Doggone it, Fluttershy!

Chapters

Ch 1: Gimme Shelter
Ch 2: Broken Promises
Ch 3: Gifted and Talented
Ch 4: Truth and Dare
Ch 5: A List of Twists
Ch 6: Revelations (Part 1)
Ch 7: Revelations (Part 2)

Ch 1: Gimme Shelter

“E…Excuse me?” the soft voice asked delicately. “Would you like a flyer for the Canterlot Animal Shelter? We have so many little friends that need a good home.” Fluttershy took the top sheet from the stack she was carrying and held it out tentatively to the pair of students that had walked close to the statue where Fluttershy was spending her lunch hour.

As the two students each gave a slight shake of their heads declining the proffered flyer, Fluttershy looked down at her feet, and said quietly, “Sorry to have bothered you.” The two students left without another word, and Fluttershy sighed a bit. She had only handed out two flyers during the entire hour, she’d hoped to at least hand out four, tying her best effort ever.

As the bell sounded indicating the end of lunch period at Canterlot High School, Fluttershy made her way back inside and to her locker, where she deposited the remaining flyers neatly inside until she could hand them out again on Monday. She had started spending three lunches a week handing out the flyers, hoping to get some attention for the shelter prior to the weekend.

As the throng of students died down, leaving the locker hallway vacant, Fluttershy took a bag of lettuce from her locker and then knelt down to set her backpack on the floor. She unzipped the pack slowly, so as not to startle the inhabitant within, and called out gently “Come on out Angel, it’s time for lunch!”

Fluttershy took a large leaf of the lettuce from the bag and held it out towards her pack. As Angel Bunny poked his furry head head out, smelling the food, Fluttershy smiled. It was always such a treat to get a little time with her best animal friend.

Angel sniffed at the lettuce again, and turned his head, crossing his forelegs. “What’s wrong, Angel?” Fluttershy asked. “You like lettuce! It’s really fresh, I got it just this morning on the way to school, won’t you take at least a bite?” Fluttershy implored.

Angel shook his head, and Fluttershy bit gently on her lower lip, wishing she had brought something else for the bunny to eat, but it was all she had. “Please, Angel” she cooed, “If you eat this now, I promise I’ll get you a nice, juicy carrot for dinner.” Angel turned his head slightly, feigning interest but his eyes still clearly conveying that the deal wasn’t yet to his liking.

“OK…mmm…two juicy carrots?” Fluttershy asked anxiously, hoping this would be enough to win over the finicky rabbit.

Angel paused as if thinking it over, then with a curt little nod, picked up the lettuce leaf between his paws and started to eat. He’d gotten the concession he wanted, and besides, he was nobunny’s fool. If this was all that his human had brought for lunch, he wasn’t about to go hungry.

Fluttershy smiled brightly as Angel dined, and said happily “I’m so glad you like it!” She waited until Angel had consumed the full leaf, and then taking note of the time, said “Oh dear…it’s getting late Angel, we have to get to class now.” Angel had the decency to acquiesce; sinking down into the backpack as Fluttershy zipped it shut and dashed off down the hallway to hurry to her 5th period English class. They were starting their PSAT study sessions, and Fluttershy wanted to take full advantage of them.

Fluttershy slid in the door to the class just as the bell sounded, and quickly made her way to her seat near the back of the room. She looked over near the front of the room, and caught Rarity’s little wave and smile as Miss Cheerilee called the class to attention. Fluttershy saw Rarity mouth to her “Talk to me later!” and then both girls turned to face the front of the classroom for the start of the lesson. Fluttershy noticed Angel squirming within her backpack as he got comfortable to nap through the period. She made a mental note to remember to stop by the grocery store as she had promised on the way home, to make sure she had enough carrots.

Once class was over, both Fluttershy and Rarity had study period together. They usually spent their afternoons outside on the quad if the weather was nice or inside in the choir room, which wasn’t used in the afternoon. It had been Sweetie Belle who had tipped off Rarity to the fact that the room was vacant, which allowed the two friends to catch up from the morning and for Fluttershy to let Angel out of her pack without worry of being caught.

Today was an outdoor day, however, and Fluttershy and Rarity found a bench under the shade of a large oak tree to sit and talk. Fluttershy made sure to first set down her pack and unzip it, so Angel could get out as he wanted.

“So tell me, Fluttershy, what plans do you have for the week-end?” Rarity inquired.

Fluttershy reached up to brush back an errant strand of hair unconsciously, one of her little nervous habits. “Oh…well…I volunteered to work an extra day at the shelter this weekend.” Fluttershy answered. “One of the regular staff asked for someone to cover them while they attended to a family event, and I said I would.” She brushed again at the lock of hair, even though it wasn’t really out of place again.

“Are you certain, dear, that you are not working too hard for them?” Rarity asked. “I know how important the shelter is to you, but you simply must make some time for yourself every so often.” Fluttershy only nodded silently, not looking Rarity in the eye.

Rarity caught on that it sounded like a bit of an admonition, and softened her tone. “I would love if you could visit the shop this weekend. I have been working on a fabulous new ensemble and I am just dying to show someone.” Rarity offered her friend one of her more dazzling smiles.

“Well…I…guess I could come by after the end of my shift.” Fluttershy offered. “I get off at four, if that’s OK.” Fluttershy then added somewhat hastily, “But if that’s too late, I completely understand.”

Rarity just gave a delighted giggle and said, “Nonsense, Darling, 4:00 PM would be just fine. I am just thrilled you can make it.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said, her lips curling into a slight smile at her friend’s happiness.

There was a slight ruffle from the backpack as Angel emerged, deciding that he wanted to sit in the grass for a bit. Before he scampered off, he glared up at Fluttershy with a “Don’t forget my carrots” stare, and then hopped off away from the two girls.

"What about tonight, dear?" Rarity inquired as she watched Angel scamper off. She knew how much he meant to Fluttershy, but she still wasn't fond of how he treated her.

"Oh...well, I promised Rainbow Dash that I would go to the Volleyball match to watch her and Sunset Shimmer play," Fluttershy said quietly. She really didn't have that much of an interest in sports, but Rainbow Dash had insisted, so Fluttershy had agreed.

"Hmpf!" Rarity scoffed, her hand moving up to fluff at the slight curl of her hair along her shoulder. "I just do not see the appeal."

"It's a very important game," Fluttershy offered meekly as if that would explain everything. "If they win tonight, Rainbow said they qualify for the District tournament."

"Well. I do hope they are victorious then," Rarity said, trying to feign a bit of interest.

"Me too," Fluttershy agreed. "What about you Rarity? What are you doing tonight?"

Rarity beamed another large smile, and said with a lilt of excitement to her voice, "I have another date tonight with Phillipe, he's such a gentleman! He truly knows how to treat a lady."

Rarity's eyes went a bit dreamy as she spoke, and Fluttershy sunk into herself a little. She never got asked out on dates, though it wasn't like she would have felt comfortable accepting such an invitation. With an inaudible sigh, she tried to think of something to change the topic. As she floundered in silence, the bell rang, indicating the change of period and Fluttershy was spared.

"Quel dommage!" Rarity said a little too dramatically. "I have a test in French class next, I can only hope it is très facile!"

Fluttershy took this as her cue to escape. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Rarity. And have fun tonight on your date." With that, she reached down to her backpack and picked it up by the straps to go collect Angel.

"Thank you, dear!" Rarity replied, a sincere smile on her face. "Give my best to Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer tonight."

"Of course," Fluttershy promised, and as Rarity gathered her books and left, Fluttershy began the process of pleading with Angel that it was time to go, she didn't want to be late to Social Studies again.

The rest of school flew by quickly, which was a bit of a relief to Fluttershy. True to her word, on the way home she made sure to stop by the grocery store and bought several large carrots. Her promise to Angel would be fulfilled, though she hadn't yet broken it to him she had plans to go out for the evening. Fluttershy also bought some cherries, just in case. Angel's favorite salad with the cherry on top always seemed to soothe his greatest tantrums.

Once home, Fluttershy set to feeding all of the animals living with her at her apartment. Officially, only Angel and Hummingway, her pet hummingbird, were known to the leasing company but that didn't stop Fluttershy from occassionally bringing home other animals from the shelter to care for them personally. Once she was satisfied that all of the animals had been fed, Fluttershy saw to her own simple dinner.

Negotiations with Angel lasted fifteen minutes before Fluttershy was able to get changed into her Canterlot High colors and off to the Volleyball match. As she had expected, she'd had to promise him his favorite salad for tomorrow, and was glad at her foresight to get the cherries at the store earlier. The night was crisp, and Fluttershy shivered a bit as she waited at the bus stop for the next bus back towards the campus.

When she arrived, the seats were filling up quickly, and Fluttershy could only a seat near the upper part of the bleachers. As the teams filed out onto the court, the Canterlot students gave a loud cheer of support, to which Fluttershy added her diminuitive "Yay!"

The match was a good one, and Fluttershy found herself more nervous than she expected as she watched her friends. The match eventually reached 2 games each, and the final game was closer than anyone had expected. Fluttershy almost couldn't watch as the Canterlot girls fell behind 13-9, but over the throng of the crowd she could hear Rainbow Dash encouraging her team to dig deeper and pull out a win.

The comeback was nothing short of amazing.

Playing as if it were already the championship, Rainbow Dash led her team back up to a 22-19 lead. Fluttershy just watched with amazement as the game reached match point. The other team wasn't giving up, and they set themselves up with what seemed an impenetrable defense, but the Wondercolts were ready. After the serve was returned, Golden Dawn placed a perfect set towards center net, and Rainbow Dash soared upwards to meet the ball. Three defenders answered her, jumping up with arms upstretched to block any attempt. Rainbow's jump, however, was a ruse, and as she purposefully missed striking the ball, Sunset Shimmer had advanced from her left wing position to take the set, screaming a vicious kill cross-court past the wall of defenders that had committed to Rainbow's ploy.

