Book of Sparkle

Chapters

1: Do you see what I see?
2: A star, a star, hanging on my rump
3: Do you know what I know?
4: Good Princess Luna looked out
6: Brightly shone the sun that day.
7 Gathering friendship fuel
8 When a rich man came in sight
9: Joy to the World!
5 On the featured eating

1: Do you see what I see?

"Do you know what I'm thinking?" Twilight Sparkle asked Pinkie Pie.
"You're wondering what I could be thinking about."
"But what are you thinking about?" Twilight's horn glowed brighter with the extra effort applied to the newfound telepathy spell. "I still can't read you for some reason."
"I'm thinking about what you're thinking about."
"Well I'm thinking about what you're thinking about."
"I think that means it's working."
"I think that means it's not working."
"I think you just need to give it more time."
"I think you're right."
"I think it's fun," Pinkie closed her eyes and swayed from side to side, as if listening to some invisible music ensemble. "Your spells are all spangly in your head. Did you know that?"

Pondering that last comment completely snapped Twilight's train of thought. The horn's light went out with the spell. The basement of the library was again shrouded in darkness.

"Erg!" Twilight shouted angrily, relighting her horn, this time with a proper light spell. "That should have worked! I did everything right. Now I've got to start over!"

"Um … Twilight- I can still see what you're thinking."

"Maybe it's your imagination? Twilight stopped, her hoof a hair away from the light switch to flick the lights back on. "What am I thinking, then? Hmm... I'll think of a number, and you guess it."

"How is 'i' a number? That's cheating, McCheaterson."

Twilight smiled, "Well, your number is infinity. If you can get away with that, I can get away with … " she slowly dropped off as the implication of this realization hit her, quickly followed by a big, pink GALUMPH of a hug from Pinkie.

"You did it, Twi! I knew you could. As always, the only person who didn't think you could do it was you."

Twilight looked straight up, still caught in the hug. How DID she know what Pinkie's number was? "That's strange; we're supposed to actually see the results of each other's thoughts in our mind's eye. It's why I turned out the lights."

"Maybe if we close our eyes! I won't peek!" Pinkie covered her eyes with her forehooves.

"Maybe … But maybe … huh ..."

"Princess Twilight! Come quick!" Mayor Mare interruptingly burst through the library doors, desperately panting, speaking only pieces of thoughts, and only while breathing out. "Rockslide! Need your magic. Hurry!"

By the time Pinkie had uncovered her eyes, Twilight had already teleported outside, saying "Lead the way!" And the Mayor was already off running again, "We think someone's trapped. We're going to need to move a LOT of big rocks," she called out over her shoulder while Twilight ran frantically behind. Pinkie had already somehow caught up. "I know all about rocks! Are they BIG big rocks? Or big big big big rocks?"

Thirty seconds later, they'd arrived at the base of the mountain. "Those rocks."

Twilight immediately started moving the smaller stones closer to her on the outside, but it was obvious that the huge stones, larger than twenty ponies, lay right up against the cliff face, and were the most critical.

Pinkie had started burrowing a tunnel through the loose assemblage of stones around the edges. Twilight stopped not a zot while calling out, "Pinkie, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I can scout ahead. I'm skooshier than you are." Pinkie was slightly muffled, as only her back legs and hind half were now visible out of the rubble. Her front half quickly snaked into the crevice she'd dug for herself. Pinkie's tushie quickly followed the rest of her, and only then did Twilight stop.

Twilight could see what Pinkie was seeing, instead of what her own eyes should have been telling her. As Pinkie meandered through pebbles, she at last came to the Core rock, and, coming into view through tiny cracks of sunshine, the bottom of this rock. Twilight stopped. Twilight thought. She knew the dimensions of the core rock now. Theoretically, she could lift it.

Technically, the moving things spell only worked on things she could see, and were aware of. Technically, the things Pinkie was seeing shouldn't count.
Technically, she didn't care anymore, as the titanic boulder started shivering, then shaking, and finally pulling back, inch by precious inch. She could see when it veered off right and quickly tilted it left with her magic; could see and make corrections when it moved left, and move it rightways a bit, and sideways and upways and all the ways, and could correct it always, as if Twilight herself were the one, not Pinkie, who were standing in front of it.

"Pinkie, could you move your head left?" Twilight said, as the rock threatened to leave her view, their view. Pinkie quickly complied, having heard the instruction despite being several yards away, an impossibly long distance to actually have heard it.

"Will do, Twilight!" Pinkie's voice ringing in her ears. HER ears, as the sound carried with no means to support it between them. Pinkie giggled, "This is like a game," as Pinkie carefully tracked the rock, keeping it also in Twilight's view, until at last, it had finally been cast aside. The ponies behind it were now freed.

Twilight collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, the magic draining what little strength she'd had left after the telepathy spell. The double whammy causing her to pant more deeply even than Mayor Mare's summons, gasping in a flood of air with every breath. All of her muscles groaned with the exertion, her horn triply so.

So was quite a sight as she walked up to herself lying there and looked down at herself. The purple alicorn looked so very tired, eyes closed, mouth agape, laying on her back with wings and hooves splayed off at odd angles. Frantically pulling in air as her chest heaved up and down. "Poor Twilight," she thought.

"Wait a minute, I'm Twilight!" quickly followed, and her eyes snapped open.

This time she was looking at Pinkie's face smiling down at her in that ever-present beaming smile of hers. "Poor Twilight," this time it was spoken aloud. "Tell me when you're ready for another hug!"

* * *

Twilight was now laying in her bed, Pinkie standing over her, this time looking concerned, "I didn't know you were THIS tired. Maybe you should get some sleep?"

"Every-time I close my eyes, I see what you see, Pinkie."

"Oh that's fine. Whenever I close mine, I see what you see! Unless your eyes are closed too; well, I still see what you see, except it's black."

Twilight rolled her eyes as Pinkie continued, "With little flashy colors sometimes; just like mine!"

Twilight tried to lift the glass of water by her bed, but she just couldn't do anymore magic. And it was out of her reach. "Pinkie, could you give me some of that water," she'd have to do this the old-fashioned way.

