01 Duality

She dove for cover behind a crate as the beast lumbered past. With its back to her she closed her eyes and concentrated as she drove her energy into her wide-fingered gloves. They had reacted and their inner mechanisms began to hum with life. She raised her now shining hands towards the beast and fired.

A solid beam of light pierced the air and hit the creature, severing its scorpion-like tail and bringing it to the ground as it gave out a yowl of pain.

She pumped a fist into the air in celebration. "Gotcha."

Unfortunately her victory was short lived as the creature began to rise once more. It faced her, eyes glazed with fury more than pain, spread its bat-like wings and roared with the strength that could only be achieved by a fully grown manticore.

The color drained from her face.

Are you serious?! What is this thing made of?! she thought.

She turned and ran as fast as her legs could carry, jumping over crates and going around the twists and turns formed by several stacked boxes, all in an attempt to confuse the beast that now pursued her.

Her opponent however, being several orders of magnitude larger that she, had no problem simply swatting aside any pesky obstacles that came in between him and his prey. After witnessing a particularly large box fall with a thud at the giant’s assault did she realize that she could not do this alone. She reached for her earpiece.

“Control, this is Twilight Sparkle, requesting immediate assistance.” Her voice filling with anxiety.

She looked over her shoulder. “Target is very angry.”

The manticore leaped into the air and just barely missed her as it crushed a few stacks of boxes and their contents. The force from this was enough though, to knock Twilight off her balance causing her to slow down. It became evident that trying to evade it was a futile effort, and so, she faced the humongous beast. She raised her fists which began to glow and flexed her legs as she prepared to take it on. She knew she wasn’t suited for close quarters which made her wonder exactly how long she could last. Probably not long, she considered, after-

“Not to worry my dear, for help is finally here”

Her earpiece had buzzed out the message and, in her concentrative state, scared the daylights out of her, snuffing out the light that built up on her gloves. The manticore had shared her shock and had raised an arm to swipe down upon its latest meal. Sadly the meal had to be postponed as the manticore was abruptly knocked onto its side.

Atop the manticore stood an ashen woman with a well toned physique. She sported a black and white mohawk, a grey blazer, and black slacks. One of her hands was clenched in a fist while the other held a long metal rod pointed at the manticore’s face.

The newcomer looked to Twilight and smiled. “I apologize for being late, the path to you was in no way straight.”

Twilight’s eyes were wide. “Zecora!” She gave off a sigh of relief. “Believe me, your timing couldn’t be better.”

As they exchanged greetings the manticore had woken up from its impromptu nap and twisted its body around in an attempt to get to its assailant. Sadly, for the manticore of course, Zecora was simply too fast that by the time it had turned over, she was already standing in front of Twilight.

She clicked her tongue in disappointment. “I will have you know, you are simply too slow.”

She leaped, spinning, into the air. With her staff, she delivered a mighty blow straight to the manticore's face, dazing it. She took this as an opportunity and used her weapon to bring its legs out from under it. In short order the manticore had found itself on its belly again.

With the great beast on the ground, Zecora positioned herself as she brought the tip of her staff to rest just above its head. A spike emerged from the tip as Zecora closed her eyes and chanted a few words. The words themselves were indiscernible, but their effect was unmistakable as ley lines embedded in her staff begun to glow.

“Though your chase put my student here to the test, I’m afraid that it now time for you to rest.”

She brought down the staff and the light that it built up flowed into the manticore. Slowly, the manticore began to shrink as its wings receded into its back, and a new, non-scorpion-like tail, sprouted until it took on the shape of a regular lion.

When the light had faded, she withdrew her staff and held it behind her back. This time, the staff began to shrink and flatten out. When it was small enough, it wrapped itself around her wrist and ended its transformation as a simple silver bangle.

Twilight walked up to Zecora as she looked at the sleeping feline. “Thanks again Zecora. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Zecora wore a scowl of disappointment.

“Once again Miss Twilight” - she faced her charge - “you went alone to a fight. You claim that you don’t need assistance, yet this beast nearly ended your existence.”