The referee signaled the final point, and the crowd erupted into celebration. Fluttershy was so moved she jumped up and down, her own cheers adding to the noise. The two teams passed in a line, congratulating each other on a game well played, and Fluttershy made her way down to the edge of the court. Rainbow Dash saw Fluttershy and waved her onto the parquet. Fluttershy balked at first, then as Rainbow's gestures became more insistent, walked out to greet her friends.

"Wow, Dashie, that was amazing!" Fluttershy gushed, still a little overwhelmed by the excitement of the moment.

Rainbow Dash just grinned wide, and as Sunset Shimmer walked up, Rainbow gave her a high-five and proclaimed, "Oh yeah. That was totally awesome, Sunset! I knew they'd never see you coming!"

Sunset Shimmer gave her own little grin and said "I told you if there's one thing I'm good at, it's deception." Rainbow chuckled, and gave Sunset a knowing smirk.

"Good to see you, Fluttershy" Sunset added. "Rainbow said you were coming tonight."

"Oh...yes. I wouldn't have missed it. And Rarity wanted me to say "Hi" for her as well." Fluttershy said shyly. Even though Sunset and the other girls were finally getting more comfortable around each other, Fluttershy still wasn't fully at ease around Sunset Shimmer.

Rainbow Dash seemed to sense Fluttershy's unease, and said, "Well, we'd better go hit the showers so we can head home. You want a ride home, Shy?" Rainbow asked.

"Well...if it's not too much trouble, and you don't mind, then sure." Fluttershy replied.

"Of course not!" Rainbow Dash answered. "I'll catch you in about 20 out at the back door to the gym." With that, Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer turned to head to the locker room and the admiration of their other supporters who were waiting to congratulate them.

Fluttershy made her way out of the gym and away from the noise and bustle of the other departing spectators. Even though sports wasn't her favorite thing, she had to admit, it had been a good evening.

The next morning, Fluttershy got up early, making sure she had plenty of time to shower, dress, and feed the animals before heading down to take the bus over to the shelter. She was spared a confrontation with Angel, the bunny had decided to sleep in for the morning. With one final glance around to make sure everyone had been taken care of, Fluttershy walked out to the bus stop and waited patiently. In time, the city bus lumbered to a stop in front of her apartment building, and Fluttershy boarded for the trip into the city.

When she arrived at the Canterlot Animal Shelter, she went in the side door that was reserved for employees and put her pack into one of the cubby holes that the staff used to store their belongings. She could hear someone stirring up by the front, and so Fluttershy walked up to the reception area. Sitting at the main desk, shuffling through some papers was Henrietta, the city worker who usually worked the weekend shift. As Fluttershy approached, Henrietta looked up from her papers and said "Good morning, Fluttershy. Thanks again for covering for Jasmine."

Fluttershy smiled, she always felt so comfortable in this place that she naturally came out of her shell a little. "Good morning, Henrietta" Fluttershy said warmly. "Is there anything special I need to do?"

Henrietta glanced back over the papers, making a couple of notes, and said "Doesn't look like too much from last night. Only one new addition, a dog that got in a fight or something. We'll keep an eye on him and see if we need to call the vet later. For now, why don't you feed the rest and then maybe see if you can coax him to eat a bit. You always do seem to have a special way with strays."

Fluttershy nodded her assent and went back to start the task of feeding the different animals. It always saddened her a bit as she looked over the cages, wishing she could just take all of them home with her to care for. But even Fluttershy knew that wasn't practical, and so she started with the cats, portioning out a half-cup of food to each, taking time to pet and speak to each of them.

Once the cats had been fed, she moved onto the dogs, most of which jumped and pawed at the doors to their cages as Fluttershy passed by. Fluttershy made a point to greet each of them, ruffling their fur or petting along their backs as she dumped the food from the bag into their bowls.

Finally, Flutttershy made her way back to the quarantine area, where injured or sick animals were kept until the staff was certain they posed no threat to the others. Carefully filling a bowl with some wet food, she walked over to the cage where the new arrival had been placed. At first, she couldn't see him well, the dog was small and had curled into a little ball near one corner of the cage, apparently still recovering from whatever scrape he had gotten himself into.

Fluttershy called out to the little animal as she approached, "There, there, little guy. It's ok! I have some nice yummy food for your tummy!" Fluttershy knelt down to put the bowl through the slot in the cage and take a better look. The small dog didn't appear to be terribly hurt, just a few scratches on his coat. But as she looked closer, Fluttershy could see that the coat was a familiar shade of purple. A closer examination revealed the dog's little green ears which had folded back against his head.

Tenatively, Fluttershy eased open the cage door and gave a tender caress along the dog's back, trying to be soothing. The little dog stirred, and turned around to look at Fluttershy with sad, green eyes. Suddenly, Fluttershy gasped in shock, her free hand flying up to her face as she recognized that sweet little face.

"Oh no...oh no!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Spike!!!!"

The dog whimpered at his name, and gently licked Fluttershy's hand. Fluttershy was frozen in surprise and horror. How...how could this be?

Ch 2: Broken Promises

Fluttershy tried to collect herself, but her thoughts were racing as she gently brushed her fingertips over Spike's fur. How did he get here? Where was Twilight? Had something happened? How would she find her? What would happen to Spike if she couldn't?

Forcing herself to take a couple of deep breaths, Fluttershy tried to give Spike the most assuring smile she could and said, "Don't worry, Spike. I'm sure Twilight will be here first thing to get you and take you home. And until she does, I'll be here with you all day to keep you company."

Spike nudged her hand, and then sniffed at the food that Fluttershy had brought. Unlike most dogs, Spike didn't tear into the meal, instead taking smaller bites. Fluttershy waited patiently until she was sure that Spike was going to finish eating, then gave the little dog another gentle pat and stood back up, easing the cage door closed.

Walking up to the front again, Fluttershy called out "Hen? I'm done with the feedings and I have some questions."

Fluttershy's companion looked up from the book she was reading and answered, "Sure thing, what's up? Oh, and could you get the new dog to eat some?"

With a nod, Fluttership replied "Yes, he's eating now. And I want to talk about him. When did he arrive last night and who brought him in?"

Hen marked her place in her book, setting it aside and then shuffled through the duty log from the previous night. "Hmm," she said at last. "Seems that he arrived around 9:00 PM, just a drop-off, and no note as to who brought him in. I guess they didn't stay around to give any information."

Fluttershy pondered that a moment, but it made some sense. Clearly, Spike had been separated from Twilight and gotten into trouble. Still, it would have been nice to know where he had been found in his current state. What mattered most though was getting him home, even with the promise in effect.

"Hen, I think that I might know the owner." Fluttershy said after a moment. "Can you look up 'Twilight Sparkle' in the phonebook?"

Hen blinked a bit in surprise. "You know that dog? How can you be sure? He didn't have a collar or tag."

Fluttershy nodded affirmatively. "I'm certain that dog belongs to a fr...to someone I met a couple of months ago. She attended our school briefly and Spike was with her."

"Spike, huh? Fun choice of name, he doesn't seem all that fierce." Hen mused. She reached into her supply drawer and took out a large marking pen and wide tape so she could put a name on the cage in the back now that she had one. Hen then dug out the Greater Canterlot phone book and started thumbing through it. "Sparkle..." she muttered outloud as she searched.

Fluttershy came forward and peeked anxiously over Hen's shoulder. Eventually her co-worker shook her head, indicating she couldn't find a listing.

"Hold on, I'll try information." Hen said. She picked up the phone and dialed 4-1-1. There was a slight delay as the operator came on the line. "Good morning," Hen said. "I need a phone number for Twilight Sparkle. No, I don't have an address."

Fluttershy felt herself getting a bit more nervous. Once they had the number, she'd have to get Hen to make the call, and then when Twilight arrived, she'd need to make sure she wasn't nearby when she came to get Spike, so that she wouldn't break the promise. She heard Hen say "OK, thanks." and then Hen hung the phone up.

"Well, no luck...it must be an unlisted number." Hen said at last. Fluttershy's heart sank a bit. How were they going to let Twilight know about Spike if they couldn't call?

Hen gave a little shrug, and then said, "Well, things like this happen. At least we know he's not a stray. I'll go tag the cage and we'll just have to wait for his owner to show up. Sounds like you know her though and that will make the paperwork much more simple." With that, Hen got up with the tape on which she had written "Spike" and walked back towards the quarantine area.

Fluttershy accepted she would just have to wait, and went to resume her other tasks, cleaning and filing. As often as she could, Fluttershy made a point to head back to talk to Spike and make sure he was doing alright.

The morning eventually gave way to afternoon, and the shelter had been quiet. No calls, no visitors. Fluttershy was starting to get quite concerned. She had to assume Twilight would be looking for Spike, and the shelter was the most obvious place. So why hadn't she called? Fluttershy dreaded the idea of Spike having to spend the rest of the weekend at the shelter. They did their best for all of the animals, of course, but the cages were small and the building so lonely most of the time.

As the image of Spike whimpering through the night loomed in Fluttershy's mind, she came to a decision. Making sure that Hen was occupied in another room, Fluttershy pulled out her cell phone and made a quick call.

"Hello?" came the raspy reply as Rainbow Dash picked up the line.

"Dashie, it's Shy. I really really need your help today, can you come pick me up at the shelter when I get off at 4PM?"

"Oh, hey Fluttershy," Rainbow said. "Uhh...I guess I can, what's up?"

Fluttershy heard steps close, and noticed that Hen had returned. "I have to go, I really just need a lift back home. Oh, and would you please call the other girls and see if they can come over tonight?"

"Call the others? I...guess so, sure. What's going on, Shy?" Rainbow asked, her voice now filled with curiosity.

"Tell you later, Dashie, and thank you so so much. See you at four." With that, Fluttershy hung up the phone, unusually abruptly. She was sure that would only pique Rainbow's concern, but she didn't want Hen to overhear her plan.

As 4:00PM rolled around, Fluttershy paced nervously at the employee door. She had to be quick about this.

It wasn't long before Fluttershy heard the sound of Rainbow Dash's car pulling up. Fluttershy opened the door and waved Rainbow over.