"Of course, Twi. Hey, does this mean we'll see each other's dreams? Do you dream about flying? I love dreaming about flying. Except when I fall, and then-when I wake up-it's like I'm still falling for a second and … " But the words went nowhere. Twilight was fast asleep.

Seeing this, Pinkie jumped in the next bed to see if her dream hypothesis were true. She wanted to experiment.

* * *

Twilight woke up seeing her own body under the covers in the bed next to her. Great. She was still seeing in Pinkie-vision. She reflexively went to rub her eyes, when two pink hooves came up to meet her. Was she controlling Pinkie's body now, too? This would be a problem when Twilight woke up- when PINKIE woke up.

But for now Pinkie's mind was still asleep. Twilight trotted Pinkie's body over to the table with the glass of water and drank some. She was thirsty. Or Pinkie was thirsty. One of them was thirsty. At least.

Twilight's eyes in the bed flittered open, "Heya, Twilight," She heard herself say and saw herself get up out of the bed. "Oh wow, this is nifty. I'm you! Do you have a mirror?" Twilight-Pinkie then ran off to the bathroom to find a reflective surface. All this happened as Twilight Sparkle proper, still controlling Pinkie Pie's body, stood there dumbfounded.

At least she wasn't thirsty anymore.

Twilight Sparkle's body was making funny faces in the mirror, as Pinkie tried to get a good look at herself. "So how are you going to change it back?"

"I … don't know?" Twilight, being as Pinkie, continued to stand there dumbfounded.

"How long is this going to last?"

"I … don't know?"

"Am I going to be late for work?"

"I … really don't know."

"Or .. I can go to work as you! That sounds cool! Ponyville will get a kick out of Princess Twilight being there. Imagine what will happen when everyone finds out."

Twilight imagined how that might work out; complete the pastry shop being mobbed; yeah that was a bad, bad, bad idea. "Maybe I should go to work as you, instead."

"Oh yeah, you can be me, and I can be you! And I can do library stuff!" She tilted her head to one side quizzigly, "How do I do library stuff?"

Twilight, as Pinkie, face-hoofed. This was going to be an interesting learning curve, "Well, maybe we won't have to do this for too long. Maybe the spell will simply... work itself out?"

Then, they both heard a beautiful sound, as if the twinkling bells of angels rang out in chorus. The tinkling, ringing, shining sound reached a crescendo with a small glow of purest white light.

Twilight looked down at the source of the light, behind herself; it was her cutie mark. Pinkie's cutie mark was completely gone! In its place was Twilight's own cutie mark of a constellation of six stars, largest at the center, although rather pink-tinted now with the pink fur behind it. Twilight looked over at Pinkie Pie inspecting her own change. Twilight's body was now adorned with Pinkie's party balloons, not the one that normally featured on its own flanks.

It seems the universe had caught up with them, instead of the telepathy spell yielding to reality.

Twi'd been hoping this effect was temporary. But this … really wasn't a good sign.

Author's Note

This story is a sequel to my last story "Book Of Pink", but you don't need to have read it to get anything in this one.

Although they will be in a similar style, this one will be more Sparkle than Pink, for obvious reasons :)

2: A star, a star, hanging on my rump

"I was going to give it to you for your birthday, but I think I really need to give it to you now," Twilight held out the deep purple volume titled "Book of Sparkle" in her pink hooves. Pinkie took three tries at levitating it out of her possession, before the pink glow around Pinkie's horn caught hold and it lopsidedly lunged over to Pinkie, the book desperately flapping like a dying bird, as it careened across the room, barely under control. Finally, the book rushed to a stop.

Twilight didn't even want to think about how Pinkie's later flying lessons would go.

"Is this a book about you?" Pinkie asked. Pawing through the pages with one outstretched hoof, not daring moving it any further with magic, as the book hung, splayed open crazily at a reverse forty-five degree angle.

"Sort of. It's all about how I think. Maybe you'll get to know me better as you read it. Although it may be a bit fast when you're actually BEING me."

"I'm good at doing things fast." Pinkie said.

At that moment, a library patron jangled open the door. An elderly female voice called out from out of sight, "Hello, can anyone tell me how to find the books on sewing a pearl stitch?"

"I know just the thing. Oh Spiiiiike," Pinkie called out, in Twilight's voice. "Can you help this nice lady find her book?"

"On it!" Spike called back as Pinkie smiled. "I always think fast. As you're going to learn when you make cupcakes!"

* * *

'Okay, Twilight', she thought to herself as she stared down at the ingredients, 'you can do this. You've made cupcakes without Pinkie's help before, and it didn't go TOO bad.' Granted, they weren't exactly what anypony considered edible, but at least she hadn't started a fire or anything.

It was a small victory, but a victory none the less.

Think of it as a class. That was chapter one; this is chapter two: making EDIBLE cupcakes. Twilight smiled at that, and opened the cookbook. She may have to move everything with her hooves instead of with magic, but doggone it, she had a BOOK to help her. And if anyone could do something with a book, it was her.

* * *

"I KNOW it sounds crazy. But I'm actually Pinkie Pie and I need you to HELP. Aren't you like the assistant librarian or something? You know where all this stuff goes." Pinkie was struggling to magically lift a 10-book set of encyclopedias that she'd found draped over the reading table. The bright neon pink glow around them completely gave away their hover-er.

"MOST of it, but you- er, Twilight's always been the one in charge of that stuff." Spike gawped at the pinkly-glowing books. "That's freaky."

"Well, it's got to go somewhere; I can't hold this forever. We'll just MAKE a space for it."

* * *

So there was no molasses, eh? Well, Twilight could just use syrup as a topping for begonias and cream. They're basically the same, anyway. It should work out fine.

* * *

"You're right. The customer is ALWAYS right. Well, why are the astronomy and astrology books so far apart? People want to look at both. From now on, they'll be together."

"But Twilight always- I mean, you've always said astrology was just hokum," Spike was wriging his hands, looking increasingly nervous with every change Pinkie made to the Library's sorting system. He was certain Twilight would NOT approve when she came back. But Pinkie was going all-out. And, to be fair, people were finding their books easier when they were arrayed from an outsider's orderly manner. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? "But the Daring Doo books HAVE to stay right where they are."

