Context

by KnightMysterio

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Discord, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Spike, Starlight Glimmer
Length: 7536

Twilight wonders about the Flim Flam reality she saw while fighting Starlight, only for Discord to tell her she's looking at it wrong.

Twilight Sparkle, pulling another late night, is finally confronted about by Spike and Starlight Glimmer. She reveals that she's been studying one of the realities she saw, specifically the one seemingly ruled by Flim and Flam. She just can't figure out how those two con artists could be as much of a threat as, say, Tirek or Nightmare Moon.

And then Discord shows up, telling her that she's looking at her information wrong. He volunteers to show Twilight, Spike, and Starlight what that reality is really like...

#1 in the Featured box on 4/25/2016. WOW. I'm... honestly surprised that so many people like this little dialogue heavy stream of consciousness fic. Thank you all very much!

Published 2016-04-25 00:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-04-25 00:20:02 UTC

Context

Author's Note

All characters copyrighted to Hasbro and used without permission for non-profit amusement reasons. Comments, compliments, and constructive criticism is encouraged and appreciated.

Context

Context
A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fanfiction
by Jonathan “KnightMysterio” Spires

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Friendship Palace...
Twilight's Room...
2AM...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Twilight Sparkle, noble and loyal Princess of Friendship, grinned nervously at the unicorn and dragon standing before her. The unicorn had an uncertain look on her face, while the little dragon looked flatly unamused.

“Twilight,” the dragon said, “this is the fifth night this week you've stayed up all night doing research. Starlight Glimmer and I are officially intervening.”

“I know, Spike, I know,” Twilight said. “But I can't get this out of my head. If I don't figure it out I'm gonna go nuts.” She gestured to the research on her desk, piles and piles of notes and books.

Spike facepalmed. Starlight frowned. “What, exactly, are you working on?”

Twilight frowned. “During our confrontation, I ended up visiting several alternate worlds, as you know. I understood how each villain could take control of their respective timelines, but there's one that's bothering me...”

Starlight Glimmer grimaced, remembering their battle in the recent past. Spike gave his elder sister-figure an incredulous look. “Just ONE of those is bothering you? Plus, considering we're trying to help Starlight be a better pony, I don't think talking about the fact that she nearly broke time and destroyed Equestria in a jealous rampage is gonna help,” he said, missing the irony.

Starlight, for her part, was doing an admirable impression of Fluttershy at this point, curling in on herself as she was reminded of what she almost did.

Twilight sighed. “I'm sorry,” she said. “But in the others... I can understand Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, King Sombra, Discord, and Tirek being world ending threats... but Flim and Flam? Those two constallions? How they could rule the world is beyond me...”

“The problem...” said a smooth, smarmy voice from out of nowhere, “is that you're taking things out of context.”

Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and Twilight Sparkle all jolted in surprise, looking around for the source of the voice.

“It's understandable, though,” the voice said, chuckling. “You were, after all, in a bit of a panic. Most ponies do when confronted with such chaos.”

Twilight then rolled her eyes, recognizing the voice. “Hello Discord,” she said. “What do you mean by context?”

“How long did you stay in that particular timeline, Twilight Sparkle?” Discord asked, snapping his fingers and creating chocolate milk for everyone. Never one to turn down a free treat, Spike eagerly drank his, while Discord sipped at his with a straw, drinking the cup as well.

Twilight Sparkle frowned. “Well... Just a few moments. I was trying to focus on getting back to stop Starlight...”

Starlight Glimmer fidgeted uncomfortably, sipping nervously at her chocolate milk.

“It's funny because you're trying to be nice to her now and you keep bringing up the fact that she used to be an insane little order avatar,” Discord said, snickering.

Twilight frowned at him, casting a brief apologetic glance at Starlight. “What do you want, Discord?”

“I'm bored, was eavesdropping, and decided that I want to show you three something,” he said. “Interested?”

Starlight looked pained. “... The other timelines still exist,” she said softly.

Twilight frowned, looking concerned for Starlight. “...You're saying that things aren't as bad in the Flim Flam reality as we think?”

Discord snorted. “'Flim Flam reality...'” he said mockingly. “I am saying, Twilark Sprinkles, that you were panicked and misjudged the situation. I have been conversing with the me of that reality, who, by the way, is also friends with his Fluttershy, and things are better than what you think they are. I have nothing better to do today, and since you three seem to be available, I figured I might as well take you on a bit of an excursion.”

Twilight, Spike, and Starlight all looked at each other, uncertain.

“...It would be nice to know that I didn't destroy at least one timeline,” Starlight said after a moment.

“Yeah, I'm kinda curious myself...” Spike said.

Twilight nodded. “Okay. Take us there, Discord. But no tricks, or you'll regret it,” she said sternly.

“Moi?” Discord said, grinning playfully. “Would I go so far as to trick the noble Princess of Friendship?”

“In a heartbeat,” Twilight and Spike said in perfect unison, glaring at him.

Discord cackled. “True, true,” he said. “But this time I'm being legit. Off we go!” he said, snapping his fingers. In a poof, the four of them were teleported out of the castle, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike reappearing in the middle of Ponyville.

