Far From Home

by Space Jazz

Chapters

• The Mysterious Book
• Hi, Applejack
• Old Friends?
• Tara and the Timid Pony
• A Split In the Seam
• The Trouble with Twilight
• Great Minds Think Alike
• InhuMANEity
• Auntie Melody's Sideshow
• Home
• A Clean and Prosperous Tomorrow
• Subspace and Magic Do-Hickeys
• Missing
• In Which the Punchline is This Website

The Mysterious Book

The purple haired librarian stacked books onto the shelves of the library. The human donned a simple purple blouse and a pair of slim blue pants. She closed the library to the public, as usual to her daily schedule for the night. Nine thirty, the perfect time to tidy up the library.  Channeling her magic the same purple aura she has grown used to since the days at Princess Celeste's School for Magically Gifted Children in her hometown.

"Tara, can I ask you something?" A voice came from the hallway; a boy maybe around age six with messy green hair, white T-shirt, a bright purple pair of pajama pants, and a sleepy look on his eyes.

"You already did," she replied. Sam debated whether or not to ask the question. Panicked by the small amount of time he had, Samuel just blurted out the first question that came to his mind.

"Why do you work so late?" He asked while rubbing his eyes forgetting his original question.

"I blew it," he thought, sighing on his failure to prove his point.

"Just get in bed, and I'll talk to you later." Tara replied impatiently. The boy whistled innocently, slowly walking away from his working sister. He slid his hand along the wooden surface of the nearby counter top. Sam stumbled as he walked and accidentally knocked over a small cart stacked high with books.

"Samuel! What did you do?" Tara yelled as she noticed the books falling on the floor.

"I'm sorry! I'll get it," he apologized as he reached out to correct his mistake. Unfortunately, his hands sparked with the bright green flame. The fire magic engulfed the book and now caught the full undivided attention of his older sister.

"What did you do!?" She asked in an angry tone.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to! it just happened." Sam yelled; his eyes beginning to tear up.

"Just go upstairs, and I'll take care of the rest," she said in a much calmer tone. Her attitude steadily calming down.

"I'm sorry," he re-apologized, hanging his head in both shame and sadness.

"Enough," she continued. Pointing her finger towards the bedroom, Tara sent out her brothers its an almost cold and unamused look.

The boy, not wanting to leave his older sister's sight, stalled as he walked, but he reluctantly walked up the stairs, knowing it was useless to argue with her. She was stubborn and did anything she could to prove her point. When agitated, she grew more stubborn, so it was a viscious cycle while arguing with her.

        Tara slowly ambled over to the singed book and scooped the ashes in the nearby dust pan. Proceeding to pick up the books that were left discarded on the ground, Tara finished the rest of her work. While cleaning up the charred remains of what Tara had regretfully found out was her favorite collection of poems and limericks, she spotted a strange tome hidden underneath the charcoal-black dust.

"Huh, what's this?" She asked, looking over the main contents of the book.

"The Multidimensional Theory." Tara read aloud and inspected every single detail that had adorned the eye-sore that was the book; it book was brown, leather bound, and looked slightly withered. The only thing not letting her open it was a golden lock. She didn't let that discourage her though as she placed her hand on the lock and looked closer. The book reacted instantaneously and set out a spark. The lock simply popped off as if it had wanted her to open it.

"No author, even stranger." Tara said, completely undaunted by the sparks; she flipped open the book, but no pages were filled out, leaving a sea of white and blue lines. "Maybe it's a work in progress," she thought while placing it in her bag and heading to her room. The book had a curious aspect to it stirring up some questions in her mind. She dismissed the book thinking there was an explicit reason behind the book.

She was a woman of reason and often found it ironic that she could control magic, but it was proven fact that some humans, if given the right exposure and items, can conduct what everybody unanimously called magic. All it took was a correct gene and the gumption to control magic.

A variation of the gene also existed causing some people to float and fly in the air. People with that gene can also walk onto the clouds. Of course the majority of people were stuck with nothing but superior strength to keep them equal with others.

There was also a rare genetic code that was feared by some. Those that had it were simply referred to it as "dragons." It was another form of magic that was often found involuntarily; fire would come out from their mouths and burn nearly anything in sight. Tara's brother was one of those rare ponies, but she didn't care because of her bond with her brother. She both loved and pitied her brother, glad he had magic and somewhat sad to see he's more of an outcast than her.

Tara almost envied people who can fly like two of her friends, but she wouldn't trade her magic for anything else in the world.  since it got her where she was today. Her parents sent her to a magic academy when they noticed her magic increased at a rapid pace. The Princess herself took interest with Tara and her abundance of magic.

A child prodigy was what some had called her. Others, jealous of her skill, called her a "know-it-all" or an "egghead". The Princess sent her to study magic and other skills in a far off town. Tara recalled the past years of events, including the rampage of the spirit of chaos and the return of the moon princess. Tara continued to remember the events from the past year and was interrupted from her thought by her name being called out.

"Tara?" a frail voice came from Samuel's room. She noticed a slight, unnoticeable quiver in his voice. Tara walked over quickly to her brothers room and entered the room.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I kinda got caught up in the moment." Tara explained with an embarrassed smile.

"It's okay," he answered.

Tara finally got a chance to see what happened to her brother; his eyes had become red and slightly puffed. A slight trickle of mucus. A side-effect of crying, she thought. Instantly, she felt guilty of her actions earlier. She brought her soft hand up to his tear-stained face, stroking his cheek softly.

       "I'm sorry." Tara apologized again," I might have over reacted. It's my fault, not yours." Tara looked at him, expecting him to nod. He did nod, but it took a few seconds as he realized she was no longer angry.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Sam said, his confidence slightly raised. Sam began playing with the pillow he held in his lap. Expecting another lecture, he simply closed his eyes shut.

"Okay shoot," she answered. She joined her brother on the bed; she sat cross-legged, holding her younger brother in her lap. There was a short span of time where they sat silently, and both simply enjoyed the moment: Tara stroked the boy's hair while humming a soothing rhythm. Samuel took a deep breath before speaking up.

"Why did you beg mom and dad to take me with you?" Sam quickly asked, his older sister reacted with a confused look.

"You were there, huh?" Tara asked with a caring smile. She moved closer to on the bed beside him. This time, she came closer to her now sniveling sibling.  She embraced him in a tight hug and refused to let go until she got her point through.

"I just couldn't stand leaving my little brother behind." Tara said, squeezing him tighter. Sam let out a quick yelp in surprise as his air was forced out of his lungs,

"Okay you can let go now...choking...can't...breathe" he wheezed quietly.

"Oops, sorry," she said sheepishly while releasing her hold. "I guess it's time to turn in anyway," she said and placed a light kiss on her younger brothers forehead.

"Goodnight," they both said in unison. Tara walked back into her bedroom and wasted no time to to fall asleep on the bed.

                                                                                        --

The strange tome began to shimmer in light glowing all sorts of colors cyan, pink, yellow, white, orange and then it's color stopped at a shade of lavender. The book began to write in itself magically creating strange symbols on the back and inside covers. The aura around it glowed a deep purple much like Tara's own magic.

The book started to write in its pages. Sentences quickly morphed into a full pages; then, as quietly as it started, it inserted itself back into the bag.

                                                                                        --

Tara woke up a lot earlier than usual due to Celeste's sun and the open blinds. She remembered the events of the previous night where Sam asked her a personal question between the two of them. She rolled off the bed apathetically and met the ground with a soft thud. Standing up to compose herself, she looked over to her mirror. Her tired, freshly awoken eyes stared into the mirror and looked up at her tangled, unkempt mess of hair.

"Ugh, who is that disgusting creature?" Tara joked while brushed her dark purple hair back into her usual hairstyle. She quickly got her self dressed into her regular attire, grabbed her checklist of today's events, quickly studied her goals she set to accomplish before the day ends. "Help Jackie at Sweet Apple Acres, help Fiona with the animals, deliver scraps of cloth to Ramona." Tara rolled up the scroll and placed it into her bag, fully prepped for her day's schedule.

Tara walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She noticed that her little brother wasn't awake and took this as a perfect chance to cook Sam a quality breakfast that she knew he would enjoy. She opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice, some eggs, a box of both pancake and waffle mix. Food preparation was most-likely not one of her strong suits; but with her extensive collection of books, she managed to cook quite a decent breakfast.

      Tara was absolutely proud that she had only slightly burned the toast.

Sam woke up to the smell of food being cooked and was surprised that Tara was awake earlier than him. He rushed downstairs and wondered if Tara had burnt the breakfast, hoping to intercept the cooking process before it was too late. The smell of banana pancakes wafting through the air was surprisingly pleasant and was one of the only reasons he ran down the stairs. Tara knew what exactly how to make him happy.

"Oh, good morning, sleepyhead!" Tara beamed in a sing-song tone as she played with the pancake on the pan.

"Hey, Tara, what are you doing up early?" he asked when he eyed the food.

"I decided to give my baby brother who I oh so love a good breakfast" she said with a wide grin

"Is there something you want from me?" Sam asked with a skeptical look. Tara only giggled and motioned towards the banquet.

"Nope, no catch, just eat!" she said right after she stuffed a piece of toast into Sam's mouth with her magic, he wasted no time he piled up the large amount food on his plate.

On the back of her mind, she remembered the book from yesterday.

"I'm going upstairs for a bit," announced Tara as she walked up the stairs and rushed to investigate the book further. Tara quickly dug into her bag and reached for the book. And strange enough, she felt the same surge of energy that was almost exactly like her magic. She flipped over book  to where the source of the light and discovered a strange symbol on the back.

It was a purple six pointed star with white sparkles surrounding it.

That's strange. It wasn't there yesterday. Tara thought, as she opened the book and saw five other symbols each seem to have meaning behind it:

A cloud with a lightning bolt with three different colors: red, yellow and blue.

Three sky blue diamonds arranged so that the largest gem was in display at the center.

Three balloons: two light blue, one yellow with the yellow in the middle. The strings, opposite colors to the balloon.

Three red apples.

And lastly, a group of butterflies, colored pink and blue.

"Why do these seem so... familiar?" she asked herself. Tara turned to the next page eyeing every word it told her; the hand writing was familiar to her as well.

There is an infinite amount of universes  for every single choice made in the history of the universe.

Whether being born male or female, choosing yes or no, outcomes of wars. Some worlds have perished; some have technology far beyond those of our world, and others may as well have discovered the secrets of the universe.

The question is... what were to happen if a alternate universe interacts with another? Mass destruction? Or will both universes disappear without a trace once two of the same beings are in the same place at the same time? The page cut off, unfinished and gave Tara many new questions. She glanced over to the wall clock and realized she was late to help her friend, Jackie harvest some apples.

"Sam, I'll be back in an hour, take care of the library for me please," she bargained as she ran past Sam. His food fell off of his plate, much to his dismay. He gave her an annoyed look as he knew she was lying. Tara never came back when she said she would.

"Got it" he said as he reached for a mop to clean up the spilled food. Tara rushed out the door heading towards sweet apple acres.

--

  Tara made it to Sweet Apple Acres without any problem or obstacles. She stopped at the front gate, catching her breath and composing herself. The studious girl made sure not to look tired in front of her friend.

Jacqueline Anne Appell, one of Tara's best friends. She was blonde and had eyes that were a bright shade of green. She was dressed in a simple orange flannel shirt, tight jeans, cowboy boots, and her signature Stetson hat,

"Oh! Hiya there, Tara!" Jacqueline shouted from the roof of the barn. A bark was heard and Jacqueline's dog, Winona, bounded down the dirt road eager to see her owner's friend.

"Oh hi there, Winona so nice to see you!" Tara said. The dog's head cocked and practically begged to be pet. While Tara was busy catching up with Winona, Jacqueline climbed down from the barn to greet her friend.

"So lets get started!" Jackie suggested after she grabbed a basket and headed for the orchard. Tara pulled quickly summoned her magic to pick apples more efficiently.  

"Come on, Tara, it's no fun when you use your magic to do it!" Jackie complained, louder than Tara would have appreciated. Tara rolled her eyes as she ignored the apple-picker's attempt to stop her from picking apples with magic. Apples swiftly feel from its branches, succumbing without a fight to Tara's magic.

"Hold on there, Sugarcube. Wait 'till I get more baskets!" Jackie shouted rushing to get more baskets.

"Ah' got you covered, Applejack!" a younger and more high pitched voice shouted and passed. A girl around the same age as Sam, maybe a year older, with cherry red hair and bow that matched. She wore a simple pair of overalls to accent her southern style. And with her high amounts of energy, she ran over to join her older sister.

"Ya' know I don't like it when you call me that, Brianna!" Jackie protested her nickname.

'' 'Applejack?' " Tara giggled at the silly sounding name and slowed her pace slightly to help her friend. "Why does she call you that?" Tara asked trying to stifle a laugh.

"She started calling me that ever since she could speak," Jackie explained, "they were her first words, an' Mac found real it funny that she called me that, so I guess the name stuck."

"Eeyup, and Mac calls her that too!" the red haired girl added. Tara let loose another amused giggle, to the annoyance of Jackie.

"Let's just get workin' on the harvest" she said as an excuse to change the subject.  Tara continued to pick apples faster than AJ and Brianna could fill baskets.

"Come on, Bri', lets go and get more baskets." Jacqueline suggested and grabbed her younger sisters hand.

        "You go and do that, Applejack." Tara teased putting emphasis on the nickname.

The book shined brighter, naturally catching Tara's keen eye. Tara pulled out the strange book, and it  glowed brighter than before... almost as if it reacted specifically to her magic. Tara noticed this and put more stress on her magic, checking if her speculation was correct. The book grew brighter with the more magic she used until the book emanated a blinding white light. The book began to float ominously without the aid of Tara's magic.

As if some force compelled her to reach out and touch it, she eventually gave in to the force and grabbed the book. A burst of energy blew and left Tara to see nothing but a bright light. All of the apples that floated by magic fell to the ground and left no trace of the person that had once controlled them.

         Jacqueline and Bri' left the barn to see no trace of Tara.

Hi, Applejack

        "Thanks for helpin' out at the farm, Twi'." Applejack said, appreciating the assistance for the harvest. Twilight nodded earnestly before taking a deep breath. The Apples always rewarded people that helped them, and Apple Bloom had brought Twilight a few apple fritters, snacks, and a mug of apple cider, which she received thankfully.

"No problem, Applejack. I'm just glad I could help." Twilight said, getting ready to leave. "I'm going to check up on Spike," she strapped her saddlebags to her side and bid her friends goodbye.

"Bye, Twilight!" Applebloom cheerily shouted and sent Twilight a wave goodbye with her hoof. She lost her balance and tipped over,and caused Applejack to laugh heartily.

"Bye Applebloom, bye Annie." Twilight teased about Applejack's "middle name," and it had caused the orange pony to groan in displeasure.

        Twilight walked back home still she had a weird feeling about the book. It had just disappeared randomly with a slight spark of magic, and she was sure she hadn't seen the last of that book. "Strange that our cutie marks just appeared on the book like nothing." Twilight said to herself. She had found herself past the simple dirt roads of the orchard and headed back to Ponyville's town square.                            

                                                                                    --

Tara's eyes shot open and she rubbed her sore head from the pain. She soon realized that she was back in Sweet Apple Acres only something felt... different. She felt much taller than the scenery around her. The area seemed a lot more colorful than she remembered, as if everything was a shade or two brighter. Tara regained her balance and stared into the streets off in the distance; it was dark out so it left Tara in the early night sky. Wobbling slightly, she stood up on her feet and set out for her home in the library.

