The Wrong Side of the Mirror

Rainbow Dash slowly walked to Sunset’s flat to give her some time to think of some excuse why she needed to contact Twilight, but she found none. So she just knocked at Sunset’s front door, waiting for someone to open it.

“Hi again,” Applejack said, letting her in. “You got what you wanted at school?”

“Not exactly. Have to go there again later.” Rainbow took a look around in Sunset’s home. She and her friends were sitting at the living room table with some books and notebooks. “Sunset, you still got that book to make contact with Twilight? I gotta write her something.”

“What do you want from her?” Sunset asked.

“Nothing special. Just some… private… things.”

“Sure.” She stood up and went to her bedroom to get it. When she returned her face was worried. “The book. It doesn’t work any more. It is no longer connected to its counterpart in Equestria.”

“No! No!” screamed Rainbow. “The book doesn’t work. The portal is closed. Why in Tartarus did that have to happen right now?”

“I’m sure Twilight will find out and reopen it soon. She’ll realize as soon as she wants to write something to me.” Sunset tried to calm her down. “Don’t worry. It’s not like there is some real problem here and we would need Twilight’s help right now. Unless… Rainbow, are you the Rainbow Dash Twilight spoke about and not our Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes,” confessed Rainbow. “How did you figure out?”

“Well, I’m not blind. First, you apparently never ate meat before. I didn’t think much of it at the burger shop, but then you just knocked at my door, as if you didn’t know I had a doorbell. And just now you said ‘Why in Tartarus.’ If you were a human you would have said ‘Why in hell.’ Also, you keep talking about the portal. I’ve been a pony before, too, I know the signs from first hand. Or hoof, in that case. But still, whatever the problem with the portal is, I’m sure Twilight will figure it out and fix it. You’ll be back home in no time.”

“But what if she doesn’t? What if the portal itself is broken. What if I’m stuck here forever?”

“Then we will figure something out to bring you home,” said Rarity. “We are your friends, so we will help you whatever come. We might not know you, but we are friends to someone just like you, so that makes us your friends, too.”

“Thanks. Was a stupid idea to switch places with your Rainbow Dash. That reminds me, now she is most likely stuck over there, and she has not the slightest idea of how it is to be a pony. I hope she’s not in trouble.”

At that moment, a tiny voice in Rainbow’s head saw its chance. It had been weakening her for two weeks, now it was time to strike. You really got some problems here, Rainbow. But don’t be sad, there is a simple solution. Just smoke one cigarette, and all your troubles and worries will be gone. You will be able to think straight again and find a way out of here. Just one single cigarette can’t harm you. You only quit because of Scootaloo, and she is not even here. Why do you put yourself under so much stress, if there is an easy way to relief it.

Rainbow had heard that voice many times before, and so far, she had been able to resist it. But now her limits were reached. The voice of her addiction had won this round. She knew it was wrong, but couldn’t do anything against it. “AJ, can I get a cig from you,” she asked her friend. “I really need one now.”

“Sure.” Applejack took two cigarettes out of her pack, gave one to Rainbow and lit the other one herself. Sunset followed their example and lit up a cigarillo, then she passed her lighter to Rainbow, who lit her cigarette and finally got some smoke in her lungs again.

Fluttershy opened a window. She never dared to complain, but second hand smoke always gave her a headache.

“And I’ll get us some beer,” suggested Sunset. “I don’t think any of us will still learn anything for school today. But you better tell us what exactly has happened.”

After Rainbow had finished her cigarette, she realized the voice had been lying. She still saw no way to get back. All her troubles and worries were still there and she was feeling worse then before. Telling the whole truth about what had happened to her friends was much more relieving.

Rainbow Dash followed Applejack to a small room in Twilight’s castle labeled with “Private. No Entry. (Except Best Friends.)” It contained a small writing desk with a crystal ashtray and a pipe made of briar wood as well as two candles. Next to it stood a shelf with some bottle of wine and a few wine glasses. Some light was shining in through a small open window.

Applejack lit one of the candles with a match and both ponies lit their cigarettes in the candle. “Much better,” said Rainbow as she felt the nicotine flowing through her body. “Just how do you hold a cigarette without hands.”

“Well, unicorns usually levitate them and pegasi can take them between their wing feathers. But be careful not to burn yourself. Earth ponies like me just keep them in their mouthes all the time.”