Or at least, what looked like the center of Ponyville. It seemed to be the same, except the skies had a pallor of gray over them. This didn't seem to affect the sunlight shining down, though, nor did it seem to affect the general mood of the gathered ponies.

“Is this... the other world?” Starlight asked, coughing a little.

“I think so,” Twilight said, frowning. “There was more smoke in the air than this, though. And it wasn't as cold...”

Spike shivered. “Yeah... is it fall here or something?” the little dragon asked.

“No, it's simply an aftereffect of those beastly factories that the Flim Flam brothers set up to deal with the root rot that killed off most of Sweet Apple Acres and a portion of the Everfree Forest,” said a gentle, cultured voice. “Because of those buffoons and their propensity for cutting corners, it's taking more time than it should for the pegasi to clear out the smoke. It hasn't affect the plant-life, thank Celestia, but it does keep the warmth of the sun from reaching us as much as it should.”

Hearts practically bubbled out of Spike's eyes. “I'd know that accent anywhere,” he said dreamily.

Starlight was the first to spot the source of the voice. She went wide-eyed. “Um, Spike?” she said. “It's not who you think it is.”

“What do you mean, Starli... huh?!” Twilight said, turning in the direction the unicorn was looking. Spike turned a moment later, his jaw dropping.

Standing near Sugar Cube Corner was Applejack. But this wasn't the well-built farmer they knew. This Applejack was slim, carrying herself with grace and poise. Her hair was done loosely up in an elegant bun, and she wore a fashionable vest, one Twilight recognized as being a part of the Coco Pommel line in her own world. She did NOT look happy.

“So!” this fancier Applejack said. “Let's discuss the proverbial elephant in the room, as it were. The fact that you don't know about the smoke clouds that keep this part of Equestria cooler than it should be suggest that you are new here. However, this brings up another problem. One of you looks like my dear friend Princess Twilight Sparkle. And considering I JUST saw her a few moments ago suggests one of two things. Either you are Changeling infiltrators, and very STUPID ones at that, or we need to have a bit of a discussion with Discord.” She sighed. “I dearly hope it's the second one, darlings. After the fiasco with Flurry Heart, Arabus nearly wrecking everything, and Dragon Lord Torch's daughter nearly dying, I don't think I could take another Changeling attack...”

Twilight blinked. “Wait, Princess Ember nearly died? From drowning, right?” she asked.

Starlight grimaced. “Twilight, I don't think that's the best thing to talk about right now...”

Applejack frowned. “Yes, but how did you...”

“Well, didn't your world's version of Spike save her before she was too badly injured?” Twilight asked, frowning.

Now Applejack was really confused. “Who's Spike?” she asked.

Spike, who was still in mild shock that it was Applejack and not Rarity that was so cultured and elegant now, shook his head, recovering himself. “I am. I'm Spike. And I'm guessing that Twilight never hatched my egg in this world.”

“This worl...” Applejack started, baffled out of her mind. “...Would you darlings mind coming with me to the palace? This is all too confusing for me right now.”

Twilight, Starlight, and Spike agreed, following Applejack through the town, trying to ignore the gazes of now wary ponies on them. The route was familiar to the three, although the castle seemed a bit gloomier than normal due to the near permanent gray cast the sky had. As they approached the castle, another Twilight stuck her head out. To the offworld Twilight's surprise, her mane was astral and flowing and she was at least a head taller than her. Plus, she was wearing golden hoofshoes and a golden peytral, a golden ring around one hoof.

“Wow...” Twilight said about her more princess-y counterpart.

Princess Twilight looked over at Twilight and the others and smiled. “Oh good, you found them already,” she said.

Applejack nodded. “Yes, darling,” she said, frowning. “Were you... expecting them?”

Princess Twilight shook her head. “Not until a moment ago. Moondancer and I were about to go look for them when you brought them here.”

Applejack nodded slowly. “Twilight, darling... Could you possibly explain what's going on? Why does this pony look like a littler version of you? Why does she have a young dragon with her? Who's this third pony?”

Princess Twilight smiled a very Celestia-esque smile. “I'd prefer to wait until the rest of the girls are here,” she said. She then turned to Twilight, Spike, and Starlight. “In the meantime, would you like something to eat? Moondancer makes excellent biscuits.”

Twilight, Spike, and Starlight traded worried looks, but eventually agreed. It was better than just standing awkwardly outside, at any rate.

Princess Twilight smiled. “Thank you,” she said, leading them all inside. As Princess Twilight led them through the castle, the three visitors looked around.

“Amazing...” Twilight said softly. “Everything's almost exactly like it is in our world...”

Princess Twilight just chuckled, pausing at the entrance to a large room. “Here,” she said. “Just wait in the throne room. Moondancer will be in shortly with your biscuits.” She and Applejack left the visitors, who looked around with awe.

The throne room was different from their own, the thrones more regal-looking and thematic to the Cutie Marks of their owners. Plus, where Spike's chair was instead was a larger, less-impressive but still stylish-looking chair for Moondancer.

“Wow...” Starlight said. “This is... so strange...”