"Umph!" Tara groaned in pain after she hit a branch on an apple tree. "I don't remember the branches being this low." She rubbed her cheek and tried to dull the pain on the side of her face.  Tara was about to enter the empty streets near her library until she noticed many strange entities in the streets.

Horses but different; each horse had a coat of different bright, fruity colors some of them had horns or wings. The horses-- no ponies seemed as if they talked to each other and they understood each other. Tara's eyes opened in surprise and was convinced that she was seeing things. Tara placed her hand back onto the small bump on her face, rubbing it to soothe the searing pain that reappeared. Tara began to make false excuses that her eyes were playing tricks on her, but that was before she saw the sign that was right next to her.

Welcome to Ponyville. Have a nice day!

"This can't be happening. I'm just seeing things!" Tara said to herself as she rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Unfortunately, she still saw the joyful ponies that attended their business in the streets. Is it really possible... no, of course not, she thought. Tara took a deep breath and looked out of the bush, making sure she wasn't spotted.

"Hey, Bon Bon, look over there, did you see it?" A seagreen unicorn pointed to a bush near the Ponyville sign.

"What? I don't see anything, Lyra," the earth pony replied, irritated by her friend's sudden outburst.

"Right there, in the bush. It's a human." Lyra whispered this time, using it as a tactic to avoid scaring the alleged human.

Tara noticed the two ponies that spotted her and quickly ducked back in the bush just before Bonbon turned to look at the bush. She turned back to her friend with an unamused expression while Lyra smiled back weakly.

"You're just seeing things Lyra," she said annoyed. Lyra just sighed in defeat and placed her attention back to the streets of the town.

"That was too close." Tara sighed. She raised her left hand to her forehead and wiped the sweat off her brow. She couldn't stay here becaus of the risk of getting caught. Tara began to think of all the places where she could have been stuck in. The book mentioned other dimensions, and it was the thing that brought her here in the first place. Tara started to construct a list of all of the possible places she could stay at night.

"The library? No too risky. I could meet my other self, and then we'll watch the entire universe blow up while we shake hands-- hooves-- whatever." Her mind drew a blank on where to go.  Her choices were either the Everfree Forest or the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. Both places provided excellent cover. Both had someone that can find her if she wasn't careful. Tara decided it was her best bet to go to Sweet Apple Acres and hide herself with the trees.

Tara made her way through the orchard stealthily; she made sure to steer clear of the barn, the treehouse, and the farmhouse in case of anyone outside after hours. She finally managed to find a tree that she could use as both cover and a place to sleep for the night. Celeste forbid that she'd be exposed to whatever lurker around at night. Tara used her magic to test the pressure that the tree could handle and she found it to be acceptable.

She jumped in the air and reached for a branch and caught it after a second attempt. Tara then placed her foot onto the sturdy bark and used the sudden traction as a boost to lift herself up. The human girl repeated the steps untIl she found herself at the area she had previously tested to be safe and stable enough to hold her weight. Tara searched her bag for anything that could help her survive. After a brief second, she felt a soft cloth at the bottom of the handbag, and she connected it to her friend whom she was supposed to give it to.

"At least I can put this to good use." Tara reasoned before she wrapped herself with the cloth to keep herself warm. She dug through her book some more and noticed something different. She had discovered the same book  that had brought her there in the first place. She grunted and tossed it to the floor, and it hit the grass with a soft thud.

"Great i'm stuck here for Celeste knows how long," she complained, staring at the book on the floor. Tara looked deeper into her bag and noticed the things she had brought along. She found her wallet, which contained some cash that she still hoped was legal tender wherever she was, and a picture of her little brother. She remembered the day when they took that picture, and she lulled herself to sleep with the warm feelings of nostalgia.

--

           It was right about the time she was going to take her entrance exam for the most prestigious school for magicians. Her goal was to hatch a chicken out of an egg. Her mother had recently given birth to Sam and she had him placed on a small stroller. Tara was extremely nervous in front of the group of ponies that judged her action. All she had to do was hatch a chicken, but something went wrong, and she choked. Her magic was being unresponsive and uncooperative to her.

           "I'm sorry I wasted your time," she hung her head in shame and was ready to leave the room. The little girl turned her back against the egg and faced her family, hoping to go into their comforting embrace. Then there was the life altering explosion. Her magic suddenly came back and it amplified her power. Her magic discharged and hatched the chicken like she should've, lifted the judges a few feet in the air, turned her parents into plants, and she had managed to perform an aging spell that had aged her newborn baby brother into an adult twice her age. Her magic fired again and it blasted the chick again. The baby chicken grew until it had crashed through the ceiling.

--

Tara woke up on the grassy floor with a pain in her back, realizing she fell off said tree.

"It's going to be a long day," she thought while she straightened her back and stretched out her sore limbs. Tara levitated her missing items back into her bag and planned out her next move.

"I would kill for a shower and some food right now," she complained. Her thoughts were cut short as an ear piercing growl came from the confines of Tara's gut. She groaned as she placed a hand onto her stomach as a force of habit. She noticed a stray apple at the top of a tall tree close to the house, surveying the area it seemed to be the only tree with an apple hanging on it. Whoever harvested did a really good job.

"The one apple, and its that high up." Tara whipped up her magic, but she was unable to scrape up the energy to pull the apple off the tree. Tara, in a last ditch effort, decided to climb the tree manually she grabbed a branch and hid in the tree's leaves. Acquiring many cuts and bruises, Tara finally got the apple she set out for. Luck wasn't on her side today, and she felt it as well. Out of a stroke of bad luck, Tara lost her balance and went tumbling down the tree branches.

THUD

"My back" Tara groaned as she gasped for air she decided to stay put and catch her breath.

                                                                                                 --

THUD

"Big Mac did ya' hear that?" Applejack asked, she was answered with a simple shake of the head.

"I'm gonna go check it out, watch Applebloom for me," AJ instructed while she prepared to leave the farmhouse. Applejack's loyal pet, Winona ran over to Applejack's side and greeted her with a friendly bark.

"Winona come with me." she instructed as she walked into the orchard to investigate the noise.

Winona barked and then ran into the orchard after she found an all too familiar scent.

"Wait come back!" Applejack yelled in surprise, chasing after her her dog. Something didn't sit well with the earth pony, and Applejack was ready for anything that might jump from anywhere. Luckily for her, she harvested the apples the day before, so there wasn't any danger of her crops being stolen.

Tara heard barking from a distance, an all too familiar bark.

"Oh no Winona" she thought still wheezing from the fall. She struggled against the floor and fought for breath. The barking sounds came closer and closer until the sight of a dog came into view, with the owner not too far behind.

Tara held her eyes shut, afraid of what ever was after her. The agonizing pain of the fall left her with a weak breathing pattern, and she anticipated being bitten by a guard dog.

Instead she was met with a warm tongue across her face.

"Huh?" she asked as she opened her eyes. "Hi Winona, so nice to see a familiar face." Tara giggled lightly as she lifted the dog away from her .

"What in the world?" The southern accent of one of her best friends was all she heard. Her voice coming out of a pony? All Tara could do is to just lie there and stare into the eyes of a complete stranger. The equestrian creature, sounded, acted, and looked just liked her best friend Jackie. Tara had to break the silence after a brief moment of staring and confusion.

"Uhh, hi Applejack" Tara said with a small wheeze and a weak smile.

Old Friends?

"So far universe hasn't exploded yet that's a good sign." Tara thought.

"How did she know my name? At least I think it's a she." AJ thought staring right into the eyes of the stranger.

"How did you know my name?" Applejack asked, gulping in fear.

"Uhh, lucky guess." Tara shot back. Both of them stared at each other in utter disbelief, but neither of them wanted to make the first move. Applejack wanted as much answers as she could get from this... Alien.

"What and who are you, and why do you sound like Twilight?" Applejack interrogated, failing to hide her fear and confusion. Winona had finally stopped licking Tara's face and looked up at her owner for a sign of approval. Winona then turned back towards Tara and continued licking the human.

"Okay Winona, stop it it tickles." Tara said in between laughing fits.

"Answer my question... Please." Applejack demanded, the fear in her voice more apparent.

"Please don't hurt me, I mean no harm." Tara explained, still struggling to breathe. Tara glanced at Applejack's flank and saw one of the symbols that appeared in the book.

         The trio of apples.

         Tara was more than sure the book came from here, or at least they knew something about it. Tara felt the need to investigate the strange book and find its purpose. And at the same time she had to worry about the pony that threatened her, but if she played her cards right, she wouldn't be a threat.

"Stay back," the earth-pony warned. Tara couldn't help but laugh at the attempt to be threatening.

"What are you going to do, sick Winona on me?" Tara couldn't help but laugh as the dog began to receive a pet on the head.

Tara proceeded to grab the bag, and explain everything to the mare that interrogated her. Tara finally composed herself, standing back up to her full height. Tara was at least a foot and a half taller compared to Applejack. And at the sight of the creature, Applejack recoiled.

"I know this will sound really odd, but you have to believe me." Tara begged, hoping she could provide a decent explanation for her current situation.

"As far as ah' know, you're trespassing on private property." The apple merchant said coldly. Tara's eyes opened in surprise because of the sudden harshness.

"Look, this book here it brought me here showed me these symbols." Tara opened the book, showing AJ the pages filled with her friend's cutie marks. A surge of recognition splashed through her face as she started to trust her with the reveal of the evidence. Applejack recalled the memory of the other day.

"I saw Twilight messing with a book like that." AJ told Tara.

"Twilight?" Tara asked, looking to her pony "friend" for answers.

"Twilight Sparkle. Lavender unicorn, lives in library, from Canterlot, Trained by Princess Celestia?" AJ described Tara's other self. Tara then was debating whether or not to drop the bomb to AJ about her being Twilight.

"What's your name and what are you" AJ asked wondering about her.

"My name is Tara, and I'm a human." Tara said introducing herself awkwardly.

"A... human?" AJ asked with surprise, "they're not real. Ah' mean no offence, but it was just a foal's tale." AJ stared longer at Tara, remembering all the stories she heard from Granny Smith.

"So are talking ponies" Tara snapped back. Her quick wit reminding Applejack of Twilight.

"Come on we need to see Twilight." AJ pushed Tara with her head while Tara resisted against her.

"Nonononono, we can't do that just yet" Tara protested, planting her feet firmly on the ground.

"Why not?" AJ asked. Tara decided to explain the main jist of her situation.

"Because I can't meet my other self!" Tara blurted out without thinking.

"What did ya' just say" AJ said dumbfounded. Nearly confused on the plight of Tara.

"I never said that!" Tara retracted.

"For a second I thought you said that you were Twilight." Applejack said, laughing nervously.

"Yes and no. In a way I am Twilight Sparkle, but from somewhere else."

"I still don't get it." AJ said confused. Tara flipped the book to the informational part of the book she read before.

"Universes could explode if two of said beings meet" Applejack stared more fearful at Tara. The thought of the destruction of the universe caused her to step back a little farther.

"My name is Tara Sparkle." Tara repeated pulling out her I.D out of her wallet.

"From the capital city of Canterlot, trained by Princess Celeste." Tara explained further. Applejack's jaw dropped. Surprised by the main bit of information. "I left behind my younger brother and my five best friends." She began to pull out the picture of her friends, shhocking AJ even more seeing her friends as humans. Applejack nearly fainted seeing the image of her self wearing what she would've looked like as a human.

"It would be better if you introduce me to your other friends other than me. To... you know. Avoid the destruction of all the unverses," she said trying to convince her new dimensional friend.

        "Exactly how in the world are we gonna hide you in town without causing a ruckus?" Applejack asked, being cautionary.

        "You still have your apple cart?" Tara asked.

"Great idea Tara." Applejack said. Tara almost sworn she saw her human best friend under that pony exterior as soon as her spirits began to brighten.

"I guess it won't be so bad here," she said to herself.

                                                                                         --

"Ow! It's so cramped in here." Tara complained from the inside of the apple cart.

"Just quiet down Twi'...I mean Tara." AJ said careful not to tip anyone off. The orange earth-pony made her way along the early morning streets of Ponyville. Passing by the colorful homes and businesses. "Ah' think we should see Fluttershy first, then Rarity they seem the most understanding of a situation like this."

"Which ones are they?" Tara asked.

"Fluttershy is the shy looking girl in your photo with the straight pink hair, and Rarity is the one in the business dress with the fancy purple hair." she explained, this time it was Tara who got the look of recognition.

        "Ah, makes sense." Tara  replied, understanding that the names tie in with their physical appearance.

"You mean Fiona and Ramona?" Tara said revealing their human names.

"Why do people from your world have strange names?" Applejack asked chuckling a bit at the names.

"Wait your names aren't so normal either." Tara shot back.

The rest of the ride went on in silence neither of them trying to spark up a conversation. Once they reached Fluttershy's cottage, Applejack called Fluttershy out of her cottage.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Tara said, she then hit a small anxiety attack. "Is it to late to turn back?"

"Oh hi Applejack, it's so nice to see you again," an incredibly quiet, and shy voice came from the window.

"Is there a place we can talk in private?" Applejack asked Fluttershy nervously. The other voice Fluttershy was it? Was most likely Tara's Friend Fiona. It was uncanny how much she sounds so much like her.

"Oh yes, we can go into the forest. I'm pretty sure it's concealed enough," she said smiling, and wondering what was under the tarp. Applejack nodded her head, dragging the cart through the bumpy road much to Tara's dismay.

"Ah' think were far enough" Applejack said, signaling Fluttershy to stop. Fluttershy gave a small nod in understanding. The anxiety building up in Tara almost drove her insane, and she just wanted to get it over with.

"Tara you can come out now." Applejack instructed, hoping Fluttershy wouldn't freak out.

Tara climbed out of the apple cart removing the tarp from her body. Fluttershy gasped surprised of what she just saw. Fluttershy began to look over the strange features of the human near her.

"Is....that a......" Fluttershy gasped for air, completely stunned by the human.

"Yes a human." Tara said looking at her "friend."

"But humans are just a story we tell young foals, they can't exist!" Fluttershy half-yelled, still hyperventilating.

"But I'm here aren't I?" Tara said, inspecting the butter yellow pegasus. Until finally noticing her cutie mark.

The Group of Butterflies.

Fluttershy just couldn't take the revelation of the existence of humans and simply passed out from shock.

"Fluttershy!" Both Tara and Applejack said in response to the pegasus' faint.

Tara and the Timid Pony

Twilight Sparkle walked back to her tree home, noticing the light of the sky dim into well... Twilight. She took a nice long look at the serenity of the trail. Perfect balance between night and day, the flawless purple sky, caused by the sun setting and moon rising. Twilight felt at peace at this time, yet now she felt strange... Almost empty on the inside, the loneliness eating up her thoughts.

--

Tara was the cause of Twilight's feelings. Both were unaware of each other presence, but their feelings affected the other through empathy. Tara deeply missed being back home with her friends and her brother.

She worried sick about the possible state her brother is in. Waiting patiently for an older sister that would probably never come home. Tara almost broke out in tears, but she realized that she had more important matters to address, if she cried it would have just been a waste of time.

She placed her hand on the unconscious Fluttershy and recalled the past few moments. Her hand slowly streaking down her mane. Fluttershy breathed steadily and that was all that mattered for the moment. Applejack volunteered to fetch provisions for the night. Of course she was the only reasonable one to go anyway.

"Good thing too." Tara thought, a growl escaped her stomach, and she put her to put her hand over it as an instinct.

