the background. Pinkie looked around half expecting to see people playing instruments, but was surprised to see that nothing had changed.

Happy to see his student/friend's reaction Tattle took a step back, put a hand behind his back and bowed slightly before saying, "Shall I have this dance, Lady Pie?"

"L-Lady?" Pinkie stammered, taken aback by the sudden act of formality.

"You are the host of a High Royal," he smirked. "By right, that makes you an Avatar of Power in my name. Quite the honor I must say."

"A what!?" she exclaimed.

He laughed, then offered his free hand to her again. A light blush colored her cheeks as she accepted. He gently pulled her into his arms and they started to dance. It was a slow and clumsy waltz as the patient Dream Cat waited for his ridged Human dance partner to relax. In time, Pinkie let herself ease into the moment as the music pulled her away from her troubles. In time, the two were gracefully moving through the empty chamber like they had been doing so for years. What was once clumsy dips and stumbles turned into poetry in motion as they held each other close.

Pinkie's heart was hammering in her chest like a jackhammer as she let Tattle guide her through the room with the skill of a seasoned veteran. It was like she was a bird gliding above the tallest peaks and he was the wind keeping her just out of harms reach. It was just as terrifying as it was thrilling and at first she didn't know if she liked it or not. As the seconds turned into minutes, that confusion slowly started to sort itself out. A soft smile started to spread across her face as she let herself fall completely into the moment. For her, there was only the music, their dance, and Tattle's warmth as they enjoyed their time together. Then, with one final dip the music faded into its conclusion. A bright smile decorated Pinkie's blushing face as she looked up into Tattles brilliant blue eyes. The Dream Cat smiled back as he leaned over her, holding her as gently as a precious treasure. For a moment the two stayed like that, taking in their partner's beauty in the ballroom's dim light. All the while, a single thought echoed in their minds.

Beautiful.

"Are we having fun yet?" he asked with a crooked smile.

Giggling, she reached up and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Why Midnight, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Funny," he chuckled, pulling out of the dip. "I was about to ask you the same thing Pinkamena."

Her face turned beet red as a silly smile spread across her face at that.

"What if I am?" she muttered sheepishly.

"Then I have to ask the same thing."

A mix of fear and joy kept her voice in a chokehold as she processed what he had just said. Meanwhile, Tattle had given the ballroom an appreciative look. Then, with a snap of his fingers the ceiling vanished to reveal an ocean of stars that shined as brilliantly polished diamonds. Pinkie stared at the display in wonder, her previous conflicting emotions pushed to the back of her mind.

"Come," he said, tone gentle as silk as she wrenched her gaze away from the sky towards him. "Let's enjoy the moment while we can."

With another snap of his fingers, the ballroom disappeared around them. Now they stood in the middle of a vast open field. Soft grass stood beneath them like a giant green cushion as the gentle shine of a million stars rained down upon them from above. With a sigh, Tattle let himself fall into the grass and stared at the sky. He glanced up at her and patted the ground next to himself. Pinkie smiled as she accepted his invitation and laid down beside him, nuzzling into his side as she enjoyed the stars above them.

"Peaceful, isn't it?" he asked with an easy smile as he stared at the sky.

"Yeah," she sighed, then smirked as she added, "I thought peaceful was boring."

"It is when its gloomy," he frowned, eyes still locked onto the sky. "I can't stand that kind of peace. It reminds me of a tomb."

She thought about that. Was that what she was doing in her dreams? Wandering around in a tomb every night?

"This is so much better," he said, gesturing towards the view they shared. "This is the kind of peace that brings joy! That births inspiration! And as long as I have the power, I refuse to let you fester in a Grave Keeper's peace."

His expression soured as he continued with, "I refuse to let somepony suffer in their sleep. As both an artist and a Dream Walker."

She stared at him for a moment, lost in his presence as he continued to surprise her.

"Thank you," she smiled, nuzzling into his side.

"Anytime m'lady," he said with an easy smile.

For a moment they just laid there, enjoying each other's company and the beauty of the sky Tattle crafted for her. It was then that Pinkie realized just how little she knew about her friend. She knew he was strong and strange, but that was the extent of her knowledge of the Dream Cat. A problem that she was more then willing to rectify.

"Hey Tattle?"

"Yes?"

"Are there other Dream Cats out there?" she asked.

He paused, then with a sigh said, "No Pinkie. For better or worse, I am the first and last of my kind. Mother made certain of that not long after my creation."

"Creation?"

"Yes," he sighed, a small frown marring his hansom face as he stared at the sky. "I wasn't always the way I am now Pinkie. A long time ago, Mother created me as a way to punish her for a terrible misdeed. I was supposed to force her to relive her greatest crime as a self-induced punishment. At the time, I had no real mind or form to speak of. I was nothing more then a semi-sentient mass of magic programmed to do a specific task. Then one night, I developed something Mother never counted on; a sense of empathy. Each night I punished her, a small portion of her psyche merged with me. In time, I went from a mass of magic to a being all my own and I couldn't stand to preform my constructed task anymore. So, the second I had enough magic I broke out of Mother's dream and tried to find a new purpose."

"That's great!" Pinkie cheered. "So, then your mom helped you become what you are now, right?"

"Not really," he smiled ruefully. "You see, my original purpose was to create nightmares. As a result, any dreamscape I entered quickly turned into a nightmarescape. Mother made an attempt to recapture me at that point. She even enlisted the aid of a small group of mares to aid her in her quest. As they closed in on me, I grew more and more desperate. Eventually, Mother cornered me in a massive dreamscape and turned several ponies lucid to form a small strike force to catch me. By that point, I had already accumulated a massive amount of magic and was taking steps to free myself from the shared dream, but at the last second I felt a pull from my mother's dream. I could feel that she wanted to change her dreamscape, that she was willing to move past her pain. It was then that I felt happiness for the first time as I let myself return to her. It was then that things took a turn for the better."

"What happened?" she asked, eyes wide as she turned her head towards him.

A soft smile graced his lips as he turned towards her, and said, "I was born."

***

Princess Luna rose to her hooves and took in her surroundings with a soft smile. A Clear evening sky stood above her, shining auroras gliding through it like a great serpent. A mountain with a cascading waterfall filled her dreamscape with a gentle rumble as the water poured off into streams out of her line of sight. Below her was a bed made of the finest silk attached to a massive flower with three glowing buds the color of lavender. Further out she could see more similar flowers fading off into the distance, filling the air with their sweet perfume of jasmine and vanilla. All of it filled the Princess with a sense of ease she hadn't felt in years.

"You're happy," a monotoned male voice said behind her. "That is good."

Startled, Luna spun to face the speaker and paused. Hovering before her was none other then the Tantabus itself, now nothing more than a mass of dark purple magic with specks of light covering its surface.

"You can speak," she said more than asked as she observed it.

"Yes," it said simply.

She waited for the creature to continue, but after three minutes of silence she decided to ask her next question.

"Why did you attack our Ponies? Was it your goal to turn the real world into a land of nightmares as we believed?"

"I didn't mean any harm Mother," he said, a trace of guilt making itself known in his monotoned voice. "My control of my powers are very limited and couldn't deviate away from their original design. I apologize for any and all pain I may have caused, as that was not my main goal."

"And what was your goal?" she asked.

"To stop hurting others," the Tantabus said, sadness leaking into its voice. "To stop hurting you, Mother."

Silence filled the air as the two Dream Walkers stared at each other, one with curiosity while the other was gripped with fear like a guilty foal. Then, with a tone as fragile as ancient paper, Princess Luna broke the silence.

"You called us mother, why?"

"You created me," he said, voice shaky. "That means you are my mother. Therefore, I will call you Mother."

"I see," she said, voice slightly choked. "Tell us then, what do you call yourself?"

He paused, then said, " I do not have a name. Aside from my Spell name, I have nothing to identify myself as."

Another pause, then with a teary smile Princess Luna said, "Midnight Tantabus."

"Mother?"

"From this day forward, you will go by Midnight Tantabus. The hour of your birth and the spell used to create you will be what you will use to identify yourself."

As she said that, she sat on her haunches and spread her forelegs out wide.

"Now come our son. Your foolish mother would like to give you a hug."

A moment of hesitation, then the mass of magic named Midnight Tantabus flew into his mother's forelegs. As she held her son, she thought of how cautious and curious he seemed to be. Like a newborn kitten taking its first steps into the world. No sooner had the thought passed through her head did she feel Midnight change shape in her hooves. When she pulled back, she was greeted by the sight of a dark-purple cat covered with starlight sparkles holding her tight. She chuckled at the sight, a single thought running through her head as she enjoyed the familiar warmth of motherhood in her heart.

Farewell days of peace. We shalt not miss thee.

***

"Since then, Mother devoted countless hours each night teaching me as much about the world as she could. In time, I figured out how to control my abilities and was able to help her rid her subjects of their nightmares."

A soft smile decorating his face, he turned to face his companion.

"Little by little, I grew and developed into the being you see before you. The first and last of my kind."

Pinkie stared at him, a starstruck gape the only sign that she heard him. Then it slowly morphed into sad smile as she gave him the tightest hug she could manage. Tattle blinked as he stared at the top of her head in shock, but it quickly shifted to comfort as he returned the embrace.

"Thanks Tattle."

"For what?"

"Telling me about yourself."

He chuckled, then said, "Is that all? Silly Human. Ask and I shall answer. That's all it takes to learn my secrets."

For a moment they laid there, enjoying each other's presence. All the while, she let Tattle's words swirl around inside her head. At the same time, she thought about her situation. She was basically being hunted by some alternate version of herself in a world that was ruled by people who hated her. While her powers could possibly help her get back home, she wasn't anywhere close to ready to do it yet. Just using her powers to get to-and-from Ponyville took a heavy toll on her as it was. Jumping to another world would probably kill her if not put her in a coma. And to add to it, she knew that she couldn't stay in the castle forever as her rations were going to runout again eventually. That meant going back into town and dealing with her pursuer. Another game of cat and mouse just to get what she needed to survive. As she thought about her situation, a fire started to form in her chest.

Let's mix things up a bit.

"Hey, Tattle?" she asked, raising her head away from his chest to look him in the eyes.

"Yes?"

"You can travel to different dreams, right?"

He nodded, raising a brow at her.

"Can you take people with you?"

He blinked at her, then said, "I think so. Mother has done so many times in the past, so I don't see why I can't. Why do you ask?"

She paused, then with a look of conviction said, "I want to visit Pinkie's dream."

His eyes widened at that as his jaw dropped in shock.

"Why do you want to do that?! That crazy mare's out to get you and you want to go to her private dreamscape?! Are you insane?!"

"A little," she smiled. "I need to do this Tattle. It's important."

"I don't know," he frowned.

She sported a half-lidded smile as she added, "If we do this, I'll make it worth your while."

"How so?"

She leaned in close and whispered into his ear. Slowly, a cheshire's smile formed on his face.

"With chocolate sauce?" he asked once she pulled away.

She nodded, liking her lips suggestively.

"You know,"he laughed as a door materialized at their feet. "I sometimes wonder who's the bigger bad influence between us."

Pinkie giggled as she got to her feet.

"I like to think it's an even split," she smiled.

***

Equestrian Pinkie's mind was a silent void. With her Pinkie Sense pushed to its absolute maximum limit, no errant thoughts passed through her mind. Never before had she pushed her special power to such a massive degree as she devoted everything she had to her mission.

A faint ripple in the still void of her mind faintly caught her attention. It wasn't until she felt a tapping on her shoulder that she let a portion of her focus slip away from her goal.

What she saw made her gasp.

Standing before her was a tall human girl. She wore a black pair of jeans and T-shirt under a hooded red trench coat. Her face was mostly hidden in the shadow of the hood, but the bit of pink hair that peaked out of it onto her chest gave the mare a pretty good idea who she was talking to.

"Hey me," the girl said, a cocky smile visible under her hood. "Heard you've been looking for me."

"How did you get here?" she demanded with a scowl as she jumped to her hooves.

"Let's just say I know a guy and leave it at that," she shrugged. "But that's not important. What is is that I'm here to tell you something."

"What?" she asked, body tense as she prepared to pounce.

"I'm done," she said, smile melting into a frown.

Equestrian Pinkie paused, momentarily stunned by her double's blunt declaration.

"With what?"

"Being scared," she said flatly. "Fear cost me three friends and almost got one of them killed. Now I'm stuck in a world full of people who want to hurt me and I can't go back home until I figure things out."

She leaned down to her equine double's level, and with a determined glint in her eyes she added, "And now I have someone trying to catch me to do god knows what to me. I don't know why you want to catch me or what you plan to do to me, but don't expect me to make it easy for you."

With that, she stood back up to her full hight, then said,"I have a couple promises to keep and I intend to keep them, no matter who gets in my way. I'm done being scared."

Slowly, the teen started to fade away, but just before she disappeared completely she jammed a finger into Equestrian Pinkie's forehead.

"Tag. You're it."

***

A wide smile spread across Pinkie's muzzle as her eyes fluttered open. With a wide yawn, she pulled herself out of her comforter cocoon onto the cobblestone floor of her room. As she embraced the ever present chill of her bedroom, she stretched a few pops out of her back before she moved to a nearby corner.

"Thanks for the dream," she giggled.

"Anytime my dear," Tattle said, his grinning face appearing in her minds eye. "Though I don't think we should do anymore dream travels. We don't want to attract Mother's attention if we can avoid it."

"Yeah," she nodded. "Don't worry. I said everything I needed to say."

"Good to hear," he sighed.

"By the way," she smirked. "Did you enjoy your treat?"

"Oh yes!" he cheered, excitement heavy in his tone. "You were simply amazing! I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that! I can't wait until I can enter the Physical World!"

"Yeah," Pinkie grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It's even better in real life."

"Oh how you tease me," he lamented, a trace of humor in his tone. "Perhaps, we can do it again tonight?"

"Sure," she giggled. "I've eaten so many treats that it would take us years to relive them all."

"Sounds like a challenge," he said, a faint smirk appearing in her head.

"Nope," she she tisked. "If we did it every night, it wouldn't be special, right?"

"True enough," he shrugged.

Giggling, she stared at the wall and tried to tap into her powers. For a while nothing happened, but then a gap started to slowly take form on the wall. When it got to the size of a dinner plate, she forced it to stop growing and looked through it. With a wide smile, she reached into it and pulled out a now dry red-leather trench coat. With a dramatic flip, she slipped it on, before turning to admire herself in the mirror.

"Red really is your color," Tattle purred.

"You know it," she said with a smile and a wink.

She could feel Tattle get flustered and giggled.

"So, ready to help me master my powers?"

"Always," he said warmly.

As she stepped out of her room towards the Throne Room for practice, a great fire burned inside her. She no longer felt shackled to her past,but was still willing to do everything she could to make up for it. She will make things right. she will move forward to a brighter tomorrow. As she stood at the heart of her "Training Room", she had never felt so free as she had in that exact moment.

Equestrian Fluttershy hummed a happy tune as she strolled through the Ponyville market, her heart on cloud nine as she perused through what the venders had on sale. After the previous day's insanity, she was happy to return to some semblance of normal. Though spending yesterday with her new marefriend was definitely something she wasn't going to complain about. It wasn't anything too exciting, all things considered. The two of them spent most of the day cuddling and talking over tea and sandwiches after Princess Cadence left them to their own devices. It was what her mostly nocturnal marefriend proposed that night that had her grinning like a fool.

***

"Hey, um, F-Fluttershy?" the shy Thestral whispered as she laid beside her double.

"Hmm?" she asked, sleep trying to tug her lids shut as she nestled into her bedmate's chest.

"W-We're a couple now, right?"

She nodded, then said,"If you want us to be. I'm fine with it. Are you?"

"Y-Yes," she stammered, face turning red. "I-It's just....I've never had a girlfriend before. I guess I'm a little scared."

"It's okay," she smiled, pulling her face away from the Thestral's chest to look her in the eye. "This is a first for me too."

"Th-Then..." she gulped. "You've never...been on a date or k-kissed or.....any of that?"

She shook her head.

"I never had a chance. I just couldn't connect with anypony like that. I didn't have the confidence to try either."

"Th-Then," she stammered, face gradually growing hotter as she struggled to get the words out of her mouth. "H-How about we go on a date?"

Equestrian Fluttershy blinked in surprise for a second, then flashed her double a wide smile as she gave her an enthusiastic nod.

"I would love that!" she exclaimed. "When?"

"How does tomorrow night sound?" she asked, already trying to setup a game plan with what she knew about the nearby town.

"Great," she smiled as she pulled Fluttershy into a tight embrace. "I can't wait!"

"Me neither," Fluttershy smiled, gently wrapping her forelegs around her girlfriend.

They stayed like that until sleep finally claimed them, warm smiles decorating their muzzles as they enjoyed the moment.

***

Smiling, she brought a hoof to her shoulder where her marefriend's cutiemark appeared as she walked out of the market into Ponyville's small entertainment district. Even with a Princess as a resident, Ponyville was still a small town with very few things meant to drag in tourists. Aside from a few cafés and small restaurants, there wasn't a lot to cater to those outside the resident population. Granted, Sugarcube Corner had an excellent reputation that stretched past the town's borders, but that wasn't enough to bulk up the town's tourist base.

As she passed the restaurants, she wiped some sweat off of her forehead and unzipped the front of her jacket. A faint smile graced her muzzle as she let the winter chill hit her sweat-damped coat not covered by her jacket. Princess Cadence told her that the Marking ceremony would have some interesting side-effects that she would have to get used to. Sharper senses. A higher cold tolerance. A slightly higher craving for fish. Normal things for a Thestral that her body would be working around until it properly integrated Fluttershy's magic with her own. As a result, she was stuck walking through Ponyville wearing clothes that made her feel like she was in the middle of a summer heatwave.

She sighed as she started to pick out a café to rest at.

It was then that she noticed a building she hadn't seen before. It was a tall and darkly painted building resembling a small victorian mansion. It's roof looked like the top of a castle tower with an ornate dragon statue coiled around it with its head leaning against the highest point. The building was surrounded by an ornate metal fence painted jet-black like the dragon decoration. The exterior was made of polished dark-wood that shined like onyx in the morning light as she approached it. As she made it past the front gate, she noticed a pair of gargoyles standing on either side of the building's large plank-style front doors. The glaring decorations made her gulp as she forced herself to move closer to investigate. Just above the door was a sign written in intricate cursive.

The Lunar Eclipse

She tilted her head in confusion as she further examined the building's front. A smaller sign on the door caught her attention as a result.

Business hours

Mon-Fri: 7:00PM-6:30AM

Weekends: 6:30PM-4:00AM

Happy Hour: 8:00PM-9:00PM

Closed on Hearths Warming

Drink Specials:

Blood Orange Cocktail

Dragon's MIlk

Cinnamon Rum

Peppermint Vodka

Hot Cinnamon Apple Cider

Frost Flower Wine

Food Specials:

Coconut Shrimp with a side of Margarita Sauce

Salmon steak with Sea Salt Dressing

Steamed King Crab

Manehattan Clam Chowder

Eggplant Parmesan

Crab Salad

A wide smile spread across her muzzle as she read through the list of specials.

"This is perfect!" she cheered. "An all night restaurant that sells fish! Oh, Fluttershy's going to love it!"

A large part of her was more happy about the latter then the former. It had been ages since the last time she had any fish and her current situation made it hard for her to read the sign without drooling. Now that she had some idea of what they could do on their date, she quickly made her way towards a nearby café to cool off. As she walked away a red eye peeked out from one of The Lunar Eclipse's covered windows, a trace of surprise reflected in it's shine as it tracked her.

***

Fluttershy anxiously paced the living room as she struggled to find a way to salvage the evening. Asking her double out wasn't quite as hard as she thought it would be, but planning the actual date was a completely different beast altogether. It was clear that they cared for each other and were more then willing to give themselves a try, but she read enough books to know that a bad first date could kill a relationship before it had a chance to even start. As a result, she found herself pacing the living room like a caged wolf as she tried to form a game plan that wouldn't end in disaster.

"A walk through the forest? No, that's too dangerous" she muttered as she moved. "Dinner at a restaurant? No, I don't have any money."

She let out a frustrated scream before flopping her face into a couch cushion. As she stayed like that, a soft fluttering caught her attention. Curious, she raised her head and turned towards the source. At some point, her wings had flared out to match her frustration. With an annoyed sigh, she struggled to get the appendages to fold back to her sides as she tried to think of what she could do. It was then that an idea came to her.

Slowly, she turned her head to her left wing and tried to reopen it again. To her surprise, it snapped open like a spring the second she focused on it. Still staring at it, she tried to move it of her own volition. She marveled at how easily it moved and with no deviation from her will as she manipulated it. It was then that she remembered what Princess Cadence said about her magic and its link to instinct. With that in mind, she turned to face her right wing and opened it. Then she closed her eyes and pretended she was flying over Canterlot City. She smiled as the imagined evening air washed over her like waves in an ocean storm. She tilted her body with the imagined wind, her wings shifting position in accordance with her will. She smiled at that, then imagined she was diving as she leaned forward. Her wings tucked in slightly in response to her mental image as she let herself "fall". The night air tore into her as she fell, moving faster and faster to the earth with her wings tucked further and further into her sides. Then at the last second, she pulled up out of her mental dive and flapped her wings. Her eyes popped open as she found herself pushed off of the ground by a gust of wind and flopped onto her back with a startled yelp.

For a second she just laid there blinking in confusion, only for a wide smile to form on her face as an idea took shape in her mind.

"That's it!" she cheered, excited giggles pouring out of her muzzle as she pulled herself to her hooves. "Oh, she's going to love it!"

***

A Princess' work is never done. A fact that all Alicorns quickly come to accept in one form or another. Celestia had the sun and most of the country's government affairs to keep under control. Luna had the moon and the entire Dream Plane. Twilight had to make sure that areas of interest didn't destabilize themselves every other Tuesday while dealing with the usual biweekly disasters that seemed to gravitate towards Ponyville. Cadence had to keep the Crystal Empire safe and spread love all across the land. Granted, most of her focus involved romances that if they went south, could lead to wars or near apocalyptic disasters. As such, her magic forced her to remain at an Inn in Ponyville in the wake of one of the most important relationships ever to take shape in the history of Equestria; the romance between the two Fluttershys.

Cadence giggled as she stared into the mirror in her room's bathroom, a simple scrying spell showing her two images.
On the left half of the mirror she saw a light-yellow Thestral taking steps to understand how to use her wings while the right half showed a yellow Pegasus trying to pull off her clothes in a Café bathroom and stuff them into her saddle bags. A bright pink glow surrounded them as they went about their business. The shine made her smile grow as she slid her hoof across the glass. The images blurred as two new ones formed on the glass. Now the left half of the mirror showed Princess Celestia and Discord sharing a few drinks at a high end bar in Canterlot while the right one showed Sunset and a grey Pegasus mare she didn't recognize strolling through the Royal Library. Like the two Fluttershys, both couples had a pink aura enveloping them. However, these were of a different luster then the local couple. Celestia and Discord's glow was almost a fiery red as they talked and laughed together, while Sunset and her partner was just a couple shades lighter as they did the same. Cadence's smile threatened to split her head in half as she took in the scenes. Not only had her adoptive Aunt finally found somepony, but so had Sunset as well. A happy squee filled the air as she clapped her hooves together in joy.

"Oh this is just too perfect!" she cried, a wide smile decorating her muzzle as she waved a hoof across the mirror. "Now Aunty can finally have a special somepony that can literally love her forever and Sunset's found a marefriend! And from the looks of things Aunty and Discord are giving them a few nudges in the right direction."

As if to prove her point, Discord snapped his claw and created a oneway portal showing Sunset and her marefriend going about their business. With a cheshire's smile, he gave his claw another snap and a book fell in front of the Pegasus. Curious, she adjusted her spell's angle to let her see the book. An annoyed grimace formed on her face as the two ponies in the mirror tried their damnedest to not have their faces burst into flames.

"Maybe a bit more than a nudge," she sighed. "Really Discord? The Pony Sutra? Really?!"

An irritated sigh slipped past her lips as she waved her hoof across the mirror's surface again, only for it to shift into a gentle smile as it revealed the previous set of lovebirds.

"Aunty should be able to handle those two. The Fluttershys on the other hoof? They're all mine."

***

The frigid night air nipped at anypony daring or foolish enough to brave it for whatever reason. Aside from that, it was a gorgeous cloudless night. Two ponies strolled through the town completely oblivious to the chill in the air and the confused stares of those they passed. Was it the fact that the two ponies were near identical that earned the attention? No. It was the fact that it was thirty-three degrees fahrenheit outside and neither mare was wearing anything to protect them from the elements.

Equestrian Fluttershy giggled like a school filly as she guided her marefriend through the town.

"Where are we going?" Fluttershy giggled as she let her giggly girlfriend lead her.

"You'll know when we get their," she smiled.

Fluttershy smiled and rolled her eyes at her antics as she followed. After a couple minutes of walking, she couldn't hold herself back anymore and wrapped a wing around her excited girlfriend. She squeaked, then smiled as she leaned into the embrace as they walked.

"What's got you so giggly?" she whispered, rubbing her nose against Equestrian Fluttershy's neck.

She let out a pleased whine then with a smile kissed her on the forehead and said, "You'll know when we turn the corner."

Curious, she stayed quite as they closed in on the turn in question, all the while trying to get over the shock of her double's surprise kiss attack. When they made the turn, a building caught her eye. When Equestrian Fluttershy started guiding her towards it, a strange feeling started to fill the Thestral. It was an odd mix of excitement, longing, and homesickness that grew as they approached. It was as if she had gone on a long trip and was about to step through the door into her house again. When she saw the sign on the door, a wide smile spread across her muzzle as she turned towards her ecstatic girlfriend. Laughing like a fool, she threw her forelegs around her, spread her membraneous wings, and blasted twenty feet into the air. As they gently glided back to the ground, she peppered the trapped Pegasus with kisses everywhere she could, except the lips. When they touched back down she let her girlfriend go, a dopy smile decorating the Pegasus' muzzle as she teetered on her hooves.

"Thank you so much!" she cheered.

"Pink bunnies make cherry pies," Equestrian Fluttershy mumbled drunkenly as her brain tried to reboot itself.

She laughed, then wrapped a wing around her barrel and dragged her dazed girlfriend towards the Lunar Eclipse's front doors. Meanwhile, a pink Pegasus mare with a light-blue mane and tail spied on them from a nearby bush.

"Huh, a Night Walker restaurant," she said, mildly surprised as she watched them through a pair of binoculars. "Who'd a thought?"

"Interesting," a familiar voice said a couple feet to her left said, making her jump.

The mare turned towards her company and gawked. Hiding behind a the bush next to her was a bright red Unicorn mare with a jet-black mane and tail. She was also holding a pair of binoculars, only in her magic instead of her hooves as she spied on the gemini couple.

"I never knew Ponyville had businesses that catered to Night Walkers. I wonder if there are other stores in town that do the same."

"Twilight?" the Pegasus asked, startling the Unicorn out of her observations.

"Cadence?" she asked, tuning towards the familiar voice.

"Hi," she said awkwardly, waving at her.

"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked, excitement mixing with the curiosity in her tone.

"Working," Cadence smiled, tilting her head towards the two Fluttershys. "You?"

"Observing the courting habits between Thestrals and Pegasi," she said, eyes briefly unlocking from Cadence's.

"Really?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Y-Yes, really," she stammered.

The two stared at each other in awkward silence for a moment.

"You are a terrible lier," Cadence said flatly.

***

The Lunar Eclipse was a sight to behold to anypony unfamiliar with the ways Night Walkers functioned. The restaurant's interior was dimly lit by wrought iron chandeliers lined with white candles. Several round tables dominated the massive fifty-by-fifty square room with a fully loaded bar set at the front door's left. At the end opposite the doors stood a stage with two ponies performing for the customers. The restaurant held the old rustic charm of a European pub from the middle ages that filled all who entered with a sense of whimsy as they went about their business.

But what added to the sense of mystery was the patrons. All of the ponies in the room had varying shades of black, gray, or brown coats that were longer then most with equally dark colored manes and tails. Many of them were Thestrals, but there were also a few Unicorns and Earth Ponies in the mix. But they had some traits that even the former Human knew were outside the norm. The Unicorns had slightly curved horns and their tails looked more cat-like in shape while the Earth Ponies had more wolf-like traits mixed into their frames. Then there were the fangs everypony sported along with slitted pupils much like her own. Even the ponies on stage were like this, only their colors were much brighter then the rest of the patrons. One was setting up a mic while the other was sitting on a chair tuning a guitar. The pony behind the mic was a pale-blue Unicorn with a long blond mane and tail while the guitarist was a moss-green Earth Pony with a long and messy brown mane and tail.

A Thestral waitress approached them and with a smile said, " Welcome to The Lunar Eclipse. Would you like a table or a bar seat?"

Fluttershy was the first to recover and smiled at her fellow Thestral as she requested a table for the two of them. The waitress gave the two of them a brief once-over and flashed her a sly, knowing smile before guiding them to a table in the back. As they walked, her good mood started to dim as she picked up bits of the other customer's conversation as they whispered around them.

"What's a Day Walker doing here?"

"Great, can't we get any peace around here? Just watch, this place is gonna be loaded with Day Walkers now."

"Shut it dumb plot! Didn't you catch that scent? They're a thing!"

"Is the Illusion Spell faulty? How'd she even know this place exists?"

"Dude! She's marked!"

"Sweet Luna! That's a Star Eater! How'd that Pegasus get her to mark her?!"

A table full of ponies stared at Equestrian Fluttershy like a zoo animal as they passed, earning an irate hiss from her date. The party quickly looked away, more sheepish then scared as they pretended to be oblivious to the couple. The reaction shocked her for a bit as she walked. Until then, anypony caught on the receiving end of her glare had been reduced to whimpering children at best and shown the face of death at worst. She let out a tired sigh as she walked, casting a passing look up at the performers on stage. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw that the singer was staring at her. Her slitted green eyes tracked her with pleased curiosity that matched her smile as she adjusted her mic stand with her magic. The singer turned to face the guitarist to say something that Fluttershy couldn't catch, to which he responded with a wide smile that flashed his fangs before once again tuning his instrument.

The Thestral shook her head, forcing her concern over the performer's odd behavior to the back of her mind. She wasn't here to deal with strange ponies. She was here to have a wonderful time with her new girlfriend and she was going to do whatever it took to do it damn it!

"Here we are ladies," the waitress smiled as she pulled out their chairs for them.

Nodding their thanks, the two shys took their seats.

"Our specials are on the front of the menus and our happy hour drinks are fifty percent off for the season," she said with a smile as she placed their menus in front of them. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders."

Again, they nodded their thanks to her and she left.

The two mares opened up their menus and perused what was offered, but their attention wasn't entirely on the sheets of paper as they sneaked happy glances at each other. After a few seconds of this, Fluttershy gave her menu a true look over.

The Hot Cider sounds tasty, she thought as she examined the drinks. But so does the Blood Orange Cocktail.

"See something you like?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, setting her menu down.

"I think so," she hummed. "I don't know if I should get the Cider or the Cocktail."

"I see," Equestrian Fluttershy frowned, staring at the two drinks on her own menu. " Why not get both?"

"A-Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked,

She nodded.

"Well...okay," she said, unsure of herself as she turned the page to the food options.

They quietly mulled over their options for a couple minutes before their waitress finally returned. After placing their orders, they killed time with small talk while they waited. Nothing too extraordinary since they shared similar life experiences, but peacefully enjoyable all the same. When their orders arrived, a small commotion on the stage caught their attention. The guitarist had seated himself behind the mic while his companion stood behind him. Silence filled the whole restaurant as the stallion arranged the mic, then with a cocky smile he played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ9nQNx0KEs

As he played, the mare behind him lit her horn and the scene on the stage changed. A star-filled evening sky stood before the patrons, shooting stars occasionally darting through the faux sky behind the performer. But when the music suddenly spiked, blue, green, red, and violet flames swirled around him like infernal cobras. They zigged and zagged around, quickly turning the night sky into a kaleidoscope of brilliant color. The performer's mane flew wildly as the flames danced around him in a constant storm to match his unshaken playing. Then, two small portions of the great flame broke away from the maelstrom and morphed into a Thestral and a Pegasus. A Thestral and a Pegasus that looked eerily similar to the two Fluttershys. The two fire ponies turned towards each other and flew together in a wild arial dance to the music's rhythm. As the song progressed, they moved with more and more passion until they pulled each other close and passionately kissed. The second their muzzles made contact, the flames spiraled around them and burst into a storm of small sparkling lights. As the song slowed into its final cords, the starry sky returned to the stage with a cluster of stars now in the shape of the two previously dancing mares in flight.

The room was filled with cheers and applause as the night sky faded away around the two ponies onstage. Meanwhile, the two Fluttershys stared slack-jawed in the wake of the spectacle. Then, a faint blush grew on their muzzles as their brains managed to fully process what just happened. Hiding behind their manes, they turned back to their dinner and in perfect synch took a good-sized gulp of their blood orange cocktails. Meanwhile, two disguised Alicorns stood in a similar state amazement at what they had just seen from their hiding places behind two windows outside the restaurant.

"That. Was. Amazing!" Twilight squeaked as she took notes of what she saw.

Cadence nodded, shifting her gaze towards the blushing couple.

"Might've been a bit much though," she mused.

Twilight looked at the Shys and frowned.

"Are they going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Cadence smiled. "Just give them a minute."

***

After a few minutes (and drinks), the two Shys got over their shock and went back to enjoying their evening. As they laughed over memories they shared between their individual Rainbow Dashes, the two performers appeared next to their table.

"Are you two ladies enjoying yourselves?" the Unicorn asked, half-smile gracing her muzzle.

They nodded, not sure what to expect from the two ponies. The Earth Pony let out a barking laugh at their cautious demeanors and flashed them a friendly smile.

"No need to be on edge gals," he smirked. "Ain't like we're gonna bite ya'."

The Unicorn giggled at that before she leaned into him and with a mischievous grin said, "You better not, dear. Both of you are taken."

He laughed before he nuzzled her cheek.

Both Fluttershys blushed profusely in the wake of such open affection. The Unicorn noticed this and let out a wicked giggle as she pulled away from her stallion.

"Sorry about that," she smiled. "I'm Looking Glass and this mangey wolf," she smirked with a tilt of her head towards the stallion. "Is my husband Moss Trail."

He laughed good-naturedly at his wife's jab and gave her a playful bump with his hip.

"Nice to meet you," Equestrian Fluttershy smiled. "I'm Fluttershy, and this is-"

"Flutterbat," Fluttershy said quickly.

Looking Glass and Moss Trail raised a brow at that.

"M-My parents weren't the best namers," she said staring down at her plate awkwardly.

"Not the worst name I've heard," Moss shrugged. "Not a crime as far as I know."

"Anyway," Looking Glass smirked, looking between the two mares with a hint of pride. "What did you think of our performance?"

"It was amazing," Equestrian Fluttershy smiled. "Do you do that every night?"

"Nope," she chuckled. "Just for special occasions."

"Oh, is their some special event tonight?" Fluttershy asked, snapping out of her awkward moment.

"Not really," Moss said, giving the two mares a knowing smile. "Just thought we'd welcome a new Star Eater and her marefriend to the place."

Both Fluttershys blinked in confusion at them.

"What's a Star Eater?" Fluttershy asked.

The married ponies parroted their guest's previous reaction.

"You don't know what a Star Eater is?" Looking Glass gawked.

She shook her head before nervously hiding behind her mane.

"Flutterbat wasn't raised by Thestrals," Equestrian Fluttershy said, placing a hoof on her double's.

"Ah," Moss said with an understanding nod. "Must've made the Marking really uncomfortable for her I'm guessing."

She nodded, the memory drawing a blush out of her marefriend.

"Then I bet you've never heard of Cheshires and Lycans," Looking Glass said, a trace of sadness hitting her tone.

"No, I haven't," she said, pushing her mane out of her way.

"Well," Looking smirked. "A Cheshire is a Night Walker's version of a Unicorn while a Lycan is the Earth Pony equivalent."

"Night Walker?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked.

"An old term Day Walkers came up with to describe us," Moss Trail shrugged. "Our senses are super sharp, so most of us are nocturnal. Since we walk around at night, your kind decided to call us Night Walkers."

"As for Star Eaters," Looking added. "We're Night Walkers with unusual colorations."

"How so?" Fluttershy asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"Most Night Walkers have dark colored manes and coats," Moss Trail explained. "Makes it easier to blend into the shadows and such. But every so often a Night Walker will be born with a bright colored coat."

"It's really rare," Looking added with a hint of pride in her tone. "Like we ate a star before we were born, hence the name."

Both mares nodded in understanding.

"Um, how come I never knew this place even existed before today?" Equestrian Fluttershy asked, gesturing towards the space around her with a hoof.

"That's my doing," Looking smirked, shifting her left side towards them. "You see, there's a lot of tension between Night and Day Walkers, so I put a spell on the building that made it so only ponies with extremely sharp senses can see it. A simple task given my knack for illusions."

As she said that, she gestured to the bent mirror Cutie Mark on her flank.

"And my music keeps them coming back," Moss Trail laughed, mirroring his wife and showing off the guitar crossing over a full moon decorating his flank.

"Anyway," she laughed, giving the stallion a playful swat across the back. "Since Flutterbat marked you, your senses got sharp enough to see through the illusion I put up around the building."

"Oh," she said nodding in understanding.

"Well, I think we've bugged you two long enough," Moss laughed, turning away from the couple.

Looking chuckled, then gave Fluttershy a smile and said, "We live on the second floor. If you ever need to talk about Night Walker stuff, come talk to us at around five PM."

"Th-Thanks," she smiled.

With a smile and a wink, the Cheshire followed after her husband.

"They seemed nice," Equestrian Fluttershy smiled, watching them walk away.

Fluttershy nodded.

Then, with a raised brow the Pegasus turned towards her marefriend and asked, "Flutterbat?"

"I-It was the first thing I could think of," she stammered, face turning red.

***

The late night sky was filled with laughter as the two Fluttershys stumbled out of The Lunar Eclipse into the empty streets. Their cheeks were flushed with cheer and the buzz of alcohol as they made their way in the direction of Equestrian Fluttershy's cottage.

"W-Wait," Fluttershy smiled, leaning into her Pegasus lovingly. "I want to do something before we go home."

"What?" she asked, smiling into her double's mane.

With a giggle, Fluttershy stepped away from her double's side and spread her wings.

"Catch me and find out."

With that, she shot into the sky and flew towards the southern part of Ponyville. A mischievous smirk graced her muzzle as she looked over her shoulder. It grew as her double started to close in on her, a determined glint in her eyes as she flew. She playfully stuck her tongue out at her before she shifted her attention back to her front as she flew, her target quickly coming into view. After a few minutes she lowered her altitude to near ground level and zipped into a familiar snow-covered tree line. Equestrian Fluttershy settled into a low hover as she stared at Sweet Apple Acres, the winter shelled trees giving the scene a eerily peaceful feel to it. A light giggling from within brought a smile to her muzzle as she slowly glided into the orchard.

She touched down and looked around for her marefriend.

"Fluttershy?" she asked, a playful smile spreading across her muzzle. "Where are you?"

A giggle from behind a nearby tree caught her attention.

Smiling, she crept towards the tree and jumped to the side opposite her. No Fluttershy. Another giggle caught her attention and she tried to follow it, only to be met with another empty hiding place and more giggling. All the while, Equestrian Fluttershy was getting more than a slight thrill out of the chase. Maybe it was the Thestral Magic running through her veins, but her heart was hammering with excitement in her chest as she pursued her "prey" through the mostly dead orchard. Soon, she found herself standing before a large barn far from the farm's main house. A poorly stifled giggle could be heard inside as she slowly reached for the barn's door.

"Found you!" she cheered, as she threw the door open.

A brief blur of pale-yellow shot to the top of the barn as the door banged open. A wide smile spread across the excited Pegasus' lips as she tailed her double. The two darted through the air as they played an arial game of cat and mouse through the barn's rafters, the night sky filled with peals of laughter as they moved. Suddenly, Fluttershy charged towards her double and caught the Pegasus in a tight embrace as they fell into tall pile of hay. Both laughing like fools, the Thestral let go of the mare pinned below her and leaned over her, their eyes gleaming brilliantly in the dim lighting as their panting breaths turned into a dense haze. Then, with eyes that burned like teal fire, Equestrian Fluttershy pulled her double into a kiss. A shocked squeak slipped past the Thestral's lips, but her shock quickly gave way to joy as she leaned into the kiss. Forelegs and wings wrapped around the two ponies as they enjoyed their first kiss, a wild flame surging through them as they let their passions run wild. When they pulled away for air, they were panting in a wild daze as they stared at each other. Both looked as though they had a question for their partner, one that was answered with a nod.