“I think I’ll stick to the earth pony way until I got a better control over my wings,” said Rainbow around her cigarette and drew at it again.

“You know, Rainbow, it’s kind of a stage feeling being together with you. Somehow I know you since years, but on the other hoof I just met you a few minutes ago. What do you think? Shall we open one of Twilight’s wine bottles and you tell me how it is to be a human while I tell you all about being a pony?”

“Sure thing,” replied Rainbow. “There’s a lot to tell.”

Twilight Sparkle’s horn was aching. She had spent the last hours working on the mirror and Sunset’s book. None of those items were meant to be combined with the other and she had just jury rigged them together, so analyzing the magic connecting them was difficult. So much for getting some of my paperwork done today, she thought. It was already dark and she was getting tired, but she needed something get the magical research off her mind before going to bed. A nice pipe and a glass of good wine would be the right thing.

As Twilight arrived at her private smoking room, she saw that Applejack and Rainbow Dash where still there and sat down next to them. “I though you went here just for one cigarette, but that was over three hours ago.”

“Yes,” said Applejack, “but then we started talking about our worlds. How different and still the same they are. Did you know that both Rainbow Dashs have the same birthday, but our one is four years older than her. I hope you don’t mind we opened one of your wine bottles.” She pointed at the bottle of rosé and two glasses in front of them.

“Of course not. And I kind of figured out that your ages are different, otherwise they, or you, wouldn’t be in high school anymore.” Twilight packed her pipe and lit it with a fire spell while simultaneously levitating another glass out of her cupboard, filling it with wine.

“I’ve been checking the mirror and I’m sorry that I have to say this, but it is bad.” She took a deep drag from her pipe, enjoining the sweet bitter taste of the smoke on her tongue before inhaling it into her lungs. “The book should have had enough magical energy to allow ponies form our world to go there or humans to come here for centuries, but switching up two ponies at the same time unseated the balance between the two universes. It depleted the book within an hour, so the portal shut down.”

She drew at her pipe again and drank a sip of wine. “While I could recharge my book, Sunset’s book uses the same amount of energy, so that one is empty, too. And as Sunset has no horn in her current state, she can’t recharge hers.”

“So does that mean you can’t bring me home?” asked Rainbow. “And it’s all my fault?”

“Well, I just started to research that. Maybe I’ll find a way to recharge Sunset’s book from here, or make a new pair of books and somehow teleport one to the other side.” She took took another draw from her pipe and blew a smoke ring out of the window. “I haven’t given up yet. I will write a letter to Cadance and Celestia and they surely will send me every literature they have about the mirror. I’ll figure something out to fix this mess. It’s just, it will definitely take some time.”

“By the way, Twilight,” said Rainbow, “I didn’t know that you smoke. You didn’t when you visited our world.”

“I really don’t smoke very much,” she said and drank one more sip of wine. “Only one pipe after a very stressful day to relax and calm me down. Not every day, maybe once a week. Or sometimes a good cigar for special occasions. But I left my pipe here both times I visited you. Also, I try to keep my smoking a little bit under the hoof, only my friends know about that. I’m a princess after all, I have to set a good example to others. So don’t tell anypony.”

“’Course not. But there is a lot I gotta tell you. How it came to this and all that stuff that happened in my world.”

“Sure, Rainbow. I need to know exactly what you and the other you did before the portal closed. But every little detail could be important, so we shouldn’t have this talk now while we are both half asleep. How about you come back here next morning?”

“Yeah, that’s probably better. It’s getting late and I’m up since 5am in the morning.” Rainbow emptied her wine glass. “Good night, Twilight, and thanks for all your help. I’m relay getting tired, better go in my bed. Wherever that is.”

“I’ll show you,” said Applejack. “I just hope you know how to use those wings, you won’t get there on hoof.”

Rainbow Dash woke up from her sleep. It had only been a nightmare. She was no human, she was not trapped in a different world. She was lying in her bed, safe back in Equestria. Rainbow wanted to move her mane out of her face with her forehoof, but instead of a hoof, she saw a hand with fingers. It hadn’t been a nightmare, it all had happened.

But being in a different world wasn’t even what troubled her most. She had smoked, despite promising Scootaloo never to do that again. It was only one cigarette, she thought, I’m trapped in a different world and this was a special situation. It didn’t count. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not lie to herself. It did count. She had broken her promise, and there was no way to change that. All she could do was to make sure it didn’t happen again.

