Twilight Sparkle and the Planet of the Pantsless Pony People.

Chapters

Chapter 2: Featuring more gratuitous nudity, a bit of heavy petting, and Dejah Thoris cosplay.
Chapter 4: In which Twilight gets ahold of herself.
Chapter 5: Featuring hot food-analogy action! Also a burgeoning orgy.
Chapter 6: In which Twilight goes for a ride.
Chapter 7: In which Twilight tries to make a new friend.
Chapter 8: In which a married couple engages in coitus for procreative purposes.
Chapter 9: Now what?
Chapter 10: In which Celestia installs some unique security precautions.
Chapter 11: In conclusion.
Chapter 1: Featuring dimension hopping, magical explosions, slight TF, and gratuitous nudity.
Chapter 3: Featuring yet MORE gratuitous nudity, plus a springtime fertility festival, with a little bit of something for everyone.

Chapter 2: Featuring more gratuitous nudity, a bit of heavy petting, and Dejah Thoris cosplay.

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 4: In which Twilight gets ahold of herself.

Twilight wondered why her counterpart had a dungeon.

Admittedly, it was a nice dungeon, as those sort of things went. It was surprisingly warm and dry, with silken curtains bunched against the stone walls as decoration. The underground chamber was devoid of any prods, pokers, gibbets, garrets, burning coals or iron maidens. Instead, the few furnishings seemed to have a … different purpose.

By the time she woke up, Twilight had been stripped of the few decorations Rarity had given her, and strapped to a padded, X-shaped table, staring up at the ceiling. Leather cuffs at her wrists and ankles held Twilight in place, and a few more experimental wiggles revealed further bindings along her wings, and even one at the base of her tail. Completing the binding was a rubbery ball-gag strapped around her muzzle. Twilight found it surprisingly comfortable, once she got past the initial shock of 'holy crap I am tied to a table without any pants on.'

Twilight tugged at her bonds, but to no avail. It was one thing to roam around nude in a society where it apparently was the norm, but something else entirely to be strapped to a table like something to be … examined. And with her limbs splayed out to the corners of the table, there was absolutely nothing Twilight could do to cover herself. That thought alone was enough to make Twilight's heart beat faster. She shivered, despite the rising warmth she felt in her ears. And … elsewhere.

“What are you?” The other Twilight leaned over the table, brow furrowed. A serpentine green and purple lizard coiled over her shoulders, peering down at Twilight with a quizzical, almost feline air. “You're obviously not a changeling, I know that much. I've already hit you with enough dispellation cantrips to cut through even one of Chrysalis' illusions. You're not single minded enough for to be a sentient reflection … not that I've looked into any Mirror Pools lately, but still. And you can't be a time traveler, because if you're me from the past, I'd remember this. And if you're me from the future, you'd know better than to dump a princess' worth of magic into the Maypole festival. It'll take them days to cut down all that brush.”

“Hrry?” Twilight tried an apology through her gag.

The other Twilight rubbed at her chin, thoughtful. “Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to remove that gag so we can have a rational conversation. But if you so much as mutter a prestidigitation charm, I will zap you with an etheric overload and then put you back into stasis until I can figure out what to do with you. Do you understand?”

Twilight nodded, getting the gist of it.

At that, the other Twilight reached up with surprisingly gentle hands, and undid the buckles to the gag. She snapped her fingers, and the small green dragon slithered down the length of her arm to hop down to the floor.

“Spike, I'm going to have a conversation with … uh, me. Go upstairs and lock the door-- do not open unless I give the signal we talked about. Understand?”

The little dragon nodded, and scurried up the stairs. A few moments later, a door swung shut with a heavy thud, followed closely by the clank of a deadbolt sliding into place.

Twilight worked her jaw a few times, and ran her tongue experimentally over her (sorta flat, sorta equine) teeth to make sure everything was in order. She looked up at her doppelganger's expectant eyes (and decidedly not at her bare, generously-proportioned chest), and finally found the courage to talk.

“I'm … you. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Just from another dimension.”

The other Twilight frowned. “That's impossible. There's no such thing as other dimensions.”

“And I thought there was no such thing as a dimension full of naked pony people, but that shows what I know.”

“Wait.” The other Twilight frowned. “What do you mean 'pony people?' We're just … people.”

“Well, where I come from, things are a lot different. In my dimension, the dominant species evolved from primates, instead of equines.”

“Primates? That is different.” The unbound purple pony person started pacing back and forth, while her bound counterpart pretended not to look at her bum. “But … that theoretically makes things more plausible. It's such an outlier on the scale of possibility you wouldn't have to worry about things like temporal entanglement. But!” She turned on a hoof, and held up a single, elegant finger. “Your theory has a flaw.”

“Oh?”

“Let's say I admit that an alternate, primate-dominant reality is possible. But do you expect me to believe that there's another pony-- er, another person named Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yes?” Twilight craned her neck up a bit, looking down the length of her own body. “I haven't figured it out entirely myself. My going theory is that you can apply principles like The Conversation of Energy to magic-- a Conversation of Destiny, if you will. Or maybe a Conversion of … Souls, even? You're not the first alternate me I've met, to be honest.”

“There's a third dimension?”

Twilight nodded. “Like this one, only everyone-- everypony? –is quadruped. And, uh, less … randy. Theoretically. I haven't really had the chance to ask much. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if there were more dimensions beyond that.”

“That's even crazier than the primate dimension!”

“I know, right? But that dimension's Twilight crossed over to my dimension-- only when she got there, she wasn't a pony, she was a person- er, sorry, human. Primate. Whatever. She looked just like me.”

“And now you look just like me.”

“Exactly. Which means--”

“We share the same dimensional imaging pattern!” The other Twilight rushed to one side of her dungeon and pulled a chalkboard out from behind what appeared to be an iron maiden (sans-spikes). Twilight nodded approvingly, somehow unsurprised her counterpart had such a thing in such a place. It's what she would do, after all. You never knew when inspiration might strike. Twilight tried to keep track as the other version of herself hashed out rough equations on the chalkboard. She put her whole body into the writing, which caused her purple tail to swish from side to side, revealing the soft, curved globes of her posterior.

She has a nice butt, Twilight mused.

Which means I have a nice butt, Twilight added on.

Well then.

“Uh.” Twilight forced herself to look at the equations, which were almost as interesting and enticing as her counterpart's rump. “You're on the right track, but don't forget to factor in paradox resonance.”

“Of course! How could I forget?”

“Don't be so hard on yourself. It took me a week before I realized I had missed it in my initial calculations.” Twilight said.

“We really do think alike, don't we?” The other Twilight set the chalk down, and turned back towards the bondage table. Which, in turn, gave Twilight the oddly sexy vision of … herself. It reminded her of looking at her nude reflection when she'd first arrived in the pony-person dimension. Only … more natural. More confident.

“Well, yes. It's not that we're the same person, it's that we're the different instances of the same person, I guess?” Twilight offered.

“Which is why we look the same.” The other Twilight said with a familiar lightbulb-over-the-head sense of epiphany.

“And why we have the same inquisitive, intellectual personality.”

“And the same kinks!” The other Twilight said.

“What.” Twilight said, suddenly remembering that she was still naked, still strapped to a table, and still dealing with her equally unclothed (but decidedly less bound) dimensional counterpart.

“The same kinks! I mean, I like a little bit of … restraint from time to time, so it stands to reason that you would … right?”

“What.”

“Okay, so, uh. Confession time, I guess.” The other Twilight rubbed at the back of her neck, and her cheeks tinted in a blush. “Ponyville doesn't have a jail, so I figured I'd just use what I had in the castle already.” Gentle fingertips grazed the inside of Twilight's wrist, leaving faintly tingly sensations in their wake. “After a long day of Princess stuff, it can be really nice to just hand the reins over to someone else. Literally. Mmmh.” The other Twilight shivered slightly, and her purple wings flared out a little.

“I, uh, don't have sex with my friends.” Twilight Sparkle murmured.

Her counterpart blinked, puzzled. “Then who do you have sex with?”

“I … don't?”

“Oh.” Other Twilight said. “I guess our dimensions really are different.”

“You're telling me.” Twilight stared up at the ceiling. “Everything here is just so … uninhibited. No clothes. No shame. No boundaries. It's a heck of a culture shock, really.”

“I bet.” The other Twilight bit at her lower lip, eyes gleaming with concern. “You didn't do anything you didn't want to, did you?”

“No!” Twilight blurted. “It's okay! I'm okay! I mean, for a bunch of sex-crazed nudists, you guys are actually pretty nice. Even if Rarity gets a little handsy sometimes.”

“Yeah. She does.” The other Twilight said with a smile and a pleasant sigh. “I mean! Uh. She means well? Especially if she thought you were me. But I can see how that would be a little awkward--” Her face fell as a realization struck her. “But not as awkward as trying to have an actual conversation while tied to a table. Let me get you out of that.”

“Um.” Twilight's heart beat faster. “You don't have to do that.”

“No, no, I do. I really should have let you go once I figured out you weren't a threat.”

“Maybe we should do an experiment, first?”

“Experiment?” The other Twilight's fingers stopped short of the wrist cuff.

“You … you mentioned enjoying this kind of thing, right? Well, uh. Maybe … we could figure out just how … similar we are.” Twilight squirmed as a fluttery sensation rippled through her belly-- and lower. “It … it makes sense, because if there's anyone here I can trust--”

“It's yourself.” The other Twilight said, slowly. Her eyes traveled down the length of Twilight's bared and bound body, taking in every detail with a more-than-scientific interest. She placed her hand on Twilight's stomach and gently ran it upwards, between her breasts, ruffling the short purple hair of her coat. That hand finally came up to cup Twilight's muzzle, tilting it upwards slightly. “That … is a very tempting idea. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Absolutely.” Twilight's mouth went dry, but she managed an eager, blushing grin despite that.

“Okay.” Twilight's counterpart leaned in for a brief, honestly awkward little kiss, lips barely brushing. “But if I start doing anything you don't want to do, or anything that hurts, just say the word 'coconut' and I'll stop. Okay?”

“Okay.” Twilight licked her lips. “I … I've just never done anything like this before. With anybody. So, uh, I apologize in advance?”

“You don't have anything to apologize for.” The other Twilight bent down over the table for a brief, gentle kiss. One or the other moaned-- Twilight couldn't quite tell so swept up she was in the moment.

Twilight's counterpart worked her way downwards with fleeting, teasing kisses. She took one of Twilight's stiff purple nipples into her mouth, and Twilight let out a surprised, delighted squeal. “Oh!”

The other Twilight giggled, and pulled away from Twilight's breast. “Mmm. Relax. We haven't even gotten started yet.” She ran her hands greedily over Twilight's exposed form, somehow seeking out all the right places. Those hands traced lower, circling briefly around Twilight's belly button before reaching the apex of her legs.

“What have we here?” Gentle fingers ran over Twilight's pussy, parting the soft, moist lips. “You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?”

“I … I … yes.” Twilight blushed, heart beating faster as she felt a fire kindle between her thighs. She tugged at her bonds again, even though she knew they wouldn't give way. The steadfast restraints just added to the experience, reminders that she was completely, absolutely at someone else's mercy.

Her own mercy, technically.

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, all the better to savor the sensation of those fingers. Fingers that knew just where to go. “There's so much I could do to you.” The other Twilight cooed, dragging her fingertips up and down the length of Twilight's sex. “I've got toys, I've got candles, I've got rope … but I think that's gonna be a little too much for a first time.”

“Uh.” Twilight looked down the length of her body. “I'm … open minded?”

“I bet you are.” The other Twilight winked, and then pushed a finger in.

Twilight breathed harder, faster, as she felt the digit curl within her, stroking her slick inner walls. She writhed in her bonds, and pushed her hips needily upwards.

“But for now, this'll do. I know what I like … so this should make this pretty easy, hm?” Twilight's doppelganger cooed, even as she sank down to a kneel between forcibly spread legs.

Twilight blinked, and looked down the length of her purple body. “What're you-- oh!” She trailed off into a loud, wanton moan at the unfamiliar (yet entirely too enjoyable) sensation of lips dragging across her … well, other lips. Where Twilight's pussy had been wet already, the filling feeling of a dextrous, skilled tongue pushing between her lips was enough to get her practically dripping. Each pass of the tongue, each push of the finger only got Twilight's heart beating faster and faster, to the point where she could do little but stare up at the dungeon's ceiling in shocked, open-mouthed ecstasy. Twilight fumbled words on her lips, but they only came out as pained, needy moans, echoing off the stone walls. Yet even without coherent speech, the other Twilight knew exactly what to do, where to go, how to best overwhelm Twilight with pleasure.

By the time the wet, light tip of a tongue flicked over Twilight's swollen clit, she was already past the point of no return. She came. Hard. Repeatedly. She bucked against her bonds, shivering with each delightful, terrible pulse of pleasure radiating out from between her legs.

After a few agonizingly transcendent moments, Twilight collapsed back onto the rack, occasionally shivering as aftershocks of pleasure traveled through her body. Some time later, she didn't know how long, she opened her eyes to see … herself bending over her, smiling.

“Are you okay?” The other Twilight said.

Twilight nodded. “M-more than okay, really. It's just that was. Um. Intense. Wow.”

“I kind of cheated.” The other Twilight's hand returned to Twilight's breast, squeezing playfully, affectionately. “I mean, I just thought of what I would've liked, and … well. It worked, apparently.”

“I'd say so. Wow.” Twilight stared up at the ceiling again, and panted. “But … we're not spoiling ourselves, are we? I mean, if we're that, uh … similar, and so we know each other that well … how could anyone else measure up?”

“Don't worry.” The other Twilight pinched one of Twilight's still-sensitive nipples, drawing a giggly squeal from the bound girl. “If you ask nicely, I'm sure my friends will be happy to prove you wrong. You should see what Fluttershy likes to do with her wings.”

Despite (or perhaps because of) the situation, Twilight felt a blush rise to her cheeks. “Oh my.”

“But that can wait 'til later.” The other Twilight smiled, and leaned down to kiss Twilight gently on the nose, locking her eyes on hers. “For now, I just have one question.”

“What's that?”

“Wanna switch?”

Chapter 5: Featuring hot food-analogy action! Also a burgeoning orgy.

It was just like a party back at home, Twilight told herself. The sort of thing that Pinkie Pie would put together at the flimsiest of excuses. Then again, a 'welcome to another dimension!' party was a heck of a gimmick. Despite the strange occasion, all the requisite party trappings were there: drinks, snacks, balloons, and so on.

Just … in a castle. That part was different.

But still, her friends were there, and that was the important part. Or, well, her friends' dimensional counterparts. The personalities were the same, even if they appeared a little … different. Twilight wasn't sure if her friends' equine nature was more or less distracting than their naturist nature. More often than she liked, Twilight found herself staring-- either at horns or hooves, or at boobs and butts.

She decided to look at her drink instead.

“So lemme get this straight--” Rainbow Dash stood next to Twilight, either not noticing or ignoring the faint blush in her cheeks. “Your dimension has a Rainbow Dash too?”

“Yes.” Twilight sipped at her sweet punch, and managed to get her eyes up to Rainbow's face without lingering too much on the blue flesh below.

“Is she as hot as I am?”

“Uh.” This time, Twilight's gaze did dip down low enough to take in the sight of Rainbow's toned and tempting body, if just for a moment. “I … never really thought of her like that?”

“Really? Guess that means I'm the hotter one, huh?” Rainbow Dash flared her wings and thrust her modest-but-perky chest forward, dark blue nipples jutting outwards. “Don't think I haven't noticed you checking me out.”

“Sorry!” Twilight took a trembling step back. “I didn't mean to--”

“It's cool! It's more than cool!” Rainbow Dash said. She turned on a hoof and brought both arms up in a flex, adding an extra splay of her wings for good measure. Lean muscle tensed beneath Rainbow's sky blue coat, and Twilight couldn't help but marvel at the display. For scientific reasons, of course. The point of connection between Rainbow's wings and her shoulders was unlike anything from Twilight's dimension, and thus warranted further study. It made sense, then, that her same scientific curiosity would extend lower, to where Rainbow's tail emerged from the base of her spine. In fact, Rainbow Dash must have had the same idea, as she obligingly hiked her tail up and swished it from side to side for Twilight's visual inspection--

“Rainbow!” A purple hand flew past Twilight's field of vision, and came to land on Rainbow's thunderbolt-emblazoned rump with a loud clap. Rainbow Dash squeaked in dismay, and then broke out into saucy laughter.

“What's wrong, Twi?” Rainbow Dash took to the air with a triumphant laugh. “Not getting jealous, are you?”

Twilight-- the other Twilight, Princess Twilight –furrowed her brow and set her hands on her hips as she glared at Rainbow Dash. “I told you, this Twilight's dimension has a lot of cultural differences from ours. Namely, they're a little more … formal about sex.”

“Formal? Like, do they wear ties or something? Rarity tried to get me to do that once.”

“For the record, you'd look darling in a bow-tie and garters.” The white unicorn called out from where she was snuggled into Applejack's lap.

Princess Twilight facepalmed. “That's not what I … nevermind.” She sighed, and shook her head before looking up at Rainbow Dash again. “Just … try to take it slow, alright? I know you're just flirting, but let's try not to make our guest uncomfortable, okay?”

“That's why I'm trying to make her comfortable! Just, y'know, in bed.”

“Rainbow.” Princess Twilight said.

“Or on the couch! Or maybe down in your freaky kink dungeon if she asks--”

"Rainbow!"

"What's the big deal? It's not like I'm trying to fuck her in midair-- I bet she's not good enough a flyer for that."

"Rainbow!

Twilight felt a little jolt circuit through her body as she remembered the … devices in the castle basement. “Uh.” Twilight murmured. “It's alright. I'm alright. You guys shouldn't fight because of me.” She took a step back, only to find herself backing into Fluttershy.

“It's okay, Rainbow means well.” The yellow pegasus murmured, wrapping her arms around Twilight in a comforting (and somewhat enticing, given the skin to skin contact) hug. “Plus, you don't really have to be that good of a flyer to keep up.”

"Um. I'll take your word for it?" Twilight gritted her teeth at the entirely too pleasant sensation of Fluttershy's breath washing over her ear. The dimensionally-displaced girl wriggled out of the embrace as politely as she could, and bit at the inside of her cheek to distract herself from the insistent heat between her legs. “Thank you, Fluttershy. Thank all of you, really. I appreciate all of you trying to make me feel--” She trailed off, glancing from one nude form to another. “--welcome. It's just … this is a lot to take in. I'm still trying to get my head around your, uh, customs. And I'd like to remain open minded. It's just … well, I'd like to take things kind of slow, if that's alright.”

“It's perfectly alright!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “Just, um … I kinda wish I'd known before, or I wouldn't have invited the boys.”

“Boys?” Twilight and her more regal counterpart said in unison.

The creak of massive iron hinges echoed through the castle.

“There they are now!” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down in anticipation, causing her ample bosom to jiggle in turn. A few moments later, a small crowd of naked men tromped into the main hall.

Twilight gasped, and her eyes went wide. She shouldn't have been that surprised, since she'd already seen most of the guys (colts? Stallions?) nude already, and even 'in action' during the maypole festival. But even then, that had been at a distance. Here, the mass of males were much, much closer.

More studs than Twilight could keep track of filed into the main hall, smiling and joking amongst themselves. They wasted little time in fanning out, heading over to one of Twilight's friends or another. Ponyville must have had a great gym, Twilight realized, as many of the 'guests' had the kind of sculpted musculature typically reserved for, well, sculptures. Broad pectorals. Thick but not-too-thick arms. Washboard abs. And below those … the cocks on display were right on the line between intimidating and enticing. Several of the guests were already erect in anticipation of Pinkie's 'party.'