"Never thought I was this hungry." Tara was tempted to steal food from Fluttershy, but she wasn't one to steal fom anyone especially from her friends. Tara got up and looked outside of the room but she couldn't see any possible place Fluttershy could store food."I still wish I got that apple." Tara said aloud, thinking back to the morning at Sweet Apple Acres. "Jeez, when was the last time I ate?" Her stomach gave another growl; she seriously felt she needed to eat whatever Fluttershy had available.

The last time she ate a proper meal was the morning she cooked her brother some breakfast. She missed him terribly, the only thing that she had to remind her of him was the photo in her wallet. Tara held onto the photo of her friends and her brother. She felt it was the only connection back to her world. Her thoughts interrupted by the pounding of wood on the door.

"Tara let me in" AJ's voice came from outside.Tara quickly let her in and helped her with the food.

"I'm starving." Tara said and grabbed the biggest apple she could find, wasting no time to sink her teeth in it.

"Ah' figured you were hungry, so I brought an apple pie" AJ said as she pulled out the pie.

"Yum!" Tara said and crossed her eyes in delight.

"Ya' know you look a lot like Derpy when you do that" Applejack pointed out.

"Derpy? I don't know anyone named that, but ir sounds familiar." Tara recalled all the people from her world but could not find a name that would match the name.

"Blonde mane, a bit cross eyed, yellow eyes?" Applejack explained, Tara continued on in being confused.

"Might as well go and check up on Fluttershy." Tara changed the subject, pointing towards the room where the pegasus slept. She still couldn't find anyone from her universe that fit the description.

"Yeah ah' guess it will be best if I woke her up and ease her into seeing you." Applejack said, walking into the room.

The orange earth pony walked into the room and looked straight at the pegasus that slept peacefully. Well, more or less unconscious. Applejack carefully nudged Fluttershy's side. A yawn escaped from the pegasus' mouth.

"I just had the strangest dream." Fluttershy said, stretching her yellow hooves. Applejack tried to stop a laugh, but a smile stayed on her face. The yellow pegasus felt a bit nervous by her smile, but decided it was best to tell her about the dream.

"Well you stopped by my place with your apple cart, but then you had a cloth over it." Fluttershy explained. She grew nervous after every word she said, but she wanted to tell Applejack about the dream. The pegasus slowed down in her speech and she had to be coaxed by Applejack.

"Come on sugarcube, you can trust me. I won't tell nopony." Applejack said; her smile comforted the pegasus.

"You asked me if there was a place secluded from public and I led you to the Everfree Forest." Fluttershy was a bit more confident in telling Applejack the events in her "dream."

Outside of the room, Tara began to eavesdrop on the conversation Applejack and Fluttershy had.

"Did I scare her that bad?" Tara thought remembering when Fluttershy passed out at the sight of her. Tara listened into the conversation and imagined that it was her friends from home.

"They are your new friends now." Tara groaned as she knew she was right, she placed her ear on the door again.

"You then called out something you called Tara, and the thing began to move inside, and a human came out of the apple cart. It was unlike anything I ever saw." Fluttershy stopped for a moment and remembered how the human looked.

"She was... at least I think it was a she." Fluttershy thought back to some details, like the high pitched voice, and she confirmed that it was female.

Tara's face scrunched up to that comment, but she let it slide by.

"She was tall and it's mane... Well it was purple you know like Twilight's? Her eyes were like Twilight's as well she stood on her hind legs so it made her much taller than us." Fluttershy compared the human to Twilight and found strange similarities between the two.

"She spoke to me after I doubted her existence. With the exact same voice as Twilight and she had the same the same sarcasm just like our Twilight." Fluttershy started to put the pieces together. Applejack closed in to listen more intently.

"You know? Now that I think of it it wasn't as strange as I thought." Applejack said.

"Do you think this means anything" Fluttershy said and faced Applejack for her opinion when a voice came from outside the room.

"I hate to break it to you but it wasn't a dream." Tara's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Twilight, you're here too?" Fluttershy's ears perked up at the sound of the voice.

"Yes and no." Tara opened the door and walked into the room with a piece of apple pie in her mouth.

"It's the... It's the! " Fluttershy was shocked at the human and how it reminded her of Twilight Sparkle.

"Human didn't we go over this before" Tara faced the bed.Fluttershy stared at Tara in disbelief and confirmed her suspicions about the human that looked like Twilight. Fluttershy backed up on her bed and tried to avoid contact.

"Twilight is that you?" Fluttershy asked, thinking that Twilight probably botched up a spell.

"Like I said earlier, yes and no." Tara sat on the bed right next Applejack.

"Let me explain how this all came into place." Tara said, a warm smile on her face.

--

"So you're saying that you are Twilight Sparkle, but as a human and from a different dimension?" Fluttershy was confused on what she was just told. Tara gave a simple nod to lighten up the situation, but Fluttershy still felt a bit nervous around the human that was taller than her.

"Tara has been here for at least a day or two before ah' found her in the orchard." Applejack explained and tried to clarify the recent events.

"You're making it sound like I'm a stray dog." Tara complained, but she knew Applejack meant well. Fluttershy began to ease up and trusted Tara a bit more, and she leaned in closer to the human. "You are every bit as timid as your human counterpart."

"Oh I'd like to meet my other self one day." Fluttershy said and she began how she would look as a human being.

"Well I can show you a picture, but it's as close as you can possibly get to meeting yourself." Tara proceeded to pull out the picture and show the quiet pony.

"Wow we all look so much like ourselves, and we're so pretty" Fluttershy stared into the photo mesmerized by the sight of her and her friends.

"Don't fall in love with yer'self. That sounds like something Rarity, or Rainbow Dash would do." Applejack joked.

"We might as well stay the night and get some shuteye." Applejack suggested and received nods of approval from the other two friends.

"There is a couple of guest rooms you two can stay in" Fluttershy offered and pointed to the hallway. Tara felt sleepy, so she didn't protest the offer for a warm bed.

"Good night everypony," Fluttershy said. Her voice was soft enough to lull anyone to sleep.

--

Tara woke up in the guest room's light colors and it set a comforting scene in the morning sun.

"I guess it's time to see Ramona." Tara thought, thinking about the designer dress-maker.

A Split In the Seam

Tara took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, and she rubbed away the sleep from her eyes. Tara wasn't sure whether or not she should just get up and check if they're awake, or to just wait in the room wither her eyes closed until they woke her up. She was still tired and wanted to get more rest, because she always felt the need to sleep through the entire morning.

        There was an obvious height difference between her and the furniture in the room. Tara guessed it was because the residents stood on their four legs. Tara, on the other hand, stood on her two legs compared to their four, and therefore she was a lot taller than them. Her legs stuck out from the guest bed, and she felt the cramped sensation. She swung her feet over the side of the bed. Tara didn't bother to try and ready herself, and her attention was caught by something else.

        The purple haired woman looked at the nearby mirror, and noticed the poor state she was in, her hair was mangled and scraggly. Her clothes they were torn and ripped, she was glad that the Carousel Boutique was her next destination. She noticed some blemishes on her face, cuts and bruises but nothing in the serious aspect. She was too caught up with the sight of herself in the mirror, she didn't notice the two mares that walked into the room. Tara recoiled back onto the bed startled by the ponies that giggled behind her.

        "I see that you're up," Fluttershy giggled at the human that was interested in herself, the woman looked back and half-expected to see her human friend, but saw the yellow pegasus and an orange earth pony. Tara gave a  lighthearted smile and just flopped back onto the bed. She wrapped herself back in the blanket to seal herself away from the outside world.The morning seemed no different from the others but she felt more at home this time around.

        "Good mornin' Tara, I trust you slept well." Applejack said to the bundle of blankets, and she was met with a groan from beneath the covers. Applejack looked a little annoyed and clearly knew of Twilight's sleeping habits. AJ figured that it must be the same with Tara. AJ wanted Tara to leave the bed to leave.

"My other self should've taught you that you should never keep me waiting."

        She wanted to stay in the comfort of the light Pink bed and embraced the warm blanket with open arms. Tara refused to get up from  the bed and felt nothing could persuade her to leave. The orange mare walked up to the bed and pulled the sheets from the bed and as a result, the human fell out with no grace whatsoever. A soft thud was made on impact, which caused the two mares to giggle wildly. Another groan in protest came from the sheets, but Tara slowly got up from the mess and accidentally bumped her head in the process.

        "This is why I hate mornings," she said nonchalantly, placing a hand on her head. Tara sighed before straightening her hair  as best as she could with her hands.

        "You're every bit like Twilight, and you even have her sleeping habits." AJ pointed out, "Come on we're going to see Rarity. Ah bet she can probably fix you up with whatever you need." Applejack said kindly, as she fidgeted with her Stetson hat.

        "I can get some new clothes. To Tartarus with these raggedy clothes." Tara commented, which caused the ponies in the room to look over her clothes. Her blouse was covered in dirt and was ripped in the shoulders, back and sides. Tara's pants were damaged a bit less, but they still had tears in the knees and shins. The two ponies agreed with the human, but Fluttershy had a question in mind.

        "If you don't mind me asking. Do humans always wear clothes?" Fluttershy askedwhy humans in her storybooks always kept themselves covered.

       "Yes, humans wear clothes all the time to stay warm and to keep others from seeing our more... private areas." Tara immediately blushed at the thought of nudity.

        The two other ponies caught on from what she meant and blushed as well.

       "Oh, I'm sorry I asked. I didn't expect it to be... that personal." Fluttershy said, her face about as red as a cherry.

       "I guess that's one difference from your world, and ours." Applejack quickly tried to change the subject.

       "Yeah I guess so." Tara said awkwardly. She had her hands on her face to hide her Obvious blush but it didn't work. She knew her friends were also female, but she couldn't help it, and she didn't bother to stifle a giggle as her giggle evolved into a more mature laugh. The two other fillies were forced to laugh along awkwardly. The room was back in silence as she tried to catch her breath. It wasn't like her to laugh this easily then again, she felt delusional.

      "We might as well get going now." Tara said. They wasted no time as they walked outside of the little cottage, Tara was a bit reluctant to return to the cramped confines of the apple cart. The human got inside the cart ready to leave the cottage. Tara crossed her legs and tried to get herself comfortable.

"Applejack, may I please come with you two?" Fluttershy asked meekly. She had hoped Tara would stay just a bit longer, and he had many questions to ask about the human lifestyle and culture.

      "I don't see why not." The voice came from the cart, and the mare with the light pink hair quietly squealed. Applejack nodded politely  and accepted Fluttershy's company. The way to the boutique was silent, and there was very little attempts to strike a conversation. Each topic was quickly ended by the odd stares directed to the ponies that talked to the apple cart. When they finally arrived, they were met with a problem.

      "How are we going to get her in there?" Applejack asked, she clearly didn't think of this problem.

"How about we cover her in the cloth, and bring her in while she's covered up?" The pegasus suggested.

"Sounds great!" Tara's voice came from the cart. Tara was alright with this plan that seemed too simple to work.

"Fluttershy can you go in and make sure nopony is around?" AJ asked. Fluttershy gave a simple nod and walked in the boutique.

        "Good morning Rarity." The light yellow pegasus chimed. Rarity was on a sewing machine working on a dress with a certain lavender unicorn. Fluttershy instantly noticed Twilight and began to recoil a bit.

"Oh, hi Fluttershy!" Twilight replied with a greater enthusiasm. The pegasus gulped in surprise, she realized the apparent danger if Tara came in contact with Twilight.

        "Um. There's a special client here to see you. She really needs your help." The yellow mare tried to get Rarity away from Twilight. The white unicorn showed no intention of leaving the machine.

       "Well, bring her in darling. We won't bite." Rarity quipped. The pegasus just sped up the inevitable, she needed to seperate the two. Fluttershy walked out of the boutique to relay the news.

        "Uh bad news. Twilight's in there, and I can't seem to get them apart." Fluttershy said her volume lowered with each word. Tara who was already wrapped in cloth, on top of the cart quickly brought her face out from cover.

        "Not good, not good at all. The whole universe will implode because we got careless." Tara was on the verge of anxiety, and her breath got heavier.

        "Twilight, isn't easily fooled, so we can't just get her to leave." AJ said, "maybe we can say she prefers to be hidden."

        "We don't have to see Rarity." Tara said. Their worries were stopped when a purple unicorn walked out.

       "Hey Applejack, nice to see you here." Twilight greeted the mares.

"Does my voice sound like that all the time?"

"Who's that?" Twilight asked. A nervous gulp came from Applejack.

"What noise? Ah didn't hear nothin." Applejack lied as best as she could, but her voice quivered and stuttered. Twilight stood there unconvinced by the lie. Anypony could just about tell when Applejack was lying.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

       "No, nothing at all!" Both ponies in question stated in unison.

"What's with the cart being wrapped up?" Twilight asked preparing to lift up the cloth.

"Nothin' of importance! Just some orange-- I mean apples." AJ stuttered, mixing up her words. The orange mare had beads of sweat that rolled down her face she took a nervous gulp and forced a weak smile to try and seal the deal.

"Alright...then I'll just go." Twilight said with suspicion in her voice.

       Twilight walked away from the two ponies, and walked down the streets. A sigh of relief came from the three.

"That was too close." Fluttershy wheezed. Tara made the unfortunate mistake of forgetting who she dealt with. The thought of her suspicion slipped her mind as she was quickly moved with haste into the boutique.

        "Fluttershy, where is the client?" Rarity asked confused.  She was met with a nervous smile from the yellow pegasus.

"Yeah about her she asked to meet in a more private part of the shop. She wants her presence in this town to be kept a secret." Fluttershy said quietly and signaled for Applejack to bring the cart in.

"Well I can respect the wishes of anypony who wants to remain hidden." Rarity said, but she was still curious about the identity of the customer.

         The large wooden cart was pushed into the Carousel Boutique with ease. An orange earth pony behind it was the source of its movement. Tara inside the cart was a bit nervous but she felt ready enough to expose herself to another friend. The white unicorn was confused on why the cart was hauled into the middle of the store room, but her senses in logic led her to figure out her client was inside it.

          "Applejack, will you have the pleasure of staying with us?" Rarity asked and hoped that her friend could stay.

"Yep you don't even to ask" AJ confirmed. The unicorn led the mares and the cart into the measurement room.

"I'm dying to know what's in the cart." Rarity whined to herself. Both Fluttershy and Applejack made their way to the sides of the cart and grabbed the cloth in their mouths. They lifted the covered up Tara into a correct standing position.

           Rarity showed a hint of nervousness on her face when more questions sprung up in her mind. The look on Rarity's face was no match to the look upon Tara's face. Tara knew this would happen again, she felt herself stand on solid ground again. Her vision went from black to white as a barely audible, "get ready" was heard from Applejack.

            The fashionista's reaction was less eventful than Fluttershy's, but a look on Rarity's face explained it all. She had no idea what Tara was. Rarity stood in silence and pondered what was in front of her.

"Whatever you are, you look amazing!" Rarity was intrigued that another species was able to create clothes. "Oh I'm sorry, but what are you?"

            "Oh, well I'm a human." Tara said. The unicorn showed no signs of knowledge about humans.

            "Well then I'm sorry it's just that I've never seen anything like you before."

            "It's alright, I'm used to that by now." Tara said.

            "Shall we get started?" Rarity asked Tara nodded her head and walked behind a curtain with the unicorn.

           "So tell me a bit about yourself. What is your name?" Rarity asked. The sound of a measuring ruler and magic came from behind the curtain. Both Applejack and Fluttershy eavesdropped in on the conversation.

"My name is Tara." The voice said from behind the barrier.