Spike nodded. “I know, right?” he said. “Everything that looks the same feels so different, and the stuff that's different is just WEIRD...”

Twilight was grinning widely. “This is all so fascinating,” she said. “I wish I'd thought to take notes! I never had much of a chance to study the other universes we were in, and...”

“Wow, you really do sound like her,” said a voice. Twilight turned, and blushed brightly.

It was Moondancer. But instead of the nerdy, bookish mare with thick eyebrows she knew, this one was stunning. Her mane was long and well groomed, her eyebrows thinned out, and her glasses more slender and fitting. She still wore a sweater, but it hugged her body in a way that Twilight couldn't help but notice.

Spike looked at Moondancer, then at Twilight, and snickered. “Is that what I look like when I start swooning over Rarity?” he stage whispered to Starlight, who just giggled.

Twilight quickly composed herself, still blushing, and said, “Yes, well... I look like her because I am her, in a way. I'm from another reality, and we're here for...”

Moondancer held up a hoof, stopping her. “It'll all come out once everypony gets here,” she said, smiling confidently. “In the meantime, would you like snacks?” She levitated in a plate of fresh-baked honey biscuits. “I don't have any gems for you, little dragon. We weren't expecting a dragon to visit.”

Spike smiled, taking one of the biscuits, Twilight and Starlight taking one as well. “That's okay. These smell great!” he said, Twilight and Starlight agreeing with him.

“You work for Twilight?” Starlight asked. “Err... Your world's Twilight, I mean.”

Moondancer chuckled, smiling confidently. “Yep! I'm Princess Twilight's number one assistant,” she said.

“Is yours just as neurotic a mess at times as mine is?” Spike asked, smirking a little.

“Spike,” Twilight scolded him, “that is HARDLY an appropriate question to...”

“Oh goodness yes,” Moondancer said, chuckling. “Rarity and Pinkamena can't help but tease her about the 'Smartypants' incident from time to time.” Moondancer paused, and added, “That's when she...”

“When went nuts due to the fact she didn't have a friendship problem to solve that week and then she cast a 'Want It, Need It' spell on her old Smartypants doll. Entire town went nuts, am I right?” Spike said, smirking as Twilight groaned, hiding her face in her hooves.

Moondancer giggled. “Some things are the same from world to world, I guess,” she said.

Starlight gave her an amused look. “Leaving a few details out, are we?” Starlight teased. Twilight just mumbled something under her breath, stuffing another biscuit in her mouth to avoid having her thoughts on the teasing be voiced. Her attention was quickly diverted, however, when she heard a group of voices coming from nearby.

Moondancer smiled. “Ah! There they are,” she said, going over to greet her Princess Twilight and her friends. Although to the surprise of Twilight, Starlight, and Spike, Moondancer greeted her Twilight with a passionate kiss.

“Wow...” Spike said softly.

“How close are you and our world's Moondancer, if I may ask?” Starlight asked.

“Not that close,” Twilight said, blushing.

“Shame,” Princess Twilight said. “Moonie and I have been happy ever since we got together, and have been happily married for years.”

Moondancer giggled, pulling up the sleeve of her sweater to reveal a similar golden ring on her hoof.

Spike rubbed his temples. “I don't think I can take much more mind-blowing today...” he said.

“Save the explosions for demolitions,” said a gruff, tomboyish voice. Spike, despite the voice lacking its cultured accent, recognized it immediately.

Walking in beside Applejack was a tall, well-muscled unicorn mare, her purple tail and mane cropped short. Dirt spots could be seen on her pale white coat, her triple diamond cutie mark stained as well.

It was Rarity. And to Spike's delight, she was still gorgeous. “Even dirty and with muscles, she's still beautiful...” he said, heart-shaped bubbles coming out of him as he started to float dreamily into the air.

“Quit it,” Twilight said, putting a hoof on his tail to pin him to the ground.

Rarity laughed, a loud, boisterous laugh. “I like this little guy!” she cackled. “He knows a good lookin' gal when he sees one!”

Applejack nudged her. “You could have at least washed up before you came,” she said. “Honestly, darling, if you'd clean up a bit more, you'd be even more gorgeous.”

“A little dirt never hurt anyone,” Rarity said, huffing. “And I'm going back to the mines once this is over, so I'd just get dirty again. Unless I'm goin' someplace super fancy, it's one shower a day in the evenings, same as always.”

Applejack smirked. “Then I guess I'll have to find more excuses to get you going to someplace fancy,” she said. “I'll make a lady out of you yet.”

“Over my dead body,” Rarity said, grinning defiantly.

“Calm down girls,” said a steady, even voice. It took a moment for Twilight, Starlight, and Spike to recognize the dark pink mare with the straight, lightly styled hair as Pinkie Pie, and even then they only realized it was her when they noticed the balloons cutie mark. “We have guests. No reason to act silly until they're used to us.”

“That felt so wrong to here HER of all ponies say that,” Spike said, Twilight nodding in agreement.

“I really don't see why I have to be here as well,” said a soft voice. “I mean, so long as they're not hostile, I can go back to the lab and start working on tomorrow's smog clearing procedures...”