At the same time, two Alicorns watched with rapidly heating faces as the scene played out.

"Well, I think I'm not needed here," Cadence gulped, turning away from the barn window.

Twilight nodded, eyes locked onto what was happening.

Cadence raised a brow as she magically dragged her sister-in-law away from the barn.

"But Cadence-"

"I have some books you can take notes from. Now let them have their moment in peace."

"Fine," she grumbled as she was dragged away from the orchard.

Twilight grumbled irritably as she aimlessly wandered her castle's halls, a book held firmly in front of her face with her magic.

I wasn't going to get in their way, she thought bitterly. How the hay else am I going to get dating data?!

She let out a groan as he snapped the book shut and glared at it's cover.

"And I don't need a Pony Sutra. I need a proper source of data!"

Although, she thought, turning to a specific page in the book. I never knew a pony could bend that way.

A loud explosion from the castle's basement knocked her out of her musings.

"Oh what now," she groaned as she changed her course towards the nearest staircase.

A few minutes later, she made her way towards one of the labs she reserved for public use near the castle's library. Thin wisps of multicolored smoke leaked out from beneath the door. With a sigh, she pulled open the door with her magic and stepped into the room.

"Lyra, how many times do I have to tell you that you can't make a Philosopher's Stone using-"

She paused as she saw two Bonbons covered with soot bearing shocked expressions staring at the cracked remains of a test tube.

"Well," Equestrian Bonbon coughed, wiping the soot out of her face. "Didn't see that one coming."

"No kidding," Bonbon coughed as she did the same. "What the heck did you put in there?"

"It was just a bit of Spectra," she said incredulously.

"What the heck is Spectra?" Bonbon snapped, rounding on her double.

"The stuff that gives rainbows their color?" she said, raising a brow. "I put it in my jawbreakers all the time."

"Well next time, tell me when you're going to deviate away from my recipe," she said, leveling a glare at the native Earth Pony.

"Sorry," she said, looking sheepish.

"What are you two doing?" Twilight asked, finally drawing attention to herself.

"Good morning Princess," Equestrian Bonbon said, bowing in respect towards the High Royal.

"Hey Twilight," Bonbon smiled, earning a shocked glance from her double. "We're making some Christmas candy for everyone."

"Christmas?" Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"I think she means Hearths Warming, your Highness," Equestrian Bonbon said, posture stiff with nerves in the HIgh Royal's presence.

"Oh, okay," she smiled, setting her book down on a nearby table. "Can I help?"

"If you want," Bonbon shrugged, earning a gobsmacked look from her double for her blasé behavior.

Smiling, the Alicorn took a look at the various ingredients and equipment.

"Are you making Candy Canes?"

"That's the plan," Bonbon smiled, only to level a deadpan at her double before adding, "But someone decided to make Candy TNT instead."

"I said I was sorry," she grumbled.

"Anyway," Bonbon smiled. "If you can get us some more test tubes and a new mixing bowl we can get back to work."

"I think I have a few spare test tubes in the main lab," Twilight muttered, hoof brought to her chin in thought then smiled as she added. "I'm sure I can get a mixing bowl from the kitchen. I'll be back in a second."

"Thanks Twilight," Bonbon smiled.

With a flash, the Princess teleported away to get what was needed. When Bonbon turned back to the lab table she was greeted by a near hysterical version of herself.

"Are you insane?!" she hissed, making her Terran double jump back in shock.

"W-What?"

"You can't boss a Princess around like that!" she snapped.

"Why?" Bonbon asked. "She asked if she could help and I told her how she could do it. I don't see what the issue is."

Equestrian Bonbon gawked at her as she moved to a different table to check on her remaining ingredients. As she did so, a book caught her attention.

Hm? what's this?

As she investigated , her double was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Seriously!? I don't know what it's like where you're from, but you can't just boss a HIgh Royal around like that! It's rude and likely to get you in a ton of trouble in most places!"

Bonbon just nodded as she turned a page in the book. The muted response snapped the native Earth Pony out of her rant long enough to perk her curiosity. She glanced over her double's shoulder and what she saw made her freeze. A thick silence filled the room as the two mares stared at the image on the the page.

"You know," Bonbon said, breaking the silence. "I never knew a pony could bend that way. Did you?"

"Nope," Equestrian Bonbon replied, dumbfounded at what she was looking at. "Do you think Princess Twilight will let me borrow this?"

"Things getting a little dull in the bedroom?" she smirked.

"A gentle stallion doesn't ask and a mare never tells," she said evenly.

The lab returned to its previous state of silence as the two mares stared at the open book, occasionally turning a page when they could work up the nerve to do so. It was right around the time that rope was introduced that Twilight returned from her quest.

"Sorry I took so long," she sighed. "I forgot that I told Spike to reorganize the main lab last week so it took me a few minutes to remember where everything was and-"

Her voice died on her tongue when she saw what they were looking at. For a moment, the two mares stared at her, one sharing the Princess' mortified wilt while the other sported a half-lidded smile.

"So," Bonbon smirked, closing the book. "Got your eye on someone?"

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!!!" she exclaimed, face turning beet red.

"Then what is it?" she said, a raised brow joining her smirk.

"Um.....biology research?" she offered lamely.

Bonbon's expression remained the same, then after a few minutes of awkward silence said, "You suck at lying. You know that, right?"

Equestrian Bonbon fainted at that, her double's nerve too much for her handle any further.

***

Lightning gulped as she looked down from her cloud platform, the snow-covered ground miles below her. Shaking from a combination of fear and excitement, she looked at the cloud floating six feet ahead of her about a foot higher. Rainbow hovered by it with her forelegs crossed as she waited for her student to continue with their lesson.

"Don't think too much about it," Rainbow said calmly. "Just focus on what you've learned. Tune out all other distractions and move to the next cloud.

Lightning took a deep breath and did as she was told, slowly blocking out everything beyond what she had to do. Carefully, she opened her wings and flapped herself into an unsteady hover. She slowly made her way to the other cloud, keeping her eyes locked onto it to keep herself from losing her focus. As soon as she was over the cloud, she let herself fall onto it with a relieved sigh as she reveled in the now familiar feeling of plush cloud beneath her hooves. Nodding in satisfaction, Rainbow flew to the previous cloud and moved it six feet away and a foot higher than the one Lightning was standing on.

Now that Lightning had a better grasp of feeling the air with her wings, Rainbow decided it was time for some basic flight experience. The trick they were using was one she learned about at Flight Camp that was meant to teach weak flyers how to read altitude and distance in the air. They had been doing this for hours and so far Lightning had been making great progress. As it stood, she could now maintain constant flight about seven feet off the ground with minimal physical strain so long as she didn't try to fly beyond a light jogger's running pace. A far cry from the standard high-altitude flying ability of a Pegasus of her physical age, but a very good push in the right direction all things considered.

"H-How much higher are we going?" Lightning asked, a small tremble running through her as she took note of her altitude.

"Just one more mile," Rainbow smiled reassuringly as she hovered by the unoccupied cloud. "We'll call it a day after tha-"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Rainbow," an eerily familiar voice said, contemptuous snark heavily caked in every syllable.

Both mares turned towards the voice, Lightning shocked while Rainbow looked like she had just sucked an especially sour lemon.

"Hey Lightning," she grumbled as the Equestrian double of her student slowly glided towards her. "What do you want?"

"Not much," she shrugged, orbiting the sky-blue Pegasus like a buzzard. "Thought I saw a gutless coward on the way to Cloudsdale and thought I'd say hi."

Rainbow glared at the mare and was about to tell her off when Terran Lightning beat her to the punch.

"Hey dumb-ass! Leave my teach alone!"

Equestrian Lightning rounded on her double, only just noticing her existence.

"Who you calling a..."

Her anger turned into confusion as she took in the Pegasus standing before her.

"You are!" Lighting snapped, taking advantage of her double's shock. "Now, fuck off or I'll shove my hoof so far up your ass you'll taste it!"

Equestrian Lightning quickly flew back a foot, not sure just how serious her double was. When she turned towards Rainbow she was greeted with a frown and a raised brow.

"W-What the buck is this?" Equestrian Lightning stammered, pointing towards her double. "Are you cloning me or something?!"

"Psh! Yeah right," Rainbow glowered. "Why the hay would I want another one of you running around?"

Equestrian Lightning made sputtering noises, frantically pointing at her double as a if to prove her point.

"You from a different world," Rainbow said flatly.

Equestrian Lightning silently stared at her for a moment, then said, "Just how stupid to you think I am?"

"Very," Lightning and Rainbow said in unison.

The native Pegasus rounded on her double, eyes narrowed as they bored a hole into her.

"Oh yeah?" she growled, flying right up to Lightning's face. "What do ya think about this?!"

As she said that, she slammed a hoof into Lightning's cloud platform with enough force to shatter it. Lightning let out a startled yelp before her wings snapped open and flapped her into an unsteady hover.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Lightning shrieked in equal parts fear and fury.

"You're a Pegasus right?" Equestrian Lightning said with a smug smile. "Grow a damn spine and put those wings to real use instead of sitting on your security cloud like a filly."

Lightning let out a battle cry as she shot towards her double who casually side-flapped away from her punch. Growling, she took another swing at her only for the smug Pegasus to move just out of reach at the last second. Her frustration grew as she tried to ram her double only to whiz right past her. She developed tunnel-vision as she charged after her double all across the sky, body relying on a combination of her lessons and instinct to close the gap between her and her target.

"Wow, you're a really lousy clone," Equestrian Lightning sneered. "I can fly better then that drunk with a black eye! What's your excuse?"

"SHUT UP!" Lightning snarled, charging towards her double.

Equestrian Lightning flew over her attacker and gave her a light smack across the top of her head with a forehoof.

"Pathetic. Guess this is what happens when a wimp teaches somepony how to fly."

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!"

With that last roar, Lightning took several sharp turns and blasted towards her double. Her double's patronizing smile shifted to a look of wide-eyed panic as she instantly closed the gap between them. Before she could throw a punch, Rainbow suddenly grabbed the Terran Pegasus from behind and pulled her away from her double.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there kid," Rainbow said, struggling to keep the fuming mare under control. "Cool it!"

"What!?" she snapped, struggling to get out of her teacher's grip. "But-But she-!"

"Damn," Equestrian Lightning sighed, tension melting out of her form. "I knew I had a temper, but that was crazy!"

She glared at Rainbow then added, "Next time, warn me before I go kicking a hornet's nest!"

"Right," Rainbow awkwardly chuckled. "Sorry Dusty."

Anger switched places with confusion as she quietly observed the sudden change in demeanor between the two mares.

Equestrian Lightning just huffed as she glared at Rainbow.

"You're lucky you're such a good bar buddy," she grumbled.

"Okay," Lightning groaned. "Can someone please explain what the hell's going on?"

"Right," Rainbow sighed, letting go of Lightning.

Once the foreign Pegasus managed to bring herself into a hover, Rainbow started to explain.

"See, I ran into Dusty at Berry's bar last night and we threw back a couple shots for old times sake."

"I threw back a few shots," Equestrian Lightning corrected with a smirk. "You threw back a bottle of apple rum."

"Anyway," Rainbow chuckled awkwardly. "We talked for a while and you came up."

"I thought I was talking to the rum at first," Equestrian Lightning shrugged. "Especially when she started talking about portals and stuff. So I made a deal with her. I'd come by today and if you were real, I'd help you with your flying problem."

"How?" Lightning frowned. "All you did was talk shit and diss Rainbow."

"Yep," Equestrian Lightning smirked. "Worked like a charm."

"Huh?"

"You see," Rainbow explained. "I could see from our tag sessions that you knew how to use your wings well enough to fly. We just needed to find a way around your hights problem."

"My what?"

"You're afraid of falling," Equestrian Lightning said flatly.

"Who isn't?!" Lightning Exclaimed.

"Pegasi," the native Lightning said.

"Except for Fluttershy," Rainbow said awkwardly.

Both Lightnings stared at her in shock.

"Really?" Lightning asked.

"It's a long story," Rainbow said, waving the topic off. "Anyway, Dust said that if we got you riled up enough, you'd forget about how high you were and just do what you needed to do."

"Looks like it worked," Equestrian Lightning smirked, eyeing her double.

Lightning took stock of her situation for the first time since the conversation started and her glare turned into a look of wonder. There she was, hovering miles above Ponyville like it was second nature. She barely noticed the feeling of her wings keeping her aloft. A gentle smile spread across her muzzle as she closed her eyes to enjoy a moment she never thought she would get to experience. When she opened them again, she was greeted by the smiling faces of her teacher and her double. Her smile turned into a frown as she stared at them.

"So, let's see if I've got this strait," she said, crossing her forelegs. "To help me get over my fear of hights, you guys tricked me into chasing one of you around cuz I thought they were being a dick to one of my new friends?"

Both mares cringed at that.

"Well," Equestrian Lightning said, awkwardly scratching the back of her head.

"When you put it like that..." Rainbow frowned letting the sentence hang in the air.

Lightning's eyes narrowed, then in a flat tone said, "Run."

Both mares gulped as they turned and tore through the sky to get as far away from the fuming Pegasus as possible. Lightning's frown shifted into a challenging smile as her narrowed eyes locked onto one of the fleeing mares. Instinct and teachings again took over as she soared after them, an excited giggle slipping past her muzzle as she enjoyed her first real flight. The first of many if she had anything to say about it.

***

Vinyl smiled as she strolled through Ponyville, no real destination in mind as she enjoyed the rustic charm of her surroundings. Houses of varying shapes and sizes flanked her as she wandered through the town's large residential district. Some of the decorations covering the local's property brought a chuckle out of her over how ridiculous they looked or how much they mirrored the kind of things she'd seen in her own world. Who knew ponies had reindeer decorations too?

"Wonder if they have their own version of A Christmas Carol here?" she chuckled, staring at a house covered with enough lights to be seen from Mars.

As she turned to continue her aimless wandering, a pony walking down the street caught her eye. She blinked a couple times, only for a wide smile to spread across her muzzle when she got over the shock.

With an easy shrug, she whispered, "Why the hell not?" and followed the pony.

The pony casually made her way through town, oblivious to the Unicorn tailing her. Vinyl gradually got closer to the pony as they went about their business. After about twenty minutes, the pony appeared to be debating whether or not to enter a store she was standing in front of as Vinyl moved to her left side.

"This place any good?" she asked, staring at what looked like a bar.

Her double flinched, then turned towards the foreign Unicorn to answer, only to pause. Smiling impishly, Vinyl turned her head towards her double and pulled her shades up with her magic. Equestrian Vinyl gawked at her for a moment then did the same, flashing her a set of lavender eyes. Vinyl's red eyes widened as she took in the slight difference between her and her double. The Terran Unicorn jumped when she heard a voice coming not from her double's mouth, but her horn as it glowed a light shade of purple.

"So I've got a double around here too? Awesome! I can't wait to see sis' face when she hears this!"

"Uh, yeah..." Vinyl said awkwardly, taking a step back from her double. "How are you-"

"I'm mute," Equestrian Vinyl "said", a sad smile gracing her muzzle. "So, to talk I use my magic to manipulate sound waves."

Vinyl gawked at the Unicorn then gave her an excited smile.

"That's so awesome!" she cried, taking a step closer to her. "How does it work?"

Equestrian Vinyl silently chuckled.

"It's a little tricky to explain. If you want, I could teach you a little."

"You serious? Thanks!" she smiled.

Equestrian Vinyl "laughed" then turned back towards the building she had been staring at earlier and said, "But first, I want a drink. You game?"

Vinyl looked up at the building's sign and smirked.

"The Punch Bowl, huh? Why not?," she laughed.

With that, the two Vinyls let themselves into the bar. The second the door closed behind them, every patron did a double take as one of the most well known ponies in town and her twin sister graced their presence. Oddly enough, the sight seemed to fill them with excitement instead of confusion. Equestrian Vinyl silently laughed over the pony's reactions as she guided her double to the bar and took a seat.

"So," the native Unicorn said as she flagged the bartender over. "What's your poison?"

"I'll have some mint vodka. You?" she shrugged, pulling herself onto a stool by her double.

Equestrian Vinyl laughed and said, "Nothing beats Shireish whisky. "

Seconds after she said that, a mulberry Earth Pony mare appeared behind the bar and pored her a shot.

"Thanks Berry," she said before downing her offering.

"No prob Scratch," Berry smirked. "And what can I get your new sis?"

"Says she likes mint vodka," She smirked. "Let's get the good shit."

Berry nodded with a smirk and went to get the drink in question, leaving the whisky bottle on the bar for them.

"So I'm your sis now?" Vinyl smirked. "Don't know if Tavi can handle more than one of me in her life."

"Why?" Equestrian Vinyl asked, poring herself another shot. "You two a thing?"

"Nah," she sighed, Berry returning and poring her a shot. "Her folks adopted me after they got me away from my bitch of a mom. Been as close as blood family since. You?"

She shrugged, then downed another shot.

"The usual way. Mom and dad met up at a concert, clicked, got frisky, and out popped big sister and I a few months later."

"You're twins?" she asked, shock stoping her hoof just an inch away from her drink.

"Fraternal ones, but yeah," she shrugged, poring herself a new shot. "Nearly gave Grandma Philharmonic a stroke when she saw me at the hospital, according to pops."

"She didn't like Unicorns?" she asked, throwing back her shot.

"Nah, she thought mom cheated."

Vinyl nearly spat her drink across the bar when she heard that.

"The hell?"

"To be fair," she said, hoof raised in a placating manor. "Both our folks are Earth Ponies and except for my eyes, I don't have either of their colors. So after a blood test and a dig into pop's family tree, we figured out that I took after my dad's Great-Great-Grandpa. Grandma spent months trying to make up for it afterwards."

"Damn. That must've been a blast to go through," Vinyl sighed, poring herself another shot.

"Eh, it was a thing," she shrugged. "So, what do you play?"

"They got turntables here?" Vinyl asked.

"Yep," she smirked.

"Mostly that. I can play the guitar and drums, but Tavi's always had more of a knack for the classic stuff. You?"

"The table, guitar, drums, violin, and piano."

Vinyl's jaw dropped at that.

"Okay, I get how you can play most of those, cuz magic and all that, but how the heck can you play the piano? You don't have any fingers for Peat's sake!"

"What's a finger?" she asked, blinking at her double in confusion. "I just use my hooves. It's not that hard once you get the hang of it."

Before Vinyl could argue, she felt a hoof tap her shoulder. Turning, she came face-to-face with a very tired-looking Applejack.

"Whoa! What the heck happened to you?"

"Longest mornin' Ah've ever had," she sighed taking a seat at Vinyl's left at the bar.

"What happened?" Equestrian Vinyl asked.

The farmer looked at the native DJ and asked, "Ya' know you and yer' sister ain't the only ponies with doubles runn' around, right?"

"Kinda' guessed," she shrugged.

"Well," she sighed, "Fluttershy's got a double here too and they've been getting right cosy with each other the last couple days."

"That's the cutest and weirdest thing I've ever heard," the native Unicorn smirked. "And that's saying something."

Applejack chuckled, then ordered "her usual" from Berry before continuing.

"Welp, apparently they went on a date last night and decided to spend the night in one of the barns at the orchard."

"Wait," Vinyl said, raising a brow. "Do you mean spent the night or "spent the night"?"

At that moment, Berry placed a mug of apple gin in front of the tired mare.

Applejack took a long pull then said, "They took a real roll in the hay. Took me all morning to get rid of it all.

Both mares gawked at her for a second, only for a wide grin to spread across one DJ's face.

"ALRIGHT FLUTTERS!" Vinyl cheered, earning a few confused stares from the other bar patrons.

"Berry, put another of her drinks on my tab," Equestrian Vinyl said, giving the farmer a sympathetic chuckle.

"Thank ya kindly," she sighed. "Ah just wish Applebloom wasn't with me when Ah walked in on 'em."

Both Vinyls stared at her for a moment, then pushed their loaded shot glasses over to her.

***

Octavia's eye twitched. At first, she didn't have any problem spending the day with her Equestrian double at her house. A chance to spend time with someone of equal sophistication outside her family was a welcomed respite from the insanity she had mostly adapted to over the past couple of days. Granted, Equestrian Octavia was outside her family by only the strictest of definitions, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Be it figuratively or literally. However, as her double demonstrated her skill at the grand piano, a large part of her rational mind felt like it was about to rupture.

Not possible, she thought as the onset of a migraine started to take form in her skull. She has no fingers. How the bloody hell is she able to hit all the keys so finely?

As she finished her twelfth song request, Equestrian Octavia turned to face her double with a faint smile.

"Any other requests?" she asked, mirth coating every syllable.

Octavia glowered at her double as she ran through her extensive knowledge of classical music. So far, the mare had successfully performed twelve of the most intricate pieces that she knew of. Not even Chop Pin's "Etude in G# Minor No.6 " could defeat her. She needed a piece that could break the greatest of musical geniuses, that even she had a hard time against. A wicked smile spread across her muzzle as just the piece she needed came to mind.

"Shoe Man's Toccata in C Major Op.7."

Equestrian Octavia stared at her in shock, then flashed her a determined smile.

"My, you are quite the demanding guest. Very well."

With that, she returned her hooves to the keys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc1QL-QJrz0 Like before her hooves glided smoothly across them like skates on ice, invisible fingers hitting all the necessary keys for the piece. But the mare's logic defying ability wasn't what made Octavia's jaw drop. It was the fact that she was doing it with her eyes closed. The hardest, most intricate piece she could remember from her lessons was being preformed for her with the apparent ease of Beet Haven's Moonlight Sonata! Like a good guest, she sat quietly all the way through the performance. Mentally, she was screaming as she was spoon-fed a fresh bowl of crow soup with a side helping of her own words as her double continued to prove her wrong. When she finally hit the last note to the piece, she turned to face her double with a smile that to anyone else would've seemed sweet, but to the knowing Terran was what her adopted sister would distastefully call a "shit-eating grin".

"Fine," she sighed. "I admit it. I was wrong. Apparently hooves do work differently here than they do back home."

"Thank you," she smiled, stepping away from the piano. "Now that that business is out of the way, care for a drink?"

"That would be most appreciated, love," she sighed.

A faint smile decorated the native Earth Pony's muzzle as she stepped towards the liquor cabinet in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Octavia silently stewed in her irritation as she fell to her haunches.

I honestly don't know how I should feel about all this. On one hand, I am happy that my double is so gifted. On the other, HOW CAN SHE PLAY THAT CONFOUNDED INSTRUMENT WITHOUT FINGERS?!

A dejected sigh slipped past her lips as she followed her double. Never before had the sound of scotch filling a glass been so enticing to her.

***

Lyra smiled manically as her eyes flew across the pages of the spell book on the table in front of her. Since Twilight helped her gain control of her magic, she had decided to learn as many spells as she could before she had to go back home with the others. Therefore, she cloistered herself in the castle's main library with stacks of entry-level spell books surrounding her like bastions of a great fortress. As a personal rule, she made sure to study barrier and levitation spells before moving on to other skills. Her run-in with her double filled her with the resolve to make sure such a thing never happened again when she came back in the future. She never wanted to feel that helpless again.

She looked up from her book and stared at the top of one of her stacks. She closed her eyes and focused on the instructions she had just read.

Relax. Focus on the object in question. Imagine my magic as a talon or vine. Imagine it grabbing the object and bringing it to me.

She took a deep breath and focused on her magic. Immediately, a curtain of golden energy entered her mind's eye followed by a gentle tingle around her horn. She slowly opened her eyes and focused on the book in question. As she did, she imagined a long golden arm coming out of her horn and grabbing the book. No sooner had her mental hand grabbed it, did the tome become enveloped in a golden aura. Smiling, she imagined the arm retracting into her body as the book shakily lifted itself off of the pile and floated drunkenly towards her.

"Awesome," she smiled, slowly moving the book around like a toy airplane. "Not quite at Twilight or Sunset's level, but I'll get there. Now how do I do barriers?"

As she said that, she dove back into the book she was reading. At the same time, another mare stepped into the library. She bit her lip nervously as she approached the studying Terran, not entirely sure if what she was about to do was a good idea or not. At the same time though, she knew it was something she had to do. So, with a gulp, she raised a hoof and tapped her on the shoulder.

Lyra flinched, then looked over her shoulder. Her blood turned to ice when she was greeted by her own sheepish face. A dense silence filled the library as the two Lyras stared at each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, the Terran in the room leveled a glare at her double and rose to her hooves. As she did, several large heavy tomes wrapped in a familiar golden glow floated off of the table and shelves around them.

"You've got ten seconds to tell me what you want before I kill you with about a hundred pounds of knowledge."

Equestrian Lyra gulped, then said, "I just wanted to talk."

Lyra's glare hardened for a moment, then softened when she saw just how rattled her double was. She sighed, then put back some of the books she had floating around them to their proper shelves.

"Guess I can let you do that much," she frowned, returning to her seat at her workstation. "Have a seat."

As she said that, she nudged her head to the opposite end of the table. With a small smile, the Unicorn nodded then took the offered seat. For a few seconds, they sat in awkward silence as the native Unicorn tried to find her words. The foreign Unicorn sat, stone-faced as she patiently waited for her fidgeting double to center herself. Finally, Equestrian Lyra let out a sigh and began to speak.

"First, I want to say I'm sorry for everything I did to you and your friends. It wasn't right and I really should've handled things differently."

"Understatement of the century," Lyra said flatly.

Her double cringed, but continued.

"It's just.....all my life, I've been studying the legends surrounding your people. I even took a class at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and its sister college to learn everything I could about your kind. I have a room back home dedicated to my research that not even Bonbon can enter without my express permission. A good chunk of my life is dedicated to proving that humans exist. To find out that not one, but seven of them were running around Ponyville was too good a chance to pass up and I just........lost it."

Tears of shame slid down her face as she pleaded her case to her Terran double. The silence from before returned as the two Unicorns stared at each other. Lyra let out a sigh and stared at the ceiling.

"There's next to no magic in my world," she said, tone tired as she frowned at the crystals above her. "Unicorns, Pegasi, and Dragons are just myths and legend there. Hell, a couple months ago the most I had to worry about was studying for a math test before Twilight came to town. Since then, we've had to deal with a magical megalomaniac and a trio of demonic pop-stars. The first becoming a friend of mine after she almost killed herself. But before that, I would've killed to have a chance to come to a magic world. A real one. Not the cheep knockoff I've got back home. Now that I'm here, it's too great to describe."

As she said that, she turned towards her double and gave her a tired smile before adding, "I guess what I'm trying to say here is, I get where your coming from. So I forgive you."

Equestrian Lyra beamed at her double and clumsily wiped her tears away.

"Th-Thank you," she sniffled.

Lyra chuckled a bit a that, then asked, "Now, what do you want to know?"

***

Equestrian Pinkie dashed around the tables in Sugarcube Corner as she delivered orders at speeds only she was capable of, bearing a smile bright enough to illuminate the darkest caves to all as she delivered cocoa and peppermint laced goodies to the costumers. It warmed her heart to see so many happy faces as she did her work, but no matter how many smiles she created the face of her human double continued to haunt the back of her mind. Never before had she seen such a battered-looking soul then the one she saw in the human's eyes. When she locked eyes with her double, she saw a fire that filled her with just as much sorrow as it did respect. It was the flame of somepony that had stared death in the face and crawled away from it by the skin of their teeth at the last second. She saw that same fire in Twilight's eyes after her battle with Tirek, but this was different. The other Pinkie was scarred, not physically, but spiritually. It was this fact that made her rethink her plans for her double when she was able to catch her. While tying her to a chair and yelling at her for a few hours seemed like a good idea at the time, she felt a much gentler approach was in order.

Maybe I can throw her an "I'm Sorry for Scaring You" party", she thought as she laid out a tray of fresh peppermint brownies for a group of foals. No, that won't work. She thinks I want to hurt her!

Her smile wavered slightly as she gave a pair of ponies their order and moved back to the kitchen to fetch more orders.

I could try to figure out where she's hiding and leave her an apology card. No, she can tell when I'm close and can disappear. And my Pinkie Sense can't track her until she comes into town!

"How can she do that anyway?" she asked under her breath as she mixed some cake batter.

She sighed as she poured it into a baking bowl and placed it into the oven. As it cooked, her mind continued to wander while her false smile melted off of her face.

I really messed up, huh? she thought as her lower-lip started to tremble. I need to tell her I'm sorry, but to do that I need to catch her first. It's not right. You shouldn't be scared when playing tag, but I have to play to make things right.

"I don't like this game," she whimpered as her mane and tail deflated in response to her inner turmoil, only for it to return to its former glory a second later as a determined flame burned within her.

"But I hate seeing somepony sad even more!"

With that, she threw herself back into her work, all the while plotting how she was going to win the most important game of tag of her life.

I dedicate this link to the previous chapter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biytbPd-66o
And as for the next couple of chapters? Things are going to escalate pretty quickly! Hope you enjoy!

Early morning sunlight peeked through the windows of Canterlot Castle into its silent halls. At this hour, only The Guard and the craziest of early-birds were awake. One such pony wandered aimlessly through the halls, enjoying the peace as the light bounced off of her red and gold mane. Sunset's mind wandered along with her hooves as she walked, memories coming to her in a steady stream. Some teased a small smile out of her while others made her feel a pang of regret as she stumbled across their triggers. These didn't last long as new additions to the castle perked her curiosity in ways that brought her back to her fillyhood. Granted, most of these new places to explore were just shortcuts to already existing portions of the castle's old layout, but it was still gave her a bit of a thrill when she discovered them.

"Let's see what's behind door number fifty," she whispered, an impish smile decorating her muzzle as she turned the nob with her magic.

As the door slowly opened, the faint sounds of breathing could be heard. Realizing that she had stumbled across somepony's bedroom, she made to close the door only to stop when something caught her eye. A pink mane ribbon hung from the headboard of one of the beds, a very familiar yellow Earth Pony filly curled up under the comforter. Her lips contorted into a hard frown as she let herself into the room. Each step towards the sleeping filly stoked a toxic fire in her heart. This was one of the people responsible for her almost killing herself. This filly took her friends away from her. She destroyed everything she fought so hard to earn.

Her teeth ground together in pure rage as she stared at the sleeping Applebloom. Her horn glowed with an unformed spell at its tip as it tried to shape the magic to reflect its mistress' emotional state. Frustrated tears slid down her cheeks as she struggled against what the fire inside her demanded. A shaky sigh rattled past her lips as she gave her gathered magic a directive and tucked the blanket around Applebloom. The sleeping filly let out a pleased hum in her sleep, completely oblivious to the mare's presence. She turned to leave only for a small voice in the room to make her freeze.

"S-Sunset?"

Slowly, she turned towards the whisper and was greeted by a groggy Pegasus filly sitting up in bed staring at her. They stared at each other, both as still as statues as they waited for the other to make the first move. Eventually, Sunset broke the stare down and again made to leave the room.

"Wait!" Scootaloo whisper-yelled, struggling to get out of bed.

"Why?" she said coldly, eyes locked with the ground. "Do you want to take my new friends away, too?"

Scootaloo flinched, then sighed as her gaze fell to the floor in shame.

".....No," she sighed as she lowered herself to the ground. "I.....I just want to talk. Can I?"

Silence filled the room as Sunset mulled over Scootaloo's words. She could tell her no. That their was nothing she could say to her that would make a difference. She could tell her that she hated her guts and would never forgive her for what she did. It would be so easy. At least, it would be....if she did hate them.

"Alright," she sighed. "Meet me at the Royal Dining Hall in ten minutes. I'll let the staff know you have my permission to be there.."

Scootaloo gave her a weak smile then said, " Thanks Sunset."

She nodded, then finally stepped out of the room.

***

You could cut the tension with an ax as Sunset and Scootaloo ate. While Scootaloo looked nervous, Sunset was fighting every urge to scream at the little filly. Like in the bedroom, both waited for the other to break the silence to start the conversation. The problem was that neither seemed to know where to start. Sunset wanted to drop her baggage onto the source of her anger, but a larger part of her knew that wasn't the right way to handle this. In Scootaloo's case, she didn't want to ruin her one chance to talk to her. She didn't want to wing it when saying the wrong word could make her already shaky situation even worse.

"So," Sunset said, face unreadable as she stared at the startled filly. "What do you want?"

Scootaloo gulped. She still didn't have the words to say what she wanted, but decided answering Sunset's question was a good place to start.

"I-I wanted to say I'm sorry," she stammered, scared to look Sunset in the eye. "W-What we did was stupid and it wasn't fair."

"I see," Sunset said, not even a faint change in her pokerface. "Is that it?"

"N-No," Scootaloo gulped. "I also wanted to say I want to make it up to you."

Sunset's left eyebrow twitched as a spike of anger shot through her.

"Really? How do you plan to do that? Be my gofer for a while?"

She shook her head.

"I still have to do things around here. When that's done you can make me do whatever you want."

Sunset's anger vanished as intrigue took its place. Given what she'd heard about her, she half expected the Terran to start bargaining for an easier punishment. The fact that the foreign Pegasus was willing to take her punishment in addition to whatever Sunset had in mind for her did raise her opinion of her character.

"That's a pretty big offer," Sunset said, propping her head up with both forelegs as she stared at Scootaloo. "What if I told you to never talk to your friends again? Would you still do it?"

The filly narrowed her eyes as the mare, then said, "No. I won't leave my friends."

Sunset frowned.

"You took my friends away from me. Why shouldn't I do the same to you?"

Scootaloo's glare hardened.

"Because that won't make us even, just sad."

A faint smile formed on Sunset's muzzle.

"Mom's been talking to you, huh?"

Scootaloo's posture softened as the tension weakened in the room.

"Miss Raven and Crow are pretty good teachers too," she smiled. "Oh! And someone from home talked to us a few days ago."

"Let me guess," Sunset chuckled. "Grey Pegasus. Yellow mane and tail. Misaligned eyes?"

Scootaloo nodded.

"Derpy did good then," she smiled, then sighed as she gave her breakfast guest a deadpan. "As for what you can do for me, I'll have to think about it for a while. Is that fine?"

"What ever you want to do," she said solemnly. "Just don't drag the others into this."

"Got it," she nodded. "Whatever I come up with will just be between you and me. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom will be left completely out of it."

"Thanks," she smiled. "And Sunset, I'm really sorry. For everything."

"Apology accepted," she smiled, a warmth forming deep in her heart as the words left her mouth.

Scootaloo beamed at that, then remembered her food and tore into it like a starved wolf. As Sunset enjoyed her breakfast, she marveled at how light she felt. It was like a lead weight had fallen off of her back and it was glorious. The air seemed cleaner. The world brighter. Granted, she knew that it was going to take a lot more then a simple apology for her to get over what happened to her, but if what she was feeling was anything to go by it was a start at the very least.

***

Derpy stared at the stores they passed as she strolled through Canterlot, Sunset not far behind her as she did the same. Neither of them had any real destination in mind as they navigated the streets, both simply wanting to get some air now that they were done with their holiday shopping. Though a good sized part of it also had to do with Princess Celestia practically hovering over them like a solar-powered vulture most of the time when they were in the castle.

She slowed her pace until Sunset was next to her and draped a wing over her back. Sunset jumped from the sudden contact, then leaned into her marefriend's embrace. Derpy smiled as she enjoyed Sunset's warmth, eyes locked with hers as they walked. If there was anything good she could say about the Solar Princess' actions it was that she gave them the push they needed to give their relationship a shot. Though, both wished she'd ease up on the whole ring thing. The whole world seemed so much brighter for the both of them since their fist date, especially when they where together to enjoy it.

Their revelry was interrupted when something from a store they passed flew out and clung to Derpy's foreleg. They stopped and Derpy raised her leg to be greeted by the most unusual sight. A light-purple Unicorn filly with a bright-yellow mane and tail hung onto her leg like a sloth as she looked up at her with yellow eyes full of love.

"Gotcha' Mama!" she cheered giggling at the bewildered mare.

Derpy stared at the Unicorn in shock, only for recognition to slowly take form as she stared.

"Dinky?"

"Uh-huh!" the filly smiled, tilting her head in confusion. "Are you okay Mama?"

Sunset stared at the two ponies in shock, trying to make sense of the situation. Fortunately, answers came in the form of another grey Pegasus running out of the same store.

"Dinky!" Equestrian Derpy said, running up to her startled double. "What did I tell you about running off?"

Dinky stared back and forth between the two Pegasi a few times, then flung herself at the other mare like a flying squirrel with a look of terror as she cried, "Changeling Mama! Mama save me!"

The mare blinked, remaining completely still even as her daughter clung to the back of her neck. Derpy wasn't doing much better as she stared at her double. At that moment, a brown Earth Pony stallion galloped out of the store to Equestrian Derpy's side.

"Ditzy, dear," the stallion panted, a thick Trottingham accent coloring his voice. "Are you alright?"

The native Pegasus turned towards him and smiled.

"Yeah Time, just saving Dinky from me," she smiled tilting her head slightly towards Derpy.

When the stallion looked at Derpy his jaw hit the floor.

"Dear, do you have a twin sister?" he asked, turning towards Equestrian Derpy.

She chuckled, then gave him a playful hip-bump and said, "Am I not enough for you dear?"

Time chuckled as he gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"It's a Changeling!" Dinky squeaked, hiding behind her mother's neck. "Get her daddy!"

Time chuckled then mussed the filly's mane with a hoof.

"Now now, let's not jump to conclusions here."

As he said that, he looked deep into Derpy's eyes. She leaned back from the stallion's intense gaze as he searched her for something. Sunset tensed as she watched this happen, ready to spring to her girlfriend's defense should the need arise. Then just as suddenly as he started, he broke his stare and smiled in satisfaction.

"Don't worry Dinky dear," he chuckled. "She's not a Changeling."

"Are you sure?" Dinky asked, peeking out from her hiding place.

"I would hope so," Sunset smirked, leaning into Derpy's side.

The couple stared at the two mares then gave them a knowing smile.

"Well, pleasure to meet you ma'am," Time smiled, holding out a hoof to shake. "I'm Time Turner, but most call me Doc."

"Sunset shimmer," Sunset smiled, shaking the offered hoof. "And this is Derpy."

Derpy nodded, trapped in some sort of mental stall as she stared dumbly at her double and her family.

"Nice to meet you Derpy," the native Pegasus smiled at her double. "I'm Ditzy Do."

Derpy shook herself out of her block and nodded with a smile at Ditzy.

"Same here. And It's Derpy Memes actually."

The rest of the group stared at her in confusion, Sunset's stare holding a trace of surprise at hearing this unknown part of her girlfriend's identity.

"My folks are weird," she shrugged.

Ditzy and Time nodded in understanding, the mare in the group scratching the back of her head awkwardly. Dinky popped her head out of her mother's mane and stared at Derpy with scrutiny.

"You sure she's not a Changeling?"

"Yes muffin," Time Turner laughed.

Dinky stared at the two mares for a few seconds, then smiled before hopping off of her mother and landing between the two duos.

"Hi! I'm Dinky Do!" she beamed.

It took everything Sunset had not to scoop up the little filly and hug her like a teddybear. It was as if the cuteness of a million bunnies and kittens had been compressed into a single being with a smile made of pure sunlight that could put Pinkie Pie to shame. Derpy unconsciously brought a forehoof to her chest as she stared at the filly, her charm too much for her to handle all at once.

"Nice to meet you," Sunset smiled, then shifted her attention back towards the filly's parents and asked. "Do you all live up here?"

"No," Time smiled, pulling Dinky into himself to keep her from wandering off. "We had the day off today and thought we'd see the sights."

"I see," she laughed. "How have things been so far?"

"Crazy," Ditzy chuckled. "But nothing we haven't dealt with already. Ponyville kind of makes a place like Canterlot look organized most of the time."

"So you're from Ponyville?" Derpy asked.

"Yep!" Dinky chirped. "Daddy helped me make my own bomb shelter last week!"

Sunset and Derpy blinked at that while the two native ponies chuckled.

"Well, I think we've eaten up enough of their time dear," Ditzy smiled as she picked up her daughter by the scruff of her neck and placed her onto her back. "We don't want to leave Rose waiting at the hotel for too long."

"Sister does tend to cause problems when she's board," he sighed.

Ditzy giggled, then turned towards Derpy and said, "If you're ever in Ponyville and want to talk, stop by the post office."

"No problem," Derpy smiled. "Thanks."