“Dibs on Applejack's brother!” Rainbow Dash zoomed across the hall, and pounced upon a towering red-coated stallion. Big Macintosh stood his ground as the blue girl curled around him. He kept still-- though once Rainbow Dash wrapped her fingers (if barely) around his shaft, his cock soon rose and hardened to its full, promising length.

“I hate it when she does that.” Applejack grumbled.

“She's just trying to get under your skin, dearest.” Rarity placated Applejack with a teasing kiss along her jawline. “Why don't you let me distract you, hm?” One delicate white hand rose and squeezed at Applejack's breast, earning a little sigh from the cowpony. Cheeks burning, Twilight turned away just as she saw Rarity lean down to close her lips around Applejack's tit--

--just in time to see an ever-giggling Pinkie Pie pressed up between two fit stallions, each hand wrapped around a hard cock, pumping away eagerly. Twilight blushed harder, and staggered back a few steps, only to nearly trip over the white, bodybuilder-huge pegasus-man crouching in front of Fluttershy, gently working his way up the inside of her leg with little kisses.

“You like my pussy, don't you?” The dirty talk sounded strange and alien in Fluttershy's soft voice.

“Yeah.” The big white stallion admitted, and then worked his lips up even higher.

Fluttershy locked eyes with Twilight. “Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. I can share Bulk Bicep if you like?”

“No! I mean, uh. That's okay. No thanks? I'm … good. I'm good!” Twilight blurted, and wrenched her eyes away before the big guy could get all the way to the apex of Fluttershy's legs. She looked over the burgeoning orgy, and the pony people present peered back at her with puzzled expressions. “I … I should go.” Twilight said. Her heart pounded in her chest as she flapped her wings and made a somewhat shaky takeoff. Fueled by the adrenaline pumping through her veins, Twilight zipped through an open doorway, soaring through the castle's winding corridors.

Somehow, she managed not to kill herself as she careened through the castle. She kept running until the telltale smell of aged paper reached her nostrils. Twilight immediately skidded to a halt, planting her hooves against the stone floor. She backtracked a few steps … and then let out a happy squee. There it was. Her refuge. Her salvation.

Her library.

Or, technically, her dimensional doppleganger's library, but that was close enough.

She wasted little time in easing the door shut-- of course there was a door, how else would her counterpart gotten any privacy for research? Twilight leaned back against the heavy oak, and surveyed the chamber. Bookshelves ran from floor to ceiling, crammed with cloth-bound volumes and wooden scroll cases. Light came in from stained glass windows set high along the walls-- Twilight noted with no small degree of satisfaction that the books themselves were positioned so sunlight never struck them directly. That sort of thing would be bad for the binding (especially in a pre-industrial civilization).

A writing desk sat in the center of the room, along with a handful of battered, high-backed armchairs. The faded and patched upholstery looked entirely out of place in comparison to the rest of the castle's polished décor, which meant they were probably the most comfortable chairs in the whole palace.

The little dragon-creature sitting in one of the chairs certainly looked comfortable.

As the door closed, Spike looked up from the comic book in his claws, and arced a scaled brow.

“Spike!” Twilight said. “Hi!” She said with forced cheer. “I … I guess I'm not the only one who's a feeling a little anti social, right?”

Spike shrugged, and set the comic book on the reading desk before slithering up to the top of the chair, all the better to peer at Twilight.

“Not much of a talker, huh?” Twilight relaxed a little, and walked over towards the purple reptile. She could recognize the familiar mannerisms in the little dragon, even if he was in a completely different form. “But you can understand me, can't you?”

Spike nodded.

“Back in my dimension, you're a dog.”

Spike blinked.

“But you're a good dog! One who can talk! Though that's just because of an accident that happened when I got a liiiiittle bit irresponsible with magic and I may have overloaded and started glowing and cackling but it's alright because I'm okay now!” Twilight twisted her fingers together. “Well, uh, okay as anyone can be when you're stuck in another dimension where everyone you know is an oversexed nudist. Except for you, I guess?” Twilight smiled, and reached out to pat Spike's head, experimentally. The dragon closed his eyes and made a contented little sound at the contact. “I mean, you're a dragon. The anatomy's got to be incompatible.” True to form, Twilight's analytical mind sprung to action, envisioning possibilities. “Please tell me it's incompatible.”

“You're fine.” Princess Twilight said, stepping up beside her counterpart. “Dragons don't lay eggs very often-- one every few decades, at least. Spike just finds our mammalian libido … puzzling.”

Spike nodded.

“He's not the only one, I think.” Twilight flopped down into one of the armchairs. She pulled her legs up to her chest, curling into a little ball. “How'd you find me?”

“I just thought about where I go when I'm overwhelmed.” Princess Twilight settled down in the other chair. “Are you okay?”

“I … yes? I'm sorry I ran away like that. I know we … experimented a little bit, but that was different. More private, you know?” Twilight said.

“I should have talked to Pinkie beforehand. She can get … overenthusiastic.”

“She's like that in my dimension, too. Just … with fewer orgies.” Twilight laughed a little, and wiped the corner of her eye. “At least, I hope so. Who knows what she gets up to when I'm not around.”

Princess Twilight laughed in turn, and reached forward to pat Twilight on the knee. “You should've seen the party Pinkie threw when I first came to Ponyville. I was sore for days afterward.” She smiled at the fond and no doubt scandalous memory.

“I'll … take your word for it.”

Princess Twilight blinked, and then blushed cutely as she realized the tangent she was going on. “I'm sorry. It's just … well, I'm still trying to get my head around on how your dimension operates without sex.”

"It's not that we don't-- it's just--" Twilight sighed, and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. “To be honest, I'm kind of confused on how your society manages with so much sex.”

“It's like … “ Princess Twilight snapped her fingers. “It's like food.”

“Please don't tell me Pinkie Pie's going to come out wearing a whipped cream bikini.”

“What? No. At least, not unless you'd want her to?”

“Let's not get sidetracked.”

“Right.” Princess Twilight nodded. “As I was saying, it's like food. On the basest level, it's a biological requirement to keep you healthy. But--” Princess Twilight held up a finger, already in full lecturing mode. “There's a difference between a quick snack at breakfast and a gourmet seven-course meal. One just fulfills a basic need, but the other … oooh.” A pleasant shiver rolled over Princess Twilight's naked form, rippling all the way out to the tips of her ears and the ends of her wings.

“That … actually makes a lot of sense.” Twilight said. “But, to continue that analogy … imagine you've met someone who's never, uh, eaten anything before. Or … well, maybe they're just used to eating nothing but bologna sandwiches. By themselves. And now you've introduced the bologna-tarian to really, really spicy foods, all of a sudden. That doesn't mean spicy foods are bad, just that I'm not ready to eat a whole bowl of ghost pepper chili in front of all my friends, if that makes sense. Even if they all really like it.”

“Ah.” Princess Twilight said. “I understand. And I'm sorry-- I didn't know Pinkie would invite so many people.”

“They're not … they're not mad at me, are they?”

“No, they're fine. With any luck, most everybody's already … distracted.” Princess Twilight fluttered her wings for a moment, and looked towards the library door.

“Um.” Twilight said as she tried not to look at her counterpart's temptingly naked form. “You can go too, if you want? I don't want to keep you from your … uh, buffet.”

Princess Twilight shook her head. “No, that's alright. To be frank, I can go and … indulge myself with just about anyone in town whenever I like. But it's not every day that I get to talk to a real dimensional explorer-- much less one who looks just like me. I should be apologizing to you for getting ... distracted."

“It's not your fault, you're just trying to make me feel welcome. I'm the weird one here. It's not like you can just cast some spell to make me less uptight.” Twilight said.

“That's it!” Princess Twilight snapped her fingers, and her eyes blazed with inspiration. “Magic!”

“What?”

“I've got an idea!” Princess Twilight bounced to her hooves, and then bounded into the air (movements that set the Princess' anatomy to wobbling slightly, Twilight noted). The purple princess circled around the higher bookshelves, plucking out select books before she landed back at the desk in the center of the library. Using both hands and a bit of telekinesis besides, Princess Twilight laid the tomes out before her, and started leafing through them. Her purple breasts hung down a little as she leaned over the writing desk and swished her tail back and forth behind her. "I think I know a spell that can help you out. Or, well, not a spell so much as an unlikely combination of a couple of other spells that's only possible because of the unique circumstances we're working with ... "

"Just ... what kind of spells are we talking about here?" Twilight said.

"It's hard to explain." Princess Twilight looked up from her reading, a broad and triumphant grin spreading across her features. "But I think you should be able to pick it up pretty quickly. Now c'mon--" She made a beckoning gesture with one finger. "Let me teach you about magic."

Chapter 6: In which Twilight goes for a ride.

“Here's what I've got in mind,” Princess Twilight said. She flipped a book open, scanning it for a certain passage, then cross-referenced it with another tome, and then another. “The reason we look identical is because we share the same etheric-identity 'template,' so to speak, just across dimensions, right?”

“Right.” Twilight stood, and peered over her counterpart's shoulder at the arcane reference books. “So?”

“So, that means that means we can set up a sympathetic link, and there'd be little to no subconscious, ego-based resistance!” Princess Twilight spoke faster and faster as the enthusiasm took hold of her.

“I think you're onto something, but … what's that got to do with anything?” Twilight scratched at her head.

Princess Twilight turned towards her counterpart, and grinned from ear to ear. “It's simple! Once we establish that link, I can modify a few incantations to let your consciousness 'ride' mine-- basically, you'll see and feel everything I do.”

“You think that's possible?” Twilight put a hand on the princess' shoulder and leaned closer to the magical manuals. “I'm still not sure what that would accomplish.”

“Ah, that's the fun part. While you're sharing my consciousness, I'll go back to the party, and … enjoy myself.” Princess Twilight's wings flared a little, and her cheeks flushed in naughty anticipation. “Meanwhile, you'll feel everything that I do, but you won't actually be there. It'll be like a way to … ease you into into how we do things here. A degree of separation, you know? If it ever becomes too much, you can just sever the link.”

“That's … certainly a creative solution.” Twilight mused. “Are you sure it'll work?”

“Well, no. But that's what experimentation's for, isn't it? Plus, I have to admit,” Princess Twilight ruffled her wings again, and bit at her lower lip. “I think it'd be kind of hot.”

Twilight allowed herself a guilty smile. “When you put it like that … “

“Okay, how do you feel?” Princess Twilight said. The connecting ritual had been surprisingly simple (as far as those things went). A little chalk, a bit of glowing, and that was that.

Weird.

“Good weird, or bad weird?”

Good weird, I guess?

“Well, remember, you can cut the link at any time, if you get uncomfortable.”

Got it. Will my body be alright?

Princess Twilight looked over to where her counterpart's body sat in the armchair, eyes closed peacefully as if napping. “You'll be fine-- it's just like you're sleeping. Dreaming, even. So long as you don't stay in my head for too long, you'll be alright. Spike'll keep an eye on you, just in case. Isn't that right, Spike?”

The little lizard nodded, and curled up in the sleeping Twilight's lap in a vaguely feline fashion. To say it was an odd sight was an understatement, but it had just been that kind of day.

Looks good, then.

“And remember, any time you feel uncomfortable, you can break the link. All you've got to do is say-- well, think –the word 'Goodbye' and you'll return to your own body.”

Heck of a safeword.

“You're catching on quick.” Princess Twilight smirked. “Now, are you ready?”

Not really, but I'll be alright.

“We don't want to keep them waiting.”

Waiting? They all looked … pretty ready to go when I left.

“It's bad manners to have sex at a party if the host's not present.”

I'm never going to get used to this dimension.

Princess Twilight turned on a hoof, and headed out of the library. In turn, Twilight heard each hoof-step on the tiled floor, and felt every little breeze wash over her (or, more accurately, Princess Twilight's) bare body. It felt like she was in her own body, just with someone else at the proverbial wheel.

You know, this kind of reminds me of a virtual reality video game.

“A what?”

I'll tell you about it later.

The Princess and her passenger continued along, finally rounding walking through the doorway to the central party hall. Sure enough, the small crowd hadn't broken out into a full-fleged orgy (even if Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash both had roaming hands). Instead, Princess Twilight found herself looking into the concerned faces of her five best friends, as well as the gathering of buff colts.

“Hold up, which Twilight are we talking to?” Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow in concerned thought.

“The original.” Princess Twilight said with a smile. “Or, well, the original to this dimension. I'm not so sure if I'd go so far as to label myself 'Twilight Prime,' as that's more a matter of perspective … “

“Yep. Definitely Twilight.” Rainbow Dash said, and then leaned back against Big MacIntosh's broad chest.

“Is everything quite alright, then?” Rarity chimed in from where she rested her chin on Applejack's shoulder. “Your … counterpart left in quite the hurry. I wouldn't go so far as to call her prudish, but … “ As she trailed off, Rarity let her delicate hands drift to Applejack's ample chest. She pulled lightly on the cowgirl's nipples, making Applejack moan softly.

“She's fine.” Princess Twilight smiled, and walked further into the hall. She raked her eyes back and forth, savoring the tableau of bare flesh all around her. A familiar warmth began to build between her legs, and she felt her body tense in eager anticipation. Her wings flared, and her tail raised. “Twilight's still getting used to our … customs. But she's alright right now-- she's holed up in the library with Spike.”

At least my body is.

Princess Twilight's lips curled up in a smile. “Twilight and I talked a little bit. She wanted me to tell you all she's flattered by all the attention, but she's still trying to … ease into things. But she didn't want to ruin the party, either, so … well, she let me come back.” Princess Twilight licked her lips, and took in a deep breath. She saw, she felt the gazes of the small crowd on her, and absolutely reveled in it. “Now then … “ Princess Twilight ran her soft hands over her own body, knowing full well that Twilight would feel the exact same thing through their magical link. “Why don't we pick up where we left off?”

“Woo!” Pinkie Pie cheered, and immediately dropped down to her knees between two large colts. She pumped one's cock with one hand, and then used the other to stuff a second one into her waiting mouth. Catching Princess Twilight's look from the corner of her eye, Pinkie Pie winked, and then switched over to the second dick with a great deal of eager, messy slurping.

I should be surprised, but I once saw Pinkie Pie eat an entire cake in like three bites. I think she can unhinge her jaw like a snake or something.

Princess Twilight giggled, and covered her mouth with one hand. Pinkie Pie wasn't the only one getting into the spirit of things, either. Rainbow Dash held both hands around one of Big MacIntosh's wrists, keeping his large hand at the apex of her thighs. She rolled her hips against his fingers, and moaned out a little louder than she should have, even as she looked across the hall at Applejack. Applejack, however, simply ignored the pegasus' lewd antics in favor of kissing Rarity with surprising tenderness. She held the unicorn tightly, Rarity's white coat contrasting nicely with Applejack's orange.

Even Fluttershy got right to it-- she put both hands on the back of a chair and bent over, hiking her pink tail up high. Within moments, her muscular friend had buried his muzzle between her cheeks-- Princess Twilight couldn't see just what he was doing there, but Fluttershy soon started to blush and moan wantonly. She pushed her hips back against her lover's face, each little movement making her breasts sway beneath her. Before long, it was impossible to take in everything at once as the orgy got into full swing.

Princess Twilight watched for a few moments, and then ran her hands over her body in anticipation. “Now … where to start?”

Uh. It's your body. So … you pick?

Princess Twilight nodded to herself, and smiled wider. She finally zeroed in on a stallion with a slim but toned physique standing near the edge of the room. Princess Twilight's heart beat a little faster as she took in the gorgeous sight before her. Faintly sculpted abdominal muscles, covered in a light blue coat of fur, led down to a set of powerful legs-- with a heavy, half-hard cock dangling between them. There were musical notes emblazoned on his flank, though Princess Twilight didn't let her eyes linger on them for long.

“Mr. Noteworthy.” Princess Twilight said with exaggerated, flirty formality. “It's good to see you.”

“Always an honor, Princess.” He replied.

Princess Twilight didn't let him talk any further, as she soon leaned against him, breasts pillowing on the stallion's chest as her lips sought out his. Noteworthy's strong hands ran over Princess Twilight's body, earning a contented sigh from her. She opened her mouth and tilted her head to the side, allowing Noteworthy to push his tongue deeper.

Kissing with a muzzle is weird.

Princess Twilight stifled a giggle, and drew back from the kiss.

“What?” Noteworthy said, brow furrowing in concern.

“Uh, nothing. Just had … a thought. Now relax.” Princess Twilight licked her lips, and slid down to her knees in front of the blue colt. She stared at his cock for a long time; the very sight and smell of it kindled a hungry heat between her legs. The princess flicked her tail, and then reached up to take hold of the thick, fleshy member, running her hand up and down over the warm flesh. Within a few strokes, Noteworthy swelled to a full (and frankly intimidating) length. Noteworthy's cock filled her entire field of vision, so close she could make out the little veins running across it.

Oh my. What are you going to--

Another surge of pleasure ran through Princess Twilight's body as she opened her mouth wide, and guided Noteworthy into her mouth. She pursed her lips around the thick flesh, and began to work her way downward. Her tongue traced little patterns on the underside of Noteworthy's shaft, and she savored the feel of hot, firm cock in her mouth. She kept going until the head of Noteworthy's shaft pushed against the back of her mouth-- at which point Princess Twilight drew herself back, letting the cock pop out of her lips with a loud wet sound.

Princess Twilight smiled, and then looked up at Noteworthy with coy eyes as she took him into her muzzle once again. This time, she just pursed her lips around the head, and began to work the tip of her tongue around it. As she teased Noteworthy with her mouth, she slid a hand down past the base of his cock and fondled his heavy, potent balls. Her mouth soon followed as she licked her way downwards, letting Noteworthy's cock flop lewdly upon her muzzle, flooding her nostrils with his heady, masculine scent.

Princess Twilight breathed deeply, and then let out a naughty, playful giggle. She wet one finger in her muzzle, and then slid it over Noteworthy's hanging balls, finally coming to trace a circle around the tight ring of muscle there.

Noteworthy jumped, and let out a shuddery breath-- though he helpfully spread his legs wider, and hiked his blue tail. “Princess?” he said, looking downward.

“Oooh. You're a naughty thing.” Princess Twilight kissed the side of Noteworthy's cock. “You like getting fucked in the ass, don't you?”

“Sometimes?” Noteworthy's blue cheeks tinted darker in a blush.

“Mmm. Good.” Princess Twilight cooed, and then laid back upon a conveniently located pile of pillows. “If you're a good boy, I'll let some of the other boys use you while I watch. But for now … “ She spread her legs, biting at her lower lip as she felt cool air wash over her humid, nearly dripping pussy. “I think you know what to do.”

Noteworthy nodded in eager agreement, getting to his own knees as she scooted up in front of Twilight. His thick cock bobbed between his legs, erect and ready as he guided himself closer.

I've never been with a guy before--

“Be gentle.” Princess Twilight winked. “At least at first.”

Then again, does this really count as sex? For me, at least? It's pretty obvious on your end, but over here you could argue that it's just a really in-depth sensory simu-- OH FUCK!

Noteworthy pushed himself steadily into Princess Twilight's wet and waiting sex, sending jolts of pleasure coursing through her whole body. Princess Twilight moaned wantonly and arced her back, nearly coming just then and there. It felt like Noteworthy's cock had been created for her, fitting perfectly into her cunt like a key into a lock. The lean stallion tensed above Princess Twilight, bracing his arms on the pile of pillows. He began to work his hips back and forth, slowly pushing himself in and out of Princess Twilight's tight but yielding folds.