"OK Fluttershy, what's all this about?" Rainbow Dash asked as she walked over to the door. Seeing Fluttershy's expression as she got close, Rainbow Dash put two and two together. "Wait...you're bringing home another stray, aren't you? Why so cloak and dagger about it?"

Fluttershy uncharacteristically tugged Rainbow's arm to pull her inside and put a finger to her lips to shush her friend. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she said, "Not a stray, and we need to be quiet. I'll go get the carrier, just clear out some space in the back seat."

Rainbow Dash started to object, but then nodded her assent. Whatever had gotten into Fluttershy to make her go through all of this had to be important, and Rainbow trusted her friend. She eased back outside and started getting the car ready.

Fluttershy walked softly back to the quarantine area, and pulled up the carrier she had found. She opened the door to the cage and leaned down. "Spike, I'm going to take you home with me," she said. "My friends and I will find Twilight for you, and I don't want to leave you here all alone. Come on, little guy, climb inside."

As if he had understood every word, Spike padded into the carrier, and lay down on the little towel inside that Fluttershy had put as a blanket. Fluttershy then closed the door to the carrier, then the cage, and removed the name-tape from it. She then picked up the carrier and made her way to the back where Rainbow Dash was waiting. With a final glance towards the front to make sure Hen wasn't coming, she handed the carrier to Rainbow and said "Quick, let's go."

Rainbow Dash took the carrier to put it into the back seat, and as she gazed inside, her jaw dropped slightly. "Whoa...is that...Spike?" she asked in surprise.

Fluttershy bobbed her head yes, and then quickly exited the shelter and hurried Rainbow Dash along to secure the carrier, and climbed into the car. Once they had pulled out of the parking lot and were headed to Fluttershy's apartment, Fluttershy could finally begin to relax.

Rainbow Dash tried to prod Fluttershy for information on the drive home, but there wasn't a lot to tell. When they arrived at the apartment complex, they could see Applejack's truck parked outside. The blond-haired farm girl was seated on the tailgate, waiting for them. As Fluttershy and Rainbow parked and got out, Applejack called out "Howdy, y'all. What's all this fuss about anyhow?"

Rainbow Dash grinned over at her best friend, lugging the carrier out of the back seat and shot back "Hey AJ...you aren't going to believe this."

Flutttershy opened the door to her apartment and ushered everyone inside. Rainbow Dash set the carrier down on the rug, and opened the door. Spike looked around tenatively, then slowly crawled out of the carrier to sniff around his new environment. Applejack did a double-take as Spike emerged, and exclaimed "What the hay?!?" Spike didn't seem to notice, seemingly more interested in exploring around the apartment.

Before Applejack could say anything else, a knock came from the front door, and Applejack went to answer it. When she opened the door, Applejack saw Pinkie Pie and Rarity standing there. "C'mon in y'all," Applejack said, stepping aside for her friends to enter. "Y'all a'int goin' to believe this."

"Why whatever do you mean, Applejack?" Rarity inquired, stepping past her friend and into the room. "I simply cannot imagine what would be so odd that you would..."

Rarity's voice trailed off as she caught her first glimpse of the small purple dog who had poked his nose under the edge of the couch. "That's..that's...Spikey-Wikey?!?!" Rushing over to Spike's side, Rarity scooped the little dog up into a huge hug.

"Ooh, ooh!" Pinkie burst out. "Spike's here? Is Twilight here? Where is she? I wanna see!" Pinkie bounced into the room full of smiles, filled with excitement to see Twilight once again.

Fluttershy came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with some sodas for her friends and tea for herself. Seeing that everyone had arrived, she took a seat on the couch, and waited quietly for the others to settle. Rarity took a seat next to Fluttershy, setting Spike down at their feet. Rainbow Dash and Applejack sat down across from them on the couch, and Pinkie Pie was still walking around, as if expecting to find Twilight playing hide-and-seek behind the curtains or something.

Fluttershy noticed that everyone else was looking at her, and said, "Thanks for coming over, I hope it wasn't a bother. I just didn't know what to do, so I need your help." Fluttershy reached down to scratch Spike behind the earsm then continued, "When I got to the shelter this morning, I found out Spike had been brought in last night. They don't know by whom."

"What about Twilight?" Pinkie interjected. "Did she come by or call or anything?"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash added. "Why didn't Twilight come looking for Spike?"

Fluttershy stammered "I..I don't know. We tried to call her from the shelter, but her number isn't listed. Something must have happened to her too."

The statement brought a round of concerned faces, and finally Rarity spoke up. "Well, if she was not able to come find Spike, then it is up to us to find her."

Applejack looked over to Rarity and said, "But we can't. We promised, remember? Twi' made it sound all important-like, an' we all promised to not try to find her."

Fluttershy sighed, it was what had been troubling her all day. The promise. Fluttershy thought back to the night of the Fall Formal, and the pledge that Twilight had sworn them all into before they had left for the dance. As the others launched into a debate, Fluttershy closed her eyes, remembering Twlight's words.

"Girls, if all goes well tonight, then I'll be elected Princess and win my crown back. Once that happens, I will have to return to Equestria. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but my Element of Harmony must be brought back, and I need to return to my own world. There already is a Twilight Sparkle here in this world, and I don't know what would happen if we were to meet."

Twilight had paused a moment, then continued in a serious tone.

"I know you all will want to find her, to share the magic that we've shared. But I have to ask you to promise me that you won't seek her out. I know how hard that sounds, but it's necessary. My friends and I were destined to be together back in Equestria, and if the Twilight of this world never came to Canterlot High, never met with any of you then I have to believe that also was destined. If I'm wrong, then she'll find her way to the five of you. But I need you to promise me....no, I need you to Pinkie-promise me, you won't try to find her. To do otherwise might upset the balance of this world."

Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked at her friends. They were still arguing among themselves over what to do. Looking down at Spike, she knew they had to break their promise. For Spike's sake.

"Excuse me, girls?" Fluttershy said, too quietly to be heard over the din. Clearing her throat a little, she said a hair louder, "Girls?"

None of her friends seemed to notice. Fluttershy took a deep breath, focused, and said more loudly, "GIRLS!!!" One by one, her friends stopped and turned, surprised by the sudden outburst.

Fluttershy swallowed, and said, "I know what Twilight said to us, but she's not here, and Spike is. And this time, he can't talk, he can't tell us what happened to him or to her. We have to help him, and help her too if she needs us." Gathering her courage, Fluttershy said emphatically, "We have to break our promise and find Twilight!" She stopped suddenly, realizing how her voice had built as she had plowed ahead, and then added quickly, "If you all don't mind that is."

Collectively, the other five girls seemed to weigh Fluttershy's appeal, and then finally Rarity spoke up. "You are right, of course, sweetie. We simply must help poor widdle Spike reunite with Twilight. And that means it is up to us to find her."

"It's totally up to us!" Rainbow Dash agreed. "I'm in!"

"Welp, I figure that if we don't help Spike, then no one else can," Applejack said. "I reckon we'll have to take a chance on what happens when we find Twilight."

"And when we do we can have a super-duper homecoming party for Spike!" Pinkie Pie added exuberantly.

Fluttershy smiled, and said, "Thank you girls. You're the best." Looking down at Spike, she said softly, "Just you wait, Spike. We'll find Twlight and get you back home where you belong." Spike looked up and gave a little yip, almost as if he'd understood. All they had to do now was solve the mystery of what had landed Spike at the shelter.

Ch 3: Gifted and Talented

Sunday was usually quiet, and Fluttershy welcomed the respite from the week's chores. She had gotten up a little earlier than usual to check on Spike and make sure he was adjusting alright to his new surroundings. The little lavender dog was currently curled up sleeping peacefully on the towel Fluttershy had set out for him next to her bed. The sight of him brought a little smile to Fluttershy's face and she hummed a happy tune to herself as she made her way to the kitchen.

There was one face in the apartment, however, that wasn't smiling that morning. Angel Bunny peered through the bedroom door at the bundle lying on the towel and sized up his competition for his human's attention. Angel had seen other animals come and go and he understood that it was part of his human's kind nature to care for them. But this one seemed to be different, and Angel wasn't comfortable with how much attention she was giving him.

Angel stomped his way into the kitchen, putting the glare on his face that he knew would get him his way, as it always did. To his surprise, his human didn't stop what she was doing to acknowledge him and he thumped his hind foot loudly again on the tile floor.

Finally, his human turned away from the counter-top and noticed Angel standing there looking at her crossly. "Oh, good morning Angel Bunny!" his human said with a happy lilt to her voice. Angel waited for her to see his look and apologize, to fetch his breakfast, or do something to win her way back into his good graces. To his surprise, she turned away from the counter-top carrying a large bowl and said, "I'll be back in just a minute, let me give Spike his breakfast!" Angel's expression changed to disbelief as his human walked right past him and into her bedroom carrying a bowl of food.

The angry rabbit turned and followed, his look shooting daggers through the doorway at the newcomer, who had just started to wake up at the smell of the food Angel's human had put down for the small dog. Angel's eyes narrowed, and he thought to himself, "You realize of course, this means war!"

Once his human left the room to see to the rest of breakfast, Angel marched up to Spike, staring him down over the bowl of food. Spike paused his eating to give Angel a curious look, but Angel didn't bother to notice. With a little sneer, Angel reached a paw into the bowl, making a little ball of food, then flicked it right between Spike's eyes. Spike just blinked in surprise, and shied back a little. Angel glared again to make sure the dog knew who was boss, then turned on his hind foot and hopped into the kitchen so that his human could attend to HIS breakfast.

Fluttershy spent the rest of the morning reading, she had recently started Learn to Love Me by Sinead MacDughlas, and Fluttershy had become quite drawn into the main character Emily's story. She didn't hear the knock on her door at first, and only when it became more insistent did Fluttershy sigh and mark her place to set the novel aside. Gathering her robe around her, she went to the door, wondering who would be interrupting her Sunday.