Pinkie blinked twice, "Of course they do. That's where people expect to find them, silly."

* * *

"I want to thank you for making something for our anniversary on such short notice." Twilight beamed with pride as she held out the … whatever it was. She'd find a name for it later. But she knew that salty counteracted bitter in the taste buds so she could sweeten things without adding sugar. Once she put her mind to it.

* * *

"I never knew She wrote this." The young stallion said as he held aloft his newfound treasure.

"Of course. That's why I put them together. Now you can find new things you like!" Pinkie grinned madly at her victoriousness. Even Spike was starting to cheer up. There was no way this could go wrong.

* * *

Finally, Twilight came back home to the library, balancing a tray of sweets- her sweets. Of her very own. She was quite proud of those sweets.

Pinkie was busy dusting, wearing Spike's frilly pink apron, which somehow worked on her, giving her an air of being in charge, of Accomplishing Big Things. The pink tinge of the feather duster's levitation glowed softly in the fading sunset through the library windows, as Pinkie quietly hummed a catchy tune to herself. Then she saw Twilight coming in the door.

"Oh heya Pinkie...Twilight...Pinkie. Which should I call you?"

"I don't even know. I've answered to both so often today"

"Same here. Even Spike got confused."

"You told him?"

"Yeah. You tell the Cakes?"

"Yeah, but I told them to keep it a secret, though."

"Same here. Although Spike did send a letter to Celestia."

"Celestia usually knows what to do."

"Um Twilight … until then … "Pinkie blushingly rubbed her front hooves together, "Can I still keep being you? I really like being Twilight. I'm so … important!"

"Well, I rather like being Pinkie Pie. It's almost a vacation being the party animal for once. But... Pinkie, we can't keep this up forever."

"OH, well, yeah," Pinkie smiled again. And blushed again. "But you know... until Celestia figures it out."

"Until then .. of course" Twilight looked out the window. "We can have a mini-vacation. Until Celestia …" she trailed off, unsure what to say, exactly. She was secretly hoping it was later rather than sooner.

With a massive belch or firebreath, a letter appeared between them. Spike dutifully unwrapped it.

"Awww... I wanted to be Twilight some more."

Twilight smiled, "What's it say, Spike? What's the cure?"

"Well, you're not going to like this … Celestia wants all of us, all seven of us, to report to her, first thing in the morning. There's some sort of mission? Even though you're each other, she says this is more important right now, and we'll have to figure the swapping thing out later.

"Well … that will be fun."

"I LOVE fun!"

3: Do you know what I know?

The familiar image of Twilight Sparkle reading a book on the train was different in two ways: Twilight's cutie mark was on the book, and was missing from the flanks of its usual owner, to all apparent others on the train. But the other ponies on the train chalked it up to some magical disguisery Twilight was studying and didn't think twice about it, if they even noticed at all.

Twilight's six friends, however, realized it with every encounter.

"You even SOUND like Pinkie Pie," Rarity said, looking into Pinkie's now-purple eyes as Pinkie looked up from The Book of Sparkle to watch the other ponies on the train again.

"What do you mean? I thought I sounded like Twilight, if a little echoey. Hello. Helooooo. Hellllloooooooooo."

"That's exactly how I mean, darling. While our Twilight does enjoy her science, she usually doesn't go at it in the middle of a conversation as you do, dearie."

Twilight explained, "The effects you're talking about, Pinkie, are caused by sound waves reverberating in the skull. You always sound a bit different to other people as you do to yourself."

"heloooooooooh … I THOUGHT something was a bit meedely-beadley about all this."

Applejack looked up suddenly from her own window-gazing, "THAT'S what you found all … meedely-beadilwhatsit? Not suddenly lookin' like Twilight?"

"Well, that's not really a meededly-beadley. It's more of a 'bingy-boingy-bouncy-castle'."

"Ya, you're right." Spike was looking at Pinkie's eyes instead of Rarity's, for once. "You can tell it's not really Twilight right away." he snickered a bit as Pinkie looked over the train-car again, "She pony-watches instead of reads."

"I like how she still bounces up and down when she walks," Fluttershy smiled.

"Same with Twilight." Rainbow Dash added, "Pinkie Pie would never go on about head re-vibrations."

"Well, she ASKED," Twilight smiled as she defended herself laughingly, "Anyone who can ask the question deserves an answer."

"I'm wonderin' what the other ponies might say. Are we keeping this a secret or aren't we? And what am I supposed to tell them when these two start acting all funny? You know I'm no good at lyin'." She was looking down at her orchard far below, looking like a little kid's toyset far off in the distance.

As the train slowly spiraled up the mountain, everyone pondered this question, and a number of others. As the train went though the tunnel on the final approach to Canterlot, it was slowly rolling to a stop.

"Did they really have to stop inside the tunnel?" Rarity complained. "Couldn't they have waited until we were out?"

"I'm sure they have a good reason to," Twilight looked up from her own book and out the slightly-less-dark window. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel; and it was getting smaller, not bigger, as the train jerked into motion again. Strange, the train seemed to be backing up of all things, reversing faster and faster.

The realization hit her in the very pit of her stomach, as she figured it out:
they weren't reversing at all. The train was rolling downhill. It was out of control!

Faster and faster the train sped. Bits of luggage tumbled down. Other ponies started to figure it out, as well.

Twilight, thinking fast, reached up and pulled the emergency stop. And pulled. And yanked for all her worth.

It didn't accomplish much.

"Are we going to crash?" Fluttershy was three-quarters into hiding under her seat, narrowly missed by a huge bag. Bags were tumbling across the traincar. Ponies dived for cover as they were divebombed.

Twi thought fast again, "Pinkie! Please tell me You've gotten through chapter one of my book."

"About how magic is an allegoryoryory- just like life?"

"YES!"

"Oh yeah, I'm on chapter three now. Well, chapter two. Three. Is the number "3" part of chapter 2 or 3?"

"I need you to make a magic bubble shield for the train to bounce into."

Pinkie fidgeted and looked down. "Um."

"Come on Pinkie, we need a bubble to take up the train's momentum. You like bubbles. Imagine a HUGE bubble. You can even make it pink."

"Or BALOONS. A pink balloon!"