Despite the princess' request to be gentle, Noteworthy's thrusts soon built up in both speed and power, gaining momentum like a rock tumbling down a hill. Not that Princess Twilight minded-- quite the opposite, as she parted her legs wider to accept more of Noteworthy's dick. Each push of his hips made Princess Twilight's tits bounce, and elicited a fresh, needy gasp from her mouth. She cupped her chest with both hands, fingers tugging lightly at her own nipples to add to her pleasure. Princess Twilight moaned again, loud and wanton, voice reaching all the way to the room's vaulted ceiling. She let her head loll back as Noteworthy fucked her, only to get a fleeting, upside-down view of her friends turning their heads to watch her pussy get so thoroughly plowed.

Pinkie gave a thumbs up.

Princess Twilight laughed-- halfway, at least, until another of Noteworthy's thrusts made her squeal in pleasure again. She didn't last long after that-- not even trying to hold herself back as pleasure wracked her entire body. Her pussy tightened-- as did every other muscle in her body. She curled and tensed, balacing on the precipice for a short eternity before the sensation finally passed, making her whole body shake and shudder. The princess bucked her hips a couple of times, hard enough to make Noteworthy's still-hard prick flop out of her pussy.

“Oh!” Princess Twilight said, looking down the length of her body.

“Sorry!” Noteworthy blurted, eyes going wide and apologetic.

“My fault. Not yours.” Princess Twilight draped her arms around Noteworthy's neck and leaned up for a brief, affectionate kiss. “Let me catch my breath, and we can go on to round two.” She shivered in playful anticipation, and eased herself back down onto the cushions. Princess Twilight caught movement in the corner of her eye, and turned her head. Pinkie Pie practically bounced over, leading two stallions by their hard cocks, one in each hand. Telltale moisture dripped from between the plump folds of her well-used pussy, staining the insides of her pink thighs-- but this didn't seem to slow her down in the slightest.

“You're gonna play with everypony else, right?” Pinkie Pie's eyes went wide and pleading in a bafflingly innocent expression. “I mean, it looks like you're having a great time and all, but you know what I always say! The only thing better than watching your friend get fucked is--”

“--fucking them yourself, I know.” Princess Twilight laughed, and reached over to beckon Pinkie Pie closer. “C'mere, you.”

“Yay!” Pinkie Pie pounced 'pon the pile of pillows, and immediately pulled Princess Twilight's face into her bouncy, abundant boobs. The princess laughed, caught up in Pinkie's infectious enthusiasm, and shifted a bit to make room for her. Soon enough, Princess Twilight lost track of just who was going where as Pinkie's two stallions scooted in onto the suddenly very crowded set of cushions. Even in the tangle of arms and legs and tails and wings and dicks, Princess Twilight purred under the attention, offering her body to anyone within arm's reach …

I think you got your second wind before I did. You won't, um … mind if I, uh, step out, will you?
“Mmmm. Do whatever you want.” Princess Twilight said-- and then squealed playfully as she felt someone's (but whose?) hand creep past the base of her tail.

Oh! Um. Wow. You have fun, okay? I'm gonna take a little break.

Whatever reply Princess Twilight had was soon muffled by the fresh cock she took between her lips.

Goodbye?

Twilight woke up sticky.

“Oh.” She shivered, and parted her bare legs to look down at the little moist spot she'd left on the chair. “Ew. Hope other-me knows some good cleaning spells.”

Gingerly, Twilight stood up-- Spike had scampered off somewhere else, by the look of things. Twilight found herself relieved at that-- odd as this dimension was, she didn't think she could handle having a tiny dragon perched on her lap while she had the mother of all wet dreams.

Twilight took a step forward on shaky legs, and shivered as she felt the insides of her sticky thighs rub together. Princess Twilight's sensation-riding idea had been a good one … but afterward, Twilight just felt needy, horny … and without any of the satisfaction that Princess Twilight had enjoyed moments earlier. She looked over at the door and perked her equine ears, catching the faintest echoes of pleasured moans (and Pinkie's omnipresent giggling) from some distance down the hallway. It'd be simple enough just to walk over and … indulge herself.

Twilight took a step forward.

A step back.

Two more forward.

Twilight pulled in a deep breath-- and then, it was almost as if she were riding Princess Twilight's body again as she felt herself cross the room and curl her fingers around the brass doorknob.

“When in Rome, right?” Twilight murmured to herself, and pulled the door open--

Only to find herself staring at another unicorn.

It took her a moment too long to recognize the woman, especially after she saw the familiar, flame-red tresses of hair (though this time with a dainty little horn poking out).

“Sunset Shimmer? Is that really you?”

“You know who I am? I'm surprised.” Sunset Shimmer placed a palm at the center of Twilight's chest and pushed her back into the library. Twilight tottered backwards, flaring her wings out for balance. Her butt bumped into the study desk in the center of the room, hard enough to make it scoot over the tile floor.

“Not as surprised as I am, though. I thought you'd be better than this, Princess.” Sunset Shimmer sneered as she strode into the library. She wore a ragged gray cloak over her shoulders-- the drab, battered fabric looked entirely out of place on her brightly colored body. There was nothing but bare flesh beneath the cloak, but Twilight could only stare into Sunset Shimmer's eyes-- the coloration was right, but there was none of the warmth or compassion she'd come to expect from her friend back home.

“Oh. Oh no.” Twilight scrambled backwards, already putting the pieces together. She circled around the reading desk, putting something anything between her and the other-Sunset.

“A desk. Princess Celestia's favorite student is hiding behind a desk. Pathetic.” Sunset swept her hand in a horizontal arc, and the desk (along with its tomes) clattered to the side in a wave of telekinetic magic. “At least the dragon put up a little bit of a fight.”

“What have you done to Spike?” Twilight planted her hooves and braced herself, tightening her hands into fists. She knew she didn't have her counterpart's magical power or ability, but she knew she had to do something.

“Oh, your familiar is quite fine.” Sunset Shimmer pulled her lips back in a wicked smirk. “A little sleep spell goes a long way. But by the time he wakes up, we'll be long gone.” She raised one hand, palm up, fingers curved-- and Twilight felt herself lift up off the ground, held immobile by Sunset Shimmer's magic.

Twilight pulled against the magic glow, tried to summon up magic of her own to oppose her, but to little avail. “Please, Sunset! This isn't like you!”

Sunset Shimmer narrowed her emerald eyes. “You don't know what I'm like. Now, quit wasting my time.” She twisted her hand, and an invisible band of energy squeezed Twilight's muzzle shut. “I've got a schedule to keep, if I'm going to take over all of Equestria.”

There was a flare of fiery magic, and Twilight and Sunset both disappeared, leaving nothing behind but the smell of burnt ozone and the echoes of Sunset Shimmer's mad laughter.

Chapter 7: In which Twilight tries to make a new friend.

For the first time since crossing dimensions, Twilight felt cold.

Sunset's teleportation spell had taken them to an abandoned warehouse, dark and dank. The smell of aged, mouldering wood hung heavy in the air, and the scant bit of light streaming in through the dirty windows did little in the way of illumination.

Twilight shivered, and then tested her bonds, even though she knew it wouldn't do any good. Sunset Shimmer hadn't bothered with any of the overcomplicated, sexy kind of bondage Twilight saw sometimes on the internet. Instead, Twilight's wrists and ankles were tied to her chair with thick, secure knots. Fine threads of silver wire were threaded throughout the white rope-- no doubt some kind of anti-magic precaution.

The click of Sunset Shimmer's hooves echoed through the abandoned warehouse as she walked in from somewhere behind Twilight. The unicorn still wore her ragged cloak (with nothing beneath it), and carried a satchel brimming with old books and writing materials. Sunset circled around in front of Twilight, and looked down on her with a cold, appraising air.

Twilight cringed as much as she could in her bonds.

“Stop that. It's embarrassing. For both of us.” Sunset ordered. “Besides, I'm not going to hurt you.”

“You're not going to--” Twilight blinked, eyes going wide as the realization struck her. She glanced down at her still nude body, and cringed as she realized how exposed she was. She tried to tilt her thighs inward so she wasn't quite so exposed, but her bonds wouldn't let her. She whimpered, and turned away. “So that means you're going to … “

“What?” Sunset Shimmer's supervillainous composure cracked in an instant. “No! What kind of monster do you think I am?”

“Huh?” Twilight blinked, and looked back at Sunset's indignant expression.

“If I wanted to get between your legs, Princess, I would've just moved to Ponyville.” Sunset Shimmer ran a hand through her lustrous red hair, exasperated. “But unlike some of Celestia's students I could mention, I have bigger ambitions in life than just sitting around a castle and letting ponies fawn over me.”

“Ambitions?” Twilight blinked.

“I tried things your way, you know. I studied under Princess Celestia, just like you did … but she kept trying to hold me back. To contain me. There's so much about magic we don't understand, so much power we don't use.” Sunset Shimmer reached up and traced a fingertip over her own horn, the gesture somehow coming off as lewd. “We have the potential to alter the very fabric of reality at our disposal. And yet, we waste it on trivial, everyday matters.” She brought her hand down, and smiled, slight madness seeping into her smile once more. “There could even be completely new worlds out there for us to explore. Just think of the opportunities!”

“Uh. About that.” Twilight said.

“If you start talking about how I'm delving into things ponies were not meant to know, I'm going to gag you. And not in a sexy way, either.”

“Actually, I just wanted to tell you you're right.”

“That's it, I--” Sunset Shimmer reached into her bag, and then paused halfway. “Hold on. Did you just agree with me?”

“Um. Kinda? Just, y'know, before you started doing … whatever it is you're doing, I thought you should know you were right. About the other worlds thing, that is. There are absolutely other dimensions that can be accessed through magic.”

“You're just trying to flatter me.” Sunset Shimmer took a step back, wary. “Trying to catch me off guard.”

“No, really! It's just a matter of attuning a reflective surface to the resonance of an extra-normal universe's wavelength. It's possible (however statistically improbable) for such a portal to occur naturally, but once you know what to look for, the circumstances can be duplicated.”

Sunset Shimmer's mouth fell open in shock, and she shook her head. “Impossible.”

“It's not impossible! You've been studying the same thing, haven't you?”

“That's it. I've been studying. For years.” Sunset Shimmer stepped forward and jabbed an accusatory finger into Twilight's sternum. “And yet here you are, spouting my own theories back at me. Have you been spying on me? Or did Celestia give you a copy of my notes?” Sunset shook her, and stood back up. “There's no other way you could know so much about dimensional theory.”

“I know so much about dimensional theory because I'm from another dimension!”

Sunset Shimmer stared.

“It's true! I'm not this dimension's Twilight Sparkle, which is why I'm not very good at, uh, applied magic. I don't have wings or a horn where I came from.”

“You're from a dimension where you're an Earth Pony?”

“Not … exactly.” Twilight said. “But the important thing is, I'm not the princess you're looking for. I mean, you even said it was too easy to capture me.”

Sunset Shimmer blinked again, and then leaned closer, as if she were looking for some tiny flaw or mark that could distinguish Twilight from her theoretical counterpart. “Maybe.” She finally said, and then began to laugh again. “But even if there are two Twilights … that's something I can work with. That's … that's even better for my plan.”

“Plan?” Twilight said, voice going dry.

“It's simple!” Sunset Shimmer opened up her satchel and pulled out a piece of white chalk. She got down to her hands and knees (cloak covering the more intimate parts of her anatomy, thankfully) and stared to draw a circle around Twilight's chair. Sunset soon scrawled complicated runes and arcane symbols along the outside of the circle, and drew another line to contain that, as well. “You obviously have no use for all the magical power that's been given to you. So, I'm going to do you a favor, and take it off your hands.”

“You're going to steal my magic?”

“Is it stealing if it never was yours in the first place? I mean, you're just a copy of this dimension's Twilight. You're worse than she is-- she actually earned her power instead of inheriting it.” Sunset took some candles out of her bag, and set them at the cardinal points of the circle. A snap of her fingers set the wicks to blazing. “And then, once I've got your power, the real Princess Twilight won't be able to stop me. And once I've taken all of her magic, then all of Equestria will be mine!” Sunset Shimmer threw her head back and laughed.

“Wait!” Twilight blurted.

“What now?” Sunset Shimmer cut off her cackling, annoyed.

“You forgot to carry the one.”

“What?”

“Look. There.” Twilight nodded at the arcane equations scribbled out beside her left hoof. “I'm guessing you had to modify your mana transferrence algorithms on the go to take ambient magic into account, especially since there's a lot of it around here. And, um, it looks like you forgot to carry the one, there. It's actually a pretty common mistake when working with this sort of magic. I do it all the time.”

Sunset Shimmer looked down at the symbols in question, and frowned. “Maybe you're right.” She said, and scuffed out the markings on the floor with the heel of her hand. “Or maybe you're just trying to stall me. You know this means I'll have to start over.”

“I'm just trying to help.”

“Why would you help me?”

“Because a single mistake in your magic spell could easily kill both of us?”

Sunset Shimmer sat back in a kneeling position, cloak falling open to reveal her toned body beneath. For the first time since she'd been kidnapped, Twilight let her eyes linger on her captor. Sunset wasn't as buff as, say, Applejack or Rainbow Dash, but there was an undoubted air of power, both physical and magical, practically radiating off of her.

Sunset Shimmer looked up from her equations, and Twilight Sparkle looked up from Sunset's boobs. “Or, you could be trying to sabotage me.” Sunset Shimmer said.

“You're too good at magic for that.” Twilight Sparkle said, earnest. “Besides, if you're gonna do this thing, and take all my magic, I'd at least like to know how you're doing it. I mean, I have a pretty good idea of the theoretical aspects, but there's still a lot I don't understand. Consider it a last request before you suck out all my magic and turn me into a lifeless husk?”

“I'm not going to do that.” Sunset Shimmer huffed.

“Unless you accidentally forget to work in some kind of failsafe cantrip to limit the rate of energy absorption.”

Sunset Shimmer blinked, and then reached down to erase another stretch of symbols. “Fine. I'll give you the short version. You'd better pay attention.”

A better part of an hour later, Sunset Shimmer had turned a stretch of the warehouse's wall into an impromptu chalkboard. She sketched out diagrams and equations for the still-bound Twilight's benefit in quite possibly the strangest 'let's play teacher' scenario Twilight could imagine.

“So does that make sense?”

“Y-yes?” Twilight said, and shivered a little.

Sunset blinked, and canted her head to the side. “What's wrong? I haven't terrified you with my nefarious brilliance, have I?”

“A little?” Twilight said. “That, and, uh, I was feeling kind of cold. Maybe next time you pick out an evil lair, you could find someplace with central heating?”

Sunset Shimmer blinked, and then shook her head as she crossed the room once again. “Well, I can't have you getting distracted while I explain my amazing plot. Here.” She swept her cloak off of her shoulders, and draped it around Twilight. Sunset's hands grazed Twilight's skin as she made sure the surprisingly warm cloak was settled in place.

Twilight swallowed, but managed to find her voice. “Thanks?” The brief physical touch reminded her just how worked up she'd been before Sunset had … abducted her. She took in a deep breath to steady herself, and got a noseful of Sunset's scent lingering on the cloak for her trouble. “Um. Where were we?”

“As I was saying,” Sunset's hips and tail swayed back and forth as she went back to the wall, looking up at the lines and lines of strange equations. “Once I tap into your quintessence, and link it to mine, it'll operate in a manner similar to basic physics. The pressure exerted by your greater magic power will push it along the link, and into me. And then, once I have all your magic, I'll conquer Equestria!” Sunset Shimmer threw her head back and cackled again.

“How?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“What do you mean, how? I just explained it.”

“No, no, you just explained how you're gonna take all my magic, and it looks like you've got that figured out. I'm just curious how you're going to conquer Equestria afterward.”

“By using my newfound power to subdue anyone who would oppose me.” Sunset Shimmer said, nodding.

“That's … not much of a plan.” Twilight said. “I mean, sure, you'll be super powerful and scary and stuff, but … you're still just one pony. You can't be everywhere at once. Unless you've got, like, minions or something?” Twilight looked around the warehouse.

“Well, no.” Sunset admitted. “But once I start taking over, I'm sure I'll have plenty of ponies who'll line up to do my bidding.”

“What kind of bidding?”

“You know. Uh. Bidding.” Sunset Shimmer shrugged her bare, elegant shoulders. “I'll figure it out.”

“You'll figure it out?”

“Of course I will. I'm brilliant.”

“Got me there. But. Well, do you know how much work goes into running a country?”

“What?”

“I mean, I don't, because I've never really run one before. Unless you count video games, which is kind of close but not really? Buuuuut, you do know there's more to being a queen than just sitting in a big chair and having people grovel to you, right?”

“Obviously.” Sunset Shimmer crossed her arms.

“So what's your post-conquest plan?”

“I … don't have one. Yet. I'll improvise.” Sunset Shimmer scratched at the back of her head.

“Seems like a big thing to improvise. Especially after you've gone into all this detail for this part.” Twilight Sparkle nodded towards the wall of diagrams and equations Sunset had so eagerly sketched out. “It's like … what's a dog going to do if it ever catches the car it's chasing?”

“A car?” Sunset Shimmer blinked. “Like a train car?”

“Nevermind. It's a turn of phrase from my dimension. But, um … I just figured I'd ask … do you really want to rule Equestria?”

“Of course I do!” Sunset Shimmer said, even if her voice had less of her typical conviction. “I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble if I didn't want to show Celestia, show them all what true power means!”

“But that's it!” Twilight leaned forward as best she could despite her bonds. “You just said it-- you don't want to rule anything, you just want to show how smart you are.”

Sunset Shimmer took a step back, and clutched her fingers around the nub of chalk she'd been writing with. “You don't know me. You don't know what I want.”

“But I do! Kind of. Sort of. Back where I'm from, there's another Sunset Shimmer, and she … kind of tried to take over the world, just like you want to. Only her plan was to mind control a bunch of high school students to be her army to go take over the pony dimension she came from. Or something.”

“That's a terrible plan.”

“I know! And, uh, I guess yours is slightly more plausible? But the important part is that once Sunset-- my Sunset got over the whole 'supervillain' thing, everyone could see just how nice and smart and brave she really was! She even helped me when I went power-mad and started zapping stuff.”

“You?” Sunset Shimmer said. “You went mad with power?”

“It's a long story. But it's kind of like yours-- I just wanted to prove my theories … prove myself, really, and then … uh, things got a liiiiittle out of control and I almost tore the fabric of reality before you-- er, before Sunset talked me down. So now, it's my turn.” Twilight pulled in a deep breath, and locked eyes with Sunset Shimmer. “Please. Let me help you. It's not too late.”

Sunset Shimmer faltered, biting at her lower lip. She took a hesitating step forward, and then another, finally coming to set her hand on the back of one of Twilight's. “I--”

“FREEZE!” Somepony bellowed, and the wall Sunset had been scribbling on exploded in a burst of broken timbers and shattered brickwork. A large stallion, clad from ears to tail in gleaming, intricately-etched armor, stepped through the fresh hole in the wall. Bewildered, Twilight could only stare as she realized the armored colt was the most dressed pony she'd seen since she'd gone through the portal.

“Sentry!” Sunset's vulnerability disappeared in an instant as she spun around, horns and hands glowing with fiery magic. “I should've known you'd show up, eventually.”

“Make this easy on yourself, Sunset.” Flash Sentry's voice echoed inside his helmet. “I'm bringing you in, one way or another.”

“How sentimental of you.” Sunset said. “I guess you're still carrying a torch!” With that, she flung both hands forward, sending a stream of searing flame straight into the center of Flash Sentry's chest. He grunted, and fell back a step-- but as the magical fire hit him, silver wires all along his armor began to glow, redirecting and dissipating the magical energy.

