(Mis)taken Identity

Chapters

Shine Like Rainbows
Twilight Follows Sunset
A Sunset Long Gone
Believe
Sunset in Ponyville
Invasion!
Friend Request Ignored
Interlude: Principal Interest
Interlude II: Sunset in a Strange Land
This Strange New World
Sunset Calls For Backup

Shine Like Rainbows

Author's Note

Updated Preface, September 2016: This story is set in an AU offshoot of an old, cancelled story. It supercedes the events of Friendship Games and most of season five and introduces changes to the character of Sci-Twi, as well as the presence of elements in Twilight's castle which are conspicuously absent in the series to date, such as a palace guard.

Shine Like Rainbows

"No doubt about it, Spike. There's definitely something strange going on at that school."

Twilight Sparkle adjusted the thick black frames of her glasses, scratching her head as she studied the web of red threads stretched across the board covered with charts, diagrams, sketches, equations, notations, and at the center of it all, a big color photograph of Canterlot High School.

On two separate occasions—the first six months ago, the second only moments ago—every piece of equipment in her lab had gone crazy. During the past six months, there'd been a lot of gossip and rumors floating around. Strange rumors of seemingly impossible, fantastical, nonsensical things. Like teenage girls shooting giant magical rainbows into the air, and a prom queen turning into a demon.

If she hadn't seen the giant rainbow in the sky with her own eyes, she'd dismiss it all as nonsense. But she had. Impossible as it was, a rainbow shooting up into the night sky from the ground, and then slamming back down...

As she'd dug deeper into the mysteries of Canterlot High, she'd found strange seismic and thermic readings coming from the heart of Canterlot, all centered on the school campus.

Then there'd been the latest readings, with sonic, harmonic, and seismic disturbances that defied all known phenomena.

Something at that school was bending the laws of physics, and leaving a pretty deep footprint when it did so.

Twilight sighed, shaking her head. "It looks like I'm going to have to go to that school if I want any answers." She frowned as she studied a series of photos pinned to another board on the wall to her right. "But before that...I need to do some research."

* * * * *

Sunset Shimmer smiled and tapped one finger against the side of her head as she twirled a pen in her other hand. It was lunchtime at Canterlot High, and the gentle buzz of conversation and consumption washed over her from all sides.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash sat to either side of her. Rarity sat directly across from her, with Applejack and Fluttershy seated to her left and right. Further down the table, on Applejack's other side, sat Vinyl Scratch, who was bobbing her head to the beat of whatever she was listening to on her headphones as she poured extra hot sauce on her enchiladas.

Sunset Shimmer looked around at her friends, her eyes softening and her smile widening. Looking down at the book which lay open in front of her, she put pen to page.

Dear Princess Twilight,

It's hard to believe it's been six weeks since you were here. Things have changed a lot since you left. I don't even know where to start.

For one thing, most of the school has forgiven me for the way I used to be. I'm still making amends for all the bullying and the ill will I spread, not to mention the whole demon and enslavement thing, but...with the help of my friends, I'm really turning things around.

The Rainbooms are super popular! We're getting lots of attention. There's MP3s and online videos of our music going around all over Canterlot. Rainbow Dash made a big fuss over having another guitarist in the band, but we worked it out—she plays lead, I play accompaniment, and on some songs we play dual lead, or I even get to play lead. I can rock a mean solo!

We're writing more and more songs where each of us can take over on lead vocals. Even Fluttershy has a song she sings lead on...except she won't sing it in front of anybody but us yet. She doesn't like being out in front of the band.

Vinyl Scratch has joined the band permanently, by the way. And our little group of friends, too...she's sitting with us in the cafeteria even as I write this. It's a good thing we have her, because none of us can do what she does!

We all miss you a lot. I know you're busy in Equestria, but don't forget to visit us when you have the time.

Write back soon and tell us all about your adventures in Equestria.

Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer

Sunset slid a photo out from beneath the journal. It showed the entire group gathered in the music room, posing with their instruments. Seven happy friends, enjoying doing something they all loved. With a smile, she placed it in the journal, then closed it. The cover of the journal glowed faintly. She picked up the book and shook it; nothing fell out. "It worked!" she cried happily.

The others looked at her. "How's that now?" Applejack asked, a forkful of enchilada halfway to her mouth.

"I tried to send Twilight a picture with the journal, and it worked," Sunset said with a smile.

"Whoa, awesome," Rainbow said. "Uhh...how'd that work, though?"

Sunset shrugged. "I honestly don't know. It was just a hunch. Kind of a Pinkie moment."

"Oooh, I love Pinkie moments!" Pinkie said, giggling. "I have Pinkie moments all the time!"

"You know," Rarity said thoughtfully, "it would be lovely to visit Twilight in her world. I would dearly love to see her castle with my own eyes."

"It's really castley," Pinkie said. "It looked all sparkly and crystally and stuff when I poked my head in the portal." She tilted her head. "Funny thing, there was this pink pony with big blue eyes just like mine and big poofy pink hair just like mine staring back at me."

"Uhh...that'd be the other Pinkie Pie," Sunset said, sipping her water.

Pinkie gasped. "A whole other me?"

Rainbow reached around Sunset and slapped Pinkie upside the head. "Twilight already told us about those pony versions of us, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Pinkie giggled. "Duh, Pinkie!"

"I don't think Twilight wants any of you going through the portal," Sunset said. "Or any of her friends there coming here."

"Whyever not?" Rarity asked.

"It'd just be..." Sunset frowned. "Two of the same person...pony...whatever in the same place at the same time...it just really isn't a good idea."

"Because it'd make the whole universe go splodey?" Pinkie asked.

"I doubt it," Sunset said. "It'd just be...I don't know. I just know if Twilight thinks it's a bad idea, it probably is."

"That sucks," Rainbow Dash said.

After school, the girls decided to hang out at Sugar Cube Corner before heading out to the farm for practice. While Pinkie was texting a half dozen people at once, Rarity was working on outfit designs, and Rainbow and Vinyl were talking music, Sunset's journal began to glow and vibrate. She laid it on the table; the others stopped what they were doing and leaned close, interested.

Sunset opened the journal. A photograph fell out. She glanced at it, set it aside, and read Twilight's reply aloud:

Dear Sunset Shimmer—and everyone else,

Things have been pretty quiet here in Equestria lately. Well, we've had a couple of little things to deal with, but nothing too serious. I'm so glad to hear things are getting better for you, and that everybody's happy and having fun.

I didn't know the journal could send pictures! How'd you figure it out? I'm sending one back; I rounded up as many of my friends as I could on short notice, so it's a little crowded. My friends here really freaked out when they saw all of you. I don't think they really believed me about what's on the other side of the portal until they saw it with their own eyes! Our Rarity's already trying to copy your Rarity's outfit for herself...she's probably going to copy the others' outfits too. Just between us, I don't think she'll really get anypony but Fluttershy to wear it. Maybe Pinkie, just because Pinkie's Pinkie.

I'm planning to take a little break from everything here in a couple of weeks. If nothing serious comes up in Equestria, I'd like to come over to your world for a couple of days. Maybe on a weekend? That way we can all spend a lot more time together.

I'm so happy to hear from you. I hope to see you all again very soon.

Your friend forever,
Twilight Sparkle

"Awesome!" Rainbow cheered. "I can't wait to hang out with Twilight again!"

"Yay! I'm me!" Pinkie said, bouncing in her seat. "I'm so glad I'm me. Can you imagine if I wasn't me? That'd be like...awful!"

"Show us the picture already!" Rarity said. "I simply must see what we're all wearing over there!"

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Applejack, get ready to catch her," she said. "She's gonna faint." She laid the photo in the center of the table. The others crowded in for a look. Rarity gasped and swooned.

"Wow, we're all naked!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Well...Ah reckon that makes sense," Applejack said, eyes wide. "Ah mean...uh...them's an awful lot o'..." She swallowed. "Ponies."

Twilight Sparkle, wearing a simple gold tiara with five small amethyst points, sat on the steps of a grand crystalline palace, the center of a herd of ponies. Lying in front of her on the steps was Fluttershy, smiling shyly with her mane covering half of her face. In the air behind Twilight was Rainbow Dash, giving the camera a cheeky grin. Rarity stood primly beside Twilight, wearing an elaborate, ruffled gown and a wide-brimmed bonnet, all in alternating shades of cream and seafoam green. To Twilight's left, Pinkie stood on one hoof, waving at the camera, a broad, beaming smile on her face. Applejack sat on Rarity's other side, her hat tipped back.

On the ground in front of the steps sat three small fillies, all smiling. A grey pegasus hung upside-down at the top of the picture, her lopsided gold eyes sparkling. A zebra wearing gold bracelets, necklaces, and earrings lay next to the three fillies. On the other end of the young trio stood a tiny purple dragon with slit-pupiled emerald green eyes and green spines.

To either side of the broad castle steps stood two tall, elegant, beautiful mares, each with long, tapered horns and massive, angelic wings. Each wore a crown, fancy horseshoes, and ornaments around their necks. The one on the right was dark blue, with a black crown; her wavy blue hair was speckled with silvery sparkles. The one on the left was white, majestic, and had familiar waves of multi-hued, pastel hair.

"Woooooow," Vinyl breathed. "That's trippy." She looked around the table, then back at the picture. "Holy crap, there's a pony of all of you!" She tilted her head. "Except Sunset."

"That's because I am the pony of me," Sunset said.

"Wow, I look awesome as a pony!" Rainbow said, laughing.

"Oh my goodness...Spike really IS a dragon!" Fluttershy said, voice full of wonder.

Rarity stirred, blinking as she looked back at the picture. "What is that dreadful thing I'm wearing?"

"Is that Apple Bloom?" Applejack asked, scrunching up her nose. "She looks...tiny."

"So does Sweetie Belle. And Scootaloo."

"I think they're a lot younger in Equestria than they are here," Sunset said. "Which is really weird, because you're all younger than your Equestrian counterparts."

"Really? How old are we over there?" Pinkie asked.

Sunset tilted her head. "Early to mid-twenties?" she guessed. "I'd say Rarity's probably the oldest. She looks like she's about...twenty-seven maybe?"

"Whoa," Rainbow said. "So we've all got like, jobs and stuff?"

"I'd imagine so."

Fluttershy's eyes were wide and her cheeks were pink as she stared at her pony counterpart. "Oh my...she's...she's so beautiful," she said. "And those two bigger ones! Oh, I wish I could go there!"

The others laughed.

"Say, those two larger ones...seem very familiar," Rarity said.

Sunset swallowed a lump in her throat. "This one's Princess Luna," she said, pointing to the darker alicorn. "And that...that's Princess Celestia."

"Of course!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I should've recognized that hair!"

"Is that...is that Derpy photobombing?" Rainbow asked.

"Sure looks like it," Sunset said.

"What's up with the zebra?" Vinyl asked.

"I...have no idea," Sunset said, frowning. "I didn't even know there were any zebras in Equestria. The zebra lands are pretty far away." She tucked the photo and the journal back in her bag. "We should be heading out to the farm," she said. "It's getting a little late."

The girls left, paying no heed to the lone, shell-shocked patron in the next booth. The baggy old jacket made it impossible to tell if the person in the booth was male or female; the oversized baseball cap didn't help matters.

A slim purple hand adjusted a pair of black-rimmed spectacles. "Equestria," Twilight murmured to herself as she wrote the word on a yellow notepad full of names. Along one side of the page, next to the list of names, she'd written the word 'Ponies?!' and circled and underlined it.

At the very top of the page was her own name, underlined three times.

Frowning, she gathered her belongings and left.

Twilight Follows Sunset

"None of this makes any sense, Spike," Twilight said as she paced back and forth across her lab. "All those things they said...it sounded crazy...I wish I could've gotten a look at that photo they were all talking about..." She frowned. "Could it be they knew I was sitting there? Knew who I was? Know I'm trying to investigate Canterlot High School? No...no, that doesn't make any sense. Why would a bunch of high school girls know anything about...or even care..."

Twilight stopped her pacing to look over her notes again. "But then...how did they know my name? That one girl claimed she was reading a letter I'd sent her..." She shook her head. "But that's impossible...I don't know a single person who goes to Canterlot High, I've never sent any of them letters..."

She frowned. "They knew your name too, Spike. What was it they said? ...they said 'Spike is a dragon'...what does that even mean? Dragons aren't real..." She stroked her chin. "Maybe it's all some sort of code...could they be talking in code? Ponies...dragons...zebras...Equestria..." She shook her head. "Everything except 'dragon' fits with a code pattern...dragon is the odd one out...maybe 'dragon' is code for danger, a warning? No..." She shook her head. "They're just teenagers. They couldn't possibly have constructed such an elaborate code system and be using it so casually in a public place. That's ridiculous.

"But...why my name? What does it mean?" Twilight resumed her pacing. "She said 'visiting in two weeks'...wasn't that what she said? Visiting from where?" She leaned against the wall. "Twilight Sparkle...visiting in two weeks...is that girl setting up some elaborate plan to kidnap me? Brainwash me? But that's...that doesn't make any sense...who would even know who I am? I don't have anything to do with..." She let out a frustrated sigh. "You need to calm down, Twilight. Focus. You're missing something obvious here. You just need to think..."

She dragged her rolling lab stool over to her desk with a foot, then sat down on it, spinning around to face her laptop. She grabbed the pad with her notes and looked it over. "Hmm..."

The name 'Celestia' seemed familiar somehow. She typed it into the search bar on her browser. "Principal Celestia, Canterlot High School."

But those girls had said Princess Celestia.

She typed that in, and got an autocorrect to Principal. "Okay, but that's a start. Hmm."

She started typing in other names she'd heard during the girls' conversation. Photos, blogs, and social media accounts of a group of Canterlot High students came up for each search. Some of the photos matched the girls she'd been eavesdropping on at Sugar Cube Corner. She sent those photos to her printer.

Typing in combinations of those names yielded more interesting results. The name "Rainbooms" came up; she quickly learned the entire group of girls from the coffee shop were a band. More interestingly, they'd apparently recently defeated another band, the Dazzlings, at Canterlot High's Battle of the Bands.

And going by what several of the pages she found said, said 'defeat' wasn't just referring to the contest.

She checked dates and accounts for several blog posts and images, then compared them to her Big Board. She frowned, chewing absently on the eraser end of the pencil she kept tucked in her hair. "The harmonic wave distortion event...it happened the night of that band competition. How did I miss that?"

She scooted back over to her computer and typed in 'Equestria'. The search attempted to autocorrect to 'equestrian'; she bypassed that, frowning and tapping a finger against her cheek. The results still weren't very encouraging...

With a frown, she typed in her own name.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Canterlot High Fall Formal Princess..." Her brow furrowed. "Cafeteria flash mob to support newcomer Twilight Sparkle's bid for Fall Formal Princess..."

There was a video. She watched it.