"Yes! A pink balloon. Imagine it in your head. Now imagine pushing all the air into the balloon."

"It's going all Pssssspppphhhhhhh all over the place."

Twilight stopped a second. Twilight thought. How do you explain magic to someone who's never known it before? How would you explain a new color to one who'd never seen it? How would you write about a song to someone who'd never heard it? Could she even explain it so Pinkie could understand?

"Remember the movement spell? Or light spell? The magic in your horn? "

"I can do that." Pinkie looked up and focused on her horn so magic filled it, and it started glowing brighter.

"Put the magic in your balloon."

"What? But where is the balloon?"

"In your head."

"But it's in my imagination. Is that a place?"

"You need to make it a place."

"How do I do that?"

Twilight wasn't sure this was going to work on such short notice. Drat! She should've taught Pinkie about spells last night. But there was no knowing this would happen.

The train was still careening backwards and picking up truly ridiculous speed. They may not make the next bend in the tracks.

She didn't want to think about that.

"Pinkie," Fluttershy broke the silence. "Remember at your last party you showed me how to work the helium tank, even though I was afraid of breaking it?"

"Yeah?"

"You need to let Twilight show you how to work your magic tank. Fill your balloon. Don't be afraid. you're not going to break Twilight's spell. Just let it fill your balloons, and everything is fine." Fluttershy smiled up at Pinkie, leaning out from under the seat, and standing on two front hooves, "I have faith in you."

Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and imagined her balloon in her mind's eye. Just like on her cutie mark. She pushed all the magic into it and it gradually inflated, and got bigger and bigger. And bigger! More magic. More inflation. Pinkie opened her eyes and there was a solid pink, sparkly magic balloon around all seven of them.

"You did it. Keep going!" Twilight encouraged Pinkie.

"How big does it need to be?"

"As big as the train!"

"We're going to need a lot of helium."

Her eyes still open for reference, Pinkie shone more brilliant pink magic into the balloon's space. With every grain of it, the balloon inflated in size. Pinkie thought of all the parties she'd ever thrown and how much helium they'd all needed, how many times she'd entertained all her friends; all their happiness. All their laughter. All their friendship.

She slammed her eyes shut and dumped every ounce of happy helium into her balloon, and …

pow

With the tiniest sound, the train started to slow; and instead of the sudden, jarring stop of a crash, instead they felt the slow, easygoing slooshing around of a perfect dive onto a bed of feathers … or a baloon.

The train rolled to a perfect stop. The entire mountaintop had been enshrouded in a truly titanic, massive pink bubble, larger than the entire city of Canterlot and the mountaintop besides. The train was gently resting on one edge of it, and though the bubble had deformed, the train could not go over the side.

Pinkie looked out the window, "Maybe I overdid it?"

Rarity tentatively felt the edge of the bubble with one hoof, resting it on the barrier, and smiled. "No, Pinkie. It's perfect." She continued on, "I'd hate to be the one to go on a magic duel against you. This balloon is magnificent!"

Dash said, "I'd hate to be whoever's been pulling these pranks on us, and keeping us from Celestia."

Rarity agreed. "Whomever sabotaged the train must be very desperate. Maybe we should go in disguise? I didn't bring any costumes, but …"

Twilight smiled a big, toothy Pinkie smile. "Oh don't worry; if Pinkie can pull it off, I know just the spell."

4: Good Princess Luna looked out

"Is anypony going to believe we're stallions just because we have mustaches?" Rainbow Dash prodded her own cyan blue fluff with one forehoof. "I look like I'm going to tie someone to the railroad tracks."

"You'd need a bowler hat for that, silly" Pinkie's horn glowed pink as she cast the mustache spell on Rarity, "Maybe you can make up some sort of Villain Fashion."

"Heaven forbid." Rarity smiled. "Well, how do I look?" a hand mirror levitated out of Rarity's bags and presented itself in front of her. "Not completely off. I believe we could pass for stallions if we pass through quickly, and wear loose-fitting clothing- which, I have."

"We should leave them on all the way to the castle." Twilight's said, while absentmindedly twirling her own mustache. "There's no telling who sabotaged the train, and they might do even worse if they find out who we are."

"They did put a lot of ponies in danger. Seems rather drastic. For anypony," Rarity replied.

"Well, when I get my hooves on them-" Dash started, but was quickly interrupted by Pinkie "Just so everyone knows, I'm not going to be able to any magic for a while. My head's kinda … empty?"

Dash snorted with a quickly-muffled laugh.

"That happens," Twilight nodded. "You'll gain more magic over time. Although I don't know how you being me will affect it. I should do an experiment to find out..."

"Someone need a cab?" A pegasus stagecoach was pulling up to the curb, pulled by a smiling greenish mare wearing the matching checkered cap of a cab-pony on both her head and as a cutie-mark.

"We do," Applejack started ."We need someone to take six stallions and a dragon to the castle. Including us six. Who are definitely all stallions."

Dash rolled her eyes. Pinkie snickered. Twilight did her best not to facehoof.

"Well, hop in." The smile on the cabdriver's face never faltered for an instant. If she'd noticed something odd about that exchange, she didn't show it. Whether professionalism or a simple example of 'I've seen worse; this could have been even more weird, let me tell you' that all cabdrivers experience; the transaction proceeded just as any other. "The castle, eh? Well, that's a fairly short flight. Good choice on a flying pegasus cab, avoiding the crowded streets. I'll get you there in no time."

Once safely packing them all inside the cab, Fluttershy whispered, wide-eyed "Do you think she recognized us?" She looked even more frightened than before, if that were somehow possible, frantically looking back and forth, and around, like a scared bird;. trying to catch whoever... or whatever had sabotaged the train, and before it got to her first.

"Nah, don't worry" Rainbow put a calming hoof around Fluttershy. "Nopony would sabotage a train they're on, and we're disguised, remember? So they couldn't have seen us get off."

"Still, I'm scared," Fluttershy peeked out the window at Celestia's setting sun as the city streets streaked below them.

"Hoo-we, we're making time," Applejack called, as they then bumped through some windy turbulence, "Giddy-up"

"And Applejack, dear, if I may offer a helping hoof; the next time you need to lie about something, look to me and I'll help you out. I can be more … discrete on that front."