"So what is do you need?" Rarity asked.

           "Just a simple set of clothes please."

"May I borrow a sample?" Rarity asked. "Just so I know how to shape it."

"Uhh, okay." Tara agreed. There were sounds of rustling and silence a moment after.

"Where is it that you come from?" Rarity continued to keep a conversation.

           "Let's just say the place where I'm from is far away. I do know the royalty there though." Tara said.

"Um, pray tell. How can you tell if you're a female?"  The sound of magic, ripping sounds, and a shriek from Tara came from behind the curtain.

            "Oh, that's how... Sorry about that." The two mares outside of the curtains couldn't help but giggle at the events that occured at the other side.

"All right you just stay there, while I take the templates and try to make some clothing. You stay here and keep yourself covered." Rarity said, she used her magic to hold Tara's old ripped clothes to use as a sample.

            "Tara, you alright in there?" Applejack asked  Tara gave a simple "yeah" from the other side.

"It may be awhile feel free to try on a dress to keep yourself covered." Rarity's voice came from another room.

Tara wasted no time and she quickly put on a dress. It curved weirdly to fit the shape of a pony, but Tara straightened it out to fit her form. The dress reached knee length and was packed tightly against her body. She wanted to keep the dress for herself, but figured the dress was a bit too expensive. It was turquoise and the style of colors on the dress mixed to match Tara's hair and eye colors. Tara began to twirl around playfully in the dress to pass the time.

The Trouble with Twilight

         The lavender unicorn gave a light smile as she tried to hide her suspicion from her friends. She knew they were hiding something from her but a burning feeling welled up insider her that said it was potentially dangerous. She noticed something on the applecart, it was covered up but she noticed that it resembled something that Celestia told her about. She needed a better look at the thing to confirm her suspicions.

She let them go and slowly walked out of sight. Twilight now jumped to conclusions on what they could have hidden in the boutique. Nothing sprung up in her mind that seemed dangerous but she had to know what they kept hidden from her. The unicorn instantly noticed that she forgot her saddlebags when she gave Rarity the pieces of cloth. She figured that they had no excuse to lie to her after she sees what was inside.

She then devised a plan to return to the boutique and catch a glimpse at whatever was inside. She both loved and hated this side of herself. She would be assertive enought to get what she wants. On the other hand she almost always loses controll and it turns into an obsession that could hurt others.

                                                                                 --

"That dress suits you so perfectly, My it really compliments your eyes." Rarity said as she walked  in with a small heap of clothes. Tara hastily grabbed the bundle of clothes eager to see if Rarity's skills matched her friend's style.  

"Thank you so much for making these on short notice. I hope you didn't miss anyone  else's order."

"No today was kind of slow, oh you should meet Twilight she is just like you." Rarity quipped.

"You wouldn't belive it." Tara said under her breath. She almost wanted to take her up on her offer, she almost didn't care if she blew up the universe. Tara also decided that she would buy the dress once she returned from this adventure.

"You know one day if I heve time I'll pay her a visit." Tara said as she reached for her wallet. The currency was luckily the same she was glad she didn't have to make someone else pay. She noticed that the white unicorn had something on her mind.

"I'd hate to say it to her face but, she is kind of a stick in the mud." Rarity confessed. Both Applejack and Fluttershy hit a giggling fit. A look of anger flashed in the humans face, she lost her cool and forgot about who the insult was directed.

        "I am not a stick in the mud!" Tara yelled out loud. The white unicorn gave a strange look.

"I'm sorry I wasn't calling you one, I was talking about somepony else." Rarity noticed the backfire on the confession.

"Sorry, I sometimes get a little carried away." Twilight awkwardly said.

Tara pulled out the bits she owed Rarity, she didn't notice the photo of her and her friends fall out onto the counter top.

"These your friends dear?" Rarity asked as she eyed the photo intently. Tara finally noticed the missing picture and tried to snatch it back. The unicorn used her magic to levitate the photograph just before she got it into her hands.

"Yes it's a very personal picture can I please have it back?" The purple haired woman asked politely.

"Of course sorry for being a bit too nosy." Rarity said slightly embarrassed on the way she acted. Tara just shrugged it off and held on to the newly sentimental photo.

"It's alright some people just get curious." She accepted the apology. She put the bits on the counter in front of her.

"No here take some back, I think I messed up on a piece of clothing." She siad as she gave a fair amount of money back to the human. Tara checked the clothing and noticed a third armhole put in by accident.

"Don't worry about it, I don't think anyone will notice this. I think it could make a bold fashion statement." Tara said as she tried to lift the spirits of the unicorn. Rarity smiled warmly as she figured she was on Tara's good side. Something struck Rarity that reminded her of Twilight.

        "Um, Applejack Fluttershy could you two help me with something in the backroom?" She asked politely. The two other fillies followed her to the door on the far side of the room. Tara was left alone she took it as an oppertunity to change without getting "assaulted" again.

                                                                                       --

        Rarity led the two fillies into the storeroom of the boutique away from the ears of the human that was in the room.

"There's something familiar about her." Rarity said as she trusted the privacy that the room admitted.

"She is so like Twilight. The mane, the eyes and she even has the one of a kind bag I made for Twilight."

"You sure have a keen eye for this kind of stuff." Fluttershy said.

       "Brace yourself Rarity, Tara there has been brought here by accident. Ah' found her in the orchard a few days back. She came asking to go home and she told us that she came from an alternate world. That she is Twilight that's why she is so similar to her." Applejack briefly explained. Rarity's eyes lit up in realization of what she'd just been told.

       "How come I never figured it out?" Rarity said surprised of the almost impossible feat.

"Twilight can't meet herself or else we're in trouble." Fluttershy warned. An audible thud was heard from the outside of the room.

       "What was that?" Applejack asked. She turned her head to the door that led into the room.

"She probably knocked over something." Rarity assured.

"Let's go check it out anyway." Applejack said as she trotted towards the exit.

                                                                                      --

A knock came from the front of the store. Tara froze in place before she rushed behind the dressing barrier.

"Rarity I think I left my bag inside. Mind if I come in?" Twilight asked from the other side. Tara kept her cover behind the thin fabric wall. The sound of magic and a door opening in silence came from the otherside.

"Hello is anypony there?" The purple unicorn asked as she approached the place where the human hid. Tara held her breath as she tried to silence any noise that she made. Twilight oblivious to the human that was literally right in front of her.

"Rarity you back there she asked  as she placed a lavender hoof on the fabric wall.

"Occupied!" Tara yelled in an accent that disguised her voice. Twilight jumped back at the response surprised about the new voice that came from the dress compartment. Anxiety built up in both of them, the close proximty brought fear in Tara.

"Oh sorry, didn't know you were there. Can you pass me my bag? I think I left it behind."

Tara panicked and accidentaly gave Twilight her own bag. Tara didn't notice until she reached for her own bag and noticed the contents were slightly different. Twilight happily took the bag with her magic, she opened the bag to check if the items were still in there. Twilight's face scrunched up in confusion as the contents were different from her bag.

"This isn't my bag." Twilight said. Tara instantly knew that her fate was sealed. She needed a way around this, Maybe I can jump out the window? She waved it away because there wasn't a window in the dressing area for obvious reasons. She decided she would just hand her the bag and wait for the pony to leave.

"Catch!" she said before she threw the bag over the curtain. Twilight heard the warning and caught the bag as it flew over the curtain. Twilight inspected both bags and noticed that they looked exactly the same. The design the color and the straps even the wear and tear of the bag was on both of them.

        "This can't be possible, why are there two of the same bags?" Twilight asked confused.

"Maybe it was a common design." the disguised voice said from the other side.

"That's obviously not the case. Rarity hoof-made the bag for me. My initials are on both as well!" Twilight yelled clearly surprised. Tara gulped another mistake she made, another step into the destruction of the world.

"Just hand me my bag please." Tara said as she shook on the curtain. Twilight also notice that she said "hand" instead of hoof.

Twilight complied as she played on a tactic that went unbeaten. To keep someone distracted and force them to make tiny little unnoticeable mistakes. She moved the bag to the very edge of the curtain to tempt whatever was on the other side to quickly grab it. Twilight's plan started rough but now she had whatever she wanted to discover cornered. Her opportunity was too perfect to pass up.

Then Tara made the fatal mistake of grabbing the bag out of impulse. Twilight was able to confirm that it was a human by the delicate hand that quickly took the bag. The lavender unicorn instantly flared her horn and pulled the thin fabric dressing walls. Tara looked incredibly surprised at the unicorn. She never managed to think what she might have looked like.

"Um hi." Tara said awkwardly. I'm not dead yet, the world didn't blow up. So far so good.Twilight studied the petrified human that stood in front of her. Twilight's big purple eyes changed from curiosity to a sudden shock as she couldn't believe her eyes. Another feeling of danger swept through the unicorn and she lit up her horn in defense.

"I know what you are!" Twilight shouted "You're one of them." The unicorn channeled more magic to threaten the "threat" that was in a close proximity. Tara was pinned to the wall she expected the universe to crash at any moment. Tara shot her hands up in midair and pointed a finger towards Twilight. Tara used her magic to show that she wasn't truly defenseless. Both of them stood in a cold silence as they both had their magic ready to strike.

"Stalemate."

Great Minds Think Alike

        Both Twilight and Tara stood in a long stalemate. Both waited for the other to attack  but as both expressed they were stubborn as a mule. Twilight's horn and Tara's hand had a somewhat dangerous amount of magic channeled. They stood in a similar stance that displayed their magic. Twilight was the first to speak in the silence of the room.

"Why are you here?" Twilight leaned closer as a bluff to provoke the strange human. Tara knew that it was a fake out and didn't budge. Twilight Began to concentrate in a way to see any weaknesses.

"I want to get out of here." Tara said. Twilight looked unconvinced.

"I don't believe you." Twilight said coldly.

         Twilight shot first but missed. The attack managed to knock over a few pots. The sound of the crash may have called for unwanted attraction. Inside of the storage room, the three ponies heard the noise from outside and decided to investigate.

          Outside, The two were ready for combat in a moment's notice.

Blast of magic towards left hoof. Tara thought. The attack hit successfully but resulted in a jolt of pain through both combatants.

Aim for the left arm. Twilight shot the magic from her horn and it connected skillfully. The lavender unicorn then felt a shot of pain hit her arm. Twilight and Tara flinched for  a moment before the both attacked at the same time.

Chest area will provide a powerful force. Maybe enough to subdue my opponent. They both thought at the same time.

Both of them quickly reacted as a blast of magic was sent towards each other. Twilight and Tara's chest were hit in the process. Both flinched and Tara took the opportunity to strike first. Tara noticed Twilight's legs slightly buckle in pain.

Strain in posture shows she has some pain in her spine and on her back legs. Strange, I've been sore in those areas recently. Tara then thought of a  risky way to beat her opponent. Tara knew it might not work but she decided to try it anyway.

Don't just stand there. Do something. Twilight thought.

I guess there's no other way to test it.

Tara pointed her hand towards her ankle and braced for the impact.

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked confused. Her lessons about humans were very vague and explained little to nothing about humans.

        Twilight was told that some humans can be a danger to ponies. Twilight waited and knew this human knew something of importance. She needed to take the human out and take her to the princess. Twilight figured the human tried to kill herself instead of getting captured.

A quick flash and a shot of pain went through both of them. Twilight instantly realized the threat of what she did.

"How did you do that?" Twilight then got an idea in her head. She raised a hoof to her horn. They both winced as the blast of magic sent through them. Tar knew self inflicted pain was now a terrible strategy to fight herself.

"Stop that!" Tara yelled.

"Make me!" Twilight responded childishly.

         Both resorted to subjecting themselves to pain to get the other to back down. Twilight held her hoof back to her head. Tara on impulse sent a wave of magic to Twilight. The attack hit successfully and Twilight was left sprawled on the floor. Twilight got up her hind leg buckled something felt familiar about her adversary. Twilight noticed the slight limp on the  left foot of the human. The same leg that Twilight had injured.

Twilight began to think about an irrational way to fight, something told her that the other wanted to play fair. A nagging feeling also told her that she was to stop with being fair and actually stop the threat in front of her. Tara walked closer the limp more noticeable. Tara stood over the pony ahead of her and extended a hand towards the unicorn..

"Come on, I don't mean-" Her sentence was cut off as she was met with a blast of magic on her chest. Twilight was sent flying through the air. Tara began to question the lengths that she herself would go to. The idea nestled in and she figured she would do anything try to stop an incoming threat.

         Tara laid on her back the air gone from her lungs. Tara was unable to move, devastated by the attack. Twilight jumped up from the seemingly helpless position and made her way to the human. The unicorn noticed the nearby sheets of fabric and an idea appeared in her mind. Twilight's magic lifted the roll of forest green fabric and began to wrap around her defeated opponent.

Tara's body was wrapped tightly which hindered her movement.  The only thing left uncovered was her head and face. Tara gave up in her attempt to wriggle out of her make shift prison. Twilight had a smug smile on her face in her victory.

"Cheater!" Tara yelled. Her efforts to escape were still in vain.

"I did nothing of the sort!" Twilight said as she rolled a strip of fabric to muffle Tara's mouth.

         As if on time the three mares walked in to witness the ending piece of the fight.

"What in Celestia's mane are you two doing!?" Rarity yelled. During the fight they had accidentally knocked over items and created a mess. Both of them looked looked guilty children. Tara spit out the cloth and looked up at Rarity.

"Nothing." They both said in unison.

"Ah' see you two acquainted yourselves." Applejack joked.

"Ha ha, very funny." They both retorted.

"Stop that!" they both said to each other.

"Make me!"

The simultaneously bickering between them both caused the mares that watched them to laugh.

"It's not funny!" They both whined.

"It's pretty funny how you two are so much alike." Fluttershy teased.

"We are not alike!" Twilight yelled by herself this time. Twilight turned towards the human and wondered why she didn't agree with her.

"Rarity, should we just tell her? or should we just egg her on?" Applejack whispered into Rarity's ear. Rarity gave a curt nod and a wink towards Fluttershy. Twilight stood confused on what the conversation was about. She also wondered why the human didn't protest against the statement.

"Is there something you're keeping from me." Twilight asked. The mares giggled slightly before they dropped the bomb.

"I figured that you would have guess by now but..." Fluttershy said nervously.

"But what?"

         "Well, Tara is kinda from another world. Ya know universe? Somehow she got her and asked for our help. Here's the funny part, Tara is you from another dimension." Applejack worded the statement in a way that made little sense. It took Twilight a full minute to comprehend the information she had just been told.

"Surprise!" Tara said happily.

"Do you know how dangerous that could have been! The whole universe could have just exploded!" Twilight yelled surprised by the fact that she was in two places at once. Generally defying the laws of nature.

        "You read the book too?" Tara said surprised.

"Well yeah I found it in my library." Twilight said nonchalantly. It was a dud anyway.

"Well it wasn't a dud after all." Tara joked. Tara struggled inside of the wrapping she was stuck in.

"Little help?" Tara asked.

"Yeah, lets get you out of that bind. Green isn't really your color dear." Rarity said as she cut the fabric in half.

"I know the you told me countless times." Tara replied.

"I did? I mean, she did?" Rarity said confused on the different worlds. The magic unceremoniously ripped the fabric apart and provided space for the human to stand up.

"So you are the human equivalent of myself?" Twilight felt like an idiot for not noticing the similarities. She even had the same style in mane and hair. The eyes and every single detail she could have figured out if she wasn't so worried about the fight.