Someone was jerking their phone all over the place, trying to follow a group of familiar girls—the girls from Sugar Cube Corner—as they pranced and danced all over the cafeteria, singing.

After the second chorus, they threw open the cafeteria doors.

Twilight's eyes nearly fell out of her head.

On the screen, also dancing and singing, was...

"That's...that's impossible!"

The hairstyle was different and she wasn't wearing glasses, but...

There was absolutely no mistake.

The girl in the video appeared to be Twilight Sparkle.

"But...that isn't me...who is she?"

The girl with her face was happy, smiling, cheerful...

Another search found more videos of the same girl, dancing at a school dance, wearing a sparkly dress.

Five minutes' work had the entire Canterlot High School student registry on her screen.

There was no record of a Twilight Sparkle having ever attended Canterlot High School.

"What's going ON here, Spike?!"

Spike barked once.

"I need more data..." Twilight frowned. She looked over the names of the girls in that band, the Rainbooms, then delved into the arduous task of thoroughly researching them.

"Rainbow Dash...age sixteen. Captain of the soccer team, basketball team, softball team...lead guitarist and vocalist of the Rainbooms...below-average grades. Habitual class clown.

"Rarity...age sixteen. Manages a boutique? Keyboards and backing vocals for the Rainbooms...above-average grades.

"Pinkie Pie...age fifteen. Fifteen? Drummer for the Rainbooms...head party planner for every party and dance at Canterlot High. Above-average grades.

"Applejack...age sixteen. Family owns...Sweet Apple Acres. Bassist for the Rainbooms. Average grades.

"Fluttershy...age sixteen. Volunteers at the animal shelter. Plays tamborine and sings backing vocals for the Rainbooms. Above average grades.

"Sunset Shimmer. Age sixteen. Accompanying guitar and vocals for the Rainbooms..." Twilight frowned. "This can't be right. Retroactive history of disciplinary..." She pushed her glasses up. "Has won every popularity contest at Canterlot High School from freshman year to present except the most recent Fall Formal..." She blinked at the information on the screen. "Destroyed the front entrance to the school?!" She glanced at her half-asleep dog. "Does that even make sense to you?"

Spike yawned.

Twilight shook her head. "Decent grades..." Something caught her attention. She typed away at her keyboard for a minute, then leaned in, squinting at a new tab on her browser. "Sunset Shimmer...died at age three in a car accident...both parents dead..."

She jerked bolt upright, eyes wide, glasses slipping from one side of her face. "Wait, WHAT?!" She cross-referenced this latest information with the school records and photographs of the girl identified as Sunset Shimmer.

Fingers flying over the keys, she set up an extrapolation of the grainy old photograph of the dead three-year-old girl's image. She watched the computer render the toddler at progressively older ages, stopping at sixteen.

A near perfect match.

"Either this Sunset Shimmer survived that car crash somehow, or..." She shook her head. "There's one way to find out."

A search of vital records turned up a death certificate for one Sunset Shimmer, aged three, dated thirteen years back.

"No...it wouldn't still be in the archives if she'd survived..." Twilight frowned. "Unless somehow word never got out...no, that's impossible." She pushed her glasses up again, staring at the photograph of a smiling Sunset Shimmer, playing a guitar and singing into a microphone. "Who are you?!"

* * * * *

"I'll be right behind you girls!" Sunset Shimmer said. "I just need to freshen up a bit."

"Okie-dokie-lokie! Don't take too long!"

Sunset packed everything away in her bag, then pulled out her makeup compact. She walked down the hall and headed for the girls' restroom. She stood before the lavatory, peering at herself in the mirror. "Just a little touch-up," she said.

The door to the restroom opened. A girl walked in; she stopped in front of the stalls without entering one. Sunset glanced up at the mirror to see a girl in dark, baggy clothes leaning against the stalls, arms crossed. A black ball cap shaded her eyes, and the collar of her dark windbreaker was popped to hide the rest of her face.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "What are you supposed to be, some kind of secret agent?"

"Could be," the girl said. Her voice was familiar, but had an edge to it. "I'd like to ask you a question, Sunset Shimmer."

"Okay...?"

"Would you mind explaining how a girl who died when she was three years old is attending high school?"

Sunset froze. "What?"

"Outside of this school, you don't exist," the girl said firmly. "There was a little girl named Sunset Shimmer who died thirteen years ago, along with her parents. There are newspaper articles, there's a death certificate. Sunset Shimmer is dead. But here you are. Thirteen years later, a teenager in high school, playing guitar and singing in a band. Pretty impressive for a dead girl."

"L-look...I can explain, really..."

"Good, because I'd love to hear an explanation," the girl said. "While you're at it..."

She took off her cap, turned down the collar of her jacket, and shook her hair loose, pushing her thick-rimmed glasses up her nose.

Sunset's eyes widened.

"You can explain who that girl that looks like me and calls herself Twilight Sparkle is, where she came from, and where I can find her," Twilight Sparkle said.

A Sunset Long Gone

The three girls and Spike sat in Sunset's living room. "Nice place you got here," Spike said.

"Thanks." Sunset set out drinks for herself and the two Twilights, then put down a bowl of water for Spike. "So, umm...where do we even start?"

Princess Twilight frowned. "Do you have that picture I sent from Equestria?" she asked. "That might make this easier."

Sunset smacked her forehead. "Duh! Of course." She walked over to her bookcase and pulled out a photo album, which she laid on the table.

Twilight leaned in with interest as Sunset flipped through it, stopping at a page with only one photograph. She stared blankly. "It...looks like something out of a storybook for little girls," she said. "Horses don't come in colors like that. Unicorns don't exist. Neither do pegasi. Why do three of them have horns and wings? There's...a dragon?" She shook her head. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Look closer," Princess Twilight said. She tapped a finger against one particular pony in the picture. "Look very close. Open your mind. Think."

Twilight frowned and took another look, adjusting her glasses. The pony Princess Twilight had her finger on looked...

"This is me," Princess Twilight said.

Twilight blinked. "What?!"

"Equestria is another world, parallel to this one," Princess Twilight said. "Inhabited by ponies, not humans. Practically every person in this world has a counterpart in my world." She pointed at each of the ponies in turn, rattling off names. Some of the names—especially Celestia, Luna, and the names of the Rainbooms—were familiar to Twilight. "And that dragon is Spike," Princess Twilight finished.

"Spike?" Twilight asked, looking uncertainly at the little purple dog.

"Yeah, I'm a dragon back home," Spike said. Twilight shuddered.

"This...this is crazy. This isn't possible! You are not possible."

Princess Twilight giggled. "Boy, does that sound familiar..." She sighed. "Look...Twilight...everything I'm telling you is the truth. I'm you from another world. A world where I'm a pony princess. Sunset Shimmer is also from Equestria."

Twilight looked up sharply; both Princess Twilight and Sunset could see the gears turning in her head. "That's why you look exactly like that dead girl..."

Princess Twilight frowned. "Dead girl?"

Sunset sighed. "This world's Sunset Shimmer died a long time ago," she said. "As soon as I realized what this world was and how it worked, I went searching for my counterpart." She wrapped her arms around herself. "She...she had almost the same accident I had when I was three."

"Accident?" Princess Twilight asked, eyes wide.

Sunset looked down. "I was born in Baltimare," she said. "When I was three years old, my parents decided to take a trip to Canterlot. We took the train...we were almost to Canterlot. We were in the Foal Mountains...there was a rockslide."

Princess Twilight gasped.

Sunset's eyes brimmed with tears. "My parents used their magic to protect me...they weren't worried about themselves...the train was knocked off the tracks. The cars were being...crushed by the rocks. We were very close to Canterlot...the Royal Guard was on the scene in minutes. By the time they got there, my parents were...already dead.

"I was barely alive. If we hadn't been so close to Canterlot, I would have died. The guards almost didn't get me to the healers in time." Sunset shuddered. "I was in the hospital for two whole months. After that..." She shook her head.

"Sunset Shimmer..." Princess Twilight said, tears spilling from her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Sunset and held her.

Sunset sniffled. "The Sunset Shimmer in this world...her family took the same trip, only by car instead of by train. The brakes failed...they went off a cliff. They all died."

"That's...that's terrible," Princess Twilight whispered.

"Yeah..."

"Do the two of you seriously expect me to believe there's some alternate universe where everyone is a horse and magic is real?" Twilight asked.

"I know it's...hard to understand," Princess Twilight said. "But it's the truth. We're from another world. We're ponies."

"And what, you turn human when you come to this world?" Twilight asked.

"Pretty much," Sunset said. "Never did figure that one out."

Princess Twilight sighed. "I understand your skepticism," she said. "After all, I'm you. I'm a skeptic too. I've been in a lot of situations where things would've been a lot less complicated if I'd just taken some things on faith. But...I also know myself well enough to know that's not going to work here." She sipped her drink. "So...there's only one way we're going to prove everything we're saying is true."

Sunset stared at her. "You're not serious."

"Can you think of a better way?" Princess Twilight asked.

Sunset frowned. "I..." She sighed. "Well...you'd know yourself better than I would."

"Stop saying you know me!" Twilight snapped. "You're not me! You don't know anything about me! I don't even know who you are!"

Princess Twilight flinched. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're right. You're not me. You're you. We haven't had the same lives, the same experiences...the same friends." She tilted her head. "Do you have friends, Twilight? Other than Spike? Shining Armor doesn't count."

Twilight frowned, looking at her lap.

Princess Twilight sighed. "So this is how I'd have turned out if Celestia had never sent me to Ponyville..." Her eyes were moist with unshed tears. "I feel so sorry for you..." She stood and held out her hand. "Come with me, Twilight. I know...I know you don't trust me. Or Sunset Shimmer. But...please, just...let me show you something, alright?"

Twilight looked up at Princess Twilight, face unreadable. Finally, hesitantly, she stood. "I'll...I'll go along with you for now," she said. "I do still want answers. Whatever it is you want to show me...I'll figure out what's really happening. You can count on that."

"Wow, she's worse than you on a bad day," Spike commented.

"You know, you're lucky your Spike doesn't talk," Princess Twilight quipped, throwing Spike a sour glance.

The sheer absurdity of the comment made Twilight giggle.

* * * * *

Twilight found herself standing in front of the horse statue in the courtyard of Canterlot High School for the second time that day. The sun was low in the sky. She frowned. "Okay, so...what are we doing back here, exactly?"

"We're doing this," Spike said. Without fanfare, he walked straight into the base of the statue, which rippled and shimmered as he disappeared right into it.

Twilight crossed her arms. "You know...the vanishing cabinet trick doesn't impress me, even if you're using a pretty advanced hologram generator to dress it up. There's a trap door or an elevator inside that statue that goes someplace else."

"Wow, you're a tough sell," Sunset said. "So, got an explanation for the talking dog?"

"Still working on it."

Princess Twilight facepalmed. "I really hate running into annoyingly stubborn alternate versions of me."

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "You say that like it happens often."

"Well...no, actually this is the second time," Princess Twilight admitted. "Which is still two more times than it happens to most ponies."

"True enough," Sunset nodded.

Princess Twilight tilted her head, looking at Sunset. "Umm...I think maybe...you should come with us," she said.

Sunset blinked. "Back...to Equestria?" She looked down. "I...I don't know..."

"Just for a few hours," Princess Twilight said. "Or maybe like, a day. You haven't been back in a while. Trying to steal my crown doesn't count. Wouldn't...wouldn't you like to...just for a little while?"

Sunset's brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Hmm..." She smiled. "Yeah. Yeah...I think a little trip back to Equestria might...might be nice." She frowned. "Oh, but...maybe I'd better call the girls first. So...so they don't worry about me."

Princess Twilight nodded.

Sunset pulled out her phone and called Rainbow Dash. "Hey, Rainbow? Yeah. Look, I...something's come up. I'm uhh...I'm going to Equestria for a little bit. I might...I might miss school tomorrow. Tell the others, okay? Don't worry, it's nothing like...it's not a big crisis or anything. It's just a little...yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I will. No no, I'm sure she'll still be coming here for a visit later. There's just a thing here we've gotta take care of real quick. Yeah. I'll tell her. Okay, bye." She put her phone away and looked up. "Okay, let's do this."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Sunset, why don't you and Twilight go through together? I'll be right behind you."

"Right." Sunset grabbed Twilight by the elbow. "Come on, let's go." She guided Twilight to the statue and, with only the slightest hesitation, stepped into the base.

Twilight's world turned into a blinding kaleidoscope of shifting color. A strange sensation of stretching and twisting overtook her. She tried to cry out, but couldn't.

And then, just like that, she was on a cold, glassy floor. She tried to stand up, but her legs felt wrong. She tried to push herself off the floor, but her hands felt...

She looked down the length of her arms. Instead of the sleeves of her jacket and the slim purple hands she'd always had, she saw bare, hairy limbs that ended in bright purple hooves.

"Wh...what?!"

She heard a soft clopping noise, and bright orange hooves stepped into view in front of her. She looked up...and saw a light orange pony in a black leather jacket, with teal eyes and a huge, wavy copper-and-gold mane.

"Welcome to Equestria," Sunset said. Her horn glowed, and Twilight felt herself lifted off the ground, her hooves arranging themselves beneath her, allowing her to stand on the crystal floor.

There was a bright flash of light; Twilight instinctively turned around and nearly ended up flat on her face again.

A tall lavender pony with a long, tapered horn and broad, feathery wings stepped out of a mirror.

Twilight stared at Princess Twilight. Princess Twilight smiled at her.

"Are you ready to believe now?" Princess Twilight asked.

Believe

Twilight looked at Princess Twilight, then at Sunset Shimmer, then at Spike. She then looked at her own hooves. "This...this is..." She shook her head. "This is impossible..."

"No, this is magic," Sunset said. "And you'd best open your mind and accept it, because..." She trailed off, looking around. "Uhh...Twilight? Princess Twilight, I mean...where the hay are we?"

"Oh! This is the library in my castle, just outside of Ponyville." She smacked herself in the side of the head with a hoof. "That's right! I forgot to tell you I had the mirror moved here."

Twilight looked at the mirror which stood behind Princess Twilight. The center had a rippling, glowing vortex of energy. Various devices that looked like something a mad scientist might cobble together stood arrayed around the mirror, glowing and puffing and whirring and sparking. "What's all that stuff?" she asked.

"Oh, that?" Princess Twilight asked. "That's what's keeping the portal open. On its own, the portal only opens every thirty moons. The last time it opened was..." She tilted her head, doing some mental math. "About eight moons ago. It opens for a few days, then closes for another thirty moons."

"Wait a minute," Twilight said, suddenly alarmed. "This portal only opens every two and a half years?! So...so if I'm here too long, or..." She paused. "I could get stuck here?!"