“It's okay, Rainbow Dash,” said a loud, boisterous voice. “You worry too much! This is the first time we've actually gotten to meet ponies from another world, instead of just writing to them like we do Sunset Shimmer!”

“Well... If you say it's okay, I guess...” the soft voice said reluctantly. Nervously, a pegasus with thick glasses poked her head around the doorway. She waved nervously... and was bumped into room by a thickly muscled canary-yellow pegasus with a shortened mane and tail, as well as scars all over her body and a missing eye. The two pegasi paused upon spotting Starlight Glimmer, who grinned nervously.

“I know you,” Fluttershy said, looking thoughtful.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “You were at the Junior Flyers race... The one you helped Fluttershy win,” she said.

Starlight nodded. “S-Sorry...” she said.

Fluttershy blinked. “Why? Aside from it being colder than it should be, I've lived a pretty good life.”

“Mmmaybe we should explain why we're here,” Twilight said.

“A moment, please,” Princess Twilight said. “Discord?”

Not one, but two draconequui popped into existence. One was clearly Twilight's, but the other Discord had a completely different set of mismatched parts. A griffon's head, a Changeling wing, a butterfly wing, a lion's body, a bear's front paw, a chicken leg, a monkey's paw, a dragon's leg, a fox tail, a goat horn and a unicorn horn.

“Celestia help us there's two of them,” Applejack groaned.

“So sorry,” Other!Discord said. “Just having tea with my other self. Delightful scamp he is.”

Princess Twilight glared at him. “Uh huh. How many juvenile pranks am I going to have to watch out for in the near future?”

Twilight just grinned at the familiar tone of the question.

Discord and Other!Discord looked offended. “My dear Princess,” Other!Discord said, both Discords manifesting top hats and monocles. “How little you think of me! Is it not possible that my counterpart and I are capable of having a civilized conversation without...”

“How many?” Princess Twilight asked again.

The top hats and monocles vanished. “Six or seven,” Discord said.

“And don't worry, I won't booby-trap the bathrooms. Again,” Other!Discord said, snickering.

Moondancer glared at him. “You better not. I still have nightmares about that...” she muttered. “Soap everywhere...”

Fluttershy cackled at the antics of the two draconequui. Princess Twilight shook her head, grumbling. “At any rate...” she said. “Girls, I'd like you to meet Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer. They came from an alternate universe similar to ours, and are here to visit.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “I have to say, Starlight, you've aged pretty well after all these years. I mean, with Twilight it's understandable, although she doesn't look ascended like ours is, but you...” she trailed off, blushing a little.

Applejack nodded. “Indeed, darling. If you were around at the Junior Flyers competition, then I would love to know your beauty secrets.”

Starlight Glimmer cringed guiltily. “Um... confession time...” she said.

Twilight frowned. “Starlight...”

“They have to know,” Starlight said. “They have to know why I'm here...” She stepped forward and began to speak. “I... have mental issues. Back when I was younger, my friend got his Cutie Mark one day, and then we dropped out of contact. I was a shy little thing, and he was my only friend. When he went away... I came to the conclusion that Cutie Marks were evil, and I wanted to reshape society to be rid of them. I thought that ANY difference was wrong, that everypony needed to be truly equal. I started out by learning how to remove Cutie Marks, eventually getting my own once I figured out the magic behind it. I started finding ponies who were being persecuted for their Cutie Marks, and indoctrinating them into my own believe system through brainwashing and intimidation. I eventually built up a town where nopony had their Cutie Marks, storing them all in a case of my own design. Everypony had the same level of talent as the other, their Cutie Marks replaced with an equals sign. I realized early on that I needed to keep my Mark to use my Cutie Mark removal spell, so I hid it with makeup and... well, basically ran the town like a cult leader.”

The natives to this world looked stunned to say the least.

“So... your friend got his Cutie Mark and left you, and in response you created an anti-Cutie Mark cult?” Applejack said, looking baffled by the very concept.

Starlight nodded, shamefully. “Yeah...”

Fluttershy frowned. “No offense, lady, but that's a real stupidly petty reason to do that...” she said.

Starlight flinched, stopping Twilight when she tried to speak up. “I know that now,” Starlight said. “I like I said, I have issues. Mainly anger issues...” She took a deep breath, and continued with the story. “For a while in my cult town, things were all right. I would kidnap the occasional lost traveler and make them join the town. But then Twilight and her friends showed up and... well, things fell apart within a few days.” She pointed to Fluttershy. “Your counterpart played a big role in that, actually.”

Fluttershy grinned. “She must be as much of a badass as I am, then,” she said proudly.

Discord snickered. “Yes, but not in the same WAY as you. We'll talk afterwards,” he said.

Starlight continued. “After my defeat, I ran off and went... well, even crazier. I stalked Twilight for weeks, hoping to learn of a weakness I could use to destroy her and her friends. I eventually learned of the Sonic Rainboom, the event that caused all of them to get their Cutie Marks at the exact same time.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “I've always dreamed of doing a Sonic Rainboom...”