         "How come I never noticed this? It was so far fetched I never thought of this." Twilight tried to think of a way to disprove this theory. Tara put a hand on the purple unicorn. Tara felt the smooth texture of Twilight's coat. Twilight felt the soft hand of her human self on her back. Both began to easily trust each other.

Tara looked at the puzzled unicorn. Tara gave a simple wave to her other self. She felt that today was a pretty eventful day and was completely tired from the constant surprises. She felt she deserved a rest at her house. She then realized that she can't go to her own house easily. Tara figured she can go home with her unicorn self.

Twilight looked uneasily at her human self and began to think about the possibility of inter-dimensional travel. Tara felt the unease in Twilight's mind as in a connection. A link between both of their minds in this world, neither of them really noticed that they had empathy with each other. Neither of them noticed it.

"Rarity! Is that what I think it is?" Sweetie Belles's voice came from the room. Tara was left little time to react as the body of the filly hit with a large thud. Tara fell into a sitting position with the child unicorn on her lap in a tight hug. Tara giggled nervously as the bright green eyes looked up at her in adoration. The image of the young bubbly girl from her old life quickly flashed through her mind.

"Bella..." Tara quietly whispered to no one in general. She was eager to see the pony versions of her other friends, but she knew it would have to wait. The filly on her lap squeezed the human tighter. Sweetie continued her grip on the human she had just met.

        "Oh I've always wanted to meet a real human!" Sweetie squeaked.

"And I always wanted to play with a unicorn when I was little." Tara lied to comfort the unicorn. Sweetie squeezed tighter to make sure that the alleged human was real.

"Now Sweetie, leave her alone she has important matters to attend to. Right Tara?" Rarity intervened.

"I guess I could stay with her for a bit." Tara said as she caused the filly to jump in joy.

"Yes! Apple Bloom and Scootaloo will be so jealous when I tell them that I got to play with a human!"

"Hold on there, little miss. Ya can't tell anypony about Tara ya hear?" Applejack instructed. Sweetie Belle simply nodded before she nudged Tara out of the room and up the stairs. The human took her lead and accompanied the younger unicorn out to her room.

          "Do you think Tara would have done the same to you?" Fluttershy asked.

"What?" Twilight began to comprehend the vague question.

"I mean would she have had reacted the same to you. You know attacking and wrapping you up." The pegasus clarified.

"Maybe, She is exactly like me." Twilight said, she trusted that if this was reversed she would trust her friends as humans.

"I'll wait a bit so Sweetie can have her fun and then myself and I will go home." Twilight planned still not used to the situation.

                                                                                               --

"Tara, would you like more tea?" Sweetie's high pitched voice asked.

"Um, sure." Tara was bored out of her mind, but she decided it was best to humor Sweetie for a little longer. The unicorn poured an imaginary cup of tea from a toy tea pot and passed it to Tara. Tara took a sip against her better judgement.

Tara felt out of place inside the filly's room. The stuffed toys around her didn't help either.  Tara wanted to be polite and play with Sweetie until she had a chance to leave. The unicorn "filled" a cup to a stuffed rabbit before she spoke to the human. Sweetie built up the courage to ask the human a question.

"Is it true that some humans have magic like unicorns?" She asked her bright green eyes grew wide.

"Yeah, and some of us could fly." Tara responded. The unicorn's eyes lit up at the statement.

"Can you fly?" Sweetie Belle asked hoping that Tara could fly.

"No, but I have a friend that could."

"Can you do magic then?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Of course." Tara then channeled some small orbs of energy in her hands and played with them using her fingers.

"Cool, I wish I could do magic." The white unicorn moped. Tara caught this and extended a hand to pat her on the back.

"Cheer up Sweetie. I was around your age when I learned magic." Tara Encouraged the unicorn to be patient with the form of magic.

"Come on the tea is getting cold." Tara said to get Sweetie's mind off the subject.

"Oh yes let's." Sweetie then turned her attention to the toy tea set.

"Come on Sir Cuddlesworth, drink your tea. Twilight and Sweetie giggled at the stuffed rabbit.

Tara lifted an imaginary cookie to her mouth to humor the unicorn, until a voice came from out side.

"Sweetie! It's time for you to get ready for bed." Rarity's voice came as a savior to Tara.

"Aw, is it time already?" The filly groaned. Tara realized that she could finally leave.

"Well it was fun while it lasted, but I have to go." Tara said as she walked out of the child's room.

"Glad that's over." She sighed as she collected her bearings and walked down the tidy steps.

"Did you have fun?" Rarity asked as she waved a hoof to Tara.

"It was alright I guess. I was getting just a little bored." Tara revealed.

"I can tell." Twilight said as she turned her head away from the book she currently read.

"Empathy links can be quite annoying." Twilight said as she confirmed the cause of her boredom.

"Tell me about it. I had to feel some random emotions without even knowing why. Back there I thought about slapping Sweetie." Tara conveyed. Rarity looked offended but figured it was not her fault.

        "I guess you liked the book too." Twilight chuckled at the remark she made. Tara slapped herself in the wrist.

"Ow, quit it!" Twilight yelled. A jolt of pain went through her fore hoof. Twilight shot a mean look at her human adversary, the other just stifled a giggle.

"I trust I can leave you two alone long enough before you kill yourselves." The white unicorn joked.

"We'll be fine!" The both responded slyly Rarity rolled her eyes and just turned away from the two. Both counterparts faced each other and nodded in agreement. Rarity caught this in the corner of her eye and quickly turned around as she realized what might have happened.

"Did we just." Twilight asked.

"Talk to each other." Tara continued.

"With our minds?" The finished together.

"Not that this is freaking me out at all but it's getting late." Rarity pointed out that the light began to clearly fade out.

"Right I guess we could go home." Twilight said as she waved goodbye. The lavender unicorn and the human said their goodbyes and left the front door of the boutique.

"Wait a minute!"

"How are we?"

"Going to get me home I get it." Tara said as she realized she was out in public.

Nearby there was a small trail that was off the beaten path that the two decided it was best to take. The path was dark and eerie the wind rustled the leaves on the tree. The forest path showed signs of Autumn approaching. Tara noticed the change and wondered about her world.

How long have I been gone? How is everyone else? Tara was deep in thought until she was interrupted by herself.

"Is something wrong." Twilight asked a concerned look on her face. Tara was surprised at first but she remembered the empathy link between the two.

"No nothing's wrong." Tara lied, Twilight looked unconvinced. Tara's face gave a weak smile as she tried to turn her attention away from her other self. Twilight stared and pressed Tara for more information.

"You know you can't lie to me." Twilight continued.

"Alright. I just miss being back home."

"You're with us at least." Twilight attempted to cheer up herself.

"I know but it's not the same." Tara wholeheartedly admitted. Twilight then noticed that there was something else on her mind. Tara turned away from the suspicious unicorn and quickly changed the subject.

"I'm tired. We should just sleep." Tara suggested. Twilight noticed the change of subject but let Tara get away with it.

Nothing but the steps they made was heard. Neither of them felt like talking so they just followed the trail silently. The quiet whispers when the wind blew felt calming to both of them. The two of them basked in the beauty of nature at it's finest. The silence made the scene more serene. The two finally got around town without unneeded contact with anypony.

They stopped at the back steps to library both waited for a minute before the unicorn spoke.

"Make sure we come in quietly. I don't want to wake up Spike."

"Who's Spike?"

"My assistant. He's more like a brother to me though." Twilight explained.

"Like a brother?" Tara said confused.

"He's a dragon. It's impossible for him to have relation to me." Twilight continued.

"In my universe he is my brother." Tara said as she revealed the connection between herself and her brother.

"That must be nice." Twilight said a hint of jealousy in her voice. Tara slowly pulled out a key from her pocket and slid it into the door lock. A slight noise of protest escaped from Twilight's mouth.

"I guess the locks are the same here too." Tara said a bit too cockily. Twilight rolled her eyes in the statement. Tara and Twilight walked inside the house. Making sure not to wake the baby dragon who slept in the small basket upstairs. Tara had to resist the urge of running into the room and just squeezing the life of her brother's counterpart. Both counterparts walked in the same silent fashion up the small steps.

"One question. How am I going to sleep?" Tara asked.

"I have a guest room remember?"

"Right. I keep forgetting that this place is exactly the same.

"Goodnight." The both said in unison.

The two turned away from each other and walked to their respective rooms. It didn't take long for Tara to settle in to the bed. It still felt weird to sleep in her own guest room but she just ignored that fact and fell into a deep  sleep.

                                                                                        --

InhuMANEity

         The five women sat in silence each not wanting to be there. It wasn't until the oldest ones of the group spoke up.  

"I sent in the missing person report." An elegant voice said sadly.

"Good, the sooner they find her the better." A more southern accent added.

        "You think she left on purpose?" The rainbow haired girl asked.

"She wouldn't just leave. It's not like her." The girl with the light pink hair said.

"What if she got kidnapped? That would be so terrible." The most energetic of the group stated.

"Think of the positive girls." The proper sounding voice suggested.

"Like what?" The woman with the rainbow hair asked rudely.

"Rebecca just stop being a downer we can get through this."

"How exactly? Ramona you need to see that there is pretty much nothing we can do" The girl now known as Rebecca stated.

"I say we should do some thing to get our minds off of this." The Bubbly girl intervened in the argument.

"You know what? That actually sounds like a good idea. How about it girls?" Jacqueline asked.

"I heard there's a circus nearby." The shy one added.

"I'm not one for the circus, but it beats arguing." Ramona agreed.

The five nodded and set a plan to meet at the opening act of the circus.

                                                                           --

"Tara? Tara? Wake up." Her own voice quietly whispered. Tara woke up to the dark confines of the night. Tara looked into the distance and noticed the bright purple eyes she had seen earlier in the day.

"Huh? It's still dark out." The human sleepily replied. The eyes shifted to an annoyed look.

"I need to speak to you in private." She whispered.

"Is something wrong?" Tara asked, her lazy expression changed into a more serious tone. The unicorn turned her back away from her. Tara instantly scrambled from the guest bed and followed the unicorn outside. The two carefully made their way down the wooden steps in the library. Tara noticed in the moonlight that the unicorn beside her wore a heavy coat. Tara figured that it was probably cold outside. Tara took the unicorn's lead and opened the door with ease.

The two were instantly met with the chilly autumn breeze. The sound of the trees rustling in the wind. Luna's moon provided little light for their secret meeting. Neither bothered to speak to each other they just walked down the trail. Tara began to fall back into the drowsy sensation she felt earlier. Tara noticed that the cloaked unicorn began to stray off the path. Tara didn't object she just sulked behind her. Tara saw the small cottage that belonged to Fluttershy in the distance. The realization that she was in the Everfree Forest wasn't much of a surprise to the human.

"I guess you can't get more private than in a forest." Tara joked apathetically. Tara stared into the purple eyes of the unicorn. The the cloaked figure stood up on its hind legs. In utter shock Tara stood paralyzed the figure stood at the exact same height as her. Tara looked into the bright purple eyes and felt she was looking into a mirror.

"Who are you?" Tara asked.

"I have come to relay a message. You can not trust these sentient ponies." She said quietly.

"Why not?" Tara argued. "They did nothing but help me."

"The moment you let down your guard they will turn against you."

"They wouldn't do that! They're my friends." Tara was dumbfounded of the voice sounding completely like herself and Twilight.

"How could you trust them so easily? The second they know about the human race, they will set their will to kill you."

"They won't do that. They are not like that."

"That's the kind of attitude that will get you killed Tara." The cloaked figure in front of Tara said.

"How do you know my name?"

"So many questions. All in good time. For now you just march your pretty self back home. I'll know when you need me."

"But how?" Tara asked. The figure raised a hand and pointed to her head.

"Behind you!" The figure yelled. Tara turned around but saw nothing in the woods.

"I don't see any-"  Tara turned back and saw that the mysterious figure had vanished.

"Should have figured." Tara moped.

Tara figured she should hide out back at Fluttershy's. It couldn't hurt to visit she thought. In the moonlight Tara was a bit discouraged by the darkness. Tara had the suspicion that someone or somepony was watching her. Tara listined in, nothing but the hush of the leaves and the sounds of nightlife. Tara continued on her walk to the cottage. Until the sound of a branch cracking. Tara shot up into defense mode her hands released a bright purple glow.

"Now!" A feminine voice commanded. On command two pegasi and two unicorns jumped out from nowhere. Tara shrieked as the net the two pegasi held was dropped on her. Tara was wrapped in the confines of the rope. The unicorn with the sea green coat and the amber eyes used a wave of magic to seal the open side shut. Tara struggled but then knew that she couldn't escape.

"We did it. Now where's my share?" The unicorn with the amber eyes asked.

"Here two hundred bits as I promised." The second unicorn said. The magic pulled a bag filled with cash.

"Two hundred? You said four!" Lyra yelled.

"I said four hundred for two. There's only one here."  The magenta coated unicorn stated.  Lyra looked angry at the unicorn that ripped her off.

"Melody, This is the last time I let you cheat me of of this!" Lyra yelled.

"It's Miss Melody you ingrate." She yelled a slight accent of the upper class slipped out. Tara watched the two argue through the net. Tara tried to think of a way to escape but drew a blank. She knew that she was screwed from the start. Tara was left to yell in the net.

"Stop her!" Melody commanded. One pegasus stepped over and covered her mouth.

"Not like that you idiot!" She yelled. Tara looked up to see the hind leg of Melody come straight to her face.

"If you want something done I guess you'll have to do it yourself." Melody said cockily. Tara looked at the unicorn smile triumphantly through her fading vision.

                                                                                     --

Auntie Melody's Sideshow

            "Hey Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash's  tomboyish voice yelled.

"We know you're awake!" Pinkie yelled, adding emphasis to her statement. The sleeping pegasus lazily rose from her bed. She turned her head to the source of the noise and softly smiled to her friends.

"Hi girls. What can I help you with?" She asked out the window.

"Pinkie and I are going to the circus, You want to come?" Rainbow asked.

"Um, no thanks I'm really busy right now." The yellow pegasus politely declined.

"Seems like everypony else is saying that." Rainbow said disappointed.

"I hear there is going to be something really special today! I hear it can't be missed!" Pinkie yelled as she tried to convince the pegasus.

"It sure sounds like fun, but I really have some important things to attend to. Maybe another time."

"But there's only one night left." Pinkie explained, but Fluttershy still refused

"Oh well then, I guess there's no convincing you." Rainbow Dash said while walking away with Pinkie Pie.

"I wonder how Twilight and Tara are doing." Fluttershy asked herself.

                                                                                     --

"It's waking up!" Somepony yelled, attracting attention to the human that regained consciousness. Tara slowly stood up on both legs and eyed the strange looking bars around her. She stared into the crowd of stunned ponies, each watching every move she made. Tara slightly afraid of what might be going on realized that these ponies paid to see her. Appalled Tara hid herself behind anything she could find.

"What's up with its face?" A mare's voice asked.

"Hey! If somebody kicked you in the face you would look exactly like this." Tara replied snidely.

"Why is its mane messed up?" Another pony asked.

"You try sleeping outside for days!" She continued.

Two mares walked into the circus tent, a pegasus with a cyan blue coat, and a earth pony with pink mane and coat. The more tomboyish pony looked a bit annoyed. Pinkie Pie, instead could not hold her excitement.

"I can't believe they wanted a separate admission just to see one exhibit." Rainbow Dash complained.

"Can't be that bad, I mean they promised a human! A human!" Pinkie lightened the situation.

"For twenty five bits a piece? It better not be a rip off."

"The human is so fake." Rainbow Dash said, annoyed at the latest scam to sell tickets.