"No, no!" Princess Twilight laughed. "Don't worry about that! That's how the portal used to work. I found a way to open it at will." She gestured to the bizarre construct surrounding the mirror. "I designed this apparatus myself. It draws dimensional conduit magic from a secondary source and channels it into the mirror. The secondary magical feed bypasses the temporal limiter, allowing the dimensional conduit to activate at any time, for any duration." She pointed at the book set prominently at the top of the device. "That journal provides the secondary magical feed!"

Twilight blinked slowly, processing this. "You...you're using a book as a battery?"

"Yes!" Princess Twilight said happily, grinning.

Twilight stared from the portal apparatus, to Princess Twilight, an expression of wonder dawning on her face. "You are me," she breathed.

Spike started laughing. Sunset rolled her eyes.

Twilight tried to walk, but her legs shook. "I...I'm really a horse right now..."

"Pony," the others corrected.

"Unicorn, specifically," Sunset said. She frowned. "Hey, what's up with that? Shouldn't she be an exact duplicate of you, Princess?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "This Twilight hasn't had the experiences I've had. She hasn't made the friends I've made, or discovered the magic of friendship...the magic that made me a princess."

Shakily, Twilight walked up to Princess Twilight...and craned her neck to look up at her. "You're...tall," she said.

Princess Twilight blushed. "I've hit kind of a growth spurt since becoming an alicorn," she said. "Moreso in recent weeks."

"Alicorn?" Twilight asked.

Princess Twilight spread her wings. "Alicorns have the magic of all three pony races, plus their own unique, powerful magic. Oh, and we're immortal." She made a face. "Not really a fan of that last one."

"What's so bad about being immortal?" Sunset asked.

Princess Twilight gave her a sad look. "I can give you five reasons," she said.

"Five...?" Sunset's ears drooped. "Oh."

Princess Twilight's horn glowed, and a reflective magical surface appeared in midair. "Go ahead, Twilight. Take a look at yourself."

Twilight took a few shaky steps, trotting over to the temporary mirror and inspecting herself. "That...is weird," she said.

"You're taking this a lot better than this Twilight did when she went to your world the first time," Spike said. "She screamed her head off!"

Twilight shrugged. "Well...all of you told me this would happen," she said. "Just because I didn't believe it at the time doesn't mean I wasn't listening. I'm freaked out and have a million questions, yes, but...screaming about being turned into a unicorn, however impossible that is, won't accomplish anything."

Princess Twilight wrapped a wing around her. "We'll try to answer all your questions. I promise."

Sunset looked down at herself. "Hey...I've still got my jacket!"

"Oh, I forgot!" Princess Twilight said. "I've been making some minor tweaks to the portal's material transfer protocols." She pulled a face. "The first time I went through that thing I lost my best set of saddlebags."

"Ouch." Sunset's horn lit up, and her phone and wallet floated out of her pockets. "Oh, good, I've even still got this."

Princess Twilight nodded, grinning. "Yep! Although I don't think you'll get reception here."

Sunset laughed. "Probably not. Still, at least I can take some pictures."

The flapping of wings sounded from the corridor. The doors burst open. "Hey Twilight, got a minute to fix Tank's harness? It's drifting off to the left..."

The two Twilights and Sunset turned to the blue pegasus who had just breezed into the library. She blinked. "Uhh...Twilight? Why are there two of you?" she asked slowly.

"Oh, hey Rainbow Dash," Princess Twilight said. "This is the Twilight Sparkle from the other world. And you remember Sunset Shimmer, right?"

"Kinda," Rainbow said. She looked at Sunset. "Uhh...'sup?"

"Hey Rainbow Dash," Sunset said awkwardly. "Uhh...good to meet you?"

Rainbow landed. "I thought there wasn't another Twilight over there?" she asked.

Princess Twilight sighed. "There is. I just didn't know because, well...she doesn't go to CHS."

"Which is good for us, because that woulda made things a lot tougher both times," Spike said. There was a sudden flash of emerald green.

Princess Twilight frowned. "Spike? What did you just do?"

"Oh, nothing," Spike said, putting his claws behind his head and looking innocent.

"Uh-huh." Princess Twilight looked at Rainbow. "Can it wait a little while? I've got a little...situation here."

"Sure, no big," Rainbow said. "I'll drop him off with Fluttershy until you can fix the harness."

"I promise I'll get to it as soon as I can. Probably tomorrow." Princess Twilight stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Hey, Rainbow Dash? When you're done dropping Tank off, would you mind coming back here? You could show Sunset Shimmer around Ponyville." She looked at Sunset. "How's that sound?"

Sunset nodded. "Sure. I've never been to Ponyville. Besides, it'll be nice to stretch my hooves, get outside, smell Equestrian air and grass."

"Cool. I'll be back in a few," Rainbow said, flying off again.

"That was...Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked slowly. "The Rainbow Dash in our world is the captain of several sports teams and plays guitar in the Rainbooms..."

"And the Rainbow Dash here is a pegasus, part of Ponyville's weather team, and a reserve Wonderbolt," Princess Twilight said.

"Weather team?" Twilight asked. "She's a meteorologist?"

Sunset laughed. "Not exactly," she said. "In Equestria, pegasi control the weather."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Weather control? Are you serious?"

"Except for a very few places in our world, all nature is controlled by pony magic in Equestria," Princess Twilight said. "I'll explain it all to you while Sunset Shimmer is out exploring Ponyville."

"A-alright..."

A bright golden flash filled the library. "I came as quickly as I could," a new, mature, musical voice said. "What's the emergency?"

Twilight stared. A majestic white alicorn stood in the middle of the library, angelic wings spread wide. Her horn was exceptionally long, and her pastel hair flowed in a nonexistent breeze.

The blood drained from Sunset Shimmer's face. "Princess Celestia," she whispered thickly.

Princess Twilight gave Spike a measured look, raising an eyebrow. Spike tilted his head at Sunset and grinned sheepishly.

Celestia looked around the room, eyes widening at the sight of two Twilights...then she saw Sunset, and she gasped. "S-Sunset Shimmer?!"

Sunset ducked her head, pawing the crystal floor nervously. "Uhh...so..."

Celestia was upon Sunset in an instant, sweeping her up into a hug. Tears spilled from her ancient, expressive eyes. "I never...I always hoped...oh, thank goodness..."

"Princess...I...I'm so sorry!" Sunset wailed, tears streaming from her eyes as she sunk into Celestia's embrace. "Everything I said and did...the way I acted...I..."

"Shh," Celestia said, stroking the back of Sunset's head with a hoof. "It's alright, Sunset Shimmer. All is forgiven. I...I'm just relieved to see you again."

Princess Twilight sidled over to Spike. "Nice work," she whispered.

Spike smiled. "I thought it was time."

After a long moment, Celestia drew back, examining Sunset. She laughed. "What...what is this you're wearing, my little pony?"

Sunset looked down at her jacket. "What, this? Oh...I've had this ever since I went through the mirror the first time. Twilight's tweaked the portal so stuff like this can pass through safely..." She looked up at Celestia. "You...you're really forgiving me? Just like that?"

Celestia sniffled. "Just like that," she said. "So...are you...are you back to stay?"

Sunset sighed. "No," she said. "I don't belong here anymore. I...my home is in that other world now. My friends are in that other world."

Celestia sighed. "I...I understand," she said. "Still...I had hoped..." She wiped a tear from her eye. "You...you will at least come back to visit more often, I hope?"

Sunset smiled. "Of course."

"Good," Celestia said. "I've..." She swallowed. "Every day since you left, I've...I've regretted driving you away. You're the only daughter I've ever had..."

"DAUGHTER?!" Princess Twilight exclaimed.

Celestia looked over at her. "I...never told you, because that part of the story was...was too painful," she said. "Not long after I met Sunset Shimmer...I adopted her as my daughter. That's...that's why her cutie mark is..." She blinked as the presence of a fourth pony in the room registered. She stared at the unicorn Twilight with glasses who was shifting awkwardly in the corner. She frowned. "Twilight? Is...is there something you'd like to explain?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "Princess Celestia, meet the Twilight Sparkle from the other world," she said.

"I had wondered," Celestia said. "Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. I...I expect you have a great many questions..."

"Yes I do, Your Highness," Twilight said. "This other Twilight's going to be answering them."

"Of course," Celestia said. She frowned. "Forgive me, Princess Twilight, but...why bring her here?"

"She started investigating Canterlot High School and Princess Twilight," Sunset said. "She ambushed me in the school bathroom. I did the only thing I could think of. I called Princess Twilight for help."

"I see," Celestia said. "I suppose this has all been very confusing for you," she said to Twilight.

"To say the least," Twilight said. "Especially once magic, other dimensions, and talking ponies got involved."

Celestia laughed.

Sunset butted her head against Celestia's chest. "Mom?" she asked. "I'm...I'm going to take a walk around Ponyville with Rainbow Dash while Princess Twilight talks to her double. Do you...would you like...?"

Celestia smiled. "Of course. Shall we wait for her outside, then?"

Sunset nodded, smiling. "A little help with the teleport? I can't aim..."

"Of course," Celestia said, giggling. In a bright flash, the two disappeared.

Twilight stared, eyes wide. "Did she say...teleport?"

Princess Twilight nodded. "It's not a common ability," she said. "I've only known a few unicorns other than myself who could even do it...well, and the Princesses, of course." She sat down. "So...shall we get started?"

Sunset in Ponyville

The afternoon sunlight dazzled Sunset as they appeared at the base of the castle. She blinked spots away from her eyes.

A moment later, a blue blur dropped down in front of them. "Princess Celestia!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said. "I heard you're going to give Sunset Shimmer a guided tour of Ponyville. I thought I might join you."

"Sure, no problem!"

Sunset turned and looked at the castle gates behind them. "Huh...looks kinda...rough."

Celestia laughed. "You need to see this castle from a bit farther away to truly appreciate its splendor." She began walking, the others following her.

Sunset turned once they were a good fifty paces away from the castle and looked up at it. Her eyes widened.

"Heh...somethin', ain't it?" Rainbow Dash said with a grin.

"...why is Princess Twilight's castle a giant crystal tree?"

Celestia laughed. "Well...that's something of a long story. Have you ever heard of the Tree of Harmony?"

Sunset nodded. "It was mentioned in one of Starswirl the Bearded's journals. I know it's connected to the Elements of Harmony..." She frowned. "It's where they came from, isn't it?"

"That's right," Celestia said.

"So what does the Tree of Harmony have to do with this?"

"Why don't you tell her, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow gestured to herself with a hoof. "Me? Seriously?" At Celestia's nod, she took a deep breath. "Okay, short version: we found the Tree of Harmony and it was dying. We had to put the Elements of Harmony back into the tree to save it. When it got all its magic back, it created this chest. A whole lot of other stuff happened, pretty much the worst evil baddie ever showed up and nearly conquered Equestria, and the six of us—me, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity—had to find the keys to unlock the chest. That's a whole other story and it's pretty long, but...when we opened the chest, it gave us all this sweet new super...rainbow power or something, it was way stronger than the old Elements of Harmony...and then the chest itself turned into like, this seed that shot all the way out here and then...turned into this."

Sunset rubbed her chin with a hoof. "I see...so Twilight's castle is a second Tree of Harmony?"

"That's what Twilight says, yeah. It's got like...weird harmony powers and shows us places in Equestria where things aren't awesome. And then we go there and make them awesome." She shrugged. "Twilight can fill you in on the whole story later."

Sunset blinked as she processed all this. "Wow."

Celestia nodded. "Indeed. Twilight Sparkle and her friends have kept quite busy." She gave Sunset a gentle poke. "Just think...these are adventures you might have had, had you not chosen to turn away from my lessons."

Sunset sighed. "I know." She looked at the castle again. "I never would've been a princess though, would I?"

"No," Celestia said sadly. "That was never your destiny. I'm sorry." She brushed Sunset's back with a wing. "I should have told you, years ago, about the Tree of Harmony...about the third cutie mark on its trunk..."

Sunset blinked. "Cutie marks on a tree?"

"Yeah," Rainbow said. "It's got Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's cutie marks, and...it's also got Twilight's cutie mark."

Sunset let out a bitter laugh. "I see..."

"Why don't we head on into Ponyville?" Rainbow suggested. "There's a lot to show you."

Sunset smiled. "Yeah, okay."

They approached the town proper, and Sunset looked out over its simple, rustic architecture: the thatched roofs, the windmills, the bright colors and green grasses. She smiled. "Looks like a nice town."

Three fillies suddenly ran past, screaming their heads off. A large, monstrous bird with six legs ran after them, making a sound like "quobblck". It spat a fireball that singed the tail hairs of a filly Sunset recognized as Scootaloo.

"AGAIN?!" Rainbow Dash groaned, dragging a hoof down her face.

Sunset stared. "What...the..."

Celestia blinked. "Oh my. Is that a Turducken?"

"Yeah," Rainbow said.

"Turducken?" Sunset asked.

"It's an unusual chimera," Celestia said. "A hybrid of a turkey, a duck, and a chicken. I've never actually seen a real live one before...I thought they were a myth."

"Oh, they're real alright," Rainbow said. "And they're a major nuisance."

"We've gotta help those girls!" Sunset said, charging off after the Crusaders.

"Wait!" Rainbow cried, flapping after her. Celestia was a wingbeat behind her.

* * * * *

"So...let me get this straight," Twilight said. "There are three main pony races, overseen by a fourth, elite class of pony that rules Equestria. Unicorns use...magic, pegasi fly and control the weather, and earth ponies grow all the food?"

"More or less," Princess Twilight said. "That's a broad generalization, of course. Ponies, regardless of whether they're unicorns, earth ponies, or pegasi follow their dreams and their special talents, whether they lie in the clouds or in the fields or in an orchestra. It's safer to say that only pegasi can generally control the weather, and farming is usually left to earth ponies. But not all pegasi are weather ponies, and not all earth ponies are farmers or miners or...whatever."

"And unicorns?"

"Unicorns just...follow their special talent, usually." Princess Twilight projected several images into the air: the six-pointed pink star on her own flank, three diamonds, a golden lyre, a backwards pair of eighth notes, a star-tipped wand with a crescent trail of blue smoke, and a purple shield with a six-pointed pink star in the center and three lavender stars above it. She highlighted each symbol in turn as she pontificated: "My special talent is magic, so I've spent my entire life studying spells and lore. Rarity's special talent is finding valuable gemstones, but her true passion is fashion design. She combines the two, using the gemstones she finds as accents for her fashion line. Lyra Heartstrings has a talent for the lyre, although now that I think of it, she seems to spend most of her time wandering around Ponyville goofing off. Vinyl Scratch is a DJ. Trixie is a showmare who uses stage magic to delight audiences...and feed her own ego. Shining Armor is the former Captain of the Royal Guard, and has a unique talent for protective shield spells. He once cast a shield spell that covered all of Canterlot!"