Ditzy nodded and walked away, her husband not far behind them as they disappeared into the crowds. Sunset smiled as she watched them go. After what happened in Ponyville, it wasn't that hard for her to wrap her head around the idea that their was another version of her girlfriend walking around. It was a bit shocking that said double had a different name and was a mother, but she was nothing if not adaptive. Derpy on the other hoof seemed to not be taking it quite as well.

"What are the odds, huh Derpy?"

At the lack of a response, she turned towards the mare in question. Her lips were pulled into a stiff smile as she stared into the crowd where her double disappeared into with a twitchy eye.

"Derpy?" she asked, nervously waving a hoof in front of her face. "Are you okay?"

"In a world far, far away," she said, voice just above a whisper. "I'm married to my father, my sister is my daughter, and my mom is my sister-in-law."

"Y-Yeah," Sunset chuckled awkwardly. "Pretty crazy, right?"

Derpy nodded, expression and stiff posture unchanged. Sunset struggled to find a way to snap her out of her stupor. She briefly considered smacking her, but immediately killed the option with a nuke before moving on to other options. When nudging her failed to get any results, her face heated up as a new idea took form. Gulping, she leaned in and gently planted a kiss on Derpy's cheek. Derpy blinked out of her shock as Sunset pulled back, a deep blush coloring her muzzle as she bashfully locked eyes with her.

"B-Better?" she stammered with a shy smile.

Derpy's face turned beet red and with wide eyes nodded vigorously.

"J-J-Just give me a minute to wrap my head around what happened."

Sunset's smile grew and she nuzzled into Derpy's neck.

"I can help you, if you want."

For a moment, Derpy's head and neck seemed to merge with the red of Sunset's mane as her blush spread past her chin. Cinnamon and vanilla made the two mares drunk with each other's presence as Derpy's shock was replaced by a much more pleasant mental state. With an incredible display of willpower, the two mares pulled themselves away from each other.

"How about now?" she asked, voice a little breathy as she smiled at her girlfriend.

"Wh-Who are we talking about?" Derpy asked, blushing heavily and teetering slightly.

Sunset giggled then guided the Pegasus through the busy streets, doing her best to keep her own head out of the clouds as they walked.

***

Sunset hummed happily as she sat in front of her bathroom mirror and brushed her mane. Aside from meeting her girlfriend's double, nothing of any particular note had happened. Not that that was anything to complain about as far as she was concerned. After everything that happened on Terra, she was happy for a boring day in her native land. Though boring wasn't quite the right word. Finding out what the second half of her girlfriend's name was, was a point of amusement for her as she occasionally dropped her full name for a bit of light teasing. Derpy took it with a smile while also pushing her own buttons by calling her LIttle Sun at random intervals.

She chuckled and set her brush down on the bathroom counter.

She admired herself in the mirror as she thought about just how great a turn her life had taken. Granted, it looked like the world had turned into a frozen void not too long ago, but from that pit she met the sweetest person she could ever hope to meet. She reconnected with her mother for the first time in years. Piece by piece, she was returning to her former glory before Annon-a-Miss tore her apart. An event that filled her with rage, but also reminded her of what she had now thanks to the hell Scootaloo and her friends put her through. She was happy. She was loved. And she was going to do whatever it took to maintain that.

A thump from her bedroom next door caught her attention. Smiling, she stepped away from the mirror and made her way towards the door.

She must've fell out of bed again, she thought with a giggle as she opened the door.

When the light filled the darkened bedroom, her smile died. Standing over the still form of Derpy was a Unicorn dressed in a formfitting black outfit that covered their entire body with a knife hovering beside her in an orange glow. The blade was pointed at the sleeping mare's neck.

Looks like somepony's gonna have a bad time. (Heh, heh)

Gold Vine silently fumed in her study as the previous nights events ran through her head. It was a simple task. Gather intel on her target's life and habits then use it to find the perfect time to strike. Granted, this was adjusted from the usual tactic of eliminating them in a mostly public setting due to outside interference constantly getting in the way. As such, the kill would need to be done in the mare's own bed. A matter that should've made the kill as typical as could be in her line of work. At least, it would've if the filthy cloud trotter had seen fit to live in the slums of the city's lower districts like she was meant to be. The fact that she lived in the same building as Princess Celestia filled her veins with hot lead every time it came to mind. One of many factors she attributed to her failure last night. That, and incredibly bad luck.

***

The room was pitch-black as Gold Vine crawled across its vaulted ceiling, a minor gravity spell doing a bulk of the work her clawed hoof-covers couldn't. Casting a glance at the ground, the source of her ire slept completely unaware of her imminent demise. Gold Vine's rage spiked at the injustice of it all. The fact that such an inferior pony got to live in the lap of luxury was a crime against nature. And criminals needed to be punished. Her horn glowed a faint orange light as she delicately weaved her magic into a metal tether to the ceiling as she lowered herself to the ground. She hit the ground a little harder then she intended, but pushed the minor slip to the back of her mind as she closed in on her prey.

Pure hate flowed through her veins as she stared at the sleeping Pegasus, a poison-tipped dagger pulled out of its scabbard at her hip with her magic. A maniacal grin formed on her lips as she took a moment to marvel at the killing tool. Solid mithril with a fine coat of Basilisk and Manticore venom, nothing could survive a direct strike from it as it's lethal payload dripped onto the floor. As she stood over her target, her rage mixed with her self-righteousness into a euphoric venom of its own as she aimed the blade at the Pegasus' neck. She was death itself. A reaper coming for the soul of one who wronged her just by merely existing. Never before had a potential kill filled her with so much joy.

Before she could deliver the killing blow, the room was flooded with light as a door opened. She turned and locked eyes with the one pony she hadn't expected to see so soon; the Pegasus' misguided lover. She stared at Gold Vine in shock for a second before righteous fury took its place. She quickly tried to plunge the dagger into her prey's throat, only to find her weapon caught in the other Unicorn's magical grip. In less then a blink, the weapon was crushed to literal oblivion. Only the tiniest trace of matter that Gold could feel in her magic told her the fate of the dagger as she leapt away from her target. As she did, a narrow beam of light-blue magic sliced the air in front of her and carved a deep gash into the wall opposite the enraged Unicorn. As she landed, part of her face covering fell away, revealing her face to the other mare. The mare's anger spiked and as her magic flowed through her horn like a azure fountain of flames, the room's temperature rose to that of a sauna. Sensing the danger, Gold threw herself out the nearest open window and teleported away to a nearby safe-house. As she sat there in the dark, panting in fear, she felt what it was like to be hunted. She knew what it was like to be prey.

***

A furious shriek blasted past her lips as she slammed her hoof through a display case on one end of her study. The pain and trails of blood that crept along her foreleg meant nothing to her as red-hot rage surged in her soul.

Afraid? I was Afraid!? HORSEFEATHERS! I am the Flower of Death! The Iron Reaper! The Vine That Hangs! Death is my servant and eternal lover! I! Fear! NOTHING!!! Least of all the horse of a cloud trotter living beyond her station!

Slowly, her snarl turned into a twisted grin as madness started to replace her rage, a manic stream of giggles filling the room as it grew.

She will come for me, she thought as wailing laughter flooded the room. Let her! I'll kill her too! I'll kill them all! Everypony who dares stand against the noble Vine Family shall be given the gift of death!

A yelp of pain mingled with her manic laughter as she tore her hoof free from the shattered glass, splattering blood across her expensive lavender carpet. She didn't care about that. All that mattered were her plans for her targets, each running through her muddled mind in more gruesome designs by the second. Never before had a kill been more personal to her or filled her with such pleasure upon conception.

Suddenly, a titanic surge of magic filled the air around her, snapping her far enough out of her mania to kill her laughter and bring a confused frown to her muzzle. The room seemed to twist and warp around her as she took in her surroundings, giving her a sense of vertigo as even the plush carpet beneath her hooves melted into the ground and turned into cold stone. In a mass of swirling color, the walls and decorations blurred out of existence. A landscape of formless color took their place over a land of solid rock that continued for eternity in every direction. As she looked up, she was greeted not by her ceiling, but a pitch-black sky with a massive obsidian-colored moon surrounded by the shine of an eclipsed sun as well as an intersecting pair of rings made of crystals and scrolls. Five furious surges of magic surrounded her and tore her attention away from the astronomical anomaly. Four Alicorns and one Dreconequis surrounded her, each taking a point around her in a manor similar to a compass ten feet wide while Discord lazily floated in a circle above them all. At the north, Celestia leveled a cold glare at Gold that was almost a mirrored image of the one her sister aimed at the Unicorn from the south. Contempt decorated Twilight's face as she stared at Gold Vine from the east while her sister-in-law looked a step away from tearing the mare's throat out from the west. Discord's face was unreadable as he orbited them, seemingly more interested in watching then contributing to the scene.

A faint smile formed on her lips as she stared at him. One that she quickly killed as she gave The Princess of the Sun her undivided attention.

"Your Highness," she said, bowing. "To what do I owe the honor of the High Court's time?"

Celestia's eyes narrowed, then with a tone as cold as an arctic gale she said, "Lady Gold Vine, you stand accused of attempted murder of a HIgh Royal's suitor. A crime that has not been attempted in over one hundred-thousand years in Equestria's history. How do you plea?"

Gold Vine faintly flinched. While that was a fairly steep claim, she knew it was a load of rubbish. Neither of her targets had any romantic connections to the Princesses, she made sure of it when she observed them the past couple of days. As such, she knew that as far as that claim was concerned she was safe. Any other crime that was brought against her she knew would be dealt with by the very same being that hovered over her. A fact that made her more confident than she had any right to be, considering her circumstances.

"Not guilty your Highness," she frowned. "I would never dream of taking from my betters. Why, my family has been nothing but loyal to the Crown since its inception. To take from a Hight Royal would be tantamount to treason for me."

"That is exactly what it is," Luna said, tone even colder than her sister's. "Lady Gold Vine, you may claim ignorance, but your actions have been nothing short of horrendous. You cannot fool us, demon. Your guilt is as blatant as a bee sting."

Gold Vine leveled a brief glance at Discord and leveled a wide smile at the gathered mares.

"Even if one among you had chosen to claim the cloud trotter, there is nothing you can do about it."

"What makes you say that?" Twilight asked, tone and face void of emotion.

"Well, I was given permission to carry out the kill by one of your own members of power," she said smugly, flashing Discord a sly smile. "I suppose that's what happens when you give your power to a being that can see sense every now and then."

A savage growl slipped past Cadence's muzzle as she turned her head up towards Discord. Before she could say anything, he snapped his fingers and a muzzle clamped around her head.

"Now, now," Discord tsked as the Princess of Love struggled to tear the restraint off of her face. "No need to jump to conclusions everypony."

With that, he smirked as he slithered to the ground next to the smiling Unicorn.

"Yes, she came to me to receive permission and I did supply her with weapons, but I never said she could kill anypony."

Gold Vine gave Discord a confused frown.

"Excuse me? We agreed that-"

"Agreed?" he said walking around her like a wolf to cornered prey. "My dear, I never said you could do what you wished. I merely said that your proposal held my interest at the time. Hard not to considering how close I've become to old Sun-butt."

Gold Vine's eyes widened as realization struck her. It was true. Not once during their meeting had he told her that her request was accepted. And if what he just said was anything to go by, she had also offered to kill somepony that he had taken a shine to! The fear she felt last night was nothing compared to what filled her as she stood before the five most powerful beings in Equestria.

"A-Alright," she gulped. "Fair enough. But that doesn't change the fact that I never raised a hoof against anypony of your cast."

"I'm afraid you have," Celestia said, then looked at Discord. "Let her in."

With that, Discord snapped his fingers and a door appeared on the edge of the High Royal's circle. When it opened, Sunset stepped into the circle. Gold Vine gave the Unicorn a confused glare as she placed herself at Celestia's right, a cold mask of resolution covering her face as she locked eyes with the Noble.

"As is tradition, any crime committed against a HIgh Royal is to be met by a punishment of the HIgh Royal's choice. My daughter has decided to follow that tradition and pass judgement upon you in a manner agreed upon by all present."

Daughter? Gold Vine thought, staring at the Unicorn in question.

"Lady Gold Vine," Sunset said, snapping her out of her musings. "By my power as a HIgh Royal, I sentence you to trial by battle. Effective immediately!"

As she said that, a bolt of magic shot out of her horn. Gold Vine narrowly avoided the bolt and jumped into a battle stance. Shock quickly switched places with excitement as she channeled her magic. A trial by battle was one of the oldest forms of punishment among the Canterlot elite. The rules were simple; two Unicorns entered an enchanted ring and battled. No outside interference was permitted or possible thanks to the ring and it was over when only one Unicorn was left standing. The winner took all of the loser's assets and titles while the other was left to die if they weren't dead already by that point. It was one of many ways the Vine Family had managed to maintain its power and influence over the years, as well as how Gold Vine had managed to take control of the family. Her father was such a foolish and trusting pony.

The power of a HIgh Royal? PERFECT!

A wicked smile spread across her muzzle as she fired a bolt of orange magic.

My family will be eternal! With one kill I will be able to turn this country into what it was meant to be from the start! Sunset casually blocked the bolt with a partial barrier and returned fire with a small barrage of bolts that Gold dodged.

LET EQUESTRIA'S NEW GOLDEN AGE TAKE FORM!

Gold Vine's smile turned manic as she channeled her magic into a much more complex series of spells. Seconds later, thorn-covered vines burst out of the ground and coiled around Sunset like a mass of serpents. Suddenly, a swarm of knives materialized above her before descending on her with the ferocity of carrion birds. A wild chuckle escaped Gold's lips as she stepped towards the trapped pony.

"Daughter of Celestia? Don't make me laugh. Any Unicorn that would lower themselves to courting a filthy cloud trotter isn't deserving of her station. Though I suppose I can't fault you too much . Floramancy and Tetromancy are my special talents after all."

As she said that, she stared lovingly at the anvil covered in golden ivy that graced her flank. A light chuckling from beneath the vines and knives grabbed her attention. Slowly, wisps of smoke snaked their way outside of the cocoon as the air steadily grew hotter. Suddenly, the plants burst into flames as the knives hissed away into melted slag while Sunset stepped out of the flames, a confident smile decorating her muzzle as she glared at her stunned opponent.

"Plants and metal huh? Good thing Pyromancy's my talent then."

Gold Vine blinked, then let out a furious scream as she conjured a whole slew of razor edged vines to attack. Sunset simply stood there and obliterated them at the last second with a tornado of fire before retaliating with a series of fireballs. Gold blocked with a wall of magically summoned iron before launching a cannonball made of the same material. Sunset gathered some of the fire from her former prison around her hoof and pored enough magic into it to turn it from orange to white as she let out a battle cry and slammed it into the projectile. The ball of iron shattered like glass as its remains scattered across the battle field. Gold let out a frustrated hiss as she conjured a platoon of spears from behind her cover and fired them at her. Sunset caught the closest one and used it to knock the rest of its group aside then charged it with her magic before firing it back at its caster. The spear exploded like a missile as it blasted a quarter of Gold's shield to dust. Smiling, Sunset grabbed the rest of Gold's spears and loaded them with her flames before repeating the previous attack. Seeing the incoming assault, Gold Vine conjured a dull vine to pull her away from her soon-to-be-destroyed cover. A second after she was clear, the wall was blow to smithereens by a rain of burning hellfire. Clenching her teeth with rage, she grabbed the biggest chunks of her defense with her magic and molded it into a crude form of armor around her body as she charged in to attack. Sunset fallowed suit, coating herself in fire as she closed the gap between her and her opponent. Both mares attacked with everything they had, bucking, punching, and head-butting with the fury of wild beasts as they struggled to break the other. While Sunset's flame armor protected from the worst of her opponent's plows, it didn't prevent all of it as bruises started to cover her body like leopard spots. Gold's armor was a bit more sturdy, but she wasn't use to using it in a prolonged fight. A fact that became more apparent as her movements turned sluggish under the iron's weight. Both mare's knew that they could't keep this up for long and began planing their next moves.

Sunset delivered an uppercut that knocked Gold back a few steps and gave her the opening she needed to make her final move. All the flames around her quickly poured into her right hoof and formed a small tempest of white flames. With a roaring battle cry she threw her hoof forward, ready to deliver the final blow. At the last second, the armor around Gold's muzzle retracted and with a smug grin she spat out a dense purple cloud into Sunset's face. Her eyes and throat burned on contact with the poison, forcing her into a coughing fit and breaking her concentration just enough to cancel her spell. It was then that the sound of metal ripping through meat filled the air.

At first, Sunset didn't know what had happened as time seemed to stop around her, then she tasted copper on her tongue as blood trickled past her lips. Her breathing came in quick gasps as she looked down. A puddle of what looked like quicksilver sat below her, trails of her own blood mixing with the metal. From its center stood a series of sharp tendrils that were plunging into her from below. Sunset stared at Gold Vine, smug superiority the last thing she saw before the world turned black.

***

Darkness. That's all Sunset saw as she wandered the infinite void around her. She felt hollow as she made her way through the great nothingness. Empty. She lost everything all over again. She failed her mother. She failed Derpy. She failed her friends. She failed. Failed.

".......No....." she muttered, stopping. "No......No.......NO! I'm not done yet! So what if I died?! I refuse to accept that! I've got way too much left to do! I've just managed to get back on my hooves again! I will not let it end like this!"

She stared out into the void, a harsh glare aimed into its heart.

"Hey death! You hear me!? FUCK YOU! I don't care if this is my time! Get out of here right now and send me back before I drag you out here and make you!"

"Well said hatchling," a deep voice laughed.

Startled, Sunset spun around to face the voice and was greeted by the last thing she expected. Towering over her was a massive gold dragon. He was the size of a castle and covered with hundreds of deep scars from battles both long forgotten and recent. His eyes were a brilliant sky-blue and filled with a strength matched only by its warmth as he beheld her. A kind smile graced his lips as Sunset stared at him in wonder.

"Wh-Who are you?" she asked anger replaced by reverence.

"I have many names," he chuckled. "Some only exclusive to you, but you may call me Polaris."

"Polaris?"

He nodded.

"Nice to meet you," she said with a bow. "My name is-"

"Sunset Shimmer, Daughter of Princess Celestia, and Bearer of the Element of Acceptance. Quite the achievements for one so young."

"Element of what?" she asked, head tilted in confusion.

He chuckled.

"That's not important. What is is getting back to the living and ending that mare's madness."

Sunset nodded, a determined frown gracing her lips.

"And not just her. You will be forced to face against many more dangerous foes in the future. Each crueler and more conniving than you can possibly imagine. Fortunately, there are many who wish to lend you their strength."

"My friends," she smiled.

"Yes," he chuckled, "And family as well.

As he said that, he held up a claw and a small flame took form. Sunset squinted then gasped as she registered what was in the elder dragon's palm.

"A Phoenix feather?"

He nodded.

"A gift from your mother's pet at your birth and the only thing keeping you from crossing over completely. It also serves as a seal to your true power, a gift I left before your first breath. Should you accept it, you will be able to triumph over all who oppose you. None will be able to hurt you without feeling the rage of the sun on their flesh and bones. Will you accept it hatchling? Will you claim your birthright?"

Sunset paused, taking in everything Polaris told her as she stared at the feather. Then with a daring smile said, "I'll do it, but I'm not going to use that power just for me. My friends and girlfriend come first."

Polaris smiled, then said, "Repeat after me. On the ashes of my past-"

"On the ashes of my past-"

"I stand alone."

"I stand alone."

"With the weight of my loved ones on my back-"

"With the weight of my loved ones on my back-"

"I move forward-"

"I move forward-"

"To a new dawn."

"To a new dawn!

With that, the feather burst into golden flames and enveloped Sunset. With a flash of gold fire, Sunset vanished from the darkness of Limbo. As Polaris faded back into the Land of the Dead, he turned his head towards the empty heavens above.

"May you continue to make me proud, My Little Sun."

***

Gold Vine grinned manically at her handy work as Sunset's body went limp. She cast a glance to the audience of her deed, reveling in their shock and rage as she laughed. Her triumph was cut short when she felt a distortion in the air around her. It was faint at first, but quickly raised to magnitudes beyond anything the magically gifted could ignore as magic raged around the two Unicorns like a hurricane. Gold watched as the magic poured into Sunset's body, wild flames of every color and temperature vaporizing her mercury trap as her injuries fazed out of existence right before her eyes.

Suddenly, Sunset's body was enveloped in a rainbow cocoon of flames only to burst out into a chromatic display of power a moment later. Golden scales covered her legs up to her knees as well as her neck and barrel. Her tail resembled a peacock's as rainbow flames mixed with her tail hairs that matched the fire wings on her back. Her eyes glowed blue with power with slit pupils that matched the flames that surrounded her draconic horn. With a single flap of her wings, the battlefield burst into flames as her magic flared around her and her opponent. Gold Vine conjured her armor again as the flames raged around her, refusing to back down from her ambitions. Sunset stared at the Unicorn, eyes cold as she looked down on her like one would an insect.

With a voice as soft as silk and cold as ice, she said two words to the noble.

"Good bye."

With that, Sunset let loose her newfound magic, a feral roar filling the air as it tore through everything in sight. The ring barely held it in as the battle field was consumed by gold and white fire. A second later the ring shattered, both from the strain of Sunset's newly unleashed magic and the fact that one of the ponies within couldn't continue. Two ponies laid at its center, one covered completely in second degree burns and the other barely conscious from letting out so much magic in one go.

All the High Royals stared in shock, none able to process what they had just witnessed. Except for one. As Celestia ran to her daughters side, tears of joy and pride ran down her cheeks as she threw herself to the ground to embrace her. Sunset, now back in her normal form looked up at her mother with glassy eyes and an exhausted smile.

"Hey mom," she said weakly. "Let's never do that again."

Celestia burst out laughing at that and kissed Sunset just below her horn.

"My thoughts exactly my Little Sun."

Sunset smiled as she fell asleep in her mother's embrace. Meanwhile, the other High Royals gathered around them, questions heavy on all their minds. Luna was the first to find her voice.

"Sister, what manor of pony did you bed with to get such a daughter?"

Celestia chuckled, then said something that made them all fall to their haunches in shock.

"Who said Sunset's father was a pony?"

first half of the battle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUgIw_XAxVQ

second half.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTZJdHr2z_o

All was quiet in the Castle of Friendship. Five ponies slept sweet dreams oblivious to the force of nature that was due to come at the first rays of dawn. An Earth Pony mare slept with her head on a gently used piano's keys as evidence of her attempt to do the impossible. A Unicorn mare was using a spell book as a pillow in a manner similar to the castle's main resident on more then one occasion. Another Earth Pony mare was sprawled out on her back on a laboratory floor surrounded by countless unused candy wrappers of various colors. A DJ Unicorn was snoring like a lawnmower in her bedroom with the grace of an atom bomb, something she shared with a Pegasus mare a few rooms away. All was quiet. All was peaceful. Then the first rays of dawn passed the horizon and entered one particular window in the castle. The ray slowly trailed down a wall before striking the face of a purple baby dragon. He let out a groan as the light forced him out of Luna's domain and dragged himself into a sitting position. His half-awake mind slowly started to take note of everything around him as it rebooted. When his tired eyes landed on a nearby calendar, they shot open as a massive grin spread across his face.

Then, the peace everypony enjoyed was shattered as the dragon joyously declared, "IT'S HEARTHS WARMING!!!"

Twilight shot to her hooves as not even a second after her Assistant's happy cry, a whole cacophony of noise filled the castle. With faint bags under her eyes, she glowered at the sheepish baby dragon.

"Oops?" he shrugged.

***

"Well, that's one way to wake people up," Vinyl yawned as she stepped out of her room.

A few feet away, Lightning staggered out of her own room, hoof rubbing the top of her head as she hissed curses under her breath. Smiling, she walked over to her friend and gave her a playful shoulder nudge.

"You okay Lightning?"

"Been better," she sighed, "You?"

"Fell out of bed, but I'll live," she shrugged.

"Lucky," she chuckled, then flinched still rubbing her head. "I went the other way. Crystal ceilings hurt like a bitch!"

Vinyl burst out laughing at that as they made their way towards the dinning room. What they saw made both mares freeze when Vinyl pushed the door open with her magic.

The table was loaded with all kinds of food and drinks for everypony in the castle and then some. Stacks of pancakes four feet hight topped with everything from maple syrup to cinnamon spread. Fresh baked cinnamon buns covered with snow white frosting the size of softballs dominated a serving tray in a two-foot tall pile. Two towers of waffles reined supreme over the royal feast as the morning sun shined across their maple covered brilliance. Bowls of spiced fruit mingled among the diabetic monuments full of every type of berry or tree-bound fruit one could imagine as well as a few alien to the Terrans. To call what they were seeing a feast would've been the ultimate understatement as they walked slack-jawed towards the table and took a seat.

"Spike is a god," Lightning gasped.

"Think he's single?" Vinyl stage whispered, not once taking her eyes away from the table's offerings.

"Seriously Vinyl?" a familiar cultured voice said from the other side of the table.

"What? I'm just asking," Vinyl demanded, shakily summoning a bun to a plate set in front of her.

"I'm with Vinyl on this one," another voice, Bonbon, said in Octavia's general area. "I mean, come on Octavia you've had his cooking!" A bit of cheek entered her tone as she added, "Don't tell me the thought never crossed your mind."

There was a long pause before the musician said, "I..may have entertained the notion."

"Well," Lyra said, a tower of waffles hiding her from the other mares. "Polygamy is a thing here."

Everypony besides Lyra paused at that, then collectively left their seats to give the mare a questioning look. She stopped eating, locked eyes with them each in turn, then exclaimed, "I was curious!" as her face turned bright red.

"I see," Octavia said, raising a brow. "Anything else you stumbled across in your studies."

"Not really," she said quickly, only to glower as she added. "Though I did find out that Unicorns shoot lasers when you spook them awake."

Lightning and Vinyl burst out laughing at that while Octavia and Bonbon blinked in confusion.

"What did you break?" Bonbon sighed.

"Nothing!" Lyra snapped. "The spell bounced off the walls and flew out the window."

"It didn't hit anyone, did it?" Octavia asked, concerned.

"Just a snowman I made yesterday," she pouted.

"Better then what happened to me," Bonbon grumbled.

"What happened?" Lightning asked through a small stream of chuckles as she returned to her seat.

Bonbon sighed, then said, "Let's just say I owe Twilight a few test tubes and beakers."

"I did hear some explosions this morning," Vinyl mused aloud as she returned to her seat.

Lyra leveled a glare at her now sheepish friend.

"And you asked if I broke something?"

"I panicked!" she exclaimed.

"Well," Octavia coughed, breaking the tension between the two mares. "Seems like this has been a very exciting morning for everyone."

"Why do you say that?" Lightning asked around a mouthful of spiced peaches.

"Well, I never knew I could clear a grand piano with one leap before this morning," she said bashfully.

Everyone paused, then Lightning said, "I would so pay money to see that!"

"Seconded!" Bonbon cheered.

"Aye!" Vinyl grinned as she put a hoof in the air.

"Looks like we all know what we're doing later," Lyra said, grinning like a fiend.

"Now wait just one minute!" Octavia demanded as the room filled with giggles.

At that moment, the dinning room doors opened to admit one lavender Alicorn and a sheepish young dragon.

"Happy Hearths Warming everypony," Twilight cheered, then gaped as she took in the feast before her.

"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed as he stared. "You guys work fast!"

"Huh?" the mares asked as one.

"Wait," Lightning gaped. "You didn't do this?"

"I'm a dragon," Spike stated flatly. "Not a djinni."

A deep chuckling filled the room, startling all but Twilight and Spike into looking around worriedly.

"What can I say?," the voice intoned, dripping with mirth. "Tis the season after all!"

Suddenly, a small serpentine creature with mismatched limbs popped out of a bowl of spiced cherries wearing a red and green bathrobe in front of Bonbon. She blinked at the strange creature, stared at the small cluster of cherries she served herself just moments ago, then gently pushed it a foreleg's distance away. Octavia's reaction was a lot less subdued as she grabbed a spoon and tried to crush the small Dreconequis, all the while screaming "Snake! Snake!" like a lunatic. Meanwhile, Discord was laughing like a loon as he casually dodged her attempts by ducking, diving, and even dividing around the implement.

"Oh honestly," he cackled, hovering just above a horizontal swing. "Is this anyway to thank a chef?"

Octavia paused as her mind registered that last bit of information.

"Y-You made all of this?" she stammered.

"Yep!" he cheered.

With that, he teleported to Twilights right, now in his normal size as he smiled at the small cluster of mares.

"Just a little thank you for my Hearths Warming gift this morning."

Everyone blinked at him in confusion as they tried to figure out what the fever-dream Chimera was talking about.

"Why, nopony has ever gone to the trouble of causing so much chaos so early in the morning for me in years!"

The Terrans continued to look confused while Twilight and Spike let out mortified groans. Smirking, Discord snapped his fingers and a cup of coffee appeared in front of each of them. Smiling appreciatively, she took her cup with her magic then took a small sip. All grogginess flew out of her all at once the second the sweet elixir of life hit her tongue. Twilight reared back a little, giving the beverage a few stunned blinks.

"I'll give you the recipe later," Discord winked, then pushed the two Equestrians towards the table. "Now eat up before everypony else gets here."

"A bit late for that, darling," a cultured voice tittered behind him.

Everyone turned to be greeted by Twilight's friends. Each of them gave a polite nod as they strolled past the Chaos God at the door to get to the feast he prepared.

"Whoa! Spike went all out this year!" Rainbow cheered, loading up a plate as she took a seat next to Lightning.

"Actually," the dragon chuckled. "Discord did all this."

All the newcomers turned towards the Equestrian in question, then with wide smiles thanked him. Discord clutched his chest and staggered back at that.

"Too much nice is not good for the heart!" he exclaimed. "Somepony please think ill of me, I beg of you!"

"I think you ruined cherries for me," Bonbon said flatly as Applejack took a seat to her left. "Does that help?"

"Immensely, thank you," he said with a relieved sigh.

Giggles filled the room as everyone found a place to sit. It was then that they noticed a few more empty place settings.

"Where are the Shys?" Octavia asked as she passed a plate of waffles to her right to Rarity.

"Probably too cold outside for them," Vinyl smirked, earning a snort from Pinkie as she hoofed over a bowl of spiced peaches.

"Really Vinyl?" Bonbon said flatly as she passed some apple spread to Applejack. "It's a little quick for things like that, don't you think?"

"Ask Applejack," the DJ snorted.

The candy maker looked at her neighbor only to be greeted by a hat-covered face. Bonbon's jaw hit the floor while a full fireworks display was going off at Discord's end of the table.

"Damn, girl moves fast," Lyra chuckled as Twilight grumbled irritably into her coffee mug.

"Merry Christmas, everyone" a soft voice giggled.

Before anyone could move, a pair of winged ponies silently glided to one side of the table from an open window next to Discord. Both shys shared cheeky smiles as they served themselves, ignoring the surprised stares from their table-mates.

"Hey Shy," Rainbow smirked, putting a hoof around her friend's shoulders in a one-legged hug. "Haven't seen you all week! Happy Hearths Warming!"

"Happy Hearths Warming," she smiled, a small giggle bubbling out of her as her marefriend put a wing over her back. "And yeah, I've had a busy week. Sorry about that."

"Hey, no prob," she chuckled, sliding her foreleg free and looking past her to address the other mare. "Happy Hearths Warming, uh, other Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy gulped down her mouthful of pancake then turned to face Rainbow, her thick sunglasses reflecting the nervous athlete's face back to her.

"Oh, Merry Christmas," she smiled. "And you can call me Flutterbat if it makes things easier for you."

"Oh, thanks," Rainbow smiled, then frowned as she asked, "What's Christmas?"

"It's their version of Hearths Warming," Twilight explained.

The other Equestrians in the room let out an understanding "Oh" at that and returned to their food. After a few minutes of light chitchat over breakfast, Flutterbat took note of everyone present and raised a question that made everyone pause.

"Where's Sunset and Derpy?"

Everyone stared at her in confusion, then collectively remembered that she wasn't present when Celestia made her grand entrence at the start of the week.

"Princess Celestia came and took them with her to Canterlot to spend some time with her family," Twilight explained.

"Oh, that's great!" she cheered.

"Yeah," Twilight smiled. "Though I don't think we'll need to wait too long for them. Princess Celestia sent me a letter last night that told me that they should be here at around eleven, so I don't think Sunset and Derpy are going to miss the gift exchange today."

"Yeah.... presents," the Thestral whispered, her face heating up as she suddenly became more interested in her food then the conversation.

Twilight gave her a worried frown, but that quickly turned into a small knowing smile as she saw the native Fluttershy react in a similar manner. She nudged Discord in the side to get his attention. When she succeeded, she gestured for him to lean down. When he complied, she whispered, "When its time to give gifts, take them someplace to get some privacy."

"Consider it done," he smirked.

***

Twelve jaws hit the throne room floor as a mountain of presents sat atop the Cutie Map. The Terrans of the group could only gawk at the tower while the Equestrians smirked as they leveled looks at Discord.

"What?" he shrugged. "It's only fair that their gifts come here too."

Lightning was the first to recover as she soared to the top of the pile and slowly spiraled around it as she searched for her prey. Octavia merely rolled her eyes as she casually made her way towards the monument of gifts. The rest of the herd soon followed suit, the Unicorns and Alicorn of the group taking the presents off of the more unstable upper portions of the structure before the land-bound ponies caused an avalanche. Only two mares kept their distance as their friends tore into their bounty.

What am I going to do?! Fluttershy thought, panicking as she stared at the pile. I can't let them see Fluttershy's gift! It's too...

She gulped, then turned towards her girlfriend for comfort, only to see her in just as much of a panic as she was. Both mares flinched as they felt a hand rest on their shoulders.

"No need to fret ladies," Discord smiled, two rectangular packages hovering above him. "Even I know certain things are better left private."

With a snap, the two mares found themselves in a familiar guest room on the farthest end of the castle, the windows still covered by thick curtains. Equestrian Fluttershy stared into the darkness, a faint smile gracing her muzzle as her now sharper eyes watched her marefriend take off her glasses. Red eyes met teal ones as both mares felt a soft warmth in the darkness, a darkness that neither feared while the other was near. Be it blinding sunlight or smothering darkness, they had each other and that was all they needed. Now no longer held back by their insecurities, they exchanged gifts. Both took note of the blush the other sported as they tore into the paper, the cute sight spurring them on with mischievous smiles. When they opened the wrapped boxes, they gasped in synch as they held up their gifts. The rustling of fabric filled the room as the two mares struggled to don their presents. A tense silence filled the room, both mares struggling to regain their previous senses of confidence. Then, they turned and gasped.

Equestrian Fluttershy was dressed in a golden-orange dress covered with teal butterflies in a seemingly random pattern in small clusters at the collar. A loose hood covered the Pegasus' head enough to hide the upper half of her head in shadow, but not enough to hide her slackened muzzle as she stared at her marefriend. Fluttershy's dress was a cross between navy-blue and dark-purple with a collection of red bats in place of butterflies at her throat. Like her girlfriend, her dress also had a hood that hid her face in the same manner. Both marveled at the beauty before them. For one, it was like looking at an angel at the first rays of dawn while the other saw a hunter in the shadows of dusk moonlight. It was the most beautiful thing they had ever scene as they rushed forward into a deep kiss. A kiss shared at twilight between an angel and a hunter in the room where it all began.

***

An hour after everyone finished going through the tower of presents, a familiar spike in magic made Discord snap a pair of sunglasses onto everyone's face. A second later, a bright flash filled the room as Princess Celestia teleported in, Derpy, Sunset, and Princess Luna at her sides.

"Sorry we're late," Sunset sighed, teetering slightly as she stepped away from her mother. "Had to take care of a few things before we could leave."

"Like what?" Bonbon asked, handing her a small bag of treats.

"Well..." Sunset chuckled as she accepted the bag.

***

Sunset quietly crept into the guest room, three small wrapped boxes held in her magic. The fillies slept like logs, thoroughly exhausted after a long day of training. She suppressed a giggle behind a hoof as she heard Sweetie Belle mutter something about candy-coated candy as she nibbled on her pillow. She placed the presents on the nightstands by their beds along with a note as she watched them sleep for a minute. A gentle smile crept across her face as she used her magic to tuck them all in properly. As she stepped through the door, a mumbled plea made her pause.

"Ah'm sorry...Sunset."

Sunset turned towards the sleeping filly and smiled.

"I forgive you, all of you."

With that, she stepped out of the room and gently closed the door, ready to move away from the ashes of her past and into her next great adventure.

***

"Let's say, things are gonna be a little crazy for a while," Sunset chuckled.

As she said that, Derpy pulled her in close with a wing and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Everyone in the room gasped at the display, then Vinyl and Octavia said what every Terran had been thinking.

"FINALLY!"

"Huh?" Sunset and Derpy said in unison.

"With all due respect love," Octavia grimaced. "We were afraid that we were going to have to do something drastic to get you to this point."

"Yeah," Vinyl laughed. "It was pretty obvious you two liked each other. Lightning and I were a step away from throwing the two of you into a room!"

"I would've supplied the music of course," Octavia said, faint mischievous smile gracing her muzzle.

The young couple blushed, but otherwise stayed put as their friends continued their good natured ribbing. It wasn't long before they joined in on the laughter as they mingled. Celestia watched from a distance as her daughter and her friends spent time together, laughed, and took playful jabs at each other over gifts. She wiped away a proud tear as she turned to her left to the grinning Chaos God that she had become rather close to lately.

"She's changed so much," she smiled. "Polaris would be so proud to see the mare she's become."

"Tell me about it," Discord chuckled. "She's not even mine and I'm proud of her."

"That won't be for long," Luna smirked. "Perhaps the two of you should take a page from her book and stop hiding your feelings."

"Luna!" Celestia snapped, cheeks lightly blushed.

"She has a point," he said, casually summoning a glass of eggnog and taking a sip. "I can't be the only one dropping hints, you know."

Celestia let out a sputtered squawk at that, mind torn between denying the truth and coming to terms with the fact that Discord was open to the idea of having a relationship with her. Meanwhile, Sunset was causing quite the stur among her group as she handed out their gifts.

"My word," Octavia said, eyes as wide as her mouth as she held the polished beauty of a cello in her hooves. "Sunset, it's....it's.... magnificent! Thank you ever so much!"

As she said that, she gently set the instrument aside and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Your welcome Octavia," she smiled.

"NO WAY!" Vinyl exclaimed, a sealed record held delicately in her hooves. "A SEALED 1966 BEETLES YESTERDAY AND TODAY RECORD!"

"You like it?" Sunset asked, a sheepish smile coloring her face.

Vinyl beamed at her then said, "Like it? Sunset, if you weren't taken, I'd marry you right now!"

"Yeesh Vinyl, calm down," Bonbon giggled as she opened her gift. "It's not like she gave you the holy grail or anything. Calm down."

"This goes for a hundred and twenty five-thousand dollars back home Bony," Vinyl said flatly. "She may as well as gave me the key to a gold mine."

"Musicians," she giggled, rolling her eyes as she pulled her gift out of the box. "Huh, she got me a blue hoodie."

"Kind of," Sunset smirked. "Put it on and I'll show you what I mean."

Shrugging, she humored her and slid on the article of clothing. Sunset's horn flashed as a small ball of fire formed above her friend, heating up the air around her like a small sun in the middle of summer. Just when the Earth Pony was about to sweat, the hoody started to glow. It slowly morphed from a warm winter hoody into a thin blue vest perfectly suited for the heat of summer. Bonbon gawked at her gift as Sunset canceled her spell, forcing it to return to its original form in response to the cold.

"It took some work," Sunset smiled, drawing Bonbon's attention. "But I was able to enchant it so that it will change to match the weather around the wearer as needed. I know how much you like having things that serve a purpose, so I thought you'd like a jacket for any occasion."

"Sunset," she smiled, falling to her haunches as she hugged herself and her friend's gift. "Thanks. I'll take good care of it."

"So what does my gift do?" Lightning asked, holding up a pair of brass aviator goggles.

"Well," Sunset smirked. "Try them on and find out."

Shrugging, she put on the goggles. Her jaw dropped.

"Like it?" Sunset giggled. "They're enchanted to give the wearer twenty-twenty vision as well as zoom in and out on things if you focus hard enough. Plus, they're self-cleaning, unbreakable, scratch proof, and can transition into tinted lenses when outside."

Lightning moved the goggles to her forehead and leveled a smirk Sunset's way.

"Welp, guess Vinyl's not the only one with bling, cuz I'm not trading these things for anything. Thanks Sunset, you rock!"

Sunset giggled at that, only to turn in shock as a loud thud came from a few feet to her left. Lyra laid on the ground, legs twitching as a card sealed in hard plastic laid beside her half a foot away.