"Looks real to me. She seems familiar though." Pinkie asked.

"'She? How do you know it's a she?"

"I don't know there's something that strikes me as a she." She answered. Pinkie hopped her way towards the cage that held Tara. The party pony ran up to the cage and stared at the eyes of the pony. Pinkie looked into the eyes and felt that there was something familiar about the human.

"Why are you so mean?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't know, maybe I'm just grumpy after I just got kidnapped!" Tara replied. Tara held her gaze and noticed the attitude and innocence of Pinkie's voice. Tara noticed the ridiculously pink mane, and the eyes similar to eyes of a child. Tara knew that she was her friend, but she had to test it out.

"What is your name?" Tara asked, hoping she would a clear answer.

"My name's Pinkie Pie! What's yours?"

"Pinkie Pie? Just like..." her voice trailed off. Tara was now used to piecing together the similarities between her friends and the ponies. Tara knew it was best to gain the trust of her friends, and later convince them to break her out.

"Pinkie, listen I really need your help," the human begged.

"Why me?" Pinkie asked.

"You remind me of a friend," she told the truth, hoping the answer will help get her out. Rainbow Dash walked towards the cage to listen in on the conversation. The pegasus deciphered the main purpose, to bust out. Disgusted, the cyan mare wanted to just get away from the human.

"Why should we help you?" Rainbow Dash asked rudely. Tara groaned as now someone or rather somepony else was stopping her plan. The human furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. She needed to talk her way out.

"Please, just get me out of here!" Tara begged. Rainbow proceeded to grab Pinkie's hoof and walk  away from the cage.

"Pfft, fat chance!" The cyan mare shouted back. Pinkie let out a small pout, but regretfully followed her friend.

"No, please you have to help me." She continued to plead.

"You have one chance to convince me to help you." Rainbow bargained. Both ponies stopped and turned their head to Tara. Tara sat on the metal floor of the cage, contemplating whether or not to tell them about herself.

"Fine," she sighed, "okay, I probably shouldn't tell you this here but..." She held the next bit of information to herself. Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie leaned forward in anticipation.

Tara looked around and noticed that many of the ponies lost interest in her. The ponies began flock to the show that was about to start nearby. Most of the ponies that stayed were too busy in shock at the strange creature. The purple haired woman leaned closer to the mares and motioned them to move closer. The two ponies then began to walk closer to the human that beckoned for  them.

"It's me Twilight." She said awkwardly. A look of disbelief washed over the sky blue pegasus.

"You're lying, I saw Twilight this morning." Rainbow shot back coldly. The rainbow pony was fed up with the human and wanted to just ditch the human. The pegasus motioned to walk away with Pinkie, yet the party pony refused to leave with her.

"Come on Pinkie, let's go." Rainbow Dash said, struggling to move the bubbly mare.

"No! Twilight or not, we at least have to help her," the party pony said stubbornly.

"Fine, 'Twilight Sparkle' if that is your real name. Prove it, tell me something the real Twilight knows." Rainbow said.

"Oh, um..." Tara froze in thought. Her face deep in concentration.

Think Tara think.

Her face instantly turned red. Pinkie and Rainbow both looked at Tara in confusion. The librarian stifled a giggle and bit her lip slightly. There was only one moment both she and Rainbow shared privately, and it made her blush like mad.

"Out with it!" She said angrily and clearly annoyed. If Tara were to pony-fy the moment some major details would be changed. Then, Tara didn't really have to stretch the details to prove her point. Tara curled her finger slyly, and they knew it was meant for Rainbow Dash.

If Rebecca's pony-self is giving me a bad time. Might as well give her a hard time.

"Remember the magazine..." Tara whispered with a wide grin.

"You don't mean?"

"Yes, I mean it."

"PlayPony." Rainbow whispered with a slight halter.

"Not just that but...The very special edition."

"I am not a fillly-fooler." Rainbow Dash whispered back bitterly.

"The one with a very special someone." Tara was enjoying this to every aspect.

"Hey no fair, I only got it because Spitfire is my idol." Rainbow defended.

        "You sure it's not for any other reason." Tara said adding emphasis in her words.

        "Nononono! it's not like that!"

"Spitfire wouldn't approve of this." Tara chided, "Fantasizing about your idol isn't right."

"Okay I believe you," the pegasus said defeated.

"Good, now get me out of here," her triumphant voice said in a sing-song tone.

"I don't get it." Pinkie Pie said innocently. Rainbow Dash hit herself on the face with her hoof.

"How can we help you?" Rainbow Dash said eagerly to get the bust over with.

"Twilight how did you turn into a human?" Pinkie asked Tara.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when I'm out" Tara answered.

"Alright, stick around by closing time an-" Tara was instantly knocked out by a flash of magic.

"And what?" Pinkie asked, waiting for the answer. Rainbow Dash

"Naughty human, one shouldn't fraternize with the guests." Melody's sweet high pitched voice said cockily.

                                                                                    --

"Ugh my head..." Tara groaned. Slowly rubbing her head, feeling the slightly singed parts of her hair.

"Why do I always end up getting knocked out?" she complained, "My hair is ruined for life."

"Enough about your idle frustration about your hair." Her own voice replied.

"You." Tara realized.

"I didn't think you would need me this early," the cloaked figure chided.

"I told you to be careful."

Home

        Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were kicked out of the circus tent. The two weren't given a refund, putting the pegasus in a bad mood. Pinkie was slightly disappointed, but she worried more about freeing the human they believed was Twilight. They both looked right out at the tent and noticed that there were now many security guards placed at the entrance.

"We have to help Twilight!" Pinkie yelled, placing an army helmet on her head.

"Help me what?" Twilight said curiously. Both Pinkie and Rainbow looked at her in shock.

"Twilight!" Pinkie shouted, tackling the unicorn to the ground.

"If you're here, then what was with that human?" Rainbow Dash asked, clutching her head with her hooves.

"Human? Oh my, what happened to Tara?" Twilight asked them.

"Tara?" Pinkie asked.

"It's kind of a long story," the unicorn said sheepishly. "First things first, where is she?"

"She's in the circus, but the security kicked us out." Rainbow said, pointing towards the guards.

"Don't worry girls, I think I could handle this." She said walking towards the entrance.

"Hi can I get a ticket?" Twilight politely asked.

"To what? The show or the human?" the cashier asked apathetically.

"Um, the human," the lavender unicorn answered.

"That'll be twenty five bits ma'am." The colt said, his voice cracking in the process.

Scowling slightly at the price, she paid for the ticket and walked towards the second entrance. The tent was half-full, considering how most went to see the show that performed at the same time. Some ponies stayed to study the human. The unicorn passed through a small crowd of people until she got to the center of the room. Tara was sprung out on the floor, her hair singed  and truly a mess. Twilight made her way to the side closest to her.

"Tara, wake up." Twilight said, nudging her human counterpart.

"Miss. Don't touch the human." A security guard told her sternly. Twilight simply stopped the shaking.

"Tara, what happened?" she asked, still whispering.

"Huh..." Tara said, half asleep.

"What happened?" Twilight repeated, hoping for at least a small answer.

"Captured, net, no magic." Tara said in between snores.

"Who did this?" She asked. Twilight received an angry look from the guard.

"Ly...ra." Tara answered  remembering only one of the names of the ponies that caught her.

"Miss. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." The guard said annoyed.

"Why? I did nothing." The unicorn argued. The stallion grabbed Twilight forcibly and directed her to the exit. The mare's struggling was in vain, as she was kicked out of the tent.

"And stay out!" He shouted, just as Twilight made contact with the dirt ahead of her friends.

"What happened?" Pinkie asked. Twilight stood up and whispered something in Pinkie's ear. The party pony now had a large smile on her face and winked at Twilight. Rainbow Dash watched in curiosity as she tried to catch what they were saying. Pinkie and Twilight nodded in agreement and went their separate ways.

"She's going to have hell to pay." Twilight said coldly. A twisted smile on her face.

                                                                            --

Tara darted towards the end of the cage to the cloaked figure that was just out of her reach.

"You could have helped me earlier." She said slightly angry.

"Why?" the figure replied smugly. Tara was slightly frustrated, but her growling stomach caught her attention.

"Forget it. Hey do you have any food on you?" She asked the woman ahead of her.

"There's goat pellets in that corner," she answered. Pointing at the cage. Tara was done dealing with the attitude this mystery person. She knew that she wasn't going to get an exact answer just yet, but at least she had to try.

"Look I don't know you, and you don't know me. So why are you helping me?" Tara asked, expecting a vague answer. The figure then said nothing and walked to the lock.

"Because you're just like me. Scared, alone. Have no idea what we're doing here." She said, flashing the key to the cage. The woman the opened the lock and realizing Tara. Tara then walked out of the cage to finally get a closer look at her savior. The person's face was covered in a black cloth. It concealed her well, leaving only the eyes that were a bright purple.

"Thank you, um..." She stopped, not knowing her name.

"Just call me Thalia." She said through her shroud. Tara extended her hand to Thalia, who carefully shook her hand. Her cold gloved hand meeting with Tara's dirty, rough hand. With a curt nod, the two set their attention on getting out of the area.

"How do we get out of here?" Tara asked turning towards Thalia. Thalia grabbed a small device out of her cloak and showed it to Tara.

"See this? This stupid thing somehow got me here, and now it's dead. But I think we can get this to work if we collaborate." She explained. Tara was confused on how this thing was constructed. It was compact, metallic, and the strange lights that flashed.

"Wait, magic didn't get you here?" Tara asked. A confused look washed over Thalia's eyes.

"Magic? I don't believe in magic." She said softly.

"How can you not believe in magic? Tara asked.

"It's everywhere!" Tara continued, using small orbs of purple magic to bounce around in her hands.

"Science." Thalia said carefully.

"What?"

"Science, the explanation may be too long to understand."

"I know what science is." Tara replied angrily. "Just explain how You got here."

"I created this thing. Along with my notebook, lost it somewhere during the early prototype stages of this thing. Tara's eyes widened, the book had something to do with her. Tara looked into the eyes that were full of sorrow.

"I just want to go home." Thalia stated. "I know you want to get home as soon as possible. Do you think you can power the machine enough so we can leave?"

Thalia opened a hatch in the slightly spherical machine. To see that most of the parts were low on energy.

"This place doesn't have the parts I need to replace this." Thalia explained.

"Well I know a repair spell, but I don't know how well it would work."

"Well we can at least try."

Tara channeled the energy again, focusing the spell on the device that was presented to her. At first the sphere glowed with life, slowly enveloping the two in a large field.

                                                                                          --

"You sold me!" Twilight yelled at a very scared looking Lyra. The seafoam green unicorn was tied up on the chair against her will. Lyra struggled against the ropes, but the knots were too tight. The only light in the room was the magic off of Twilight's horn. The only noise was the pacing of the furious unicorn.

"If I knew it was you I wouldn't have done that!" She yelled back. Twilight's horn flared in anger, pointing the magic dangerously close to Lyra's face.

"How much did you get for me?" Twilight asked in a creepy whisper. The captured unicorn stayed silent.

"I don't think you heard me," she continued, "How much did you get for me." Twilight's horn grew brighter.

"Two."

"Two, what?" Twilight asked bitterly.

"Hundred." Lyra admitted.

"Two hundred bits! You sold me out for two hundred bits?" Twilight was furious over the entire situation.

"Two hundred, thousand." She said laughing. Twilight's face turned even more sour than before.

"And what happened to the money?" Twilight asked, her voice still quiet.

"Got ripped off..." She muttered.

"I didn't hear you." Twilight said unconvinced.

"The money was fake!" Lyra admitted.

"You sold me to a circus for fake money."

"What are you going to do with me?" Lyra asked, afraid of what might come. Twilight let out a sly smile.

"Oh me? I'm not going to do anything, but I can't say the same thing about my friend." Twilight whispered into Lyra's ear. The light from the magic was snuffed out, and the two were encased in dark. The unicorn walked out of the room unnoticed. Lyra was left alone in the dark for a minute. Then there was another steady sound of breathing.

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked the pony in the dark. The silhouette opened its bright light blue eyes.

"Pinkie?" Lyra asked confused.

"Hiya Lyra How's it been? I've been fine I mean you can't be too good because-Twilight sure is cheesed off at you-I'd be scared if she was mad at me-I mean she can be scary with the shiny eye thing..." Pinkie stated, seemingly not running out of breath.

"Leave me alone, please." Lyra said, annoyed of the constant blabbering of the pony.

"Why? I mean we're fine talking about our day right? Oh my Celestia I had the best daffodil and daisy sandwich today! I mean it was amazing-Then I went to Sugar Cube Corner and I saw all the fantastic cakes on sale, but you know what I like better than cakes?" Pinkie asked mischievously, a sly smile appeared on her face. Lyra sat there annoyed on what Pinkie was doing. Instead of a bright bubbly answer, she was treated with a demented tone in Pinkie's voice.

"Cupcakes."

A Clean and Prosperous Tomorrow

The two humans landed in a bright flash. Tara removed her hands from face, allowing her eyes to adjust to the light of the area. When her sight adjusted she was astonished at the sight. There was lights flashing all around her, bright glowing signs with slogans and logos.

"What is this?" Tara asked, looking at her scientific counterpart.

"The march of progress." Thalia said proudly, "and you're looking at its visionary."

"You mean we did this?"

"Not all of it. You know the term 'progress stands on the shoulders of giants' " Thalia stated, looking up at the skyscrapers. Tara was amazed at the height of each building. She looked at the citizens that walked around; people toyed around with small metal devices, some holding up to their head, and others tapped at the screens.

"What are they doing?" Tara asked looking at the machines.

"It's how we communicate, we can talk to people across the planet with little work. We could also send messages instantly.

"We have to send letters."

"We still do that. It's just not as common." Thalia reassured, grabbing Tara's arm. She showed the sights of the city, including some familiar sites. Tara saw the signs of the city and knew it was the town she resided in, Sugar Cube Confectionaries, Carousel Boutique, and even her library.

"What happened to the library? It was much smaller. Tara looked at the huge building and saw it extend to the sky.

"It's still a library, but on upper floors are the research center, laboratories, and my personal base of operations. Where I keep my inventions." Thalia answered, dragging her other self inside.

"Welcome back Miss Sparkle, and... Miss Sparkle? I guess your cloning machine worked." A secretary greeted happily.

"Hi, can you hold everything? I have something to attend to." Thalia requested, working the glass elevator.

"Yes Miss Sparkle." She said happily, turning her attention to a phone. The two entered inside the elevator; Tara watched the elevator rise, making the workers below seem to shrink.

They reached a certain floor, and Thalia eventually had to pass several security clearances. After five minutes the two finally entered a white empty room. Tara figured this must be her office, and she assumed this mist be where she kept her inventions.

"Where's all the inventions?" Tara asked, turning around slowly. Thalia stayed silent but instead turned to the wall next to the door. She pressed a few buttons before the walls opened and shelves popped out from the walls. There were many devices stored on the walls; Tara tried to grab the nearest one, but her hand was slapped away by Thalia.

"Don't do that." Thalia warned,  looking at the small black colored block.

"What does it do?" Tara asked, resisting the urge to touch it.

"This thing could wipe out this city's power grid!" Thalia explained; Tara looked at herself confused. "It's what makes all the lights turn on. And it powers every technological item we have in this universe."

"Why would you create something that destroys it?"

"A number of reasons, hostile take over from another power, Malfunction in the power grid, unstable inventions. But enough of that, Tara, let me show you something." Thalia requested, grabbing the purple haired girl and directing her back up the elevator.