She stood up and wanted to leave her room, but turned back in the last second as she remembered that humans usually wore clothes. Getting dressed took her some time as she was not used to her current body, and having fingers did not make it any easier. How could humans coordinate ten of them at the same time? She had to ask Sunset how she got used to fingers.

She heard a female voice calling for her. “Rainbow, are you up? Breakfast is on the table!”

“Yes, mom. I’m coming.” At last she hoped it was her mom. She hadn’t heard that voice for over a decade now and wasn’t sure. However, her assumption turned out right when she came downstairs. Two humans sat at a table, with one free chair left for her. One was an indigo-skinned woman with pink hair, the other a man with a pale blue skin and gray hair that still had some touch of rainbow colors. Her father did not have a gray mane yet the last time Rainbow saw him, but except of that the two looked similar to the ponies she once had known as her parents in Cloudsdale.

The scrambled eggs and bacon on the table smelled delicious, especially as she had never eaten something like that before. Maybe it wasn’t such bad being trapped in the human world, she really liked the taste of meat. “Good morning mom, dad.” She sat down and started eating.

“Want some more?” her mother asked after Rainbow Dash had finished her plate. “You look hungry today.”

“Sure,” she said as her mother passed over her still half full plate. “Thanks.”

“Was late yesterday, wasn’t it?” her father said. “Didn’t even hear you coming.”

“Yeah, was with my friends,” Rainbow said, quickly finishing the second plate of her breakfast. “Kind of forgot the time. By the way, I’ll be with them all day again. Won’t come for lunch. Bye mom, bye dad.”

“Okay,” her dad said. “Have fun. It are your holidays, after all, so you can stay out as long as you want.”

My parents are really nice here, she thought. Well, my human self obviously never dropped out of school, so that terrible quarrel never happened.

Before going to Sunset’s house, Rainbow took a detour via the high school and kicked a stone against the portal. But as it bounced off, she know it was still closed and went over to Sunset.

“Hi there, Sunset. Any news from Twilight? Does the book work again?” Rainbow asked as she opened her door.

“Sorry. Still nothing. By the way, our friends should come here soon to study for the finals. And I think you should do that, too. Just in case we don’t find a way to send you back soon, you’ll have to take that tests.”

Rainbow frowned as Sunset mentioned the finals again. “Study for some tests? You know, the last test I’ve taken was my entry exam into the Wonderbolts reserve, and that was about a topic I liked. I haven’t done anything for school since dropping out of flight school a decade ago, and it’s not like I did much for it before. Most of my schoolwork consisted of copying other ponies homework. I always hated learning. Well, at least I’ll be together with some friends.”

“I can help you with it, if you need it,” suggest Sunset. As her other friends arrived, Sunset took as much time as she could to help Rainbow, even neglecting what she had to learn herself, but Rainbow was way behind the others on all topics and hardly felt any progress. Also, she had cramps in her hand, as she was not used to hold a pen in it.

As Applejack laid down her pen and took out her cigarettes, Rainbow dropped her pen, too, and gave her a look. “Want one?” Applejack asked.

“Well, kind of yes, but actually no.” She resisted her inner voice telling her how much easier she could learn after a cigarette. “I wasn’t quite truthful when I said was smoking less. Actually, I quit two weeks ago. Was a stupid idea to ask for one yesterday, quitting once was hard enough. Don’t wanna have to go through that again. But as I realized I’m stuck here, I panicked and needed one.”

“I think most people in your situation would. But Rainbow Dash as an ex-smoker. Well, that’s hard to imagine. You smoked even more than me.” Applejack lit her cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke in the air. “I just hope you don’t mind if we still do it.” She pointed at herself and Sunset.

“Sure not,” Rainbow said. “Quitting smoking didn’t turn me into one of those crazy anti-smokers. And some second hoof smoke might help against my cravings.” She took a deep breath of the smoke Applejack exhaled.

“Well, I mind,” whispered Fluttershy. “Cigarette smoke always gives me migraines. It would be really nice if you could please do it outside.” But she was talking way to quietly, so no one heard her. Well, she thought, probably better that way. Rarity likes to smoke a cigarette or a even cigar herself for special occasions and Pinkie never seems to mind that smoke either, so I’m the only one. They would hate me if I made them go outside.