Applejack just nodded, and pulled her hat brim down a bit ," Sorry about that. Jes' took me by surprise is all. I can think up a better story if I have some time."

"Don't worry about it darling, you did fine on the short notice" Rarity patted Applejack's shoulder. "All's well, that ends well."

Twilight was looking at her reflection in the cab window … or rather Pinkie's reflection, lost in thought.

Fluttershy squinted out her own window, and suddenly gasped as the cab shook from side to side.

"What the hay?" Applejack tumpled out of her seat onto the floor in the latest jarring bump.

"Luna?" Twilight asked quizzically, sticking her neck out the window and looking straight up into a matching pair of eyes.

"Hello, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" After landing on top of the cab with another full-contact THUD, Luna's face appeared upside-downedly in Fluttershy's window on the opposite side. "We heard what happened to your train, and we thought we'd come and get you before any further brigandry had occurred."

"Well, there goes what's left of our cover …" Applejack sighed.

Despite Luna's best efforts, there was simply no way they were all going to fit in the cab. Twilight instinctively realized this instantly, but was still busy figuring the math almost subconsciously, as if somehow the numbers might add up differently the next time they were counted. "Even discounting Luna's larger form, there simply won't be room for seven ponies. I mean, look at poor Spike all squished up, already."

"I'm good" Spike stretched out one arm in a 'thumbs-up' motion. It was all that was visible of him, as the rest was evidently squeezed in between Applejack and Pinkie.

"Maybe … she can … follow along behind?" Pinkie slowly asked as the phrase started out as a statement but ended with a question mark.

Luna took it as a statement, anyway. "Yes! Guide us yonder, and we will follow close behind." And Luna fell into step, flying right behind the pegasus cab. The cabdriver simply shrugged and picket up the pace, in response.

As Twilight looked around the airspace of the cab, strangely enough, none of the other pegasi seemed to have noticed the event. She remarked to Applejack, "Somehow, though some miracle, our cover isn't blown after all."

Applejack smiled at that. "Life's jes' stubborn like that sometimes. Doesn't want to move an inch." The coach jostled again as Luna accidentally bumped it. "Unlike this cab, which moves all the time. I'll sure be happier on the ground."

"How about on the castle walls,"Rarity pointed with one hoof at an obvious large red "X" that had been laid out on the very top top of one castle tower for them to land, anticipating Luna's return at least, if not the pegusus cab. The cabdriver made good use of it, much to the surprise of two Pegasus guards who were adamant, with much shouting, that the cab was Not Going To Fit, You Can't Land Here, Are You Crazy? Finally proving them wrong with a soft smile.

Princess Luna spoke first. "Off to bed with thee. We have much to discuss in the morning."

* * *

They were all of them in a common bedroom, trying their best to unpack their things onto their respective beds. (Except Spike, who'd gotten a basket at his request.)

Warming her hooves in front of the roaring fire in the castle fireplace, Fluttershy suggested,"Well, we probably shouldn't leave the castle for a few days, until we're sure the coast is clear."

"Oh, hang that; we should get a few good licks in before they get wise" Applejack said. Dash agreed with Applejack

"Sometimes, however, discretion is the better part of valor," Rarity said. "Maybe Fluttershy is right."

Pinkie, meanwhile, was softly giggling in the corner over a headline in The Evening News, she read aloud: "Six stallions escorted to castle by Princess Luna. What could be the cause?"

Spike piped up first, "Wait, that actually worked? After all that? I'm impressed."

"Well,"Pinkie Pie smiled, "It's like Twilight's book said. Never give up until it's over. It just might work by accident."

"Well," Twilight smiled, "if we can have more of those kinds of accidents, and fewer of the ones like we had on the train, this should go rather well."

Everyone agreed with that, and gradually, ever softly, drifted off to sleep.

6: Brightly shone the sun that day.

"We need to have a plan to find Celestia," Twilight said to the others. "Every minute spent planning saves two in wandering aimlessly or messing up.

"Can we plan to have no plan?" Pinkie asked.

"No."

"I can fly air cover," Dash volunteered.

"Great. Now, Canterlot is on a mountaintop, so she couldn't have left the city without someone noticing. This implies she's still here...somewhere. Pinkie, since you're me, you can stay here and provide a royal presence for the Palace, so that Luna can get some sleep. If anything happens, come get me immediately. Rarity and I can search the crystal catacombs under the city, so I'll be close by. Fluttershy and Applejack, you're good with merchants and animals, so head over to the marketplace. She's going to need food from somewhere. Someone or something there would have seen something. Spike, search the castle from top to bottom; see if there's any small nooks and crannies the guards may have missed."

"You got it", Spike gave a quick salute and started to run off.

"We'll meet back right here at sunset. Let us know what you find, and we can tell Luna."

You wouldn't think a huge, bright white pony like Celestia would be so hard to spot.

"Twilight, there's something you should see." Rarity bit her lower lip as she called out to Twilight. One of the multitudinous reflections of Pinkie Pie resolved itself into a single Pony, that was currently Twilight.

"Oh, thank Celestia," Applejack said. "This place gives me the heebie-jeebies."

"What did you want me to see …. oh." Twilight dead-stopped in her tracks, staring.

There sat a little snow-white unicorn filly- one with Celestia's cutie mark. "Hello," the filly smiled up, "I'm Aurora Glory."

* * *

"Luna, I'm close to Celestia, but there's some things … only sisters …" Princess Twilight trailed off.

"You may ask me anything. I don't feel Celestia would hide anything from you, either."

"Is it possible Aurora Glory is Celestia's foal? It would explain her sudden disappearance."

"While I was gone for some time, I feel she would have mentioned it to at least one of us at some point."

"Time travel? Or Wormhole?" Twilight asked.

"Nay. The castle is shielded well from such things, from external interlopers."

"Maybe Celestia died!" Pinkie burst out, "and this Is the new Celestia"!

"Pinkie!" Twilight shouted.

Luna shook her head "Neither would that option work. Equestria was around before us and will be around after us, if it should come to that. Remember the pageant every Hearthswarming Eve?"