As Fluttershy opened the door, she recoiled as a huge single eye peered back at her, then realized it was Pinkie Pie standing there looking at the door through a large magnifying glass. "Pinkie? Wh...what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting anyone," Fluttershy squeaked as she found her voice again.

Pinkie tilted her head as if she was letting Fluttershy in on some sort of secret, then whispered in an overly loud stage whisper, "The game is afoot! We're going to solve the mystery of the missing Twilight!" Fluttershy blinked, but opened the door farther for Pinkie Pie to enter.

Pinkie strode into the room with a dramatic air, and from nowhere produced a deerstalker cap that she fitted somehow over her pink curls and declared, "Some tea, my dear Fluttershy!" With that, Pinkie began to walk around the room, peering through her magnifying glass as if searching for some microscopic clues.

Fluttershy acquiesced, and went to the kitchen to put on a kettle to heat. Once that had been started, Fluttershy walked back to the living room and said hesitantly, "Pinkie, I'm not sure this is the best way to..."

Pinkie turned and interrupted Fluttershy with a grin. "Oh but it is! We have a super-duper mystery on our hands, and the longer we wait, the colder the trail gets." she said. "Now then, where's Spike? I thought we could start by checking for fingerprints. Or maybe paw prints?"

Hearing his name, Spike trotted out of Fluttershy's bedroom and gave a happy little yip when he saw Pinkie Pie. Pinkie bent down low, her face almost touching Spike's and asked with a horrible parody of a British accent, "I say, old chap! Where did you leave your lady? Where's Twilight Sparkle?" For his answer, Spike only stared back playfully, apparently thinking this was some sort of game.

The kettle started to whistle and Fluttershy excused herself to the kitchen to pour the tea, bringing out two cups. Pinkie took her cup, and then seated herself in the large easy chair where Fluttershy had been reading previously. Pinkie then took out a curved pipe from somewhere, and chewed on the end, occassionally blowing a little bubble from it as her face contorted in what appeared to be deep thought.

Fluttershy took a seat on the couch across from Pinkie and blew on her tea to cool it slightly. Just as she was about to take her first sip, Pinkie suddenly exclaimed, "By Jove, I've got it!!" The sudden outburst startled Fluttershy, who nearly dumped the tea into her lap. Setting the cup down on the low table in front of the couch, Fluttershy asked eagerly, "Oh my...what is it Pinkie? Do you think you might know where to find Twilight?"

Pinkie's turned a serious gaze on Fluttershy, and pronounced with absolute certainty. "No. But I just remembered where I left my bottle of bubble bath back home!"

Fluttershy sighed again, it was going to be a long afternoon.

By the time Pinkie Pie had left, it was already early evening. Fluttershy resigned herself to the necessity of homework, any chance of relaxing further with her mystery novel gone for the day. Fluttershy really hadn't intended to spend the day listening to Pinkie's antics, but in the end she just let Pinkie ramble on. Now that she had time to herself again, Fluttershy went to get dinner for Angel and Spike before heating a frozen dinner for herself. It wasn't the most tasty of choices, but it was quick and simple.

After everyone was fed, Fluttershy found her backpack and dug out her notebook with her assignments due the following day. She put the Geometry homework aside for now, electing to work on her Social Studies homework first. The assignment was basically reading through a chapter and then filling out answers on a worksheet. It wasn't especially difficult, especially with the book at her fingertips.

Fluttershy worked through the exercise quickly, then turned to her Geometry assignment. Figures and calculations weren't her favorite subject, but she tackled them anyway with diligence. As she worked, Spike came over and curled up on the couch beside her and Fluttershy reached down to unconsciously scratch behind his ears. Tomorrow would be a challenge, Fluttershy decided, she'd have to call the shelter and admit what she'd done. She hoped they would be as forgiving as they'd been when she'd taken home other animals to nurse them back to health.

Frowning through a question on quadrilaterals, Fluttershy pondered what would she do with Spike during the school day tomorrow. She could take him with her, in her pack, though she'd have to suffer Angel's ire if she didn't take him with her also. Fluttershy shot a nervous glance across the room at the bunny, who had been giving her the cold shoulder all afternoon.

Still, Fluttershy reasoned, Twilight had carried Spike around in her pack at school, and no one had been the wiser. If she could do it, then...

Suddenly, Fluttershy's head snapped up as it hit her. Twilight wasn't a student at Canterlot High. That meant she had to be attending another school. Fluttershy felt her heart racing a little as she remembered that Pinkie had accused the pony Twilight of having a twin sister in the city. Even though Pinkie had later admitted it was just her Pinkie Sense going off, if Twilight attended a different school in Canterlot City, then she had to be at one of the other two high schools! All Fluttershy had to do was call the registrar's office for each, and ask if Twilight was enrolled at the campus. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of this earlier. She couldn't wait to share her idea with the other girls in the morning. But for tonight, she had to finish her homework and try to get some sleep.

The next day, Fluttershy arrived at school and headed quickly to the cafeteria, where the girls usually spent the morning before first period class started. When she got there, she saw that everyone had already gathered around a table, chatting about their weekend. Fluttershy sat down next to Rarity, and said "Good morning everyone. I...I think I know how we can find Twilight."

The other girls stopped talking and turned to face Fluttershy, eager and hopeful looks on their faces. "Now that's the best news I've heard in a while!" Applejack said happily. "What did ya come up with, Fluttershy?"

"Well..." Fluttershy said meekly, not entirely comfortable with all the stares pointed her direction. "I just thought that if Twilight isn't here at CHS, then she has to be at another school in the city. And that means we could just call the other two high schools to find out if she's a student there."

"Awesome, Shy, that's brilliant!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, and reached for her cell phone. "I'll call Rock Ridge, we just played a tournament there recently, and I have the number still."

"And I will call Whitetail High School," Rarity offered. "Pinkie, dear, would you go to the Canterlot ISD website and look up their number for me?"

"Okie dokie!" Pinked said eagerly, pulling out her laptop and opening a browser. Winking over at Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie said in her dramatic British accent, "Well done, my dear Fluttershy. I daresay finding Twilight will be elementary now!"

Fluttershy merely blushed at the praise, and waited for Rainbow Dash and Rarity to get off the phone. Her enthusiasm faltered though as she watched each of her friend's faces curl in a frown as they hung up their phones.

"She's not enrolled at Rock Ridge." Rainbow Dash said a little dejectedly.

"She's not a student at Whitetail either," Rarity added. "But she has to be attending school somewhere in the city."

"Hold on y'all." Applejack said. "Rainbow, remember when we were drivin' around through downtown lookin' for that sportin' goods store a couple a weeks ago? Wasn't there some sort of private school 'round there?"

Rainbow Dash thought about that for a moment, then said "Oh yeah! It was some fancy academy or something, I think it said Gifted and Talented something-or-other."

The girls all looked at each other, then finally Applejack broke the silence. "Well, that sounds a mite like a place Twilight would be, doesn't it? All we need to do is check with them an' I bet she's there."

Just then, the bell for first period rang, cutting Applejack off. Fluttershy knew this was their best chance, and since she was the one with Spike, it was up to her to overcome her shyness and make the call. Swallowing a bit, Fluttershy said "Well...I...I guess I can call and find out, I can be a little late to Journalism class. I'll see what they say and let you all know during lunch." She lowered her hands into her lap and added, "If that's alright with all of you that is."

The other girls nodded their agreement and started to grab their things to get to class. Fluttershy gathered up her pack and then made her way to the school registrar's office to get the number to the other school. As she looked down at the piece of paper with the phone number to the Gifted and Talented Academy of Canterlot, she trembled a little with uncertainty. What would she actually say to Twilight? What would Twilight say about Spike?

The thought of Spike steeled Fluttershy's resolve, and she dialed the number into her cell phone. After a couple of rings, a polite, proper voice answered "Good morning, Canterlot Academy Registrar's office. How may I help you?"

Fluttershy steadied her voice as best as she could, and said "Hello, my name is Fluttershy, I'm calling on behalf of the Canterlot Animal Shelter. I'm trying to reach Twilight Sparkle. I believe I have her dog."

Ch 4: Truth and Dare

For the first time she could remember, Fluttershy didn't pay attention in class. Regardless of how she tried to force herself to focus or take notes, Fluttershy couldn't steer her thoughts away from her nervousness. Eventually, her phone would ring and she would have to speak with Twilight. Fluttershy kept playing out the fantasy version of that conversation in her head, where Twilight would be so relieved that Spike was alright and how eager she would be to meet Fluttershy and all of her friends.

As the morning marched forward, the cell phone remained ominously silent, and Fluttershy decided that Twilight must be just as involved with her own classes as she was. The registrar at the Gifted and Talented Academy of Canterlot had confirmed that Twilight was a student there and had promised to forward the message. All Fluttershy could do now was wait.

Eventually, the school bell indicating lunch period sounded and Fluttershy headed to the cafeteria. She knew her friends would be waiting, eager to hear what she had found out. Fluttershy hoped they wouldn't be too upset with her when she told them she had nothing to report.

As Fluttershy entered the noisy cafeteria, her phone suddenly jingled to life. The sound of it startled Fluttershy and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Ducking quickly back into the hallway where it was quieter, Fluttershy lifted the phone with a trembling hand to her face and thumbed the "Answer" button.

"H..Hello?" Fluttershy said shakily.

"Hello, I'm trying to reach Fluttershy. I was given this number to call," came the calm, collected voice on the other end of the line. Her voice. The voice Fluttershy had been so eager to hear again.

"This is Fluttershy...is this...Twilight Sparkle?" Fluttershy asked politely, trying to get her nerves under control.

"Yes, I understand you are with the Canterlot Animal Shelter? I was told you've found my dog?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, well...I..I'm actually just a volunteer at the shelter," Fluttershy answered honestly. "I just wanted to make sure that Spike was cared for over the weekend." Fluttershy paused a moment, then added, "I knew you'd be worried about him and want to bring him home, so we had to find you as quickly as we could."