“In my timeline, you did,” Twilight said, smiling.

Rainbow Dash grinned.

Starlight sighed. “And it's my fault you didn't,” she said. “I used a time travel spell to force myself, Twilight, and Spike back in time, and began to actively sabotage you and stop you from performing the Sonic Rainboom. I thought... I thought that if Twilight didn't have her friends, I would still have the cultists, the ones I believed were my friends... She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and finished. “I tried everything I could think of to change the circumstances of the race. Each time I succeeded, Twilight and Spike were pulled forward into a bad future that resulted from the six of you not getting together. One where Equestria was in a long, ongoing war with King Sombra, one where Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings had almost completely conquered Equestria, one where Nightmare Moon reigned supreme, one where Discord ruled, one where Tirek was rampaging about, and this one, where it seemed at the time that Flim and Flam ruled Equestria.”

This caused the natives of this world to crack up with laughter.

Twilight pouted. “Well... I was only here for a few seconds and I was a little traumatized at the time before coming here. Can you blame me for making the wrong assumption?”

Applejack shook her head, chuckling. “No, no, of course not, darling.”

Rarity snickered. “It's just... the IDEA of those corner-cutting LOSERS actually RULING anything...” she said, giggling.

Twilight, Starlight, and Spike relaxed a little. “Anyway...” Starlight finished. “After Twilight dragged me forward to see one more reality I inadvertently created, a barren wasteland, I eventually gave up. I'm now her friendship student, and live with her at the palace.”

Spike stepped forward next. “Twilight wanted to figure out how Flim and Flam could possibly rule anything, and our Discord decided to bring us here, where I guess things aren't as bad as it seemed.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Makes sense, I guess. And I'm thinking that this is why you've been going for a new look?” she asked her Discord.

Other!Discord nodded. “Indeed. We've actually been talking since Starlight came back and decided to be a good little girl. Finding out that I looked exactly alike in every reality was, quite frankly, horrifying. I'm DISCORD! The Spirit of Chaos! Symmetry just doesn't do it for me.” He hesitated, and said. “...It doesn't look too weird, though, right?”

“Nah,” Fluttershy said, grinning. “It's a good look for you.”

Other!Discord beamed.

“Well, now we know the whys and wherefores of things,” Princess Twilight said. “I'm glad you've decided to atone for your mistakes, Starlight Glimmer. If you were able to maintain a battle with an alicorn, then you must have a lot of magical potential.”

Starlight smiled gently. “Thank you...” she said.

“She really does,” Twilight said, smiling at Starlight. “It's been a pleasure helping her use her power for good ends.”

Princess Twilight turned to her counterpart. “And I suppose we should just explain what you were seeing at the time, yes?” she asked.

Twilight nodded. “What I saw was several factories spewing smog into the air, the two of them removing trees from around the forest.”

Applejack grumbled. “I remember that. You're lucky you got out when you did, darling,” she said.

Twilight looked confused. Applejack sighed. “Well, let me ask you something first. What does your Applejack do?”

“She's a farmer,” Spike said. “When she saw the Rainboom, she was inspired to come home and take up the family business.”

Applejack nodded. “Did she, at any point a few months before the time travel incident with Starlight, comment on her trees suffering from root rot?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah. She said she was pretty glad she caught it, because if she didn't...” She blinked, finally getting it. “Oh.”

Applejack nodded. “Indeed,” she said. “I didn't get my Cutie Mark until much later, when I returned home to become the Apple family's business manager. Because I lacked the farming acumen of your world's Applejack, I didn't notice the root rot until far too late. It had spread through three-fourths of the Acres and partially into the Everfree forest.”

“We ended up hiring Flim and Flam to come clear the trees out for lumber, so the root rot wouldn't spread any further,” Princess Twilight said. “They were the only contractors willing to work in Everfree, and to be fair their factories brought in a lot of jobs.”

Rainbow Dash scowled. “But they also brought in lots of smog. Which, thanks to Arabus, we're still cleaning up until this day.”

Twilight frowned. “That's the second time I've heard the name Arabus mentioned,” she said. “Who is he?”

“A shadow-eating smoke demon,” Pinkamena said, having been silent up to that point. “Their smog worked its way into the place where he was sealed in Everfree, and revived him. It also made his very presence poisonous, so most of us couldn't even get near him without suffering...”

Princess Twilight sighed. “It was... unpleasant. The Rainbow Power didn't work on him, and fighting him myself is what caused me to become Ascended, a true immortal. And from what you've said, you left literally just moments before he arrived.”

“Eep...” Twilight said.

“Yeah, 'eep' pretty much covers it,” Rarity said, the miner chuckling weakly. “Flim and Flam were arrested and we were FINALLY able to legally tear down those stupid factories and start clearing up the smog.”

“The Acres are still around, and we aren't suffering for money,” Applejack said. “There's just not that many trees left. Thank heavens the Zap Apple trees were unaffected by the root rot...”

There was an uncomfortable silence. “SO!” Spike said. “In a blatant attempt to change the subject, let's compare backstories! Me, I was hatched when the Rainboom startled Twilight into having a magical surge. Her parents got turned into potted plants (and changed back, thankfully), the instructors got glued to the ceiling, and hey hey, dragon comes out of the egg, looking all cute and stuff.”

