Completely Different but Still the Same
Chapter 1: An expariment gone wrong
Twilight Sparkle sat in the Palace of Friendship reading the latest Daring Doo book. It was quiet and peaceful for the young Alicorn Princess. She soon marks the page she is on and closes the book. Taking a minute to look up and the fixture above her once belonging to the old Golden Oaks Library where she lived for a long time. As she looked she reflected on her rather eventful life. She had stopped Nightmare Moon, protected the Crystal Empire. Stopped Discord, defeated Tirek and help Princess Lunar stop the Tantabus once it went out of control. Traveld and saved CHS on two occasions. Oh and most importantly became the Princess of Friendship. However it has been a few weeks since all of that just shy of a month in fact.
Twilight's thoughts were interrupted by the clacking sound of Spikes' feet as he ran into the room holding something. "What do you have there Spike?" she asks the young dragon
"It is a delivery from Princess Celestia she said it is a new spell for you." he replies as Twilight opens the scroll and reads it.
"Hrm... a spell to move two objects through dimensions? Sounds like fun!" she says reading it over "Spike get me an apple and an orange."
"Yes ma'am!" he says saluting and running out of the room coming back shortly after with the items Twilight had requested.
"Thank you." she says moving them to opposite edges of the room. "Now would be the perfect time to try this spell out.
"Are you sure Twilight? I mean you just got the thing shouldn't you read it over a few times first?" Spike asks a little worried about his friends eagerness "After all what if you mess it up?"
"Spike sometimes the best way to learn how to do something is by doing it." Twilight says looking at the scroll as her horn glows. Soon both the apple and orange glow with the same aura. the glow gets brighter and brighter soon it was impossible to see the apple and orange. The next thing Twilight knew they vanished and at the same time a misfire of magic hits her knocking her and spike into the wall. The two hit the ground dazed from the back blast. Their vision was blurry and it slowly focused back to normal. When they look to the sides where the apple and orange were they notice they were gone. But when they return their look to the middle of the room a grey unicorn was on the ground unconscious. his dark red mane was long and messy his tail curled around his side covering his Cutie Mark "Uh Spike..."
"Yeah your not seeing things I think you screwed up Twilight." Spike says
"Thanks Captain Obvious..." Twilight says rolling her eyes "Do you think he is okay?"
"How should I know? You're the smart one!" Spike responds as the pony opens a pair of dark purple eyes slowly. it was a groggy look but he soon pulls himself together and looks around.
"Wh-where am I?" he panics "This isn't my home! What happened?!" he looks at Spike and Twilight who were looking rather scared at his sudden outburst. "Oh...uh..."
"Who are you?" Twilight asks
"Me?" he asks "I am Solar Flare the Guardian of Equestria. Who are you and what is this place?"
"Well Solar Flare I am Twilight Sparkle the Princess of Friendship." she replies before motioning to Spike "This is my assistant Spike."
"You're not a Princess...all of the Princesses are gone! they have been since...I...since I failed." Solar Flare sighs
"I am not sure I follow..." Twilight says confused to what the unicorn said
"King Sombra! When he was on the rise I was tasked to stop him I was chosen by fate and I thought I could stop him with the power I had but I failed! All of Equestria is in ruin because of me!" Solar Flare says
"But we stopped King Sombra back in the Crystal Empire." Spike says looking at Twilight
"Did you hit your head or something?" Twilight asks the unicorn
"No!" he says looking at her shocked to why she would ask that "One second I am walking home when I feel strange. I black out and now I am here!" he looks at Twilight and she then suddenly realized what she had done! This pony was from a different version of Equestria. she had read about the possibility that other versions of Equestria existed but now she was seeing for the first time the crossing of two worlds!
"Oh my gosh... I can't believe what I have done!" she yells frantic "I am sorry I moved you from your Equestria to mine!"
"You what?!" Solar Flare asks in surprise "Why?! Or better yet How?!"