There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Twilight spoke again, her voice sounding a little frostier than at first. "I see. So tell me...just how did you know that was my dog?"

Fluttershy swallowed nervously, the question catching her a little off-guard. She should have thought of that, how could she explain to Twilight how she knew her?

"I, uhm...well, I had friends over for the weekend, and one of them recognized Spike. She said she'd seen you in the city." Fluttershy lied, hoping to sound convincing.

"Oh really?" Twilight countered. "And who exactly is this 'friend' of yours?" Twilight's voice had started to turn decidedly suspicious.

"Her name is Pinkie Pie, and..." Fluttershy stopped herself, realizing that it wouldn't be familiar to Twilight in the least. She decided to try a different approach.

"Twilight, I just...I really just want to see Spike back home safely, that's all. I know how odd that sounds, but really, that's what matters the most." Fluttershy said sincerely.

Another pause followed, then finally what sounded like a little sigh of acquiescence.

"That's very kind of you," Twilight said at last. "I'm guessing Spike isn't at the shelter currently?"

"N...No, he's at my place." Fluttershy admitted. "I didn't want him to be lonely over the weekend."

"Well...thank you, Fluttershy." Twilight said, her voice softening a little. "I'd like to come by tonight and pick him up, will you be home around 7:00 PM?"

"Oh...oh yes!" Fluttershy replied, her own voice brightening. "My friends and I will..."

"Hold on." Twilight interrupted. "No friends, just you. I'm really not in the mood to meet a bunch of people tonight, I have a test to study for and I just want to get Spike and go home." Almost as an afterthought, Twilight added, "I should offer you a reward, though, for caring for Spike this weekend."

"Oh goodness no, I couldn't!" Fluttershy said. "I'll do as you said, Twilight. It will just be myself and Spike at the apartment tonight." Fluttershy gave Twilight her address and apartment number and promised to have Spike ready when Twilight would arrive.

"Thank you, Fluttershy." Twlight said. "I'll see you this evening. Good-bye." With that, the call ended and Fluttershy stared at the phone, feeling both thrilled at getting to see Twilight again and sad that Twilight wasn't the same girl that she'd come to be so close with. Worse yet, Fluttershy had to go and tell all of her friends about Twilight's conditions. She knew they'd be crushed they couldn't see Twilight or say goodbye to Spike.

Sliding her phone back into her pocket, Fluttershy walked back into the cafeteria to give her friends the bad news.

As Fluttershy had expected, her friends didn't take the news of Twilight's decision well at all. Rainbow Dash sat in a huff with her arms crossed, Pinkie Pie seemed deflated, and Rarity was on the verge of tears. Fluttershy just sat staring at her hands in her lap, feeling terribly guilty.

Finally, Applejack broke the somber silence. "Well, if Twilight ain't interested in seeing us all, then that's how it's gotta be. I'm right disappointed, but I understand it. This all must seem purty odd to her, I reckon. An' we have to remember, she's not our Twilight, she's the Twilight that was already here."

The others begrudgingly agreed in time, and after all, their Twilight had warned them that the Twilight from this world might not be destined to be their friend. Still, it stung each of them to think about.

The rest of lunch was quiet, none of the girls were in much of a mood to talk. As the final lunch bell sounded, they all gathered up their things to head back to class, each saying to Fluttershy to give Spike their goodbyes. Fluttershy promised each of them she would and then headed off to her English class.

The rest of the school day passed without much fanfare, and as she rode the bus back home to her apartment, Fluttershy tried to keep her spirits up. This was about Spike, not herself, nor her friends. She could do this.

As Fluttershy walked in the door to her apartment, Spike came bounding up, yipping happily and nuzzled against her leg. Fluttershy knelt down and scratched behind Spike's ears and said gently "Spike, I spoke to Twilight today. She's coming to get you tonight to take you home. She'll..." Fluttershy's voice broke a little and she paused to wipe away a tear that had trickled down her cheek. "She'll be here in just a couple of hours."

Spike looked up at Fluttershy, his eyes a little wider, as if he'd understood the words. He gently licked at Fluttershy's fingers, pressing closer to her. Fluttershy smiled through misty eyes and rubbed her hand under Spike's chin.

The moment was interrupted by a sudden crash of noise from the kitchen and Fluttershy jumped up to see what had fallen. Angel Bunny was standing in the middle of the kitchen, Spike's food bowl overturned. As Fluttershy entered, he glared at her and pointed a paw at the bowl, then back to himself.

"Oh Angel, I'm so so sorry. You must be starving," Fluttershy apologized and hurried to get the angry rabbit something to eat. Once Angel had been appeased, Fluttershy got Spike some food, then prepared herself a simple dinner before cleaning up the apartment some. She wanted to make a good first impression for her guest.

Eventually, the clock in the dining room struck 7:00 and Fluttershy sat with Spike curled up beside her on the couch. She kept telling herself not to panic, it would all be fine and Spike would be happy to get home.

*Knock* *knock* *knock*

Fluttershy flinched a little at the sound, then stood up and walked to the door. The moment had arrived.

Putting on her kindest smile, Fluttershy opened the door.

"Good evening, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked politely. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, it's nice to meet you."

"Hello, Twilight." Fluttershy replied with a smile, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. "Please, come in." She stood aside and let Twilight enter. "Spike's right over here on the couch."

As Twilight offered her thanks and walked over to Spike, who had bounded off the couch, happy to be reunited with his owner, Fluttershy noticed that Twilight had one arm in a sling and was walking with a slight limp.

"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed, her voice filled with concern. "What happened Twilight? Are you ok? Can I get you anything?"

Twilight turned back to Fluttershy and said "Well, this is the reason I got separated from Spike. It's only a sprained elbow, fortunately."

"Oh dear, what happened?" Fluttershy asked gently. Realizing that Twilight probably didn't want to talk about it, she cast her eyes down and added shyly, "if you want to say that is, I shouldn't pry."

"No, it's fine, I don't mind," Twilight said, giving Fluttershy a smile. "I had gone to attend an astronomy presentation at Canterlot Community College and it ran later than I'd expected. When I was walking back home, I foolishly decided to take a shortcut that led through a not-so-nice neighborhood."

Fluttershy motioned for Twilight to sit, and said "Let me get us some tea. Please go on." Fluttershy headed to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

"Thanks, that's very kind," Twilight said and sat down on the couch. When Fluttershy had returned and sat down as well, Twilight continued. "It was a bad idea, I didn't realize I'd wandered into Diamond Dog territory."

Fluttershy paled a bit at the mention of the gang. They had a notorious reputation for mugging people for jewelry.

"I was jumped by three guys, they shoved me down pretty hard and grabbed my pack." Twilight said with a hint of anger building in her voice. "I don't know what else they were planning, but Spike fought back for me and chased them off. He ran after them and I tried to call him back, but my arm was really hurting, I think I blacked out for a little bit."

The kettle sounded and Fluttershy quickly got up to pour the tea, bringing Twilight a cup that she took gratefully.

"When I came to, Spike wasn't anywhere to be found." Twilight continued. "They'd taken my pack, so I didn't have my phone or wallet or keys." Twilight took a sip of tea, trying to calm her anger at the memory. "Fortunately, my big brother is a Canterlot policeman and I was able to get in touch with him and he took me to the ER."

Twilight paused to sip again at her tea as Fluttershy sat spellbound, her expression one of concern and sympathy.

"Fortunately, I wasn't seriously hurt. Shining Armor has a spare key to my place, so he was able to get me inside. Once I got home, I was still woozy from the painkillers, so I just passed out on the couch. It didn't even dawn on me that Spike was missing." Twilight blushed guilty as she admitted it.

"The next morning, I realized what had happened and that Spike was gone. I still didn't have a phone, so I couldn't call around looking for him. Then there was the hassle of filing the police report, reporting my ID and credit card stolen, doing the same for my phone, getting the locks on my doors at home replaced...it turned out to be a very long list."

"I can only imagine," Fluttershy said gently.

"But in the end, after I'd taken care of all of that, I wanted to start looking for Spike. But I couldn't drive, I couldn't call anyone. It was very frustrating!" Twilight said, her voice taking on a bit of an edge again. "Eventually, I thought of the shelter, but my brother was on-duty all weekend and he couldn't take me. I had planned to go there tonight, but then you called the school and I was just so glad that Spike was safe and I'd get him back."

Twilight looked over to Fluttershy and gave a genuine smile of thanks. "Thank you so much, Fluttershy. I really can't thank you enough for helping us. I'm so glad your friend recognized Spike."

Before Fluttershy could speak, Twilight stood up and walked over to the entertainment center, looking at the picture frames on the shelves. "These must be your friends. Which one was it that told you about me?" Twilight asked curiously.

Fluttershy gulped a little, and said "Oh, well...that was Pinkie Pie. She's...no, not that one, she's...yes, the one there with the pinkish hair." Twilight took a long look at the picture, her face showing that she clearly didn't recognize the person in the photograph.

"Oh, this must be one from a school dance," Twilight said, looking over the other pictures. "You all wear costumes at your dances? The wings are fun, but I don't..." Twilight's voice trailed off, and she stared at the picture in silence.

Fluttershy knew at once which picture Twilight was looking at so intently. The picture Photo Finish had taken at the Fall Formal. The picture taken after the final confrontation with Sunset Shimmer. The picture right before pony Twilight had returned to Equestria.

"How...How can..." Twilight sputtered. "That's...that's....ME!"

Twilight spun around, her expression very puzzled and her eyes wary. "I...I don't think you've been fully truthful with me, Fluttershy" Twilight somehow managed to say through her shock.

Fluttershy bowed her head, took a deep breath, then finally looked up at Twilight and said, "No. No, I haven't. That's why I wanted you to meet my friends. There's something you should know and they will want to be there when we talk about it."

Twilight just nodded, as if in a daze. Finally, she said, "Not now. I can't handle this right now, and my brother's waiting outside in the car for me. I...I need to think about this, Fluttershy. I'll call you, tomorrow."