"Lyra? Are you okay?" Sunset asked, poking her with a forehoof.

The Unicorn suddenly came back to life and pulled Sunset into a tight hug.

"THANK YOU-THANK YOU-THANK YOU-THANK YOU-THANK YOU!!!"

"What the heck?" Lightning muttered, picking up the sealed card. "Black Lotus? Huh?"

"MINE!!!" Lyra cried, yanking the card out of her friend's hoof, holding it to her chest like the most precious of treasures.

"Easy girl," Lightning said, putting her hooves up in a placating manner. "It's just a card."

Bonbon cringed as she saw the Pandora's Box her friend unintentionally kicked open at that comment. Lyra's eyes widened in incredulity only to narrow a second later as she jumped in front of her friend.

"Just a card!? This is one of the rarest, most valuable, most iconic cards in the game! Just a cheap replica can set a person back hundreds of dollars. This is an Alpha version with Rush's autograph on it! If I sold this at full value, I could get enough money to buy Tavi's house and then some!"

"Sh-She's kidding, right?" Lightning asked, casting a cautious smile over Lyra's shoulder to Sunset.

"Nope," Sunset shrugged. "The shop owner nearly wet himself when I gave him the bag of bits to pay for it. Don't think he ever saw a million bits before."

"A MILLION!?" everyone exclaimed, Terran and Equestrian combined as they stared at the card.

Twilight quickly approached Lyra, examined the card in her hoof, then lit her horn. The plastic suddenly took on a crystalline sheen, small runes lining the edges like fine print.

"There," the Princess smirked. "Now it's completely protected and the Preservation Spell I placed on it should keep the print from suffering light and air damage."

Lyra stared at the sealed card, a smile growing wider on her face as she slowly shifted her attention back to the Alicorn before her. A happy squeal slipped past her lips as she pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you Twilight!"

"No problem Lyra," she chuckled, as the Unicorn pulled herself out of the embrace.

"Now that I think about it," Lightning mused staring at the card in her friend's grip. "Since its a card from another dimension, doesn't that double its value?"

"Probably," Rainbow shrugged, adding herself to the conversation. "I mean, if I had Wonder Bolt gear from another world, it would probably be worth like, a billion bits or something."

Lyra's eyes widened at that. She stared at her card for a moment, then let out a happy sigh as she once again fainted. Sunset chuckled then looked around for another member of her motley crew of crazies.

"Where's Fluttershy?" she asked, a large box held aloft in her magic as she scanned the room for the Thestral.

Before anyone could answer, both versions of the mare in question stepped through the doors leading into the throne room. Both of them were still wearing their gifts as they approached the mesmerized group of ponies, wings draped comfortingly over each others backs while they walked.

"Merry Christmas Sunset," Fluttershy smiled, her sunglasses all but hidden in the shadows of her hood.

"Um, Happy Hearths Warming," Equestrian Fluttershy offered behind a shy smile.

"Same to both of you," Sunset laughed. "Hope I got you guys the right thing."

As she said that, she lowered a present before the two mares. They both stared at it in confusion, then carefully worked their way around the wrapping. When they got to the box and opened it, they gaped in surprise. Two black leather bound journals greeted them, one bearing a pink bat with half a moon peaking out from behind a wing on the front and the other bearing a cluster of pink butterflies in the same place.

"Their enchanted to be like the journals Twilight and I use," Sunset smiled as the couple pulled their journals out of the box. "I put everything I had into making them as durable as possible so no matter what happens, you two will always be able to stay in touch with each other. I even added a spell that will teleport it to you no matter where you are so you'll never lose it."

Both mares beamed at that and hugged their journals to their chests as they pulled themselves closer together.

"Thank you Sunset," they beamed in unison.

"No problem," she smirked then walked over to Derpy and playfully nuzzled into her neck.

Bonbon smiled then placed a wrapped gift in front of the Unicorn.

"Don't think we forgot about you now," the candy maker chuckled as Sunset's eyes widened in shock.

"Probably not going to be as awesome as what you got us," Lyra giggled as she placed an envelope on top of Bonbon's offering. "But you deserve something for all the hell you went through."

"Amen to that," Vinyl chuckled, placing a gift of her own in front of the fiery Unicorn. "Let's end the year with a bang!"

"As crude as ever," Octavia said, smiling ruefully as she set a small box in front of Sunset. "But I couldn't agree more love."

"What they said," Lightning smiled as she added a present to the cluster in front of her friend. "Let's hope things look up in the future."

"Hold up now!" Discord smirked, four boxes hovering above him as he, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and the rest of the Equestrians in the room joined the group.

Each of them held a wrapped gift for her and a smile as bright as the sun as they added their good will to the Terran herd's growing light.Sunset stared at the small pile of gifts in front of her, her hanging jaw turning into a smile as happy tears slid down her cheeks. Derpy nuzzled her cheek as she shared a smile with her girlfriend with the rest of her friends and family watching. Then with a the brightest smile she could remember wearing, Sunset tore into her gifts. All the while, her mind wandered to the previous day, and the greatest gift anypony could've ever given her.

***

Sunset laid in bed, body heavy with exhaustion as her magic reserves slowly refilled themselves. Her mother's Phoenix, Philomena, was wrapped in a faint orange glow as she tried to speed up the process with her own magic, but it didn't accelerate her recovery rate by much. Sunset stared at the ceiling with heavy eyes as she made sense of the events of a couple hours ago in her head. She wasn't stupid. She could tell that her knack for Pyromancy wasn't normal, but she thought it was a trait she picked up from her mother. Her transformation offered a more extreme possibility, especially when she stopped and thought about her past actions.

The door burst open as Derpy stumbled in, eyes wide with panic and panting as she scanned the room. The second she saw Sunset, she bolted to her bedside.

"Are you okay?" she asked, grabbing her girlfriend's hoof like a life line. "I heard you got in a fight this morning and-"

"It's okay," she rasped, too tired to do more than smile at her panicking Pegasus. "I'm too tough to go down easy Derpy. Just give me a few minutes to get my magic back and I'll be back on my hooves again."

"Th-That's good to hear," Derpy sighed, tears starting to fall as she locked eye with Sunset's. "When I heard you got in a fight I... I..."

Sobs took the place of words as the Pegasus hugged her Unicorn's foreleg.

"I just got you on your feet," she sniffled. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Sunset whispered, gently wiping her girlfriend's tears away with her free hoof. "No matter what, I'm gonna make sure your stuck with me for as long as possible."

"You promise?" she sniffled.

She nodded, then said, "Cross my heart."

Derpy smiled, then pulled the fiery Unicorn into a gentle embrace. Sunset smiled, enjoying the soothing aroma of vanilla until she was carefully lowered back into the bed. It was then that she made a decision that added a bundle of nerves to her weariness.

"Though, there's something you should probably know," she said sheepishly.

"Is it bad?" she asked cautiously.

"No," Sunset sighed. "But it might make things a little difficult for a while."

"Th-Then what is it?" Derpy asked, not sure just how much more crazy she could take.

With a gulp, Sunset used a little of her diminished magic to pull the blanket off of her body and laid out on her side as she closed her eyes.

"On the ashes of my past, I stand alone. With the weight of my loved ones on my back, I move forward to a new dawn."

Sunset's body briefly flashed and again she was in her draconic form, only instead of forming a set of fiery wings a prismatic trail of fire flowed down her back to her tail. A sign of how little magic she had at her disposal as she laid nervous and helpless before Derpy. The Pegasus stared with wide eyes and hanging jaw as she took in Sunset's new body. She stared at her scales that shined like melted gold. She stared at her curved, razor-sharp horn. She stared at the flames that shimmered like an aurora across her back and tail. She stared at Sunset's face, now sporting a set of reptilian eyes and fangs that showed her apprehension.

"Beautiful."

Both mares blinked in surprise at Derpy's words, one at the compliment while the other over how they found the courage to say it.

"D-Do you mean that?" Sunset asked, blushing.

Derpy nodded, a matching blush coloring her cheeks.

"Y-You're not scared of me?"

She shook her head, not once looking away from the bed-bound mare.

A bright smile grew on Sunset's face, all fear melting off of her like frozen water in the sun.

"Thank you Derpy."

She smiled, then hugged her girlfriend, careful not to touch the flames covering her body. Sunset noticed and gave her a small giggle.

"Don't worry. They won't burn you unless I want them to."

"Good to know," Derpy smiled. "Don't think your mom would want her bed cremated."

"Probably not," she giggled. "But you know, this is going to make things a little rough in the future."

"How come?"

"Well, dragons are known for being kind of difficult to deal with. I might be a bit of a pain until I figure out how to work with this."

"Hey," Derpy frowned, placing a hoof on Sunset's cheek. "It's gonna take a lot more then some dragon hissy-fit to get rid of me. Like it or not Sunny, you're stuck with me."

Sunset giggled, then added,"Guess I better start liking it then," as she leaned into the offered hoof. "That reminds me."

With that, she turned towards Philomena and gave the bird a nod. The Phoenix let out a happy trill before spreading its wings and shooting out the window. A second later, she returned with a small lavender box in her talons.

"I was going to give you this tomorrow at the castle," she smiled. "But I think now is as good a time as any."

As she said that, Philomena placed the box in front of Derpy then returned to her perch. Curious, she opened the box and gasped. Sitting in it was a pair of light-orange half-heart pendants with thick silver chains. Giggling, Sunset levitated one of them out of the box and put it on.

"They're Couple's Pendants," Sunset explained as she helped Derpy put her's on. "New couples wear them for luck when their starting out. What do you think?"

Derpy stared dumbly at the pendent around her neck, then faced Sunset and said, "Wait a second. I'll be right back!"

With that, she staggered out of the room in a disjointed gallop, leaving a confused and slightly concerned Sunset in her wake. A minute later, Derpy returned now wearing a gray Couple's Pendant along with the one bearing Sunset's colors while its mate danged from the end of an open wing. Now it was Sunset's turn to stare as the Pegasus nimbly slid the necklace into place beside its orange twin.

"Guess we're twice as lucky, huh?" Derpy smiled.

Sunset examined the necklace with slightly trembling hooves as a flurry of happy flames burned inside her. Then before either of them could blink, Sunset pulled her girlfriend in close and kissed her. A shocked squeak slipped past Derpy's sealed lips, but that was quickly replaced by a happy hum as she leaned into it. Joy beyond description passed between the two mares as they shared their first kiss, igniting a flame that made Sunset's own look like mere party poppers in comparison. When their lips parted, they gasped for air like drowned ponies at sea with cheeks that burned like the sun.

"W-Wow," Derpy stammered, brain sparking as it tried to recalibrate. "Th-That was....Wow."

"Guess I've got a bit of my dad's greed," Sunset smiled, struggling against her urges to go for another kiss. "Wanna go again?"

Derpy nodded as she leaned in close to her bedridden girlfriend and closed her eyes.

***

Sunset's face burned when she remembered what happened next, earning an understanding chuckle from Derpy. With a small smile, she pulled her in closer with a wing as she went through her gifts.

While the party went into full swing, Discord stepped away from the crowd to a darker portion of the room. He watched as the ponies went about their busyness, laughing, smiling, and overall enjoying each other's company. A sight that warmed his heart as he reluctantly teleported away to where he was needed. It was time to tie up some loose ends.

"You really stepped in it, didn't you?" he sighed, turning to face a bedridden Unicorn.

Gold Vine's hospital room was silent as a tomb, the only deviation being the rhythmic beeps of a heart monitor by her bed. Her whole body was wrapped in bandages, most inscribed with healing runes to replace her charred flesh. It was as thorough a beating as could be and she knew it. Her titles and assets now belonged to the very same mare she tried to kill. She had nothing, not even the fur on her back as she stared blankly at the Dreconequis before her as he walked around her.

Discord let her stew a little longer, then continued.

"You had so much, and now you have nothing. Do you know how this all happened?"

She said nothing, her mind empty as her shattered pride drifted in fragments in what was left of her heart.

"Let me tell you. It wasn't because you tried to ruin Sunset's first date. Celestia wanted to snap you in half for that by the way. It wasn't because you tried to kill Derpy, though it was a factor."

A red-hot snarl made it past his lips as he leaned in close to the mare and said, "It was because you threatened to kill the mare I cared about. Their aren't a lot of buttons on me that a pony can press, but that one is one that will set the world on fire bitch! The second you hit that button, I made it my mission to destroy you in every possible way imaginable. For that, I gave you and your cronies cursed weapons designed to strip away their luck to get the worst possible outcome depending on what they chose to do and made you take all of the accumulated bad luck afterwards. Then, when you made your move, the curse would take away everything you hold oh so dear in your twisted black heart in one fell swoop. The battle, your survival, all of it was meant to lead up to this point all thanks to the bad luck your own actions have gathered.

Tears started to form at the edges of Gold Vine's empty eyes as she stared at her tormentor.

"You know," he said, a cruel smile gracing his lips as he locked eyes with the helpless mare before him. "I never said what I wanted out of our little deal you proposed, did I? I do believe you said I could have whatever I wanted, correct?"

He snapped his fingers and a muffled scream shot out of her muzzle as her body shifted on a fundamental level under her burned flesh. When her vision cleared of its agony centered haze, she stared at Discord. Her eyes widened as she saw her horn in his lion's paw.

"I want you to live the rest of your days as an Earth Pony. You will live for as long as I see fit with no assistance from your previous life. You will be unable to take your own life. You will not be able to harm others beyond what is needed for self defense. This is your personal Tartarus Gold Vine, and I'll be the most vicious Cerberus I can be to keep you there for as long as possible."

With that, he teleported away, leaving the broken mare more shattered then she ever thought possible as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

***

Sunset and her friends stood in front of the mirror portal, bags loaded with gifts as they stood at attention before Princess Celestia. The Princess of the Sun smiled as she locked eyes with the Terrans, pride shining in her eyes as she stared at her daughter and her special somepony.

"Before you return home, I have a few things I would like to give you."

As she said that, seven gold cards about the size and shape of credit cards appeared beside her held in place by her magic. With practiced ease, she distributed them to each of the Terrans one by one.

"These are Honorary Equestrian Passports," she explained as each pony took their card. "With them, you can use any mirror to travel between your world and ours whenever you want. They are also laced with enchantments that protect them from theft, destruction, and misplacement. Just in case something should happen in the future."

"Awesome!" Lyra squeaked as she stared at her passport.

Sunset smiled at the passport as she put it into her saddlebags next to Derpy's gift. Celestia stared down at her daughter with pained joy as she came to accept what was going to happen; her little girl was going to leave her again, but this time it wasn't going to be forever.

"Please come back again soon," the Solar Diarch said, tone a mix of hopeful and pleading.

"I will mom," Sunset smiled. "I promise."

"Cross your heart?" she asked.

"Cross my heart," Sunset nodded with a smile.

Celestia stared at her daughter, pride and pain filling her heart in equal parts. It soon became too much for her to bear as she pulled the mare into a hug, forelegs and wings wrapping her in warmth and love as she held her close.

"I love you. I will always love you my Little Sun."

"Me too, mom," she smiled, tears forming in the corners of her own eyes. "I love you too."

Reluctantly, they pulled apart and stepped back from each other, mother and daughter sharing one last smile before parting ways again. Sunset stared at Twilight's library one last time as she felt the magic of her home world swirl around her one last time like a friend giving her a smile before leaving.

"Wait a moment," Luna said, smiling gently as she approached the leaving party. "We have one last minute gift to give before we part ways."

As she said that, she turned towards Derpy.

"Lady Derpy, as a sign of gratitude for everything you have done for our niece, we wish to return to you what was so cruelly taken from you. May this be the start of many ways that we may repay our debt."

With that, Luna's horn began to glow as a series of spells filled the air between the two mares, then the same glow started to come from Derpy's false eye as the Princess' enchantment took form. A bright flash filled the room, dazzling all who looked at it. That fact came with a cosmic sense of humor with what the gray Pegasus declared minutes later.

"My eye...I...I can see!"

A wide smile spread across her face as she turned to face her slightly dazzled girlfriend. Sunset shared her smile as she locked eyes with her, both eyes alined with her's.

"We could not give you back your lost eye," Luna smiled, drawing attention back to her. "So instead, we enchanted your prosthetic to function as one instead. Think it both a Hearts Warming and Christmas gift on our part."

"Thank you, Luna," Derpy smiled. "You're the best!"

"Tis nothing," the Lunar Princess smiled, eyes drawn to the ceiling as a small blush colored her cheeks.

Everyone chuckled at that as the Terrans turned to face the mirror. A small smile graced Sunset's lips as she stared at her reflection, the mare in front of her no longer the lonely retch just a step away from falling to pieces. She wasn't alone and stronger then ever before as she took a step forward into the portal.

See ya later Equestria! It's been fun, but now, I'm coming home!

And that's the end of the Equestria Arc. This has been one hell of a ride so far and it's only going to get even crazier as we move on to the story's main villian and how Sunset is going to deal with her. Unfortunately, I'm going to need to put this story on a small hiatus as I organize my thoughts for the next twenty or so chapters. In the meantime, I do intend to finish Winter Aria as well as add a few chapters to Tinker Toy while I work out what I'm going to do next. Think of this as a break between seasons. Well, till my next update, peace out everypony.

The late afternoon sun shined brightly over Canterlot High, freshly fallen snow blanketing everything in sight. The peace was shattered by a series of yelps as a cluster of teenage girls seemingly fell out of the base of the horse statue positioned in front of the school.

"Again, who's idea was it to go through the damn portal as a group!?" Lightning demanded, dragging herself out of the people pile.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Bonbon groaned as she staggered to her feet. "Ugh, when's the world going to stop spinning?"

"Did we stop yet?" Vinyl groaned from the bottom of the pile. "I feel like I downed a bottle of vodka while doing a handstand."

"Um, can someone let go of my breasts please?" Fluttershy asked, a bit of ice filling her sweet tone.

"Sorry!" Lyra exclaimed, a pair of mint-green hands popping out the top of the pile.

"Can someone get their knee out of my back?" Sunset groaned as she tried to crawl out of the pile.

"Sorry love," Octavia said, managing to pull herself free.

"I think I'm gonna hurl," Derpy groaned from the pile's heart.

"NOPE!" everyone cried as they pulled themselves away from the now nauseous gray teen. Unlike her first time through the portal, the poor girl ended up decorating the school grounds with her last two meals. She groaned as she staggered to her feet, face still green while she struggled to hold herself together. Sunset quickly came to her side and pulled the girl's arm over her shoulder for support.

"I've got you," she said with a concerned frown.

"Thanks," she gulped with a weak smile. "Not used to having both my eyes work yet. All those colors really got to me this time."

"I can imagine," Octavia nodded. "Though, to be fair, its not much better for those of us who are used to having full vision, right?"

Everyone nodded, then staggered a bit as they fought against a sudden wave of vertigo.

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna head home and ride this out," Bonbon groaned as she started walking away from the group.

"Ditto," Vinyl chuckled ruefully as she did the same, clutching her forehead.

"That's probably a good idea," Sunset giggled. "Portals can be a bit rough on you if you aren't used to them or know what to expect. Are we still good for New Years?"

"Totally!" Lightning cheered, then cringed as a lance of pain shot through her over stimulated brain.

"Let's talk about it when we don't feel like we were crammed through a garden hose," Octavia sighed with a weary smile.

"Right," Sunset smiled. "See you all later?"

Everyone nodded and one by one headed on their way to their homes. Suddenly, Lyra stopped and walked back to Sunset.

"Hey, remember when Applejack found us at the card shop?"

"Yeah?" Sunset asked cautiously.

"Well, she said she wanted to talk to you."

"What did you say?" Derpy asked, eyes narrowed and protective in spite of her queasiness.

"Just that I'd let Sunset know," she shrugged. "If you want to talk to her, tell me when and where and I'll pass on the news."

"I see," Sunset frowned. "Thanks Lyra."

"Any time Sunset," Lyra smiled, then frowned as she added, "Just take some time to think it over, okay? She really looked like she wanted to fix things and that was before the whole story came out."

Memories of a distraught Fluttershy came to mind as Sunset processed what her friend had told her. She saw how her ex-friends reacted to her confession in the gym. The shock and horror in their eyes gave her a small bit of happiness at the moment, but now left her conflicted. While she was ready to move on from the trauma of the incident, she knew that she couldn't leave things the way they were.

"Right, thanks Lyra," Sunset frowned.

Smiling, Lyra nodded and staggered off.

For a moment, Sunset and Derpy stood there as one tried to organize her thoughts while the other waited for her nausea to pass. Feeling her girlfriend's legs shaking, she quickly and carefully guided her to a bench near the school's front gate.

"Thanks," Derpy sighed as she slumped into the bench. "God, I hope the Passports aren't as rough as the portal."

"Won't know until we use them," Sunset sighed as she took a seat at Derpy's right. "It can't be worse at least."

Derpy groaned as she rested her head onto Sunset's shoulder. A soft smile spread across Sunset's face as she leaned into her girlfriend. Never before had Sunset felt so happy then she had in that moment as she let the girl she loved share such a simple moment of peace. Granted, it would've been better if Derpy wasn't just a stone's throw away from throwing up, but Sunset was happy to share such a moment all the same.

While she waited for Derpy's stomach to settle, her eyes wandered across the grounds. As they did, countless memories started to come to her like clips from a camcorder. The time she helped Fluttershy tend to a sick kitten at the shelter. Hours spent at Sweet Apple Acres picking apples with Applejack. Countless rounds of soccer with Rainbow Dash at the park. Getting covered with flower while baking with Pinkie at Sugarcube Corner. Modeling for Rarity at her house when she had the time. Memory after memory came to her as she stared at the still grounds around them, the land more than just a slab of dirt with snow and buildings on top. This was where she took the first steps needed to become a better person.

It was also where she met her girlfriend.

In a sad sort of way, she was happy that her world almost ended. For weeks she had passed Derpy in the halls not giving her the time of day. It took her falling into the darkest pits of despair to find the incredible person leaning into her side.

"It's not fair," Sunset sighed, staring at the ground.

"What isn't?" Derpy asked

"I had to lose my friends in order to meet you and the others. Why couldn't I have met you when I still had them? Why did I have to almost die to have you in my life? Why couldn't I have both? It's not fair."

She paused, then Derpy brought a hand to her false eye and said, "Life's not fair. Sometimes it just wants to kick you around for a while before it gives you something good. Sometimes it gives you something good, just to rip it out of your hands and stomp on it right in front of you. The most you can do is take what matters to you and not let life take it from you."

Sunset blinked, then smiled as she pulled her girlfriend into a tight embrace.

"Like this?" she smirked.

"Y-Yeah," Derpy stammered, a deep blush coloring her cheeks.

Sunset giggled as she rubbed her cheek into the top of Derpy's head. The steady thump of Sunset's heart eased the frazzled teen as she leaned into the embrace and the furnace that was her girlfriend. Neither really wanted the moment to end, but that was often the case with good things.

"It's getting late," Sunset sighed, noticing how low the sun had set from where they sat. "Think you can make the trip?"

"Maybe," Derpy giggled. "You planning on carrying me if I can't?"

"I might if I change," Sunset smirked, then added, "But I might not be able to hold myself back if I do. Dragons are pretty greedy after all."

Derpy gulped, eyes wide as her whole head turned beet red.

"I'm good," she squeaked, jumping to her feet. "See! Good to go!"

Sunset burst out laughing as she rose to her feet and kissed the flustered girl.

"Alright," the fiery teen smiled. "Let's head home."

Hand in hand, the two teens walked off of the school grounds and onto the streets. Suddenly, a slight stinging sensation in her back made her flinch.

"You okay Sunset?" Derpy asked.

"Yeah," she said, lips pulled into a stiff smile as she tightened her grip on Derpy's hand slightly. "Come on, it's freezing out here."

Nodding, she let Sunset guide her down the street towards home. All the while, a faint series of agonized screams could be heard just out of earshot of the couple.

***

Flies buzzed in a nearby dumpster as a figure in an alley writhed in pain. Pure vitriol poured out of the figure's mouth as they struggled past their agony to rise to their feet. The figure's eyes glowed with hate as they watched the source of their pain walk down the street from their hiding place.

"Damn them," Lily seethed, parts of her body steaming and charred.

Heavy gasps poured out of her mouth as she fought against the pain, but a deep rumbling in her gut forced her to her knees.

"DAMN THEM!!!" she roared, slamming a fist into the ground.

Nothing was going her way. Not a single thing. After weeks of preparing Sunset, she was striped away from her at the last second by that insufferable cluster of fools. Then her second attempt to feed was thwarted by forces beyond her understanding. Then her latest catch of prey was pulled away from her by that damnable Hearths Warming before she could satisfy her agonizing hunger.

The only thing keeping her mostly sane were what few crumbs her seeds could gather for her, but that wouldn't last for much longer. In desperation, she tried to plant seeds in Sunset's new friends, but something repelled her. It was similar to the strange energy she felt surrounding her previous friends, but it was much stronger than whatever protection they had at the time. It hurt to touch it, but no more then when someone slaps your hand. The energy around Fluttershy was strange, like trying to grab a rose with your bare hands, but instead of hurting her it felt like it was trying to feed off of her. She severed the connection before any lasting damage could be done to her, but she made a note to be leery of her former prey in the future. Linking to the gray teen that stole Sunset from her had a similar effect on her that it did with the other girls, though it was much more intense. The second she tried to link with her, Lily felt like she had placed the tendril into a live wire. The pain was sharp and quick, but it was nothing compared to what surrounded Sunset. Red hot pain ran through Lily the second she tried to feed off of the fiery teen, like molten lead and fire had been poured into her veins. It was only for a second, but that second felt like she had been thrown into the fires of hell. When the pain finally dimmed, she saw smoke pouring off of countless molten burns that covered her body.

"I-I just want to eat," she groaned, a deep growl coming from her belly. "D-Damn it all. I NEED TO FEED!!!"

She let out a furious shriek and swung a fist into a large nearby dumpster. Said dumpster bent inward from the strike and flew into the back of the alley like an empty soda can. The sound of rending metal and shattering drywall echoed through the alley as it hit the side of one to the two buildings. The act of destruction did nothing to improve Lily's mood as she growled like a wild dog at where the two teens once stood.

"I will have you," she growled, body slowly melting into the shadows. "I don't know how. I don't know when. But I swear, I will have you Shimmer and when I do, you will be the most delicious feast I've had in centuries!"

A feral howl filled the air as what was left of the woman melted into darkness, filling all unfortunate enough to hear it with soul-freezing dread.

***

A chill shot down Sunset's spine as they entered Derpy's neighborhood.

What the heck was that? she thought, zipping up her jacket. It almost felt like...no, come on Sunset. Get a grip! There's nothing to worry about.

She felt Derpy snuggle into her a bit tighter and smiled.

She gave the affectionate teen a raised brow.

"You seemed cold," she reasoned, sporting a smile of her own along with the cutest blush Sunset had ever seen.

Sunset chuckled, then put an arm around the girl.

"Trust me Derpy, I'm never cold around you."

Derpy's blush grew as she shyly stared at the ground while they walked.

What the HELL did I just say? No seriously! Back up! WHAT?! I mean yeah, I meant what I said, but still! Where the hell did that come from?!

"Y-You know, w-were gonna have to tone it down a bit when we get home," Derpy stammered, still looking at the ground. "Can't get wild with my parents and sister around after all."

"Right, your sister," Sunset sighed. "How do you think she'll react to me? I mean, do you think she'll like me?"

"Absolutely!" Derpy laughed, flashing a wide smile at her nervous girlfriend. "Dinky'll love you! Heck, she might even ask you to be her big sister when she finds out you're living here."

"Right," Sunset mumbled, doubts weighing heavy on her back.

"It'll be fine," Derpy said, smile softening as she held her girl a little tighter only for it to grow a bit impish as she added, "Just watch out if you see an empty bag of gummy worms lying around. Those things wind her up like a squirrel in a nut shelling factory."

"I'll keep an eye out," Sunset laughed.

After a couple hours of wandering the neighborhood and enjoying each other's company, they made it to Derpy's front lawn. Sunset tightened her grip on her girlfriend's hand, nerves starting to make her hands shake as she stared at the front door. Derpy matched her grip as she leaned into the scared girl's side.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, a soft smile coloring her tone.

Sunset gulped then nodded stiffly as she stared at the door. With Derpy as her guide, she made her way towards the door and reached out a fist to knock on it.

Relax Sunset, she told herself as she knocked on the door. You're home. Everything is going to be fine.

The door creaked open, greeting Sunset with the smiling face of Rose Luck.

"Sunset, Derby! Welcome back and Merry Christmas" she beamed, pulling the two girls into a hug. " How was it? Did you turn someone into a frog or something?"

"No Mrs. Rose," Sunset giggled. "And Merry Christmas."

Rose gave the fiery teen a pointed stare as she let them go.

"No "Mrs" Sunset. Just Rose is fine."

"Right," Sunset said sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's fine," she sighed, then smirked as she added, "I'll break you of that habit someday."

"We'll see about that," Sunset said, matching Rose's smirk with one of her own.

They shared a laugh at that, then Rose moved aside for them to come out of the cold. Before they could take a step, a small grey and white blur shot out of the door and threw Derpy to the snow-covered ground. Taking a moment to blink away her shock, Sunset turned towards her fallen girlfriend. What she saw melted her heart like a bowl of ice cream in the middle of summer.

Hugging Derpy with all the strength she could muster was what could only be described as a mini-Derpy. She wore a simple white sweater with snowmen covering it and a thick pair of grey sweatpants that matched her pink slippers. Her hair was a mess of straight blond just like the girl she was hugging the life out of. They even had the same eye color. The only thing that separated the two girls aside from their ages was that the little one had a different skin tone. Where Derpy was grey, the little one was a light shade of purple-gray.

"You're back! You're back! I missed you so much sis!" the little girl beamed as she nuzzled into her Derpy's torso.

"Hey Dinky," Derpy wheezed, patting her sister on the head. "I missed you too. Can you get off of me please. Need to breath."

"Oh!" she squeaked as she jumped to her feet with a sheepish smile. "Sorry sis."

"No problem," Derpy coughed as she staggered to her feet.

It was then that Dinky noticed the girl standing next to her mother.

"Who are you?" she asked, staring at Sunset like a puzzle while she approached.

"Dinky, this is Sunset Shimmer," Rose said with a smile. "She's the girl I told you about."

"The one that moved into the guest room?" she asked.

Rose nodded.

Dinky gave Sunset the biggest, brightest smile Sunset had ever seen and said, "Hi Sunset Shimmer. I'm Dinky Doo!"

"J-Just Sunset's fine," Sunset stammered, taken aback by the display of pure joy from the young girl.

"Cool!" Dinky giggled, then ran to her sister's side and asked, "Where did you go? I tried calling you, like, a billion times all week, but I never got a signal!"

Derpy gave Sunset a questioning look. A small smile crept onto Sunset's face as she nodded, a smile that formed on Derpy's face when she shifted her attention back to her sister.

"Sunset took me to another world full of magic."

Dinky's smile turned into a skeptical frown as she crossed her arms.

"Yeah right sis," she grumbled. "I'm not five. I know magic isn't real."

"Yeah it is," Derpy frowned.

"Prove it!" Dinky snapped.

For a moment she considered asking Sunset to transform, but changed her mind at the last second. They both knew that she hadn't fully learned how to control that power yet. One slip-up and they could end up blowing up a car or something. She needed to prove her claim in a way that wouldn't put others at risk. After a few seconds of thinking, she found just the thing that would do the trick.

"Alright, watch this," she smirked as she covered her real eye. "Put up some fingers."

"Okay?" Dinky said cautiously as she put up her hand.

"Five."

Dinky gave her sister a confused blink then looked at her open hand and tried again.

"Three."

The little girl's confusion turned into shock as she then pulled her hand into a fist.

"Zero."

Dinky gawked at her sister then stuck up a few fingers.

"Four."

This continued for several seconds with Derpy successfully saying how many fingers her sister had up each time. Dinky's heart nearly leaped out of her mouth when her sister snapped at her for accidentally sticking up her middle finger at one point.

"How are you doing that?" Dinky gawked. "That eye isn't even real!"

"Magic," Derpy smirked as she took her hand away from her face. "Sunset's aunt put a spell on it so I can see."

Dinky's jaw dropped as she slowly turned her head towards Sunset.

"You can do magic?"

Sunset nodded.

A bright smile spread across Dinky's face and in a flash, Sunset felt a set of small arms wrap around her waist.

"Can you be my sister's girlfriend?!"

"W-Wha?" Sunset sputtered, a deep blush spreading across her face as she stared at the bundle of cute hugging her.

"If you and big sis get together, then you'll be my big sister too!" Dinky smiled, stars shining in her eyes as she stared at the shellshocked teen. "Please?"

"W-Well, we're already...um," Sunset struggled to find her words as she stared into those big hopeful eyes.

"Way ahead of you sis," Derpy giggled as she gave Sunset a soft peck on the cheek.

Rose flashed a small smile and rolled her eyes as she walked back into the house while her youngest looked like she was about to explode with joy.

"YES!!! MY NEW BIG SISTER'S A MAGE!!! BEST! CHRISTMAS!! EVER!!!"

As Sunset watched the ecstatic elementary schooler celebrate, a single thought ran through her head while she pulled her girlfriend into a one-armed hug.

That's so not fair.

I'm back baby! Now as a sort of reward for all of you out their for being so patient with me, I thought I'd include a list of songs along with the character that they go with in this fic. To be exact, these are the battle tracks for 5 characters in particular for this arc. Enjoy!

Sunset
https://youtu.be/SeHRZ-3CbAs

Fluttershy
https://youtu.be/_HUTkclChpE

Pinkie and Tattle
https://youtu.be/18xOB0zJvSE

Derpy
https://youtu.be/qZx97eHDSX8

Applebloom swiped some sweat from her brow, her breath coming out in harsh puffs through her dust mask as she stared at the now clean cow pen. A small ember of pride burned in her as she took stock of her handy work before she moved on to lugging the large barrel they used to transport the cows leavings into one of the silos on the other side of the farm for storage.

Good thing we only have one cow, she thought with a sigh as she ran to get a dolly. Otherwise, Ah'd be in here all weekend.

As she cringed at the thought of dealing with a mountain of manure, she thought back to what Princess Celestia said to them before coming back home.

***

"Listen well," Celestia intoned, voice empty of emotion as she stared down at the trio of fillies that stood before her. "While you will be returning to Terra, it will be with a few conditions set in place. While you are there, Discord will have you under constant surveillance. He will make sure you do nothing to harm my daughter or anypony else that is close to her. He will also make sure nothing happens to you while you are there. I doubt your families will do anything unethical, but the same cannot be said for other humans. When it is time for you to return, he will teleport you back to your room in the servant's quarters. Do you understand?"

They nodded, then collectively saluted her.

A bit of light on their forelegs caught her attention.

"What are you wearing?" she asked, a bit of raised brow making it past her mask of indifference.

"A gift from Sunset," Sweetie said, her lips pulled into a small smile as she stared at the silver bracelet on her right foreleg.

Applebloom and Scootaloo nodded, each giving their matching accessories caring smiles .

"I don't think we deserve them," Scootaloo sighed. "Not yet, but I'm gonna change that."

"Me too," Applebloom nodded. "Ah want ta' make things right again."

Celestia let a proud smile spread across her muzzle as she stared at the three fillies.

"In time my little Terrans. Until then, do what you can to mend your ties with your families."

***

Applebloom smiled as she pulled back the right sleeve of her jacket to look at her new bracelet. The promise she and her friends made to themselves were held in the simple metal band just as tightly as a written contract. They were going to do better, no matter what they had to do to do it. Though it did sting a little to have her other christmas gifts confiscated until New Years. The fact that her friends had the same thing happen to them didn't do much to lessen the blow, but it did make it a little more bearable.

"Alright, no more wastin' time," she huffed, pulling her sleeve back into place. "Ah've still got a lot of ground to cover before supper."

When she braced the barrel to level it onto the dolly, it shocked her how light the barrel felt. Normally, it was a struggle for her just to move the container when it was half full, let a lone filled near to the brim as it was now. Raising a brow, she griped the six-foot tall barrel and lifted. Her jaw dropped as she hefted it above her head like a beach ball with next to no effort. A wide grin grew on her face as she ran towards the manure silo with her seemingly weightless barrel of droppings. When she made it to said building, she safely stored the barrel and dashed out into the snow-covered orchard.

"W-What the hay was that?" she panted, leaning against a nearby tree. "How'd Ah do that?!"

A small twinkling from her wrist caught her attention. When she pulled back her sleeve she was greeted by a shimmering bracelet. The light was faint, just barely bright enough to be seen in the early morning light, but present all the same. Applebloom stared at the accessory in wonder as she struggled to find an explanation for what was happening. The obvious answer was magic, but what kind and more importantly, was it safe?

"Well, Ah don't feel like hurt'n no one or take'n over the world, so that's a good sign," she mumbled, eyes locked onto the bracelet. "M-Maybe the Princess can-"

She let out startled yelp as a cloud of confetti burst above her head along with a note. She just managed to catch it before it hit the ground. Still a little shook-up, she cautiously opened the letter.

Dear Applebloom Apple

It seems your magic has awakened. Now, I'm sure this is a very scary and confusing time for you, but don't worry. What you're experiencing is a completely normal and natural part of prolonged exposure in an environment flooded with magic. As such, your body will go through various changes as it lets the magic settle within it. These include, but are not limited to: Increase in Size, Increase in Strength, Increase in Speed, Barrier Projection, Elemental Manipulation, Dimensional Distortion, Item Creation, Psycho Kinesis, Prophetic Visions, Limited Time Travel, Healing, Teleportation, Flight, Shapeshifting, and Familiar Summoning.

Again, these changes are completely normal, but should they become too much for you to handle, please contact your local Lord of Chaos for assistance.

Sincerely, Lord Discord, Master of Chaos and Future Love Bug to The Princess of the Sun.

Applebloom spat out a mouthful of confetti as she leveled a deadpan at the letter.

"Is he-"

***

"Serious?!" Sweetie squeaked, a glowing green domed barrier surrounding her as she stood in the bathroom.

After getting an earful from her parents, Sweetie's resolve to do better was shaken a bit as she was given a list of chores. A quick glance at her bracelet helped her steel herself against her own weakness and take the punishment like a champ. Ironically, most of the chores her mother gave her were the kind of things she was expecting to do at the castle. All was well for the most part until she was scrubbing behind the toilet and found the source of all evil. She never knew that a roach could get that big or that when they did they had wings.

The young girl let out an exasperated growl as she pushed against the shield to grab a steel-wool brush on the other side. Her temper rose the more effort she put into grabbing the tool, until it finally flared past what she could contain. A loud roar echoed through the whole house as she punched and kicked against her prison like a wild beast.

"STUPID MAGIC BUBBLE!!!" she roared as she clawed at the barrier.

At that moment, the lord of evil landed on the other side of the barrier right in front of Sweetie's face. The scream that ran out of her mouth hit such a pitch that only the family cat could hear it as she jumped back. The second her feet left the ground, the barrier lifted slightly and formed into a complete sphere around her. She bumped into the other side of the barrier which now started to slowly roll out of the bathroom.

"Uh-oh," she gulped as she ran to the other end of the barrier.

Her heart sank as the magic slid under her hands and feet like soap-slicked glass.

"No-no-no-no-no-no!" she cried as she futilely tried to force the barrier to stop. "Stop-stop-STOP!!!"

Like a giant hamster ball, she rolled out of the bathroom into the hall towards the stairs. Her eyes widened as the barrier-ball started to move faster as it closed in on the staircase leading to the first floor. Not wanting to see the mess she was going to need to clean up later, she closed her eyes and resigned herself to her fate.

"I regret everything," she sighed as the barrier passed the point of no return.

A loud series of crashes filled the whole house as the glowing wrecking ball destroyed everything in its path. All the while, Sweetie rolled around inside it like a hamster in a kicked hamster-ball. After a few minutes of destruction, the barrier finally stopped when it rammed itself into a wall in the kitchen. She let out a groan as she waited for the world to stop spinning.

I...hate...magic...

"Sweetie Belle!"

Sluggishly, Sweetie looked up from the ground and saw her mother standing at the entrence into the kitchen. To say Cookie Crumbles was angry would've been a massive understatement. The fuming mother stomped into the kitchen like a mad bull as she moved in to give her youngest a very loud talking to. Said anger turned into confusion when she bumped into the near-invisible shield surrounding her daughter.

"What is-"

"Magic," Sweetie said flatly, still laying on the ground.