"Hmm..." Pinkie scrunched up Twilight's face in thought, as she absent-mindedly used her horn to make - well, Twilight-colored sparkles in the air. Pinkie seemed mesmerized by them, but Twilight could tell Pinkie's mind was ticking away softly. Twilight wondered if Pinkie having her own body aided Pinkie's mind in any way. She was already starting to behave more like Twilight in that facet.

"Call in fair Aurora," Luna commanded in the Royal Canterlot Voice. In a more normal voice she said, "We will get to the bottom of this."

* * *

"- And that's when Fluttershy found me in the marketplace," Aurora Glory finished her tale. Fluttershy blushed at that and hid her face behind her own mane hair. "She was very nice."

"After we found her, we got her good and fed. She didn't didn't have any money." Applejack added.

"And then we came straight here to get Twilight."

"Thank you. Please take Aurora to the playroom for the guardsponies' children. We will send for her later." The guardsponies saluted at that, and marched her off.

"Well, this is the biggest piece to the puzzle we have so far," Twilight began.

"In really isn't," Pinkie replied. "None of what she says makes any sense. She has a home which isn't there anymore, parents who don't really exist, and a school that's not on any record. It's like some strange game!"

"Maybe she isn't tellin' the truth," Applejack said.

"I don't think so," Fluttershy replied. "She was so happy to see us, and she ate like a timber-wolf. She obviously hadn't eaten for days. And isn't that, by itself, reason enough to put up a fuss?"

"And her descriptions are very detailed. They aren't the work of a child caught lying," Luna concluded.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. Suddenly, Pinkie shouted out, "I have a plan!" then shopped and blushed, adding more quietly "Sorry to interrupt."

"No one was talkin', Sugarcube. Go ahead."

"What if we're the wrong ponies for this?"

"What do you mean?"

* * *

"Hello, Aurora Glory; I'm Spike."

"Oh, you can just call me Aurora. No need to be so formal."

7 Gathering friendship fuel

Author's Note

Caution: There might be spoilers in the comments below, for those who like to read comments before chapters.

7 Gathering friendship fuel

If Pinkie Pie could do one thing... it was to throw a party for foals. And she wasn't about to let temporarily being Twilight Sparkle stop her. Aurora Glory was getting at least two helpings of all the food, trying every game until she'd mastered it, and was having way more fun playing party games with Spike than any other foal at one of Pinkie's parties ever had; she did not stop laughing for more than a second for the entire time, in a continuous stream of giggles.

Aurora even managed to wear Pinkie Pie out, and that took some doing. Of course, it could also help that Pinkie was still Twilight. But she was also quickly wearing out Spike. As she bounced on a trampoline for the umpteenth thousandth time, she finally apparently realized she was the only one still on it.

"Pinkie? Spike?" She asked the two lumps resting in beanbag chairs next to the trampoline in the hastily-converted playroom.

Spike raised one pointer finger halfheartedly in the air, "Be with you... in a minute," he panted. "Go on … without me," he continued in mock tragedy.

Pinkie Pie's reply was simply, "Blarg."

Aurora stopped bouncing and disembarked from the trampoline "May we have some more ice cream, then? Or cake? I dearly loved that cake."

Spike said, "I hate to say it, but if sugar is giving you all that energy, maybe we've had enough sweets."

"Sacrilege!" Pinkie protested. "Heresy!"

Twilight Sparkle took that opportunity to walk in, Pinkie's body strangely trotting, rather than the frantic bouncing up and down it was normally known for, but the smile was still there, "So is everypony having a good time?"

"I am!" Aurora Glory was positively beaming, "Can you read me another story?!"

"Well, what kind of story would you like to hear?"

"hmmmm," Aurora put one hoof to her mouth in thought, sticking her tongue out. "Ooooh, let me think of a good one!"

Pinkie asked, "How do you choose which story to read? You always seem to get the right ones."

Twilight straddled Pinkie Pie's prone figure. "The rule for teaching fillies is simple: you don't invite them into your world. You play in the fillies' world. That's how you teach; you don't transmit knowledge; you build the knowledge inside their minds, on their terms."

"A story about cake?" Pinkie asked in response. "We both liked cake."

Twilight responded, "No, let her control where the party goes. She is the planner now."

Aurora was still thinking, "Oh! I know! Tell me one about Princess Luna!"

Twilight smiled wider, and dutifully pulled a book off of a nearby shelf. "Oh, I know the perfect story about Princesses Celestia AND Luna."

"Who is Celestia?", the little filly asked.

There was silence for a full minute at that.

"Is she a princess like Luna? I like princesses. I've heard talk, but I don't t really 'get it'. Who is she, anyway?"

Spike was the first to recover, incredulous, "You don't know who Princess Celestia is?"

Twilight picked up on that thread, "But you do know Princess Luna..." her eyes darted off to one side, staring at the wall, lost in thought. You could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

"Oh, yeah, I know Luna. She's so great. I want to help her do everything. I want to learn everything to help Luna."

Twilight's smile returned. "That's how I always was about Princess Celestia. I always wanted to learn more to impress her, so I pushed myself extra hard. It's as if … " the smile dropped. Twilight's eyes grew wide. The gears in her head shuddered to a final, resounding click. The deduction had been made.

"Spike, Pinkie, please take over reading this to our friend. I have to go see Luna right away." Twilight practically threw the book at Spike, who just barely caught it in time, just short of it hitting him upside the head.

"What's the holdup?'" Spike asked, scratching his head absent-mindedly with the book. But Twilight had already retreated in the distance without even stopping to close the door to the playroom.

"But who is Celestia?" Aurora's face started to look pouty.

"Well, Aurora," Pinkie took the book from Spike with one hoof... and when the book threatened to overbalance and tump over backwards, some extra minor magical assistance. "This book will explain alllllllll about our princesses Celestia and Luna; and it's just for little fillies like you."

"Okay!" Aurora brightened up at that and literally hopped into a beanbag chair with a 'pumf' sound, snuggling up in it like a little nest.

Spike repeated the action in the other beanbag, and Pinkie began to read, just as she'd read to the Cake twins. This was the part that she liked best, reading to the two children. Suddenly, Pinkie gasped.

"What?" Spike asked.