Fluttershy nodded and without another word, walked to open the door for Twilight and Spike. Twilight took a moment to compose herself, and with Spike on her heels, turned and walked out of the apartment. Fluttershy closed the door gently behind her and then sat back down and gazed back up at the picture. For good or ill, the die had been cast.

Ch 5: A List of Twists

The ride home to Twilight's place was mostly silent, save for the occasional shuffling from Spike as he stood on the back seat to peer out the windows. Twilight was deep in thought, trying to come up with logical, reasonable explanations for what she had seen at Fluttershy's apartment. For his part, Shining Armor was just glad his kid sister was reunited with her dog and everyone was safe and sound. If he could read his sister's thoughts, however, Shining Armor's relief at how things had gone would have been quite different.

As they pulled into the driveway of the small house that Twilight's parents were renting for her, Shining Armor parked the car and got out to help take Spike back inside. The little pup was pawing eagerly at the door, clearly excited to be back home among familiar sights and sounds. Having one less angry rabbit to contend with was even sweeter.

Twilight muttered her thanks to her brother for the ride and fumbled in her pack for her keys, finally fishing them out. With an uncharacteristic clumsiness, Twilight unlocked the front door and stepped inside, turning on the light in the hallway.

Shining Armor carried Spike in and set him down on the floor, grinning as Spike dashed off towards his basket in Twilight's room. Turning to face his sister, Shining Armor asked, "Twily? Anything else I can do for you?"

Twilight didn't answer right away and when she did, her voice sounded preoccupied. "Oh, no..thanks, big brother. Everything's fine."

Shining Armor nodded at Twilight. "OK then, I should head back home, Cadance is waiting for me." Shining Armor walked over and gave Twilight a hug. "Call if you need anything." he said and then turned and went back out the door, closing it behind him.

Once he was gone, Twilight let out a deep sigh she hadn't been aware she was holding back. Everything was certainly not fine.

During the trip back home, Twilight had composed a mental list. There had to be a rational explanation for the photograph that she had seen at Fluttershy's apartment. She started reviewing the list in her head as she walked towards the bathroom.

Option 1: Previously non-diagnosed head trauma from the assault?

Possible, but not very likely Twilight decided. The doctors at the hospital had been very thorough during their examination after Twilight had gone to the Emergency Room the night of the attack. Twilight mentally crossed the idea off her list.

Option 2: Medication side effects from the painkillers?

Twilight stepped into the bathroom, turning on the light. The little bottle of painkillers was sitting on the vanity where she had left them, along with the information sheet from the pharmacy.

Vicodin - 500mg
Directions: Take one tablet every four to six hours as needed for pain.

Twilight scanned over the information sheet, looking for "hallucinations" or "dementia" listed under the side effects, but didn't find a specific listing for either of those symptoms. Setting down the bottle, Twilight crossed medication off the checklist.

Option 3: An elaborate prank?

This was, Twilight reflected, extremely unlikely. The only two people that Twilight could even think of that knew her well enough to be able to stage such a prank were her brother and his wife Cadance. But Twilight knew that neither of them would ever do anything to cause her actual pain or difficulties. Another item dropped off the list.

Option 4: Perhaps she'd been mistaken in what she'd seen?

While this was a very logical explanation, Twilight prided herself on her powers of observation and memory. She was certain that the image she'd seen in the photograph was what she thought it was. But given the impossibilty of what she had seen, she couldn't mark this item off the list just yet.

Option 5: The girl in the picture was someone else that looked extremely similar to herself.

The more she thought it over, Twilight felt more certain this was the answer. It would also explain why Fluttershy's friend had mistaken her for this other person. "No, wait." Twilight chided herself. "They made the connection to me from seeing Spike." So while the theory was still sound for explaining the picture, it didn't explain all of the inconsistencies in Fluttershy's story.

Twilight replayed the options in her mind and the reasons for her choice until she was satisfied she had reached a conclusion that fit the available data. Whomever this other girl was that looked like her was most likely one of the friends to which Fluttershy had alluded. Then there was the enigmatic response Fluttershy had given at Twilight's reaction to the photograph. Why was it so important for Twilight to meet with all of them?

Sighing with a little frustration, Twilight put off thinking about this new set of questions for now. She still had to study for her test the next day and focusing on her assignments sounded like the perfect way to unwind for the rest of the evening.

The next morning at Canterlot High, Fluttershy walked into the cafeteria for the usual group gathering and found herself immediately under interrogation.

"Was she fun?" Pinkie asked, practically bouncing in her chair.

"What was she wearing?" Rarity inquired.

"Was she as awesome as our Twilight?" Rainbow Dash chimed in.

"Give the girl a moment t' breathe!" Applejack admonished. "I reckon we're all just a mite curious how it went, an' what she said. Did she ask about us at all?"

Fluttershy collected herself as best as she could and brushed an errant strand of hair back from her face. "Well, she really didn't stay all that long." Fluttershy answered quietly. "She explained how she'd gotten separated from Spike after she was mugged, and..."

Rainbow Dash stood up sharply and cried, "Whoa, whoa! Mugged? Is she hurt? Who did it?!?"

Fluttershy shrank back a little at the outburst and Applejack reached up to put her hand on Rainbow Dash's arm, pulling Rainbow back down to her seat. "Calm down, Rainbow. Ain't nothing we can do about that now. Go on, sugarcube," Applejack urged, looking back to Fluttershy.

"She's ok, just a sprained elbow and some bruises. Spike chased off some Diamond Dogs that she ran into." Fluttershy continued. The other girls all grimaced a bit at the mention of the gang.

"The only thing that was awkward is she saw the picture we took at the Fall Formal with our Twilight." Fluttershy said in conclusion.

Rarity's jaw dropped a little and she said, "You let her see that? Darling, whatever were you thinking?"

Fluttershy blushed a deep rose. "I...I didn't do it on purpose, it's just out in my living room. I never even thought about it until it was too late."

Rarity gave Fluttershy an understanding nod. "I'm sure you didn't, dear, but she must be terribly confused. I know if I saw myself in a photograph at an event that I never attended, I would be beside myself with trepidation, to say the least."

"I tried to explain, but she just left right after," Fluttershy sighed. "She did say she would call again today, I'm not entirely sure why. I just don't know what to say to her."

"Well, if ya ask me, I think she deserves the truth." Applejack replied. "Sure, she may think yer crazy for sayin' it, but if she's anythin' like our Twilight, she'll appreciate the honesty."

Fluttershy nodded her agreement and the conversation at the table fell quiet as each of the girls tried to think of any other suggestions. Their collective brainstorming was interrupted by the sound of Fluttershy's cell phone ringing. Fluttershy twitched at the sudden sound, then reached into her pack to lift out her phone and answer it.

"Hello?" Fluttershy said tenatively.

"Hello, Fluttershy? It's Twilight Sparkle. I gave what you said last night a great deal of thought, and I have some unanswered questions as well that I'd like to put to rest. You said that I should discuss all of this with your friends and yourself. Would it be possible to do that tonight?"

Fluttershy's expression had given away who was on the other end of the line and the other girls each gazed intently, wondering what was being said.

"Oh...I suppose so, let me ask them, they're all here." Fluttershy pressed the Mute button on the phone and looked up at her friends. "It's Twilight. She wants to meet with us, tonight if possible."

"Wheeee!" Pinkie Pie answered, a huge smile nearly splitting her face in two. "I'm so there!"

"Yep, I'll be there. I'll just call Big Mac an' tell him I won't be home for supper." Applejack said, nodding her head.

"Hmm...I have Volleyball practice tonight, but I could get there about eight." Rainbow Dash said after a moment's thought.

"Yes, of course, dear, it will be a pleasure." Rarity said happily. "Although I'll have to change into something more appropriate to the occasion."

Fluttershy pressed the Mute button again, and said, "Twilight? I asked and they're all free. Would 8:00 PM be alright? Though if that's too late, I'm sure everyone would understand."

"No, that's fine." Twilight answered. "I'll see you tonight at your apartment at 8:00 PM" There was a little pause. "Oh, and will the other girl that looks like me be there?"

Fluttershy wasn't sure what to say. Finally, she said, "Oh...no, I'm sorry. That...that won't be possible. She had to return back home, she's not from Canterlot."

"That's unfortunate," Twilight said. "I was especially hoping to meet her. Well, I need to get to class, have a good day Fluttershy." With that, the call ended and Fluttershy looked back up to the curious gazes of her friends.

"Now what in tarnation was that last bit about?" Applejack inquired.

"I'm not sure..." Fluttershy answered. That was the best she could offer for now.

Ch 6: Revelations (Part 1)

"Alright y'all, who's ready for some apple pie?" Applejack asked, setting down the freshly baked delight on the table.

"Ooh, me, me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Fluttershy, is there ice cream too?"

"Of course, let me get some and some plates." Fluttershy excused herself from the table and got up to get some fresh plates from the cupboard before opening the freezer to get out the tub of ice cream. "Thank you so much for helping with dinner, Applejack." Fluttershy said as she returned to the table.

"Aw, it weren't nothing, glad to help." Applejack said with a smile.

"None for me, please, I am simply stuffed." Rarity said politely.

"Remember to save some for Dashie," Fluttershy said. Applejack nodded and cut out a sizable piece to set aside for Rainbow Dash.

Rarity glanced at the clock, which read 7:45 PM. "We should get ready, Twilight will be here soon." The other girls helped tidy the kitchen and headed to the living room to wait while Fluttershy put on a kettle to brew some tea. A sudden chirp from her cell phone made Fluttershy jump a little and she looked down to see what it was. It was a text message from Rainbow Dash.

Running a little behind, be there asap. Bringing a surprise.

What kind of a surprise? Fluttershy wondered. Tonight was going to be odd enough as it were, it probably didn't need any surprises. Fluttershy thumbed the phone off, it was too late to change Rainbow Dash's mind anyway. The kettle started to sing and Fluttershy put aside her concern and filled the teapot with the hot water and carried it out with some cups on a small tray to the living room.