Twilight had taken a step back. “I’m sorry. He was right there and I thought I could take him. Besides, I was able to get a pretty good hit in.”

Zecora was not amused by her logic. “All you did was it him on the backside, and make him want your hide.”

Twilight’s eyes were downcast as a pregnant silence stood between them. Thankfully it did not have to last long as a group of people wearing the same outfit as Zecora, except with their blazers a solid midnight blue, entered the scene. Twilight herself wore an identical outfit, but with the color a subdued purple.

One of the new arrivals approached them, her blazer decorated with a few more emblems on the breast pocket. It also contrasted greatly with her bright pink hair and cream skin. She wore gloves similar to to what Twilight had been using. From the confidence in her gait, it was clear that she was the leader of this group. She looked appraisingly at the two fighters, their surroundings, and then the lion. A smile then graced her lips.

“Well, I must say you two caused quite a commotion here.”

She looked to the grey woman and said, “I thought subtlety was your specialty Zecora?”

The grey lady smiled in response. “Hello there Twinkleshine, always good to see a friend of mine. As for the damage, that-”

“Was actually my fault.” Twilight had cut in with a sheepish grin.

Twinkleshine looked to her, eyebrow raised. “Ah! You must be Twilight Sparkle.”

She approached and grabbed her shoulders. “You know, your name has been bouncing around a lot lately.” A smirk replaced her smile. “So what can you tell me about this ‘Project Harmony’?”

This time it was Zecora who interrupted them by separating the two girls. “Forgive me my friend, I do not mean to offend, but that is a secret which I mean to defend.”

Twinkleshine rolled her eyes and pouted. “Fine, fine. Although I do find it so ironic that you’re keeping secrets from me.”

“Anyway,” she said as she signalled her comrades. “We’ll take care of this. Why don’t you do some sightseeing? Fillydelphia is pretty nice this time of year.”

Twilight was about to go, but had one more thing to say. “Also, we’re pretty much the same age, kiddo.”

Twinkleshine was taken aback, but a moment later grinned and let out a good laugh. “I like you, Twilight Sparkle.”

The pair said their goodbyes and made to leave the warehouse. As they passed the doors some of the blue’s gloves lit up and the broken boxes put themselves back together. Another effortlessly lifted the lion and brought it to a truck waiting outside.

Twilight sulked in the passenger seat. Her performance today was horrible. Zecora was right. Even if she did get a good hit, she didn’t even consider what her next move would be and because of that, put herself in unnecessary risk. Perhaps worst of all, Celestia was definitely going to hear about this. The thought of it all caused her to release a great sigh.

After they had left the warehouse, Zecora suggested they get something to eat. Half an hour of searching in silence later, they found a quaint little cafe on a relatively quiet corner. Twilight immediately found them a table by the window, while Zecora went to see what they had on offer. She stared out the windows and watched as people walked by. Every once in a while, one of them would notice her and smile in greeting, and she would smile in return.

It was worth noting that they weren’t wearing their blazers at the moment. Hers was just draped around her chair and Zecora had hers tied around her waist by the sleeves. On the outset it looked like a perfectly normal piece of clothing, but it actually granted her a degree of invisibility against those who weren’t ready to deal with magic yet. Those people they called, ‘Sleepers.’

Thanks to that, she could always rejoin the rest of the population at a moment’s notice by simply changing into something else. It also had several defensive enchantments placed on it, so that it may also provide protection against threats both physical and magical.

As the people passed her window, she thought about what it was like to not know the true depths of the world they lived in. About what it was like to see her when she actually wearing it. Those who were, as they termed, ‘Awake’ weren’t entirely sure what the Sleepers saw when they were actively hiding amongst them, but they did have a pretty good idea.

Their escapades usually circulated in stories and rumors, dating as far back as a thousand years ago, when their group was formed. Those who claimed that they were visited by ‘ghosts’ or say they had ‘encounters’ were, in actuality, brought into the crossfire of one of their operations. Either that, or they were insane.

Over time, those who were Awake became associated with the supernatural; and they embraced this cloak the people had given them, wholeheartedly. In fact, it was from this supernatural mindset that they got their more modern nickname.