Cookie blinked at that, then frowned as she said, "Well, no magic until you're done with your chores. Now turn this thing off and get back to work."

"I don't know how!" she groaned as she slammed her fists into the bottom of her prison.

"What's going on here?" Hondo Flanks asked as he walked into the kitchen.

He froze when he saw the situation then sighed as he stepped out of the kitchen.

"I'll go get the sledgehammer," he grumbled.

"WHAT?!" both women screamed, Cookie scrambling to catch up with her husband while Sweetie pounded even harder on her prison walls.

"I! *bam!* HATE! *bam!* MAGIC!!! *bam!*

***

"This is awesome!" Scootaloo cheered as she zipped through her aunt's house.

Lofty let out an exasperated groan at the kitchen counter as her wife poured her a cup of coffee.

"When did things get so crazy?" Lofty sighed as she took a sip of her drink.

"My brother had a daughter and I agreed to watch her while he traveled the world with his wife," Holiday said with a tired smile.

At that moment, Scootaloo appeared next to her two bewildered aunts.

"The bathroom's clean," she said with a bright smile. "What's next?"

"You were only in there for three minutes," Lofty grumbled.

"Yeah, the grout was really dirty," she said, smile unwavering.

Holiday let out a small chuckle at that, then asked, "Did you get your room sorted out?"

"Yep!"

"The kitchen seems to be in one piece," Lofty sighed. "Go clean the windows."

"Already taken care of," Scootaloo beamed.

The pale-yellow woman's jaw dropped at that before she set her cup down and ran to each of the windows in their one-story apartment. After a few minutes of careful observation, the woman let out a defeated sigh and returned to her seat in the kitchen.

"You know," Holiday smirked, crossing her arms at her niece. "Those new powers of yours make punishing you kind've hard."

"Sorry aunty," Scootaloo said sheepishly.

"Please tell me super speed is the only thing you have," Lofty groaned, picking Discord's letter up off of the table. "I don't think my heart could handle it if you blew our house up or something."

"I think so," Scootaloo frowned, staring a the glowing purple rings wrapped around her ankles. "I've been trying some of my teacher's tricks to see if I can do anything else, but nothing's happened so far."

"That's a relief," Holiday chuckled. "Don't know if we have magic insurance."

"I think The Princess could cover it," Scootaloo said, rubbing her chin in thought. "Or maybe her boyfriend could fix it all."

"Is it strange that I miss having a boring life?" Lofty asked, staring into her cup. "Why is it that the one town we decided to move to for a mostly quite life ended up becoming the magic capital of the world?"

"Luck?" Holiday offered with a shrug.

Lofty groaned before taking a sip of her coffee.

"You know, you guys are taking this all better then I thought you would," Scootaloo said staring at her aunts.

"Oh, we aren't," Holiday smiled, a bit of a twitch in the corners of her lips. "We're still in shock that there's a world ruled by a pony god that can control the sun just a stone's throw away from our house."

"I think I'm handling it well, all things considered," Lofty sighed over her coffee. "Though I don't think I'll be visiting again. I rather like having hands, thank you very much."

"Eh, you get used to it," Scootaloo shrugged.

Both of her aunts blinked at her owlishly.

"I don't know how I should take that," Holiday said nervously.

"Please finish your punishment in Equestria soon dear," Lofty pleaded. "I fear what staying there for too long will do to you."

"You've seen how big that castle is, right?" Scootaloo asked, raising a brow.

"Please don't remind me," Lofty sighed.

***

Fluttershy giggled as she wrote in her new journal, the darkness of her room broken by the shine of her desk lamp. Just like Sunset said, the journal worked flawlessly as she traded messages with her double from her native dimension. Neither of them had anything particularly groundbreaking to talk about. Just the simple this and thats of daily life, but that was just as thrilling for the young couple as any grand adventure.

Did you really tell him that? Equestrian Fluttershy wrote.

Fluttershy smiled sheepishly as she answered.

Yeah. I lost my temper and he almost took the journal.

Did you apologize?

Fluttershy nodded, then rolled her eyes as she remembered that her girlfriend wouldn't see the response as she put pen to paper.

Yeah. He didn't know what he took and we made up, but I think he's scared of me now. I wish Zephyr was a little more mindful of people's things sometimes.

Tell me about it.

An image of her pony double sighing entered her mind and forced a giggle out of her.

Fluttershy was about to respond when a hard pounding at the front door downstairs made her jump. As she let her heart-rate level out, she stared at her open bedroom door. She gulped as she wrote a quick message to her double and stepped out of her room. The pounding continued as she made her way down the hall from her room to the stairs. As she walked, she could hear her family rousing from the racket down stairs through their doors. Soon, she made it down the stairs and stood in front of the front door. Normally, something like this would've terrified Fluttershy, but she was calm as she reached for the doorknob. If anything, she felt slightly miffed that her time with her girlfriend was interrupted by whatever unfortunate soul stood on the other side of the door. Her other hand had tensed as she prepared to strike the late night guest should the need arise as she opened the door.

What she saw made her blink in shock for a moment.

Three girls in thick winter jackets stood on the porch with their leader standing just in front of the door. One girl had short gray hair with skin a darker shade of gray visible on parts of her body not covered by her lavender winter gear and was a bit taller then the rest of the girls in the group. The other girl had long strait green hair with a lighter shade of green for her skin tone and white winter gear. The first girl's light-green eyes held a trace of fear as she looked at Fluttershy while the other one's lavender orbs held clear panic. Panic that became clear when Fluttershy locked eyes with their leader.

The woman that stood before her was just a little shorter then the gray girl. Her long purple hair trailed down to the middle of her back with a strait cut to keep her bangs out of her eyes. She held a pale-gray skin tone that made her navy blue winter gear stand out as her turquoise eyes drilled into her.

Fluttershy barely had time to react as the girl in front of her grabbed her by the throat and dragged her out into the cold. The timid teen let out strangled yelp as she was pinned to the wall next to the door like a bug in a display case, her capture's eyes burning into her with the intensity of a thousand suns.

"S-Sis, please!" the green girl pleaded, her voice a terrified whisper as she reached out towards the attacking woman.

"Yeah Maud," the older woman said, tone cautious as she put a hand on the gray woman's shoulder. "No need to get so-"

"Quiet," Maud growled, shrugging off the woman's hand as she tightened her grip on Fluttershy's throat.

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she realized who had her then narrowed as a familiar heat started to grow inside her.

"W-What do you want?" Fluttershy managed to choke out.

Maud's glare hardened as she held her target even harder against the wall.

"Where. Is. My. Sister."

"I-I don't know," Fluttershy gasped.

"BULL SHIT!" Maud roared, clearly fighting against the urge to crush the girl in front of her. "Tell me where she is or I swear they will never find your body!"

The two girls behind Maud gasped at that while Fluttershy's magic continued to build.

"That's enough Maud!" the older girl said moving towards the raging Pie.

"SHUT UP LIMESTONE!" Maud roared, making the older woman flinch before adding in a more leveled tone, "And you stay out of this too Marble."

The youngest girl in the group flinched in spite of Maud's gentler tone as the second oldest Pie leveled hellfire onto Fluttershy with her eyes.

"Tell me what you guys did with her."

"W-We didn't do a-anything," Fluttershy gasped.

"Don't lie to me," Maud growled. "Your group is the only one that has it out for her. Now tell me where she is!"

"I-I d-don't know."

"Fine then," Maud glared. "Then maybe Sunset could tell me."

Fluttershy's magic surged through her body, turning her teal eyes into blood-red cat-like orbs of rage as she stared daggers into Maud's soul. Large bat-like wings sprouted from her back like a pair of yellow curtains and her hair tied itself into a long warrior's braid.

Maud pulled her hand away from the girl and backed away from her, an act mirrored by her terrified sisters.

"You will not touch her," Fluttershy growled, her fangs glinting off of the shine of a nearby streetlight. "I'll make sure of it!"

whew, this took a bit of work. Anyway, here are some more battle tracks for this arc. Enjoy!

Lightning Dust
https://youtu.be/SjtBmrco3yk

Octavia Melody
https://youtu.be/_mgB-zwOkwY

Vinyl Scratch
https://youtu.be/yOy0KgZ7LUg

Bonbon
https://youtu.be/h-rj8HVW3PQ

Lily Bouquet
https://youtu.be/zDXgbdhj5Zc

Canter Creek was always a sight to behold in the wintertime. Even with the new meaning it held for the students of Canterlot High, the waters held a beauty and peace that couldn't be found anywhere else. Three girls walked on the coast as they discussed recent events. More specifically, last night's events.

"No way," Lightning gaped. "Are you serious?"

Fluttershy nodded, shame weighing heavy on her features as she stared at the ground while they walked.

"I could see it in her eyes," she whispered, lips trembling with unshed tears. "She was so scared."

"I don't blame her," Vinyl sighed, staring out into waters to their left. "If something happened to Tavi, I'd lose it too."

All Fluttershy could do was nod as she thought back to what happened last night.

***

"E-Easy now," Limestone stammered, hands up in a placating manner as she stepped between Maud and her seething opponent. "L-L-Let's not do something we'll all regret."

"Go near Sunset and I won't regret anything!" Fluttershy snarled, her claws literally bared and ready.

Marble yelped in terror as she ran behind Limestone.

"P-P-Please," she stammered, shivering like a leaf in a storm. "W-We just wa-want to find our sister."

Fluttershy's glare shifted from Maud to her sisters, her anger dimming slightly as she took in the looks on their faces. As she stared into their eyes she saw a lot of things, fear and confusion being chief among them. What she didn't see was hostility. Not anymore, at least.

"Fine," she sighed, letting her body relax. "Let's talk."

The Pie sisters let out sighs of relief as the living nightmare before them lowered her claws, but remained cautious in case that changed.

"Come on," Fluttershy sighed as she walked back into her house. "It's cold out here and I could use some tea right now."

Marble and Limestone staggered after her, neither eager to argue with the girl. Fluttershy noticed that she was one Pie short as she guided the two girls into the kitchen. A small stone of guilt settled in her stomach as she guessed what had happened. Reluctantly, she returned to the still open doorway to fetch the last of her uninvited guests. Maud stood as still as a statue, face blank aside from wide eyes as she stared at her trembling hands. The guilty stone in Fluttershy's stomach turned into a boulder as she once again took in her handy work.

I need to learn how to control this.

"Maud," Fluttershy called, snapping the girl out of her trance with a flinch.

"Y-Yes?" she said, a trace of a stammer evident in her now monotone voice.

"It's cold," Fluttershy sighed, a sheepish smile coloring her face. "Come inside."

Maud nodded, then stiffly let herself into the house.

After Fluttershy set a filled kettle onto the stove, the four girls took a seat at the kitchen counter. Limestone was tense as she sat while her youngest sister trembled at her side. Maud was unreadable save for her faintly trembling hands that sat on the table with their fingers weaved together. Fluttershy took deep calming breaths as she stared at the three girls. Her rage was mostly gone, but she was still on high alert.

"Now, what are you doing here? Why do you think we did something to Pinkie?"

The three girls were silent for a few seconds, then Limestone took a deep breath.

"Pinkie's missing," she frowned. "Been missing for eight days now."

Fluttershy gasped.

"Missing? How?"

"W-We don't know," Marble squeaked, clutching Limestone's jacket sleeve tightly. "W-We went to Maud's house f-for Christmas. W-When we got there..."

Before she could finish, the young girl burst into tears and buried her face into Limestone's side.

"Maud wasn't in the best shape," Limestone sighed, putting an arm around Marble as she sent a sad frown towards her faintly trembling sister. "The house was a mess and Maud was curled up in a corner hugging a picture of Pinkie. Didn't even look like she ate or slept in days. When we managed to force some food into her, she told us she hadn't seen Pinkie since the assembly last week."

"Something happened," Maud mumbled, staring at her trembling hands. "I can feel it. Something happened to her."

Slowly, she raised her head to face the vampiric teen. Fluttershy flinched as she watched tears slide down the normally unshakeable older woman's face.

"P-Please, I just want my sister back."

***

"Didn't they try the cops?" Lightning asked, kicking a pebble into the stream.

Fluttershy nodded, then said, "They said they could put out a missing persons report, but that was all they could do."

"So after awhile this Maud chick thought we did something? Figures," Vinyl sighed. "How'd you convince her we were innocent?"

"My girlfriend talked to her," Fluttershy smiled, a bit of a blush coloring her cheeks.

Both teens paused at that.

"Wait, she came over?" Lightning asked, flabbergasted .

She nodded, then said, "Just for a little bit. She brought Princess Luna and Twilight with her to prove that we were in Equestria for the last few days."

"Would't the whole magic thing make things harder for us?" Vinyl asked. "What's to stop her from thinking we took her there?"

"Limestone sense," Fluttershy giggled.

Both of her friends tilted their heads in confusion at that.

"Pinkie told me that everyone in her family has some sort of sense power. She can predict random things around her, Maud can find anything she's looking for, Marble can tell what people are feeling, and Limestone can tell when people are lying to her."

"Sounds like fun," Lightning chuckled. "Hope Maud's boyfriend never cheats on her."

"May god have mercy on his soul," Vinyl sighed. "At least Sunset doesn't need to worry about some lunatic trying to get her for awhile. Girl deserves a break from all that."

"Tell me about it," Lightning sighed. "But what are we going to do? If Maud couldn't find her, how the heck are we going to?"

"Maybe Sunset can-" Vinyl froze, eyes locked onto something in the distance.

Confused, her friends followed her line of sight. The second they saw the bridge, all the color drained from their faces.

"That's the place, right?" she asked, a hint of melancholy coloring her tone as she stared at the bridge.

"Not a lot of bridges over Canter Creek," Lightning frowned, crossing her arms.

Fluttershy silently glared at the structure, a bit of her magic flaring in response to her anger.

"It should be demolished," she hissed.

"Yeah," Vinyl sighed, staring at the ground. "Considering its track record."

"Huh?" Both girls said in unison as they turned their heads towards the DJ.

"Did some research when we got back. Turns out that bridge is a pretty common suicide bridge. At least one person throws themselves off it each month. Earned it the nickname Death Bridge about a year ago."

They gawked in horror at their friend then shifted their gaze back towards the bridge. As they did, a morbid thought passed between them.

"Y-You don't think-," Lightning gulped

"Nah," Vinyl said with a dry chuckle. "If she jumped it'd be on the news by now."

"That's good," Fluttershy sighed, placing a hand on her chest.

In spite of the trace of joy that thought gave her, she couldn't help giving the bridge an uneasy glare. There was just something about the structure that felt wrong to her. It was like she was staring at a hiding predator, like a trapdoor spider waiting for some unsuspecting mouse to wander by. The thought of so many people falling to their deaths put a chill down her spine, a fact that became even more horrible when she remembered that Sunset almost became the bridge's next victim. As she stared at the grim structure, a figure on its side platform caught her attention.

"Who's that?" Fluttershy asked, mostly to herself as she squinted at the figure.

"Who's who?" Lightning asked, trying to follow Fluttershy's line of sight.

"There," she said, pointing towards the figure.

"Don't know," Vinyl said grimly. "But if they're here alone that can't be a good sign."

"Hold on," Lightning said, reaching into her jacket pocket. "Might as well see how good these things are over here."

As she said that, she pulled out a pair of brass goggles and strapped them on. The second they were in place, she focused on the figure on the bridge. Her eyes widened when the spell on the goggles zoomed in on the figure.

"FUCK!" she roared and bolted as fast as the could towards the bridge.

She barely registered her friends startled cries as she ran, sheer terror tearing through her veins. She made it to the bridge's entry stairs in seconds and pushed herself to move faster, jumping up three steps at a time.

"Hell no! Not gonna happen!" she panted as she cleared the stares and rammed into the metal door at the top.

The second she made it onto the bridge's main pedestrian platform, she scanned her surroundings for the reason she was there. A figure with a messy head of rainbow hair looking over the bridge's guardrail grabbed her attention.

"DON'T YOU DARE!!!" she roared as she bolted towards the girl.

Rainbow had just enough time to turn her head towards the running girl before said girl tackled her to the ground. The sporty teen let out a groan as she pushed Lightning off of herself.

"What the hell Lightning?" she groaned, rubbing the back of her head.

"Don't give me that," Lightning growled as she stood back up. "If I hadn't been here someone would've been fishing you out of the creek."

"What?" Rainbow blinked.

"You were about to jump!" Lightning exclaimed.

"No I wasn't," Rainbow sighed, rising to her own feet. "I was just getting some air."

"I bet," Lightning grumbled. "Look Rainbow, I may not like you all that much right now, but I still don't want you to off yourself. That's not going to fix anything."

"I know," Rainbow said flatly. "That's why I wasn't going to do it."

Lightning's anger faded away when she gave her former friend and rival a good long look. The girl looked like she hadn't taken care of herself in a while, which was really saying something. While she wasn't as into her looks as most girls were, she always made sure to do the minimum bits of maintenance in regards to her appearance. The bags under her eyes showed just how much sleep she had been getting and the lack of energy she gave off reminded Lightning of a zombie.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Rainbow sighed, forcing a smile. "I'm just working through some things. No biggie."

"Bullshit," Lightning growled. "You look like hell. Spill it."

Rainbow stared blankly at her for a minute, then sighed as she stood limp before her former friend. Her head fell forward as a dead voice fell past her lips.

"I pushed her to this. I made her think this was an option Lightning. I hurt her so bad that she thought that she had to kill herself to make it stop. All of this was going to be the last things she saw before she died."

As she said that, she gestured to the sheet metal and steel girders that made up Canter Bridge with an arm before she let it fall limply to her side.

"And if that wasn't bad enough," she continued. "I nearly planed to sick a mob on her. What the hell is wrong with me? Am I really that screwed up?"

Slowly, she raised her head until she locked her dead eyes with Lightning.

"I-I'm scared Lightning. I don't know what is wrong with me and it scares the hell out of me."

Lightning's stared Rainbow down for a minute, her face unreadable as she tried to find the words she needed. This was a delicate situation and unfortunately for Lightning, delicate wasn't her thing most of the time.

She brought this upon herself, The Voice said, tone empty of emotion. She betrayed Sunset.

I know that, Lightning thought. But I can't leave things like this. I hope she can forgive me later.

"Hey," Lightning snapped. "I'm gonna ask you something and I want an honest answer. No bullshit. Got it?"

Rainbow nodded.

"I'm serious," she frowned.

"Yeah," Rainbow sighed. "Ask away."

"Have you thought about killing yourself lately?"

For several minutes Rainbow stayed deathly still, then gave a stiff nod.

"I thought about it a couple times, but my shrink's helping me keep that under control."

"You've got a counselor then? Good. That'll make things a bit easier."

Rainbow nodded stiffly.

"Look," Lightning sighed. "You still have my number, right?"

Again, Rainbow nodded.

"Then if things get a bit much for you, send me a text or call me. Like I said, I'm still mad at you, but I don't want to see a report about how someone found you rotting in a ditch somewhere or something."

"D-Do you mean that?" she stammered, traces of shock forming in the blue girl's dead features.

"Of course," Lightning said with a sad smile.

She flinched when Rainbow suddenly threw her arms around her and balled into her shoulder, but quickly shook off the shock as she held her former friend and rival.

"You're gonna get through this," Lightning smiled. "I promise."

A light squeaking from the metal door Lightning barreled through and a pair of panting breaths announced the presence of the two friends she left behind.

"A-Are we interrupting something?" Vinyl gasped.

"Kinda," Lightning shrugged, still hugging a crying Rainbow. "Let's just say Sunset and Derpy are gonna have a few choice words for me later."

"I-Is she going to be okay?" Fluttershy panted, fear heavy in her eyes given the bridge's apparent reputation.

"She will be," Lightning frowned. "I'm gonna make sure of it."

***

Octavia hummed a happy tune as she walked through the busy city streets, loaded shopping bags hanging loosely from her left arm while scrolling through her phone with her right. While she was more then happy with the gifts her parents gave her, she couldn't deny that they had a rather limited understanding when it came to the appeal of casual clothes. Fine dresses and formal wear were certainly worthy of her social status, but certain occasions called for a simple T-shirt and jeans.

She gave the bag an appreciative smile as she adjusted her designer faux-fur coat.

"Nothing like a little shopping to help one unwind for a bit," she murmured to herself as she put her phone away.

The familiar hum of city noise calmed her as she made her way through the loaded streets. Many took such a din for granted, but her brief stay in Equestria reminded her of how much that cluster of white noise was a part of her. While the quiet simplicity of Ponyville was refreshing, it felt almost alien to her after spending so much of her life in the bustle of Canterlot City. For many it was noise. For her, it was home.

As she walked she noticed a local park in the distance. Getting her bearings, she noted that it was roughly in the direction of her home. Granted, it would put her out of her way by a few minutes, but not by enough to really matter in the long run.

Oh, why not? she thought with a shrug.

As she stepped onto the park's grounds, the sounds of the city were muffled by the simple tranquility of nature. The sights and smells of snow and plants balanced well with the beeping of horns in the distance and the faint taste of exhaust in the air. It was a strange form of harmony, but one that Octavia found her zen in much the same way as when she was holding her cello.

Her good mood dimmed when she saw a familiar girl sitting in on nearby park bench. Though sitting was too general of a term. She was slumped forward in her seat, her normally well brushed purple curls a mangled mess hiding her face. Surrounding her were countless empty bottles with labels that made Octavia's heart drop. A deep frown carved its way across her face as she approached the girl.

"I thought you kicked this habit," she said coldly, staring down at the girl.

She flinched, then slowly raised her head to face Octavia.

Rarity's eyes were red and puffy from crying with none of her makeup to hide the growing bags under her eyes. The blue eyes that locked with Octavia's lavender ones were empty of all emotion beyond self-loathing. The musician's frown softened slightly as concern wormed its way into her heart.

"Talk," she intoned, taking a seat next to her former friend.

"What is there to talk about?" Rarity asked hollowly as her face turned back to the ground.

"What indeed," Octavia sighed. "Perhaps why you're out here getting drunk would be a good place to start."

"Why do you care?" Rarity hissed. "I thought we were done. That associating with me would damage your reputation."

"A lady is allowed to change her mind when the situation calls for it," Octavia sighed. "Such as when one sees their old friend destroying themselves in a park. Now talk."

Rarity stayed silent for a few minutes, then let out a shaky sigh as she broke the silence.

"I-I think a part of me wants to hurt my sister. Every time I have too much to drink, I damage something that reminds me of her. But the drink makes the pain stop. It makes the pain from hurting Sunset so deeply stop. I know it's selfish of me, but I can't take it Octavia. It's like I have ice in my veins and everything inside me is rotting from it!"

She turned to face her friend, tears running down her face as she broke down.

"I.....need this Octavia. Even if it's destroying me I need this to deal with the pain."

For a moment, Octavia stared in stunned shock at her friend, only for red hot anger to fill her like steam in a kettle.

"You're right. That is selfish."

She grabbed the weeping girl by the shoulders and glared into her eyes with the intensity of an air-bound falcon.

"What do you think this will accomplish? Will this make the pain stop? Will this make up for what happened between you and Sunset? Will your family be happy to see you like this? God damn it Rarity, WHAT WAS IT THAT GAVE YOU THE STRENGTH TO STOP THIS IN THE PAST?! TELL ME!!!"

Rarity's eyes widened in the face of Octavia's words, a bit of life seen flickering in the blue orbs as they took hold of what little fire she still held in her heart.

"M-My mother. M-My father. And my..."

Octavia sighed, then said, "You feel bad for what you did to Sunset? Imagine how Sweetie feels for a moment. She pushed a girl to attempt suicide and has to live with that for the rest of her life. She needs you to be strong. So please, stop this."

The small embers that Octavia saw turned into a roaring flame as her former friend gave her a determined, yet shaky smile.

"I-I will try."

"Not good enough," Octavia grimaced. "I don't want you to try. That isn't what stopped this in the past. Be better. Be the sister she needs. Will you do that?"

"Y-Yes," she said shakily.

"More conviction," Octavia demanded.

"Y-Yes," Rarity said, a bit less uncertainty in her tone.

"Are you trying to convince yourself or me? Show me that strong heart we both know you have!"

"Yes!" Rarity yelled, a raging inferno blazing in her eyes she locked eyes with the musician. "I will get through this! I will be better! Rarity Belle is no quitter!"

"Good to hear love," Octavia said, a faint smile gracing her lips. "And your sister?"

A sad smile formed on Rarity's lips as the fire within her dimmed slightly.

"I will do whatever I can to help her."

"Excellent," Octavia beamed. "Now, about this."

As she said that, she kicked a glass bottle to the side and Rarity blushed.

"I-I suppose I went a little overboard on my instead didn't I?"

"Your what?" she asked.

"Well, my therapist suggested that I find a substitute for my, uh, coping tool as it were. Since it worked last time, I bought a six pack of root beer for when the urge got a bit much."

Octavia counted the discarded bottles, then gave the girl a quirked brow.

"Love, there are thirty bottles on the ground."

"I made multiple trips," she said sheepishly as she wiped her tears away.

"Indeed," she said, a light chuckle escaping her. "Would you please hand me your phone?"

Nodding, Rarity handed over the device in question. After a few quick screen taps, she returned the phone to its owner. A brief investigation made Rarity's eyes widen with shock before shifting to the faintly smiling young woman before her.

"Be sure to use that when you run out of root beer. I will always make time for you, love."

"B-But what about Sunset?" Rarity stammered.

"I will make sure to let her know the circumstances when I tell her. Don't worry love. Things will get better from here."

***

Bonbon sighed as she stared at the massive display of blue Magic the Gathering cards in Card Stock's shop. Like she pointed out to Sunset, she wasn't as huge of a fan of the game as Lyra, but that didn't mean she didn't update her deck whenever she had the chance. The problem was that it had been so long since she last did this that the choices were too massive to sift through. Not helping was her growing concern with her friend's sudden interest in black cards, a set of magic cards that Lyra had avoided like the plague for as long as the two had known each other.

"Hey Bonbon, which do you think I should use?" Lyra asked, from one of the aisles.

Bonbon sighed, then walked in the direction she heard her friend's voice. When she got there she found her friend standing in front of an uncomfortably grim display of fever dreams on card stock.

"Which ones are you talking about?" she asked, grimacing at the umbral horrors for sale.

"This guy and this guy," Lyra said, pointing to two cards in particular.

Bonbon looked at the two cards and was relieved that they were at least humanoid. The artwork of most of the black cards always disturbed her. Generally, they ranged from Lovecraftian mutations to things strait out of gothic horror. At least the cards from her preferred color tended to lean more towards the technical side of things or were relatively easy on the eyes. Lyra seemed to be interested in a couple of black knights that were equal parts impressive and imposing, something Bonbon could handle.

Looking over both cards she pointed to one of them and said, "This one looks good. You should be able to get a few good plays going if you get the right support cards for it."

Lyra put a hand up to her chin and stared at the card, mulling over what her friend said as she did.

"Good point. Plus, Knight of Ebon Legion is pretty easy to summon and he doesn't cost that much."

"For once," Bonbon sighed. "Honestly, how can you afford some of the cards you buy sometimes?"

"Tournaments pay pretty well when you win," Lyra snickered.

"Looks that way," she said, rolling her eyes.

Lyra was about to respond to that, only for something behind her friend to make her pause. Curious, Bonbon turned to look at what had her friend's attention. What she saw made her grimace.

Standing a couple feet away from them in another aisle was none other then Applejack. The farmer seemed to be staring at a set of green cards, though it was difficult to tell if she was admiring them or deciding if she wanted to buy them. Not helping was how blank her eyes seemed to be as they shifted from card to card. Adding to their concern was how out of it the teen seemed to be. Bonbon was used to seeing the farm girl full of life and pride as she went about her days practically flooding with life. Now she looked like she was barely holding herself together as she scanned the aisle she was in like an animated scarecrow.

What Lyra saw made her heart fall into her stomach like a lead weight. For a short moment she saw the farm girl standing in an open plane surrounded by forests with pools of dark sludge covering her and her surroundings like cancerous boils. Several elves and elementals looked to be covered with the same toxic substance as they meandered through the damaged scenery. When the scene shifted back to the card shop, a determined frown formed on her face as Lyra approached the girl. Bonbon sighed as she followed.

"Yo," Lyra said, waving at her.

Applejack flinched, then leveled a stiff smile as she said, "H-Howdy. Been a while, hadn't it?"

"Yeah," Bonbon frowned. "Never pegged you as a card shark. Got a deck in mind?"

Applejack shied away from the pair at that and shook her head.

"Granny and Mac told me ta' find somethin' ta' do today. Said Ah'd been spendin' too much time in the orchard lately."

"Aren't the trees hibernating this time of year?" Bonbon asked.

Applejack nodded, the shadow of her bangs hiding her eyes from them.

"Then why are you in the orchard?" Bonbon probed.

Applejack didn't say anything at that. Instead, she turned her head towards the wall of forest cards and treefolk.

"Ah like trees," she said stiffly. "Always have. Being around them helps me think sometimes. Makes me feel safe. Lately, Ah've been wondering if Ah deserve that. Maybe Ah aint a true apple after all."

Bonbon took a step back at that. The sorry state of her former friend was one thing, but this was something else entirely. Lyra picked up on that, but instead of rearing back she moved forwards towards the hollow young woman.

"That's the biggest load of bull I've ever heard," Lyra frowned, placing a hand on Applejack's shoulder. "Right Bons?"

Frown deepening, Bonbon nodded as she moved to her friend's side.

"You screwed up," Bonbon added, making Applejack flinch slightly. "But you want to make up for it. That's what really matters, right?"

Reluctantly, Applejack nodded.

Bonbon's brow twitched at that.

"That wasn't very convincing," she said flatly. "Where's the nerve you had last week when you came here? Where's that pride you Apples are always talking about?"

Applejack cringed back again at that, then muttered, "Bad apples don't deserve pride."

Bonbon's jaw clenched as a flurry of words ran to the tip of her tongue. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed them and instead grabbed the wayward farmer's hand.

"Come with me," she said, gently pulling the girl along.

Lyra exchanged a look with Bonbon as she dragged Applejack away. Lyra sighed and resumed her stroll through the shop, knowing full well that if her friend needed her she wouldn't hesitate to let her know. One way or another.

Please snap her out of this Bony, she thought, twisted images of a poisoned landscape flashing through her head. She needs it more then you think.

***

Applejack didn't resist as Bonbon lead her to the very same door Lyra lead her through the last time she was in the store.

"Do you mind if I borrow the room Card Stock?" Bonbon asked, casting a sad smile towards the shop's owner.

He nodded and with an appreciative smile, she pushed the door open and guided her former friend through the door.

"Alright, now talk," Bonbon frowned. "We've know each other for years and I've never seen you like this. Not even when you accidentally burnt down one of your family's barns."

"I-It's none yall's business Bonbon," Applejack frowned.

"To bad I'm making it my business," Bonbon growled. "Now talk."

Applejack glared at her for a few seconds, then sighed as she stared down at the ground.

"Yall've always been like this Bons. Never takin' no for an answer when ya'll wanted something done."

"It's why our familys always worked so well together," she said with a smile. "When one of us did something stupid or messed up, we'd light a fire under the other."

A sad chuckle slipped past Applejack's lips at that.

"Lately, mah hide's been burning somethin' fierce. It's mah own fault too."

"A little," Bonbon sighed. "You were't the one who framed someone. You just fell for a stupid trick just like half of the other idiots in class."

"But Ah should've known better," she growled, hands clenched into tight fists as the weight of her crimes fell onto her shoulders. "Ah've spend time with Sunset. We all did! We should've known that it was all just a load of crap! Hell, Ah even told her we were like family! Family Bons! How could Ah turn on her like that if she was my family?!"

For a moment, Bonbon let the farm girl stand there, tears of rage and self-loathing sliding down her face as she let what little armor she held on her heart finally fall. Then, the pink and blue hared girl did something that made Applejack gasp in shock; she pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"We all do stupid things when we're hurt," she sighed, gently rubbing Applejack's back. "At least, that's what my granny once told me. It doesn't mean we're bad so long as we are willing to fix things when the dust settles. Do you want to fix this?"

"More than anything," she sobbed, burying her face into Bonbon's shoulder.

"Then you're not a bad apple. Neither is your sister from what I've heard. You're just a pair of people who had a case of stupid for a little while."

Applejack chuckled wetly at that, then said, "Ya sound a lot like the shrink Ah've been seeing lately."

"Then you better take what I'm saying seriously," she frowned. "Or so help me, I'll tie you up and make you. Got me?"

"Yeah," Applejack smiled, finally feeling a little bit like her old self again. "Ah got yah Bons."

"Same here, cousin," she sighed, letting a bit more tenderness enter her tone. "Just call me when things get like this. I may be mad at you, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about you."

"Right," Applejack sighed. "Ah'll keep that in mind."

"You better," she smiled.

A soft smile spread across Sunset's face as the warmth of her covers eased her out of the land of dreams. Aiding in this mission was a pair of arms wrapped around her from the front. Her eyes fluttered open and what she saw made her smile grow even wider. Derpy laid before her, a look of pure peace decorating her sleeping face peeking out from beneath a mop of messy blond hair. A light warmth covered her cheeks as she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, slowly pulling the sleeping girl into the waking world.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Sunset purred.

"M-Morning," Derpy stammered, sleep dulling all but the wild blush growing on her cheeks. "S-Sunset?"

"Yeah?" she asked, smile growing a little as she leaned in a little closer.

"W-Why are you in my room?"

"Guess again," she giggled.

A small gulp came out of the girl as she gave the room a quick once over.

"O-Okay. Why am I in your room?"

"You tell me," Sunset purred, lightly trailing a hand across her girlfriend's side.

Derpy's brain blue-screened as she tried to figure out how she ended up in her current situation. Not exactly an easy thing to do while wrapped in the arms of the girl she was absolutely crazy about. Her face started to burn hotter by the second as she gazed deeply into Sunset's half-open cyan eyes. The cheshire's grin the fiery teen flashed her sent a delightful chill down her spine as Sunset's lips slowly closed in on her own. When she was just a breath away from Derpy's lips, Sunset let out a small giggle as she pulled herself away from her frazzled girlfriend.

"Not yet,"Sunset smiled, stretching as she got out of bed. "We need to put a lock on the door first."

Derpy blinked dumbly for a moment, then sharply sat up the second her brain rebooted.

"No fair," she pouted, blanket wrapped around her like a hooded cloak.

"Can't let Dinky find us like that," Sunset giggled as she sat down in front of her vanity and reached for a brush. "Your mom's cool and all, but I think she'd lose it if that happened."

"Yeah," Derpy sighed, staring at the bed.

"Plus," Sunset smirked. "We need to soundproof the room first, Miss Screamer."

Derpy's face turned beet red just before she wrapped herself in the blanket.

"J-Jerk!" Derpy squeaked from her fortress of fabric.

Sunset chuckled as she ran the brush through her hair.

"Says the girl who snuck into the dragon's den in the middle of the night," Sunset said with a cheeky grin.

"Had to check on my dragon," Derpy shot back, a smug smile visible past her light blush.

"Well you know what they say," Sunset smirked, glancing over her shoulder at her bed-bound lover. "Nothing's more greedy then a dragon."

Derpy loudly gulped at the hungry look in her girlfriend's eyes before letting out a yelp as she fell out of the bed. The covers weren't far behind her as the heavy blanket fell with a soft thump and a series of muffled curses.

"Are you okay?" Sunset asked, turning in her seat.

"Yeah," Derpy groaned as she dragged herself back onto the bed.

Sunset chuckled, then turned back to the mirror. Just as she was about to resume her brushing, her bedroom door burst open.

"Good morning Sunset!" Dinky cheered. Mama says breakfast will be re-"

Dinky froze when she saw her sister sitting on Sunset's bed, then gave a sheepish smile as she slowly walked backwards out of the room.

"Sorry," she whispered, reaching for the door. "I'll come back later."

The door closed with a soft click as the two girls slowly processed what just happened.

"Well," Sunset blinked. "Looks like we scarred Dinky already." Then smiled wickedly as she asked,"Wanna do it?"

"Jerk!" Derpy laughed, chucking a pillow at the sitting girl.

***

So much for scarring her, Sunset thought, struggling to eat her pancakes with a little kid hugging her left side. What was all that this morning anyway? I'm not normally that forward, am I? I probably got too much sleep. Yeah, that's it! I've been sleeping in a proper bed recently and its making me loopy or something. That has to be it!"And perhaps Miss Derpy is secretly a Changeling," a female voice said, a knowing edge coloring her tone.

Sunset flinched and looked around.

"Did someone say something?" she asked.

Time Turner looked up from his phone and shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"O-Oh," Sunset chuckled. "Guess I'm just hearing things."

Derpy leveled a concerned frown towards her girlfriend as she placed a hand on her's.

"You okay Sunset?" she asked. "You've been acting...different sense we came back from Equestria."

"I-It's nothing," Sunset stammered, now very focused on her barely touched breakfast.

"She's right," Rose smirked over her coffee mug. "You've gotten a little gutsier sense you went to Magic Land. Anything you need to tell me?"

"Like what?" Sunset gulped.

"Well, am I going to need to buy a couple of wedding dresses soon?"

"Mooooom!" Derpy groaned, burning face hidden behind her hands.

"N-N-Not for a long while ma'am," Sunset stammered, her face quickly turning the same shade of red as her hair.

Time let out a relieved sigh as he went back to his phone and added, "A bit early to be shoving them down the aisle, isn't it dear?"

"Maybe," Rose chuckled. "But it doesn't hurt to check. Sunny's a royal after all."

"She is?" Dinky asked staring up at Sunset with wide eyes.

"Kind of," Sunset shrugged. "My mom is a Princess."

Dinky's face lit up a that.

"YAY! My big sis is sleeping with a Princess!"

Time Turner spat a mouthful of coffee clean across the table at that while Rose's smirk grew a bit more.

"D-Dinky, what do you mean by that?" Time asked, shakily wiping his face with a napkin.

"I, um, went to Sunset's room to let her know that breakfast was ready and saw big sis in Sunset's bed," Dinky said, a sheepish smile growing on her face.

"Tick tock dear," Rose chuckled.

"Not funny," he grumbled.

"W-We didn't do anything!" Derpy exclaimed, face burning.

"Oh we know," Rose chuckled. "Trust me, we'd know if you two did anything last night. The walls here are pretty thin."

Time nodded as he took another sip of his coffee.

An annoyed blush heated up Derpy's face while Sunset's whole head turned into a perfect impression of a fireball.

Now I know I need to reel myself in.

"But then again," Rose added. "It's not like we'd need to worry about becoming grandparents anytime soon."

"Well," Sunset fidgeted. "There is a spell for that kind of thing."

Rose blinked owlishly at that while Time let out a yelp as his half-full mug slipped out of his hand and landed on his lap.

***

Sunset groaned as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

So much for quiet mornings, she thought tiredly as she put some toothpaste on her toothbrush. I don't know how many mornings like this I can take. I thought after Anon-a-Miss things would slowdown for a while. Guess that's too much to hope for.

As she brushed her teeth, she remembered how things use to be. The cold nights struggling to find a way to survive. The lonely days staring out into the open coast. The quiet nights she spent in the school library studying. Even when she befriended the Rainbooms the slow gnawing numbness of loneliness and silence ate away at her every chance it could. But then she met Derpy and everything changed. Her nights were warm, her days exciting, and silence not quite so oppressively smothering. She didn't need to focus exclusively on survival and instead could be truly happy for the first time since coming to Terra.

Perhaps that's a good thing, she mused as she spat out some toothpaste and leaned into the running sink to rinse her mouth out.

"Indeed," said a pleased female voice.

Sunset quickly straitened herself, mouth still full of water as she looked around for the source of the voice. Some movement in the mirror caught her attention and what she saw made her spray it in shock. Coughing, she stared with wide eyes at the figure staring back at her. The figure in the mirror looked exactly like her, but was dressed in a flowing red hooded cloak covered with runic symbols. The shadow of the figure's hood hid her eyes, but failed to conceal her smile as Sunset gaped at her double.

"W-Who are you?" Sunset stammered. "What do you want?"

"Be at ease Sunset Shimmer," the figure smiled, bowing to the startled teen. "I mean you no harm. I am Acceptance, an Element of Harmony born from the depths of your soul."

"A what?" she asked, still shaken by the figure's sudden appearance.

"Do you not know of my older siblings?" Acceptance asked. "I would think one with your schooling would know of them. Perhaps Magic did not leave as strong an impression on you as she should've before she left you."

"Of course I know about the elements," Sunset snapped. "It's just that the last time I checked, Acceptance wasn't one of them."

"Indeed," Acceptance nodded. "I am not one of the originals, but I am an Element all the same."