Sentry flared his wings (which were also encased in ornate, articulated armor) and pushed forward against the magic, launching himself into the air to tackle Sunset Shimmer. The fire flickered off as he made impact, and the two of them crashed down to the warehouse floor in a pile. Between Flash's greater mass and his magic-resistant armor, Sunset Shimmer didn't stand a chance. Within moments, he had both of Sunset's hands behind her back-- and there was a resounding click as he fastened a set of silver cuffs around her wrists.

The redheaded unicorn let out a sob of frustration, squeezing her eyes shut. “So close! I was so close!”

“Don't hurt her!” Twilight cried out, voice echoing through the chaos.

Flash Sentry looked up, and then pushed back his helmet's visor to stare at the prisoner. “Princess Twilight!” He blurted. “What are you doing here?”

“I … “ Twilight looked down to where Sunset was still pinned to the floor, suddenly small and vulnerable. “I order you not to hurt that pony. Because I'm a princess, and I can do that. Right?” She tried to make herself sound official.

“Of course, Your Highness.” Flash Sentry nodded with a little clank of metal, and then waved one hand. Several more ponies in armored tunics tromped through the broken wall and started securing the warehouse. Flash Sentry handed Sunset Shimmer off to the burliest of the pair, and then reached up to take off his helmet and bow deeply at the waist. “Tales of your kindness and mercy have not been exaggerated.”

“Um. Yes.” Twilight said. “So, um. Second order, think you could get me out of this chair?”

“Of course, your highness.” Flash Sentry tucked his helmet beneath one arm, and then pulled a dagger from his belt with his free hand. The steel cut through the rope easily, and Twilight pushed herself back to her feet. Her joints ached from their long bondage-- she faltered as she took a step, but waved Flash Sentry when he reached up to help.

“You.” Sunset Shimmer hissed from between the two guards holding her. “You never cared at all, did you? You were just leading me on, stalling until the guards came.”

“But-- I--” Twilight stammered, but couldn't find the words beneath Sunset's hateful gaze.

“Take her away.” Flash Sentry said. The other guardsponies nodded, and hauled Sunset Shimmer off.

“What happens now?” Twilight pulled the ragged grey cloak tighter around herself.

“Sunset Shimmer will be put on trial, of course.”

“For what?”

“Nearly everything. Grand larceny, trafficking in forbidden knowledge, tampering with the fabric of reality without a permit … and now, royal kidnapping.”

“Oh.” Twilight Sparkle said, voice small.

“Your Highness, you must be in shock.” Flash Sentry said, and tentatively put his gauntleted hand on Twilight's shoulder. “Please, follow me. I'll escort you to the palace.”

“Palace?”

Flash Sentry nodded. “I know you've been through a lot, Your Highness, but Princess Cadance will know what to do.”

Author's Note

Oh snap, where'd an actual plot come from? I'm just as surprised as you are, folks. That's what I get for adding Sunset Shimmer. Stuff pretty much wrote itself by that point. So, uh ... yay productivity?

Things should get smuttier next chapter, I promise.

Chapter 8: In which a married couple engages in coitus for procreative purposes.

Twilight stood at the bow of the small airship, watching the ground creep by below. She held her (well, technically Sunset's) cloak closed with one hand, and clung to the airship's railing with the other. The ship seemed steady enough, but Twilight didn't have any desire to test out her wings, either. The clouds were painted in early evening red as the last few rays of light valiantly glowed from the far-off horizon.

Sunset.

“Are you alright, Princess?” Flash Sentry stepped up behind Twilight. He still wore his armor, despite the scorch mark scored across the breastplate. “Sunset Shimmer didn't … mistreat you, did she?”

“No. I mean, yes.” Twilight shook her head. “I mean, I'm fine. Sunset Shimmer didn't do anything.”

“Apart from kidnapping you and taking you all the way to the Crystal Empire.”

Twilight blinked, and spared another glance down at the buildings rolling by. “Is that where we are? I … I was just in Ponyville this afternoon.”

“Ponyville?” Flash Sentry fluttered his wings in surprise. “That's two days train ride from here.”

“She used a teleportation spell.”

Flash's eyes went wider. “A teleportation spell? Over that distance? I didn't know she had that kind of power in her … “ He frowned. “I'll have to increase the security around her. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Princess.”

“Is that … really necessary?” Twilight turned to face the tall stallion. “I mean, maybe all Sunset needs is someone to just … talk to her, you know?”

“She'll be able to talk to her lawyer all she wants.” Flash Sentry said. “Now, if you'll excuse me, Princess, we're almost to the Crystal Palace, and I have a few tasks I have to finish before landing.” The tall pony gave a shallow (but no less gallant) bow before turning and heading to the rear of the ship, giving out orders to the crew as he went along.

A lifetime of devouring fantasy novels (and movies, and comics, and video games) had prepared Twilight for the sight of the Crystal Palace. It had everything that she'd been led to expect from such a place: tall spires, crenelated battlements, and so on. Faint traces of crystal (from the granite, perhaps?) glinted in the stonework, no doubt giving the Crystal Palace its name. The pony people wandering around (or flying, in the case of the occasional pegasus) were new, however. So was the airship dock.

The airship made its gentle descent to a large flat area atop one of the Crystal Palace's towers. Nude, muscular pegasi fluttered around the airship, tying down ropes and securing the ship in place. Flash Sentry stepped over the railing before the ship was fully secured, flaring his wings out to break his fall. He landed with the easy grace of a ballet dancer, and then directed several of the crewponies to haul a rolling staircase over to the airship.

“I'm sorry, Princess, but this is the best we could do under such short notice.” Flash Sentry said.

“Oh. Um. It's okay. You don't need to wheel out a brass band or anything on my account.” Twilight said as she descended the stairwell. Every pony who wasn't occupied with the running of the ship or its dock immediately stood up straight, and bowed their heads down, respectfully.

“Humble as ever.” Flash Sentry's lips turned up in a wry smile. “Equestria's lucky to have a princess like you.”

“Um. Thanks?” Twilight forced a grin and scratched awkwardly at the back of her neck. Her hooves clicked softly on the hardened planks of the airship dock as she let Flash Sentry lead her over to the doorway that no doubt went to the rest of the castle. “Uh. What about Sunset?”

“Don't worry, your majesty, we will take every precaution to make sure she's not a danger to anyone.”

“Oh.” Twilight looked over her shoulder and saw Sunset being taken down the rolling staircase. Silver chains clinked around her wrists and ankles, and a burly, scantily-clad stallion stood at either side of her. The sight could've made the cover of a racy romance novel, if Twilight didn't know the actual context.

“Now this way, Princess.” Flash Sentry snapped Twilight out of her reverie. “Your sister in law will want to know what happened.”

The inside of the Crystal Palace matched the outside: ornate, luxurious, and more than a little historically anachronistic. There wasn't a window that wasn't stained glass, or a wall that wasn't covered in tapestries. Unsurprisingly, given the general nature of the dimension, more than a few of the decorations were more than a little risque. More shocking, however, was one particular stained glass window.

Of Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight stared up at herself, done up in leaded glass. She stood, wingless but still glowing, pushing back a wave of strange, insectoid monsters. Her five best friends (the pony-people versions, anyway) stood in the background behind her, similarly glowing.

“Your highness?” Flash Sentry spoke with all the politeness of a longtime civil servant. “I know that window was just put in recently, but perhaps it might be better if Princess Cadance could tell you about it herself? She was the one who had it commissioned, after all.”

“Oh, uh. Right.” Twilight shook her head. “Which way?”

“I've been told the Princess is in the throne room.” Flash Sentry said, and led on through the winding, high-vaulted corridors of the castle. Finally, they came to a tall set of oaken doors-- Flash Sentry said something to the two guards wearing little more than helmets, and then he and Twilight were let through.

The Crystal Palace's throne room, again, had everything Twilight had come to expect from such a place. Pony people, possibly nobles of some sort to judge by their lacy and gilded accessories, stood on either side of a long red carpet that led up to a raised dais, and the two high-backed chairs resting there.

After all she'd been through, Twilight had thought she was almost used to how a dimension of nymphomaniac pony-people worked. What she saw in the throne room soon dispelled any notions of that.

The larger of the two chairs on the dais was empty-- instead, both the royal occupants had squeezed themselves onto the smaller one. A tall, pink pony-woman bounced up and down on her companion's dark-skinned cock in full view of the assembled dignitaries and courtiers. In fact, by the way she parted her legs and arced her back, it was obvious that she was showing off for her audience, facing away from her lover and towards the ponies present.

Even in a dimension that seemed to run on sex, the pony on the throne stood out. Her displayed body was, quite simply, divine. Tall and perfectly shaped, every curve and line of the pink pony's form conveyed power-- both sexual and otherwise. She wasn't a perfect goddess, however: her multi-hued hair was unkempt, and the tiara on her brow had been knocked slightly askew by her vigorous grinding.

Each push of her hips drove that firm shaft deeper between her glistening lips, and sent lewd, wet sounds echoing through the throne room. Her heavy, rose-capped tits bounced with each thrust, and the pink pony's muzzle was parted in an expression of agonized pleasure. Her ecstatic moans echoed through the throne room, loud enough to make Twilight briefly marvel at the room's acoustics.

Between the wings, the horn, and the wantonly debauched behavior, it took Twilight a moment to finally put all the pieces together.

“C-Cadance?” she blurted, holding a hand up to her mouth.

“Twilight!” Cadance's eyes flew open at the sound of her name, and she looked across the throne room. “Just give me-- ah –a moment.” With that, Cadance set her lips in a determined line, and forced herself downwards, taking that cock even deeper within her. The stallion beneath her moaned, and pushed his hips upwards in an erratic spasm, which caused Cadance to shiver in satisfaction. This done, she gingerly stood, the insides of her thighs smeared with the sticky evidence of her coupling.

Polite applause rose from the audience.

Cadance ignored them, instead whisking across the throne room to scoop Twilight up in a warm, inviting hug that would've been comforting if she wasn't naked and reeking of sex. “What a surprise! If I'd known you were coming, I would've rescheduled.” Cadance stood taller than Twilight-- taller than anyone else in the room, for that matter, which put her abundant pink breasts right at Twilight's face-level.

“Rescheduled?” Twilight's voice was muffled by the close contact. If she closed her eyes, it wasn't as awkward-- at least, that's what she told herself.

“You know how it is--” Cadance went on, chatty. She'd apparently regained her breath in the few moments since she'd noticed Twilight. “Not only do I need a heir, but tradition says it's got to be a 'legitimate' one, so at least once a day, your brother and I have to let everyone see what we're up to. I don't mind showing off, but it takes some of the spontaneity out of it, you know?”

“Uh.” Twilight blinked. “Did you say brother?”

“Twily!” Shining Armor (or, at least the naked and ponified version of him) swept into the group hug. Twilight tensed, and tried very hard not to think about just which part of his anatomy was touching the outside of her thigh.

Cadance blinked, and set her hands on Twilight's shoulders, turning her to look her in the eye. “Hold on, are you alright? You look like hell. And what's this for?” She picked at the gray mantle hanging around Twilight's shoulders.

“It's … it's complicated.” Twilight glanced around, suddenly self conscious. “Can we … um. Can we talk about this somewhere private?”

“Of course.” Cadance nodded. “Shining and I usually go to our private bathchamber to clean up after we show off for the court. You can join us-- you look like you could use a bath.” Cadance flicked a speck of sawdust from Twilight's hair. “We'll talk there.”

The royal bathchamber (much like what one would expect from anything involving the terms 'royal' or 'chamber') was enormous, bigger than some of the houses she'd seen in Ponyville. On top of that, the fixtures were entirely anachronistic. There wasn't anything to show the marble tile hadn't been laid along with the rest of the castle's medieval-looking stones, and yet the bathchamber had nearly every modern amenity she could think of. Twilight supposed hot and cold running water was explained easily enough (after all, the Romans had figured it out thousands of years ago), but that didn't explain some of the other luxuries offered.

Like the hot tub.

Still, musing over the technological implications of a potentially ancient, potentially magical hot tub at least was enough to distract Twilight from other, more uncomfortable thoughts.

Thoughts about the other people in the hot tub, for example.

“Are you alright?” Cadance, Princess Cadance, asked. The bubbling water of the hot tub concealed most (but not all) of her sculpture-worthy body. “You're still … tense.”

“It's alright, Twily.” Thankfully, even more of Shining Armor's body was concealed by the water. “Flash Sentry told me everything. You're safe here.”

“Um. I'm not sure if he told you everything.” Twilight said, and slumped down low enough for the warm water to tickle the underside of your chin. She fixed her eyes on one of the hot tub's faucets, and reminded herself that communal bathing had a long and established history through several different cultures across the world.

“Oh.” Cadance held a hand up to her mouth. “Sunset Shimmer didn't--”

“What? No!” Twilight blurted, just barely managing to avoid a noseful of water. “Sunset didn't do anything!”

“Except kidnap you.” Shining Armor added on, frowning.

“Except that.” Twilight closed her eyes. “It's just that … it's … more complicated than that.”

“Complicated?” Cadance's equine ears perked forward. “You don't mean you and she are … “

“What? No! I've never even met Sunset before! Or, uh, that Sunset, at least.”

“What're you talking about?”

“Okay. So.” Twilight sat up a little straighter, and ran her hands through her damp hair. “Just so you guys know, I'm … not exactly Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh, Twilight.” Cadance's smile was kind, accepting. “Having a Princesshood thrust on you is a lot to take in-- I should know, but--”

“That's not what I meant.” Twilight said. “It's just that I'm … I'm not Twilight Sparkle. Not your Twilight Sparkle, at least?”

Shining Armor and Princess Cadance stared at Twilight-- and then, in a flash they were both on their feet. Water dripped from their perfect bodies, each droplet reflecting the glint of magic that glowed on each of their horns.

“Posing as Twilight? That's low, even for you, Chrysalis.” Shining Armor said.

“I told you what would happen if I ever saw you again.” Cadance's voice had lost all its characteristic warmth, fueled by the righteous anger of a woman scorned.

“I'm not a Chrysalis!” Twilight scrambled out of the hot tub as quickly as she could, stumbling over the edge as she did so. “I don't even know what a Chrysalis is!” She fell on her tail, and stared up at the extradimensional versions of her brother and her brother's girlfriend as they bore down on her. “I'm just an alternate universe occurrence of Twilight Sparkle who stumbled into your dimension by accident! Just ask Twilight! Other Twilight! Your Twilight!”

Cadance and Shining Armor blinked, and then turned to look at each other, sharing the quizzical, nonverbal communication so common to happily married couples. Gradually, they relaxed, and the arcane glow around the both of them faded away.

“Let's say you're telling the truth.” Shining Armor said, wary. “That still doesn't explain why you were with Sunset Shimmer.”

“She thought I was the real Twilight Sparkle! Or, um, this dimension's Twilight Sparkle. She … might have been planning to steal her magic in a supervillainous plot to take over the world.”

“What?” Shining Armor said. “I knew she was a criminal, but I didn't think she was that evil.”

“She's not!” Twilight blurted. “She's just lonely and misunderstood and wanted to prove herself! She just, um, picked a really bad way to do it. She doesn't want to hurt anyone. Really.”

“And you know this … how?” Cadance arched a brow.

“I know her! Or, um, I know my Sunset. Back in my home dimension. Even though she's actually from a third dimension unrelated to yours or mine, which is actually where I was trying to go when I wound up here, if that makes any sense.”

“Not really?” Shining Armor scratched his head. “But that does sound like something Twily would say.” He turned to Cadance, and shrugged.

“Look, Twilight-- other Twilight, is still back in Ponyville-- that is, unless she's already started looking for me. Just ask her! She'll confirm everything I said. You've got some kinda magic way to get ahold of her, right?”

Cadance's wings and shoulders slumped down a little, and she daintily stepped out of the tub. She curled her fingers, and a towel floated across the room and into her hand. She took in a deep breath, and started to dry herself off-- the simple, everyday gesture reminding somehow highlighting Cadance's casual nudity.

“I'll sent Twilight a letter.” Cadance reached up to towel her luxuriant mane off. “If what you say is true, then we'll do everything we can to help you. If you're lying … “ Cadance trailed off, and leveled an imperious gaze down at Twilight.

“I'm not!” Twilight squeaked. “Lying, that is. Ehehm.” She scratched at the back of her neck.

“We'll assign you an escort, of course, to show you around.” Cadance said.

“And keep an eye on me?” said Twilight.

“That too.” Cadance tossed her towel into a hamper, and shook out her mane with the sort of bounce normally only seen in shampoo commercials.

“I guess that's fair. But. Um. Can I make a request?”

“Within reason.”

“I'd like to talk to Sunset Shimmer.” Twilight said. “I mean, she's scared, and alone, and confused … and I bet she really needs somebody to talk to right now.”

Cadance's imperious expression melted into something far warmer and more familiar. “That's exactly what our Twilight would say.”

The Crystal Palace had a dungeon.

A real one, not the secret hidden den of overcomplicated 'accessories' that Princess Twilight had tucked away in her basement. Twilight supposed, however, that the genuine article could be put to use if Cadance and Shining Armor ever wanted to--

“Ooooh-kay, let's not think about that.” Twilight blanched, and pulled the cloak Sunset had given her back around her shoulders.

“Hm?” Flash Sentry glanced over his shoulder as he lead the way down the stairs. He'd changed out of his full battle armor to something more 'casual'-- a set of bracers around his wrists, and a chain-link belt hanging around his trim waist. Nothing else.

“Oh, uh. Nothing!” Twilight shook her head. “Just, um, thinking aloud. As you do. Or, um, as I do. That's all.”

Flash Sentry arched a blue eyebrow, and shrugged his broad shoulders. “Just checking. Now, we're almost there.” He stopped in front of a heavy oaken door, and pulled a set of keys from his belt. “Sunset Shimmer's bound in silver, to keep her magic in check, but you should still be careful.”

“I will.”

“I can go in with you, if you like?”

“I don't think that'll be necessary.” Twilight said, and pulled in a deep breath. “If she sees you, she'll think it's an interrogation. I just want to … talk, that's all.”

“Of course, Princess. But remember, I'll be out here-- call for help if you even think Sunset Shimmer tries something.”

“I don't think that'll be a problem.”

Flash Sentry nodded, and then unlocked the heavy door, letting Twilight in.

As far as jail cells went, Sunset's wasn't too bad. She had an actual bed in one corner, a toilet & sink combo in another, and even a couple of books on the nightstand. The room was well lit by a glowing crystal lamp in the ceiling, and the stone floors were dry, if not particularly welcoming.

But it was still a cell. One only had to look at Sunset Shimmer for that.

She sat on the edge of the bed, looking small and vulnerable in her nakedness. Manacles of silver were fastened around her wrists and ankles, with thin lengths of chain draping between them. Sunset looked up at Twilight, revealing the tear-tracks going down each side of her muzzle.

“You.” Sunset Shimmer hissed. “What do you want? Here to gloat?”

Twilight winced, but forced herself to step forward anyway. “I've come to help.”

“Help me.” Sunset Shimmer's chains clinked softly as she sat up straighter. “Let me guess, you're going to play Good Cop so you can squeeze a confession out of me?”

“No!” Twilight snapped. “Look, I know you feel hurt, and alone, and that nobody understands you … but you're not. I know exactly what you're going through! That's what I was trying to tell you earlier, before Flash Sentry showed up.”

“He always did know when to barge in at the worst possible time.” Sunset said with a rueful, mirthless smile.

“You know him?” Twilight looked to the heavy door, and wondered if Flash was listening in.

“We have a … history.” Sunset Shimmer said. She wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. “It's complicated.”

“Everything in this dimension is.” Twilight said. “But … well, that doesn't mean it's not something we can't work through, right? I know you're not a bad person, Sunset. You just made a couple of … mistakes, that's all. Just think of what you could accomplish if you let other people help you? Think of everything you could do if you didn't waste all your time and energy on half-planned world domination schemes. Like I said before, I was kinda like you, once … but then I started making friends, and they helped me turn me into who I am today.”