"I don't know all I was doing was trying a new spell scroll from Princess Celestia. I was only trying to swap places with an apple and orange but instead I accidentally brought you here! Spike was right I wasn't ready to do the spell! What do I do? the scroll is gone! You're stuck here! And-" she stops as the colt puts a hoof over her mouth to calm her down.
"Calm down. I am not mad Twilight Sparkle." he says calmly "I understand it was a mistake."
"But you realize you are stuck here! I can't send you home!" Twilight yells when he moves his hoof from her mouth.
"Yes I do." he replies "But...there is not much to return to back home. Most of the ponies were wiped out or enslaved after Sombra took over.... you kind of brought me to a better place. I have dreamed about leaving that cursed place and you made it come true thank you." he says turning to walk out "We will meet again."
"Wait Solar Flare!" Twilight says stopping him "how are you going to go out there not knowing anypony? You should let me help you it is the least I can do."
"Thank you for the offer but I will have to decline I don't want to be in debt to anypony later." he replies
"Then why don't you let me help you out as a friend?" Twilight offers and the unicorn looks at her
"I don't need any friends. I am perfectly fine alone. I deserve it for what I have done." he says sternly leaving without giving Twilight a chance to reply.
"Fine without friends?" she asks herself "He is going to have a hard time around here if he is such a lone wolf." Twilight says to Spike "What are we going to do Spike?"
"Should we ask our friends for help?" Spike suggests
"That is a great idea Spike!" Twilight exclaims "If we can show him the true values of friendship maybe we can get him to open up! Spike summon the others!"
"Yes ma'am!" he says with a salute before running off.
Completely Different but Still the Same
The six agreed to take turns trying to befriend the new pony that Twilight had brought to Equestria. First off Applejack. The farmer pony caught him reading a strange book with a title she could not comprehend. Either way she walks up to him. "Howdy partner." she says greeting him
"Can I help you with something?" Solar Flare asks
"I haven't seen you round these parts before so I was wondering where ya came from." she answers
"A place very far away." Solar answers
"So then ya'll are here all alone?" Applejack asks
"Yeah, it's what I am used to." Solar sighs
"Well why don't you try making friends?" Applejack asks
"I am fine thank you." Solar says
"You'll want some in the future." Applejack smiles "Come on give it a shot!"
"I am not the kind to be with others." Solar says "I don't deserve to be with others."
"Now that's just nonsense!" Applejack says "Everypony can have friends!"
"I don't think you would understand." Solar answers
"Then how could I understand if ya' don't tell me?" Applejack asks and the unicorn thinks before sighing and a small smile appears on his face
"You got me there..." he chuckles "Even I cannot argue that. Alright I'll tell you what happened but not here, not now. I would like to get settled first. Anyplace we can meet say around 8:00?"
"How bout' the Palace of Friendship?" Applejack asks
"The place I met Twilight?" Solar asks and Applejack nods "You're helping her out aren't you..."
"How'd ya know?" Applejack asks
"It was obvious from the start. your persistence is much greater then anypony I have ever met... my name is Solar Flare by the way." He smiles
"Howdy partner, I'm Applejack!" the country pony says with a smiles "I'll see ya there tonight then right?"
"Yes." Solar says "Now if you'll excuse me..."
"Go right ahead." Applejack says as the two part way. Solar to find a place to live and Applejack to The Palace of Friendship. Applejack waks in and enter the Map Room where the map like table still stood. Twilight was in her chair reading, Fluttershy was talking with Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were playing a board game and Spike was taking a stack of books out of the room as she passed by.
"Oh hay Applejack how did it go?" he asks
"good." she answers as she passed him. Twilight taking notice looks up from her book and looks at Applejack.
"Well?" Twilight asks and the others look to her
"Solar said he'll be here at 8:00." Applejack says
"But that's only three hours from now!" Twilight panics "We need to make sure this place look good for him! We don't want to make him feel unwelcome!"