"What is it?"" Tara asked curiously, looking at the door that needed another security clearance.

"It's a type of machine that could do what most people can't."

"Sounds interesting."

"Interesting, but unstable." Thalia clarified, "this drone will be the salvation or destruction."

"And it's supposed to do what exactly?" Tara asked, feeling slightly nervous.

"Put itself in harms way, I'm pretty sure you know the threats that came up." Thalia answered. "The drones are to stop the losses of the families of soldiers and guards."

"Makes sense , but why is it dangerous."

"I can't exactly get the robots to follow directions all the time." Thalia warned, but after her statement, static rang from the phone.

"That's an understatement," the voice chided metalically. Thalia's face scrunched up to an expression of annoyance.

"Oh shut up," she said Indgnantly into the device.

"What did she mean by that?"

"Nothing special."

"If you call the broken ribs, spines, arms, and legs of scienctists nothing special," the voice snickered.

"Shut up, I'll be in the lab in a bit." Thalia scolded, opening the door to the lab.

"Sup," the girl greeted, looking at the second Thalia with an apathetic look in her eyes. Tara looked at the girl and she instantly recognized who it was. Her short cropped rainbow hair made it an obvious guess.

"Hey Thalia, hey other Thalia," she said uncaringly, walking through the lab.

"Well Tara you met my assistant Rachel." Thalia stated brusquely, putting on a pair of goggles.

"That's mistake number one! Once you name something you grow attached to it." Rachel stated.

"Shut up Rachel, she's not a clone." Thalia protested, handing a pair of safety goggles to her counterpart.

Thalia pressed some buttons and made the walls recede again,  revealing the robot hidden in the room. The robot whirred to life; the eyes of the machine glowed blue. The machine groaned strangely, giving a strange feeling to the three. The drone sparked up and grabbed Thalia, forcing the scientist to struggle against the grasp of he machine. Rachelkicked the drone, causing into stumble backwards and fall out the window.

"Thalia!" Tara screamed; almost leaping after herself.

"Woah! Don't do that!" Rachel warned, restraining the girl.

"But she'll die!" Tara protested.

"She'll be fine, just do what I tell ya."

The rainbow haired assistant pulled out a small pod and handed it to Tara.

"Okay, I want you to jump, count to three, and press this button." Rachel instructed.

"What!? Why!?" Tara asked, worried about her safety.

"These portals work better if you activate them near each other. And if you're anything like Thalia you'll be fine."

"This is nuts!"

"Welcome to the wonderful world of science!" Rachel welcomed smashing a window with her hands. Tara looked down the edge and felt vertigo rush over her; the sudden dizziness forcing her to grip the window. "Nice knowing ya." Rachel pushed the girl out the window, causing her to scream.

"Three....Two... One!" Tara counted, and  she pressed the button without hesitation, forcing her to be at the mercy of all the possible dimensions.

--

Tara found herself surrounded by roses, and the thorns that had accompanied them.

"Oh my!" A voice rang from behind her. Tara turned to her side to see a white alicorn with a shocked look on her face. The alicorn's face changed into a sly smile before saying, "It seems a human has invaded my rose garden."

Subspace and Magic Do-Hickeys

        "It's okay human, I won't bite... Yet," she said with a slight chuckle. Tara wondered what kind of universe was she in. The human was unsettled by the comment made by Celestia.

"How did you get in the garden?" Celestia asked, her head cocked in confusion.

"The window." Tara said flatly, chuckling to her inside joke.

"You know, I thought humans were extinct." Celestia said in a slow whisper.

"Why would you think that?" Tara asked, figuring out that humans and ponies might have coexisted at some point in this universe. Celestia laughed to herself as she continued to pick the flowers.

"It was a shame. They were quite the delicacy." Celestia said, licking her lips hungrily.

"Oh shi-" Tara was cut off by two large stallions restraining her. In the midst of the surprise. she dropped the little pod. She watched in horror as she was being dragged into a large kitchen. Her kicking and screaming had no effect on the brute strength of the stallions."Being eaten by my teacher. It's a funny way to die." Tara thought.

"Yup, nothing sounds more wrong than that." She joked to herself.

Looking throughout the clean kitchen, she planned an escape route.

"Slowly roast the human, get the spices ready! Iron Gut, put down the mallet! That's after the roast. I'm dealing with imbeciles! I feel like Celestia purposefully assigned you morons to me." A stallion with a neatly trimmed mane, blue eyes, and a very familiar accent. Iron Gut seemed messy, he had a rather thick body type, his mane was short but was still a mess.

"You're going to roast me! Why don't you just boil me alive!" Tara screamed, she panicked but her strength wasn't enough to combat the guards. After a  ill-fated attempt to set herself free, she was quickly tied up on a pole.

"Boiling? That's actually not a bad idea," Iron Gut said smiling. "Somepony bring in the giant pot!"

"I didn't mean it literally!" Tara yelled, trying to prolong her death.

"Strike the pot!" he yelled again, although nopony listened to him in the first place.

"I'm not really that edible anyway!" Tara said, "I mean look at me! I'm scrawny, there's no meat here. Nope, none at all." Nopony bothered to listen to the human's stalling. The frantic cooks just rushed around, looking for the correct ingredients.

"Somepony, bring the buttered daisies." He ordered.

"Somepony bring in the fluttered chaseys!" Tara yelled, mocking the accent.

"Stop that," he said annoyed. The chef continued to spew out orders.

"Bring in the cheese from Fillydelphia."

"I could use some philly-cheese steaks."

"Now you're getting on my nerves human," He spat. A vein clearly visible on his forehead.

"You know, I go great with some olives and parsley." Tara joked, it was probably the only thing she could do at the moment. If she could at least get the ponies distracted, it will give her a shot at escaping.

"Someone shut her up!" He yelled with rage. A mare trotted up to her with a bright red apple.

"No thanks. I'm stuff-" Tara was once again interrupted, this time the apple was forced into her mouth. The human scowled the best she could behind the large apple.

"Miss Cook Book, look in the study to find any books on how to properly  prepare a human."

"Yes chef Ramsley." The mare known as Cook Book nodded, before leaving the room. Tara made sure to spit the apple back at Cook Book, but her actions were repaid by another helping of apple. She sighed in frustration, she felt she was going to die here. Spitting the apple out, Tara decided it was now her time to escape.

Tara carefully slipped her hands so they were above the knot. Tara made sure the sounds of her magic were muffled by her fake coughing. After her hands were free, she knew she needed a weapon. Something blunt. Tara looked around for a brief moment, when she finally spotted the chunky colt she almost smiled with delight.

"Hey Iron Mutt!" Tara yelled, effectively getting the attention of the colt. He looked annoyed, yet he dangerously swung the meat cleaver in his hoof not too far from her. Tara did her best to keep her face as far away as possible from the cleaver.

"My name's Iron Gut," he said annoyed at the insult. The mallet still near her head.

"Would you do me a favor and scratch the tip of my nose? It's getting really annoying." Tara asked, putting on her most innocent smile.

"Why does it matter? You'll be dead in a moment's notice." He said with a slight chuckle.

"Oh just do it," she said sharply, leaning back on the pole with a sly smile. The colt did as he was told, leaning in closer. His random act of compassion was returned with an energy powered fist in his face. Tara leapt away from the pole, making sure to take the mallet away from the pony that was knocked on the floor.

Tara bolted away from the kitchen. Luckily for her, the layout of the castle wasn't much different than her own universe's. Angry orders of "catch her," or "You idiot! You let her get away!" came from behind her. She didn't dare look back, she made sure to run back to the garden where the pod was left behind. Turning the last corner, Tara finally spotted the small machine. Tara laughed in relief, she caught a second wind and rushed faster to the silver pod.

Her hopes of escape were quickly ruined by the magic aura gripping her leg.

"So close," she groaned. Struggling against the stronger magic, Tara held her grip on the floor. She was lifted upside down into the air, getting an awkward feel of the air around her. Celestia smiled to herself, shaking Tara around in her magic.

"But so far," the princess said rubbing in the capture. Tara crossed her arms and pouted, not expecting her journey to end like this.

"What were you even going to accomplish?" Celestia chided, mildly amused at the attempt for freedom.

"Just trying to get out  the way I came in." Tara did her best to keep the princess' attention away from herself. The human pointed her hands towards the pod and allowing the small machine to fly right to her. The sound of Tara's magic muffled by the small talk between the two.

"You'll make an interesting feast at tonight's banquet."

"Oh really? Will I be served naked with an apple in my mouth?" Tara asked sarcastically.

        "Actually, I was thinking I could use your head as a nice centerpiece."

        "Really!? Can you do my hair?" Tara asked, with faked enthusiasm.

        The pod returned to Tara's hand with the aid of her magic. She clutched the machine for dear life. Right before she was able to get away, she was dropped on her back. The human gasped, trying to get her breath back.

        "To think a human can case this much trouble." Ramsley scoffed, the assistants trapping Tara in a hogtie.

        Tara began to cough violently, faking a serious illness. The wheezing and hacking being faked.

        "What's wrong with her?" Celestia asked, holding Tara's face in her hooves.

        "Me-medicine." Tara coughed, purposefully making her voice sound grainy.

        "Well, get her her medicine!"

        "Why, we'll be killing her in a moment?" Ramsley said, taking the pod away.

"At least when we kill her it'll be a painless process."

        "Fine whatever you say princess," he said. Giving the pod back to Tara, her hands still tied behind her back.

        "Well, go on release her." Celestia said, gesturing to set Tara free.

        The ponies soon realized they made a mistake when the human stood back up.

"Buh-bye now," Tara said, they looked at her in astonishment. She waved goodbye, smiling at the same time. Her lavender magic activating the pod, much to the shock of the others. The ponies tried their best to subdue her, their efforts returned with meeting the tile floor.

--

The same blue subspace surrounded her, the many universes made Tara groaned in disappointment.

"When the book said infinite, it meant infinite." She said jumping back into another universe.

"This place doesn't seem half bad," she said. looking around the room she was in.

The room was sterile, reminiscent of a hotel room, the only light came from outside of the window. Tara noticed a bright pink bed ahead of her.

"Lucky me," she said. Tara plopped down onto the pink bed, expecting to feel a soft mattress. Instead she felt a smooth plastic. She jumped off of the bed and walked over to a purple lamp. To her surprise the lamp was also plastic.

"Please let it be a world made of plastic, and not what I think it is." Tara said, hoping she wasn't right. She walked over to the window, once again the window was made of plastic. But what shocked her more was what was on the other side of the window.

A gigantic eye.

On closer inspection, the eye was a bright pink and a mix of purple. Tara was too scared to find out who it belonged to.

"Mommy! I want this one!" A youthful voice begged. The voice was familiar, yet slightly higher pitched.

"Alright Celestia, I'll get you this one." A maternal voice said with a small chuckle. The whole room began to shake, sending Tara bouncing around the room. Again in the confusion and darkness. the human had lost that small pod again.

"I can see how this is going to play out." Tara said annoyed. Tara got a better look at this "Mommy". She had an all white coat, Red mane with split bangs, and her cutie mark that was a quill dipped in ink.

Her brief moment of seeing the mother turned her attention to the daughter. It was an exact image of Princess Celestia as a filly. The same eyes, mane and smile. Tara didn't know whether or not to be comforted by the fact of Celestia buying her. Tara felt the box being placed in a shopping bag face down. Tara got a good look at the contents of the bag, surprisingly the only thing that really caught her attention was a cake that read:

Happy birthday Celestia!

"That's nice, I'm a birthday present, that's a lot better than being served with a side of butter." Tara reassured herself. The walk to the check-out line wasn't as long as she had expected it to be. There, a lanky slim colt stood at the counter.

"Let me ring these up for you," he said. a weak smile on his face as he rung up the items.

"Ah, My little Human. I'm also a fan of the show, great animation values, clever plots." he said, his smile growing wider. Celestia instead hid behind the legs of her mother.

"Come on birthday girl. Give me a brofist." He said, extending a hoof to the filly.

"Go on bump hooves with the nice colt." She said, nudging the filly. Celestia complied, but she hid back behind her mother right  after. Tara was confused, then she wondered if children really did watch over her life.

"Isn't My Little Human a little girl's show?" Asked the mother innocently.

"You're never too old for a good show."

The ride home went by at an interminable pace, Tara could only hear the rhythmic steps of the ponies that had purchased her. There were occasional instances where Celestia begged her mom to open the present early. Each time there was a response of polite rejection, and a groan from the filly. Tara used this time to go searching for the pod, after about five minutes Tara finally found it. Unfortunately for her, the box was once again picked up and shaken once more.

Her point of view was now changed to a table with the large cake she became acquainted with. There she saw the mother, Celestia, and another alicorn. This one had a midnight blue coat, and an all blue mane, she looked younger than Celestia. The blue alicorn's eyes drifted towards the cake. Luna and her mother went through the regular traditions of a normal family birthday. Tara dreaded what was about to come next.

"Alright Celestia, time to open your presents."

"Yes!" Celestia squealed, she reached for the box that held Tara in it. Tara did her best to smile like a normal doll would. The loud rumbling caused the human to almost break character. She didn't want to psychologically damage the little filly. Celestia's magic surrounded the human. lifting her up to her face.

"I think I'll name you... Twilight! Twilight Sparkle." She said with a pleased nod.

"Very funny universe." Tara said to herself, keeping the solid smile on her face.

"She's just like the one in the show." Luna chimed in.

"That confirms it, ponies watch my private life." Tara said annoyed. Celestia made sure to take the box with all the accessories with her upstairs to her bedroom, Luna following close behind. There was about an hour of Celestia brushing Tara's hair with a ridiculously large comb. Luna asked Celestia if she could at least see "Twilight".

"No," she said, using her magic to make sure Luna couldn't grab Tara.

"Just for a little bit," begged Luna. Celestia continued to refuse to share Tara with her. The two fillies began to argue, butting heads over Tara. The human was afraid when she figured out what was about to come next. The magic of both alicorns grasped her, one grabbing the waist and below, and vice-versa for the other.  The force of both alicorn's magic wasn't enough to tear Tara in half, but it was enough to stretch her about an inch or two taller.

"It's mine!"

"Share!"

"Never!"

"Just for a minute!"

"Girls! If you two are going to argue over a small toy, I guess I'm going to have to take it away." The two fillies let go of Tara in fear, sending her free falling towards the ground. Tara closed her eyes as she was coming closer to the ground at breakneck speeds, except her death didn't come. She was met with magic surrounding her, this time it gently lifted her into the air and away from the children.

After the mother was away from the children, she did something Tara didn't expect.

"I know what you are," she said, looking at the "toy". Tara stayed frozen, thinking it was better off if she didn't move.

"Don't worry little one, you're safe. They can't get you," she reassured. Tara sprung back to life finally trusting the colossal pony. The mother put the human on the nearby counter, putting Tara in an upright position.

"W-what are you going to do with me?" Tara asked, fear present in her tone.

"Nothing, I'm leaving you to go." She said sternly.

"Well thanks. Just one favor, could you bring me the box and place its contents here?" Tara asked innocently. The alicorn nodded and walked away, presumably to retrieve the box. Tara sat alone, thinking about the universes.

"I can't decide which universe was worse, Being a part of the food chain, or death by playtime." Tara sighed. Her thoughts were eventually interrupted by the alicorn walking in with the box.

"So are humans being sold like toys?" Tara asked, wondering if this was the cruel reality of this world.

"No I guess it's just you," she answered. "So what are you doing exactly?"