Pinkie recovered quickly, and her smile returned, albeit in a more mischievous grin than previously, "I think I know what's gotten Twilight all riled up. I think she's figured out where Celestia is."

"She does? How?" Spike asked.

"Well, for right now it's book time. Questions time comes after." Aurora replied, unwilling to wait any longer.

So they did.

* * *

"Are you certain?" Luna asked Twilight in Luna's bedchamber. Luna, having just been awoken to set the sun, was rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Near as I can be." Twilight replied, "It's the only sequence of events that fits the current scenario."

"But I do not see how such a sequence of events could happen. It's most improbable, requiring just the right mistakes at just the right places."

"Well, it's as Detective Sherlock Pones says, 'if you eliminate the impossible, whatever improbables are left, must be the answer'."

"Then, it would seem we have our answer. Only one question yet remains: 'How to we recover Celestia back'?"

"That ..." Twilight trailed off, "… is a good question. I don't know yet."

"Perhaps continuing to question the filly Aurora Glory will allow further insights to arise. I will go talk to her." Luna climbed out of bed, and started for the door.

Twilight ah-hem-ed. "Aren't you forgetting something?" She smiled.

"Ah yes, I must set the sun before I raise the moon. Pardon me, I am not fully awake, and my sister usually does that bit for me."

"Well, we all make mistakes here and there... even Princesses."

8 When a rich man came in sight

"Prince Blue-blood! What art thou doing here?" Luna yelled up the throne room stairs. He was sitting on the throne in front of Luna, with an evil 'I've just gotten away with something' grin on his face.

"Why, claiming my right of ascension, of course."

"We are not making you a crown prince. Thou art a knave and rapscallion, and besides have not earned the title of Alicorn."

"But the title of ascension, last modified in the 3rd of June on Clelestia 996, clearly states the next of kin of Celestia, listing Cadence, and then myself, shall inherit Equestria. And Cadence is not here. Legally, it was never updated after your return, nor Twilight's promotion. Therefore, De Juris, I am now the King of Equestria.

Luna's eyes became tiny slits, "Shall I find you were responsible for Celestia's disappearance, or Nay?"

"Nay, er, no. But no reason not to benefit when it falls into my lap, requiring but a bit of legal maneuvering."

Luna looked sidelong at Twilight, who piped up, " I can double-check the statute, but, legally, he may be right."

"I care not. I am not playing legal games. You shall leave or I shall have the Thestral Lunar Guard remove you by force. These are your only two choices."

"You realize if you choose to end this by force, I will return with still greater force."

"I care not. Get thee hence."

Twilight watched him go sauntering off through the main hall doors, "You should have sent him to the moon."

"Nay, Although I yet might later," Luna said with a smile, "but others would simply come looking for him; he does have his allies in the aristocracy. In any case, we have bought quite some time. My guard is fiercely loyal to myself. But this does need to be resolved with greater expeditiousness."

Aurira Glory's voice could be heard as the Great Doors opened, "Expedition? Are we going on an adventure? I love adventure!"

"Well, no time like the present," Twilight turned around.

"Is there presents, too?" Aurora laughed. "This is already a good adventure."

"This is an adventure in dreaming. What do you know about dream magic?"

"Oh, I know lots about dream magic! I've been studying! That's what I was doing before I wound up in the marketplace!"

Twilight's grin widened, "That's what I figured. Do you normally remember your dreams?"

Aurora jumped up and down in place, "Always! Except that one. Is this a test? I love tests! I always get an 'A'!"

"A filly after my own heart. Well, this is a dream adventure, and I'm sure you'll get an A on it. Luna, I'm sorry to bother you again."

"Nay, it is understandable. I will monitor this test," She turned to a saluting Lunar guard, "Have Miss Pinkie Pie resume as sentinel until our return, But do not be surprised if she- erm... suddendly falls asleep."

* * *

"So it's like a teleport spell, except you don't go anywhere. It's a dream world; a place you make up yourself." Aurora was reciting every step along the way as Twilight would if she were instead being quizzed on dream magic. Twilight thought that she really should study it more closely; she'd been focusing too hard on Celestia's pantheon of spells, but hadn't made as much of a dent in Luna's. She resolved to change this once this was all over.

They all closed their eyes, Twilight, Pinkie, Aurora, and Luna, as Aurora cast the dreamworld spell, and to everyone else's surprise except theirs, Aurora Glory suddenly vanished entirely from reality.

* * *

Twilight woke up first in the cloudy dreamscape. She saw Aurora asleep in front of her. As Twilight moved to poke her awake, she noticed that she was herself again, and not Pinkie Pie. Or was she? Her hoof fluctuated between pink and purple as if it were a fluid, ripples of pink and purple fighting each other over her identity as if she were a marbled stone, or spreading ripples in a pool. She stared at it for a few seconds before remembering Aurora and gently nuzzled her awake.

Aurora woke sharply, and immediately jerked to all four hooves, "See? I did it! I told you I've been practicing dream magic." As she spoke, Luna and Pinkie appeared in the dreamworld with her, barely visible through the fog. Twilight assumed it was Pinkie; she was rippling in the same way between Pinkie and Twilight. They gradually came to, much gentler than Aurora did.

Luna rubbed her eyes, "Pardon me; I'm not used to to others dream-walking into my own dreams. 'Tis a new experience for me." She continued after recombobulating herself, "The first order of business is to find Celestia."

Aurora responded to that, "Oh! I know where she is! Follow me!" And ran into the fog, stopping every ten yards or so to ensure that she was, in fact, being followed.

After a brief walk they came to a door in space, which Aurora pushed open by charging straight into it. Inside was Celestia's bedchamber, exactly as if they were in Canterlot Castle.

Celestia was on the cloud bed, under the covers, fast asleep.

"Isn't that Celestia?" Aurora asked. "She looks exactly like the picture in Pinkie's book! Wow, she's big! Even bigger than Luna! How does she get so big? Is it because she's an alicorn? Why are you all looking at her that way?"

Twilight and Luna ran up and gently shook Celestia in the bed. She did not wake up.

"Well, "Pinkie Pie said, matter-of-factly, lagging behind for once, "As least we know where she is, now."

9: Joy to the World!