“Interesting...” Twilight said. “When I took the test, I was unable to hatch you. The instructors said the egg was a dud, donated by a dragoness who didn't want it to go to waste. Because dragon eggs are so resistant to magic, it was used as a gauge of a unicorn's power.”

Spike blinked. “Really?” he said, turning to his Twilight.

Twilight nodded. “Yes,” she said. “It shocked EVERYPONY, including Princess Celestia, that I was able to hatch you. I've been working on tracking down your mother as a side project ever since. No luck, though, and that's why I never mentioned it. I'm still working on it though. I won't give up.”

“Huh...” Spike said, feeling oddly happy. “Neat.”

Princess Twilight smiled. “I was the top of my class at the Academy, my performance with the egg impressing the instructors enough to put me in an advanced class. I met Moondancer there, and, well... things happened...” She blushed.

Moondancer grinned, kissing her. “We became partners in science, and then became partners in love, and were married the moment we were of legal age to do so,” she said. “We discovered the possibility of Nightmare Moon's return and reported it to Celestia, who sent us off to Ponyville, where... well. I'm guessing something similar happened in your world.”

Twilight grinned. “Where I met five of the best friends I'd ever have in my life. We'd go on to save Princess Luna from the Nightmare, and save the world over and over again.”

The natives to this world traded happy grins, remembering their own versions of their adventures together.

“I was a little sad that I wasn't one of the Element bearers,” Moondancer said, “but I still had Twilight, so everything was okay.”

Rainbow Dash nuzzled her. “Even without an Element, you're still our friend,” she said.

“And we'll always be there for you, just as we would for each other,” Pinkamena said, smiling. Moondancer grinned happily.

“All right,” Rarity said, stepping forward. “What am I like in your world?” she asked.

“Gorgeous...” Spike said, floating dreamily again.

Rarity snickered. “I really like this kid,” she said.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Anyway... My Rarity's more like your Applejack, actually. She's a fashion designer, uses the gems she finds in dresses.”

Rarity blinked. “Use them IN the dresses... huh...” she said. “Well, I did have dreams of being a tailor when I was a foal, but nothing I did ever satisfied me. I can still make clothes, they're just not what I'm good at. Did your Rarity get led to a giant rock by her horn?”

Twilight nodded. “When the Rainboom came, it shattered it open, revealing a huge cache of gems,” she said.

“REALLY,” Rarity said. “That... that explains a lot, actually. I didn't find my mark until a few years later. I wanted a present for mom, and my horn suddenly kicked in again, taking me to a field just outside Ponyville where there were a lot of gems that were easy to find. I dug a lot of them up, sold some to buy a necklace setting for an especially pretty one, and then boom. Three diamonds on my butt. Inspired, I went on to become one of the most successful gem miners in Equestria. Got most of the Diamond Dog packs in this area working for me.”

“Wow...” Twilight said, grinning.

Pinkamena stepped forward, an amused look on her otherwise dour face. “I'm guessing we all got our marks at around the same time in your world,” she said.

Spike nodded. “Yeah. Our Pinkie Pie got hers while she was on the family rock farm,” he said.

Pinkamena gagged. “Pinkie... Pie...?”

Fluttershy cackled. “TOTALLY gonna call you that from now on!” she said.

“Please don't...” Pinkamena pleaded, grimacing. “Anyway... I found my talent when a client's company came to buy some of the rarer rock samples our farm had. I was the chef in our family, and was wondering if that was my talent, when I had the sudden inspiration to make things a little more interesting. I set up a makeshift soiree, made some fancy dishes... The client's ponies were so impressed that we now have a permanent contract to provide them with geological samples. And I found my talent in making parties. I specialize in soirees, but I can do almost any kind of party you ask. Just... .don't ask me to take full part in the sillier ones. I can't stand overly silly things...”

“I'm guessing you didn't get along well with your world's Cheese Sandwich when he showed up,” Spike said, grinning a little.

Pinkamena pouted. “Dash is my friend, I should have had exclusive rights to her party...”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “It all worked out in the end, though, right?”

“Yeah, I just...” Pinkamena shook her head, nuzzling her. “I feel bad about how crazy I went trying to one-up him. My mane and tail ended up going all poofy and weird, too, like when my Pinkamena sense triggers for major stuff.”

“Poofy is our Pinkie's standard look,” Twilight said. “And before you say anything, yes, I think she's crazy. I've given up trying to figure out WHAT kind of crazy it is, since it seems relatively harmless.”

Pinkamena frowned. “If you say so,” she said.

“Guess it's our turn now,” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “But first... how did the race go normally?”

Twilight smiled. “You won. You ended up performing a Sonic Rainboom, which would go on to become a trademark move of yours, one that would help you get into the Wonderbolts. Fluttershy was accidentally knocked off her cloud, but she ended up meeting a bunch of little critters and learning about her talent for handling them. The Rainboom scared them into hiding, and she coaxed them out again.