More than once had they heard Sleepers say they were blinded by flashes of light or that they saw some unknown light source out of the corner of their eye. They even started to notice that occasionally, photographs would have these mysterious ‘orbs’ or ‘phantoms’ in them. In any case, it usually had something to do with light, and so certain stories had begun spreading. They were nothing but rumors of course, and nobody actually took them seriously.

But that didn’t stop certain people from claiming that these strange phenomena were caused by, what they christened, ‘Magic Light People’ of MLPs. After a while, the idea itself of MLPs breached the mainstream and merged with pop culture; being depicted as some giant net of powerful individuals who manipulated the world around them while at the same time hiding under everyone’s noses. The whole things seemed preposterous of course, but then again, sometimes reality itself could prove to be be very unrealistic.

Twilight was snapped out of her reverie by a tray of food arriving on their table. Zecora had returned and she brought with her two burgers, a fruit smoothie, and a chocolate shake. She took a seat and faced Twilight.

The student lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Zecora.”

Her mentor sighed. "If there is one thing I need to teach you, my student, it is that you must learn to act more prudent. Though believe me I can understand your stress. After all, it is Central you wish to impress.”

“Still, you were right. I put myself at risk and not only that, I charged in alone.” She still wasn’t making eye contact.

Zecora smiled sympathetically as she reached over and lifted her student’s head up by the chin. “Child, you should not worry, I was never really angry. Perhaps I was frustrated, but that was only because it was you the beast nearly ended.  Just promise me that you will never go alone, that is all you need to do to atone.”

Twilight finally managed to crack a smile. “I promise. Thank you, Zecora”

Zecora let go of her chin. “Now that my speech is complete,” - her smile became a grin - “let’s eat.”

With the tension between the two now relieved, they dug into their meal with gusto. When they were finished, they paid their dues, put on their blazers, and left the store. The staff weren’t entirely sure whether or not someone had eaten there on the table by the window; but the dishes were present and the bill was paid, so they simply shrugged it off.

Outside, the invisible pair returned to their vehicle and drove off.

The car stopped in front of an unremarkable clothing store. In front of it was a simple, carved, wood bench, and upon that bench sat a relatively young man wearing a familiarly blue blazer. Upon seeing the two he gave them a nod of acknowledgement, which they had returned in kind.

Inside there wasn't really any word that could be used to describe the store besides, average. Racks of shirts and pants sat on one side, shelves of shoes and three changing stalls were near the back, a large bargain bin was in the center, and a cashier situated on the other side.

Perhaps it was the plainness of the place, perhaps it was something else. Either way, the store found itself occupied by but three people. Twilight Sparkle, Zecora, and a particularly uninterested looking cashier.

The first two of the aforementioned approached the back. The changing stalls in this shop did not use a curtain or a slotted door, but instead opted for creating a miniature room, only large enough for one to change their clothes. Once the pair entered and locked their respective stalls, the cashier had reached under the counter, brushed aside a hanging grey blazer, and pushed an unseen button. The doorframes of the occupied stalls received a barely noticeable glow as the two occupants began to descend.

The moment their changing elevators stopped, they stepped out and onto an elegant hallway. On the right were several large french windows displaying verdant meadows with mountains lining the horizon. Going along the hall was a plush red carpet that seemed to invite you to lay on it. The walls themselves were paneled with fine mahogany, interlaced with beautiful carvings that evoked power and mystique. Spaced evenly along the left wall were several doors that lead elsewhere into the complex, and each door was flanked by shining marble statues representing certain facets of the magic of their world. Finally, at the end of the hall were a set of grandiose double doors, and it was through these doors that a tall, gaunt young man wearing a blazer the same shade of purple as Twilight’s emerged and approached them.

“Ah! Thank goodness you’ve arrived, the Overseer is awaiting. Sunset Shimmer has returned from the other Equestria.”

This news took them by surprise. Twilight was the first to speak up.

“Then what are we waiting for? Who knows what she might have brought with her from their side?!”