"Traveling between dimensions. Really complicated stuff, trying to get home." Tara explained quickly.

"Well good luck human," she said. Smiling enough to get Tara to cheer up. Tara found the pod, the small silver device that has led her into bad situations twice.

"Please, let the next universe be better than this." Tara begged the cosmos, activating the machine with haste. She grew used to the whole subspace business, the luck of the draw was the mechanics of these universes. Jumping into the most sane looking universe.

--

"Well of all places, this is so far the most dirty." Tara stated, looking at her surroundings. She figured she was in a public restroom. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to check the universe out. She noticed major changes in the overall aesthetics. First of all the universe she was in was not anything like hers; the world being extremely vivid and detailed. The world seemed to have been darker, since none of the cartoonish aspects were present.

The girl stood up from the side of the stall and walked out. She thrust her face into the sink to clean herself up slightly. When she looked up she noticed her purple hair color was changed into a raven like black color. Tara still had the purple streaks in her hair; an iconic trait of her that kept the same. Her eyes were unchained, and the brightness of the color was amplified by the universe's looks.

"Woah! Your Twilight cosplay looks perfect!" A voice from behind shouted. It was female and it seemed to have been glad to see her. She also happened to have been dressed up as someone else. She had a sky blue tank top, athletic shorts and running shoes, but her most notable feature was a thick, scraggly rainbow wig that was clearly fake. Small patches of brown hair were sticking out of the wig.

"Uh, thanks?" Tara said, half confused by the fact that her pony self was mentioned, and she had no idea what the term "cosplay" meant at all. The rainbow wigged girl pulled out a phone, grabbing Tara and brought her into frame. The stranger then proceeded to stick her lips out in a crude way; Tara on the other hand tried to copy the expression. The result was an awkward photo of Tara with a strange look and the girl mimicking the face of a duck.

"Just wait here while I handle my business," she said before stepping into a bathroom stall. There was the sound of water hitting water and small talk from the girl in the stall. The cosplayer  had a certain eccentricness about her, presenting an almost delightful attitude.

"I became a fan of Fim like... A year ago, when a friend of mine introduced me to it."

Tara droned her out from that point.

"I'm a brony and I'm proud. And I refuse to be called a pegasister! It's a terrible term and it only splits up the fandom..."

Tara ignored her again.

"You know. You tend to bond with someone while your at your most intimate. I mean we could be best friends by now. You're a great listener, did anyone ever tell you that?" There was a flush from the stall and the girl stepped out, extending her unwashed hand to the dimension traveler. "Name's Donna."

"Tara," she said, and without thinking she shook the dirty hand.

"Just like Tara Strong!"

"Who?"

Missing

           "Good morning Samuel!" A cheerful accented voice rang.

"Good morning Ramona," he said lazily. He had been in a bad mood ever since his older sister disappeared. It tore Tara's friend's hearts apart to see the boy's attitude. Even his infatuation with the designer wasn't enough to curb his depression.

"Hey Sam! Wanna go over to Sweet Apple Acres?" Ramona's younger sister Bella asked from the breakfast table.

"No thanks," he answered politely. He sat down on the table across from the young girl and stared at the dining table. Ramona placed plates of pancakes in front of the two children while pouring juice in their cups.

"Thanks sis!" Bella thanked before happily digging into the food.

"Thanks..." Sam mumbled, earning a look of concern from the fashionista. The dress maker slowly thought to herself that the boy needed some space; after all, his older sister did just disappear. She was just as worried for the well being of her friend, but there was a feeling that presented itself that made her go on edge. She knew something had to be wrong. Tara wouldn't  just leave unannounced; she would at lest leave a note or arrange her friends to watch over her brother, but this time it had seemed that she had abandoned everything and left behind her brother for no apparent reason.

"It just ain't something anyone in the right mind would do," a southern accent scolded. The apple farmer denied the fact that Tara might have been abducted and opted to say she left.

"It might not be her fault. She could have been kidnapped... Or worse." Ramona said dramatically, her voice raising on her final word. Jackie looked at her friend with an unamused look.

"She's probably seeing the princess and forgot to tell anyone."

"She should have told someone though. Just look at him, he looks miserable." Ramona continued, pointing out the green haired boy that sat on the sidelines while three little girls ran around the orchard. "He's beating himself up about it." Ramona pointed towards Sam; he poked the ground with a stick and twirled it around slowly.

"Ah'm pretty sure the girls can cheer him up. They always find a way to cheer people up." Jacqueline said thoughtfully.

"Come on Sammy! We're going to Sugar Cube Corner," a tomboyish girl with bright purple hair chimed, grabbing the depressed boy's arm and dragged him away. He complied and he stood up to follow them.

"Fine I'll come along," he agreed. The four children ran from the older women that talked to each other. Jacqueline could have sworn that Tara's brother smiled slightly when they dragged him off to another adventure.

--

"Let go of me!" Thalia screamed, struggling against the droid's grip. It didn't try to harm her, and she knew if it did she would have been dead by now. As long as nothing tried to destroy it then the robot would be peaceful enough to not harm anyone. Thalia looked at her creation that ravaged the area that had seemed to be desolate. The machine would lift up crushed metallic objects and discarded them seconds after searching it. Thalia knew what it was searching for, and she hoped and prayed that the machine The sky was grated out with smoke, making the scientist's spine chill; something wasn't right about this settings.

Seconds later there was the unmistakeable sounds of gunfire.

The robot's metal casing was able to stop the oncoming bullets, and the science driven human knew that the hits were only going to anger the drone that had held her hostage. The giant robot roared with anger before dropping the person that had created it. Thalia hit the ground hard; one of the stray bullets managed to graze her thigh. She shrieked in pain, causing the mech's eyes to darken, and it turned its attention towards the shooters.

"We got that SOB!" One of the gunmen shouted, referring to the now angry robot that they shooting. It roared again and began to charge towards the shooters. It grabbed one of the five and threw it away from the others. The soldier hit the found with a loud groan. It turned its head to the other four, striking both awe and fear into them. The robot turned away and went back to its fallen creator. Thalia still had her inter dimensional travel device with her; she activated it to get her away from the robot. She figured that the soldiers could handle this.

Thalia had failed to notice her own robot coming towards her. It swept her up into its iron grip and she pried herself away from it. She was actually successful in removing herself from the machine's grip. Unfortunately, her teleport device was still stuck to the bot. It finally sparked to life and the war machine had just went way beyond her reach. She was now stranded in a hostile universe, and she just had to wait it out. Thalia hoped the machine won't ever find what it was looking for.

"Hold your fire!" A strong, feminine voice ordered. Thalia kept her head low, faking that she was dead. The scientist heard footsteps nearing her. Thalia was turned over by a metallic object, presumably a metal boot. When she was completely turned around, she saw a tall, pale woman clad in armor. Her hair was midnight blue and she had a moon symbol on her chest piece. She recognized her as the Princess, but she did not have a concerned or caring look on her face. She had a cruel smile on her face.

"I guess my dear sister was behind this," she predicted, knowing who the girl was. "A valiant effort, but now that I have her 'most faithful student' I think we might have the upper-hand in this fight."

In Which the Punchline is This Website

"You're telling me that you have the best Twilight Sparkle cosplay ever, but you don't even know her voice actress?" Tara's newly met friend asked in disbelief. Tara was still confused on the concept of this universe; her equine version was the subject of a children's show. Accompanied by a mass following of man-children that cared more about the show than the original demographic. Donna had just explained to her that the same mass following also created tons of fan made content, and she would have been unconvinced if she wasn't standing in a giant showroom that contained said fans.

This dimension got her thinking; if the pony version of herself was watched intently by humans, is she being watched by ponies as a children's cartoon in their universe? Was this event even significant at all? And if anyone was watching this as a show, would they know about her dimension traveling? The questions that were raised had confused the girl enough for her to ignore the girl that she had just met.

"Hey Tara, did ya hear me?"

"Oh, sorry. I guess I'm kind of new," the newbie answered, "I didn't expect that many people here."

"Ah, first time convention-goer," she said, putting her hand on Tara's shoulder. "Don't worry I'll show a new brony the ropes." Donna had grabbed Tara and pulled her away to another area of the convention floor.

"First things first, we have to show your costume off." Donna explained, "it's just too good to keep to ourselves." The Rainbow Dash impersonator dragged her to a shabby resteraunt booth where a group of two guys had been eating greasy burgers. They looked up from their fast food to acknowledge the return of a friend.

"Hey, Donna, who's this lovely lady?" One of them asked, he had black, curly hair, a gray beanie on his head with Rainbow Dash on it.

"Shut up, Charlie, and chew with your mouth closed." Donna scolded, leading Tara to believe they were related or just really close enough to be rude to each other, or maybe it was just this universe's culture to be rude and obnoxious to each other. Considering the fact that she had participated in an awkward conversation in the bathroom, she was willing to believe the latter. "We're going to enter the costume competition, and we're gonna win."

"Sure thing, Miss Merkin," the second guy answered, confirming Tara's suspicion on being rude. Donna had instinctively grabbed her rainbow wig and tugged on the scratchy fibers.

"Nice one," the one known as Charlie complimented, extending his fist to the other guy who bumped it in return. Donna seemed offended, making Tara guess that a "merkin" wasn't a good thing.

"Anyway, this is Charlie and Dennis." Donna introduced, pointing to the two of them.

"Sup," Charlie greeted. He then turned back to his food.

"Howdy." Dennis added, waving his hand whie taking a sip of soda.

They talked for a bit, while Tara sat on the side just listening. Tara got a look of the restaurant, it seemed that the food was low grade and was produced quickly. The idea of the poor-quality food had confused her since her universe only had family owned businesses and top ranked restaurants. She was in the middle of the analysis of the area before she was asked a question.

"What's your favorite episode?" Charlie asked, provoking Tara.

"Uhh..." She stalled, "I can't pick just one. They're all pretty awesome." She congratulated herself on coming up with a successful way to postpone any

"Mine's 'Ponyville Confidential.' " Charlie answered, hoping to help Tara out.

"Really? 'Bridle Gossip' was a better episode," the other combated, giving his opinion.

" 'Return of Harmony parts one and two,' best episodes ever." Donna explained arguing with her friends. They argued against each other, making the situation strange for Tara.

The girl in the wig took a swig of soda from a plastic cup, much to the annoyance of Charlie. She gave him a teasing wink before dragging Tara out of the cheap food establishment. The newly raven-haired girl was brought back into the convention hall filled with many people that mostly stood in lines. She heard people compliment her "costume." Of course there were some people that were using their own creative abilities to imagine a human Twilight Sparkle.

"Twilight wouldn't wear that," an overly obnoxious guy said to her. Tara was slightly bothered since she was technically a version of Twilight, and she wasn't about to let any random guy give her any advice on how to dress.

"I'm pretty confident that she would." Tara responded. "But in your mind what would she wear."

"A sweater vest duh," he said full of confidence. "And that's because she's smart."

"Okay. Since when does wearing a sweater vest indicate that you're smart?"

"I don't know, I just imagined her as a schoolgirl."

"Right... It's totally not the fact she's an independent adult that's not even affiliated with her old school anymore other than the mandatory letters to the Princess." Tara fought back, pointing out his stereotypical design choices. The fan quickly shut up and turned away.

"Dude, you showed him," her companion in this universe said in awe. "And you're new to this fandom?"

"Judgement Day!" Donna shouted, anticipating their rank. Tara felt confident that they were at least going to place. Anyone else would as well if they went to a look alike contest of themselves.

"It's only been thirty minutes," the other half of the contest entry reminded, staying somewhat grouchy.

"The hour of reckoning has arrived," she rambled on.

"And the winner of our Friendship is Magic costume contest is..." The announcer stalled, as a sort of tradition with all types awards ceremonies or prizes. "The Pegasister Alliance with their human rendition of the mane six!"

"Them?" Tara asked aloud, surprised by the loss, but then again they were out numbered. It still angered her that the inaccurate costumes of the Alliance managed to win. Tara remembered on her entry that she nitpick end each and every one of their costumes.

"Applejack wouldn't wear that. It's too revealing! Seriously, who harvests apples looking like they were just attacked by a wolf that ate their clothes?" Tara pointed out, looking over the costume of a girl with blond hair, extremely short shorts, and an orange flannel shirt that was tied up to display her... Jiggly bits. "Come on, and speaking of overly sexualized girls, just look at Rarity!"

"Tara, calm down. You're making a scene."

"And look at me-uh I mean Twilight. She looks like-"

"Okay that's enough of that! Lets go get you something to eat? You look thin."

--

"It's called a Big Mac." Charlie butted in. He placed a lazily wrapped sandwich in front of her. The other two convention goers had just managed to calm Tara down after her winded session of ranting. The name of the cow filled patty igniting a spark of recognition in the girl. She eyed it before removing the wrapper, she studied it for a good twelve seconds and took a bite if it. The iconic meat patty tasted different than anything she had back home.

"This is good, what's in it?" Tara asked, taking another bite of a large burger.

"Let's see, genetically modified tomatoes, lettuce, unnatural cheese, some "secret" sauce, and processed cows." Donna answered, hoping to freak her out. It worked, as her eyes instantly widened.

"Cows?" Tara asked, spitting out the bite of the hamburger.

"We don't eat cows where I'm from," she clarified, wiping her tongue with an extremely dry napkin. The two guys looked at her with strange smiles; they had seemed to enjoy her plight that involved eating meat.

"So you're a vegetarian?" Donna asked, feeling sorry for her friend. Donna put her hand to mouth in shock as she thought of the idea of absent mindedly feeding a vegetarian meat.

"Yeah, it's kind of my fault, I should have noticed." Tara said, attempting to forget the taste of an innocent cow. She knew some other people in her universe had eggs, but she didn't like the taste. Her younger and older brothers on the other hand ate meats, and it had bothered her a bit that they were so casual about it. They used the lame but valid excuse that they needed protein to go on. "If you're going to be the captain of the royal guard, you need to build muscle, and protein equals muscle." He would always say when the girl would scold him about red meats.

"Look I'm so sorry about that," she apologized, stretching out "so" enough to seem like she was sincere.

"Let's just not bring it up." Tara requested.

"Soooo." Dennis said quietly. "Do you have any friends with you?"

"No, I'm alone." Tara said truthfully.

"Now that's a shame. A lady like you shouldn't be alone." Charlie flirted.

"It's not going to happen Charlie," the girl of the group chided.

"Going to conventions alone sucks dude," the guy known as Dennis advised.

"I'm just kind of glad I met you guys."

"Damn straight!" Donna shouted.

"What'd  you guys think about Princess Twilight?" Donna asked.

"Princess?" Tara asked, confused by the strange statement.

"Don't even mention that. I choose to believe it's fake." Dennis moaned.

"I think it's awesome, and she deserves it." Charlie argued. They both presented their opinion, one said that Twilight would out live her friends and watch them pass on while she stays young forever. The other argued that everything would be just fine, and to trust the writers.

"Can someone explain this?" Tara asked, stopping the short session of bickering.

"Twilight's becoming an alicorn princess in the season finale." Donna answered, pressing some keys on her phone. The Rainbow Dash look-alike showed her a picture of a familiar purple unicorn with a styled mane, a shiny crown, and most importantly wings. The alicorn seemed to have been waving to a crowd while a little caption read,

#Ponyprincess

"I'm not sure it's a good thing or a bad thing." Tara said, realizing that she might've just seen a peek into her future, but then again, she couldn't have known how accurate their predictions were. Tara chuckled nervously, as if there are people that actively dictate the lives of sentient ponies for the entertainment of others.

Right?