"Oh, you Adorable thing!" Prince Blueblood, or at least his dream-avatar, was gushing over little Aurora Glory as she danced merrily around him, using, to the fullest, the inherent bounciness of the cloudy terrain of the dream realm.

Twilight asked Aurora, "Do you know who this is?"

"I'm Prince Blueblood. I'm going to be the Emperor of Equestria," he gave out before even giving her a chance to answer.

"Oh, like Princess Platinum!" Aurora replied, still bouncing in circles around him.

"Er... yes, I suppose." he spun in place, trying to keep him in front of her. It was starting to make him dizzy.

"I have called thee here to see that my sister is alive and well. Gaze upon her."

Blueblood stopped twirling and looked at the bed where the "real" Celestia was sleeping. "Ah, I see. Still, how do I know this isn't some sort of trick? This is a dream; you could have put this here yourself."

"Does that mean you're related to Princess Platinum?" Aurora broke in.

"I suppose, distantly. ... And how do I know any of this is real? This whole room might not be real. You might not be real!"

"Will you play with me? I love bouncing on this. We should have a bounce race!" She bounced extra high for good measure, eventually coming eye-to-eye with Blueblood."

"As adorable as you are, I have other things to do."

"No you don't! Not until morning! You're asleep, remember?"

"Still, I should talk with, erm... Luna."

"But you said this wasn't real. If it's not real, you should have fun! If it is real, you should ... have fun anyway! At least until morning! C'mon! We have 8 hours left!" and she bounced away, Blueblood in confused pursuit.

Twilight asked Luna "Should we do something about this?"

Luna replied "Nay. He stopped insisting on us, and is focused on something else for once. I believe, in her own way, She knows what she is doing."

Pinkie brightened at that, "I'm going to go help!", bouncing to join them. Truly, that was Pinkie's true purpose in life.

* * *

"So this is what happened to her," Twilight said to Luna, "Apparently, Celestia was learning something about dream magic before she went to bed and tried an experiment, likely entering my dreams. Being more unpracticed in that area than you are, it backfired. Celestia is here, asleep, and her dream-self woke up, instead, from her dream at the time. Pinkie and I were sharing a dream because of the ongoing effect of the telepathy spell, and we each woke up as each other when the dream collapsed. Trouble is, none of us can remember our dream, so we can't tell what happened with much precision.

"Does Blueblood know he's playing with ... Celestia right now?"

"No, but Pinkie Pie does, and I think Auror- Celestia is beginning to understand, especially the more she sees you around. I was kind of hoping she simply comes to her senses. The only other alternative is to teach Pinkie Pie both the dream-walking and telepathy spells, and have her cast them both on top of each other, in the walking world, and I'm not sure she's capable of all that. Could you not help in some way?"

"No. At the end of the ... erm, day. We're all entering your dream world. Your body is the one that's really asleep back in Canterlot, and it is currently in possession of Miss Pie. Currently, she is the one who has final say what happens here.

"Pinkie's in charge? Celestia help us all"

* * *

"You want to help?" Aurora glory asked Blueblood, Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down in the background behind him, being very distracting to the conversation.

"With what?" Blueblood replied, trying not to be distracted by the constant poompf poompf of the trampolining of the clouds behind him.

"building a snow pony, or a cloud pony," Aurora Glory was already mashing cloud material into a snowball with her hooves.

Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing for a nanosecond. "I'll help, c'mon!"

* * *

"Well," Twilight mused. "Pinkie Pie does have a way with children. Aurora and ... whatever Blueblood is."

Luna snickered at that, "He is indeed much like a child in many ways. Perhaps Pinkie Pie can share her magic with him, as well."

Luna thought for a moment, and then continued, "... and... don't count my sister out just yet. Even in her current... state, I'm sure she has several tricks up her sleeve, so to speak."

5 On the featured eating

Nopony could grind through a stack of pancakes like Pinkie Pie. Although less sugary than most types of cakes, they were still nonetheless one of her favorites.

Spike grinned, "Save some for the rest of us."

"We're in a castle, silly, we can do this," Pinkie Pie held out her empty plate to a waiting chef, "more please."

"And how many more would mademoiselle need?" The chef asked.

"All of them."

The chef blinked. For anyone else, such a statement might come off as sarcastic. But considering who he was talking to, the Chef wondered if 'all of them' would even be enough. "I'll tell the kitchen to make some more on standby."

"Thank you," Pinkie Pie forked over another stack from the center, and resumed her voracious eating.

Twilight was digging through a stack almost as large. Being Pinkie Pie apparently did wonders for her appetite, "I used to wonder how you got so hungry."

"Being Pinkie Pie takes a lot of work." Pinkie nodded agreement over a mouthful of an entire pancake she'd eaten at once, "It's exhausting sometimes."

Finally, Princess Luna descended the red-carpeted staircase into the dining hall. She did not appear as well rested as the others. In fact, she looked so bedraggled she probably hadn't slept in days. The clinking of silverware gradually stopped st she paused at the base of the stairs, her eyes half-lidded, apparently asleep on her hooves. She suddenly snapped up with a start, "Good morning, My Little Ponies."

"Goof morfing" Pinkie Pie replied, through her mouthful of pancakes, "thaef you for the panpakes. They're deliffouff."

Luna finally smiled at that, regaining some of her royal radience. "Thank you Twilight, or Pinkie Pie?"

"Yeff; I'm Pinkie Pie" Pinkie said, finally swallowing, "Did you get our letter?"

"Yes, Pinkie, We did. We have a bit of a more pressing problem at the moment, however."

"Have some pancakes. That'll make you feel better."

"Do you want me to take over some royal duties?" Twilight asked, "So you can get some sleep?"

Luna nodded "For but a short time, perhaps, but that is why I called you here. You see, Celestia has gone missing."

Luna continued through the shocked silence, "I went to wake her up yesterday morning, believing she might, perhaps, be ill, which would explain her tardiness in relieving me. But she was simply not in her bed. We have searched everywhere for her. We sent messages to the Other cities. She does not appear to be in any location anyone can search. We had hoped you would have more success."

"You can count on us," Rainbow Dash was the first to speak up, "If anyone can find her, that's us."