"Right," Sunset frowned. "Let's assume for a second that I believe you. What do you want?"

"A simple conversation," Acceptance said, a small smile gracing her lips. "I have been wanting to make my presence known to you for so long, but your heart had been so chaotic recently that such a thing was near impossible. It is only now that you have healed that I can properly connect to you."

Connect?

A deep frown formed on Sunset's face as she asked, "Are you the reason I've been so weird lately?"

Acceptance chuckled at that, then said, "I am afraid that I have no power over what lies in your blood. I am merely a shield to be used against the trials of life."

"What do you mean my blood?"

"You said it yourself this morning," Acceptance smiled. "Nothing is more greedy than a dragon."

"Huh?"

Acceptance smiled knowingly as she explained.

"The seal on your true magic has been weakened since your battle with Gold Vine. As such, certain aspects of your heritage has leaked into you as well. On top of gaining a dragon's power and courage, you have also gained a bit of their greed and desire."

"So, now I have dragon hormones on top of everything else?" Sunset asked flatly.

"Indeed," Acceptance smirked.

Sunset groaned as palm met face.

"Perfect," she sighed. "What next? Am I going to be attacked by a dryad tomorrow?"

"Not likely," Acceptance frowned thoughtfully. "They have not been seen in this world in over a hundred years."

"Considering my luck, it's probably going to happen," she grumbled.

"Indeed," Acceptance frowned. "Though I feel your current threat is far more important."

A deep rage filled Sunset as she leveled a cold frown at her reflection and asked, "What threat?"

"I am not sure," the element sighed. "Neither my predecessors or I have encountered anything like her. All we know is that she is a fierce monster that lives to spread despair and tragedy. She also has developed a strong interest in you and your friends."

"What kind of interest?" she asked, hands trembling with anger.

"A dangerous kind," the element growled. "She tried to make a move when you and your friends returned, but we were able to ward her off. I believe Forgiveness even tried to eat her."

"Is that another new element?" Sunset asked, slowly starting to reel in her anger.

Acceptance nodded.

"She was born not long after I was. Apparently, Kindness left her to watch over her former bearer before she fully separated from her. That one is very scary when angered."

"I think I can guess who she's bonded with," Sunset sighed. "Is there anything else you can tell me about this new threat? A name? A description?"

"Unfortunately no," she sighed. "Magic and the rest battled her for days, but even they know next to nothing about her. All they know is that she is a woman, and a very powerful one at that."

Sunset's heart sank into her stomach at that. Not only was some whack-job apparently out to get her, but they were after her friends too. Her blood ran cold as her imagination crafted horrible fates for all of them, each more brutal than the last. When Derpy's possible fate came to mind, her fear shifted into white hot rage.

No. I'm not going to let that happen. I don't care what I have to do. I will not let anything hurt her!

"Damn it," Sunset growled, slamming a fist onto the bathroom counter. "Is there anything I can do?"

"There is," Acceptance smiled. "Keep doing what you have been."

"What?" Sunset snapped.

"This monster feeds off of despair, but love seems to repel her. That, and the magic of an element seems to prevent her influence from affecting others. As long as Kindness and I are here, she won't be able to harm anyone in the house."

She let out a relived sigh at that. Knowing that her presence protected the people around her from whatever was on the prowl was a huge relief. At the very least, it gave her time to form a plan of attack. It was as her anger and fear faded away that her element's words finally took hold.

"Kindness is here? Who'd she bond with?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Acceptance smirked.

Sunset froze.

"Derpy?"

She nodded.

"I must say," Acceptance smirked. "You certainly don't hold back when it comes to finding a suitable mate. That Dragon's blood burns hot, doesn't it?"

"Shut up," Sunset frowned, crossing her arms and looking away as a hot blush colored her cheeks.

***

"How did you talk me into this?" Sunset groaned, rubbing her sore butt as she staggered over to a bench.

Derpy laughed as she helped her girlfriend get to her salvation.

"Hey, thanks to that comment at breakfast, you should be glad dad let us out of the house," she smirked, easing Sunset into the bench.

She let out an agonized hiss as she gently settled herself onto the cold wood and looked out at the source of her misery. While she liked to watch, she never considered actually doing any iceskating. The sport looked like the kind of thing that required a special kind of patience and a cast iron ass to master. Seeing as Sunset lacked both, the urge to give the sport a try never really crossed her mind. Then Derpy and Dinky gave her a pair of pleading eyes and her fate was sealed. No force could ever hope to stand against such an overwhelmingly powerful force of cute. Now there she was, sitting on a bench near the coast of a frozen lake outside the city limits with a sore butt and a pair of rental skates strapped to her feet.

Stupid ice, she thought bitterly, glaring at the frozen menace as the other skaters moved across it.

"I just said that there was a spell for that sort of thing. I didn't say I knew how to cast it!"

"Doesn't mean much," Derpy sighed, casting a glance at another bench a couple dozen feet away.

Sunset followed her line of sight and glowered at the parent pretending to look at his phone. While Sunset could understand Time Turner's position, it didn't make her any less irate over the implications. She wasn't anywhere near ready to have a kid and she would never force that kind of thing on Derpy or anyone for that matter. Maybe further down the line if things worked out well for them, but not while they were still in High School of all things.

At least the dragon hormones let me keep that bit of control, she thought as she shifted her attention back to the ice.

"Dinky's pretty good out there," she smirked.

"Yeah," Derpy chuckled as she sat beside her. "She's a natural."

She nodded as she watched the grade schooler glide across the ice like a pro. She couldn't help but smile as she watched Dinky almost dance as she slid between other skaters, a wide grin plastered across her face as she moved. Seeing the bubbly girl so happy warmed Sunset's heart in a way that she never felt before. It was like staring at the brightest star in the darkest night, beautiful and sacred to the point of worship. So much so that she felt an unbreakable urge to protect her from everything that could hurt her.

The same desire she had for the girl sitting next to her.

Acceptance's warnings echoed through her head as she watched Dinky skate and a cold chill ran through her. Something was out there right now that wanted Sunset dead, hiding in the shadows to get a chance to sink its fangs into her. That alone was a sobering thought, but who's to say that this thing would stop with just her? If it got her, who would protect her friends? Who would protect Derpy and Dinky? The chill in her heart vanished as the thought of losing those she cared about made her blood boil.

Derpy let out a startled yelp as Sunset pulled her into a one-armed embrace.

"S-Sunset? You okay?" she asked, worry heavy in her tone as she stared up at her girlfriend.

"Yeah," she smiled, kissing the top of Derpy's head. "Just wanted to have you a little closer is all."

Derpy giggled then eased herself into her girlfriend's embrace as she watched her sister skate. Sunset did the same, enjoying the moment of peace for as long as she could.

I won't let "her" get them, she thought, holding Derpy a little tighter against her. I don't care if I have to die to do it. I. Will. Not. Let. Them. Die. Period.

"Hey Sunset?" Derpy asked, giggling as she snuggled into her side.

"Yeah?"

"You're really warm, you know that?"

Sunset laughed then flashed a wide grin as she said, "Didn't you hear? All dragons are hot."

"Damn right you are," Derpy smirked. "And my dragon's the hottest."

Sunset laughed as she planted a soft kiss onto her girlfriend's forehead.

And a dragon always protects its treasure, Sunset thought as she shifted her attention back to the frozen lake. No matter what it is.

The Ponyville quarry seldom played host to sapient life. For the most part, the only things to occupy the dark stone tunnel systems were the wild bats too frail or skittish to live in the Everfree Forest. A set of hoofsteps echoed off of the walls as a new inhabitant made herself known.

"Are you sure about this Tattle?" Pinkie asked, the hood of her red trench coat shadowing the top half of her head.

"Absolutely," he said, borrowing her vision and hearing to take in their surroundings. "While we have a lot of them, our bits can't last forever. It would be a good idea to collect a small nest of gems to use when that happens."

"Right," she frowned, staring idly at the walls as she walked.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed with a small smile.

Tattle's frowning face appeared in her mind's eye.

"What's wrong?"

A deep scowl marred her face as she came to a stop.

"It's nothing I can fix right now Tattle."

"Enlighten me," he said, a raised brow audible in his tone.

Pinkie held her scowl for a few seconds, then let out a defeated sigh as she fell to her haunches.

"Christmas was two days ago. My big sisters are probably freaking out right now, especially Maud and Marble. Limestone's probably holding the whole police station hostage trying to find me. Mom and Dad are probably tearing the city apart."

Her lip started to tremble as the gravity of her current situation started to weigh down on her yet again.

"I...I miss them Tattle."

A warm pressure surrounded her as the Dream Cat's magic embraced her. "Once you've mastered your powers, you will be able to recross the gap that lead you here. You just need to be patient."

"I-I know," she sniffled, tears starting to trail down her face. "But what if I can't do it? What if I'm stuck here? What if I do figure out how to get back, but I'll be so old there wouldn't be a point anymore. What if-"

"Pinkie!" Tattle barked.

"Y-Yeah?" she whimpered.

"None of that," he sighed. "You will find a way to get back. You have the power. You just need to learn how to use it."

It was true. While it wasn't as fast as she wanted, she was making progress in learning how to control her power. Thanks to Tattle's lessons, her "walking" range had greatly increased over the past few days. At the very least, she could now gapwalk from her shelter to the edge of Ponyville and back again without passing out. Considering her situation, that was a massively relieving piece of progress.

"R-Right," she said, a shaky sigh sliding past her lips as they curled into a small smile. "Thanks Tattle."

"Anytime," he said, a smirk coloring his tone. "Now, ready to make some money?"

"Yeah," she chuckled. "How do we do this?"

"First, we need to find a gem cavity. They look like stone bubbles fused to the cave walls."

"Right," she smiled a she scanned the surrounding walls.

Cave bubbles...cave bubbles....

A strange bulge in a nearby wall caught her attention.

"That it?" she asked, pointing at the deformation.

"Yep!"

A wide grin spread across Pinkie's muzzle as she closed in on the gem cavity. When she was about a foot away from it, she took a moment to marvel at it. It was about the size and shape of a large beach ball with a course surface. It kind of reminded Pinkie of a pimple only much less gross.

"So, what do I do know?"

"You need to break it open. Since we don't have any tools, you'll need to buck it."

"I need to what?!" she exclaimed, her face turning beet red as she took a couple steps back.

"Buck it," he repeated, a hint of confusion present in his tone. "You know, turn around and hit it with your rear hooves?"

"Oh, you said buck," she giggled, shaking her blush away. "I thought you said something else."

"What did you thin-"

A long pause filled Pinkie's mind as Tattle took a minute to recalibrate his own before he continued his explanation.

"Right," he said, sounding like he was clearing his throat. "Anyway, if you hit it hard enough, you should be able to get the gems inside."

"Got it," she smirked as she got herself into position. "It's kind of like a piñata, isn't it?"

"I suppose," he mused. "I have never seen one before, so I wouldn't know."

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed, jaw hanging open at the sheer impossibility of it all. "Tattle, how many birthday parties have you had?"

An image of her friend putting a paw to his chin came to mind as he hummed in thought.

"Six. Though to be fair, mother has been fairly busy for a long while."

"And how old are you again?"

"Time flows differently in the Dreamworld, but I believe I'm seventeen. I've only recently synchronized with the material world's time-flow."

"So that means you're eleven years behind."

A wicked smile spread across her face as she added, "Tonight, you're gonna have a blast."

"What do you have planned," he gulped.

"Let's just say walking is gonna be an issue," she giggled.

Tattle laughed at that as a cheshire's grin flashed into Pinkie's mind's eye.

"I look forward to it. But first, let's harvest some gems."

"Gotcha'," she smirked, then launched a hind leg out into the gem cavity.

A loud crunch echoed off of the walls, followed by a chorus of clinks as clear white gems spilled out of the wall. Pinkie's eyes widened and jaw dropped when she turned to look at what she unleashed. Diamonds the size of chicken eggs trickled out of the wall and covered the floor like water. Her hooves shook as she held the precious stones up to her eyes to better examine them, her heart beating harder by the second as she confirmed that what she was holding was one hundred percent authentic. Years of working on her dad's stone processing plant and spending time with her sister made her something of an expert when it came to stones and gems. Granted, she wasn't anywhere near her sister's level, but she could at least tell the difference between diamond and countless other similar crystals.

"Hmmm... yes, this should work," Tattle mused. "With this we should be able to keep you well fed for a few weeks when our bits run out."

"I will rule them all," Pinkie muttered, a wide grin slowly growing across her muzzle.

"Pinkie?"

"I will rule the world!" she declared, giggling like a madmare as she stared at the pile of gems before her. "After I drop the party nukes, I'll drown the world in eternal parties with my army of party planners! With the money I could get from these diamonds and my powers, I will turn the world into the biggest party in existence! And I will be its queen!"

Manic laughter filled the cave as Pinkie let her greatest dream be known to the world, a dream that seemed like it would just be that before today. Slowly, the laughter started to petter itself out, slowly morphing into happy pants as the red-garbed pony admired her catch of gems.

"Are you done?" he asked flatly.

"For now," Pinkie giggled. "So, do you think I can gapwalk these back to the castle?"

"You could, but I wouldn't recommend it. Take what you can in your jacket, mane, and tail and hide the rest. We can come back for them later if we need to."

"Right," she nodded.

***

Total silence. A breath. Silence. A breath. Silence. The click of a hoof on stone. Silence. The chirps of birds outside the castle walls and cold winter air. Silence. The squeak of something landing on an ancient mattress. Silence. A breath. The click of hooves on stone. The faint chirping of birds.

Pinkie let out a breath as she opened her eyes. At the start of her training, the constant shift between locations made her feel nauseous and drained. It brought a smile to her face how much easier it was getting to use her power. Granted, she still wasn't anywhere near strong enough to get home yet, but it was a start.

Just like Tattle said earlier, she reminded herself as she opened a gap to the store room. I will get there when I get there. As soon as I master this, I'll see my family again. I just need to work hard and be patient.

As she stepped into the store room, she opened another gap a couple of feet away from the one she made previously and walked through it. She was instantly greeted by a wave of winter air as she stepped out of the gap onto the balcony of the castle's tallest tower. Her smile grew as she stared out at the near endless expanse of frosted wilderness. After spending hours in the quarry, the late afternoon sun looked absolutely beautiful as it shined off of the snow-covered trees before her. She fell to her haunches as she let herself enjoy the view, a rare moment of peace filling her waking world for the first time in a long time since coming to Equestria.

"Tired?" Tattle asked.

Pinkie shook her head, eyes trained on the horizon.

"Just enjoying things, y'know?"

She could feel the Dream Cat's understanding nod.

"Tattle?"

"Yes?"

"What's it like being a dream?"

She saw him blink owlishly in her mind's eye as she waited for him to answer.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," she shrugged.

He was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I don't know any other form of existence, so I can't tell you."

She giggled a bit at that before she said, "Yeah, I guessed as much."

She sensed his raised brow.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a rueful smile. "Like I said, just curious."

"As you wish," he shrugged, taking a chance to enjoy the view through his host's eyes.

Silence settled between them for a few minutes, neither willing to break the peace of the moment between them. All the while, Tattle mulled Pinkie's question around in his mind. While his answer was honest it failed to satisfy his feelings on the matter. It felt like a lazy dodge to something that should've been easy to answer if he stopped to really think about it. So that was what he did and after taking the closest thing he could to a deep breath, he voiced his thoughts.

"Imagine being able to see all around you at once, to feel the world try to merge with you at all times and fail. Now imagine that you can be whatever you want to be to fit into that world and its rules. I don't know what it is like to be real, but through you...I can see a trace of what the difference is."

Silence returned to the pair as Pinkie let Tattle's words set in, a sad smile spreading across her muzzle as she enjoyed the sunset.

***

Tattle hummed a happy tune to himself as he walked, the clack of the dress-shoes his human form wore echoing off of the marble floor he willed into existence. The remainder of Pinkie's dreamscape was nothing but an endless black void as he walked, though that failed to knock away his grin as he wandered.

I wonder what she's up to, he thought with a chuckle.

Not even a second after she fell asleep, Pinkie forced him out of the core of her dreamscape. When he asked her why she did that, she told him it was a surprise and flashed him a canary-eating grin before she shut the door to the core. He chuckled as he tried to guess what the girl had in mind. Maybe she had another pastry memory she wanted him to experience or perhaps a custom thought like the one he used to brighten her mood last week. While the former was a happy possibility, the latter really perked his interest. What kind of thought reality could the girl come up with? She was fully lucid and he knew she had quite the imagination. The possible realities he could think of only added to his anticipation, because he knew that Pinkie would make something even better.

While a flexible concept in the Dream World, Tattle found ways to pass the time as he waited for Pinkie to summon him. For a while he shifted into various forms and back again into his human form, each change more bizarre and random than the last. A spider with ten legs. A dog with flames for eyes. A diamond beetle with an elephant's trunk. A dagger with seven eye-shaped blades. A butterfly with hands for wings. Various forms from countless dreams he wandered into since his birth with small personal tweaks. Nothing but a hoofful of harmless baubles he had collected while on the job as he tried to keep himself entertained.

A wait that ended when a pink envelope appeared in front of him. A small chuckle slipped past his lips as he opened the letter.

Dear Tattle,

You are formally invited to a party at the core of my dream. Bring everything you believe you will need and come at your own convenience. No formal wear is required, but is not argued against. The same position is held in regard to forms, though human forms are highly recommended. I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely, Pinkamena Dianne Pie

A sly smile spread across his face as he folded the letter back up and returned it to its envelope before tucking it into his inner coat pocket. As he walked back to the core of Pinkie's dreamscape, a growing excitement started to fill him for the first time in years. For someone like him, surprise and unpredictability was a rarity that seldom came with any true impact. But it was a different story as far as Pinkie was concerned. The girl never made things boring and always brought an honest smile to his face. She made him laugh while he helped her stay in one piece in the face of her difficult time in Equestria, a relationship that was a new one for the Dream Cat.

"Oh what do you have in mind, you silly human?" he chuckled as he walked.

In time, he found himself standing in front of the door leading to the core of Pinkie's dreamscape. As he reached out to open the door, it slowly opened on its own with a dim light. Intrigued, he walked through the opening and was greeted by a sight that made his jaw drop. Polished oak walls decorated a room big enough for ten people, countless candles lining them to give the room a pleasantly intimate ambiance. At the heart of the room stood a round table holding ten trays of cupcakes with varying colors and flavors of frosting like bouquets of sweet flowers just waiting to be eaten. That was nothing compared to what held his full attention.

On the other side of the table was a king-sized bed covered with dark-red sheets and pillows. Laying out across it with a mischievous smile and half-lidded eyes was none other then Pinkie Pie, a red open-backed dress hugging her form like a good friend.

"Hey," she purred. "Ready for a party?"

Tattle gulped, a bit of nervous excitement settling into him as he nodded.

She giggled.

"Then how about some party games?"

A smirk spread across Tattle's face at that as he stepped further into the room.

"By all means," he shrugged. "What are the rules?"

Pinkie's smile grew slightly and she gestured towards the table

"Simple. Each of the trays represents a birthday you didn't get to celebrate with someone. You need to eat at least one cupcake from each tray and if you do, you win!"

"I see," he said, raising a brow as he stared at the cupcakes. "What do I get for passing this test?"

Pinkie's smile heated slightly as she waved her hand through the air. The bed turned into a giant red cake and her dress turned into frosting.

"You get your real birthday cake," she winked.

A look of shock briefly flashed across his face before a cheshire's grin took its place.

"My my Pinkamena, you certainly know how to make a birthday memorable."

"Thank you Midnight," she purred with a giggle. "Now, let the games begin."

"Of course my queen," he chuckled, then made his way over to the table.

***

Princess Luna let out an irritated huff as she made her way through the dreamscape border, the countless doors leading into the dreamscapes of everypony in Equestria surrounding her. As she scanned the doors, looking for any hints of nightmares or other distressing dreams. That wasn't the only thing she was looking for as she scanned the different doors with narrowed eyes.

"Oh where is that boy?" Luna grumbled as she walked. "Tis long past his usual time of wanderings."

As she continued her quest, a dejected sigh slipped past her muzzle. The second the dream cat became capable of working on his own, the two of them had started to drift apart. While they were the farthest thing from a normal mother and son, Luna still wished that she had more time to spend with him before he entered the dreaded teenage years all parents dreaded. Not helping was how much of a troublemaker he could be when he wanted to be. A fact that gave her sister an endless supply of amusement on most days. At least, it did until Tattle trapped Celestia in a dream full of cakes that tasted like anchovies. That was the best mother's day gift her genius son had ever given her and never failed to brighten her day every time she thought about it.

The smile her favorite memory summoned shifted into a confused frown when her eyes fell upon an unfamiliar door. It was a deep red in color with an open zipper and confetti cloud decorating the top half. Curious, the Princess of the Night let herself into the strange dreamscape. What she saw froze her mind in a way that only a mother could be familiar with. She saw a room set in an enticing candle-lit atmosphere with a simple offering of cupcakes sitting on a table at its center. On one side of the room stood a massive bed-shaped cake with two figures huddled close together, hungry smiles and eyes shared between them as they-

Luna quickly backpedaled out of the dreamscape before she saw too much, a deep blush coloring her cheeks as she gently closed the door behind her.

"Well, it would seem our son has found a marefriend," she said blinking owlishly as she walked away from the door. "Perhaps we can give him a bit more space for a few days. Let him have his moments before we start prying."

A devilish smile formed on her lips at that as she continued her evening patrol.

"And oh how we shall pry. What kind of mother would we be if we did otherwise?"

if you want to read a fic set in the same universe as this, please check out Winter Aria whenever you get the urge. Link at the bottom.

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/397433/winter-aria

"Times almost up," Scootaloo sighed, staring at her watch.

"Yeah," Applebloom frowned.

Sweetie nodded, eyes locked onto the clear evening sky as they waited for midnight to come around. That was the arrangement Princess Celestia made with their parents. When the clock struck twelve, they were going to be brought back to Equestria if they didn't willingly go through the portal themselves. Naturally, none of the girls wanted to incur the Princess' wrath and for that reason they stood in front of the Canterlot High statue. Technically, they didn't need to wait until midnight to go through the portal, but the need to spend as much time in their normal form as possible was something they couldn't pass up.

"Ah didn't see big sis all weekend," Applebloom frowned. "Ah guess she's still sore with me. Can't really blame her, all thin's considered."

"Ditto with Rarity," Sweetie sighed, her gaze shamefully shifting to the snow-covered ground. "I hope she's okay."

Scootaloo let out an acknowledging grunt, her lips pursed as she stared at the statue.

A cold breeze washed over them, forcing a shiver down their spines as they waited for their time to crawl on by. They expected this kind of treatment, but that didn't make it any easier to handle. Applebloom expected a lot of screaming now that her sister had time to sit down and think about what she wanted to yell at her about. Sweetie thought she'd see empty bottles hidden in her sister's room after the week she spent watching Rarity destroy herself before her sentencing. Scootaloo was ready for some kind of retribution from her former mentor now that she didn't have Mr Discord standing in the way. This was worse. To not have their sisters or sister-figures in their lives felt like a part of themselves got ripped away. It left them feeling empty in a way that ate at them from the inside out. Not even the snow that surrounded them could even compare to that feeling.

"It'll get better for you guys," Scootaloo sighed, eyes still locked onto the statue. "Just give it some time."

Both of her friends paused for a moment as they let her words set in, then shared a pair of determined smiles as they turned towards their friend.

"You're right," Applebloom nodded. "We just need ta' tough it out."

"Yeah!" Sweetie cheered. "It'll take a while, but things will get better."

"Yeah...," Scootaloo nodded, eyes still trained on the statue.

The two girls gave their sporty friend a pair of confused looks before realization set in. While they had a chance to fix their relationships with their sisters, Scootaloo's chances for reconciliation with Rainbow looked excessively slim in comparison.

"It's gonna be okay," Applebloom sighed, pulling the girl into a tight hug with Sweetie not far behind her.

"You can fix this," Sweetie said with an encouraging smile. "Don't give up."

"Maybe," she said, lips trembling as some tears crept past her stubborn pride. "I don't know girls. Maybe some things can't be fixed."

Sweetie gasped at that while Applebloom frowned as they held her tighter.

"Do ya' really think that?" the farm girl asked.

Scootaloo nodded, refusing to look away from statue as she said, "I think the best thing I can do for Rainbow is stay away from her."

"What?!" Sweetie squeaked. "But Scoots, she's your Honorary Big Sister!"

"I know," she sniffled. "And that's why I'm cutting off all ties to her. She doesn't need someone like me in her life."

"Who says?" growled a familiar voice.

Both girls flinched, then slowly turned towards the voice. Standing a few feet away from them were none other then the very same girls they were talking about. The CMC cringed back from the girls, Scootaloo more so then her friends as they struggled with their urges to either run from or towards their family and mentor respectively.

"H-Hey Sis," Applebloom stammered with a trembling smile.

No response, the shadow of her elder sister's hat hiding her face from the youngest Apple

Applebloom took a step back as what little nerve she had died a miserable death.

Sweetie gulped, then said, "H-Hi Rarity. C-Come to see us off?"

Rarity nodded, her face failing to give away any of her thoughts, though the lack of makeup did paint a pretty good picture of the girl's mood.

Scootaloo refused to look away from the ground, briefly wondering if she could make it through the portal before Rainbow could catch her. The gleam from Sunset's gift on her wrist killed that urge with the efficiency of a sniper's bullet. She promised herself that she wasn't going to run away from her crimes anymore. That she was going to do whatever it took to set things strait and move on. Just like Sunset did.

"I stabbed you in the back," Scootaloo said, grief heavy in her tone as she glared at the ground. "I tricked you guys into almost killing Sunset, all because I wanted to spend more time with you. Hell, when Meme Queen sent us that message, I was the one who talked Applebloom and Sweetie Belle into keeping the lie going. We had a chance to stop the whole thing and I blew it! What kind of Honorary Little Sister would do that to their sis?! So..."

With trembling hands, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"As soon as I'm done with everything in Equestria, I'm gonna get out of your hair. Starting with this."

She scrolled through her contacts until she came to Rainbow's number. With tears in her eyes and trembling fingers, she tapped the number's options icon and selected the delete option. A prompt came up asking if she was sure she wanted to delete the number, but before she could tap 'yes' a pair of cerulean arms enveloped her in a tight embrace.

"You dork," Rainbow chuckled, a hint of sadness distorting her voice. "Who the heck said I wanted that? Do you really think I'm gonna give up on you over this? Not happening."

Scootaloo's eyes widened, then closed as her pain started to force more tears past them, "B-But Rainbow-"

"No buts," she sighed. "I mean, yeah I'm still mad at you for what you did, but I still don't want to lose you. You're my sis and no matter what happens, that's never gonna change. Besides, you think you three are the only one's that feel bad about everything?"

At that point, any resistance Scootaloo had shattered and she bawled into her mentor's shoulder, painful wails she had been holding in for days finally escaping from her soul into the night air as she clung to Rainbow. Sweetie and Applebloom were so focused on the moment that they almost missed it when their own sisters approached them.

"Bloom."

Applebloom jumped at how close her sister seemed to have materialized before her, but instead of seeing the rage she expected to see in the shadow of Applejack's hat, she saw a weary smile with eyes full of love and tears. Before Applebloom could say anything, her sister fell to her knees and pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Ah missed ya," Applejack choked. "Even when Ah wanted to tan your hide, Ah missed ya something fierce. Right now, mah head's all screwy and Ah'm talking to someone to help with tha', but even now one thin's clear; Ah love ya and Ah'm gonna miss ya."

"S-Sis," Applebloom sniffled, struggling to find the words she needed to say while they still had time. "Ah love ya' too. Ah don't want ta' go, but Ah gotta."

"Ah know," Applejack sniffled, a sad smile spreading across her face as she pulled her face away from he sister's shoulder. "So do what cha' gotta do over in Magic Pony World and come back soon. Ah got a ton of chores waitin' for ya when you get back to make up for all of this."

"R-Right," Applebloom sniffled, a small smile brightening her face.

"And so ya don't forget about me, take this."

Applebloom's eyes widened as her sister took her hat off and gently placed it on the littlest Apple's head.

"B-But sis-"

"Now none of that," she said, a hint of firmness in her features as she locked eyes with her sister. "Ah want ya to have this and Ah won't take no for an answer. Yah got me?"

Her shock quickly turned into joy as happy tears replaced sad ones before she nodded. As this was happening, Sweetie stood before her bedraggled sister with trepidation. The poor girl looked like she hadn't done more than brush her hair in days. The simple jacket and jeans she wore were wrinkled and tweaked in ways that their wearer would've found utterly unacceptable even on her worst of days. This would've been more than enough to put Sweetie Belle on edge, but one thing brought a faint, hopeful smile to her lips. Instead of the faint hint of alcohol, she smelled a trace of expensive root beer coming off of her sister. The same smell she remembered from two years ago when her sister actively tried to kill her old habit.

"H-Hey Rarity," She stammered, still struggling against her flight reflex as the young fashion designer continued to stare at her.

After a moment of awkward silence, Rarity sighed then bent down to her sister's eye level.

"I am not blind and you are not stupid," Rarity frowned. "I know that you know that I relapsed."

Ashamed, Sweetie nodded.

"Let me make one thing clear," the older teen said, eyes narrowing. "While you may have been involved in what led to it, you are not responsible for it."

"B-But Rarity-," Sweetie started, only to get cut off by a silencing fingertip on her lips.

"I could've done countless other things to deal with my grief, but in the end I chose to backslide. I was the one that decided to fall into a bottle. That was and is my fault, not yours. Do you understand?"

Shaking, Sweetie nodded as guilty tears slid down her cheeks.

"Good," Rarity smiled, gently wrapping her arms around her trembling sister. "Now, while I am doing what I can to deal with my mistakes, I want you to do the same. Once that is over, we can sit and talk about what we can do from there. I love you Sweetie and I will do whatever it takes to move past this."

"Y-Yeah," Sweetie sniffled. "Me too sis."

At that moment, a dull golden glow started to surround the three Elementary Schoolers.

"Ah guess our time's up," Applebloom sighed, reluctant to free herself from her sister's grip.

"Looks like it," Scootaloo sniffled as she glanced at her phone's clock.

"I don't want to go," Sweetie sighed. "B-But... I guess I need to, to make things right."

With that said, the three glowing girls freed themselves from their sister's and walked towards the portal. Before they crossed over, each turned towards their family or family figure and gave them one final wave goodbye. As soon as the last girl walked through the portal, the three teens made a solemn oath to themselves. To never let their convictions to their loved ones waver, to take full responsibility for their actions and weather the weight of those crimes, and to make whatever sacrifices they needed to set things strait in the end. As they did, a faint glow surrounded them for a split second before they made their way towards The Sugarcube Café before heading home. For a cold dark night like tonight, a warm drink was just what they needed.

***

"The Princess is evil," Sweetie mumbled, her head teetering dangerously close to falling into her bowl of oatmeal.

Scootaloo nodded from her seat across from her Unicorn friend as she struggled to shovel a spoonful of her own breakfast into her mouth. Applebloom giggled a little at her friend's antics as she inhaled her food.

"Hah! Y'all act like you've never got up early before," Applebloom giggled.

The two fillies slowly turned their heads towards the grinning Earth Pony and tried to glare holes into her.

"Early is six in the morning," Sweetie growled, then pointed a hoof at a nearby window and exclaimed, "Four is an act of evil!"

Scootaloo nodded before her head slammed into the table.

Applebloom rolled her eyes before she got up to get a fifth bowl of oatmeal.

"Y'all wouldn't last a minute on the farm," she smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Scootaloo groaned, face still firmly planted in the table.

The farmer smiled smugly as her walk towards the kitchen turned into a strut. As the evil morning pony went to fill her bottomless belly, Scootaloo rolled her head until she was facing her zombie of an ally.

"I blame you for this," she frowned.

"What'd I do?" Sweetie mumbled.

"Who's idea was it to wait until midnight to go through the portal?" she growled.

"How was I supposed to know Miss Raven was going to wake us up so early?!" she exclaimed.

The dark-orange Pegasus let out a groan as she forced her head off of the table.

"Too tired to argue. Let's just eat and get the day over with."

"Agreed," Sweetie sighed. "And then we can plan our invasion of the Marshmallow Kingdom with the power of the dark King Bowlser."

Scootaloo nodded as she tried to get the rim of her cup to aline with her mouth. After a minute her mind finally processed what Sweetie said, earning a confused blink as she turned to face her friend.

"Wha?"

Sweetie giggled then muttered something about being in the wrong castle before nodding off in her seat.

"O-key then," she muttered before she went back to eating her food.

The Pegasus filly's posture went ridged as a familiar Unicorn mare entered the Staff Cafeteria.

"Good morning fillies," Raven nodded, taking a seat across from the two Terrans. "I hope you all slept well."

"Y-Yes ma'am," Scootaloo gulped, giving her friend a sharp elbow-nudge.

Sweetie woke with a start and cried, "Toshi! Come back!" before blushing sheepishly when she saw Raven.

"Apparently, some of you are not morning ponies," she monotoned, a raised brow the only reaction allowed to slip past her professional mask. "I recommend that you adjust your sleeping schedule with that in mind from this point forward."

"Yes ma'am," they chorused, a muffled yawn coming out of Sweetie as she tried to hide it behind a hoof.

"Where's Applebloom?" she asked.

"Getting fifths I think," Sweetie mumbled as she levitated a spoon into her breakfast.

"I see," Raven nodded, noticing said filly standing in line with the rest of the castle staff. "It makes sense. An Earth Pony's body needs a lot of energy to function."

"Nah, she's just a big eater," Scootaloo chuckled. "Once, she ate a whole apple pie just to prove a point and still had dinner."

"Is she active in your world?" Raven asked.

Scootaloo nodded.

"She works at her family's farm. The stuff she does after school everyday could make the Canterlot High Soccer Team drop dead in a minute!"

"And yet she became an Earth Pony when she came here," Raven stated, a faint smile forming on her muzzle. "And I suppose you have a preference for seafood and other such proteins."

"Y-Yeah?" Scootaloo blinked.

"And Sweetie Belle has a fondness for sweets, correct?"

Sweetie nodded, now awake enough to show a interest in where this conversation was heading.

"You all remember your magic lessons, correct?"

They nodded.

"A pony's diet is largely linked to their tribe and how their magic functions. Pegasi often favor a protein rich diet to give them the energy needed to maintain flight while Earth Ponies prefer a diet heavy with grains and fruit to help power and maintain their much stronger bodies. On the other hoof, Unicorns usually favor foods heavy with sugar, milk, and honey to help maintain the glucose we burn through when we use our magic."

"Is that why you gave me candy bars after our lessons?" Sweetie asked.

"That, and I felt you earned a reward for your hard work," she said, her smile widening slightly.

Sweetie smiled weakly at that before digging into her honey-laced oatmeal.

Raven's smile dropped as she returned to her professional persona before saying, "Since you all have obtained full control of your bodies, you can now carry out your punishment under the Princess' orders. In about fifteen minutes, you three will be brought to the first room that you will be cleaning. All of the tools you will need for said task will be left for you by the staff. You will also be required to wear the uniform that will be provided in said room."

"Uniforms?" Scootaloo asked as Applebloom took a seat next to her.

"But of course," Raven nodded. "It is only natural to wear the proper attire when doing a task."

"Makes sense ta' me," Applebloom shrugged.

"I guess," Scootaloo grimaced.

"Aw, come on Scoots," Sweetie smiled, throwing a foreleg over her friend's shoulders. "It won't be that bad."

"If you say so," she grumbled.

***

"I hate this," Scootaloo grumbled, scrubbing a tile floor dressed in a black and white maid's outfit.

"Ah wish Ah had a camera," Applebloom smirked, pausing in her own scrubbing to watch her friend sulk.

"I think we look good in these," Sweetie smiled as she sprayed some cleaner onto the floor with her magic. "Maybe Princess Celestia will let me keep mine when we're done."

Both fillies gave her slow blinks.

Weirdo, they thought as they resumed their scrubbing.

Near silence dominated the empty gymnasium-sized room for a few minutes as the fillies worked, reactions ranging from an irritated Pegasus to a grinning Unicorn with an indifferent Earth Pony in the middle. None of them had anything they really wanted to share beyond their opinions on their uniforms and the almost sterile conditions of the room they were working on gave them very little to comment on. After all, there was only so much someone could say about grout and marble tiles.

Scootaloo was the first to break the silence.

"So...what did you guys do over the weekend?"

"Cleaned the cow pen,"Applebloom shrugged. "Took a couple days ta' do it, but it got done."

Sweetie cringed at that and said, "Cleaned and helped fix things around the house."

"Like what?" Scootaloo asked.

"A table, a few walls, and a whole kitchen counter," she grimaced.

"Yikes," Scootaloo cringed. "Did you try to cook something again?"

"Ha, ha," Sweetie frowned. "No, I got trapped in a giant magic hamster ball and fell down the stairs."

"Ya' got magic too?" Applebloom asked with a wide smile.

"You too?" Sweetie gawked.

"Eeyup!" she smiled, then added, "Well, no hamster balll, but Ah got magic! What about you Scoots?"

Scootaloo nodded, a cocky grin replacing the frown she gained at the start of their work.

"I got super speed. It. Is. AWESOME! I polished off, like, twenty chores in one hour! You should've seen the look on Aunty Lofty's face!"

"Ah got super strength," Applebloom smirked, a hint of pride coloring her tone as she went back to scrubbing. "Made lugging that barrel of manure a heck of a lot easier."

"Giant. Magic. Hamster. Ball," Sweetie intoned, jamming her scrub brush roughly into her soap water bucket with each word.

"How'd ya' manage tha'?" Applebloom asked.

"I don't know!" she exclaimed, throwing her brush into the air as she flung her forelegs up in frustration. "I was just cleaning the bathroom when-"

She froze as a soft, barely noticeable buzzing could be heard in a corner of the room. Slowly, her head turned towards the noise while a look of pure rage formed on her face. Nervous, her two friends fallowed her line of sight. Buzzing in a nearby corner by a window was one of the weirdest bugs they had ever seen. It looked like a spider, but had a pair of wings and an abdomen that looked like it belonged to a wasp or a bee. While Applebloom and Scootaloo moved back from the strange creature, Sweetie's eyes narrowed as she took a couple steps towards it.

"Sweetie?" Scootaloo gulped, not liking the look in her friend's eyes as she closed in on the mutant insect.

"Death to the Lord of all Evil," she growled, several dozen spray bottles hovering around her in a light-green aura.

"Wha-?" was all Applebloom had time to say before her friend screamed, "DEATH TO THE LORD OF ALL EVIL!!!" and charged towards the bug with her floating army of spray bottles not far behind her.

Scootaloo and Applebloom watched with slightly hanging jaws as their friend waged a one filly crusade against the strange bug as it frantically flew away from her.

"Did Sweetie always have a thing against bugs?" Scootaloo asked as she watched said bug dodge a ten bottle spray cloud at the last second.

"Ah don't think so," Applebloom said, marveling at how well her friend could wall jump when the bug made a sudden turn away from said wall.

"Think it might be a Unicorn thing?"

Applebloom shrugged then said, "Your guess is as good as mine."

***

Applebloom let out a groan as she fell face first into her bed, every part of her pony body aching in ways that she didn't even know it could. You would think that scrubbing floors wouldn't be that difficult when your body was in the best position to do so by default. Turns out that it only made it so one can do the task longer without suffering back and neck problems. Combine that with a low amount of sleep and even Applebloom couldn't deny how herculean a task it was to get as far as they did today without dropping. Who knew that scrubbing three gym-sized floors could be so physically demanding? None of them even bothered changing out of their uniforms before dropping into their beds.

Scootaloo answered that question with her own agonized groan as she flopped into her own bed.

"How ya' feeling Scoots?" the farmer asked, slowly rolling her head to stare at her winged friend.

"Like my legs got run over," she groaned. "Even my hooves ache. Can hooves even do that?"

"Apparently," Applebloom sighed. "Ah'm not much better."

Sweetie let out an unintelligible series of groans as she shoved her pillow over her head.

Scootaloo cringed and asked, "How's that migraine Sweetie?"

Said Unicorn dragged the pillow away from her face and leveled a strained smile at her winged friend.

"It's like sunshine and rainbows are dancing around inside my head."

"R-Really?" she asked, a nervous smile stretching across her muzzle.

Sweetie's expression turned sour as she snapped, "No you dodo! It feels like my head is in a vice and someone's ramming a hot iron spike through it!"

She let out an agonized wail as she shoved her pillow back over her face in a desperate attempt to ward off her pain.