“It's too late for me.” Sunset Shimmer curled in on herself, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Princess Cadance will keep me here for the rest of my life.” She shivered. Sniffled.

“No, she won't.” Twilight said, resolute. Noting Sunset's apparent discomfort, she pulled the grey cloak off of her own shoulders and draped it around those of its rightful owner once again. “I'll make sure of it.”

Sunset blinked, and looked down at the cloak, suddenly surprised. “You really mean that, don't you?” She said, both wary and grateful.

“Of course.”

A smile-- faint but genuine –crossed Sunset's lips. She stood up, suddenly-- and before Twilight could make a sound of alarm, Sunset leaned in to press her lips against hers. Twilight's gasp was muffled by the kiss, but the fleeting taste of Sunset's mouth was enough to send a thrill coursing through her whole body.

Sunset Shimmer placed her hands on Twilight's chest, and pushed her away. “Thank you.” She smiled coyly. “I really needed to hear that.”

“I-- I believe in you, Sunset.” Twilight felt her cheeks go hot, despite the cool air of the jail cell. She stretched her wings a little, suddenly acutely aware she'd given away the one item of clothing she'd had since arriving in the Crystal Empire.

“That makes at least one of us.” Sunset Shimmer said, and then tilted her head to look past Twilight too the oaken door. “But … you should probably go. Sentry'll get suspicious if you stay here too long.”

“Are you sure? You look like you could use some, uh … company.” Twilight's eyes fell to the jail's simple but comfy looking bed … which even then was large enough for two (so long as neither occupant sprawled out too much).

“Very.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Don't worry, we'll speak again. Maybe sooner than you think.” She winked, and Twilight blushed even harder.

Still, Twilight managed to turn her back on Sunset Shimmer (which only coincidentally allowed her to show off her tail and rump to the would-be conqueror), and headed to the door. No sooner had she rapped her knuckles on the heavy oak, the door swung open, revealing a concerned-looking Flash Sentry.

“Is everything alright? Are you okay?”

“It's fine. I'm fine.” Twilight forced a grin through her embarrassment. “I … it's just late, and I should get to sleep, that's all.”

“Of course, Your Highness. Let me show you to your chambers.” Flash Sentry led the way, quickly heading up the winding stairwell to the more luxurious, less secure parts of the Crystal Palace. “Will you require company?” He remained as casual as if he'd only asked Twilight what she would've liked for dinner.

“Uh.” Twilight bit the inside of her cheek. She stole a sidelong glance at Flash Sentry's tight, defined abs, along with the swaying cock dangling beneath. She wrenched her eyes upwards, however, and shook her head. “Thanks? But, um. I think I just need some sleep right now.”

“I understand, Your Highness.”

Apart from the lack of a closet, the guest bedchamber was everything a young, princess-obsessed girl could have wanted. Twilight ignored the dressing mirrors with the gilded frames, the Juliet-worthy balcony, and even the tall mahogany bookshelf occupying one wall of the room. As soon as Flash Sentry politely shut (and locked, she couldn't help but note) the door behind her, Twilight Sparkle made a beeline towards the enormous canopied bed.

Twilight flopped face-first onto the downy mattress, nearly submerging herself in the soft pillows and comforters. She sighed a ragged, desperate sigh, and sprawled out, savoring the rare moment of privacy in which nobody was around to look at her butt (or tempt her into looking at theirs).

Twilight closed her eyes, and let her exhaustion catch up with her. “Everything will be fine tomorrow.” She told herself, even though she didn't entirely believe it.

Twilight fell asleep within moments anyway.

“Hey. Twilight.”

“Hmmh?” Bleary eyed, Twilight cracked one eye open. The luxurious bedchamber was lit only by the scant moonlight seeping in through the balcony windows., but even in the relative darkness, Twilight made out the sight of someone standing at the foot of her bed. “Hhwhah?” Twilight rolled over and bolted upright, instinctively (if perhaps unnecessarily) pulling a stretch of blanket up to conceal her nakedness. “Whossat?”

“Relax, Twilight. It's me. Sunset.” The unicorn leaned forward, planting her hands on the bed. She had her cloak thrown back, revealing the lithe and feminine form beneath.

“You got out?” Twilight blurted, still reeling at the implications.

“Thanks to you.” The mattress creaked softly as Sunset Shimmer prowled her way up the length of the bed. “I wanted to come by and say … thanks.” Even in the darkness, Sunset's playful smile gleamed.

“Okay, I get it. I'm dreaming, aren't I?” Twilight laid back on a pile of pillows. “This is just my subconscious having a field day after everything I've-- ow!” Twilight gasped, and clapped her hand over the spot on her thigh where Sunset had pinched her.

“Don't worry, it's not a dream. We wouldn't want Princess Luna watching, after all.”

“Princess-- mmmph?” Twilight's question was muffled by the sudden, not entirely unpleasant sensation of Sunset's lips upon hers. Twilight splayed her wings out and laid back upon the multitude of cushions. Sunset broke the kiss, and turned her muzzle downward, using her blunt equine teeth to tease along Twilight's sensitive neck.

“Oh!” Twilight gasped. She ran her fingers through Sunset's silken red hair, and trembled.

“Mmm. Not so loud.” Sunset murmured between nibbles. “We don't want to wake anyone up, do we?”

“Oh.” Twilight said, quieter. “That's very considerate of you-OOOOH!” She arced her hips upward at the sensation of someone else's fingertips running over her already soaking pussy. Sunset silenced her with another fierce kiss, and Twilight could do little but melt under the attention. Sunset's attention remained gentle, but insistent, as she drew as much pleasure out of Twilight as she could. Sunset pushed a finger, and then a second into Twilight's pussy, curling her digits just so, seeking out (and finding) just the right spots to render Twilight into a mewling, overwhelmed mess. As if that wasn't enough, Sunset's thumb pushed up the length of Twilight's pussy, coming to circle around her justifiably engorged clit. Sunset flexed her wrist, working Twilight's needy sex for a few short eternities, until Twilight finally came. Hard.

Unable to control herself, Twilight twisted and writhed. Finally, reluctantly, she broke the kiss with Sunset, and laid back gasping for air. Looking smug, Sunset propped herself up on one elbow, and locked eyes with Twilight as she brought her sticky fingers up to her muzzle and cleaned them off in her mouth.

“So maybe I was hornier than I thought I was.” Twilight said, staring up at the canopied ceiling.

“Nothing wrong with that.” Sunset's warm breath tickled over Twilight's ear, and sent delightful trembles rippling through her whole body. “But … as pleasant as this is, we need to get moving.”

“Whah?” Twilight tried, with debatable success, to get her limbs moving again. “What are you talking about?”

“You're smart. You'll figure it out before long.” Sunset rolled off of the bed and onto her hooves with spry vigor. “There's not anything you wanted to grab on your way out, was there?”

“What? No!” Twilight flailed her legs until they were untangled from the sheets, and pulled herself out of bed after Sunset.

“Mmm. I suppose that makes sense. Cadance probably wouldn't let you anywhere near the treasury. Doesn't matter-- we can steal what we need along the way.”

“Steal what we-- what are you talking about?”

“It's just like you said!” Sunset Shimmer splayed her arms back, causing her cloak to flutter dramatically behind her in the moonlight. “I need … a friend. A friend like you.”

“Oh.” Twilight held a hand up to her mouth. “I … um … thank you?”

“No. I should thank you.” Sunset grasped Twilight's hands in hers. She smiled, and her green eyes gleamed in the moonlight. “You were right. My plans for global domination were short-sighted and foolish.”

“You're the one who said it, not me?” Twilight said, as politely as she could.

“But you, Twilight, you know how to plan ahead! Together, we'll be unstoppable!”

“You're kidding.”

“Don't put yourself down.” Sunset squeezed her fingers tighter. “You're brilliant. I can tell. You're already three steps ahead of everyone else in this castle, aren't you?”

“What're you talking about?”

“Don't play coy. You said you'd get me out … and then you did.” Sunset Shimmer laughed, verging a little too close to madness for Twilight's comfort. “You found the lockpicks sewn into my cloak, didn't you? And you knew what I'd do once I found them!”

“You had … “ Twilight stammered, and stared at Sunset. “I just thought you were cold!”

“Mmm. That's what I love about you, Twilight. You've already got a cover story.” Sunset leaned in to smooch Twilight on the nose.

Twilight sputtered and stammered-- but before she could voice any of her many protests, the door slammed open. Flash Sentry piled through, followed by several more guardsponies.

“And that's our cue,” Sunset Shimmer said, smiling.

She snapped her fingers, and the world went white.

Chapter 9: Now what?

Twilight groaned, not in a good way.

On the one hand (hoof?) she wasn't tied up, which was better than the last two times she'd been suddenly, inexplicably teleported. On the other hoof (hand?), there was … everything else. Twilight rubbed at her eyes, and took stock of her surroundings. To judge by the sunrise-reddened clouds, it was morning. Twilight laid on a dew-damp stretch of grass-- a clearing in the center of a lush green forest. Songbirds chirped faintly in the distance, lending everything a pleasant, pastoral air.

“You're awake, good.” Sunset said from beside Twilight. The redheaded unicorn was stretched out on the grass like some classical goddess, hair and coat blazing proudly in the first rays of morning sunshine. Twilight's gaze traveled up the curve of a rounded hip, past the peaks of upturned breasts, and to the sweetly smiling face of Sunset Shimmer.

“Where are we?” Twilight didn't let herself get (very) distracted by the lovely sight before her.

“I don't know.” Sunset Shimmer pushed a lock of red hair out of her eyes.

“How do you not know? It was your teleport spell!”

“I know!” Sunset beamed. “I left our destination open, entirely random. If there's no endpoint resonance in the trace magic we leave behind, there's no way anyone can track us!”

“You teleported us at random? Are you insane? What if you teleported us into an active volcano or something?”

“Psssh. Volcanoes. Do you know how statistically unlikely that is?”

“So you're saying it is possible?”

“Oh, come on.” Sunset rolled her eyes, even though she kept smiling. “Don't pretend you haven't meddled with the fabric of space-time before.”

“That's … that's beside the point.” Twilight said.

“So what is the point?”

“The point?” Twilight bounded up to her feet, and glared down at Sunset Shimmer. “The point is, we're lost and alone and I helped you break out of jail which makes me a criminal too!”

“I know.” Sunset purred as she rolled to all fours. She curled herself around Twilight's leg, and planted a delicate, adoring kiss on her knee. “Isn't it great?”

“No!” Twilight yanked her foot free from Sunset's grasp, and staggered backwards a few paces. She flapped her wings a few times by instinct, managing to keep her footing (if barely). “It's not! I just wanted to help you!”

“And you did.” Sunset nodded. “If it weren't for you, I'd still be locked up in that dungeon.”

“I wanted to help you by being your friend, not your accomplice! All I wanted to do was talk things out so you didn't feel so lonely and scared and then everyone could figure out a way we could all be friends and then maybe we'd sing a song about it!”

“Sing?” Sunset furrowed her brow, confused.

“Why not?” Twilight said, suddenly self conscious (which, considering her state of undress, really was saying something). “Haven't you ever had so much emotion swelling up inside of you that you just had to randomly burst into song?”

“Um. No?” Sunset's hair swayed a little as she tilted her head to the side. “Is that … something that happens regularly in your dimension?”

“Sometimes?” Twilight said.

“Weird.”

“Not as weird as a dimension where people grope each other as soon as they'd say hello.” Twilight crossed her arms across her chest. “And that's before you get into the weirdo equine-sapien anatomy.” She held one hand in front of her face and wiggled her fingers. “I mean, the opposable thumbs are pretty much required for a tool using species, but how could primate-like fingers evolve alongside, well, hooves?” She peered down at her own hooved feet, which looked particularly alien against the dewy grass. “And you'd better not make a 'let's have an anatomy lesson' joke because Pinkie Pie used the same line when I was still in Ponyville.”

“Did it work?” Sunset said.

“No.”

“Aw.” Sunset Shimmer stood up-- a simple, everyday motion somehow made far more alluring by the drape of her cloak. “But … don't you think you have better things to worry about than evolutionary biology right now?”

“Yes! I do! But I'm just trying to distract myself from everything else!” She sniffled a little, feeling tears well up in the corners of her eyes. “I … I just want to go home.” She hugged herself and turned away, looking off into the treeline.

“And conquer it?” Sunset blurted.

“NO!” Twilight wheeled around and jabbed an accusatory finger at Sunset. “No conquering! No overthrowing! No dominating! I mean that both in the 'practical' and 'weird and kinky and maybe kind of sexy' definitions! I just want to go home and ... and ... “

“And what?”

“And be normal! Or, uh, as normal as someone who occasionally dabbles in magic can really be, but still! What I did back in my dimension was one thing, and this ... this is different.”

“How?”

“I got to wear pants, for one.”

“Pants?” Sunset Shimmer blinked. “What are those?”

“Trust me, they're important.” Twilight pushed her legs a little tighter together. Despite herself, she let out a nervous laugh. She rubbed at the bridge of her nose, briefly noticing the lack of little marks where her glasses would rest if she were back in her normal body.

“Alright then.” Sunset Shimmer brushed a few blades of grass from the backs of her thighs. “I can see this is very important to you, so I'm going to help you get home.”

“You are?” Twilight blurted, and then took on a more suspicious tone. “Why would you do that? I just told you I'm not going to take over the world or anything. And I'm not going to let you take over the world, either. Any world. Yours or mine.”

Sunset Shimmer attempted an innocent look without much success, and put a delicate hand over her chest. “No megalomania until you get home. I promise.”

“Can I trust you? I mean, uh. You're ... kind of a supervillain.”

“Of course! You helped me, Twilight-- whether you meant to or not. If it were up to Sentry, I'd be rotting in a magic-warded dungeon for the rest of my life. I owe you my freedom. It's only fair that I get you yours. Besides--” Sunset Shimmer pushed a lock of hair behind one of her pointed ears, and grinned roguishly. “Putting together the kind of magic to send you to your home dimension and not some other random timeline is the kind of thing that will prove I'm the most brilliant and powerful sorceress in all of Equestria.” Her smile grew wider, and her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. “Just, uh, without conquering it. I promise.”

“I ... guess that's progress?” Twilight said. She shook her head, and then looked around the idyllic, dew-frosted clearing. “But we're still lost. And alone. And kind of fugitives.”

“I wouldn't worry about that.” Sunset Shimmer said, and started walking off towards the treeline. Her cloak floated lightly behind her, but the occasional swish of Sunset's tail hiked the fabric upwards. Despite herself, Twilight stole more than a few glances at Sunset's lovely, tightly-formed derriere. “I mean, I've been staying ahead of Flash and his flat-hooved goons for years. If I'd wound up kidnapping the real Twilight, they never would have caught me. And as for alone, well ... “ Sunset Shimmer looked back at Twilight, and let her cloak slip just enough to reveal a curved line of her shoulder. “There are worse ponies to be alone with, wouldn't you say?”

“Uh.” Twilight blushed, even though she'd seen all of Sunset already. “We're still lost.”

“Maybe not as lost as you think. Look.” Sunset reached out and pushed a leafy tree branch out of the way, revealing the cleared land and tall mountains on the other side of the copse. A few farmhouses and other small buildings dotted the landscape, and a serpentine railway twisted this way and that between the fields and hills. Twilight scooted in beside Sunset, close enough to feel the warmth coming from her (which was entirely coincidental, Twilight told herself) and peered out, following Sunset's pointing finger to the white palace that clung impossibly to the side of a mountain.

“That's not where we came from.” Twilight said, brow furrowed. “The Crystal Palace was ... sparklier.”

“That's right. It's not the Crystal Palace. It's Canterlot. Capital of Equestria, seat of Princess Celestia's throne ... and the location of the biggest magical library in the world. If there's anyplace where we can find a way to send you back home, it's there.”

“But ... won't they recognize us?” Twilight blurted.

“We'll go in disguise.” Sunset said.

“I'm like one of three pony-people in this whole dimension who has wings and a horn. And I'm apparently a celebrity. How are we going to hide that?”

“Easy. I'll get you a hat.”

“That'll never work.”

“Sure it will! Everypony's gonna be looking at your tits anyway.”

“Sunset!” Twilight covered herself by reflex, however pointless it might've been.

“No, seriously. You're gorgeous. Plus, a lot of pegasi tend to be a little bit more ... streamlined, you know, with all the flying and all, so if people think you're just a pegasus it kind of makes you sexier. Not to mention more approachable.” Sunset made no effort to hide how her eyes traveled up and down Twilight's body.

“Uh.” Twilight bit the inside of her cheek. “What if I don't want to be approachable? I mean, uh. It's flattering, but ... we don't want to get, um, distracted while we're on our secret but not-world-dominating mission, right?”

“Good point.” Sunset Shimmer said, and slid a gentle hand up the length of Twilight's back. The contact alone was enough to make Twilight shiver, and the gentle scratch of fingers to a spot between her wings made her melt. Sunset just smiled, and leaned in to touch her nose to Twilight's. “So I guess we better work out any ... pent up frustration before we start. Don't you think that's a good idea?”

“No.” Twilight marveled at the feel of Sunset's fine coat underneath her fingers, and wondered at which point she'd started touching the other woman. “But I wouldn't mind giving it a shot anyway.”

Author's Note

Oh hey, this is still a thing! The writing bug struck me again, I guess.

Funnily enough, while I could easily write up another gratuitous sex scene for the end of this chapter, I think it kinda works well without it. That, and I kind of want to keep moving the story along to an actual conclusion.

Though if I'm feeling ambitious and/or writer's blocked, I guess I could go back and update the chapter with some more lady-kissing and butt-touches. What do you think?

Chapter 10: In which Celestia installs some unique security precautions.

Canterlot almost seemed normal.

Almost.

Bigger than Ponyville, and far busier, Canterlot bustled with all the activity of a small city-- all the activity that two young women could easily get lost in.

Twilight pulled her broad-brimmed hat down a little lower over her eyes. Her horn caught on the fabric of the hat, and an oddly unpleasant sensation rippled across her scalp. Twilight winced, and fought down the urge to take the hat off-- so far, the 'disguise' had worked, but she was certain even Canterlot's busy crowds would notice a pony with wings and a horn. Especially in the company of a wanted criminal-- Sunset had tied her hair into a simple ponytail and donned a pair of dark sunglasses as her 'disguise.' It had worked so far, as nopony had given them so much as a second glance. Even still, Twilight's heart beat faster as she tried to stay as cool and casual as Sunset. Twilight had done well to fight back her anxiety-- until they passed a newsstand.

Sunset Shimmer's face glared out from the front page of the Canterlot Times, repeated over and over again in the dozen papers on display. Even without the lined height-noting wall behind her, the angry look on her face obviously said the picture was a mugshot. Above the frankly unflattering photo, the headline read in bold print.

SUNSET SHIMMER SLIPS SENTRY!

Twilight squeaked in dismay, and tightened her grip on Sunset's arm. “Look!” she hissed, and nodded at the paper standing on its pile. Sunset followed her gaze, and then let out an enthusiastic laugh, quickly flipping a coin to the pony behind the newspaper stand, at which point she scooped up the newspaper.

“This is perfect!” Sunset said, triumphant.

“How?” Twilight glanced around, suddenly fearing for the arrival of Flash Sentry and the rest of his armored guards. She made sure to keep her voice low, despite the rising sense of panic. “Everyone in the whole kingdom will be looking for us!” Thankfully, the bustle and din of the city was more than enough to shield their conversation from any passers-by.