"Hmm. Interesting," Twilight said. "You said your special talent is magic..." She frowned. "I've always had an affinity for science. That's why I have a PhD even though I'm only sixteen..."

"Oh, I love science!" Princess Twilight said giddily. "I've been building my own scientific equipment from scratch for years!" She sighed. "A lot of it was wrecked when my old home was destroyed..."

"Destroyed?" Twilight asked, tilting her head curiously. "What happened?"

* * * * *

Sunset teleported twenty feet closer, never breaking stride, and reached out with her magic, arresting the mad charge of the Turducken. The bird spun around and glared at her. It spat a fireball at Sunset, then squatted down and laid an egg. Sunset dodged the fireball, and watched with confusion as it reared back and kicked the egg at her...

Rainbow Dash zipped in, caught the egg with a hoof, and hurled it back at the Turducken. It exploded in the chimera's face. The Turducken dropped to the ground, knocked out cold by its own egg bomb.

Sunset's eyes widened. "What the hay?!"

"They lay exploding eggs," Rainbow huffed.

The Crusaders trotted over. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo wheezed. "And you too, umm...miss...?"

"Sunset Shimmer."

"Nice to meet you..."

Celestia landed beside them. "What exactly happened here, my little ponies?"

"Yeah, squirt!" Rainbow said, planting her hooves on her hips. "How'd you even manage to find another one of those? And why'd you go and get it ticked off at you after the last time?"

"It ain't our fault!" Apple Bloom cried. "That dumb little horseapple Button Mash did this! But his mom snatched him up and ran the heck outta there before it saw him, so it started chasin' us!"

The Turducken recovered and quobblcked at them hatefully. Celestia sighed. "I've read that these creatures are impossible to discourage, and will never break off their pursuit of their perceived enemies." Her horn began to glow brightly.

Sunset looked at her, alarmed. "What are you...?"

A brilliant beam of golden magic struck the Turducken, which began to glow white-hot. When the blinding light faded, it had been separated into a turkey, a duck, and a chicken. The three birds looked at one another, blinking in confusion, then scattered.

"Whoa," Rainbow breathed.

"AWESOME!" Scootaloo said.

"How'd you DO that?" Sunset asked.

"One of Starswirl's old spells," Celestia said. "He used to experiment with chimeras. He could make and unmake them at will. I...gently discouraged him from experimenting on living creatures, but I did learn the spells themselves. Just in case."

"That's...a little scary," Sunset said, shuddering.

"But at least it got rid of the Turducken without us having to eat it," Sweetie Belle said. "I mean, yeah, the last one tasted great, but going to the bathroom wasn't a lot of fun after."

Rainbow grimaced. "Way too much information, kid."

"Oh! S-sorry..." Sweetie Belle blushed.

Celestia laughed. "Quite alright, my little pony."

Sunset tilted her head. "Wait...what?"

"Th' last one'a them freaky birds that got loose in Ponyville, we ended up eatin' it at th' Harvest Feast," Apple Bloom said. "Pinkie Pie said it was th' only way t' get rid of a Turducken."

"Well, it is if you don't know a particularly questionable spell," Celestia said. "On that note, I believe I'd like to visit Sugar Cube Corner."

"There's a Sugar Cube Corner in Ponyville?" Sunset asked.

"So far as Ah know, it's th' ONLY Sugar Cube Corner," Apple Bloom said.

"Uhhh...weren't we in the middle of running an errand for Fluttershy?" Scootaloo said suddenly.

"Oh horseapples!" Apple Bloom said. "Let's git goin', y'all!" The Crusaders scampered off.

"So...Sugar Cube Corner is in Ponyville and not in Canterlot, huh?" Sunset asked as the trio continued their journey into town.

"From what Twilight's told us, pretty much everything she saw in Canterlot in your world is actually in Ponyville here," Rainbow said. "Including all of us."

They trotted slowly through town, Sunset Shimmer taking in the sights and smells. "I can see why Twilight loves it here," she said.

"It's one of the most lovely towns in Equestria," Celestia said. "And one of the most lively."

Rarity ran up to them suddenly. "Rainbow Dash! You've missed yet another fitting..." She trailed off. "Oh! Princess Celestia! Do excuse me." She then noticed Sunset. "Why, if it isn't Sunset Shimmer! It is, isn't it?"

"That's right," Sunset said. "Nice to meet you, Rarity."

"Oh, I do so love your jacket!" Rarity said, inspecting Sunset from every angle. "It's so...rebellious! It says, 'I'm a bad girl', but in a good girl way!" She clapped her hooves.

Sunset laughed. "The other Rarity's been trying to get me to change my look for weeks. Never gonna happen."

"We were just on our way to Sugar Cube Corner," Celestia said. "Would you care to join us?"

"Oh! Well...I would, but..." Rarity danced lightly on her hooves. "I do have quite a bit of work to do this afternoon..."

"I understand," Celestia said, chuckling. "Perhaps another time then."

"And uhh...I'll...do that fitting thing...next week maybe?" Rainbow said, zipping off in the direction of Sugar Cube Corner without waiting for a reply.

Once Celestia and Sunset caught up with her, Rainbow muttered, "I'd like to tell her where she can fit that...thing she wants me to wear."

Sunset laughed.

* * * * *

"That's...horrible," Twilight said. "I mean...I only half-understood all that, but...just thinking about that many books being destroyed...it's unthinkable. To say nothing of your personal possessions..."

"It was...hard to get over it," Princess Twilight said. "I mean, I have this castle now, and I've been putting my library back together book by book, but...it'll never be the same. Ponyville will never be the same without the library." She shook her head. "So...tell me about you."

"Well...I've taken accelerated study courses since I was nine," Twilight said. "I graduated high school when I was twelve, then compressed several years of college into four years. I already have a PhD..."

"But no friends."

Twilight bowed her head. "I never had time for friends," she said. "They were never important to me."

Princess Twilight walked over and laid a hoof on her shoulder. "It's not too late," she said gently. "You're young. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Isn't it time you made time for friendship?"

Twilight scratched her chin. "I..."

"Twilight. Let me tell you something." Princess Twilight began walking around the room. "Up until a few years ago, I didn't think friendship mattered. I was only interested in studying. Then my mentor, Princess Celestia, sent me to Ponyville. I made friends...and I realized how important friendship is." She stopped and faced Twilight directly. "My friends...are the most important treasures in my life. I can't even begin to imagine a day without all my friends beside me." She smiled gently. "Friendship is magic, Twilight. It's the most important thing in this world...and yours." She glanced at a clock on the wall, and smiled. "Come with me, Twilight. I want to show you something you'll never see in your world..."

* * * * *

"This...is the best cake I've ever eaten," Sunset said.

"I wholeheartedly agree," Celestia said.

"You know, it's funny...here, Sugar Cube Corner is a bakery, but in my world, it's a coffee shop. I mean, they do bake stuff like muffins and donuts and such, but..." She looked around. "It's nothing like this."

Mrs. Cake was close enough to overhear this. "Coffee, you say?" She frowned. "I wonder..."

Rainbow laughed. "Don't bother, Mrs. Cake. Coffee's only for those jerkwads in Manehattan that like being uptight and irritable."

"Yeah...don't change one thing, Mrs. Cake," Sunset said. "The Sugar Cube Corner back home is my favorite hangout, but this...this is pastry heaven."

The doors burst open, and a dark alicorn stormed in. "SISTER!"

The patrons all jumped and ducked.

Celestia looked up into the stormy eyes of her sister. "Luna," she said through a mouthful of pineapple upside-down cake. "Come join us. Have some cake."

"NEIGH, Sister!" Luna said. "Have you not noticed the...time..." She trailed off as she noticed Sunset Shimmer. "...is this who I think it is?" she asked more quietly.

"Umm...h-hello, Princess Luna," Sunset said nervously. "I'm...um...Sunset Shimmer."

"She's come back for a visit, Luna," Celestia said. "She...she isn't staying long, but..."

Luna's gaze softened. "I understand, sister. Nevertheless, you have your duty to perform, as do I." She smiled. "You can come back and have cake with your daughter once you've lowered the sun. Perhaps I'll join you."

Celestia sighed. "Very well. Pardon me, my little ponies. I'll just be a moment..."

As Celestia left, Rainbow stared at Sunset. "Daughter?!"

"Adopted," Sunset said, taking another bite of cake.

"Whoa."

* * * * *

The two Twilights stood on the highest balcony of the castle. Twilight shifted her hooves uncomfortably. "We're...a very long way up, aren't we?"

"It's perfectly safe," Princess Twilight said.

"For you, maybe. You've got wings."

Princess Twilight chuckled. "It's almost time." She conjured a pair of magical binoculars and levitated them over to Twilight, who peered into them.

Two shapes, one white, the other dark, rose into the sky over Ponyville. Twilight recognized one of them as the majestic being she'd met earlier. The other, based on everything she'd learned, she assumed to be Luna.

Celestia's horn began to glow brilliantly. The afternoon sun dipped toward the horizon, the sky shifting rapidly through the colors of sunset. As the sun slid out of sight, Luna's horn began to shimmer; the moon arced its way up into the sky, taking its place of honor among the brilliant curtain of stars that hung in the night sky.

Twilight blinked. "That...that was a really fast sunset...and shouldn't the moon have risen hours ago? Only...not been visible because it was still daylight?"

Princess Twilight laughed. "Equestria doesn't work the way your world does," she said. "In your world, the sun and the moon rise and set on their own. Here, Princess Celestia raises and lowers the sun, and Princess Luna raises and lowers the moon."

Twilight stared at her. "What? But that's impossible!"

"No, that's magic," Princess Twilight corrected. "Remember...this world runs on magic. That includes the sun and the moon."

"But...but...the sun is a star, with a system of planets orbiting—"

"Nope."

"—and the moon is a satellite that naturally orbits the Earth—"

"Nope."

"—sunrise and sunset are a function of the rotation of the Earth on its axis—"

"Nope!"

"WILL YOU STOP SAYING NOPE?!"

Princess Twilight gave her counterpart a smug smirk. "Nope."

"GAAAH!"

Princess Twilight laughed. "Twilight...just trust me on this. Equestria works differently from your world. Here, the sun and the moon are controlled by pony magic. Actually, pretty much everything is controlled by pony magic. The changing of the seasons, leaves falling off trees in the fall, plants growing, animal care...it's all made possible by pony magic."

"But...but SCIENCE...!"

"Completely different here."

"The laws of physics...!"

"Different."

Twilight sighed. "I give up."

"And now you're learning," Princess Twilight said. "Come on back inside, let's have some tea...I can tell you more about Equestria..."

* * * * *

The princesses rejoined Sunset and Rainbow at Sugar Cube Corner. In their absence, Pinkie had joined the two mares, and was chatting and laughing with Sunset.

"I believe we should pick up your tour of Ponyville in the morning," Celestia said.

Sunset nodded. "Yeah...it'll take a while to get back out to the castle. Plus, I want to see Sweet Apple Acres when it's daylight."

"And that's a heck of a walk out of Ponyville," Rainbow put in.

"I believe my sister and I will spend the night at Princess Twilight's castle," Celestia said. "I'm certain she won't mind. There's plenty of room."

Sunset poked her hooves together timidly. "Can...can I...share a room with you?" she asked hopefully.

Celestia smiled. "Of course, Sunset."

After finishing up their treats, Sunset, Celestia, and Luna headed for the castle, while Rainbow said goodbye and left for home.

When they arrived at the castle, they found Princess Twilight and a distinctly rattled-looking Twilight having tea. Twilight took a look at the two alicorns, muttered something about the sun and the moon, and put her head in her hooves.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Did you break her?"

"Like an egg," Princess Twilight said with a smirk. "I have to admit, it's almost fun being on the other side of one of my own freakouts for a change."

Celestia laughed. "Twilight, we're all staying here tonight. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course!" Princess Twilight said. "I'll have Spike show you all to your rooms while I get Twilight here settled in."

* * * * *

"Do you think it's still open?"

"I dunno...I'm not gonna touch it!"

"I thought you were the most daring girl at CHS?"

"There's daring and then there's crazy! That thing could fry us or..."

"Pinkie! Waaaaait!"

"What? Come on in, guys, it's totally safe!"

"Land sakes, girl!"

"Well...you seem none the worse for wear. Very well then...!"

With only the moon and the stars as their witness, five high school girls disappeared into the base of a statue.

Invasion!

Starlight filtered into a library made of colorful crystal. The only other source of light in the room was the softly glowing portal and the steady shimmer of magic feeding from the journal.

The portal's glow intensified as it spat out five ponies, clad in black catsuits and safety goggles, who tumbled across the floor and crashed into a wooden table.

"Ow!"

"Oh my goodness..."

"Whoa, that was a heck of a trip..."

Rarity let out a piercing scream. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!! I'M A HORSE!!"

"Uhh...we're all horses, Rarity," Rainbow Dash said.

"Ponies," Fluttershy corrected softly.

"But...but...hooves...no...it's too much!" Rarity darted for the portal...only to run right into Applejack, who stood so solid and unyielding that Rarity bounced off and rolled right into Pinkie, who was sent careening into a bookshelf. A hailstorm of books buried her.

"Simmer down, Rarity," Applejack said. "We all wanted t' see Equestria, right?"

"Well...yes..."

"When Twi comes t' see us, she turns inta one of us, right?"

"This is true..."

"And she has to give up all her awesome pony magic to be a teenager in our world," Rainbow said.

"That's...I hadn't considered that..."

"So if Twilight can make that big a sacrifice to see us, Ah think we can handle havin' hooves an' what-not fer a little bit."

Rarity sighed. "Oh, very well." She frowned down at her spandex-clad hooves. "It's just...I'm not sure how to..."

"Oh, it's easy!" Pinkie said, digging herself out of the pile of books. She bounced around on her hooves. "You just do this!" She did a cartwheel. "And this." She bounced up and down on her rear legs, waving her front hooves in the air. "And thiiiis..."

"Umm...aren't we making...an awful lot of noise...?"

The room was suddenly flooded with light.

Two royal purple unicorn stallions in dark silver armor walked in, horns glowing. "Alright, what's the—INTRUDERS!"

"Eep!"

"Whoa."

"Waaaait!"

The unicorns' horns flared, and the five humans-turned-ponies found themselves bound in magical fetters and floating through the air.

"Wake the princess," one of the unicorns said to the other. "I'll carry them to the throne room."

The second stallion saluted and marched away briskly. The first one scowled at his prisoners, then marched off in a different direction. They floated after him, struggling helplessly against their bonds.

"Still think coming here was a good idea?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh my...we're in a lot of trouble, aren't we?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Relaaaax! Twilight'll understand!"

* * * * *

The door to Princess Twilight's royal bedroom opened. "Your Highness!"

Princess Twilight awoke, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Whaa...?"

"Intruders in the castle!"