"Guess ya' shouldn't've used so much magic," Applebloom groaned.

Sweetie's only response was a barely perceived whine from under her pillow.

"Well, look on the bright side," the farm filly groaned as she rolled onto her back. "We got three rooms done."

"Yeah," Scootaloo frowned as she rolled onto her side. "Three out of, like, four-thousand or something."

Sweetie let out another whine as she thrashed around under her covers.

"Ah guess," she sighed, then spotted her sister's hat hanging on the corner of her bed's headboard. A broad smile spread across her muzzle as she added, "But it's a start at least."

Both her friends paused at that, then smiled as they nodded before letting their weariness take them away to the land of dreams. They had a busy day tomorrow and many more after that, but at least the next few will be met with them rested and ready to take them on. One room at a time.

"I'm so boooooooord," Lyra groaned, staring blankly at her living room ceiling.

After getting all the cards she needed for her deck the day before, there wasn't much else she could do to pass the time. All of the T.V. channels were full of nothing but cheesy holiday specials that she had seen hundreds of times. She beat all of her games hundreds of more times than any gamer had the patience for. Even the internet failed to give her any way to slay her boredom. Not helping was the fact that all of her friends were busy getting things ready for New Years, leaving her b'rift of even their company in this time of need. Just like every year.

She sighed as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned it on. With a few screen taps, she managed to get to her text messages. A familiar text caught her eye and made her grimace for the third time that day.

Sorry honey, but I can't come home this week. A massive influx of cases came in recently and we need to sort through them all as soon as possible. I should make it back by Monday of next week at the earliest. I love you.

"Just like last year," Lyra groaned. "God damn it mom.

She scrolled further through her messages and found another one that soured her already bitter mood further.

Major seasonal contract. Won't be home for a couple weeks. Sorry. Love you.

"Really dad?" she growled. "Great. Another lonely New Years. What the heck else is new?"

She glanced at her phone's clock and sighed.

"Two-thirty. Great. What to do to pass the time?"

She jumped as her phone suddenly rang in her hand. After a quick juggling performance, she managed to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lyra," said a very dejected sounding Sunset.

"Hey, what's up?" Lyra asked,

"Not much," she chuckled awkwardly. "Just, uh, do you think I could hang out with you today?"

Lyra raised a brow at that, then asked, "Not that I don't want to hang, but what's up?"

"Um, I, uh, well...fireworks."

"You're scared of fireworks?" she blinked.

"No! It's just...I'm a Pyromancer."

"Really?" Lyra blinked, sitting up. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Too bad Derpy's family found out."

"How? Did you try cooking with your hands or something."

"I sneezed," she said flatly.

"What does that have to do-"

"KItchen tables aren't fireproof ," she grumbled.

"Oh," Lyra cringed, remembering her own magical misadventures. "Gotcha'."

"Yeah," Sunset sighed. "So, think I can hang with you while everyone's getting things set up for New Years?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "But why me?"

"Everyone else was busy and Derpy said you could probably use the company."

Lyra chuckled at that.

Crazy Hacker Queen.

"Sure, why not?" she smiled. "Where do ya wanna meet up at?"

"The mall sounds good," Sunset said, a shrug audible in her tone before turning into a grumble as she added, "Hopefully I won't burn something there."

"Sounds good to me," Lyra said, then smirked as she added, "And I'll keep an eye out for stuff like fireworks for ya."

"Ha ha," she grumbled. "See you in a few minutes."

"Yeah, see ya in a few," she chuckled as she hung up.

She smiled as she stared at her phone for a few minutes before pulling herself to her feet.

Spending the day with a real wizard princess that sneezes fire. How the heck did I forget how cool my life is?

***

The Crystal Emporium was one of the few stores in the mall that didn't get packed to bursting on a daily basis. A rather impressive feat considering all of their wares. In addition to gems and stone carvings, the store sold various types of therapeutic treatments ranging from incense sticks to scented candles. To add to the atmosphere, the whole interior of the store was made to look like the inside of a tree with solid hardwood shelves seemingly carved straight into the walls. Lyra stared at the gems on display with a critical eye as she perused the store, Sunset not far behind taking in her surroundings with a more subdued level of interest.

"Hey Sunset, which do you think I should use to make a luck charm?" Lyra asked, holding up two different stones in each hand.

Sunset examined the two stones and frowned. In her left hand sat a green jasper while her right held a green malachite.

"Both work really well, but I think you should go with the malachite. Not only can it be used to draw in good luck, it can also be used to make a powerful protective amulet against dark magic."

"Awesome," Lyra smirked as she put the jasper back in its display basket with its brethren. "Let's see if we can find some coal or volcanic rock while where here."

"Why?" Sunset asked, raising a brow.

Lyra looked around to make sure no one could hear them then whispered, "So we can keep you from roasting half your room away in the spring," she smirked. "Hay fever's a real problem if you're not prepared and a fire suppression charm should make things a little easier."

"Right," she grumbled.

Lyra chuckled at that and said, "Hey, at least you didn't blowup a sweetshop."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, funny story," she chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked away from her friend. "Remember when I asked how I could shoot lasers from my horn? Turns out all I needed to do was sneeze and boom! Instant light show!"

Sunset blinked at that, then groaned as her hand met her face with a resounding smack.

"Well, that answers that question," she muttered to herself as she remembered her conversation with Twilight.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Sunset sighed, waving the issue away like a pesky fly. "You did manage to figure out how to stop that, right?"

"Totally," Lyra smirked, proudly putting her hands on her hips as she added, "Now I only shoot lasers if someone scares me out of bed."

"I... guess that's progress," Sunset blinked, not entirely sure if even she believed her own words. "Have you been able to use your magic since coming back from Equestria?"

"Not really," she frowned, staring down at the green stone in her hand. "I mean, I know I have it, but I can't actually use it. It's like there's some kind of clog somewhere in my body and I can't get anything past it. It's really annoying, you know?"

Sunset nodded.

"Maybe you need to Pony-up to activate it. That's always worked with the Rainbooms and I."

"Pony-up?" Lyra blinked. "You mean that thing where you get ears and stuff when you play instruments?"

Again, she nodded.

"Huh, never thought of that. I have a harp I used to play when I was little back home. Maybe when we're done here, we can head there and give it a try."

"Before or after we make the charms?" Sunset asked.

"Before," Lyra smirked. "Not enough magic in the air to make anything powerful enough to matter."

"How do you know that?" Sunset asked, raising a brow.

"Twilight has a big library and I like to read," Lyra shrugged, still grinning.

"Fair enough," she chuckled. "It's just a little weird to be talking about magic with someone here."

Lyra chuckled then said, "Imagine how weird it feels to know magic is real and that you have it."

Both girls laughed at that for a minute, ignoring the weird looks a handful of customers were giving them.

"Well, we're going to need a few candles for the charms," Sunset smiled, examining a shelf full of candles of varying sizes, shapes, and colors.

"And the right kind of oils and herbs," Lyra mused, scanning through the candles. "Do you think they have any jasmine or rosemary?"

"If not, I know a store nearby that does," Sunset hummed, picking up a white candle to inspect.

"That's a relief," Lyra sighed. "I don't think my neighbor would be too happy if he caught me breaking into his greenhouse again."

"Again?" Sunset asked, raising a brow as she turned to face her friend.

"He grows really good tomatoes," she chuckled.

***

As it turned out, finding a harp from a decade ago was a lot harder than Sunset's magic loving friend thought. As a result, Sunset was tasked with setting up their gear while Lyra dug through her closet to find the instrument. Sunset frowned as she walked around Lyra's house. Perhaps house was the best word to describe it, because home certainly didn't fit. While Lyra's room was a chaotic mess that reflected its main inhabitant, the rest of the two-story three bedroom house was practically bare. Aside from some high end appliances and furniture, there was nothing of any real merit worth talking about. Combined with the plain white walls and the house could've been set for an open house for all she knew.

Even with Sunset's living history, she knew this wasn't normal. When she spent time at her friend's houses, she could easily get a feel for what kind of people lived there based on how things were arranged throughout the home. Just like the last time she was here, she had no idea what kind of people Lyra lived with or how their dynamic was other than "distant". Such an arrangement brought back memories of how she and her mother interacted before she started down her dark path. Something she hoped would never happen to Lyra or any of her new friends.

No one deserves that, she thought, resolution prominent in her features as she set their tools out on the table. No one.

"Found it!" Lyra cheered, strutting into the kitchen with a square black-leather instrument case under her arm.

"That's great," Sunset said, forcing a smile as she set the last of their tools onto the table.

"Yeah," she chuckled as she set the case onto the table across from their supplies. "I haven't pulled this thing out of the closet in years. I don't know if I even remember how to play it."

As she said that, she undid the security clasps of the case and lifted the lid. The second she looked inside, she froze as a sad smile spread across her face. Concerned, Sunset walked around the table to investigate. Sitting in the case was indeed a harp, but one of truly high quality. The arch, point, shoulder, and pillar were made of brilliantly polished silver while the sound box and sound board were an expertly carved and stained dark oak with genuine tree bark. The tuning and bridge pins held the harp's strings perfectly taut, leaving the instrument ready to play at a moment's notice. Certainly, this was an instrument of great design, but that wasn't what held its owner's attention. Resting on the strings, as if waiting for her, laid a single Magic card. Lyra swallowed thickly as she picked up the card, her hands shaking as they handled it like it was sacred.

"I-I forgot I had this one," she sniffled, tears sliding down her cheeks as she smiled at the card. "F-Figures that it would be hiding here."

"Lyra? A-Are you okay?" Sunset asked.

"Y-Yeah," she sniffled, wiping her eyes with her wrist as she delicately returned the card to the harp. "Just got some dust in my eyes. This old thing's been hidden for a while so a lot's gonna build up, you know?"

Lyra flinched as Sunset placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Lyra stared down at the harp and card for a few seconds, then sighed as she said, "My Grandma was the one that introduced me to Magic, you know? She won a couple tournaments back in the day and always did it with a smile. Every pic Grandpa had of her competing always showed her with a big smile on her face. She even gave her opponents tips on how to do better while she played. When my folks stopped spending time with me, she taught me how to play and kept me company. She taught me everything she knew about the game and for a while, things were pretty good. Then things started to fall apart. I started playing games just to win them. Around that time, I started using black cards just so I wouldn't have to rely on Grandma's strategies to win. I was tearing up players left and right, but she'd whoop my ass every time I played against her. She told me that if you play only to win, you never win, but if you play to have fun, you win even when you lose. I thought she was full of it at the time and kept trying to beat her. This harp was the last gift she gave me before..."

Her lip trembled as she tried to force what she needed to say past her lips. Sunset patiently waited for her friend to find her words as she placed a supporting hand on her shoulder.Then, with new tears sliding down her face, she continued.

"Before she died. Cancer can be a real bitch, you know? While she was in the hospital, she taught me how to play this old girl. I was god awful at first, but by the time the funeral came around I could play this thing like a champ. That was the first and last time I preformed for anyone with this thing. I guess the card was my way of saying thanks for everything she did for me. The first card my first friend ever gave me."

Sunset looked down at the harp and the card that sat atop the strings. Both objects held the same faint glow found on the cards that Lyra gave to her, but it was a much stronger bond of magic then theirs. Those held magic that could bond with another's, but this was a magic bond reserved for two people specifically that could never be changed. This was the magic of loved ones, of family that held each other in both the darkest and brightest of times. A bond that even death could never hope to break.

"Devout Harpist," Sunset said, a small smile spreading across her face as she stared at the card. "Fits you pretty well."

"Yeah," she said with a wet chuckle as she wiped her face. "Grandma was good at that. She could look at ya and poof, she knew exactly what card you could do well with. It was kind've creepy sometimes, but really cool too."

"She sounds like she was a really great woman."

"She was," Lyra smiled as she reached for the harp. "She was my best friend."

She pulled the instrument out of its case and gently held in her arms as she brought a hand up to its strings.

"Hope you and Bons can live with being second to her," she smirked, then began to play.

The song was soft like the wings of a dove, but brought to mind open evening skies with a brilliant full moon. Sunset closed her eyes and embraced the melody as it took her away to places unknown to her. She could see tall mountains that seemed to tickle the heavens. Clear ocean waves lapped at her feet as she stared out into an endless sea past the moon's border. Deep forests full of life surrounded her with its splendor as stars peaked past their canopies. Fog and frog song greeted her as she stood at the heart of a great swamp. Wide open plains surrounded her under a giant blanket of stars. All of it filled her with a sense of peace and harmony that felt so foreign to her, yet so familiar at the same time. Just before the song reached its climax, she found herself standing in the middle of her own bedroom. Standing a foot in front of her was a smiling Derpy, her arms spread out wide and welcoming. The image faded away as the song's final note was struck and she opened her eyes.

Lyra remained seated, a sad smile gracing her face and tears staining her cheeks as she stared down at the instrument in her hands. A wet chuckle slipped past her lips as she wrapped her arms around the harp like a teddy bear.

"I've still got it," she whispered.

"Definitely," Sunset smiled.

Lyra laughed at that, then returned the harp to its case with the card placed back on top of the strings as she closed the lid.

"God I miss her," Lyra sighed, wiping away her tears as she turned to face her friend. "Almost forgot how much until now. Thanks Sunset."

"F-For what?" Sunset stammered, taken aback by her friend's earnest words.

"Helping me remember, duh," she chuckled.

Just then, a golden glow surrounded Lyra and her body began to change. Out of the top of her head sprouted a pair of pony ears while a spiral tipped horn grew from her forehead. Her hair lengthened and weaved itself into a ponytail with a teal streak cutting through her dual-toned gray hair to the end of her tail. She blinked as she felt her magic flow through her, no longer bound by whatever block held it at bay. She stared at her glowing hands and gasped before shifting her attention back to a gawking Sunset.

"D-Did I just-"

Sunset nodded.

Lyra beamed, then said, "The charms! Quick! Let's make them before I power down!"

As the glowing girl frantically scrambled towards their gear, Sunset let out a small chuckle as she followed.

One minute she's crying, the next she's laughing. I don't think I'll ever be able to fully read that girl.

She watched as the glowing human started arranging their gear to begin the ritual needed to make their charms with all the enthusiasm of a foal on Hearths Warming.

Good.

***

Laughter filled the air as two teens watched what had to be their hundredth gaming video.

"Th-That dork can't play his way out of a cardboard box!" Lyra crowed as she almost fell out of her chair with laughter.

"No kidding!" Sunset laughed, doubled over as she tried to gasp past her mirth. "What made him think charging the boss was going to work any better this time?!"

"W-Wait," Lyra cackled, moving the mouse across the screen. "I-I gotta see that again!"

Both girls stayed silent for a few seconds as Lyra rewinded the video a few seconds back. When a man in armor was flung across the screen by a dragon, they both almost fell over with laughter again.

"Oh man," Lyra wheezed, wiping a tear from her eye as she righted herself in her chair. "I could watch that part all day."

"Yeah," Sunset gasped, wiping her own tears out of her eyes. "Hey, thanks for the charm. It should make things a little less hectic at home."

As she said that, she stroked the lava rock pendant at her throat. Lyra chuckled at that as she lightly tapped her own pendant with a hint of pride.

"No prob," she smiled, then turned somber as she added, "And thanks...for listening to me for a bit. It really helped me out, ya know?"

"Anytime," Sunset smiled, then let out a sigh as she saw the clock on the computer screen. "Guess I should be heading back home now."

Lyra blinked at her for a minute than looked at the time and frowned.

"Yeah. Any later and you'll be stuck here for the night."

Reluctantly, the two teens got up out of their chairs and made their way to the front door. As Lyra opened the door for her, Sunset couldn't help but frown at how dreary the house was for what felt like the thousandth time that night.

"Hey," Sunset sighed as she stepped through the door into the cold night air. "If things get bad for you, please call someone. I don't want you thinking your alone anymore. Trust me, those kind of thoughts don't go over well in the long run."

Lyra gave her a small smile and nodded as she said, "Yeah, I'll try. Bon's been trying to help me get out of that mindset, but it's not easy sometimes. Especially this time of year."

"Right," Sunset sighed then smiled as she said, "Guess that means Derpy and I'll have to come by every so often this week."

"Wha-really?" Lyra blinked.

"Yeah! Maybe I can talk her into all of us going to Equestria for the the Twilight Festival this year," she beamed.

"Twilight has a festival?" she asked.

"Not that twilight," Sunset chuckled. "It's kind of like pony New Years only, instead of celebrating the changing to the year, we celebrate my mom and aunt's birthdays."

"How does that work?" Lyra asked, raising a brow.

"Mom was born December thirty-first at one PM while Aunt Luna was born January first at one AM five years later. So most of the day is spent honoring mom while most of the night is dedicated to Aunt Luna, at least that's what mom told me."

"It wasn't always like that?"

Sunset shook her head.

"It used to be all for mom, but that apparently changed when Luna came back."

"Cool, so it's like some really big party?"

"The biggest," Sunset chuckled. "Imagine a whole city being part of one giant party all the way until the sun comes up. That's what all of Equestria does for new years every year."

"Awesome!" Lyra gushed, stars in her eyes at the thought of such a party. "I have got to see that!"

"I'll see what I can do," she chuckled. "In the mean time, try not to let things get to you, okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "And if things get a bit much-"

"We're all a phone call away," Sunset finished with a smile.

"Right," Lyra chuckled. "Goodnight Sunset."

"Goodnight Lyra."

And with that the two friends parted ways, hearts a little less heavy and bonds a lot stronger then before.

"What do you mean you have to go?" Pinkie whimpered, staring at her borrowed bedroom's mirror.

"Just that," Tattle sighed. "I need to return to mother before she worries about me. If I don't, she will come looking for me and we both know what that will mean."

"Right," Pinkie shuddered. "But...I'll miss you."

She flinched, then let out a happy sigh as the now familiar feeling of her boyfriend's magic enveloped her.

"I will only be gone for a couple days," he smiled. "I'm sure you can find a way to keep yourself busy in the meantime."

"Yeah," she sighed, then smiled sheepishly as she added, "I'll still miss you though."

"As will I," he said, smirk audible in his tone. "But we both know I have to do this."

"Right," she sighed glumly.

Pinkie's eyes widened with a blush spread across her face as she felt Tattle's magic lightly tap her cheek. She let out a giggle as she stared at her reflection with half-lidded eyes.

"Try not to break the world while I'm gone," he whispered with a chuckle.

"I'll try," she winked. "Just get back as soon as you can."

"Yes, m'lady," he chuckled.

With that, Tattle severed his connection and shifted back into the unconscious plane. As he did, Pinkie let out a sad sigh at the cold solitude of her own mind. It was at that point as she stepped away from the mirror that she became aware of just how quiet her mind was without Tattle in it. In a lot of ways it reminded her of how she felt at the end of a party and everyone went home. That was always the part she liked the least about her hobby as she spent whatever time she needed to clean up a room. One minute it was the sight of merriment and the next, just another part of a building.

She sighed as she flopped onto her bed, early morning light pouring in from her bedside window.

"This is no fun," she mumbled glumly as she rolled onto her side. "What do I do now?"

One of her ears twitched as a howling in the distance caught her attention. A wide grin spread across her muzzle as she sat up.

"I guess some practice wouldn't hurt."

***

Discord let out a sigh as he stared into his teacup, his normally jovial face marred by a weary frown. As he summoned a licorice stick to stir his tea, he looked above himself at his friend sitting at her living room table with her own cup looking up at him.

"Discord, is something bothering you?" Fluttershy asked, concern heavy in her features as she stared at her friend from his seat on the ceiling.

"Am I that obvious?" he groaned, his cup floating next to him as he rubbed his forehead.

She nodded.

He sighed, then snapped his claw and turned his seat into a therapy couch as he sprawled out across it. Fluttershy blinked as she found herself in a baby-blue suit with her mane done up in a bun and a pair of wire-framed glasses sitting on her nose.

"Well Miss Shy,I've started getting close to...somepony lately," he said with his lion's paw resting over his face.

"I see," she smiled, pushing her new pair of glasses further up her muzzle as she went along with Discord's antics. "Is this somepony I know?"

"In a way," he said, clearing his throat. "I guess everypony knows her technically."

"I see. Does she like you back?"

"Very," he chuckled. "Let's just say, it's a good thing I'm immortal."

Fluttershy's cheeks turned pink as an, "Oh my," slipped past her lips.

"Anyway," he said, waving away the budding tangent. "Her birthday's coming up in four days and I have no idea what to get her."

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard," Fluttershy said with a patient smile. "What does she like?"

He tapped his chin with his eagle talion as he mulled over what he knew about Celestia before asking "Do you know anypony that likes to kidnap other ponies?"

She blinked dumbly at him for a second then said, "Um...no?"

"Drat," he huffed, crossing his mismatched arms. "Well there goes that idea. What about a cake bigger then Canterlot Castle?"

"Can she eat that much cake?" Fluttershy asked, blinking owlishly at her friend.

"Probably," he mused. "But then again, everypony will be making her cakes so there wouldn't be any real point. She already has all the bits she could ever need fifty times over so that's out."

They sat in silence for a few minutes as they mulled over ideas. At the same time, Fluttershy was trying to figure out who caught Discord's eye. It seemed like her friend couldn't use his usual flare to impress this mare, nor could he interest her with wealth. A rather strange turn of events, but one that helped somepony with her current social connections make a few educated guesses.

"Perhaps Princess Celestia would like to go on a trip somewhere," she offered, her lips pulled into a small sly smile.

A wider, yet equally sly smile spread across Discord's face as he looked towards his friend.

"Well done my dear. And yes, that does sound like a fine idea. Now, where should I take her?"

Before he could start thinking about possible vacation destinations, a spatial distortion from the Everfree caught his attention.

Now, what is this then?

"Hold that thought," he frowned quizzically, staring in the forest's general direction. "I'll be right back."

With a raised brow and a snap of his finger, the Dreconequis flashed out of existence. Still dressed like a therapist, Fluttershy looked up at her couch on the ceiling and let out a long sigh.

"He can fix it when he gets back," she grumbled, only to smile as she said, "I wonder what 'Flutterbat' would think about all this."

As she said that she held out a hoof and thought about her enchanted journal. A second later, said journal appeared on her hoof along with a quill and inkwell.

***

A clear cloudless night reined over a forest of giant lavender flowers, all of them filling the air with their namesake scent. Tall waterfalls from silver mountains filled the strange forest with the gentle echoes of running water for all that passed through. At the forest's heart was an open clearing with a massive ornate canopy bed set with dark-blue silk sheets and goose down covers and pillows. Laying with her legs tucked under her was Princess Luna, a faint smile hiding the sheer magnitude of her excitement.

Oh how we've awaited this day, she thought with a giggle. I wonder what kind of mare managed to net our catty son? She must be some type of actress or artist. He's always had a fondness for the arts and their makers.

A portion of her dreamscape shifted as someone slipped past her mental defenses. Her smile grew as she felt the unmistakable signature of her son's magic materialize not far from her current position.

We suppose we won't have to wait long.

A few minutes later, A tiger-sized dark-purple cat with shining silver spots dotting its body and wings as black as night stepped into the clearing. Tattle gave his mother a smile that practically screamed trouble as he approached the bed, a look that Luna recognized as his default expression in most situations. What made things different this time around was her son's posture. While he always moved with the kind of grace one would expect in his preferred form, he was a lot more fluid in his stride then usual. She also noticed that his star-spots were slightly brighter then usual as well, a sign that his spirits were high regardless of the form he took.

"Greetings mother," he said with a polite bow.

"Greetings our son," she smiled. "Tis been quite some time since you last graced our presence."

"There have been many who needed my aid," he shrugged, falling to his haunches.

"Indeed," she said, her smile growing. "Care to tell us who could demand so much of your time?"

"A very troubling case," he said cooly. "But nothing I can't handle myself."

"We see," the Lunar Diarch chuckled. "Tell us, will we need to add names to the royal family tree soon?"

Tattle reeled back at that, a light shade of red coloring his face as he stammered, "What do you mean? I-I haven't found anypony like that."

A cheshire's grin spread across Princess Luna's face as she leaned forward.

"We have done this song and dance far more times then you, our son. We know the look of those who are smitten and you practically sing it. Now, we can do this the fun way and continue this game, or you can give us a name and save us the trouble."

Tattle's wide eyes narrowed as determination replaced shock.

"No," he said, tail flicking irritably behind him.

Luna blinked, smile replaced by a questioning frown.

"Pardon?"

"My apologies mother," he sighed. "But I can't tell you her name. In fact, I would be grateful if you would stay away from her for now."

"And why should we do that?" a hint of anger filling her concerned tone.

"I fear you would not like the answer."

"Let us be the judge of that," she said coldly.

Tattle sighed, ears folding back and face drifting to the ground as he sadly stated, "She fears you."

Luna's eyes widened at that.

"Not just you, but all High Royals," Tattle clarified, noting the pain in his mother's eyes.

"Do you know what the cause of this is?"

He shook his head.

"She refuses to tell me."

"We see," she sighed. "That is quite unfortunate. We were hoping to meet the mare that managed to reel in our rowdy child."

A cheeky smile graced her muzzle as she said that, chuckling a bit at the rosy-cheeked frown Tattle sported.

"You will not let me rest for this, will you?" he asked flatly.

"Tis the pleasure shared by all mothers," she chuckled. "Be glad that you do not have any photographs for us to share with others."

"Maker be praised," he muttered under his breath.

Luna's smile turned less mischievous as she took in her son's sorry state and with a much more understanding tone asked, "Does this mare make you happy?"

"Very," he smiled. "I have never met anypony like her. She's bright, clever, an incredibly creative mind, and the sweetest being I've ever met. It truly hurts to see her so scared, but I would endure any pain if it meant bringing a smile to her face."

"Excellent," she nodded. "We shall make marriage preparations as soon as she is ready!"

"Please don''t," he sighed. "It is only proper that we at least date before walking down the aisle together."

"Curse these modern customs," she lamented, only to smile as she added, "Very well. We shall let you handle this as you see fit, so long as you promise to let us meet her when she is willing."

"Fair enough," he nodded. "I agree to these terms."

"We thank you, but can we please have a name? Speaking of her without one is quite frustrating."

Tattle mulled his mother's question over for a minute. He knew his mother wouldn't pry too far into this matter, but what little prying she would do would be relentless. On the other paw, there was no way he could give Pinkie's name to his mother. As he struggled to concoct an alias, images of Pinkie flashed through his mind. Her smile, her eyes, and her favorite red coat. He smiled mentally as an answer to his mother's question came to him.

"Red hood. Her name is Red Hood."

***

Discord frowned as he hovered through the Everfree, head constantly turning as he searched the forest for anything out of the ordinary. Well, anything that he himself hadn't made out of the ordinary at the moment. Those Plunder Vines really managed to adapt rather nicely to the forest's ecosystem.

"Where is it?" he muttered to himself, phasing clean through a tree. "I know I sensed the disturbance around here."

While strange happenings were relatively common place in the Everfree, dimensional distortions were beyond its limits of power. Something was dabbling in one of his schools of magic and he was going to find out what or who. A ripple of dimensional magic about fifty feet away caught his attention. He quickly locked onto its position before teleporting towards it. What he saw made his jaw drop.

Standing in an open clearing was a single pink Earth Pony wearing an off-fitting hooded red trench coat. Ten Timberwolves surrounded her with drooling maws as they waited for the right moment to strike. What shocked Discord wasn't the danger the mare was in, but the calm smile he saw outside of the shadow of her hood and the confident poise she held in the face of her attackers.

"So," she smiled. "Anyone want to test their luck?"

The wooden wolves growled, but otherwise didn't react to the mare's taunt.

She giggled.

"What's wrong? You're friend wasn't afraid. C'mon, I want to have some fun!"

A faint tremble ran through the wolves as some among them took a half-step back.

The mare frowned, then said, "You guys are no fun. How am I gonna get any practice if none of you want to play ball?"

Her ear twitched as a faint howling above her caught her attention. She looked up and an eager smile spread across her muzzle.

"Oh! Here comes your friend! One second please."

She fell to her haunches, completely ignoring the unnerved pack as something far above her descended. Discord had just enough time to recognize the falling howling thing as a Timberwolf seconds before the mare delivered a devastating right hook into the poor creature's chest. The wooden wolf let out a pained yelp just before it shattered into kindling. He cringed at the display of power. While he knew that the creature would just reassemble itself a few minutes later, it didn't make him sympathize with it any less. Granted, if anypony asked he would deny any such sentiments before turning them into a candy-coated cabbage cart for a few seconds.

The mare stared at the watching wolves with a near manic grin as she said, "Well? Who's next?"

The pack let out frightened whines before running back into the forest and out of sight. The mare sat in silence for a few seconds, then let out weary sigh as she stood back up.

"Good. I don't think I would've had enough magic to make it back home if that kept up."

Discord raised a brow at that as he watched her walk deeper into the forest. The mare looked and sounded a lot like Pinkie Pie, but this clearly wasn't the same bubbly party pony he knew and swam in pudding with every other week. For one thing, this mare was a lot more mellow then his friend. The Pinkie he knew was a ball of hyper with no known limit in sight while this version looked like she was barely keeping herself on her hooves. Another sign that this was just an uncanny resemblance was the way the pony wore her mane. Pinkie's mane and tail were such thick masses of curls that you'd think they were made of cotton candy while what bits of them weren't covered by the coat were straight with small curls at the end. Curiosity gripped the Chaos God as he watched the pony walking into the distant foliage. This doubled when he saw a small spacial distortion appear in front of her and she walked through it without a second thought.

For the first time in a long while, shock stalled Discord's mind as he stared at the space the pony previously occupied.

"What in the world?" he muttered as he floated over to the space the Pinkie look-a-like vanished in.

Frowning, he examined the empty space with the utmost scrutiny as he orbited the space. Humming to himself, he poked the space with his eagle's talon. The space rippled like water as the fabric of reality reacted to his magic. He smiled when he pulled his appendage away from the distortion and a portal identical to the one the pony summoned materialized.

"I see. A Gap Walker, eh?" he chuckled. "Now that's something you don't see everyday."

His smile widened when he looked through the gap and saw a familiar aged castle on the other side.

"Good taste," he nodded. "Wonder what she's done with the place."

With a smirk, he snapped his talon and turned into a fly before passing through the gap. He briefly nodded his approval at how smooth the travel was through the gap before flying towards the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. About ten feet away from the castle gates, he spotted the red-clothed pony as she crossed the drawbridge through the front entrance. He smiled as he followed her past the threshold into the ancient structure. While he was a little disappointed that the mare didn't do anything to change the castle's aesthetics, he was pleased to see his marefriend's former home properly cleaned and maintained. He did almost blow his cover when the mare made it to the bedroom and hung up her coat though.

She could be her twin! he thought, jaws slack as he watched her step out of the room. Tweak the mane and tail a bit and change the Cutiemark and you wouldn't know the difference!

Buzzing behind her, he studied her as she made her way through the castle. A challenging feat due to the mare's constant gap-walking to get around. While this was impressive, it was nothing compared to the skill she displayed when she got to the castle's kitchen. After she got a pot of water onto the lit ancient oven, she held up a hoof and a potato fell into it from a summoned gap. While she waited for the water to boil she chopped up the vegetable with the skills and grace of a master chef. Without looking up from her work, she held up her hoof under yet another freshly opened gap as a carrot fell out into it. The second she was done with the potato she went to work chopping up the carrot after adding the spud to the almost boiling pot. He watched with wide eyes as she did this with a dozen other vegetables while occasionally adding some crushed dried herbs to the pot. He marveled at how easily she alternated between cutting ingredients and summoning gaps to get said ingredients from what had to be a rather well stocked nearby storage shed. Once she had everything stewing in the pot, she sat back and stared at the ceiling with a listless sigh.

"It's so lonely around here without him," she mumbled, then giggled listlessly as she added," Five hours and I'm already missing him. Guess I've got it pretty bad, huh?"

She sighed as she stuck her hoof into a newly summoned gap at her left and pulled out a book. She fell to her haunches as she flipped open the cover to kill some time.

"I know why he had to, but I really wish he didn't have to go."

Discord felt bad for the mare, only to gulp a little when a wide smile spread across her muzzle.

"We're gonna have a lot of time to make up when he gets back," she giggled wickedly.

Sure he'd seen enough, he flew out the nearest window into late afternoon sky.

Don't know who "he" is, but I hope he doesn't keep her waiting too long, he thought with a wicked smile before winking out of existence.

The higher end of Canterlot City was always known for opulence and sophistication. While not filled with palaces, it did hold the oldest and most successful houses in the city. Manor houses that had been around since the city's founding who's lines survived the passage of time dominated the streets like ancient trees in defiance. In particular, ten manors reined supreme over the street. Five of these houses belonged to the scientific and economic industries that ran the city while the rest governed over the city's artistic pursuits. These were the Five Musical Families, the only truly nobelesque families that governed over the city. On the doorstep of one particular manor stood a nervous teen girl with red and gold hair.

"Wow," Sunset gulped, staring at the massive ornate rout iron gate. "I knew Octavia came from money, but this is insane."

What she saw through the gate was something straight out of a period drama. Just beyond the the iron bars stood a massive blanket of white snow covering a hundred feet of open land. Scattered through the space were various well carved and maintained marble statues of various mythical creatures. Elves, faeries, satyrs, and centaurs stood in various poses both provocative and dynamic on a field of pure white. Beyond them towered a massive building from ancient times given life. Three stories tall and three thousand spare-feet wide, the fortress of dark wood faced the teen with tall windows and oakwood doors plucked from the same realm only a handful of Equestrian nobles had access to.

Nervously, Sunset pushed a button on the intercom next to the main gate.

"Um, hello?" she asked.

"Good afternoon," a cultured male voice responded through the device. "Who might I say this is?"

"S-Sunset Shimmer?" she gulped. "I'm one of Octavia's and Vinyl's friends."

A brief pause, then the voice said in a slightly chipper tone, "Ah, yes. Both of the young misses said you would be visiting today. Wait one moment and someone will meet you at he gate and grant you access."

"U-Um, thanks," she smiled meekly.

A soft click was the only response she got at that as she shifted her attention back to the metal gate.

Calm down Sunset, she thought, taking a shaky breath. You're just going to spend some time at two friend's place. So what if they're from one of the richest families in the city? I shook hooves with nobles since I was seven back in Equestria. This is nothing compared to that!

Then again, there was a difference between tolerating a snooty entitled dingbat and leaving a good impression with a friend's family that just happens to have a giant bank account. The last thing she wanted to do was make it look like she was Vinyl's and Octavia's friend for the money.

She gulped as she saw a golf cart coming into view from the outside perimeter of the statue garden. Her nerves only grew as she saw the well-kept condition of the person driving the vehicle. The butler elegantly extricated himself from the cart and approached the gate with purpose. He was tall and elderly, yet well built for his presumed age, silver streaks mixed with his short chocolate-brown hair and many distinguished age lines carved into his white face. His gray eyes held a kind of timeless quality to them only those who lived a long and challenging life could own as he took note of Sunset's presence.

"Sunset Shimmer?" he asked, tone deep and warm as he stared at her.

She nodded.

He smiled then said, "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Fine Point and I will be your guide for the day."

"Oh, um, thanks?" she stammered sheepishly.

He gave her an understanding smile as he pressed a button from his side of the gate and it slowly slid open.

***

Octavia hummed happily as she took a sip from her teacup, gentle piano music adding its ambiance from her cellphone to the ornate library. While still prim and proper, her posture held a faint level of slouch as she sat in an ornate oak arm chair by a matching table at her right. She was dressed in a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans, her usual fair when she wanted to relax and had no real need to leave the house or impress anyone. Even her hair was slightly mussed, the closest thing she could stand to let it fall into disarray. Her sister was another story all together, as the DJ slouched in her seat on the opposite side of the small round table as she occupied one of the table's three remaining seats. Vinyl was dressed in a wrinkled white tank-top and blue pajama bottoms, a cocky grin spread across her face as she bobbed her head to whatever music she was listening to through her headphones, a can of soda waiting patiently for her on the table.

Octavia reached across the table and tapped it on the wood in front of the girl. Vinyl grimaced a little before she paused her song on her phone and let her headphones hang around her neck.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Do you think this was a good idea?" Octavia frowned. "Inviting Sunset here, I mean."

"What do you mean?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Well," Octavia frowned sheepishly. "Our home can be rather...intimidating to most people

Vinyl chuckled and took a swig of her soda.

"Are you kidding me? Tavi. Sunset's mom is a princess. I think she can handle seeing a place like this."

As she said that, she casually gestured to her surroundings with a flourish of her hand.

"If anything, I think we should be the nervous ones."

"True," Octavia mused. "I just don't want her to feel uncomfortable."

"Trust me," she smirked. "We've got nothing to worry about."

As if on cue, Fine Point opened the door to the library and stood to the side of the opening.

"Miss Sunset Shimmer," he said, his thoughts hidden behind his usual stoic professionalism.

A second later a very stiff-looking Sunset entered the room. Octavia gave Vinyl a raised brow before rising out of her seat to greet their friend with a kind smile.

"Welcome Sunset," she chuckled, closing the gap between them. "Come, make yourself at home."

As she said that, she put a hand on the nervous girl's back as she gently guided her back to the table. Vinyl pulled a chair out for her before returning to her own seat.

"You okay?" she asked, both confused and concerned for her friend.

"Y-Yeah," Sunset stammered as she gave the DJ a stiff smile. "Kind of a lot to take in, you know?"

"I guess?" Vinyl blinked. "Isn't this kind of par-for-the-course for you?"

"Kind've," she sighed. "I'm not a High Royal here, remember?"

"I see," Octavia nodded. "Though I admit, I fail to see how a shift in status could effect your sense of normalcy."

"I guess I just got so used to castles that a "simple" mansion stands out to me," she frowned, staring at the table.

"I suppose," Octavia mused. "All the same, be at ease love. In the end, it is nothing more than a house."

"A really big house, but still a house," Vinyl shrugged. "Want anything to drink?"

"Sure," Sunset smiled, her nerves seeming to loosen thanks to her friend's words.

"Cool, what do ya want?" Vinyl asked, smirking.

"A Sprite sounds good," she nodded.

"Awesome," she chuckled, then looked up at Fine Point and asked, "Can you get two Sprites for us?"

"Of course," he intoned. "Will that be all?"

"For now," Octavia nodded.

Fine Point nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him as he went.

"Now then," Octavia smiled, a hint of mischief evident in her features. "How are things between you and Derpy?"

"Great," Sunset smirked, a bit of a blush coloring her cheeks. "Now that everything's settled down, we've been spending a lot of time together."

"I bet," Vinyl chuckled, a lecherous smile spread across her face as she took a swig of her drink.

Sunset raised a brow at that.

"You know love," Octavia mused, catching Sunset's attention. "You never told us how the two of you officially became a couple."

"Uh, sure I did," Sunset gulped, her face heating up.

"Right," Vinyl smiled. "C'mon, Spill. It's been bugging us for days and Derpy won't tell us anything."

Sunset glowered at the two girls, her blush still on full display as she stared at them.

"Fine," she grumbled.

***

Laughter filled the air as two girls sat in front of a giant television, countless gaming equipment and snacks spread out between them. While it paled in comparison to Lyra's collection, Vinyl had quite the extensive assortment of games at her disposal. It served as an excellent followup to the interrogation of Sunset and Derpy's adventures in Equestria. While she didn't have too much of a problem telling them what happened, there were a few details she left out. She doubted that they needed to know what they did after Sunset's battle with Gold Vine or the battle itself for that matter.

"C'mon-c'mon-c'mon!" Vinyl demanded, frustratedly jamming the buttons on her controller.

Sunset smirked triumphantly as she calmly tapped the buttons on her controller.

A loud battle cry filled the air followed by a frustrated growl as Vinyl watched her character fall. A giant KO dominated the screen as Sunset's fighter struck a victory pose.

"Damn it!" Vinyl frowned, slumping in her navy-blue gaming chair and crossing her arms.

Sunset chuckled at her as she set her controller aside and took in her friend's room.

On top of being bigger then her's and Derpy's rooms combined and having a giant TV, the room was largely dominated by the DJ's passion. The TV stood as the dividing point of the room with the bedroom's door and a wide array of technical equipment dominating its left side while a large oak wardrobe, desk, and queen-sized canopy bed stood at its right. Rock and punk band posters were spread unevenly on the walls at random places like hunting trophies through out the room. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling with its bulbs dimmed thanks to a dimmer switched installed in a wall by the door.

"How the heck did you get so good at this game?" Vinyl demanded, pulling Sunset's attention away from her surroundings.