“Exactly.” Sunset Shimmer pulled down her shades and looked at Twilight with a sly smirk. “They're going to have to comb the whole kingdom to find us-- and naturally they'll start by tracking down some of my old haunts and safehouses. The last place they'll think to look is Canterlot itself, the very place I ran away from all those years ago. I'm good, and I've been getting better, but it would be stupid of me to try going up against Princess Celestia, even now.”

“Um.”

“But now it's different! Now I've got you.” Sunset Shimmer twined her fingers in Twilight's and squeezed. She looked down to the paper again, skimming the article. “And besides, this gets even better.”

“How?”

“It's all about me! No mention of you. Or, well, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Cadance must be keeping it under wraps. Can you imagine the scandal if it came out that Princess Celestia's favorite student ran off with a criminal like me?”

“Unfortunately.” Twilight reached up and tugged her hat down a little lower, just in case.

“It'll be fine, I promise. Just act natural.”

“I am acting natural.” Twilight murmured. “It's just that 'freaking out' is natural for me, even when I'm not in a more-or-less completely alien dimension.”

“Hey, you said there were some similarities, didn't you? Just think of things scientifically. That should help.” Sunset Shimmer grinned.

Twilight found herself mirroring Sunset's smile, and tried to take her words to heart. On the abstract level, Canterlot was just another city-- there were stores and restaurants and apartments and so on. It was just that all the people who shopped at the stores and ate at the restaurants and presumably lived in the apartments were naked equimorphs.

Mostly naked, Twilight corrected herself. The pony people present adorned themselves with even more ostentatious attire than those in the Crystal Palace did-- silks and gem-studded jewelry seemed to be the norm, while even humble shopkeepers and laborers wore colored sashes around their waists as they went along. Of course, all the decorations and accessories only covered a fraction of their bodies, leaving the rest to be viewed and admired.

Despite the warm air, Twilight shivered, again reminded of her own lack of attire. Which, again, was the norm in this dimension, but somehow the crowded, naked city amplified the feeling of exposure-- and the accompanying thrill that came with it. To think, every inch of her body (even if it was an improbable hybrid of equine and sapien features) was on blatant display, for any stranger who might care to look ...

Twilight blinked, and risked a look over her shoulder. Someone was looking. Two someones, actually-- a couple of unicorns. The man (stallion?) somehow managed to look dapper despite wearing nothing but a monocle and a bow tie, while the taller woman (mare?) at his side had the sleek, elegant air of a supermodel. The woman tossed a filmy scarf over her shoulder, and laughed softly at some quip from the monocled man. It was an entirely casual gesture, but Twilight swore she saw the woman's eyes size her up, if just for a moment.

Twilight grabbed Sunset by the elbow and pulled her in close. “We have a tail.”

“We both have tails. I thought you'd be used to that by now.”

“That's not what I meant. I meant, someone's following us.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.”

“Hm. This way.” Sunset hooked her arm in Twilight's, and led them around a corner, and past a large department store display. Twilight peeked through the street-level window displays curiously, and wondered how much use a primarily nudist society would have for mannequins. Her academic thoughts trailed off, however, as she noted the reflection of the two white unicorns following a little distance behind them.

“There.” Twilight murmured. “See them?”

“Those two? They're probably just checking us out.”

“What?”

“Not that I blame them, of course.” Sunset Shimmer mused.

“Trust me, they're not law enforcement. The look's not right. Any Canterlot Guard worth his helmet would already be throwing himself at us. Not that it'd do any good, but it'd be inconvenient.”

“So now what?”

“We do have some time to kill-- think we could get them to take us back to their place?”

“What? No!”

“Mmm, you're right. They might live all the way across town. Pity. The tall one's pretty cute.” Sunset Shimmer shrugged, and reached over to squeeze Twilight's ass. “Lucky thing I've got someone with me who's even cuter.”

Twilight fluttered her wings and rose up a little at the squeeze, but tried to keep it casual. “Uh. Let's stay focused on the mission for now?”

“Of course.” Sunset Shimmer pulled Twilight closer, kissing the side of her cheek. “Eyes on the prize.”

“Uh. Right.” Twilight looked over her shoulder as she watched the two white-coated unicorns step into a department store. “Eyes on the prize.”

“There it is.” Sunset peered around the alleyway corner, sizing up the large marble building across the street. Canterlot's bustling streets had slowed with the sun's setting, leaving no one to see or hear Sunset and Twilight.

At least, Twilight hoped so.

“The Imperial Canterlot Library.” Sunset Shimmer's smile gleamed white in the darkness. “I can pick the lock to the front door easy enough, but it's going to be tricky to get at the Special Collection. The magic safeguards around it were set up by Princess Celestia herself.”

“Then how do we get past them?”

“Simple. We bring a princess of our own.” Sunset reached up and neatly plucked the hat from Twilight's head.

Twilight blinked, and felt her pointed ears twitch a little as they were exposed to the open air. “But I'm not--”

Sunset Shimmer held a delicate finger to Twilight's lips. “Of course you are. You're identical to this dimension's Twilight Sparkle, which means you should be able to bypass the security system.”

“Should?”

“Celestia might have reset the admission protocols. You know, if someone told her that there was a dimensional doppelganger of her favorite student running around with a known criminal like me. And she was feeling paranoid.”

“So she did change the security, is what you're saying.”

“What I'm saying is that we don't know one way or the other. Which is fine! I've got a backup plan.” Sunset patted the bag hanging at her side.

“Just what is your backup plan?”

“Complicated. No time to explain the whole thing-- not to mention it'd just make you worried. Now c'mon, we're wasting time.” Sunset Shimmer took Twilight by the arm, and guided her across the empty street, up to the heavy doors of the Imperial Canterlot Library. Sunset pulled her picks from their hidden pocket in her cloak, and made short work of the lock. The door creaked open, and Sunset dipped inside, tugging Twilight after her.

Where Princess Twilight's library had been inviting and comforting, the Imperial Canterlot Library wasn't. Twilight knew she should've been comforted by the presence of so many books, so much knowledge left unread-- but the rows and rows of shelving were dwarfed by the library's vaulted ceilings and massive pillars. Whoever had designed the place had certainly taken the 'imperial' descriptor to heart, as the library was less a place of learning, and more a monument to the very concept of knowledge. The near-complete darkness of the empty, silent library didn't help much, either. The shadows were long and deep, which made the crime a bit easier, and everything else more uncomfortable.

It was like a bank that kept books instead of money

Complete with a vault.

Sunset knew just where to find it, leading on and on past the periodicals and other reference collections. An out of the way stairwell led deeper to a stretch of rooms that weren't secret so much as infrequently discussed. Still, as they got closer and closer, Twilight could feel the ambient magic in the air, setting every hair of her purple coat to tingling.

“Um. Sunset? Just what are we looking for?”

“The thing that will send you back to your own dimension.”

“Right. But, uh ... do you know what that thing is?”

“Well, no.” Sunset shrugged. “Or at least, not exactly. But, I know for a fact that this library is where Celestia keeps all the good stuff. All we have to do is read the right forbidden tomes and then we'll have the understanding we need to tear the very fabric of timespace on a whim.”

“Forbidden tomes?”

“Well, not so much 'forbidden' such as 'strictly regulated.' I mean, theoretically, there are more powerful, more dangerous sources of magical power out there, but the ones with the most efficient danger-to-usefulness ratio are kept here.”

“Danger?” Twilight's voice cracked.

“They're only dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.” Sunset murmured as she crouched in front of a nondescript but heavy door at the bottom of the stairwell, and set to opening it with her picks.

“You ... do know what you're doing, right?”

The lock clicked, and Sunset Shimmer's smile grew wider. “We're in.”

“That's it?” Twilight peeked through the open doorway. Rows and rows of shelves stretched into the darkness, each shelf piled high with dusty, antique-looking volumes. “Seems a little too easy.”

“I only make it look easy.” Sunset Shimmer tucked her lockpicks away again. “The real security's invisible-- magical wards and alarms, that sort of thing. But since Princess Twilight Sparkle is here, they're staying dormant. Now here.” Sunset pulled a small flashlight out of her bag and pressed it into Twilight's hand, along with a small strip of paper. “This is a list of books we need-- you start on the left side of the room, and I'll start on the right, and we'll see who can find them first.”

“Okay.” Twilight nodded, and felt herself smile. The thought of perusing a new library (no matter how illegal that perusing might technically be) comforted her. She pulled in a deep breath, and walked into the book vault.

She made it about a dozen steps in before something caught her by the ankle. Twilight squeaked in surprise, and instinctively beat her wings for balance, taking to the air-- only to feel something coil around her other ankle, and pull her back to the floor. Twilight looked down, and gasped. A circle of arcane glyphs had been etched into the floor, the markings barely noticeable in the darkness-- but becoming more and more obvious as they began to glow. Tendrils composed of twinkling white light stretched up from the floor, steadily winding around Twilight's legs like ivy climbing a trellis.

“Sunset!” Twilight tried to turn back towards the door, only to have more bands of light snare her by the wrists. “Help!”

“Huh.” Sunset stay put at the doorway, looking at Twilight with an expression that was more curious than concerned. “I guess Celestia did reset the wards.”

“I'm stuck!” Twilight beat her wings again, and more of the magical bindings slithered over her body. One wrapped around her waist, and others went to ensnare her wings. The tendrils on Twilight's legs went even higher, sliding up the insides of her thighs. “You've got to help me!”

“Relax.” Sunset said. “You're in a recursive gravity snare. The harder you struggle, the tighter it'll squeeze.”

Twilight froze. “Squeeze? It's not going to crush me like a boa constrictor, is it?”

“What? Of course not. This is Princess Celestia we're talking about-- she'd never let anything that dangerous get put anywhere in Canterlot. All of her security measures are strictly non-lethal. They've got other ways of keeping an intruder under control.”

“Other ways?” Twilight said. Unable to help herself, she fidgeted some more, and gasped as the very tip of a tendril grazed one of her nipples as it climbed over her chest. Twilight's heart began to beat faster as she realized just how warm the magical bindings were.

“I think you've found out already.” Sunset Shimmer smirked, and raked her eyes over Twilight.

“This isn't funny!” Twilight blurted, and lunged forward-- or tried to, at least, as the magic trap held her firmly in place. The sudden movement made the vines of energy tighten even further. One of the thicker tendrils slid between Twilight's legs, and she gasped as she felt the thing begin to vibrate. Shocked (and secretly thrilled) by the unexpected sensation, Twilight sagged into her bonds-- which only caused them to explore her body even further, gently parting her legs. She leaned back, and more columns of energy rose to support her. Twilight bit back another gasp as the gentle tendrils moved against the grain of her purple coat, ruffling the countless tiny hairs. It was an odd sensation, to be so trapped ... but so comfortable at the same time.

“Don't worry.” Sunset Shimmer said. “I planned for this. It'll take me a few minutes to get you out, though. Try not to get too ... distracted in the meanwhile.”

Twilight blushed, even as she felt an entirely different heat building between her thighs. The tip of a tendril, no thicker than a finger, gently parted Twilight's lower lips, curling and exploring her lust-slicked folds. She gasped again, and the tendril's faint humming grew stronger. She closed her eyes, but it didn't help. Twilight knew Sunset was still there, watching her naked body get ravished by the so-called 'security measures.'

And the worst part was, Twilight knew, deep down, she enjoyed it.

Perhaps sensing Twilight's lustful thoughts, the snare pushed another magical vine into Twilight's pussy, and then a third. The three of them twined together, forming into a decidedly phallic shape. Thick and warm, it began to work its way in and out of Twilight's sodden pussy, slowly but thoroughly fucking her in midair. “A-a-any time now, Sunset!” Twilight managed, clinging desperately to thoughts of their mission.

“Just hang on a little longer.” Sunset took a bit of chalk from her bag and began to sketch quick glyphs onto the tiled floor. “Now that I know what we're dealing with, it'll be easy to get you out if we're not--”

Hoofsteps echoed from the hall.

“Interrupted. Damn.” Sunset Shimmer grit her teeth. “Okay, new plan.”

“New plan?” Twilight's voice cracked.

“Just hang on, I'll be back.” Sunset nodded resolutely, and disappeared behind a row of bookshelves.

“You'll be-- what? Sunset? Sunset!?” Twilight struggled anew in her bonds, craning her head to follow Sunset's departure. The sudden movement triggered the trap again, prompting one of the thicker tendrils to push itself into her muzzle. At the same time, the phallus in her pussy pushed in even deeper, sending a thrill through her whole body. Twilight's moans echoed from the vault's walls-- and yet, in ther lust, some part of her was still able to briefly marvel over the fact that the magic sex toy stuck in her mouth tasted faintly of vanilla.

Trapped, Twilight couldn't (and didn't want to) do anything but moan and shudder as she got fucked. More thin strands of magical energy explored her body, curling around her nipples, flicking over her clit, seeking out any means of bombarding her, overwhelming her with sensation. She came. Hard. Repeatedly.

Until it stopped.

The bindings slowly lowered Twilight to the floor, leaving her sprawled out on her back. The toy in her muzzle slithered away, allowing Twilight to gasp for much-needed breath. Bit by bit, Twilight's senses returned to her-- just in time for the approaching footsteps that made Sunset Shimmer flee got closer and closer. Twilight curiously, dazedly turned towards the source of the noise, and found herself looking up at a goddess.

She was a study in contrasts. Her pale white coat was complimented by a riotous, multicolored mane and tail. Her unmistakably feminine form (complete with a literally divine set of tits) still radiated power, and lots of it. She carried herself with a natural air of authority, but her eyes were still soft and compassionate. Her golden bracers and gorget were obvious symbols of wealth and rank ... but Twilight's eyes were drawn more to the neat line of her sex between her legs.

She at least blamed that last part on her perspective from the floor, even if the sight of an authority figure's private parts somehow made her seem more human. Pony-human. Whatever. Twilight blinked a few times, and, for lack of any better ideas, said the first thing that came to mind.

“Principal Celestia really got the short end of the stick.”

“Pardon?” Princess Celestia tilted her head to the side.

“Principal Celestia! She's, uh, just a principal. Of a school. In comparison, you're ... uh. Wow. But, um, I've never seen Principal Celestia naked, so maybe it's not a fair comparison?” Twilight babbled on, nervous and more than a little fuck-drunk from the lascivious trap's attention. “Not that I want to see her naked. That'd be inappropriate. Unless, uh, of course, we waited until after graduation. And even then it would only be for purely scientific reasons. Honest.” Twilight bit her lower lip, and looked into Princess Celestia's eyes as the royal goddess bent over her. “Please don't put me in magic jail?”

“You really are Twilight. Or a Twilight.” Celestia smiled wanly, and lowered herself to a graceful kneel beside the magical circle that still kept Twilight bound to the floor.

“So you know what's going on?” Twilight said, hopeful.

“I wouldn't go that far.” Celestia sighed. “I like to think the best of ponies, Twilight. But do you know how bad this looks? In the short time you've come to our dimension, you nearly ruined an important magical ritual, you've become an accomplice to a wanted criminal, and now you tried to break into the secure wing of the Imperial Canterlot Library. Which is why the bonds stay on for now.”

“I can explain!” Twilight said. She tried sitting up, but her magical bonds kept her in place. “This is all just a big misunderstanding! I was just trying to be Sunset's friend, when I kind of sort of accidentally helped her break out of jail. But that's okay, because I'm going to be a good influence and keep her from taking over the world or anything.”

“A good influence.” Princess Celestia said, deadpan.

“It's been a little harder than I thought. But I'm trying! And that's the important thing, isn't it? Sunset isn' really evil, she's just ... misguided! I know, because that's what Sunset's like in my dimension. Or, uh, the Sunset I know because she's actually from a third dimension and it gets kind of complicated.”

“So where is she right now?” Celestia smiled. “Your Sunset, that is.”

“Right here.” Sunset Shimmer stepped out from behind a row of shelves. She carried a heavy tome with her, and the glowing red energy emanating from its pages gave her a demonic look. Before Celestia could rise, Sunset made a swift gesture with her free hand, and the air crackled with magical energy.

Twilight winced at the sudden burst of light, and instinctively brought her hands up to shield her eyes. By the time the sparkles in the air faded away, Twilight realized her bonds were gone, and sprang up to her hooves. “Sunset! What did you do?”

“Look.” Sunset said, and licked her lips.

Twilight turned, and gasped at the sight. Princess Celestia was still on her knees, but now with bands of glowing magical energy entwined around her body, holding her in place. Her legs were parted, and her back was arched, as if she were offering herself for further inspection. Twilight held a hand up to her mouth and watched as a thick tendril of magic rose from the floor and eased itself into Celestia's perfect pussy. The princess moaned as she was penetrated, and gave a shudder which set her generous, pink-capped tits to shaking.

“It's very hard to break out of a recursive gravity snare. But, with the right spells, it's much, much easier to redirect one to a new target.” Sunset Shimmer breathed in deeper, and eagerly watched Princess Celestia writhe against her bonds. A second magic phallus snaked between Celestia's breasts, and pushed its way into her mouth.

“Sunset, you've got to let her go.” Twilight wrenched her eyes away from the lewd sight in front of her, and looked to the marginally less lewd sight of Sunset Shimmer. The unicorn's nipples were hard and pointing, and Twilight could swear she saw a glimmer of moisture between Sunset's legs. Twilight banished lewd thoughts from her mind, if for just a moment. “Didn't you hear us talking?”

“I did.” Sunset Shimmer sidled up behind Twilight and pressed her warm, naked body against Twilight's back. She rested her chin on the purple pony's shoulder, not taking her eyes away from Celestia, bound and pleasured. “You did a great job distracting her.”

“I wasn't distracting her, I was telling the truth!” Twilight wriggled free of Sunset's arms and wheeled around to point an accusatory finger at the redhead. “You had the perfect chance to make things better, but then you did ... this!”

Twilight pointed at Celestia again-- just in time to see a third strand of magic rise up behind the sun-goddess. It soon disappeared beneath the base of Celestia's tail, and her eyes went wide in surprise a moment before closing in satisfied bliss.

“Princess Celestia's into butt stuff. Who knew?” Sunset murmured.

“I ... you ... she ... argh!” Twilight facepalmed in frustration. “This is exactly the kind of short-sighted, impulsive, frankly stupid behavior that gets you into trouble! I had a perfect chance to make everything better for the both of us, and you had to go and fuck it all up by ... by fucking Princess Celestia!”

As if on cue, Celestia bucked against her bonds, her whole divine body trembling as an orgasm washed over her.

“You have to admit, that was pretty hot.” Sunset said.

“That's beside the point!” Twilight tried to ignore Celestia's lusty but muffled cries. “Haven't you thought about what happens next? You can't keep Celestia like this forever.”

“Ha! I don't have to.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Once the trap tires her out, it'll be easy to siphon off Princess Celestia's magic. After that, I just need to do a little research on your dimension's etheric positioning relative to ours, and we can send you home.”

“What?”

“It's the easiest way. Maybe even the only way.”

“No it's not! I managed to get here on my own, and I'm not a magic princess!” Twilight paused, and pulled her wings closer to her body. “Or, uh, I wasn't a princess over there.”

“Right. But you never meant to come to this dimension-- it was an accident. We're going to need a lot more magic if we're going to get you to the right dimension, or else you might never get home.”

“No.” Twilight shook her head. “If that's what it takes, I won't do it. I told you, I didn't want to hurt anyone ... and I'm not going to let you hurt anyone, either. This ends here, Sunset.”

“But you told me you just wanted to go home!” Sunset Shimmer's voice cracked. “Can't you see I'm doing this for you?”

“No, you're not.” Twilight pulled in a deep breath. “You still want to prove yourself better than Celestia-- I'm just a good excuse.”

“I thought we were friends!”