The room on the other side of the double doors was large. Very large. On the ceiling was a stately chandelier that bathed the room in a warm glow. The back wall had three windows that stretched from floor to ceiling standing side-by-side. Through them was a scene similar to that on the windows in the hall. Dotted around the room were six carved wooden desks and at those desks were six people wearing nearly identical purple blazers. But what really stood out about them was that around each desk, three rings of floating screens, displaying information about any and everything, revolved around their user. This was MLPs Fillydelphia Control Center.

Standing in the center of it all was a man of average height, but excellent build. He also had had thick messy hair, and large horn rimmed glasses, which, when all put together made judging the book by its cover very difficult. His coat, unlike all the other purple ones around him, was a light beige.

“It’s about time you showed up!” His voice was an octave higher than of what you’d expect, but it did not lack in authority.

Zecora bowed her head lightly, “I apologize for being tardy. The manticore proved to be quite hardy.”

He waved a hand in the air. “It’s fine, Twinkleshine already reported that the whole incident was taken care of. Onto more important matters; looks like the little refugee came back after all.”

It was Twilight’s turn to speak up. “How long has she been back?”

“A couple of hours, but she didn’t really have anything with her when she returned. Although something small did pass through before she did.”

Twilight looked absolutely alarmed. “What was it, was it a bomb?!”

Zecora placed a hand on her shoulder. “Twilight, please take a breath and stay calm. I doubt Sunset would bring back a loaded bomb.”

The Overseer stifled a chuckle. “She’s right, even she isn’t that reckless. But what did stand out was that, according to the Canterlot guys, it was a trinket that contained power identical to that of Harmony 1, Magic. One of the students actually found it first, most likely cause it hit her on the head.”

He raised a hand to stop Twilight from asking a question. “Thankfully she actually handed it straight to Central Officer Celestia. When Sunset realized that what she tossed through the mirror wasn’t there, boy was she angry.” He didn’t bother stopping his chuckle that time.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Is she ever not? But wait, you said the Central Officer received it? Has she said anything in particular about all this?”

“Nothing yet. Apparently she’s still in a meeting with the other head honchos.”

The chandelier’s light shifted to a red tint as one of the people at the desks spoke up.

“Sir, something’s coming through the portal.”

“On screen! Now!” commanded the Overseer.

The meadows on the window disappeared as they were replaced by a large statue sitting on a green lawn. It was the horse statue that decorated the front of Canterlot High. The view then focused to the back of the statue’s pedestal. The stone began to shimmer like light on waves.

The room waited with bated breath for what was going to come through. It began to ripple as something, or someone, phased through and landed behind the statue.

The room’s collective jaws dropped. There on the pavement of Canterlot High sat… Twilight Sparkle.

As fate would have it, the two Twilight’s seemed to have very similar reactions, though for differing reasons.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

After letting out her breath with that one grand scream, Twilight, the one in Fillydelphia, began to hyperventilate. She then began to spew out nonsense in her panicked state. “Wha- Huh? Me there… but, but, I’m here? haaaaa……”

The others around her began to worry for the poor girl’s well being. Zecora decided to end this before it got out of hand, and, with a well aimed poke shocked her out of her catatonic state.

Twilight shook the quickly formed cobwebs from her head and thanked her mentor. They then returned their eyes to the screen and watched as the other Twilight got used to her new bipedal form.

One of the operators spoke up. “Sir! Incoming transmission, straight from the top.”

The Overseer’s eyes went wide. “On Screen!”

Watching the other Twilight fumble would have to wait, as her image was replaced with that of Central Officer Celestia.

“I take it you’ve seen the latest development? Especially you Twilight,” she said teasingly.

“Central, I’m sorry, but what exactly are we supposed to do about her?” said the still wary Overseer.

Celestia gave them a motherly smile. “I’d like for you all to not worry for one. We have the situation well under control here. I have already spoken to my counterpart on why their Twilight Sparkle is here.

“However, Twilight,” - her gaze locked onto the teen - “it is imperative that you return to Canterlot at once. The Black Train shall be waiting for you at the station. I’m afraid we’re going to have postpone your field training with Zecora for now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” replied the young agent.

“That is all. You may return to your posts.” With that, the windows went black.