Rainbow Dash smiled softly. “The Wonderbolts...” she said dreamily. “I used to dream about flying with them...”

“Used to?” Spike asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “After Starlight disrupted the race, I decided to try again for the Junior Flyers race next year. So I trained super hard... and ended up overtraining, tearing up my wing muscles. I tried training even more while recovering, thinking myself to be... by Celestia I can't believe I used to use words like that... 'the most awesome thing since the world awesome.'”

“Yep, that sounds like our Dashie,” Spike muttered.

Rainbow Dash, not hearing him, continued. “I ended up damaging my wings so badly that once they actually did heal, it became impossible for me to reach the speeds I used to reach. I can still go somewhat fast, I still exercise, but any chance of me joining the Wonderbolts was gone. Embarrassed at how arrogant I was, I lost a lot of confidence, and went into weather studies instead to try to occupy my mind. It turned out to be a revelation for me. My first thesis ended up refining the rainbow making process, allowing it to be not only safe for consumption, removing the toxic spiciness it used to have, but giving it a variety of magical uses as well. That's when this appeared,” she said, gesturing to her Cutie Mark with a smile. “I was happy. I'd found my purpose... although I was never really comfortable with being in front of a crowd ever again...”

Fluttershy chuckled. “Dash and I ended up trading personalities, it seemed. Inspired by Starlight's 'help,' I decided to try training to become a racer. I won, mainly because Dash wasn't there, and that helped boost my confidence. I did the whole 'speedster' thing for a few years, but it was never satisfying. I felt like I was going nuts... until I found a little bunny that was about to be eaten by a timberwolf. I smashed the crap out of that thing, getting some of my first scars in the process, and coaxed the little guy out of hiding. As I made my way into what I didn't know at the time was Ponyville, looking for a vet, I found out that I had a knack for dealing with animals. They helped get food and supplies for me, and helped me find the neat little cottage I live in now. By the time I got into town, the bleeding had stopped and these butterflies had appeared on my backside. I take care of most of the animals around here, and work with the police to drive off the more dangerous ones, like manticores, chimeras, and things like that.”

Starlight smiled. “I'm... actually very relieved,” she said. “Despite my interference, you all managed to live happy lives. I'm glad I didn't ruin your world...”

“Nonsense, darling,” Applejack said, grinning.

“Hey, if you have time,” Pinkamena said, “I wouldn't mind throwing you guys a 'Welcome to Our World' party. A client canceled his birthday party at the last minute, so my party cannon's still loaded. I just need to change the lettering on a couple of the banners.

Twilight, Spike, and Starlight grinned. “Sure!” Twilight said. “We'd love to!”

Pinkamena grinned.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Twilight's Palace...
Later...
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Twilight, Starlight, Spike, and Discord reappeared in their home palace, stuffed with cake and in jovial moods. The party hadn't been as manic as Pinkie Pie's were, but it was still enjoyable. After a few hours, they said their goodbyes and Discord brought them home.

“That was actually kinda fun!” Twilight said.

Spike nodded. “Yeah! I mean, it's weird being in a subdued Pinkie Party, but she bakes just as good as ours does!”

Starlight smiled. “They live good lives. I'm glad,” she said.

“See what happens when you know the context of things?” Discord asked, sipping at a wine glass of chocolate milk.

“I'm glad you took us there, Discord,” Twilight said.

“Yes,” Starlight said. “Thank you. I... I needed to know that I hadn't doomed at least one reality...”

“Speaking of...” Discord said, an amused look coming to his face. “The others are doing decently as well.”

Twilight, Spike, and Starlight gave him a surprised look. Discord nodded. “Indeed. In the 'Sombra War' reality, well... The war ended. Their Twilight died freeing Nightmare Moon from the moon, forcing Nightmare Moon into battle alongside her sister against Sombra. Once she saw her sister fighting so honorably and nearly dying to protect her, it broke the Nightmare curse, turning her into Luna again. The two sisters fought together, and extinguished Sombra's soul, making it so that NOTHING could bring him back. Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena from that world got honored as heroes, along with Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, the three of them single-hoofedly stopping a raid on Ponyville by some of Sombra's forces trying to break supply lines. No Elements of Harmony in that world, but things turned out all right nevertheless.”

Twilight winced. She wasn't happy about hearing herself die, but she was glad the war ended with a victory. “What about the others?”

“Well... in the Changeling reality, Zecora's group was captured, she, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie converted into Changelings along with other prominent officials and leaders. Such as Celestia and Luna. What Chrysalis forgot is that Sunbutt and Moonbutt are the most loved ponies in Equestria. And what happens when you turn the most loved ponies in Equestria into creatures that feed on love?”

Starlight grinned. “They were supercharged...”

“Correctamundo!” Discord cheered. “Tia and Lulu became so strong, they took over the Hive and freed all the prisoners. Chrysalis was publicly executed, and while there are racial tensions still, peace exists between Changelings and ponies.”

Twilight looked thoughtful. “We do have that one Changeling friend of Cranky's living in town... Maybe we could do something like that here. Moderate peace between our races.”