“We are friends, Sunset. Or ... I at least want to be. Which is why I'm going to stop you.”

“You may be a princess, but we both know I'm better at magic than you are.” Sunset laughed, mirthless. “I could hex circles around you before you could even blink. How do you expect to stop me?”

“Like this.” Twilight said, and hugged Sunset.

For once, there was nothing sexual in the embrace, despite the press of one body to another. Sunset tensed under Twilight's arms-- but a moment later, she relaxed, shoulders slumping. She let the spellbook drop to the floor with a heavy thud, and the crackling air of magic around her faded away. “I ... I'm sorry.” Sunset murmured, tears beginning to well up at the corners of her eyes.

“Well done.” Princess Celestia said. “If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it was this dimension's Twilight standing in front of me.”

“Principal Celestia!” Twilight blurted, and spun around. “I mean, Princess Celestia! How did you ... “

“Get free?” Even with her hair mussed, and a sticky mess between her thighs, Celestia still looked regal as she stood beside Twilight and Sunset. “I designed the trap personally-- complete with an emergency failsafe.”

“So you could have gotten out at any time?” Twilight stared. “Then why did you ... “

“I wanted to see just what you two were up to. Not to mention the fact that a recursive gravity snare can be quite a refreshing change of pace from time to time.” Celestia's lips turned up in a wry smile.

“You win.” Sunset Shimmer slumped into Twilight's arms, and hid her face in Twilight's shoulder. “Again.”

“We were never in competition, Sunset.” Princess Celestia said.

“I know-- because you're so far out of my league, after thousands of years of study and practice.”

“No. It's because there never was a competition, Sunset.” Celestia reached out and touched Sunset's shoulder. “If anything, I failed you, by driving you away. You're one of the most talented sorceresses I know, even if you sometimes can go on ... tangents.”

“But what about everything I've done?” Sunset sniffled. “I was about to--”

“You didn't. Thanks to Twilight. Which is how I know the both of you are good ponies.” Celestia smiled warmly. “You've just made a few ... mistakes, that's all. But you're already changing for the better, I can tell. Twilight's been a good influence.” She winked, and Twilight couldn't help but giggle.

“So now what?” Sunset wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

“First, we should get cleaned up.” Celestia said, and idly brushed out a few spots in her coat that had been ruffled by the magical tendrils. “Then, we're going to write a letter to this dimension's Twilight Sparkle to let her know exactly what's going on. Then, I imagine Pinkie Pie will want to throw a party-- not that she needs much excuse to do so. After that, we'll get to work.”

“Work?” Twilight blinked.

“To get you home, of course. I've got a few ideas that might help ... “

Chapter 11: In conclusion.

“I've got it!” Twilight stepped away from the chalkboard, and looked over her shoulder at her research partners-- Sunset Shimmer, Princess Celestia, and the mirror-version of herself, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Caught up in her academic enthusiasm, Twilight didn't even stare (for once) at any of the frankly gorgeous women in the lecture hall.

Princess Celestia nodded in approval, and Twilight went back to her equations.

“So,” Twilight said, “according to this, there's a temporal aspect to the dimensional shifts.”

“That's right.” Princess Twilight said. “Our timeline is a little further along than yours, by a factor of several years.”

“Right! Which is why I'm eighteen years old in my dimension, only to be more, uh ... developed over here.” Twilight blushed a little and cleared her throat.

“I'll say.” Sunset Shimmer said with something more than academic interest.

“Anyway!” Twilight spun around, turning her attention back to the chalkboard before she could get too distracted. She drew two parallel lines on the board, labeling one 'H' and the next 'P.' “It's kind of like your timeframe in this dimension, on the P-Line (the P is for Pony) is slightly ahead of mine, on the H (for human) line. But time moves slower along the H-Line, though I haven't calculated the exact time difference as of yet. Which, depending on the rate, may mean that nobody back home has even noticed I'm gone yet.” Twilight trailed off.

“Which also means you may be able to return to your dimension without anyone noticing you've left.” Princess Celestia said.

“Or, I could be getting everything completely wrong.” Twilight ran her fingers through her hair. “I mean, what my calculations are off and a year passes back in my dimension for every minute that passes here? What if I try to go home only to find out that everyone I ever knew forgot about me years ago? Or worse? There's precedent for that kind of time-distortion in folklore ... oh god, I'd be Twilight Van Winkle!”

“So that's what I look like when I freak out. Huh.” Princess Twilight rubbed at her chin.

“Relax.” Sunset Shimmer laid a warm, comforting hand on Twilight's shoulder. “Your figures are sound. At least, from what I can see, they are. The time distortion should work in your favor. But--”

“But?” Twilight turned, and found herself looking into Sunset's frankly lovely eyes.

“That's not the main problem. Look—” Sunset Shimmer took up chalk and started sketching more equations out on the chalkboard. Twilight watched, fascinated by the curve of Sunset's bare shoulder and the look of concentration on her face. Twilight bit her lower lip and started breathing a little more deeply. It was better than a centerfold pinup, Twilight mused to herself. After all, anyone could just lay on the hood of a car, but Sunset was being productive. Brilliant, even, to judge by the arcane glyphs and figures she drew on the chalkboard.

“... and that's the problem.” Sunset said, circling one number for emphasis.

“W-what?” Twilight shook herself out of her smitten daze, and forced a smile, hoping Sunset didn't notice.

“C'mon Twilight, keep up.” Sunset winked playfully at Twilight, and then looked back at the board. “But, basically, when you came here, your dimensional imaging pattern took the form of this dimension's Twilight Sparkle. Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Sunset Shimmer looked over her shoulder at the other purple unicorn, who just arched a wry eyebrow.

“And?”

“And, that's why your body is a reservoir for magic-- which is why things got a little out of control at the Maypole Festival you told me about.”

“Oh. Right. That.” Twilight scratched at the back of her neck, embarrassed (or, at least more embarrassed, given the whole 'hanging out in the naked dimension' thing).

“The problem is, you've already absorbed too much magic. It's like a balloon, almost. When it's uninflated, you can slip it under a door, but once you blow it up ... well, it's kind of stuck. Until we figure out a way to get rid of all that extra magical energy without causing any explosions--”

“I'm not going anywhere.” Twilight's wings drooped.

“Perhaps I can help.” Princess Celestia stood with intimidating, otherworldly grace, and crossed to the chalkboard. She leaned over Twilight's shoulders to get another piece of chalk (which 'accidentally' pushed the tall princess' ample breasts against Twilight's body for a delightful moment) and then made a few figures of her own. “In fact, Sunset, I believe you came up with a couple theories of your own on magic transference, didn't you? Most of your work was on a more ... permanent level, but wouldn't it be easier if we tried something more temporary?”

Sunset snapped her fingers. “You're right! We just need to draw off enough magic for Twilight to get home. On top of that, it's much safer to siphon that magic into an object, rather than a pony. The question is ... what?” Sunset Shimmer started rummaging through the desk at the front of the lecture hall, finally pulling out a length of white ribbon that had wound up amongst the drawer-detritus.

“Perfect!” Sunlight held the ribbon in one hand, and made complicated, arcane gestures with the fingers of the other. Sunset's fingertips began to glow, the light materializing into a line of magical equation-runes that lingered in the air for a few moments before shrinking down and laying themselves across the length of the ribbon. “That's it! Don't worry, I remembered to carry the one this time.” She winked at Twilight.

Twilight reached out and gingerly took up the ribbon, rubbing the soft fabric between her fingers. “So what do I, uh ... do with it?”

“Here.” Sunset Shimmer plucked the ribbon from Twilight's hand and reached up, tying it loosely around Twilight's neck. “That's it! It's already primed and ready to go. Though the process will go faster if you, uh ... exert yourself.”

“Exert myself?” Twilight touched the ribbon. “Do you mean--”

“The endorphins and hormones released by sexual activity directly stimulate the magic-using portions of a pony's brain-- it's the foundation of several tantric schools of arcane study.” Princess Twilight smiled, blushed, and lectured all at the same time. “Basically, sex is magic.”

“Oh.” Twilight bit at the inside of her cheek. Again, she swept her gaze around the room, taking in the sight of the beautiful women surrounding her. Sunset Shimmer, with her centerfold-worthy physique-- Princess Celestia, tall and statuesque – and Princess Twilight, who was like looking into some sort of idealized mirror.

“I've already reserved a private room for you, Twilight.” Celestia said, nodding. “You can take things at your own pace. I understand things are more ... reserved, in your dimension.”

“Simple masturbation would suffice.” Princess Twilight gave a sheepish smile. “But, ah, involving someone else will make the process faster, due to the intersection of your personal auras-- and, uh, just so you know, the more people you have to ... help, it increases your rate of magic dispersal. Exponentially.”

Twilight's cheeks burned hot, even as she felt a cool shiver roll over the rest of her naked body. “So you're saying ... the more people I have sex with, the sooner I get home?”

“In the vernacular, yes.” Princess Twilight said.

“Oh.” Twilight twined her fingers together. “Well, um. None of you have to, if you don't want to--”

“Twilight.” Princess Celestia stepped up behind Twilight, and slid a strong but gentle hand around her waist. She tugged her close against her body, and Twilight sighed as she felt her shoulders press into Celestia's pillowy breasts. “You have more friends here than you know. And we're all going to help you ... if you want.” Celestia's began to nibble at the very tip of Twilight's ear, sending delightful sensations racing through her body.

“Ah!” Twilight squealed. “I want!” She blurted, and then covered her mouth, wide-eyed at the outburst. “I mean, um. I ... appreciate any help any of you would like to give me. You know. For science?” She offered.

“For science.” Princess Celestia said, deadpan, and effortlessly scooped Twilight up like a groom carrying his bride across the threshold. She kissed Twilight on the ear again, and then swept out of the lecture hall. Two more sets of hoofsteps clacked on the tiled floor behind her as Princess Celestia carried Twilight through the halls of Canterlot. “I had hoped you'd say something like that, which is why I had Twilight-- er, Princess Twilight, extend a few invitations ... “

Princess Celestia's horn glowed, and a pair of tall doors opened up in front of her, revealing a room that seemed to be ninety percent canopy bed. Twilight blushed as she saw the five young women arrayed out on the apartment-sized bed. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all waited, watching with eager, expectant expressions.

“About time you guys got done doing your egghead stuff!”

“Wait!” Pinkie Pie blurted. “Which Twilight are you?”

“Um. The one from another dimension?” Twilight offered.

“Neat!” Pinkie Pie clapped -her hands and bounced in anticipation, setting her generous chest to wobbling. “I never got the chance to apologize for freaking you out earlier! I mean, I just wanted to throw you a party and what's a party without an orgy but I didn't know that would freak you out so much so this time just let me know if you start getting uncomfortable so that way everyone has a good time!” Pinkie Pie's blue eyes went a little wider as she looked up at Twilight, simultaneously adorable and lusty.

“It's okay, Pinkie.” Twilight Sparkle said as Celestia gently set her down onto the bed. “Just ... be gentle, okay? I'm, uh, still getting used to this sort of-- OOF!” Twilight toppled over as Pinkie Pie pulled her into a tight, bosomy hug. Twilight let out a muffled squeak as her field of vision was suddenly enveloped by a sea of pink. A moment later, she blinked as Pinkie's warm, welcoming chest suddenly disappeared.

“Watch it, Pinkie!” Applejack said. She caught the pink pony in a full nelson hold, and dragged her off of Twilight. “You're gonna smother the poor gal!”

“There are worse ways to go!” Pinkie Pie said with a giggle. She twisted bonelessly out of Applejack's grip, and then pounced on the cowgirl. The two of them toppled over in a flailing of long limbs. Within moments, Pinkie had her lips clamped around one of Applejack's nipples, and the cowgirl let out a low, lusty moan.

“Mmm.” Rarity scooted up next to Twilight. “You'll have to forgive Pinkie, darling. She's always been ... enthusiastic. Not that I blame her, of course.” Rarity nearly purred as she reached up to primp one of her meticulously curled locks. She arced her back a little, presenting herself for Twilight's benefit. In contrast to her nudist friends, Rarity had outfitted herself in long, navy blue stockings, along with matching, fingerless opera gloves. The tight silk only accentuated the gentle curves of Rarity's limbs, drawing the eye up the length of a perfectly formed leg, all the way to the tight folds between her legs.

“It's alright to stare.” Rarity cooed, and spread her thighs wider. “That's what I made the outfit for, after all.”

“Less talking, more fucking!” Rainbow Dash said, settling in behind Twilight.

“There's nothing wrong with taking one's time, Rainbow.” Rarity huffed.

“Pssh, whatever. Life's too short to just sit around looking pretty.” She leaned against Twilight's back, and nipped her gently on the side of the neck. Twilight gasped, feeling herself grow even hotter between the legs.

“Besides.” Rainbow Dash worked her way lower, and ran her fingers through Twilight's wing-feathers. The sensation was odd, alien ... but all the more exciting for it. “I've been wanting to get my hands on Twilight's plumage ever since I saw her.”

“She's identical to our Twilight, you know.” Rarity nodded over to where Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia had curled up together on one side of the enormous bed, gently petting at each other as they watched the goings on.

“Which means she's super hot!” Rainbow Dash said, and planted a kiss on Twilight's spine, right between her wings. “It's a pegasus thing, Rarity. You wouldn't understand.”

“Yes, yes, you and your wing fetish.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “But, I shall be the better-- or at least the more patient pony, and let you have your fun.”

“Sweet.” Rainbow Dash said, and buried her muzzle into Twilight's plumage.

“Um. Maybe we could ... compromise?” Twilight managed between breathy gasps. “I mean, there's ... plenty of me to go around.” She scooted closer to Rarity, and blushed. “I can't believe I just said that.”

“You're popular, dear.” Rarity tickled a fingertip beneath Twilight's chin, and then leaned in for a fleeting, gentle kiss. “And justifiably so, I might add.”

“Thank you—OOOh!” Twilight trailed off into a moan as Rarity ducked her head down to start suckling gently upon one of her nipples. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash continued her eager exploration of Twilight's wings, taking care to kiss and worship each individual feather. Twilight gasped again, bracing her hands on the soft bedding for support. As her pussy grew hotter and hotter, Twilight felt the ribbon around her neck do the same-- already hard at work absorbing her lustful energy.

Rarity moved her head lower and touched Twilight's sodden folds with the same care she took with each and every one of her sewing projects. Worked up as she was, the barest strokes of the unicorn's lips and fingers were enough to push Twilight over the edge. She clenched her fingers in the sheets, and a rush of pleasure surged through every nerve in her body, setting her skin to tingling before the feeling subsided, and the ribbon around her throat pulsed faintly, as if it had its own heartbeat.

“One down?” Twilight managed through ecstasy-gritted teeth. Rarity made a smug, contented little sound, and went back to 'work.'

With Rarity's face buried between her thighs, Twilight could look over the unicorn's head to survey the rest of the bed. Applejack still lay helpless on her back, though Pinkie had moved down between Applejack's strong thighs, where she sucked eagerly on the cowgirl's sex, making lewd little slurping noises the whole time. Applejack's moans were muffled, however, as Fluttershy had moved to straddle her face in turn. Her slim, willowy body slowly writhed atop Applejack's face. Fluttershy's hair hung down over her chest, framing her perky, upturned tits.

The pink haired pony-woman looked up, meeting Twilight's gaze. “Oh.” She said in a voice entirely too delicate for someone in such a situation. “I'm sorry, Twilight. Applejack was just there and I couldn't help myself.”

Applejack made a contented little moan.

“I don't think she could, either.” Fluttershy said, and parted her lips in a silent gasp as Applejack touched some particularly sensitive spot with her lips.

“That's a-alright.” Twilight managed a smile between her own little gasps of pleasure. She relaxed, allowing Rarity and Rainbow Dash to explore and tease her as they saw fit. Twilight looked past the Pinkie/Applejack/Fluttershy trio, over to where Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia lounged on a pile of pillows, gently caressing each other as they gazed into each others eyes. Twilight almost made a 'hot for teacher' joke, but a well-timed kiss between her wings made her moan quietly instead. Twilight closed her eyes in pleasure, moaned again, and opened her eyes once more-- only to come to a realization. Someone was missing.

“Uh, guys?” Twilight looked over her shoulder at Rainbow Dash, and then down at Rarity. “Would you mind, um, holding on a minute?”

“Mmm?” Rarity looked up from Twilight's lap, and immediately pulled back. “Oh! Of course! I'm so, so sorry-- I didn't mean to take things too fast. You must be overwhelmed. I tend to have that effect on people sometimes. I must have gotten carried away in my enthusiasm-- please, please forgive me?” Rarity's eyes began to water. “You must think I'm an absolute lech!”

“No, no- that's not it! This is really nice, but ... where did Sunset go?”

“Who cares?” Rainbow Dash rested her chin on Twilight's shoulder and reached both hands around to squeeze at her tits. “She probably just went to get a drink or something.”

“Hopefully?” Twilight said. She planted her hands on the bed and pushed herself away-- Rainbow Dash made a few squeaks of protest, but let her go. “In fact, that sounds like a good idea. I'm just going to get some water-- the rest of you, um ... enjoy yourselves. I'll be right back!” Before anypony else could protest, Twilight bounded to her hooved feet and slipped out of the room as unobtrusively as she could.

It didn't take her long to find Sunset-- the unicorn sat on the floor, just around the corner from the bedchamber. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, and her red hair hung down around her face like a curtain.

“Oh no.” Twilight crouched down beside Sunset, and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Sunset huffed, and pushed her hair back. “I mean ... why wouldn't I be? I did what I came here to do-- helped you figure out a way to get home. Even if Princess Celestia was a step ahead of me.” She sighed.

“It's not a competition.” Twilight said. “Heck, life isn't a competition. Especially here. I mean ... once you get past the hooves and tails and stuff, you've ... kind of got a utopia here. No traffic, no pollution, everyone lives in big magical castles ... and, y'know, there's the free love thing.” Twilight blushed, still worked up from the attention she'd received moments earlier.

“Then why leave?” Sunset looked up, tears welling in her eyes.

“You already know why.” Twilight said. “As nice as things are here ... I just don't belong here. I've got friends, family back home. If I just disappeared ... “ she sighed, closing her eyes.

“You're right.” Sunset sniffed, and rubbed at her eyes. “It's just ... when I saw you get mobbed by all your friends--”

“You got jealous.”

“Actually, no. Watching all your friends getting ready to fuck you was super hot.” Sunset's lips turned up in a sardonic smile. “But ... then I realized, the more they did, the sooner the only friend I've ever had would be gone. Stupid, isn't it?”

“It's not stupid.” Twilight said, resolute. “I mean, I used to be like you. Alone. Isolated. And like I told you before, my friends helped me through it. Just, uh, with less sex. No sex, actually. But that's beside the point.” She took Sunset's hands in hers and stood, tugging the redhead up with her. “The important part is, even if I go ... there are still plenty of ponies-- er, people, whatever –who will be more than happy to be your friend.” Twilight nodded, and squeezed Sunset's hands. “In fact ... I've got an idea. C'mon.”

Heart already beating faster in anticipation, Twilight led Sunset back to the conspicuously large bedchamber. At the creaking of the door, the seven women sprawled out on the bed looked up,curious and eager.

“Hey guys.” Twilight tried (and failed) to make herself sound anything but awkward. “Since, um, all of ... this is for me, can I make a little request?”

“Of course!” Pinkie Pie said. “Whatever you want! Just lemme know which end of the leash you wanna be on!” Pinkie's tail flagged high in the air as she started rummaging around beneath the bed. She pulled one 'toy' after another from some hidden stash, ranging from simple ropes and restraints to gently curved oblong devices that Twilight whose purpose Twilight could discern in theory, if not actual application.