Rarity was fussing about, making sure that everything was orderly and neat. Pinkie Pie and Applejack were sitting on the couch, talking quietly. Fluttershy set the tray down on the coffee table and sat down in the smaller chair she had brought in from her bedroom. The larger, more comfortable chair she had reserved for Twilight.

Rarity finally finished her inspection and sat down next to Pinkie Pie, "I must confess, I'm feeling a bit anxious," she said, smoothing out her skirt.

"Me too," chimed Pinkie Pie. "I'm just super duper eager to meet her. Hopefully she doesn't think this is too weird."

Applejack smirked and said, "Oh, 'course not. I'm sure she'll take it jus' fine to hear 'We got to be good friends with the pony you, an' that's how we know all about you even though we've never met.'"

Pinkie Pie looked at Applejack and then broke into a big smile. "You really think so? That's wonderific!"

Applejack just sighed a little and shook her head. Before she could say anything else, there was a firm knock at the door. Each of the girls looked up expectantly and then the other three turned their gaze to Fluttershy. Fluttershy paled a little at the looks, then realized it was her apartment so it was her place to go answer the knock. Fluttershy stood up and walked to the door and took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, then opened the door.

Twlight Sparkle was standing there with a similar slightly nervous look on her face. "Hi Fluttershy," she said, "Thanks for hosting tonight."

"Oh, it's no bother at all, Twilight. Please, come in." Fluttershy replied, standing aside to allow Twilight to enter.

Twilight walked into the room and stood in the entryway, feeling a little bit as if she was on stage seeing the reactions from the other girls sitting in the living room. It wasn't an entirely comfortable moment and everyone could sense it.

"Please, make yourself comfortable. Would you like some tea? Or anything to eat?" Fluttershy asked gently.

Twilight nodded and finally said, "Uh, sure. Tea would be good."

Fluttershy gave Twilight a gentle smile and led her to the living room and indicated the chair for Twilight to sit, while reaching to pour her a cup of tea. "Twilight, these are my friends that I told you about. This is Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie." She nodded to each of the girls as she introduced them and handed Twilight the tea. "Rainbow Dash had Volleyball practice and is running a little late, but she should be here soon." Fluttershy paused a moment, then added, "Girls, this is Twilight Sparkle."

"Howdy, Twilight," Applejack was the first to say.

"Twilight! It's so great to see you! We've been waiting all day and now you're here and I feels like it's been forever since we've seen you. Well, I guess it can't be forever since actually it's never but it still feels kinda like forever!" Pinkie Pie said in her usual excited rush.

Seeing Twilight's look of confusion, Rarity quickly added. "I think she means to say it's such a pleasure to meet you at last, Fluttershy told us all about the incident with Spike and those ruffians."

"Oh, yes...I hope that was alright with you," Fluttershy said to Twilight.

Twilight took a sip of her tea, forcing herself to relax. "That's fine, it's the driving reason why were all here after all." A slight nervous silence settled over the group. "So, ah, I really didn't have a chance to talk to Fluttershy about all of you. You all attend Canterlot High School together?"

"Yep, we all met during our freshman year," Applejack answered. "I'd known Rainbow Dash since middle school, an' the rest of us all became friends right before the Freshman Fair."

"How about you, Twilight? Fluttershy tells us you're attending the Gifted and Talented Academy?" Rarity inquired.

The mention of academia seemed to put Twilight at more ease and she answered somewhat animatedly, "Why yes, I am. I really am enjoying my studies, if all goes well I'll be able to graduate a year early and enroll in college. I'm currently considering either Pranceton or MIT to major in Physics."

"Physics is one of my favorite subjects too," Pinkie Pie said with a grin. "So many little laws to bend."

"Ah...heh, heh, yeah," Twilight said with a forced little laugh. Twilight's expression turned more serious and she said, "So Pinkie Pie, I understand you're the one that knew Spike belonged to me?"

Before Pinkie could respond, Fluttershy blushed and admitted, "Actually, no...that was just what I said. In truth, I recognized Spike when I got to the shelter that morning." The others tensed a bit at the confession, there was no more avoiding the elephant in the room.

"And how did you..." Twilight started, but was interrupted by a knock from the front door. Fluttershy got up, glad for the moment of distraction and went to the door and opened it. When she did, she blinked a bit in surprise to see two girls standing there.

"Hey Shy, sorry we're late. Practice ran a bit longer than expected." Rainbow Dash said. "Is Twilight here?"

"Mmhmm," was all Fluttershy could manage, before moving aside for Rainbow Dash and her guest to enter. "Hey, is that fresh pie I smell? Awesome!" Rainbow Dash said before heading toward the kitchen. "Hey, Sunset, you want some too?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No, I'm good, but thanks." Sunset Shimmer answered, her gaze turning to regard Twilight with a hint of curiosity.

The others were looking at Sunset Shimmer in surprise, and Rarity found her voice first. "Hello Sunset...we weren't expecting you tonight."

Rainbow Dash came out of the kitchen carrying a plate with her pie slice. "Oh, yeah, that's my surprise. I thought since Sunset Shimmer was from the same place that Tw..." Rainbow Dash stopped, catching herself. "From the same place as our other friend, she might be able to help explain things a bit better."

Twilight had set down her cup of tea, taking mental notes as she observed the reactions to the newcomers. Something about the other girl made them nervous, she decided.

"When Rainbow Dash told me about everything that was going on, I offered," Sunset Shimmer said. "I don't want to overstep my bounds, but I thought if I could help out my new friends, I should."

"Well, I reckon you'll be able to fill in some details that we can't." Applejack said thoughtfully. "Go on an' grab a seat, an' we might as well cut to the chase."

Sunset Shimmer nodded and went to get a couple of chairs from the kitchen table, arranging them around the sitting area. Rainbow Dash plopped down in one, finishing off her pie with a wolfish appetite as Sunset Shimmer sat down in the other.

"I know that what we're gonna say will sound crazy, Twilight." Applejack began. "But I can promise you it's the truth, no one's gonna lie here." The other girls except Sunset all nodded their affirmation. "You remember hearin' in the news a couple months back about the accident at Canterlot High? The gas explosion that damaged the front o' the school?"

Twilight thought about it and then nodded. "Yes, I remember hearing about that, but I didn't follow it closely." Twilight frowned a little, then asked, "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Well..." Rarity said hesitatingly, "It wasn't exactly a gas explosion."

"It wasn't? What was it then?" Twilight asked curiously.

"It was me." Sunset Shimmer said into the silence followed. "I had stolen the Element of Magic from the other Twilight and it transformed me into...well, let's not open that can of worms. It altered my inherent magical powers, enhancing them and I tore the front off the building." Pausing a moment to flex her hand, Sunset added, "Took a couple of weeks afterwards for my fingers to stop being sore after working to reset all that brick."

A long silence dominated the room. Finally, Twilight spoke. "What...what do you mean magic? What 'other Twilight' are you talking about? There's no such thing as magic, that's ludicrous!"

"Not here, normally, you're right." Sunset Shimmer agreed, looking at Twilight. "But that changed when the portal opened and I was able to return to Equestria and take the Element of Magic from your counterpart. Once it was here in this world, I was able to harness its power. But that was before Equestria's Twilight and the others here were able to unite the powers of their Elements to overcome what I had done."

Sunset Shimmer paused, seeing the look on Twilight's face. "I know that look very well. You can't explain it, and you can't believe it. It flies against everything you've ever been taught." Sunset Shimmer stood up and walked over to Twilight. "It's real though. There are worlds beyond this one, worlds where magic is the norm, not science." She put a comforting hand on Twilight's shoulder. "You might not believe me, but listen to them. Listen to what they have to say and how they say it. They desperately miss the Twilight they came to know. And most of all, keep an open mind. These girls are the most honest, kind, generous, loyal, and fun people you'll ever meet. You can believe in them."

Sunset Shimmer reached into her pocket and drew out a small wooden box. "I'd been keeping this as a remembrance, but I think you should have it. It doesn't hold the same meaning for me any longer and I suspect that she would want you to have it."

Twilight took the little box mechanically, mumbling her thanks.

"I'm going to go, so you all can talk. I'll see you in class tomorrow." Sunset Shimmer said and walked to the front door. She raised her fingers up to her face with a "call me" gesture towards Rainbow Dash, who gave a slight nod. Opening the door, Sunset Shimmer walked out and closed it quietly behind her.

Twilight slowly opened the lid of the small wooden box. Inside were two quills set against lavender-colored velvet. Without thinking, she read the inscription aloud:

"To my most faithful student, may your studies never cease."
- Princess Celestia

Twilight looked up at the others and said in an extremely puzzled voice, "Who's Princess Celestia?"

Ch 7: Revelations (Part 2)

Twilight Sparkle gazed at each of the girls in turn, waiting to hear their answer. Finally, Fluttershy cleared her throat.

"I think I can answer this and it makes sense now, what Twilight said to me the first time we met." Fluttershy said.

"The first time we met? But that was just the other day and I don't remember anything about a Princess coming up." Twilight objected.

"Actually..." Fluttershy started and then paused to gather her thoughts. "I guess the other day was the first time I met you, but it's not the first time that I met Twilight Sparkle." Seeing the uncomprehending look on Twilight's face, Fluttershy gulped, but continued nervously. "It was just after lunch one day, right before the Fall Formal. I had been handing out flyers for the animal shelter, as I normally do. I was standing over by the statue in front of the high school when a crown came flying out of nowhere and hit me in the head. Not knowing for sure what to do with it, I took it to Principal Celestia. Then later, when Sunset Shimmer was yelling at me for doing that, the Twilight from Equestria intervened. After Sunset Shimmer left, Twilight asked me about the crown and I told her that I had taken it to our principal. She asked me if Principal Celestia was our ruler. I'm pretty certain in Equestria that Princess Celestia is the ruler there, so Twilight just assumed it would be the same here."

Fluttershy sat back down as she finished her answer, pouring herself a little more tea to calm her nerves, trying not to spill it with her slightly shaking hands.