“I speak with as much sincerity as I am capable of when I say that if anyone can do it, you can, Twilight,” Discord said, smiling warmly.

Twilight blushed, grinning.

“Anyway. Nightmare Moon. Believe it or not, there is a day/night cycle in that world. She'd become sane enough over her exile to realize that Eternal Night would destroy what she wanted to rule over, so she just cast a spell that forced everypony in Equestria to become nocturnal, becoming sleepy during the day instead of the night. As for what's happened since you were there, old Psycho Moon has started to doubt herself after meeting you, seeing how well Tia's been treating you. I've looked into that world's future. Nightmare Moon will free her Celestia in a year or so, who surprises her by begging for forgiveness for treating her so badly in the past. Celestia refuses to alter the day/night cycle back to what it used to be, and agrees to Nightmare Moon's demand that Celestia NOT retake her royal title and serve only as her advisor. Tia, being Tia, eventually love and tolerates Nightmare Moon into becoming Princess Luna again. It takes a while, but they do get their happily ever after.”

Twilight sighed in relief. “I'm so glad...” she said. “I was really concerned about that world...”

Discord nodded. “The others are pretty simple. The one where I'm in charge is actually just me ruling over Ponyville, with Tia and Luna agreeing to be my playthings. Part of a truce agreement. They handle the boring ruling stuff, I get to use them in my games. And before you say anything, you and your buds evacuated Ponyville during the truce talks. And believe it or not, that world's version of me is on the verge of releasing his Tia and Lulu from their contracts with him. Seems that chaos is becoming boring to him and he's getting fascinated by the more mundane minutia of life.” He shrugged. “Tirek world's even simpler. It's exactly like our world, except all of you got your Cutie Marks later and events happened out of order.”

Twilight blinked. “Now that you mention it, I could sense the Rainbow Power starting to rise in that world just as I left it. I didn't think much about it at the time, though...”

Starlight was smiling. “I made some worlds worse... but I didn't condemn any of them to an eternity of misery...” she said softly, sighing in relief. “But... wait, what about the wasteland?”

Discord hesitated for a moment. “Oh. Yes. That...”

“Um, Starlight...” Twilight said.

“Maybe you should forget about that one...” Spike suggested.

Starlight frowned. “I have to know...” she said.

“Your funeral...” Discord said, rolling his eyes. “Or rather, Dashie's funeral, since your blast killed the poor dear. Congratulations! In that world, your plan succeeded! Twilight and the others never got their Cutie Marks, and never became friends! Which means that there was nothing to stop Nightmare Moon, me, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Arabus, Grogar, and SO MANY OTHER rapscallions from coming back from their hidden homes and start waging a war with each other across Equestria. Eventually, Celestia went insane from trying to stop us all, became Daybreaker, and self-destructed, killing ALL life on the planet.”

Starlight just stared at Discord, eyes wide and gaping, her jaw dropped. A strangled whimper came from her throat.

“DAMN IT, DISCORD!” Twilight shouted.

“A perfectly good day shot to Tartarus. Why do we let you do things?” Spike muttered.

“Hey, she's the one who wanted to know,” Discord said, smirking. “I just obliged her. Ta!” He snapped his fingers and vanished in a puff.

Twilight went over to Starlight. “Starlight? You gonna be okay?”

Starlight stood stock still, still staring. Spike gently pushed on her side, Starlight toppling over like a display mannequin, still whimpering.

Twilight sighed. “Spike...”

“I'll get Pinkie,” he said, grumbling and pulling a quill off of the desk of the office they were in.

“Get Fluttershy too,” Twilight said. “Starlight did want to know, but Discord didn't have to tell her.”

“Right. Tact lessons for chaos boy it is." Spike nodded, writing and sending off a couple letters. “Now if you'll excuse me, I feel a strong need for some ice cream.”

Spike left without another word. Twilight sighed, and levitated Starlight into one of the guest bedrooms, setting her on the bed. “Well... six out of seven ain't bad,” Twilight said, grinning weakly.

Starlight collapsed in a whimpering heap. “I blew a world up...” she sobbed, hiding under a blanket.

Twilight facehooved. “I am terrible at cheering ponies up,” she muttered. She looked out a window, spotting Pinkie Pie with a cart full of supplies. Further in the distance, she saw a stern-faced Fluttershy dragging a protesting Discord by his tail back towards the castle.

The alicorn sighed. “What happened happened, Starlight,” she said, sitting on the bed with the weeping unicorn. “And in the end, we have to atone for what we did. What counts is that you actually try to atone for it. Which you are doing.”

Starlight peered out from under the blanket. “What if nothing I do is enough?” she said softly. “I ruined so many lives...”

“Maybe it won't be. Maybe it will take several lifetimes before you feel like you can be forgiven for what you've done,” Twilight said, hugging her. “The point is, you're trying. Keep trying, and I know you'll succeed.” The alicorn smiled warmly. “I believe in you, Starlight Glimmer. Please, believe in yourself.”

Starlight hugged her tightly. “I'll... I'll try...”

Twilight smiled, gently stroking her mane. “That's all anypony can ask of you,” she said softly.

THE END