Twilight watched as the countryside rolled by. Immediately after the meeting with Celestia, she had gone straight to the train station. She was excited to finally be able to head back to Canterlot, but she was also disappointed that she hadn’t gotten much first hand experience on the field. Adding to that, was that her latest field assignment ended with her almost being a manticore’s breakfast.

She thought to the talk she had with Zecora at the cafe and decided to push her thoughts about this morning aside. Instead, she started to think about the other Twilight.

What would the implications of her presence be for their world? Was she really just like her? What would it be like to meet herself?

She opened her tablet and looked through the files that Central had sent. Apparently this was the information the other Celestia shared about their Twilight Sparkle. Her mind began to imagine what the world beyond the statue was like. She knew the basics, such that they were all ponies. Magic also worked differently there than it it did on this side, apparently because the ending of the Chaos War was significantly different.

So that’s what I’d look like as a pony? she thought.

As she read on, her interest piqued itself on the exploits of her counterpart.

She’s a librarian and the personal protege of Princess Celestia.

A powerful unicorn. Apparently one of the strongest ever.

The leader of the Elements of Harmony. Huh, guess that’s what they call Project Harmony over there.

Defeated Nightmare Moon? Oh, that must’ve been the Nightmare Incident.

Defeated… Discord?! If he returned to power over there, then wouldn’t that mean that… she gulped at the thought. Then considered that if her counterpart could do it, so could she.

What else does it say… Time travel, negotiations, daring rescues, changelings? she raised an eyebrow at the last one.

Crystal Empire? I wonder what that is? Finally, she’s a recently crowned… PRINCESS?!

She put down the tablet and stared out the window.

If she’s a princess over there, that mean’s that she’s Fully Realized. Would that mean that I can do that too? Full access to all magical abilities…

The sun was setting by the time the Black Train arrived in Canterlot. Outside, a tall, muscular, young man with snow white skin and electric blue hair waited for Twilight. Much as everyone else Twilight had interacted with so far, he was wearing a blazer. His was grey, but his left and right sleeve each had a cream colored stripe across the upper arm.

Upon seeing this person, she smiled and ran towards him. “Shiney!”

“Twiley!”

The two siblings greeted each other with a loving embrace. After a bit of small talk, they got in the car and drove off towards Canterlot Control.

“So she hasn’t said much about the situation?” asked Twilight.

“Not really, she’s been going back and forth from talking to the other main officers and to her pony counterpart. She’s only had her secretaries release a few reports and instructions. As a matter of fact, besides her meeting with you guys in Fillydelphia, she’s only left her office once.”

“Bathroom?” she asked with a smile.

Her brother returned it before replying. “No. She had to leave ‘cause you decided to go to her office at CHS.”

Twilight was confused. “Her office? Oh! The other me went there?”

“She didn’t even seem that surprised that you went to her. I guess you two are a lot more similar than you think.”

Twilight looked out the window again. “I guess so.”

A few more minutes passed before they entered the underground parking of a two storey office building. A few blocks across this office building sat Canterlot High School. On the outside, the school didn’t seem like much. Sure it was rather large and the architecture seemed to invoke a medieval castle-like appearance, but the really interesting part about the place was deep underground.

Their vehicle entered a special receptacle and it slowly began to descend. When it reached the bottom, it area didn’t really look all that different from the parking lot they had just left. They exited the car and entered a door to the facilities’ main hall.

It was exquisite to say the least. For a building under ground, it had three storey high ceilings, polished marble floors, and a large fountain in the center. Directly above the fountain was a sparkling chandelier that didn’t so much have light bulbs, as it had floating spheres of energy, illuminating the entire hall. Much like the Fillydelphia Center, the windows were large and displayed images of nature. However the windows here had curtains of fine silk enveloping them.

Celestia greeted the two as they entered.

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, it is so good to see you again.”

“Central Officer Celestia.”

After a more formal greeting, Twilight went up to and hugged her second mother. The hug was reciprocated in its entirety.

Celestia looked at Twilight as she placed her hands on her shoulders. “Come, we have much to discuss.”

From inside Celestia’s office the student and teacher had their eyes locked on a floating screen. On that screen was the other student sleeping on a well arranged pile of books.