Twilight had set down the box of quills while Fluttershy was speaking, her expression moving from surprise, to disbelief, and finally to one that appeared more calculating and analytic. "So what Sunset was saying and what all of you are saying is that another world exists where there are duplicates of each of us and somehow a duplicate of me came to our world and when that happened, magic was unleashed?"

The other girls all looked at each other, a little uncertain what to say. Finally, Rarity sat up, looking at Twilight and said, "I'd say that sums it up pretty succinctly, yes."

The room grew very quiet, then the sound of laughter could be heard. It started slowly, then grew in intensity as Twilight's mirth turned into full-blown hilarity.

Finally, Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes as her laughter subsided. "Sunset was right about you all being funny. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard." Twilight looked up, expecting to see grins from a joke well shared. Instead, Fluttershy looked as if she wanted to hide, Applejack had a look of concern, Rarity had a completely straight face, and Rainbow Dash looked somewhat annoyed. Only Pinkie Pie was still smiling.

"You don't believe a word of it, do you?" Rarity said, looking Twilight in the eye.

"How could she?" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "It's like a late-night movie plot." Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Look, Twilight...we get it. And if we hadn't experienced it ourselves, I think we'd all be where you are. But it happened. It was real. And it was really hard on some of us..." Rainbow's voice trailed off as the memory of flying possessed her again. It had taken weeks to get over losing her wings. Rainbow Dash looked over to Applejack, who gave an supportive nod in return.

Pinkie Pie bounced up off of the couch, breaking the somber silence. "I have an idea!" she exclaimed. "Fluttershy, go get your laptop?"

"Uhmm...OK," Fluttershy answered, heading into her bedroom to retrieve her computer.

"Now what? More pictures?" Twilight asked curiously.

"That's right!" Pinkie Pie answered with a grin. "Are you sure you aren't psychic? Anyway, I want to show you some more pictures from the Fall Formal, the student newspaper, and the school website. Even you will have to admit that while this would be the prank of all pranks, there's no way we could have gotten so many people involved, especially school administrators."

Twilight thought that over and started to retort, but the surprising logic from Pinkie Pie stopped her. She'd come here tonight to try and discover just what really had happened, but now her initial presumptions were starting to crumble.

Fluttershy returned with the laptop and set it down on the coffee table. Pinkie Pie reached past Twilight, somehow having appeared next to her with a chair, turning on the power. Twilight could have sworn that Pinkie Pie was sitting on the couch a moment before.

"Fluttershy's on the yearbook staff, so she should have access to all of the pictures they took. Let's start with the school paper and then we'll check out the rest after that." Pinkie said as she started to pull up the files.

As Pinkie Pie pulled up image after image and mulitple articles, Twilight sat spellbound, listening closely to Pinkie Pie as she narrated. The more and more evidence that she saw, the more that Twilight's skepticism started to melt. Soon Pinkie Pie started to show pictures from the day of the Fall Formal and Twilight began to see things she hadn't noticed before. In every one of the pictures, especially when she was surrounded by the other girls, she looked happy.

Happier than she could ever remember having looked, in fact. Just being close to all of the girls around her made her want to smile. The final picture that Pinkie Pie pulled up was a copy of the one she had seen before, the other Twilight surrounded by her five friends that had worked so hard to help her win the crown of the Fall Formal and the adoration of the other Canterlot High students.

"Thank you Pinkie" Twilight said with a little sigh. She sat back, reflecting on what she'd seen, what she was feeling. She was a little jealous of the other Twilight, which surprised her.

"You're very welcome!" Pinkie Pie beamed and shut down the laptop. "So now you see why I said it felt like forever since we've seen you and why we knew Spike was yours. And now that you found us we don't have to not talk to you like Twilight told us not to!"

Twilight looked up sharply at Pinkie Pie and said, "Wait, why did I...I mean, why did this other Twilight say you weren't supposed to talk to me?"

"She said that since you hadn't ever found us like she found her friends like she did then it might not be your destiny to be our friend, but that would be a total bummer." Pinkie replied. "But now you're here and we've met so we can be friends!"

"Friends..." Twilight said with a wistful smile. "I've never really bothered to develop any real friends. I've always devoted myself to my studies. I never made time for friendship."

"Well, now's the time," Applejack said. "Like Sunset said, we took a shine to the Twilight we met right away, an' I'm sure we're all hoping that we can share that with you." The other girls all smiled and nodded their agreement.

"I'm touched, really." Twilight said honestly. "I need a little time to process all of this. You all seem really nice, and Fluttershy, you've been especially kind. I just need to wrap my head around everything you all have shown me. Can you understand if I need some time to figure it all out?"

"Of course we can dear," Rarity said. "You have Fluttershy's number, and if you like, you can have mine as well. Call us when you're ready to talk again and we'll be there for you."

"Sure can, sugarcube," Applejack added. "Jus' take all the time you need an' let us know if we can help."

Twilight smiled and stood up, gathering up the wooden box that Sunset Shimmer had given her. Glancing down at it, Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash and asked, "Could you also get me back in touch with Sunset? I think I'm going to have lots more questions about this other Twilight and Equestria."

Rainbow Dash nodded and said, "Sure, I'll let her know you want to talk, just give me your number and I'll get her to call you."

"Thanks, Rainbow." Twilight said and took out a piece of paper and pen from her pack. She scrawled her number on it and handed it to Rainbow Dash. Twilight then turned to address all of the girls once again. "Thanks for understanding, everyone. I'm very glad that I got to meet all of you. Fluttershy, I'll be in touch." With that, Twilight picked up her pack, putting the quill box inside and gave a little wave goodnight as Fluttershy walked her to the door.

Once Twilight had left, the five girls gathered in close to discuss how the evening had gone.

"She must think we're nuts." Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, it is a lot to take in." Rarity added. "But she didn't run screaming, so perhaps once she lets it all sink in, she'll be able to handle it. After all, we all adjusted pretty well, all things considered."

"An' there ain't a lot we can do now anyway." Applejack said. "It's kinda like the other Twilight said, if it's meant to be, then she'll come 'round."

"I really hope she does!" Pinkie said eagerly. "It would be totally, completely uncool if we never heard from her again."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement and said, "If she calls me, I'll make sure to tell you all the first chance I get."

Rainbow Dash stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm going to head out, it's getting late and I promised to call Sunset. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"I should get on back to the farm, chores come early." Applejack said with a little yawn.

The other girls excused themselves one by one and soon it was just Fluttershy standing in the living room. As Fluttershy finished cleaning up and putting things back in their usual place, Angel came hopping out of her bedroom. "Oh Angel, do you think we'll ever see her again?" Fluttershy asked.

Angel gave a little shrug of "Why should I care?" that Fluttershy interpreted as "How should I know?"

Fluttershy reached down to pick up the little bunny and carry him back to the bedroom for the night. "You're probably right, Angel" she said, trying to sound hopeful.

The next few days at school went without incident, though Fluttershy found herself looking at her phone much more often than usual to make sure she didn't miss a text, email, or call. But to her disappointment, there were none except the normal ones from her friends.

It was lunch period on Friday and Fluttershy was once again standing out at the statue handing out flyers for the shelter. She was a little down, only one person had bothered to take one and her time at lunch was nearly over. As Fluttershy watched a group of students walk towards the main entrance to Canterlot High without acknowledging her presence, Fluttershy felt a soft nuzzle at her ankle and jumped in surprise with a little "Eeep!" Looking down, she saw a small purple dog with green eyes rubbing his cheek against her ankle, then looking up at her with big green eyes.

Fluttershy blinked and then said hesitantly, "Spike? What are you doing here?"

A familiar voice rang out. "I'll take one of those flyers, please."

Fluttershy turned at the sound and nearly dropped the stack of papers when she saw Twilight standing there with a smile on her face.

"Oh my goodness! Twilight!!" Fluttershy gasped. "What are you doing here?" she repeated.

Twilight's smile grew a little wider. "Well, seeing as I just transferred here this week, I'm getting ready to head to my first class. Advanced Calculus, 5th period Honors program." she said with a cheerful tone.

"You...you transferred here?!?" Fluttershy asked with amazement. "But what about the Gifted and Talented Academy?"

"Well, I can't possibly study applied temporal physics, parageography, and exobiology there like I can here, especially once the portal opens up again, now can I?" Twilight replied with a wink. "And even more importantly...I won't have the same opportunity to spend time with friends there like I will here."

Fluttershy nearly squealed with delight, dropping the stack of flyers and running up to give Twilight a huge hug which Twilight reciprocated.

"This is so wonderful!" Fluttershy beamed. "The other girls will be so happy!" Fluttershy finally let Twilight go and realized her flyers were starting to scatter. As she hurried to gather them up, she asked curiously, "What made you decide this?"

Twlight bent down to help Fluttershy pick up the errant pages. "I had a long talk with Sunset Shimmer, she told me all about Equestria, being a unicorn...which I find completely fascinating...and the other 'me', who I hope to get to meet someday." The two girls gathered up the rest of the flyers and stood back up. "She also spoke at length about the Elements of Harmony and how well you all have treated her and befriended her even after what she did." Twilight gave Fluttershy a smile and said "I can see why you represent Kindness."

"The first time that I saw that picture of myself at a dance I'd never been to, I thought it was all some misunderstanding or some elaborate joke. But then, after meeting you all and talking with you, seeing how much you mean to each other and how much I...how much the other Twilight meant to you all, I realized just how much I missed having good friends." Twilight said, giving Fluttershy her stack of flyers.

The warning bell sounded and Twilight bent down to let Spike climb into her pack. "I should probably get going, I still need to learn my way around campus. Tell the girls that I'm here and I hope we all can get together after school?"

"I sure will, Twilight!" Fluttershy promised. "They are going to be so happy to see you again!" Fluttershy gathered up her things as well and walked back with Twilight into the main wing of the High School. It suddenly didn't matter she had handed out only one...well, two flyers at lunch. Twilight was back and this time she didn't have to rush away through a magic portal. She was here to stay.

Author's Note

Author notes in the chapter comments below. Thank you for reading!