Princess Twilight frowned, sitting up in bed. "You mean Sunset Shimmer and...that other Twilight Sparkle? They're not intruders, they're—"

"Not them, Your Highness," the guard in the door said. "We found five ninja ponies in the library. They're being escorted to the throne room."

Princess Twilight frowned. "Ninja ponies?" She teleported out of bed. "I'll be right there. I'm going to wake up Sunset Shimmer first and bring her with me."

"Very good, Your Highness." The guard saluted and left.

"Ninja ponies..." Princess Twilight shook her head. "What now?" With a sigh, she floated her crown onto her head, magicked her golden slippers onto her hooves, then teleported to Sunset's bedroom.

Sunset was snoring gently. Princess Twilight smiled; she gently shook Sunset's shoulder. "Sunset Shimmer..."

"Zzzzz....hmm..."

"Sunset Shimmer. Wake up."

Sunset stirred, rolling over. Sleepy teal eyes opened, regarding her. "Hm? Twilight? Whazzuh..."

"Intruders in the castle," Princess Twilight said. "The Dusk Guard apprehended them in the library. I'm sorry to wake you, but I might need your help."

Sunset's eyes snapped sharply open, and she was instantly on her hooves. "Right!" She frowned. "Umm...which way is...?"

"Just attempt a teleport. Any teleport." Princess Twilight smiled. "I've set up protection spells that take anypony who tries to teleport inside the castle that isn't a Princess straight to the throne room."

"Huh. That's...crazy prepared," Sunset said. "Okay..." Her horn glowed, and she disappeared. Princess Twilight vanished a moment later...

...and reappeared in the throne room, wings spread wide. Sunset Shimmer stood four feet away, blinking dazedly. In the center of the room, two guards flanked five fettered mares in black catsuits and goggles. "Alright, what's the meaning of this?" Princess Twilight demanded. "Who are you, and what were you doing in my library at this time of night?" Her horn glowed, and the hoods of the catsuits fell away, revealing...

Princess Twilight's eyes widened. "Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie? Rarity? Applejack? Fluttershy?! What...what were you all doing sneaking around...dressed like ninja ponies?"

Sunset's brow furrowed...and she facehoofed, letting out a tired groan. "You idiots followed me through the portal, didn't you?" she said flatly.

"Through the...?" Princess Twilight looked from Sunset to the five ponies. She frowned. "You're...the Rainbooms? From the other world?"

"Aheh...yeah," Rainbow Dash said.

"Surprise," Pinkie Pie said lamely.

"We're sorry," Fluttershy said, trembling.

"Ahem. Could you...perhaps...?" Rarity asked, gesturing at her restraints.

"Oh! Yes, of course." Princess Twilight turned to the guard who had fettered them. "Release them at once. They're my guests."

"Of course, Your Highness." The fetters vanished immediately.

"Princess?" the second guard asked. "What's...going on here?"

The doors to the throne room burst open violently, and five mares charged in. "Twilight!"

"What's goin' on, sugarcube?"

"We all felt a sudden urge to come running heeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!"

"Whoa, what th' hay?!"

"Oh my goodness! Is it...is it Changelings?"

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity faced off against Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity.

"Whoa nelly."

"Oh my..."

"Aaaah! Too many Pinkie Pies! Again!"

Princess Twilight groaned. "Will you all be QUIET?!"

Ten ponies snapped to attention and sat down, facing her.

Princess Twilight groaned, massaging her face with a hoof. "Alright...this is ridiculous," she said. "Rainbooms, hold perfectly still."

"Huh? What?"

Princess Twilight's horn began to glow. The magenta glimmer of her magic intensified to a blinding pinkish-white light.

"Twilight? What are you...?"

With a tremendously bright flash and a loud chiming sound, five ponies in catsuits were replaced by five human girls in catsuits.

Princess Twilight's horn dimmed, and she panted. "There. That's better."

Sunset's eyes widened. "Whoa. How did you—?"

"A spell I learned a while back. I just modified it a little."

"Awww!" Human Pinkie moaned. "I was having fun being a pony!"

"Well I certainly wasn't," Human Rarity said. "Hooves are...strange."

"An' Ah like ridin' horses, not bein' one," Human Applejack said. "Uhh...no offense..."

"The being one part or the riding one part?" Sunset asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Uhh...Twilight?" Pony Rainbow Dash asked, raising a hoof. "What's goin' on here?"

"Girls, these are my Canterlot High friends," Princess Twilight said. "Canterlot High friends, these are your counterparts from here in Ponyville."

"'Sup?" Human Rainbow Dash asked nonchalantly.

"So...what're they doin' here?" Pony Applejack asked.

"We uhh...wanted t' see Equestria," Human Applejack said. "Didn't y'all ever wanna see our world?"

"We did, but Twi wouldn't let us," Pony Applejack said. "Somethin' about there bein' two of each of us in th' same place at th' same time bein' too confusin'."

"She was right," Pony Rarity said. "This is...well...bizarre!"

Human Pinkie suddenly rushed up to Sunset, kneeling down and examining her from every angle. "Wowee!" she exclaimed. "Sunset Shimmer, is that really you?"

"Yes, Pinkie," Sunset said, rolling her eyes. She let out a loud, surprised yelp as Human Pinkie suddenly hopped on her back with a loud whoop of delight. "What the—?!"

"Hi-ho, Sunset! Get along, little pony!" Human Pinkie cried, giggling.

"You have three seconds to get off of me," Sunset hissed, gritting her teeth.

"Oh come on! Can't you give your BFF a pony ride?"

Sunset bucked Human Pinkie across the room. She landed right in Pony Pinkie's throne. "Ouchies..."

Pony Pinkie giggled. "Come on, me! I'll give you a pony ride!"

"Yay! I knew I could count on me!" Human Pinkie sprang to her feet and bounded over to Pony Pinkie, straddling her. Pony Pinkie reared with a playful whinny and began galloping around the throne room.

"This...is really embarrassing," Sunset said, facehoofing. "So! Twilight! You just...left the portal open!"

Princess Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof and gave Sunset a sheepish smile. "Oops?" She then looked to the two members of the Dusk Guard who were present. "You are dismissed, good sirs," she said.

The Guards saluted and withdrew, casting occasional bemused glances at the two Pinkies.

Human Rarity watched them go with a raised eyebrow. "Well well...your very own personal bodyguards, eh?" She looked around the throne room. "And such a majestic castle! Why, you've done rather well for yourself, darling! I find myself...rather jealous!"

"Oh, you should see my suite, darling," Pony Rarity said. "I spend at least four nights of the week here at the castle...I was at the boutique tonight because I have an order that needs attention, and it is quite a walk back..."

Human Rarity looked down her nose at her counterpart. "Forgive me, but given what I've seen of your taste in dresses, I question your sense of interior decor..."

Pony Rarity gasped. "What! Well! I...!"

"Uh-oh," Human Rainbow said. "That's gonna get ugly."

"Yeah," Pony Rainbow agreed. "So uhh...you're supposed to be me, huh?" She looked Human Rainbow up and down. "Yeah, okay, but I bet I'm at least twenty percent cooler than you."

"Hah! You wish!" Human Rainbow said. "I bet you can't even shred on guitar with those hooves!"

Pony Rainbow frowned. "Dang it! You got me on that one." She smirked. "But it's not because of my hooves, it's just because I never learned guitar." She spread her wings. "Too busy being awesome in the air and inspiring others to write epic rock music in my honor."

"That was fun! Now it's my turn!"

"Okay!"

Human Pinkie got down on all fours, while Pony Pinkie climbed up on her back. They started scampering around the throne room, laughing all the way.

Human Fluttershy sat down next to her counterpart. "Can I...can I brush your mane?"

"Well..." Pony Fluttershy looked shyly up at her. "I...guess so?"

Human Applejack leaned against the wall, staring at the chaos with a flat, bemused expression. "Ah dunno about you, but Ah ain't never seen nothin' crazier than this."

"Oh, Ah've seen crazier stuff," Pony Applejack said, "but this here sure is up there."

Human Applejack studied her counterpart, tilting her head. "So...apples?"

"Apples."

"Apple cobbler?"

"Apple brown betties!"

"Apple pie!"

"Apple fritters!"

"Apple butter?"

"Apple jam."

"Candy apples?"

"Heh, you know it, pard."

Pinkie and Pinkie looked at one another. "Wanna ride Rainbow Dash?"

"Totally!"

The two Pinkies leapt at the two Rainbows, knocking them to the ground. "RAINBOW RIDE!"

"AAAHHHH!! GET OFF!!"

"PINKIE PIE, WHAT THE HAY?!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Every pony and human stopped and turned to face the stairs, where a cranky-looking lavender unicorn with a tangled, messy violet mane and black-framed glasses stood, glaring at them archly.

"Oh snap," Pony Rainbow said.

"Who's that?" Human Rainbow asked.

"Why, that looks like..." Pony Rarity turned to look at Princess Twilight. "That looks like you, darling!"

Sunset groaned. "Girls? Say hello to Twilight Sparkle. The Twilight Sparkle from our world."

Twilight adjusted her glasses. "So...the Rainbooms are here. Good. I've been looking forward to speaking with each of you."

Friend Request Ignored

Seven mares, six humans, and one dragon sat in a spacious banquet hall on the second floor of the castle proper. Spike and the two Pinkies had whipped up tea and snacks for the group.

Twilight remained grouchy as the others tried to engage her in small talk. Even being turned human again hadn't improved her mood—mostly because the second she found out Princess Twilight could've turned her human again at any time, she'd gotten angry.

"I'm sorry, Twilight!" Princess Twilight said. "I just...didn't think it'd be an issue! But then I had two of everypony to deal with, and..."

"Don't be all grumpypants, Twilight!" Human Pinkie said, wrapping an arm around Twilight. "Now that we know you're around, we're gonna be the bestest of bestest friends!"

Twilight glared at her coldly, removing her arm. "You are data to me," she said. "The only interest I have in you is your role in the phenomena associated with Canterlot High School and..." She frowned at her surroundings. "Equestria. Once I've completed my research, I don't expect to see any of you ever again."

"Wow," Human Rainbow said. "I can't believe you're such a b—"

"Twilight," Princess Twilight interrupted, with a reproachful glare at Human Rainbow, "don't shut them out. These girls...they're my friends. They're some of the most special people I know. I'm lucky to have these amazing friends in two different worlds. Please..." She gave Twilight a pleading look. "Please give them a chance."

Twilight gave her a flat stare. "I'm still thinking about all that stuff you told me about how important friendship is," she said. "And...you are right about one thing. I'm too young to live my entire life without friends." She adjusted her glasses. "BUT...that doesn't give you the right to choose my friends for me. Just because these girls are your friends...that doesn't necessarily mean I want them to be my friends." She looked around the table and frowned. "Besides, they're...crazy."

"And you're a jerk," Sunset said with a frown.

"Sunset...please," Princess Twilight said. She frowned. "It's true that this Twilight is...well..." She frowned, then looked at her friends. "Was I ever this rude?"

The five mares looked at one another, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well..."

"You do have your moments..."

"Oh! Like the time you slammed the door in that mailpony's face! On his birthday!"

"You're...usually nice, but...I guess sometimes you can be a little...not as nice?"

Princess Twilight sagged, her ears falling flat against the sides of her head. "Wow," she said. "Just...wow."

"Sorry sugarcube," Pony Applejack said. "You know we love ya t' pieces. But heck, ain't none of us perfect."

"And you've changed a lot since you came to Ponyville!" Pony Pinkie said. "Like, remember that huuuuuuuge fit you threw over my Pinkie Sense? You haven't done anything like that in a LONG time!"

"Thanks, Pinkie," Princess Twilight said dryly. "I feel so much better now."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Looks like my holier-than-thou 'better half' isn't so perfect herself," she said.

"Girls! Please," Sunset said. "Honestly! I'm supposed to be the friendship student here, don't make me be the friendship...tutor...person!"

"Whatever is the ruckus here, my little ponies?"

Princess Celestia entered the room. She looked around, blinking in confusion. "And...my little...humans, apparently?"

"Princess Celestia!" Princess Twilight said. "I'm so sorry to have disturbed you!"

"Oh, you didn't disturb me," she said. "I needed to...ahem..." Her cheeks turned faintly pink. "Little filly's room." She frowned. "Apparently, it has been quite an eventful night..."

Sunset frowned. "Hey...Twilight...how come you woke me up to deal with all this, but not her?"

Princess Twilight blushed. "I...figured the two of us could handle it without disturbing Celestia," she said. "I mean, what kind of Princess am I if I can't handle some intruders in my own castle?"

"Right," Sunset said, clearly unconvinced.

Celestia sat down, a politely puzzled expression on her face. "Exactly what is happening here, Princess Twilight?"

"Oh! Well...I forgot to close the portal behind us, Your Majesty," Princess Twilight said. "When me, Twilight, and Sunset came through, I mean. And...well..."

"We wanted to check out Equestria, Your...uhh...Ponyness," Human Rainbow said. "So we went back to Canterlot High after dark and jumped through the portal."

"I see," Princess Celestia said. "Well then, welcome to Equestria." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm curious to know why you didn't turn into ponies upon entering this world."

"We did," Human Applejack said, "but Twilight did some kind of magic that turned us human again."

"How interesting," Princess Celestia said with a smile. "Of course, you will have to cancel this spell before you send them back home. We don't know how your transformation magic will interact with the portal."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Don't worry, I've already thought of that. I'll turn them all back before they go through."

"May I ask a question?" Twilight asked, looking directly at Celestia.

"You may."

"I've been told that you raise the sun in this world. I'm having difficulty believing that; it goes against every scientific principle I know. I'm curious: is that little show you and your sister put on some elaborate tribal ritual?"

The Equestrian natives gasped in shock and stared at Twilight.

Celestia gave her an odd glance. "Let me tell you a little story.

"A very long time ago, when my sister and I first came to Equestria, we were simply two alicorns, chosen as mediators between the three pony tribes. Back then, we had no connection to the sun or the moon.

"In those times, it was the unicorns who raised and lowered the sun and the moon. The wisest and greatest of all unicorns led the team of powerful unicorn mages who ensured that all the ponies of Equestria had light in which to work and play and to grow the food they ate, and quiet, peaceful moonlit nights in which to sleep.

"But what neither I nor my sister knew is that those very unicorns were sacrificing everything that made them who they were for the good of all ponykind. For you see, it took the combined might of a large number of unicorns to raise the sun, and the task was so great that every unicorn who volunteered for this task was completely drained of their magic in a few short years.

"I was aghast when I learned of this, and this is what led my sister and I to take charge of the sun and the moon, for our alicorn magic is powerful enough to control the heavens without draining our power, and in turn, the very heavenly bodies we move sustain and rejuvenate us."

Celestia smiled. "So to answer your question: to suggest that my sister and I are charlatans who merely put on a performance, day after day, night after night, to ease the minds of our subjects...is to dishonor and disgrace the sacrifices of generations of unicorns who sacrificed the very essence of their beings for the good of Equestria."