"Calm down Twilight everything will be fine!" Rainbow Dash says "I could clean this place in 10 seconds flat!"
"Really?" Twilight asks challenging her friend
"Sure!" Rainbow says shrugging "why don't believe me?"
"Prove it." Twilight says
"Fine." Rainbow Dash says
"Spike?!" Twilight calls and the young dragon runs in
"Yes Twilight what can I do for you?" he asks
"Where's your stopwatch?" she asks
"Here." he says pulling it out "Want me to do something?"
"Start it on my mark." Twilight answers and Rainbow Dash crouches ready to fly. "GO!" she shouts and Rainbow Dash flies off at blurring speeds cleaning as fast as she could soon a few seconds later she stops.
"Done!" she calls and Spike stops the timer. "Well?" the Pegasus asks looking at him.
"Ten seconds flat." Spike says "That was amazing Rainbow Dash I wish I could clean this place that fast."
"It was a piece of cake!" Rainbow Dash smiles
Meanwhile Solar was looking around and notices there was nothing available all the homes were taken and after what had happened he wasn't in any shape to go look for other settlements to live in. As much as he hated to he decided to walk to The Palace of Friendship and ask Twilight for help. he arrived luckily just before 8:00 and knocks. Soon Spike answers the door and invites him in. Solar follows Spike to the Map Room where the others sat.
"Ya made it!" Applejack smiles "Any luck finding a place to stay?"
"No there isn't anything available right now..." Solar sighs
"You told me you were going to tell us about yourself." Applejack says
"Yeah, I owe you guys that much." Solar smiles softly and walks up closer before he begins his story. "I come from another version of this world as I recently discovered on my own. However in my world something happened a war when we found a strange black creature that resembled a pony. Anyway turns out according to our Princess Celestia which is strange that the Princess' name is also Celestia in this world I might add. Anyways she said it was all predicted and that two suns would blot out the darkness. My guess was she thought I was this second sun. I mean a vague prophecy and a name like mine I couldn't blame her. So I tried to stop Queen Chrysalis the one who brough devastation and war to the land. I was not powerful enough and she won. It was my fault Equestria was destroyed..." he explains
"Chrysalis?" Twilight asks shocked
"You know her?" Solar asks surprised at her reaction
"Yeah, he caused us trouble before but Princess Celestia banished her and the changlings to another realm." Twilight says "So that must have been your realm!"
"It's not your fault." Solar says "So you see I have been living with this guilt for years... I don't deserve the fellowship of other ponies after what I did to them!"
"Well all that is different here darling." Rarity says
"totally we are all cool here!" Rainbow Dash says floating in the air in a relaxed position
"Why not use this as a second chance Solar Flare?" Applejack asks and he looks at her
"You...might be right." he sighs "I will try...but do you guys know where I could stay?"
"You can stay at my place..." Fluttershy says softly just loud enough for the others to hear her.
"A-are you sure?" Solar asks and the kind Pegasus nods
"Of course... it's kind of lonely sometimes when there is no other pony to talk to..." Fluttershy answers
"Thank you." Solar before a light bulb goes off in his head "Oh I forgot to introduce myself how rude of me!" he says shaking his head "My name is Solar Flare and I already know Twilight, Spike and Applejack so... how about you four?"
"Greetings my name is Rarity." Rarity smiles with a hair flip and a polite dip of the head
"I'm Rainbow Dash, nopony can fly faster then me." Rainbow Dash boasts
"I...I'm Fluttershy..." Fluttershy says softly
"And I am Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie squeels jumping up and down "I think we can be the best of friends. Do you like cake? I love cake! How about muffins? I love them too but I think derp-" Pinkie was then muffled by Twilight
"Sorry about that she is a little...crazy at time." Twilight sighs "Well anyway 'Welcome to Ponyville' Solar Flare."
"Thank you." he answers