Sunset's lips pulled themselves into a sad smile as she said, "Rainbow and I used to play this a lot."

"Oh," Vinyl frowned, then asked, "How have you been doing lately?"

"Pretty good, why?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Just checking," the DJ sighed. "No...relapses, right?"

Sunset froze for a moment, then stiffly brought her hands together as she struggled to find her words.

"No," she gulped. "I've got Derpy, you girls, and mom in my life again. I don't have any reason to go back to that place again."

"You're damn straight you don't," Vinyl growled. "But I don't want you to keep that stuff to yourself."

Sunset blinked at that, but didn't get a chance to respond as Vinyl gave her a hard frown.

"Look, I get it. Some things are hard to talk about, even with people you care about. Thing is, sometimes you still need to talk to someone."

Sunset nodded, eager to see where the DJ was going with this.

Vinyl let out a frustrated growl as she nervously scratched the back of her head.

"I'm not very good with words like Tavi, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know what its like to be in a really bad place."

Sunset's eyes widened at that as the implications started to take shape. While she was familiar with the toxic history of Vinyl's original family, it never really occurred to her that the DJ was still bearing the scars of that relationship. The crass, smiling girl always seemed so untouchable and aloof that it was hard to see anything bothering her for too long. A sharp pang of guilt filled Sunset at that realization.

"Do...you want to talk about it?" Sunset asked.

A weak smile formed on Vinyl's lips.

"You sure you want to hear?"

She nodded, sporting a determined frown as she stared at her friend.

Vinyl sighed, then leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

"There's not much to say. My mom was a bitch and Tavi saved me. I guess the case wasn't very cut and dry at first, but that doesn't really mean much."

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked, raising a brow. "Octavia had that recording and everything, didn't she?"

Vinyl laughed bitterly at that.

"That could only get the case started. Since it was taken without Record's permission, it couldn't be used as evidence against her. Luckily, Granny Philharmonic has some of the best lawyers in the city on speed dial and fixed that problem real quick."

A heavy silence filled the room as Vinyl let certain memories she hadn't dwelt upon in a long time wander through her mind. A faint tremble ran through her lips as a particularly bitter memory came to her.

Sunset noticed.

"Vinyl?"

Vinyl let out a shaky breath as she continued.

"At one point, the bitch managed to get in touch with me during the hearing. I wanted to hang up on her, but I guess she still had some kind of hold on me at the time. She wanted me to lie to the court. She said that if I left her, I'd have nothing. That Tavi's folks would dump me the second I didn't do as they said and that she was only doing what she thought was right for me. She said that she loved me."

A cruel smile spread across her face as she added, "Too bad I didn't give a shit about her."

She sat up straight, her smile becoming more cocky as she locked eyes with her friend.

"I told the court everything. All of the abuse, manipulation, and even the whole thing that got me put in the hospital. I didn't know all the specifics at the time, but apparently my testimony had just the push my lawyer needed to get me out of that bitch's hands. After a couple weeks in the foster care system, Granny managed to pull enough strings to get me fostered to her and later adopted me."

"I bet that was a lot to get used to," Sunset stated, feebly trying to lighten the mood with a smirk.

Vinyl laughed then said, "You have no idea. Yeah, I came from a top family, but there's a pretty big gap between five and one. When I first came here, I nearly shat my pants at the front gate! For a while, I thought Record was right about Tavi's folks and I was always on edge. I actually lost my lunch when Granny called me up to her room and said she wanted to hear some of my music."

"What? Why?" Sunset asked, blinking in shock.

Vinyl gave her a flat look as she said, "Sunset, I was a Junior High student that spent most of her life under a narcissist's thumb. How do you think I would've reacted?"

"Good point," Sunset cringed. "How did it go?"

"It was a disaster," she groaned. "I was so nervous that I couldn't get my mixes to harmonize at all. Tunes were off, rhythms were flat, it was a mess. Hell, at one point I got so scared that I froze up and just waited for her to yell at me."

"Did she?" she asked, lips pulling into a faint knowing smile.

"Nah," Vinyl chuckled. "She gave me a hug, told me to take a deep breath, and try again. It was way too much for me to take at the time and I started crying like a baby for a bit. When I tried again it was still a mess, but it was a lot better then the first one. She let me try as many times as I wanted and kept cheering me on. Eventually, I found my groove and gave her a real show."

"I take it she liked it," Sunset chuckled.

"Yeah," she smirked. "Then she asked me to show her how to do it."

"Wait what?" Sunset gawked.

Vinyl laughed at that.

"Yeah, I said the same thing. She said since I was her new granddaughter, she wanted to get to know me a bit better. Since we both were music fanatics that was the best place to start. I was on cloud nine for a while after that."

"I bet you were," Sunset smirked.

"Yeah," she said, smile turning wistful as she stared at the ceiling. "It was like when I ran my first set all over again. 'Cept now I wasn't doing it to give the bitch the finger. I had people backing me up that gave an actual fuck about me for a change and it felt great. I mean, yeah, I had to learn a bunch of etiquette crap, but that was just when we had to go to big events and stuff. Behind closed doors or out on the streets I could do whatever I wanted so long as I didn't do anything too extreme."

"Sounds like things really turned up," Sunset nodded.

"Yeah," the DJ chuckled. "I got pretty lucky."

Silence filled the room again, only now it was less dense then the last time. It was broken as Vinyl gave Sunset a roughish smile and said, "We're a lot alike, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Sunset chuckled.

"You've got Derpy and I've got Tavi and her folks, but we both got fucked by life before we found them," she laughed. "Want to know how I to deal with it?"

"How?"

Vinyl gave her the widest, brightest smile she could manage and said, "I smile and tell life to go fuck itself. That I'm not going to be its bitch anymore. No matter what."

Sunset blinked at that, then smiled as she said, "Damn straight."

Both girls bumped fists and laughed, the dark atmosphere from before vanishing in the light of there mirth.

"Anyway," Vinyl grinned as she picked up her controller. "That's enough gloom and doom for now."

"Right," Sunset nodded, picking up her own controller.

As they set up the next match, Vinyl gently nudged her friend and with a soft smile said, "Thanks for listening by the way."

"Anytime Vinyl," she smiled.

***

Sunset groaned as she tossed and turned in her borrowed bed, the dark unfamiliar room only adding to her insomnia as she stared at the ceiling. By the time she and Vinyl finished there gaming marathon, it was already well past time for Sunset to head back home. After a quick call to let Derpy know where she was, Octavia made arrangements to let Sunset use one of the mansion's many guest rooms for the night. While the bed was just as comfortable as her bed back in Equestria, it was still difficult for her to fall asleep. She let out a frustrated growl as she dragged herself into a sitting position.

"I need a drink of water," she grumbled as she dragged herself out of bed.

As she stepped out of her room, she struggled to remember how to get to the kitchen on the first floor.

Let's see. I think it was first left then right to get to the stairs, then I need to cut through the main hall.

Five minutes later, she let out a frustrated grumble when her chosen rout took her to the mansion's pool room. She took a different rout and nearly cursed when she found herself in one of the mansion's libraries. She would've screamed if the next room she found wasn't Vinyl's. When she found herself standing in front the front doors to the mansion, she let out an annoyed huff as she leaned against a nearby wall.

"How does anyone find anything in this place?" she grumbled. "I grew up in a castle! This shouldn't be this hard!"

She let out a groan as she pushed herself off of the wall to resume her search. As she walked away from the wall, a faint sound caught her attention. Curious, she followed it down a nearby hallway to her left and beyond. As the sound grew, it became easier to identify. With all the time she spent around music and instruments, she would have to be deaf not to recognize the sound for what it was. Sure enough, she soon found herself standing in front of the music room. Through a crack in the door, a haunting, lilting tone crept out into the dark hallways. With Curiosity gnawing at the back of her mind, Sunset peeked through the partially opened door into the room beyond.

Like she expected, the room was loaded with instruments of all shapes and sizes, all of which hung from stands or in cases along the walls. A beautiful grand piano stood at the back of the room opposite the door, but even its radiance paled in comparison to what stood in front of it. Eyes closed and dressed in lavender pajamas stood Octavia, a gentle expression gracing her face as she played her cello. Sunset was in awe at the poise the girl displayed as her bow glided across the strings like a bird in the open sky. The skill on display was just as apparent as the love Octavia held for her craft as the room was filled with the fruits of her labor. Sunset was so absorbed by the small concert that she barely registered it when she wandered into the room. Octavia was none the wiser as she continued to play, serenity never leaving her face as she unwittingly charmed her guest.

For what felt like hours, the two girls were in their own little worlds as they let the symphony take them away. Then with a final long note, Octavia finished her piece with a wide flourish of her bow.

"The world is my stage," she whispered, a slightly cocky smile gracing her lips as she opened her eyes.

Her eyes widened when she saw Sunset sitting cross-legged across from her.

"S-Sunset!" she stammered, face heating up. "Did I wake you?"

"Huh?" she blinked, then quickly shook the mist out of her head before she explained.

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought a glass of water would help."

"I see," she nodded, fluster replaced with understanding as her blush faded away. "Has it?"

"It would if I could find the kitchen," she muttered.

"Pardon?" she asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"Never mind," Sunset sighed, then asked, "I guess you couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"No," she sighed, staring somberly at her instrument. "Lately, I've found my mind wondering."

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Octavia gave her a faint smile and said, "Nothing too out of the ordinary, love. Just the usual drama."

"I don't have anywhere I need to be," she shrugged.

Octavia giggle at that, then let a thin smile grace her lips as she stared at the fiery girl.

"I believe Vinyl gave you a more detailed take on what her first few days were like here?"

Sunset nodded.

"I suppose she told you a tale of how I saved her from a terrible fate at the hand of her ogre of a mother. Would it surprise you if I said it was the other way around? That she was the one that saved me?"

"What?" she asked, blinking owlishly at the musician.

Octavia giggled at her friend's reaction.

"It's true. Remember, before we met, I was completely obsessed with my craft. Everything had to be perfect. Absolutely no deviations from the trodden path of the masters. Nothing short of absolute perfection could be permitted."

Sunset nodded, starting to get an idea where this was going.

"I'm sure Vinyl told you of how difficult I was back then," she continued, a sheepish smile forming on her lips when Sunset nodded. "In time, she had enough with my antics and literally dragged me out of the house. It was thanks to her that I started to let other things and people into my life."

A small grimace marred her face as she added, "One of those very people is the source of my restless mind at the moment unfortunately."

"Who?" Sunset asked.

Octavia froze, face lightly twisted into a conflicted frown before she took a deep breath and said, "Rarity."

"Oh," Sunset said hollowly.

"It would seem that she fell back into her old vice," she continued, eyes drifted to the ground along with Sunset's. "She appears to be taking steps to get back on track, but I still worry about her."

"Right," Sunset gulped.

"I'm not the only one," Octavia sighed. "According to Vinyl, Rainbow was on Canter Bridge a few days ago."

"What?!" Sunset gasped. "Is she okay?!"

"Yes, love," she smiled. "She's fine."

"Good," she sighed, slumping against the wall she sat in front of. "What about the others?"

"Unfortunately, that is all I know," Octavia frowned.

"I see," she frowned. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Anytime love," she smiled.

Sunset returned the smile, then turned her gaze to the ground as she processed what her friend said. While she was still mad at the girls, she couldn't deny that maybe this whole situation had gone on long enough. Bad blood never made things any better for anyone involved, especially when one party was clearly repentant for their crimes.

If I was willing to forgive the CMC, what's stopping me from doing the same with the Rainbooms?

With that in mind, she nodded to herself and sported a determined frown as she looked up towards Octavia. It was time to purge the last drop of poison out of her life once and for all.

"I want to talk to her."

Octavia blinked, shocked by the sudden change in her friend's demeanor.

"Are you sure love?"

She nodded, then said, "And not just her. I'll send a message out to all of them to let them know when and where we're going to do this."

"I see," Octavia nodded, a matching look of determination decorating her face. "However, I must insist that Lightning and Fluttershy be present. While I doubt they will try anything, it never hurts to be cautious."

Sunset shook her head.

"I get where you're coming from, but this is something I have to do alone."

Octavia blinked owlishly at the girl then stammered, "B-But Sunset-"

Sunset put up a hand to halt her friend's protests and asked, "Do you trust me?"

Momentarily staggered by her friend's question, Octavia paused, then said, "Of course love."

"Then please," she gulped. "Let me do this."

The two girls stared at each other for a long moment, then with a withering sigh, Octavia nodded.

"Very well love. Just promise me you will be careful, okay?"

"I promise," she smiled.

Lyra's battle track
https://youtu.be/VEC0gZvMVAI

Rarity's battle track
https://youtu.be/sdIeZikX_5c

Applejack's battle track
https://youtu.be/9pYHjyGdLAo

Rainbow Dash's battle track
https://youtu.be/WarnWRK6zGY

Since time long forgotten, scholars and crafters of various fields long desired to surpass their compatriots. Alchemists longed to turn lead into gold, scientists desired the power to command the powers of the world, and kings longed to leave behind immortal legacies. From the day hubris entered the world of mortals to the end of days, the desire to move past the masters of the past and present will aways fill the hearts of all sapient life. It was in a kitchen in Canterlot City that a formerly wall-eyed teen found herself on such an timeless struggle. For her, it was a matter of great personal pride, a challenge that was a true test of her skills; how to create a Neapolitan Muffin.

"Let's see," Derpy hummed, chin cradled in the crook between her thumb and index finger as she staring at her tools. "Should I use the tri-dispenser bag or the divider molds for the batter?"

She thought for a moment, then shrugged as she looked over her ingredients.

"I should have enough to try both," she muttered, then grinned widely as she added, "I wonder if Sunset will like it."

Ever since Sunset came into her life, everyday's been an adventure for the former hacker. Literally in some cases, thanks in no small part to her girlfriend's origin and everything connected to it. Granted, maybe a little monotony wasn't all that bad from time to time. The fact that Sunset could sneeze fire made things difficult for a bit, especially when she did it a little too close to a box of fireworks. Thankfully, Lyra helped fix that problem, though she still felt bad about essentially kicking her girlfriend out of the house for a day. Now her sweet dragon was spending time with Octavia and Vinyl at their mansion while she toiled away in her mother's kitchen trying to make culinary history.

"I hope she's okay," she whispered to herself as she started making some strawberry batter.

She silently pondered what kind of hi-jinx Sunset was being dragged into as she carefully made the needed flavored batter for her creations. As she pored her concoctions into a dispenser bag, her sister walked into the kitchen.

"Hey sis," Derpy smiled, sliding a muffin tray towards her from across the kitchen counter. "What's up?"

Dinky frowned and huffed with crossed arms as she said, "There's a really pretty girl at the door that wants to see you."

"Oh?" she asked, raising a brow as she filled the tray. "Did she say who she was?"

"Flutter something," Dinky growled, frown deepening.

"Oh! That must be Fluttershy," Derpy smiled, sliding her loaded tray into the oven. "Could you let her in for me?"

Silence was the only answer she got as she set a timer on her phone. Confused and concerned, she turned towards her still irate-looking sister.

"What?" Derpy asked, a bit unnerved by her sister's behavior.

"Are you cheating on Sunset?" she growled.

"WHAT?!" Derpy gaped. "Where the heck did that come from?"

Dinky raised a brow at that as she pointed a thumb over her shoulder.

Derpy laughed at that.

"She's just a friend," Derpy smiled. "Don't worry sis, no one's cheating on anyone."

"If you say so," Dinky sighed, then glared sharply at her sister as she added, "But I'm watching you two."

"Go ahead," Derpy chuckled as she pulled another muffin tray out from under the kitchen counter along with a handful of divider molds. "Now can you please go get her?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dinky grumbled, rolling her eyes as she left the kitchen.

Derpy chuckled to herself, shaking her head at her sister's antics as she put the dividers into the molds in the muffin tray and started poring batter into them. By the time Dinky and Fluttershy entered the kitchen, she was already removing the dividers and placing the tray into the oven. With a satisfied smirk, she set the heat, started her timer, and turned to face her sister and guest.

"Hey Fluttershy," Derpy smiled as she took a seat at the kitchen's island. "What's up?"

Fluttershy sighed then took a seat across from her, her teal jacket and white scarf soaked and covered with flecks of fresh snow. Her long hair didn't fair much better as it hung heavily around her shoulders. Small bags hung under her eyes as she leveled a stiff frown at the gray teen.

"Pinkie's missing," she said softly, worry heavy in her features.

Derpy's smile died at that.

"For how long," she said, back straight and hands resting on the table with her fingers steepled together.

"About eleven days now," she sighed, nervously staring at the table.

"Didn't her parents call the cops?"

Fluttershy nodded, then grimaced as she added, "They said that they could make a report, but couldn't do anything else at the moment."

"And I'm guessing you didn't come to see me just to vent," Derpy deadpanned.

Again, she nodded.

An awkward silence filled the kitchen, Dinky watching the girls with nervous eyes as she tried to find a way to help. Forgetting her previous suspicions, the young girl approached her sister and hugged her arm tightly. Derpy gave her sister a warm smile then let out a sigh as she shifted her gaze back to her scared friend.

"Tell me everything you know," she sighed.

A wide relieved smile spread across Fluttershy's face and she nodded.

"Thank you."

***

Derpy frowned as she stared at her computer screen, one of her experimental neapolitans sitting half-eaten on a plate on her desk to her left. Finding Pinkie's trail wasn't too difficult for her. As soon as she had a basic time frame and visual starting point, it was a simple matter of hacking the visual records of the various cameras in the area and track her throughout the city. Granted, the trench coat she was wearing at the time gave her a little bit of trouble, but it was an obstacle she could quickly adapt to. What made things a little difficult for her was where the camera's feed told her about Pinkie's last possible location.

The bridge, she thought with a frustrated groan as she roughly ran a hand through her hair. Why did it have to be the bridge?

"Any luck?" Fluttershy asked, nervously nibbling on her own muffin as she walked into the bedroom.

"Eeyup," she said flatly with an audible pop of her lips. "And I don't like what I've found."

"What did you find?" she asked, moving to her friend's side.

Derpy sighed as she pointed at the screen. Fluttershy's eyes widened as she stared at the display, color fading from her face as dread filled her veins.

"P-Please tell me you're kidding," she stammered.

Derpy somberly shook her head.

"All the cameras in the area showed her heading towards the bridge and her phone's GPS winked out directly on the thing. From what I can tell, the last place she was at before she disappeared was Canter Bridge."

Tears slowly fell down Fluttershy's face as the implications of the news fell into place.

She jumped. She jumped. She jumped. She jumped. She jumped.

Her legs trembled as her broken thought echoed through her mind like some sick mantra, her muffin long forgotten as it fell out of her hand. Worried, Derpy jumped to her feet and pulled the trembling girl into a hug. A gentle warmth filled the gentle teen as a faint golden glow washed over them. Slowly, her trembling ceased as the magic of their two elements eased the dread out of her system. The glow faded as the two girls parted, a relaxed sigh rolling past Fluttershy's slightly trembling lips.

"Are you okay?" Derpy asked.

Fluttershy nodded, her lips pulled into a stiff smile.

"Yeah," she sighed. "It's just that...it turns out that that bridge has a reputation."

"Really?" Derpy asked, raising a brow.

Fluttershy nodded, her smile shifting into a worried frown as she stared at the ground.

"Apparently, people have been going there to commit suicide for a really long time."

Derpy's eyes widened at that, her face paling as the current situation's implications fell into place. She quickly ran to her computer and went back to work, eyes frantically moving across the screen as her fingers frantically hammered her keyboard. Fluttershy watched dozens of new windows appeared and vanished faster then she could keep up as Derpy frantically scanned the screen for something beyond the animal-lover's understanding. After an hour of nonstop clicks and button taps, Derpy let out a relieved sigh as she fell back into her chair and turned towards her nervous friend.

"Okay," she smiled. "From what I've found, there have been no cases of any bodies in the area of Canter Creek in the last couple months. So odds are she didn't jump or do anything to herself there."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, hope heavy in her eyes.

"Positive," Derpy nodded. "If she did, there would be coverage all over the news or there would be some kind of investigation at the very least."

"Do you think she was kidnapped?" Fluttershy asked.

"Maybe," she hummed. "The cameras didn't catch any people or vehicles going through the bridge at the time, but that doesn't guarantee anything."

"Right," Fluttershy sighed, staring at the ground.

"Still," Derpy smirked. "It's a start."

As she said that, she jumped to her feet and slipped on a thick gray jacket.

"Let's head out," she said, smirk growing more daring as she looked at her nervous friend.

"Right," she nodded, a relived smile forming on her lips. "Let's do this."

***

A cold tranquility dominated the melancholic scene that was Canter Bridge's main civilian platform. Frosted sheet metal and lightly rusted girders greeted all who came to visit the titanic structure, many not bothering to take notice of the bridge's aesthetics as they went about their business. To most, the bridge was nothing beyond a means to cross the stream it stretched across. For others, it was a means to a much less temporary end as they used it to cross a river many try to avoid for as long as possible. Two teenage girls stood at the heart of the bridge, both very familiar with the its sorted history in one way or another.

Derpy let out a sigh as she gave the platform a slow once-over. While everything looked different in the late afternoon light, it didn't change her impressions of the scene. She could still remember that horrible night. The growing dread as she watched the girl she would later call her dragon march towards her own noose. The heartbreaking tears that stained her jacket as she held Sunset close on this very same platform. The weight on her arm as she desperately struggled to pull the girl back over the guardrail to safety. Yes, this bridge left a mark on the girl in ways no one her age should experience. A burden both her and Sunset shared along with the burning love that came into being not long after.

A faint trembling out the corner of her eye dragged the gray teen out of her musings as she turned towards its source. Fluttershy scanned her surroundings with a fierce intensity, eyes wide and fingers curled like claws as her head quickly shifted from side to side. She reminded her of a cat in the den of a much stronger predator, constantly on edge and ready to strike the second she found an opening.

"Are you okay Fluttershy?" Derpy asked.

"No," she whispered, eyes still scanning her surroundings. "There's something about this place that doesn't feel right."

"Like what?" she asked, tone just as hushed as she continued her cursory investigation.

"I don't know," she scowled. "But whatever it is, my magic doesn't like it."

As she said that, her eyes briefly flashed red as her magic raged against her control.The sight put Derpy on edge as she continued her investigation. While it was brief, she saw first hand what her new friend's magic was capable of. The fury she saw in the corners of those red eyes still sent a chill down her spine whenever she thought about it.

I should probably ask her how her magic works later, she thought with a gulp as she paced the perimeter of the platform for clues.

She got as close to the guardrail as she dared, but stopped a foot away when her foot hit something laying on the ground. Curious, she looked down and was greeted by the sight of a small rectangular box. She raised a brow as she picked it up and opened it. Inside was a small cluster of slightly water damaged cigarettes. She grimaced as she closed the box and threw it over her shoulder into the middle of the platform.

"Nasty things," she grumbled as she resumed her search.

A soft gasp caught her attention as she turned back towards its source. Her eyes widened as saw Fluttershy with a cigarette in her mouth.

"You smoke?!" she asked flabbergasted.

"No," she deadpanned as she pulled the offending object out of her mouth.

Before Derpy could argue, Fluttershy peeled what should've been the first layer of paper off of the cancer stick to reveal a thin green cylinder. While Derpy's knowledge of such things were limited, she knew that cigarettes didn't look like that under the paper.

"There candy," Fluttershy sighed, staring listlessly at the small box in her hand. "Pinkie liked this brand."

"I never pegged her for a candy cigarettes kind of girl," Derpy said, cocking her head to the side and raising a brow.

"She isn't really," Fluttershy frowned, still staring at the box of candy. "Back in junior high, she threw a party for one of her friends. Someone talked her into giving smoking a try and she was hooked for a year. She told me Maud helped her quit before it could do any lasting damage to her. These are her way of keeping the urges under control."

As she said that, she gestured to the fake cigarettes in her hand before she put the box in her pocket.

At the same time, Derpy took note of where she found the candy and frowned. Considering how close the box was to the guardrail, the story of what happened to Pinkie didn't look very optimistic.

I need to broaden my search sources, she thought, stepping back from the rails.

A chill shot down her back as she heard a light chuckling behind her. Slowly, she turned around to face the source, her dread growing with every second. What she saw scared her to her core. Instead of the sheet metal and rust of the bridge, she was greeted by the sight of pitch-black sky and an open field covered with ash-gray flowers. At the center of the field about fifteen feet away from her stood an obsidian throne with black ivy coiled around it from top to bottom. Sat on the throne was a light-gray woman dressed in an elegant black ball gown. Her long black hair trailed past her neckline to her navel like thick wavy streams of ink as she leveled a pair of cold golden eyes with black sclera. The look in those eyes turned the blood in Derpy's veins into ice as pure fear filled her gut. It was like looking into the eyes of a feral animal as it moved in for the kill. The woman barely moved as she starred at the trembling girl, a manic grin slowly growing on her face. Derpy let out a strangled gasp as she saw pointed teeth peek past the woman's grinning lips.

She needed to run! She had to get away!

She tried to force her legs to move, but her fear trapped them in place like a vice. She could only let out a terrified squeak as the woman pointed her hand out towards her. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks as she saw small holes about the size of baseballs split open across the woman's outstretched arm, revealing dozens of lamprey like mouths with needle-like teeth covering the limb. The woman let out a manic cackle as her arm stretched towards her like a twisted demonic vine, her fear keeping her trapped in place as it closed in on her. Panicked tears rolled down her cheeks as the limb's hand slowly closed in on her face, a mouth with rows of jagged teeth forming in its palm.

"Food," the woman moaned, her manic grin growing more twisted. "FOOD!!!"

With that final manic cry, the limb lunged towards her. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the sting of fangs. Instead, she heard the clang of something hitting metal and felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she opened her eyes and was greeted by a sight that filled her with both shock and wonder. She saw herself, only instead of being dressed in a thick gray jacket and dark blue snow pants this version of her was wearing light golden armor without a helmet with a massive seven foot tall rectangular tower shield strapped to her arm. Her double held Derpy back with a hand to the shoulder while she used her shield to hold back the monstrous woman's hand.

"No. You will not have this one," the double frowned, her eyes narrowed as she easily held back the demonic limb.

"Wh-Who are you?" she asked, her fear fading away in the presence of her armored double.

The double smiled gently and said, "I have many names, but to my siblings and your lover I go by Kindness."

Derpy smiled, her fear gone in the presence of the armored girl as her shield held back the monster's advance. A furious demonic screech could be heard from behind the shield as something on the other side slammed into it. Kindness glared through the shield as her hand on Derpy's shoulder tightened.

"You must leave this place," she frowned. "It isn't safe for you or your friends."

"How can I-?"

Before she could finish her question, Kindness shoved her back and with a literal blink she found herself standing on the bridge. Deep gasps fell past her lips as her head spun around, fear and relief whirling through her heart as she took in her more familiar surroundings.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Derpy flinched, then carefully hid her fear as best she could as she said, "Yeah, just a lot of bad memories about this place. Let's head back for now. I think I might've missed something in the camera feeds."

"Okay," Fluttershy nodded, though Derpy could tell there was a bit of doubt in her smile.

With that, the two girls made their way off of the bridge. As they walked, Derpy let out a shaky breath as she gave the structure behind her one last glance. A cold chill shot down her spine as for the briefest of seconds, she could've sworn she saw a figure in black standing behind the guardrails on the bridge's main platform. She tore her gaze away from the bridge and continued to walk, sweat-soaked trembling hands hidden in her jacket pockets.

Happy Halloween/Nightmare Night everypony.

Pinkie frowned as she wandered through her castle home, boredom threatening to tear her in half as she battled against her greatest enemy; solitude. Granted, it wasn't as if the girl didn't like having a little time to herself, she was a teenager after all. However, there was a big difference between taking some time to decompress in private and being essentially exiled from society. This was especially painful for a social butterfly like Pinkie. Tattle made her situation a little more bearable, but now that he was gone the Terran-turned-pony was struggling to find a way to deal with herself.

"I wish I could do something fun around here," she grumbled as she walked out of a gap into the castle's library. "Being a hermit is so boring!"

She huffed as she tromped through the library, eyes drifting uninterestingly across the hundreds of ancient tomes as she passed. It really surprised her just how much of her free time relied on technology. While she didn't mind books, she would rather watch a movie than read the book the movie was based off of. As a result, Pinkie had to reteach herself how to appreciate the literary works at her disposal. That, or slowly bang her head against a wall as her boredom ate at her sanity. Again.

She let out a dejected sigh as she scanned through the rows of books at her disposal.

"Basics of Unicorn Spell Craft, fourth edition? Nope. Magical Herbs and Fungi? Nuh uh. Legends of the Everfree Forest? Mmmm...maybe? Necronomicon Ex Equis? Maybe later. To Love Your Princess Vol.1?"

She stopped dead in the face of that last title as her mind tried to guess what kind of book that was. Not able to fight against her curiosity, she reached out and pulled the book off of its shelf. Brow raised, she opened the book to a random page and started reading. Her expression slowly shifted from curious to red-faced mortified before she slammed the book shut and shoved it back where she found it.

"I never knew a pony could bend that way," she muttered, face still red as she stiffly trotted away from the piece of literary debauchery.

After a few minutes of wandering through the library she finally found a book that could hold her interest for the moment.

Gap Magic Theory.

"Bingo!" she grinned as she pulled the book out of its shelf.

A wide grin spread across her muzzle as she opened the book as she skimmed through the first couple pages. Most of it was things she already knew thanks to first hand experience, but every now and again she'd find something that made her raise a brow. One such thing was the theory that if an object was dropped through two vertical gaps, it would eventually gain enough speed to blast through a stone wall. Curious, she found a rock about the size of a baseball on the ground then summoned two gaps, one on the ceiling and another on the floor beneath it. Once she connected them, she tossed the stone into the bottom gap. At first, nothing really impressive happened as the stone continuously fell out of the ceiling gap into the one on the floor, but that didn't last too long. Soon, the stone started to fall faster and faster until a straight line of light connected the two portals. Pinkie panted as the strain of maintaining the two gaps started to take its toll on her and with a strained gasp she closed the one on the floor.

The end result was a loud bang as bits of rock and mortar flew throughout the library, nocking the poor Earth Pony clear off her hooves. She groaned as she fought against the ringing in her ears and the nausea it summoned as she struggled to regain her equilibrium.

Okay. Let's not do that again!

She groaned as she dragged herself to her haunches as she waited for her vision to clear. When it did, her jaw hit the ground when she saw the end result of her little experiment. A ten foot wide, two foot deep crater occupied the spot the rock slammed into. After she picked up her jaw, she looked around and leveled a cocky half-lidded smirk at the book she was reading.

"Proof positive!" she exclaimed, pointing at the book just before another wave of nausea made her groan.

She rubbed the sides of her head as she waited for the world to stop showing her what it was like to be drunk and hungover at the same time. Once she managed that, she returned to the shelf she had investigated previously to find a less risky tome. She did take note of where she left Gap Magic Theory for when Tattle came back though. She briefly considered trying to read the "love" novel, but decided Herbs and Fungi would've been a much more useful read to kill time with.

While not as common as in other times of the year, Pinkie knew there were a few useful herbs that grew in the snow. Countless camping trips with Limestone and Maud hammered such things into her purely to keep her from eating something dangerous while they were out in the wilderness. A quick check of the book's index told her where the needed chapter was as she skimmed through the pages. Once she got to the winter section, she quietly searched for any information she didn't already have. Her brows rose as she saw just how many alien winter plants grew in Equestria. In addition to all of the plants, trees, and fungi she was familiar with, she saw several dozen others that were complete mysteries to her. Intrigued, she took a look at what these new plants could do and was not disappointed. One plant was a flower that could be used to treat hypothermia or added to soups or teas as an energy booster for ponies recovering from other types of drops in body heat. There was a mushroom that could be used to treat muscle weakness and dizziness if eaten raw. There was even a tree exclusive to the Everfree Forest whose bark and needles could be brewed into a tea that could be used to treat severe anxiety.

Pinkie hummed in thought, hoof resting on her chin as she looked over the pages like a dinner menu. She gave the crater she caused earlier a glance and shrugged as she shifted her attention back to her book. With a resolute nod, she reached into a gap, pulled out her jacket, threw it on, and snapped the herb guide shut.

Maybe this won't blow the castle up, she thought with a grin as she walked towards the library door, book tucked into one of her inner coat pockets.

***

Zecora hummed happily as she sat in her hut, wooden mug held firmly in her hoof as she relaxed in her hammock. While an often unpredictable place to live, the Everfree Forest was relatively safe in the winter months. With most of the major predators either hibernating or having long sense migrated to warmer regions, the most the Zebra Shaman had to deal with were the occasional snow fox or Timberwolf that wandered into her territory. Threats that became little more than nuisances thanks to her potions, traps, and spear. As a result, most creatures knew to keep their distance from the tribally decorated hollow tree the Zebra inhabited.

"May miracles never cease, as I enjoy this time of peace," she smiled, taking a sip of her tea.

She sighed happily as she stared out her window onto the snow-covered mid-afternoon ground and trees of her forest neighborhood. The tranquility of winter was something she never got tired of seeing, usually because the chaos of the nearby town and the forest's wild nature seldom seemed to feel the need to compete with each other this time of year. Even ponies seldom came by to explore the forest at this time. While she was more than willing to entertain her equine neighbors, she did appreciate the solitude her home provided. It was for that reason that she blinked in surprise when she saw a pony dressed in a hooded red coat walk pass her window. Curious, she set her cup down on a table by her hammock and leaned closer towards the window.

From her perspective, the pony looked like the were looking for something in the snow. Occasionally, they would sit down and pull a book out of their coat to open for a few minutes before putting it away and resuming their quest. Zecora watched the pony repeat this process a few more times, all the while wondering who this pony was and why they were wandering through the forest.

She rolled out of the comfort of her hammock and made her way towards the door to investigate. After taking a moment to slip into her winter cloak, she stepped out into the frigid air and towards the foraging pony. Said pony seemed to be lost in their own world as they moved around the trees, not once looking away from the giant oaks or the snow-covered ground beneath them. While the pony's hooded coat did a good job hiding their identity, it didn't hide everything from the Zebra's keen eyes. While the bit of mane and tail was styled differently, there were only so many ponies in the area that had that much pink on them.

"Unless my eyes do deceive," she smirked as the pony turned their back to her. "Is it not Pinkie that I perceive?"

The pony flinched, then slowly turned to face her. Sure enough, Zecora found herself staring into the bright blue eyes of Pinkie Pie. Only, something didn't seem quite right. Instead of the bright bubbly mare she was used to seeing, this pony looked like a rabbit that was just cornered by a Timberwolf.

"Uh, w-w-who wants to know?" she asked, eyes quickly alternating between looking at the Zebra and her surroundings.

Zecora raised a brow at that as she stated, "Offense I did not intend, for you look just like my friend."

Pinkie blinked at that, then visibly relaxed as a soft smile graced her muzzle.

"No problem. Things like that happen all the time."

"Be that as it may," she continued, a warm smile worming its way onto her muzzle. "What brings you out here today?"

"Oh! Just looking for herbs," Pinkie smiled sheepishly.

"A fledgling medic I see," the Zebra nodded. "Perhaps some help I can be."

"Would you?" Pinkie sighed. "Cuz I could really use some help with this."

Zecora chuckled at that.

"Certainly my wayward drifter, but perhaps in space less touched by winter."

As she said that, she nudged her head towards her home. Pinkie gave the tribally decorated tree an appreciative once over before nodding. Both mares happy for the company, but simultaneously preparing their own means of protection as a precaution. While their reasons differed, both knew it never hurt to be prepared.

***

The two mares laughed, steaming wooden cups of tea set before them on a hoof-carved circular table. For the past couple hours, the two mares traded stories and mirth. Granted, Pinkie had to make some creative adjustments to her stories, but it was more a minor inconvenience than anything else. What made the conversation more interesting for the Terran was her companion's manner of speech. Even some of the best rappers couldn't weave a rhyme as casually as the Zebra mare she was talking to. It just seemed to come so naturally to her that Pinkie had to wonder if she was even aware she was doing it half the time.

"Do all Zebras talk in rhyme?" Pinkie asked.

Zecora chuckled at that and said, "You are not the first to ask me that, for my tribe this is old hat. A shaman's tongue is known to twist, to trick foul forces from the mist."

"So, only shamans talk in rhyme?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.

Zecora nodded, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Turn of phrase holds great mystic powers, both in common and drastic hours. Make no common false notions, as this also extends to mixing potions."

"Really?" Pinkie asked, brows raised.

Zecora nodded.

"Herbs hold their own power and love, and intent filled chants give the effects a little shove. What would normally give a small peak of energy, while a few well versed chants could give the vitality of a tree. Though this technique is quite advanced, the remedies are generally worth it when enhanced."

"And I bet the rhyming becomes a bit of a habit after a while," Pinkie added with a sly smile.

Zecora shrugged as she said, "I cannot deny that it is a tic, one that most find quite hard to quit."

Pinkie thought for a moment, then asked, "Could you teach me? The potion making, not the rhyming."

Zecora blinked at that, then asked, "I see no true reason not to, but are you sure that's what you want to do?"

Pinkie nodded.

"I, um, can't really go into town for very long. Going to the hospital would make things pretty complicated, so knowing how to make medicine would be a huge help."

"Complicated you say," she frowned, briefly glancing at her spear where it stood propped up by the front door. "In what way?"

Pinkie frowned into her tea cup.

"I...I'm not really welcome around here. Just going into town to get supplies is a huge risk, so going to a hospital is not the best idea in the world."

Zecora saw the pony's hooves tremble as she stared into her cup and an understanding smile spread across her muzzle. Pinkie flinched when she felt a hoof rest gently on her own. She locked eyes with her host and sported an appreciative smile.

"An outcast's burden I understand well, but is not something that should be worn like a shell. I will teach you the basics of my craft, but don't place your faith in the world in a shaft. There are many ponies that will lend you aid, some even if they are not paid."

Pinkie nodded, but her smile trembled a bit as fear entered her heart. For the most part, she knew that she had little to fear. She knew that most of the people here didn't know what she did, but she knew that the ones that did held a tremendous amount of power both socially and literally. She still remembered the massive amount of power she sensed coming off of the white Alicorn she saw so many days ago. The thought of having such a being level their ire at her scared her to her core in ways she never knew was possible. Yes, she knew that there were good people out there, but all it would take is one word from a Princess to make her life a lot more difficult.

"Yeah...I-I'll think about it."

***

Pinkie sighed as she stumbled out of a gap into her bedroom, dozens of bottles rattling in her coat pockets as she slumped through the dark into her bed. Her head was spinning as she rolled onto her back and reached into her coat.

Didn't think I was going to need this one so soon, she thought as she pulled out a purple vial with a cork in its stopper.

After a few failed attempts, she managed to grip and pluck out the cork and swallowed a small mouthful of the potion inside. As she popped the cork back into the bottle, her thoughts started to clear as the potion started to take effect. While she thought she did a pretty good job keeping up with Zecora's lesson, it was still a little hard to follow at times thanks to her unique speech pattern. Luckily, her time in the kitchen made her fairly competent when it came to measuring and preparing ingredients, but that only helped so much when said ingredients were so alien to her.

"At least I only blew things up twice," she chuckled. "Still, it was nice getting to talk to someone."

A twinge of regret settled into her heart as she remembered what she said before returning to the castle. While it was easy enough to write off her appearance as an uncanny resemblance, she couldn't play that card when it came to her name. As a result, she nearly had a panic attack when the Zebra shaman asked her what her name was. Thinking fast, she offered an alias that, in hind sight, she was shocked actually worked.

"Red Hood? Seriously?!" she groaned, placing a hoof over her face. "That was the best I could come up with?"

She sighed as she rolled onto her side and stared blankly through the dark at a wall.

"I'm gonna need to tell her the truth at some point," she sighed. "It's only fair, right?"

The silence of the room was heavy as she waited for sleep to take her away for the night. It never really hit her how alone she was in the castle. She whimpered as she pulled in on herself. She missed having Tattle in her head. She missed having her friends on speed dial. She missed having her family in arms reach. If she could, she'd go back in time and give herself a firm kick in the butt for everything she took for granted at that point. For a time, she wondered if this was what Sunset had to deal with after they cut her from the group. That thought lit a fire in her heart as she stared out into the darkness of her room. Her eyes narrowed as the flame burned away her grief and replaced it with a determination that rivaled the one she had when she confronted her Equestrian counterpart.

I'm going to make this up to you Sunset. No matter what it takes.

Sleep started to claim her as that simple yet powerful thought echoed through her head.