Twilight shrank into her chair, suitably cowed.

Celestia looked out the window. "It won't be very long until morning," she said. "Would you girls like to have a look around Ponyville?"

"We'd absolutely love to!" Human Rarity said, starry-eyed.

"Uhh...don't you all have school?" Sunset asked. "I mean, I do too, but...I was pretty much counting on at least one of you to tell Principal Celestia I'd be absent today..."

"Oh yeah," Human Pinkie said, wilting.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful look on her face. Princess Twilight noticed this and tensed up. "Princess Celestia...what are you planning?"

Celestia smiled. "You'll see..." Her eyes twinkled.

* * * * *

Principal Celestia pulled her subcompact electric car into the faculty lot, locked up, then dug out the keys to the school. As she approached, she saw two people standing outside the locked entrance. One, she recognized as Twilight Sparkle.

The other...was herself. She stared, slack-jawed, at the other Celestia.

"Ah, good morning!" The other Celestia said with a smile, walking down the steps. "You must be Principal Celestia."

"Y-yes," Principal Celestia said. "And...and you are...?"

"I am Princess Celestia," Princess Celestia said. "The ruler of the world Princess Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer hail from. I believe you know the general details?"

"M-more or less," Principal Celestia said, staring at this unfamiliar familiar woman.

"It is delightful to meet you," Princess Celestia said. "I'm afraid I can't remain for long. I've simply come here to tell you that several students will be absent from your school today." She smiled. "Sunset Shimmer and her friends are visiting Equestria for the day. I assure you they'll return tomorrow." She tilted her head. "Well...except possibly Sunset Shimmer. I may ask her to remain an extra day."

"Please keep this quiet, Principal Celestia," Princess Twilight said. "I...don't think any of their families know they snuck through the portal last night, and I don't want them to be in trouble. It's...it's my fault for leaving the portal open in the first place."

"You...left the portal open?" Principal Celestia asked, confused. "I...don't entirely understand..."

"Sunset Shimmer ran into the Twilight Sparkle from this world yesterday," Princess Twilight said. "It's...a complex situation. We, uhh...took her to Equestria yesterday afternoon."

"And the rest followed at some point during the night," Princess Celestia said, smiling. "It's quite a confusing scene at Twilight's castle."

Principal Celestia swallowed. "I, uhh...I'll be sure to let their teachers know, then," she said.

"Excellent. Well, happy day to you!" Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight walked to the horse statue and, with a final wave, disappeared.

Vice-Principal Luna walked up, a confused frown on her face. "Tia? Was that...?"

"You know what, Luna? Don't ask," Principal Celestia muttered as she unlocked the school doors. "I need more coffee..."

Interlude: Principal Interest

As Principal Celestia sent out an e-mail to the teachers of the six absent girls, her mind wandered back to a memorable afternoon, not long after the Fall Formal...

Classes had ended for the day, and Principal Celestia was finishing up some paperwork in her office. She was hoping to, for once, leave campus early and find time to unwind at home. Recent days at CHS had been remarkably stressful, what with rebuilding the school entrance, whitewashing the Fall Formal incident, and trying to wrap her mind around exactly what had happened.

After the dust had settled—literally and figuratively—and the mysterious Twilight Sparkle had disappeared, Luna had quietly hired a private investigator, who had turned up some interesting information.

A girl by the name of Twilight Sparkle lived in another part of Canterlot, and had at one time attended Crystal Prep—when she was twelve.

A girl by the name of Sunset Shimmer had died at the age of three.

Given the bizarre nature of the Fall Formal incident, during which three of her students had transformed into actual demons and six more—one of whom she now realized was never a student at CHS to begin with—transformed into some sort of weird pony-eared magical girls, Celestia was not surprised at the results the investigation had turned up, and she had paid the private investigator off to forget he had ever taken their case. Still, there were many questions left unanswered about the whole thing, and after spending an entire week buried in paperwork and avoiding the media, Celestia had reluctantly begun to accept that she would never have all the answers...and perhaps that was for the best.

A knock on her door roused her from her thoughts. "Yes?" she called, straightening up in her seat and shuffling the papers on her desk into a neat, orderly pile.

The door opened, and Sunset Shimmer poked her head in. She wore a pensive frown. "Principal Celestia? Can...can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course," Celestia said, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. "What's on your mind?"

Sunset sat down, shifting restlessly. "I..." she began, then broke off. After a long, awkward moment, she said, "I...I just wanted to apologize...for everything I've done since I came here."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "You've already apologized to most of the student body, and to myself as well. And you're still serving out your detentions..." She glanced at the clock. "Which, incidentally—"

"I know," Sunset said. "But I asked for permission to talk to you before going to detention."

Celestia nodded. "Alright." She absently wrote out a slip for the detention monitor as she waited for Sunset to continue. "So...I take it you have more to say?"

Sunset shifted. "Yeah," she said. "It's just..." She folded her hands on the desk and looked down at them miserably. "When...when I came here, I had...I had this huge chip on my shoulder." She looked up at Celestia. "My old teacher...I thought she was holding me back, keeping me from being what I thought I deserved to be. I lashed out at her, I...I did things behind her back I wasn't supposed to do. When I didn't get what I wanted when I wanted it, I decided it was her fault..." Sunset's eyes turned cloudy and sad. "I was so stupid. I...I don't know if I could ever face her again, tell her she was right...apologize for everything I put her through..." Sunset swallowed, then looked up. "But...you remind me so much of her, and...and I caused even more trouble for you than I ever did for her, and...and everything I did here, I think maybe I was trying to hurt her by disrupting your school. I justified it all to myself as wanting to be in control here, wanting to take what was rightfully mine..." She laughed bitterly. "After Twilight Sparkle and her friends—my friends—put an end to my plans, I spent a lot of time thinking about why I was really doing it all." Sunset ran a hand through her hair. "I..."

Celestia held up a hand. "Sunset Shimmer. I'll accept your apology on two conditions." She raised one finger. "One: I want your word that I can count on you for anything I ask of you. If I ask you to volunteer for something—anything—I want to know you'll do it without complaint."

Sunset nodded. "Of course. It's the least I can do."

Celestia nodded, then raised another finger. "The second condition: I want to know who you really are." She laid her hand down on the desk and joined it with the other, steepling her fingers. "Luna and I did some checking after the Fall Formal. Sunset Shimmer died thirteen years ago. We also found out there's a Twilight Sparkle living in the city who's already graduated college and earned a Ph.D. But the girl that spent part of the week here...the girl that stopped you at the Fall Formal...that isn't her, is it?"

Sunset sighed and shook her head. "No, it isn't. I mean, it is, but at the same time it isn't." She blinked. "Wait...you actually found this world's Twilight Sparkle? Huh."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "This world's Twilight Sparkle?"

Sunset grimaced. "Alright...I'll explain everything."

And she did. All of it.

Sunset spoke at length, about Equestria, about Princess Celestia, about her studies as the ruler of Equestria's personal student. About how she let her ambition run unchecked. How she betrayed Celestia. How she was banished from the castle, and subsequently fled through the mirror into the human world.

She told Celestia about the Sunset Shimmer of this world, who died as a small child. She told her about Princess Twilight Sparkle, the bright young unicorn who had succeeded her as Princess Celestia's student—had gone on to achieve everything Sunset had wanted for herself.

When at last she fell silent, Principal Celestia sat in contemplative silence for a long moment. "If...if I hadn't seen the whole demon and magical girls and rainbow thing for myself, I wouldn't believe a word of what you just told me," she said. "But...I did see it, and...I do believe you." She sighed heavily, massaging her temples. "Whoo...that's a lot to take in."

"I know, right?" Sunset said with a soft laugh. She glanced at the clock. "Oh, crap! Detention—"

Celestia held up a hand and shook her head. "Don't worry about it." She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen a couple of times. After a moment, she spoke into it, "Sunset Shimmer is serving her detention in my office this afternoon. Yes. I just wanted to let you know not to expect her." She hung up and put her phone away, then crumpled up the pass she'd filled out earlier and tossed it in the wastepaper basket.

For the next half hour, Sunset Shimmer filled Celestia's mind with fanciful tales of unicorns and pegasi and castles and cloud cities and magic and monsters, all in a land populated entirely by talking ponies that sounded like something right out of a storybook. The earnest wistfulness in Sunset's voice as she told her tale resonated deep within Celestia's heart; she could tell the girl was desperately homesick for that wonderous world, and part of her jealously wished she could see this mysterious magical land for herself.

When Sunset once again fell silent, Celestia tilted her head. "It sounds to me as if you desperately wish to return home," she said. "If...if there is another Celestia, I...I do believe she'd be eager to see you again. If...if you wanted to, you could go back—"

Sunset shook her head. "Even if...even if I had the courage to face Princess Celestia again...and I'm not sure I could..." She sighed. "The portal only opens once every thirty moons. By the time..." She swallowed. "By the time it opens again, I'll have graduated from here. I'll have my hands full just making ends meet in this world, and..." She smiled. "Well, there's no telling what'll happen in the next couple of years, right? I could be a completely different person by then, with a life here I won't want to give up..." She shrugged. "Anyway, it's just better if...if I give up on ever going back to Equestria. I have to accept that this is my reality now, and hope that Princess Twilight reassured Mo—Princess Celestia that I'm doing fine."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Are you?" she asked. "Are you doing fine?"

Sunset's brow furrowed in thought. She shrugged. "You know? I think I'm getting there." She smiled. "Yeah...I think I will be."

Celestia smiled in return. "Well...I certainly hope so. You have so much potential. You could go far in this world...especially now that you've learned to accept friendship and put aside your darker ambitions." She scooted her chair back. "Well, I believe you can go ahead and go home now. Unless you had something else you wanted to talk about?"

Sunset stood up. "That was pretty much it." She straightened her jacket and popped her back. "Thank you for..." She trailed off. "Thank you."

Celestia nodded. "My door is always open. Any time you need to talk, I'm here."

Once Sunset left, Celestia grabbed her purse, headed out into the hall, and looked for her sister. "Luna?"

"Yes, Tia?"

"We're going out for tapas and drinks tonight," Celestia said. "You know the place. I want to get completely wasted."

The haze of alcohol had almost erased the entire conversation with Sunset Shimmer from her mind, but the reappearance of Twilight Sparkle, the wild magical display at the Battle of the Bands, and the appearance of the other Celestia served as a constant reminder that all of it was real. Only the portal that wasn't supposed to be open again for a very long time WAS open, and that other, magical world was there waiting to be explored...

Celestia shook her head. "Nope." Draining her second cup of coffee since arriving at the school, she dove into the day's workload, putting thoughts of prancing pony princesses and magical castles firmly out of her mind.

Interlude II: Sunset in a Strange Land

Even with all the strangeness going on at Twilight Sparkle's castle, Princess Celestia insisted on having a private breakfast with Sunset Shimmer at one of Ponyville's more upscale cafes, where Celestia ordered an elaborate breakfast spread and some privacy for the two of them.

"We had so little time to catch up yesterday," Celestia said as she buttered a croissant. "I'm pleased to see you looking so well."

"Thank you," Sunset said.

"I am a bit curious," Celestia said as she stirred milk into her tea. "You survived in an alternate dimension for a long time...not just survived, but by all reports thrived. Yet when you left, you had nothing." She looked up at Sunset. "How did you get by in a world without magic, with no family and no money?"

Sunset grimaced. "It's...a long story, and..." She looked up, guilt in her eyes. "I'm afraid...you'd be very disappointed in me."

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Sunset, I do believe we're LONG past that. I've forgiven you for everything you've done...and still feel I don't deserve your forgiveness for driving you away. But if we are to truly clear the air and forgive each other for the years of heartache and pain that have separated us..." She pierced Sunset with that penetrating, insurmountable gaze that had so often broken Sunset's will as a filly. "I need to hear the truth. All of it, no matter how terrible."

Sunset sighed. "Alright..." She drank some juice, then took a deep breath...

* * * * *

Sunset Shimmer glanced around the library, then covertly sniffed herself. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "I'll need to con someone into borrowing their shower again, and soon..."

After leaving Equestria, Sunset had lived on the streets and on the move, taking care to remain hidden when she didn't want to be seen, and highly visible when she needed to exploit people for small favors. At night, she would check vending machines for forgotten change. Wherever she went, she searched for dropped or forgotten money lying around. None of what she found was enough to even eat off of for a day, but she saved it all.

Occasionally, she would shoplift a small amount of food, taking care not to get caught, then move on several blocks from the store she'd ripped off and remain at a distance for some time.

She'd cleverly found places to sleep that weren't obscenely filthy—she had no intention of living like a homeless person, even though she was one. She marveled at how easy it was to sneak into an upscale home's yard at night and sleep on their patio furniture without being caught.

As the days wore on, she observed and learned more about the human world. With her wanderings to evade detection and trouble with the authorities, she managed to develop a decent working knowledge of the human world's Canterlot fairly quickly. She knew that finding a way to stay near the portal without attracting attention to herself was important, but she reasoned that it would be some time before she could manage that.

As for hygiene...she'd found an inventive solution for that as well.

She'd managed to keep herself and her clothes just clean enough that she didn't look obviously homeless or filthy. Every day or two, she would spy a group of teenagers hanging out in some diner or cafe or other; she'd follow them, hang back, listen to their conversations, and gradually ease her way in. She would ingratiate herself to the locals, make up some story about being on a trip or something, take an interest in whatever schoolwork they were working on, then offer to tutor them. After following one of them home and helping with their homework—which was beneficial to her in return, as she learned more about the human world in the process—she would casually say something like, "Oh, by the way...do you mind if I use your shower? I need to freshen up a little bit before I head back."

She'd found that boys were especially agreeable to this—for reasons it hadn't taken long to figure out. It worked more often than Sunset thought likely, but she was in no position to question her good fortune.

She had been in the human world for almost five weeks, staying under the radar despite all the illegal and unusual things she'd had to do to get by, and she knew that her bizarre run of good luck was unlikely to last forever. To that end, she had availed herself of the public library to do some research. Having quickly picked up on the similarities between this world and Equestria, her top priority was finding her own human counterpart and her family.

On her third day at the library, she learned that her counterpart had died when she was three. Reading the article left her with a strange, numb sensation, as though her own bones lay in some forgotten grave somewhere.

More importantly, it meant she couldn't trade places with her human counterpart—not without coming up with some grade-A Mares Monthly serial novella manure, at any rate.

She was smack in the middle of her fifth day of research, and beginning to despair of finding anything useful, when she hit paydirt. An article about a lawsuit, a drunk driver, and... "Evening Sky?" Sunset's brow furrowed. "That name sounds familiar..."