“You know, when she came to my office, I couldn’t even tell the difference between you two.”

Twilight, never taking her eyes off Twilight, asked, “Why’d she go to your office?”

“To see if I could help her get back her crown.”

“You didn’t just give it back?”

“No. Princess Celestia specifically requested that I not just hand it over to her.”

“Why? Isn’t that a crown a key component for their Project Harmony?”

“I think she means to see if her Twilight can get it back on her own, which is why I gave her the idea of running for Fall Formal Princess to get her crown back. Also, I don’t think she could think of a good enough story to convince me she was from a pony dimension”

This got her attention. She looked straight at her teacher. “They don’t know about us? Why not? They’re magic, we’re magic. Wouldn’t we get along just fine? And doesn’t Sunset Shimmer also run for the Fall Formal?”

“They don’t know because I made Princess Celestia promise not to reveal the truth about us to her ponies. Not yet at least. Not until everyone is Awake. As for Sunset, well I suppose Twilight is in for quite a challenge, but if she’s really anything like you, she’ll manage.

“Why don’t you rest up, Twilight. You must be exhausted from your trip.”

“Just a moment, Central.” Her eyes were once again locked on her doppelganger. “What do you think it’d be like to meet her face to face?”

Celestia smiled as she put an arm around her student. “I’m sure you two would get along splendidly. But now is not the time for that, though, maybe someday.”

The Twilight on the screen tripped, fell, and all around goofed as she desperately tried to get the ball from Rainbow Dash.

The Twilight underground couldn’t help but comment on this. “Wow, she’s even less physically fit than me.”

“To be fair,” Celestia said, “she has been a pony all her life. She probably isn’t used to her new form yet.”

I’m gonna be myself

No matter what I do

And if we’re different, yeah

I want you to be true to you!

Shining nudged his sister as they watched the apparent flash mob. “I didn’t know you could sing, Twiley”

Twilight was also watching wide eyed at her counterpart’s choreography. “Neither did I.”

As they watched the girls, and soon the entire student body, clean up the gym, Twilight couldn’t help but notice something.

“Why isn’t she using magic? Even in private, I mean the report said that she’s Fully Realized. She could easily bend reality itself at this point.”

Celestia smiled at her student’s attentiveness. “Much like walking and running was for her at first, she simply doesn’t know how to, my dear.”

Twilight looked to her teacher with confusion. “How to? But isn’t magic between worlds relatively similar?”

“Think of it this way my faithful student, you could be the fastest runner in the world, but that does not necessarily mean that you know how to swim. Training in one would indeed make the other significantly easier, but the method to accomplish it is still fundamentally different.”

Celestia, together with Luna, had left to present the crown and as expected, Twilight won by a landslide. Things immediately went downhill from there, as not too long after Sunset managed to get a hold of the crown. She used it to turn into what they could only call a fiery demon.

The Control Center shifted into red alert and grey coats from the across the city prepared to charge back to CHS. The whole facility was in lockdown as they watched the terrible magic unfold. But then the other Twilight and her friends’ counterparts managed to summon an amazing power.

One of the screens within Control focused on the vault where they kept the the six components of Project Harmony. They all began to glow as they channeled their power into the six girls on the surface. This, combined with the power from the other side’s crown, managed to strip Sunset of her ill gotten power. The entire facility released a breath they didn’t realize they were holding as things swiftly returned to normal.

Twilight looked to her brother. “So I guess that means that those five girls really are the ones needed to complete Project Harmony. But what I don’t get is why did Harmony One react to their Twilight? Celestia said that it was locked to me.”

“I’ll be honest Twiley, I’m not too sure either. But if I were to guess, I’d say that you two are closer than you think. Maybe the two worlds themselves are a lot more similar than they seem.”

“But what about Project Harmony? I think it’s pretty obvious we’ll be needing their” - she pointed to the screen at the five girls who surrounded the other Twilight - “help to activate it and they're still Dreamers.”

“I don’t think they’ll be Dreamers for long. They could be Awakening pretty soon.”

Twilight sighed as she looked back to the screen.