DRUNK DRIVING SUIT SETTLES FOR $2,000,000

In a decisive victory against drunk drivers everywhere, software developer Source Code was ordered by the district court to pay two million in damages to bereaved Canterlot resident Evening Sky.

Five months ago, Ms. Code, while driving with a blood alcohol level almost three times the legal limit, sideswiped a car driven by Starry Skies, the 48-year-old wife of Mr. Sky. Mrs. Skies was killed instantly in the collision.

Less than a month earlier, the couple lost their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter in an automobile accident. The family was driving to Canterlot when their brakes failed on a treacherous mountain road.

Ms. Code is currently on probation and is forced to wear an ankle monitor and submit to regular drug testing. Many feel the settlement in the civil case serves as the justice the criminal court did not hand down by declining to force Ms. Code to serve jail time.

The names clicked, and Sunset's heart skipped a beat. "Evening Sky and Starry Skies...my grandparents!"

In Equestria, her grandparents—both pegasi who had somehow managed to foal a unicorn—had tragically lost their lives before she'd even been born. She only knew about them through old newspaper articles detailing their heroism; a malfunction at the weather factory in Cloudsdale created a tornado that quickly grew out of control over the mountain forests. While the pegasi attempted to dissipate it, it agitated a phoenix nest. Sunset's grandparents were still inside the tornado when it became a vortex of flames...

She shook herself, wincing at the old memory, and reread the article.

This world's version of her grandfather was alive...and all alone. If memory served, he had no other family—if her grandmother was dead, and her parents, and Sunset herself...he was all alone.

She smiled a mildly predatory smile. "Congratulations, Grandpa. You're about to be reunited with your long-lost granddaughter, alive after all these years..."

* * * * *

Eleven years alone was a long time, and it aged a man.

Evening Sky had been fifty-two when he had lost his entire family—first his daughter, her husband, and their little baby girl, and all too soon after, the love of his life. The settlement he won from the driver that killed his wife had covered all the funeral expenses, paid off his mortgage, and settled all his debts—with plenty to spare—but he had opted to continue working full-time, not for the money, but to fill the long, lonely, empty hours of his life.

For years, he went to work, came home, ate dinner, and slept. He rarely deviated from his routine. Nothing brought him joy anymore. He watched television out of habit, but couldn't tell you anything about the shows he watched. He never went to the movies or out to eat. He simply existed, moving from day to day without purpose. As the years passed, his health declined: varicose veins, an enlarged prostate, high cholestrol, hypertension, and chronic back pain defined his late fifties.

At sixty, he had taken early retirement. At times he regretted it; he spent all his time sitting around the house, watching TV and not remembering what he watched, grumbling at the political news, and reading the newspaper for an hour every morning. A service took care of his lawn; he kept his own house as clean as he could (damn his arthritis) and cooked his own meals—it was all he really had to keep himself busy with anymore.

Now sixty-three, Evening Sky was a dour, dreary man lamenting a life of loss and loneliness, marking the days until he would join his family in the great beyond. A cold Thursday afternoon found him watching some court show he wasn't paying any real attention to when out of the blue, the doorbell rang.

Frowning, he got up, grabbed his cane, and stumped to the door. He peered through the peephole and saw a teenage girl, around fourteen if he had to guess, standing there. She had vibrant copper-and-gold hair and bright teal eyes. His frown deepening, he opened the door. "Yes?"

"Mr. Evening Sky?" the girl asked.

"That's right." He frowned. "Sorry, miss, I'm not lookin' to buy anything..."

The girl shook her head. "You...don't recognize me, do you?"

He adjusted his glasses. "Can't say I do, but I don't get out much."

She sighed. "That's okay. It's been...about eleven years, I guess. I honestly don't recognize you either. It...it took a long time to find you, and I'm...I'm just so glad you're still alive..."

Evening Sky's weathered navy brow wrinkled in confusion. "What're you talkin' about, girl?"

The girl looked down at her hands, which were nervously wringing the hem of her magenta top. "My name is Sunset Shimmer," she said. "I'm...I'm your granddaughter."

Evening Sky slammed the door.

After a moment, the girl began pounding on it. "Please!" she called. "Listen to me! I know what you're thinking, but I'm telling the truth!"

Scowling, Evening Sky jerked the door open and poked the girl in the chest with his cane. "Now you look here, missy," he snarled. "Sunset Shimmer died! She was just a baby! She never got to live her life! I barely got to know my own grandchild!"

"But I am Sunset Shimmer!" the girl insisted. "Look at me!" She was near tears. "I've come so far just to find you! I've been through so much!"

Evening Sky blinked, then took a closer look at the girl. His lips worked soundlessly for a moment. "You...you do look like her," he said. "And...and you've got my little girl's eyes, there's...there's no mistake there..." He shook his head. "But Sunset Shimmer died in a car crash when she was three."

"And they never found the body, right?" the girl pleaded. "They found my mom and dad, but they never found ME, right?" She took a step forward, gesturing emphatically with a hand. "Grandpa, I survived the crash. I've been living on the streets my whole life..." Tears gathered in her eyes. "I didn't even know I had family...I found out by chance..." She sniffled. "And...and then I tried so hard to find you..."

Evening Sky stared at her. His eyes softened. "You...you couldn't possibly be..."

She took his hands in hers. "Just...just hear me out, okay?"

* * * * *

"It took a while, but I convinced him I was his granddaughter. His lawyer took a lot more convincing, but...well...it's pretty easy to impersonate a dead alternate universe version of yourself that nobody's seen in eleven years." Sunset chuckled ruefully. "He adopted me, of course. Changed his will, left everything to me.

"I convinced him to sell the house and rent us a smaller apartment that'd be easier to take care of and closer to a good school for me. I'm still living in that apartment."

"And Evening Sky?" Celestia asked.

Sunset looked down at her plate. "He passed away last year," she said. "He...he died peacefully in his sleep, and..." She started to sniffle. "I pretended to care, of course, gave him a nice funeral and played the bereaved granddaughter, but all the while, I was moving forward with all my schemes and plans..." Her ears wilted. "He deserved...he deserved better..." She looked up at Celestia with sad eyes. "He really thought I was her...he was so happy, the year we were together, and...and I didn't really care..."

Celestia moved over to her and wrapped her up in a hug. "I think you did," she said softly. "Deep down, you did care. And you miss him."

Sunset started to sob. "I...I do!" she wailed. "He...he loved m-me! Like...like he was really my fa..." She choked on her own tears, then said, "...he was my family...it doesn't matter if I was a fake..."

Celestia stroked her adopted daughter's mane, saying nothing, letting her cry it all out.

After a while, Sunset looked up at Celestia. "I'm...I'm terrible," she whispered hoarsely.

"No, you're not," Celestia said. "We all...we all make mistakes, and sometimes we hurt the ones we love, or...or don't appreciate them the way we should. But..." She tilted Sunset's head with her hoof. "Evening Sky would be proud of who you've become. Of how you've changed and grown. We've only been together again for a few short hours, and already I can see you're a much better pony than the Sunset Shimmer that ran away all those years ago...the daughter I loved and...and drove away." Celestia herself began to cry; mother and daughter stood in one another's embrace, letting years of pain and regret and loss flow out, heedless of who might be watching.

After several minutes, Celestia said, "At least I know you're well provided for in your new life. I don't...have to worry about you." She smiled hopefully. "That's...that's good, right?"

Sunset sniffled and wiped her eyes, nodding. "Yeah...it's-it's good..."

This Strange New World

"Princess Celestia doesn't like me very much, does she?"

At dawn, Princess Celestia had absconded with Sunset Shimmer for a private breakfast. Most of the others who had been present for the previous night's craziness were all passed out around the castle, having decided to catch a few hours of sleep in order to have the energy to roam Ponyville during the day. Princess Twilight's spell had long since worn off, and she had decided it would be simpler to give the visitors identifying scarves rather than repeatedly turning them human with magic—especially if they were going to be out and about in town. Only the two Twilights remained awake, sipping coffee and having a simple breakfast.

Princess Twilight smiled at her counterpart. "That little speech from last night?" she asked. At Twilight's nod, Princess Twilight shook her head. "Don't misunderstand. Princess Celestia wanted to make you think. You're, well...stubborn," she said. "And when I was younger, I was stubborn too." She snorted. "I still am sometimes. Anyway, whenever I was particularly stubborn, she'd do something like that to make me think, to realize I was being stubborn about something I needed to accept."

"It's not just her, though," Twilight said. "None of your friends really like me. I mean, not that I expect them to, it's just..."

"Well," Princess Twilight said with a grimace, "you do seem to be going out of your way to be as rude to everyone as you possibly can."

Twilight shrank into herself. "I—"

She was cut off by a loud crash as a swearing blue pegasus tumbled through the dining room doors, rolling to a stop in a tangled heap of limbs. "Ugh! Stupid horse body," Rainbow Dash muttered.

A herd of twinned ponies entered the room, accompanied by Princess Luna. "Good morning darlings!" Pony Rarity called brightly.

"Good morning, Rarity," Princess Twilight said. "Good morning to everyone!"

Both Pinkies pounced on Twilight. "Ready for our tour of Ponyville?" Pony Pinkie asked.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Actually, I'm going home after breakfast," she said.

Everyone present stared at her. "WHAT?!"

Twilight adjusted her glasses. "I still have a lot of questions about...about everything," she said. "About what's been going on at CHS, about this...magic. But..." She looked around the room. "Honestly? This is all too much for me, and as curious as I am, I think this is a world I just...don't have a place in." She took a deep breath. "Besides, I...I have something important to do." She smiled at Princess Twilight. "You've given me a lot to think about. Not just about things I didn't even know existed, but...about mistakes I've made with my own life." She frowned at her coffee. "I think it's time I did something about that." She looked at the group of ponies staring at her with various unhappy expressions. "This other Twilight calls you all her friends, and Sunset Shimmer too. I just...I don't think we have enough in common. I'm sure you're all wonderful people. I just...I need to find my own path. My own friends."

Rarity sniffled. "We understand, darling."

"We do?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes, we do," Princess Twilight said sadly. "She's right. We can't decide who her friends are. If...if she was destined to meet all of you, she'd have been at CHS a long time ago. Or...I don't know. Maybe in another lifetime, if things had gone differently, she'd have met you all and become friends with you, the way I did with my friends here in Ponyville. Either way, she has her own life to live, and..." Princess Twilight sighed. "It's up to her how to live that life."

Unhappy murmuring filled the room as the rest of the group shuffled their hooves.

Twilight stood up, looking at everyone. "Still, I'm sorry I was so rude to you all," she said. "I just...I have a hard time opening up to others, and I think I was just...startled by all this. By all of you."

Rarity smiled gamely. "It's...it's alright," she said. "If you ever decide you want to get to know us better—"

"Oh, I do intend to interview all of you about what happened both at your Fall Formal and at the Battle of the Bands," she said. "You haven't seen the last of me. I'm not finished investigating. But for right now..." She grimaced. "For right now, I think the things I've already learned are going to take a while for me to really digest."

Pony Rainbow's stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly. "Speaking of digestion," she muttered.

Everyone laughed. "Luna? Why don't you go with everyone down to Ponyville? The kitchen's a little understocked right now for this many ponies." She stood and rustled her wings. "I'll open the portal for Twilight and send her home."

Luna nodded. "Of course." She smiled. "Hopefully, we can rendezvous with my sister and my...niece."

"But...don't you wanna at least explore Ponyville?" Pony Pinkie asked Twilight with a pout.

"Yeah!" the other Pinkie agreed. "I mean, you came all this way, don't you wanna see what this world's like?"

Twilight grimaced. "I'm not really into all that touristy stuff," she said. "I might come back for a visit sometime and have a look around."

"Come, everypony," Princess Luna said, "let us away...to feast upon the bounty this quaint hamlet has to offer!"

Pony Pinkie gasped dramatically. "AAHHH! Nightmare Moon's gonna turn us all into hams and FEAST ON US!"

Luna narrowed her eyes. "Don't. Start. That. Again," she said coldly. After a moment, she smirked and added, "Besides, were I to devour you, I would first turn you into...A CHICKEN!"

Pony Pinkie jumped three feet into the air, laid a colorfully decorated egg, and ran away, leaving a Pinkie-shaped puff of smoke behind.

The others just stared.

Pinkie snorted. "I like her!"

Princess Twilight groaned. "Just...just go to breakfast, everyone. I'll see you all later. Come on, Twilight. Let's get you home."

As the herd of ponies headed for the palace gates and the two Twilights headed upstairs to the library, Twilight's brow furrowed. "Your friends are weird," she said.

Princess Twilight smirked. "Yes. Yes they are."

* * * * *

Sunset Shimmer and Princess Celestia strolled around Ponyville, watching the sleepy little town wake up. Sellers setting up their market stalls for the day looked on curiously, most bowing, as their Princess walked by. Celestia nodded and greeted them warmly as she passed.

"I still can't get over this place," Sunset said. "It's like something out of another time."

"Hmm? How so?" Celestia asked.

Sunset tilted her head. "Well," she said, "in the human world, a town like this is, well...old. Archaic. Like something out of the past. Or a storybook."

"I see," Celestia said. She tilted her head curiously. "What's your world like?"

Sunset hummed thoughtfully. "A lot like Manehattan, really," she said. "Big buildings, paved roads, people always in a hurry. But also more than that." She levitated her phone out of her jacket pocket. "Almost everybody has one of these, so we're always connected to everyone and everything in the world all the time. Life is fast, and people tell the whole world every single thing they do practically every minute of every day."

"Goodness," Celestia said. "And how does that work, exactly?"

Sunset opened her mouth to explain, paused, then shook her head. "The magic of human technology," she said. She found a twig lying on the ground, picked it up with her magic, brushed it off on her coat, and woke up her phone, going through her photos, music, and so forth and showing it to a wide-eyed Celestia.

"Amazing," Celestia breathed. "And...and what all can this device do?"

"Pretty much everything," Sunset said. "Take pictures, record short movies, play music, play games, talk to your friends, look up information on the Internet—that's like the world's biggest library and every newspaper in the world all rolled up into one, and...other things."

"How remarkable!" Celestia said in a delighted tone.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Sunset said, putting her phone to sleep and pocketing it again. "The irony is that because these phones can do so much, nobody just sits and talks to each other anymore. Not without a screen between them."

"I see," Celestia said. "So these devices let everyone talk to everyone else all the time, and yet nobody talks to anybody. How...strange."

"PRINCESS CELESTIA! SUNSET SHIMMER!"

The two mares turned to see a large group of ponies approaching. All around the marketplace, ponies were staring, gasping, muttering, and fainting dramatically with screams of "THE HORROR! THE HORROR!" as five sets of twin mares cantered up the streets, led by Princess Luna.

Luna looked over at the fainting flower ponies and snorted. "Please," she huffed.

* * * * *

"Goodbye, Twilight," Princess Twilight said.

Twilight snorted. "Goodbye...Twilight." She took a deep breath and stepped through the portal...

As the blinding kaleidoscope of colors faded away, she collided with something both solid and soft, and cried out as she found herself falling to the ground. "Uwah!"

"Ah!" a male voice cried out.

Twilight's glasses slid askew. As she sat up, she hurriedly fixed them. "Sorry, sorry!" she said once she realized she'd knocked a teenage boy to the ground.

"It's okay, happens all the...Twilight?" The boy looked at her with wide, hopeful eyes. He had spiky blue hair and wore a ripped T-shirt and a dark grey windbreaker. "TWILIGHT!" He moved to hug her...

She held up a hand to stop him. "Wrong Twilight," she said as she adjusted her glasses. She frowned. "You're...the boy who has a crush on that other Twilight, right?"

He blinked. "Other Twilight? What—"

Twilight smirked. "She's right through there," she explained, touching the surface of the portal, which rippled and shimmered beneath her hand.

The boy stared, wide-eyed, and swallowed. "Is it safe?"

Twilight hummed thoughtfully. "Well...it should be, so long as she doesn't close it before you go through."

Without a second thought, the boy dived right into the portal. Twilight giggled, then pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. "Cadance? It's Twilight. Listen, I've been thinking about that job offer, and I'd like to meet to talk about it. Umm...one thing, though. Can you pick me up at Canterlot High School? Yes, you heard me right. It's a long story." She paused, then added, "I was just...looking into something over here. Alright, I'll see you in a bit."

* * * * *

For the remainder of the day, the large group of mares wandered all over Ponyville and its environs, introducing the Rainbooms to everything there was to see: Sugar Cube Corner, Carousel Boutique, the barren, burned-up ground where the Golden Oak Library once stood, Ponyville Town Hall, the train station, schoolhouse, clinic, various lakes, Sweet Apple Acres, Fluttershy's cottage, and the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. They broke for lunch when the Rainbooms grew exhausted, shared stories of their lives and respective worlds, and laughed over shared interests and anecdotes.

As the day came to an end, the low evening sun casting orange and red hues across the sparkling crystal of Twilight's palace, the group gathered in front of the portal to CHS.

"We thoroughly enjoyed our visit here," Rarity said. "Thank you for letting us have a look around."

"It's no problem at all," Princess Twilight said warmly.

"Y'all should come visit our world sometime," Applejack said with a grin.

"Ooh! Can we, Twilight? Can we?" Pony Pinkie asked, jumping up and down excitedly.

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes. "Sure," she said. "But it'd probably be better to go on a weekend so the girls can really show you around and so you won't confuse everybody at CHS too much. Right, Sunset?"

"Absolutely," Sunset said. "We can have a big group sleepover at AJ's place—if that's okay with you, AJ?"

"Course it is."

"Ooh, a big sleepover party with..." Pinkie Pie took a headcount. "Ten? Eleven? Twelve of us? That sounds super duper FUN!"

"Hey, uhh...Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, brow furrowed. "What's with that pegasus curled up in a ball in the corner?"

Twilight blinked...then gasped. "Oh my gosh! I'd completely forgotten!"

Sunset looked at where Rainbow was pointing, and facehoofed. "Flash? Seriously?!"

"FLASH?!" the other Rainbooms cried.

"Oh my," Fluttershy said, covering the giggle and silly smile that threatened to break loose.

Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, he somehow figured out the portal was open and came through. I...don't think he took it very well when he got a look at the real me." She sighed. "Oh well."

Sunset groaned. Her horn lit up; a teal aura wrapped itself around Flash and pulled him over to the mirror. "Come on, Romeo," she said. "Time to say goodbye to Juliet..."

"Goodbye, girls!" Twilight said warmly. "I'll see you all again soon, I promise!"

"You'd better," Rainbow said with a grin. "Come on, girls, our folks are probably pissed by now."

"Bye, Twilight!" Pinkie said with a wave. "Bye, Pinkie! Bye—"

Fluttershy shoved her through the portal, then turned with a sheepish smile. "Goodbye, every...pony," she said. Giggling, she stepped backward through the portal, waving.

"We'll meet again, lovelies!" Rarity said as she followed.

"See you 'round, sugarcubes," Applejack said, tipping her hat as she went through the portal.

"Later!" Rainbow called, waving as she went through.

Sunset pushed Flash through the mirror, then turned, looked over the group, and sighed. "I'll come back to visit as often as I can," she said. She looked at Celestia, her eyes misting up. "I...I'd stay longer, but..."

"I understand," Celestia said, sweeping her up in a hug. "Your place is with them now." She sniffled. "So long as I know you're safe and happy, and you're only a letter or a quick trip through the portal away..." She smiled. "I'll enchant a new pair of magic journals and have Twilight deliver the new one as soon as it's ready," she said. "That way we can stay in touch."

Sunset smiled. "I'd like that." Hugging Celestia tightly, she stepped back, looking at the portal, then back at her friends. "Well...see ya," she said.

She turned, took two steps...

And then plunged through at a run, leaving behind a trail of tears that splashed onto the crystal floor.

A long, heavy silence followed her departure.

"So," Rainbow Dash said eventually. "That was your boyfriend, huh?"

Twilight blushed. "Y-yeah, that...yeah."

"No offense, but he was kind of a wiener."

Twilight smiled a silly smile. "Yeah, but...he's my wiener."

Everypony laughed.

* * * * *

Twilight Sparkle set up her framed photo of herself and her brother on her new desk, then slipped a smaller photo of her dog Spike into the corner of the frame. She smiled, adjusting her navy blazer as she sat back in her chair. On the computer monitor in front of her, a login screen for the faculty of Crystal Prep Academy sat open.

A girl about her age walked into the faculty office, wearing a rumpled black pullover turtleneck and drab pants with sensible shoes. Her magenta hair was an absolute mess, her pale cream complexion was dotted with acne, and her thick-framed glasses were scotch-taped across the bridge. She shuffled over to a neighboring desk which was covered with dozens of books in an unseemly sprawl, then sat down, sipping a coffee as she pulled a book from the stack and poked her nose into it.

Twilight smiled gamely. "Hello," she said. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. I just started here as a teaching assistant today."

The girl looked up at her and grunted. "Moondancer," she said. "I'm a student TA. I graduated from here last year."

Twilight nodded. "I see you like to read."

"That's right." She blinked, adjusting her glasses. "Wait. Did you say Twilight Sparkle?" She peered intently at Twilight. "As in Doctor Twilight Sparkle, youngest Ph.D. graduate from Everton?"

"That's me!" Twilight said happily, beaming.

Moondancer's jaw dropped. "And you're wasting your talent working here?!"

"Dean Cadance is...a friend," Twilight said. "And she thought this would be a good opportunity for me, at least for a little while. Until I decide what I really want to do with my life." She paused, then added hopefully, "I don't really know anybody here other than Cadance, though. Maybe we can be friends?"

Moondancer's brow furrowed as she considered that. "Hmm. Friends. I don't really have any of those..."

"Everybody needs a friend," Twilight said with a gentle smile.

Author's Note

And thus this story ends with a bit more of a whimper than I suppose I originally planned. However, you'll notice I left an opening for a sequel where the Mane Six visit their counterparts in the human world. Maybe someday I'll write that. :pinkiehappy:

There might also be room in that sequel for Twilight and Moondancer and maybe a couple of other new friends...

Thank you for reading, and I'm sorry I kept you all waiting for a new chapter of this for so long only to end it on such a weak note. :fluttercry:

Sunset Calls For Backup

"Where IS she? I TOLD her not to take too long!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Pinkie, it's only been like...six or seven minutes," Rainbow Dash said. "She probably had to like, take a dump or something."

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolded. "Honestly..."

"Just give her time, Pinkie," Fluttershy said. "It's not like we're in any kind of hurry..."

Rarity's phone rang. "It's Sunset Shimmer," she said as she looked at the screen. Answering it, she began, "Sunset Shimmer, dear, we were just wondering..." She broke off. "Oh. Yes. I...see. Yes, of course. No, don't...alright. I'll tell the others. Good...good luck with that." She looked around at her friends. "Sunset Shimmer is...indisposed," she said delicately, grimacing.

"What, she's got the squirts?" Rainbow asked.

"No, but she did mention cramps, and..." Rarity turned faintly green. "Well, we all know how that is."

"Oh yeah," Applejack said.

"Uh-huh," Rainbow said, wincing.

"Boy, tell me about it," Pinkie said. "So...we're just gonna go without her?"

"It seems that way..."

As the girls left, Pinkie Pie looked up at the sky. "Funny, I could've sworn Sunset Shimmer's period wasn't due for like, another eight days..."

"And how do you know that?" Rainbow asked.

Pinkie giggled. "Silly! I know when all of you have your periods. I keep track!"

"Oh...my. I...don't know how to feel about that," Fluttershy said.

"Ah'm gonna pretend Ah never heard that," Applejack muttered.

* * * * *

Twilight raised a questioning eyebrow at Sunset Shimmer.

"Sorry," Sunset said. "My friends were expecting me. I...I don't want them to have to deal with...you yet."

"'Deal with me'?" Twilight asked archly.

"Oh...no, no!" Sunset said, waving her hands placatingly. "I just meant..." She sighed. "I don't think they're ready to..." She shook her head.

"Right," Twilight said. "Make no mistake, I intend to question each member of the Rainbooms thoroughly. But I wanted to start with you, because you're supposed to be dead." She folded her arms. "So...care to explain that?"

"Uhh...maybe somewhere other than the school bathroom?" Sunset suggested. "Besides, you...really don't wanna be seen around CHS."

Twilight frowned. "Sure." She covered her face back up, and the two girls left. "So," Twilight asked quietly as they walked down the hall, "why exactly don't I want to be seen here?"

"Everyone would think you're the other Twilight," Sunset said. "Especially Flash Sentry, and that...would be awkward."

"Flash Sentry?"

"The other Twilight's crush," Sunset said. "Mutual crush."

"Oh. Yes, that would be awkward."

"So, uhh..." Sunset shifted. "You like pizza?"

* * * * *

Sunset and Twilight sat at a dimly-lit pizza parlor several blocks from Canterlot High. It was a place Sunset knew they were unlikely to run into any of her fellow students at this time of day.

"Before anything else, I should...I should probably get a message to Twilight," Sunset said. "I...definitely need her help on this one."

"Oh, I'm absolutely interested in meeting her," Twilight said. "Whoever she really is."

Sunset pulled the journal out of her backpack and laid it on the table, then rummaged around for a pen. Taking a deep breath, she opened the book. Twilight watched with a mild frown. "I thought you were going to text that girl who looks like me, not write in your diary."

Ignoring her, Sunset placed pen to page.

Dear Princess Twilight,

"Princess?" Twilight asked. "You seriously call her that? She won one popularity contest. Months ago."

Shooting Twilight an irritated glare, Sunset continued writing.

We have a problem here. It's nothing like last time, but...the other Twilight Sparkle just showed up. She's investigating you, me, our friends, everything. So far I'm the only one who's seen her, but it's only a matter of time. I can't keep her away from my friends forever. And honestly, she's not very nice.

"Hey!"

I don't really think I can explain everything without you here to help me. I know you weren't planning to come until later next week, but...please, Twilight, I need you here now.

Your friend forever,
Sunset Shimmer

Sunset closed the book and put her pen away, then took a sip of her soda.

Twilight glared at her. "Okay, you're either wasting my time, playing games with me, or you're crazy."

"Look, you want to know what's going on, right? Trust me when I say this is the only way you're going to find out."

"Trust you? I don't even know you! And what little I do know about you tells me your life is a lie." She picked a piece of pepperoni off of a slice of pizza. "If you're not going to play straight with me, I'm going to have to talk to your friends. And maybe the authorities..."

The book on the table began to glow and vibrate. "Wow, that was fast," Sunset said.

Twilight stared at the book. "What...?"

Sunset opened it and laid it open. Twilight leaned in for a closer look...

I'll be there in an hour. Wait for me at the portal.

Twilight

Twilight stared. "That...that's my handwriting..." She blinked. "That's my handwriting. I didn't...how..."

"Well, we've got an hour to kill," Sunset said. "Might as well finish up our pizza before we head back to CHS."

"I thought you wanted to keep me away from CHS," Twilight said.

"I do," Sunset said simply. "But that's where the portal is."

"Portal?"

"You'll see..."

Twilight shook her head. "Fine," she said sourly. "Now, as long as we're waiting...how about you explain the whole you're-supposed-to-be-dead thing?"

"Yeah, that...kinda won't make sense until you meet Princess Twilight..."

* * * * *

Sunset checked the time on her phone as she and Twilight returned to the Canterlot High School courtyard. "She should be here any minute," she said. She took a seat on the ground near the large horse statue.

"What, we're just going to wait out here?" Twilight asked.

Sunset nodded. "This is where the portal to Equestria is."

"Equestria..." Twilight said. "That's something you mentioned at Sugar Cube Corner, when you were with the other girls..."

Sunset whipped her head around sharply. "You've been spying on us?"

"I was investigating Canterlot High School," Twilight said. "I wasn't spying on you and your friends specifically. It's just dumb luck that I was sitting close enough to overhear that...bizarre conversation you were all having."

Sunset was about to say something, but the base of the statue began to ripple and glow. A girl identical to the one sitting beside her, but dressed quite differently and with a different hairstyle, stepped out of the statue, carrying a small purple dog with floppy green ears.

Twilight's eyes widened. "What...?!"

Sunset stood up and bowed. "Princess," she said.

Princess Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. "You don't have to do that, you know..." She trailed off, eyes widening as the other girl stood up. "So there is another me in this world," she said softly.

"Duh, Twilight," Spike said. "Seriously, you didn't think there'd be another you here?"

"I...I guess I didn't..." Princess Twilight walked around the native Twilight, who followed her with stunned eyes. "Now that I think about it though...the first time I was here, Pinkie Pie asked if I had a twin sister in the city..."

"Yeah, that should've been your first clue," Spike said.

Twilight adjusted her glasses, staring at Spike. "A...talking dog? Spike?! You can talk?!"

"And your Spike probably can't," Spike said. "Right?"

"Dogs...dogs don't talk..." Twilight looked as thought she wanted to run away, or faint, or both.

"Yeah, well...I'm not a dog," Spike said.

"The others haven't seen her yet?" Princess Twilight asked.

Sunset Shimmer shook her head. "She approached me when the others weren't around."

"Who...who are you?" Twilight asked Princess Twilight.

"I'm you," Princess Twilight said. "Only I'm not from this world. I'm from Equestria." She looked at Sunset Shimmer. "Have you explained anything to her?"

Sunset shook her head. "Do you think she'd believe me if I did?"

"Probably not," Princess Twilight admitted. She looked around. "Umm...we'd better find someplace private to talk..."

"We can go to my place," Sunset said.