“That's not what I had in mind, Pinkie.” Twilight cleared her throat. “I ... I know all of you have known each other for a long time, and I know you've all been wanting to get your hands on me since I got here, but ... I just wanted to make sure Sunset Shimmer wasn't left out.” She turned towards the redheaded unicorn, and smiled. “If it weren't for her help, I don't know what I'd do. So, um. I want you guys to treat her just like you'd treat me. Both in and out of bed.”

Princess Celestia just smiled, while the other six ponies nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

Sunset Shimmer found herself smiling, and leaned against Twilight's side to plant a kiss on the side of her muzzle. “Thank you, Twilight. Honestly, you've been the one to help me. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be in a jail cell by now.”

“So ... I'm guessing that's a 'no' on the cuffs?” Pinkie Pie tossed a contraption of chain and fake fur over her shoulder, and it clattered loudly on the floor behind her.

Sunset Shimmer licked her lips and prowled towards the bed. “I didn't say that.”

Twilight knew she wasn't in peak physical condition (especially compared to athletes like Rainbow Dash or even Applejack), but she liked to think she was in at least halfway decent shape. Even still, by the time two or three hours had passed, Twilight was utterly, completely, undoubtedly exhausted. Then again, so were the rest of her friends, most of them splayed out in varying states of consciousness.

Pinkie Pie snored.

Sweaty and satisfied, Twilight could do little but lay atop the cuddle pile and stare up at the ceiling. Fatigue held her legs in place as surely as any of Pinkie's bedroom accessories would have. The ribbon around her throat remained warm-- comfortably so, providing a little bit of relief to the muscles at the back of her neck (which, like the rest of her, had gotten a very thorough workout). Finally, Twilight turned her head to look across the room, noting her horned, muzzled reflection in the mirror. She drew in a deep breath, and sighed.

“It's time.” Twilight said, and gently crawled off the bed, taking care not to disturb her friends too much. Even still, they blinked their bleary eyes and sat up, watching her go.

Sunset Shimmer was the first to speak. “So this is goodbye, huh?”

“I ... yes.” Twilight planted her hooves on the floor, and managed to stand up (even if her knees were rather shaky). “All good things, you know?”

“I know. But ... you'll come and visit, won't you?”

“I'll try. It might be awhile, though-- I still have to figure out the relative time difference, not to mention a slightly less-explodey means of traveling back and forth between dimensions. But once I do get it figured out ... it'd be the kind of discovery I'd get a Nobel Prize for! So long as they didn't think I was crazy on account of all the pony people.”

“What's a Nobel Prize?” Sunset Shimmer tilted her head to the side, confused.

“Just another reason I need to get home, I guess?” Twilight laughed, and kissed Sunset on the muzzle. “Thank you, though. Thank all of you. Even though your dimension is pretty ... intimidating, I've learned a lot.”

“Aaaw, that's so sweet. Group hug!” Pinkie Pie lunged across the bed and wrapped her arms around Sunset and Twilight both. The other girls laughed, and moved to join in-- even Princess Celestia was happy to wrap her warm, feathery wings around the oddball group. Of course, with so much bare skin pressed together, a few hands began to roam as if under their own accord, threatening to start another marathon session of lovemaking. Twilight fought off the temptation, and brushed those anonymous hands from her rump as she stepped away.

“Thank you all for your, um ... hospitality.” Twilight marveled at her capacity to retain a blush even in her thoroughly-fucked-out state. “But like I said, I need to go.”

“I understand.” Princess Celestia said. “Which is why I already inscribed the improved rune-equations onto that mirror.” She made an airy gesture towards a full-length mirror at the edge of the room.

“Wait, when did you do that?” Sunset Shimmer blinked.

“While the rest of you were ... distracted.” Princess Celestia winked.

“I helped!” Princess Twilight chimed in.

“So that's it.” Twilight said, and touched the ribbon around her neck. She walked towards the mirror-- sizing herself up for what might be the last time. In that body, at least. Her hair was disheveled, and her purple coat was ruffled in a dozen places (though particularly around the knees). Her nipples tensed in the suddenly cooler air, and the swollen, sticky lips of her sex testified to the last few hours' activity.

Twilight closed her eyes, and reached out towards the magical mirror-- as soon as she did, the ribbon around her neck burned even hotter before crumbling to magical ash, floating in the air around her.

That's when the world exploded.

But only a little bit, this time.

Twilight woke in her own bed. She could tell from the constellation pattern on the sheets.

It took her a few moments to register this, but she soon let out a giddy, victorious laugh. She sat bolt upright, and looked around-- sure enough, the room was a little cramped, a little cluttered, a far cry from the palatial chambers she'd never quite gotten used to.

She was home.

Twilight sprang out of bed, only to nearly trip over the floppy cuffs of her pajama bottoms. Twilight grabbed hold of her bedpost to steady herself, and looked down, only to start laughing even harder. “Pants!” She cried in glee, even though the soft fabric felt a little alien after so long-- “Wait, how long?” Twilight said to herself, and immediately scrambled for her phone at its place on the nightstand. She fumbled the button with trembling fingers-- and then blinked. According to the clock on her phone (which she verified by the time on her laptop, and after that a quick trip to the Atomic Clock's web portal), she'd only been gone from this dimension for a few hours. Twilight scribbled a few notes down on the matter, and reminded herself to add that data to her equations later.

This done, Twilight opted to perform one final check-- she slipped out of her pajamas and stood nude before her mirror. Gone was the statuesque pony-princess-- no horn, no hooves, no wings. Instead, she was just another slim, almost gawky eighteen year old girl. Twilight turned around, looking her rump over in the mirror to make sure she didn't have any kind of vestigial tail to worry about.

And then Sunset Shimmer walked in.

“Whoa!” Sunset blushed, and held a hand up in front of her eyes. “Sorry! Sorry! I should have knocked!”

“Sunset!” Twilight blurted, and could only stare at her friend-- her human friend, in her typical jeans and leather jacket. “Which one are you?”

“Which-- what?” Sunset Shimmer said. “Twilight, are you feeling okay?”

“I'm fine!” Twilight said, perhaps a little too quickly. “It's just, um. I miiiiight have taken an accidental trip to another dimension. Not your dimension, but a ... different one. It's complicated.”

“And ... that's why you're naked?” Sunset Shimmer kept her eyes pointed at anything but Twilight.

“Oh! Um. Kind of?” Twilight blushed, realizing she hadn't even tried to cover herself. She cleared her throat, and then pulled her pajama top back on, the baggy garment enough to keep her marginally decent. “Like I said, it's ... complicated. Didn't mean to, uh, flash you.”

“No, it's alright. I should've knocked. It's just when you didn't answer your phone, I got a little worried, and I just sort of barged in.”

“Hey, what's a little gratuitous nudity between friends?” Twilight sat down on the side of her bed. “Besides, I thought ponies didn't normally wear clothes from where you're from?”

“Right, but I've picked up a lot of human mannerisms along the way. Helps me fit in.”

“Oh, gotcha. I guess I may have picked up a couple of mannerisms from my dimension trip, too.”

“Yeah?” Sunset Shimmer relaxed a bit, and flopped down into Twilight's computer chair. “Sounds exciting.”

“You don't know the half of it.” Twilight grinned, and leaned forward. “As best I can figure, it was ... kind of like a halfway point between your dimension and this one. Like, everyone was a pony-- but they had hands and stood on their rear legs. And there was magic! And that's all before you get into the, um ... cultural differences.”

“Cultural differences?”

Twilight blinked, realizing she'd already said too much. She blushed, and her lips curled up in a guilty, knowing grin. Finally, Twilight just leaned forward and put her hands on her bare knees.

“Let me ask you, Sunset ... have you ever thought that Principal Celestia is kind of hot?”

Chapter 1: Featuring dimension hopping, magical explosions, slight TF, and gratuitous nudity.

Author's Note

All of these are fictional characters, and ones above the age of 18, at that. Consent is sexy, people.

Chapter 1: Featuring dimension hopping, magical explosions, slight TF, and gratuitous nudity.

“Huh. That's interesting.” Twilight Sparkle said. She squinted at the rows upon rows of equations she'd written down, and pushed her glasses further up her nose. She flipped her pen around in her hand, and used the end of it to follow the arcane mathematical symbols as she checked her work.

As she went on, her heart began to beat faster and faster as she realized what she was looking at.

“It's not just the statue at Canterlot High.” She said aloud, and let out a giddy (nearly mad) laugh of discovery. Clutching her notebook, she rushed over to the full-length mirror affixed to the back of her bedroom door. “Any reflective surface can be used as a dimensional gateway, as long as it's properly positioned and calibrated. I should have known!”

Twilight grabbed a dry erase marker from her desk, and immediately set about copying the equations from her notebook onto the edge of the mirror itself. Engrossed in her work, Twilight didn't notice how the symbols she scribbled onto the reflective surface began to faintly ripple as soon as she wrote them. “It's just a matter of attuning this mirror to the resonance frequency of the pony dimension, and … there!”

Twilight scrawled down the last runic equation, and smiled proudly at her handiwork.

That's when the world exploded.

It all hit her at once: enough sound to deafen, enough light to blind, enough force to wrench every atom of Twilight's body apart, and then mash them back together again.

And then, darkness.

Slowly, Twilight felt feeling return to her body. Her head throbbed with the world's worst hangover (not that she'd ever touched alcohol before) and she let out a pained groan.

Faintly, Twilight reminded herself that pain was a good sign-- a sign that she was still alive. Either that, or she'd died and a wince-inducing migraine was to be her punishment for all eternity. Beat fire and pitchforks, at least.

Then again, most hells probably wouldn't have dumped Twilight face-down on a plush, satin-sheeted bed, either. She rolled to her back-- and let out a little mutter of pain as she felt something jabbing uncomfortably at her shoulder blades. Was she in a hospital? Had she gotten hurt in the magical explosion?

Twilight forced her eyes open.

She looked up at a silky canopy-- the sort of bed typically reserved for royal castles instead of hospital rooms. It certainly was a far cry from her cluttered and bookshelf-crammed bedroom at home. Twilight planted her palms against the soft sheets and sat up-- sure enough, she was looking at a lushly appointed bedchamber. Hardwood furnishings, finely woven tapestries, and polished marble along the floor. A wide window led out to a wider balcony, and sunlight streamed through with the promise of a gorgeous day.

“I've done it!” Twilight blurted, giddy. “I've traveled to the pony planet!” She paused, and looked around, making sure nobody was around to hear her error. “Pony dimension, rather.” She cleared her throat, and then scooted off of the empress-sized bed. Her hooves clicked softly against the tiled floor.

Twilight blinked. Hooves?

As she looked down, she came to several important realizations.

One: somehow, the process of dimensional travel had changed her.

Two: she was stark naked.

Twilight felt a warm blush rise in her cheeks-- only to shiver a little as a cool breeze wafted in from the balcony window, ruffling her hair and tail.

Tail?

Twilight twisted around, and, sure enough, there was a luxuriant length of purple-tressed tail jutting out from just above her rump. Scientific curiosity took precedent over embarrassment, and Twilight rushed over to a mirror so she could investigate herself.

“Okay, this is weird.” Twilight stared at her reflection. It felt weird to even refer to it as “her” reflection … as once she got past the hairstyle and the general coloration, the being looking back from the other side of the mirror wasn't anything she was expecting.

Wide-eyed, Twilight leaned towards her reflection, and moved her hands over her own face. Leaf-shaped ears poked out of her purple hair, along with a unicorn's horn at her forehead. She poked the surprisingly solid appendage, and congratulated herself for not making any “I'm horny” jokes. She ran her fingers down over her face, experimentally feeling the soft purple muzzle.

Twilight stepped back, and looked over herself as a whole. Bipedal. Four fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand. A fine coat of purple hair covered her from ear to toe (ear to hoof?) though she still had the purple hair on her head and tail … and, Twilight noted with some slight embarrassment, between her legs.

“But … the other Twilight said she walked on four hooves.” Twilight held a purple hand up before her eyes and wiggled the fingers experimentally. “So … it stands to reason I've found a third dimension. Kind of … halfway between, I guess?”

Twilight turned around, looking over her shoulder at the mirror to size herself up. Sure enough, there was the tail-- and wings. They were folded neatly on her back, but with a slow stretch, Twilight realized she could move them just as naturally as any other part of her body. She gave them a slow flap, feeling the odd, but not unpleasant feel of wind through her feathers. Briefly, Twilight considered seeing how flightworthy this new body really was, but decided against it. The last thing she needed was to accidentally break her neck after discovering a new dimension.

There was some kind of mark on her butt, too. Each cheek had a familiar, geometric starbust design on it. A tattoo? Twilight ran her fingers over the edges of the design, curious. In her examination, she couldn't help but notice said butt was a bit more … full than she'd had back home. She turned around again, and noted the same extra curve in her chest. Twilight bit her lower lip as she sized herself up-- not only was she half-pony in this dimension, but she was also stacked. A lot different from the skinny, not-yet-entirely-filled-out eighteen year old she was used to being. Twilight cupped her breasts, experimentally, and then shivered as her fingers accidentally brushed over her dark-purple nipples.

“Ooookay.” Twilight clapped her hands to her sides. “Similar biology means similar erogenous zones. Lesson learned.”

She shook her head, and decided to investigate the bedroom instead of … herself. Each step sent a little 'click' echoing through the room, as if Twilight were wearing heels. The bedchamber itself had everything one would expect: a writing desk, a door leading to an apartment-sized bathroom, a nightstand with a couple of battered Daring Do paperbacks … and a wardrobe.

“This'll come in handy.” Twilight said, and threw the armoire open-- only to find it surprisingly barren. There were only a handful of hangers, from which dangled a few complicated-looking evening gowns, and then a simple sundress.

Twilight dug around, looking for more clothing (like, say, underwear) but found nothing. “Well, at least I'm not streaking.” She said, and went with the least ostentatious option. The cream colored sundress was cut low in the back, to accommodate her wings … though Twilight couldn't seem to find a place to put her tail. She just let the skirt dangle over the extra appendage … which meant that Twilight's bare bum would be exposed if she lifted her tail by accident. “Better than nothing.“ she mused to herself.

Once she was decent (or at least as decent as she was going to be), Twilight walked out onto the balcony. A fresh spring breeze carried the lovely scents of a blooming forest to her nose-- Twilight breathed deeply, and wondered if her pony-ish anatomy gave her an enhanced sense of smell. She shivered slightly as a draft wafted beneath her skirt, only to clap her hands down on the billowing fabric before she could flash anyone.

Not that there was anyone to flash. She was up in the balcony of some kind of castle, tucked away in a lush, idyllic forest. A valley rolled out ahead of her, and in the distance, she could see a small, but active village of some kind.

“Wow.” Twilight mused. “If only the girls could see this.” And then, another realization struck her. “Wait, they can see this! All I have to do is re-work the equations on another mirror so I can get back home … “ Twilight beamed, and rushed back into the bedroom. “All I need to do is check my notes--” She skidded to a halt a few steps later. “In my notebook. That I don't have. Oh.” She drug her hand over her face. “That's … not a problem. I mean, it only took me a couple of weeks to figure it out, that's all. I mean, I've got pen and paper right here, so that's a start, right? It's not like I'm stuck in an alien dimension in weird body that's probably magical for the rest of my life, right?” The words came faster and faster as she said them-- until Twilight forced herself to breathe and calm down. “Nothing I can't deal with. But first … “ She looked out the window at the sunny spring skies beyond. “A little exploration is in order.”

Twilight didn't find anyone (or would that be anypony?) as she explored the castle. The towering, two-story library tempted her-- but she forced herself to look away, to head out the castle's front door. That could come later-- right now, she needed to get the lay of the land first-hand. (Or would that be first-hoof?).

It was an idyllic late-spring/early summer day, with the sun blazing down merrily from above. Twilight followed a well-worn cobblestone
path out from the front of the castle, leading through a forest as well tended as any private garden.

“Hey Twilight!” said a familiar voice. From above. “I thought you were gonna miss the festival?”

Twilight blinked, and looked around in confusion-- until she saw a small, fluffy white cloud move against the wind 'til it hovered directly above her. A blue muzzle poked from the bottom of the cloud, followed closely by an alien-yet-familiar face, topped with a shock of prism-hued hair.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight held a hand up to her mouth.

“In the flesh!” Rainbow Dash said. With the acrobatic grace of a trapeze artist, she slid out of the cloud and twisted around in mid-air, splaying out her seemingly too-small wings to slow herself into a lazy hover a few feet above Twilight.

The casual violation of at least half a dozen laws of physics would have given Twilight pause alone. However, there was also the matter that Rainbow's burst of 'in the flesh' was entirely too literal, as the pegasus-pony-person was bereft of even a single stitch of clothing. Her body was lean and lithe, though not without just enough softness in both hips and bust to show her as unequivocally female.

Not that there was much equivocating to be done on the subject, given Twilight's point of view.

Cheeks flushing, Twilight looked away.

“Sorry!” She blurted.

“For what?” A light breeze ruffled Twilight's hair as Rainbow landed on the ground in front of her. “You haven't even been gone that long!” She paused for a moment, and peered at Twilight. “Saaaaay, what's the occasion? I didn't forget your birthday, did I? 'cause seriously it hasn't been that long and I know you're not that old!”

Twilight blinked, and looked back at Rainbow. At her eyes, that was.

“Occasion?” Twilight said.

“Oh, c'mon!” Rainbow Dash tugged lightly at the fabric of Twilight's sundress. “We both know you wouldn't get all this dressed up for no reason.”

“Uh.” Twilight looked down at herself, and then back up (only catching a glimpse of Rainbow's nude blue body by accident-- or that's what she told herself). “I … just felt like it?” Twilight said, and then coughed slightly. “But … what about you? Don't you feel a little. Um. Cold?”

“Not in this weather. I should know, since I designed it.” No matter what the subject, and no matter what the dimension, Twilight realized Rainbow's braggadocio remained a universal constant.

“Aren't you afraid of somebody, you know … seeing you?”

“Seeing me?” Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow in confusion. “Do I have something on my face? I've got something on my face, don't I?” She rubbed her hands over her muzzle in search of whatever errant smudges that might have been there.

“No, not that.” Twilight blurted. “It's just that, you're … “

“I'm what?” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms over her smallish, navy-peaked breasts. “Super rad? Totally sweet? Crazy awesome?”

“Naked.” Twilight finally blurted. “Really. Really naked.”

“Well duh! Not all of us are fancy-pantsy princesses who can afford fancy-pantsy dresses for every day of the week! Not that Rarity wouldn't make them for me if I asked, but still. Who's got time for getting all dressed up every day? Not me! I got too much awesome stuff to do!” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings a few times and turned an aerial somersault.

Twilight tried to ignore the new and interesting views she got of Rainbow Dash's anatomy through her acrobatics, instead seizing on one name in particular. “Did you just say Rarity?”

“Uh, yeah.” Rainbow Dash halted in mid-air, and peered at Twilight upside-down.

“Purple hair, fashion designer, friend of ours, Rarity?”

“There's only one of her. That's the 'rare' part.” Rainbow Dash flipped back down to her hooves, and laid her hands on Twilight's shoulders. Twilight jumped a little, feeling a pleasurable jolt sweep through her body at the unexpected physical contact. “Are you feeling alright? You're acting kinda weird.”

“It … it's complicated.” Twilight said. “But … just … humor me. Please?”

“Uh, sure.” Rainbow Dash eyed Twilight warily. “But if you ask me, this isn't very funny.”

“It's not supposed to be.” Twilight shut her eyes, thinking. “Let's … let's just start simple. Let's … let's find Rarity. Yes.” Twilight nodded, forming the rudiments of a plan. Despite the mounting number of differences between her home dimension and this one, at least she knew she could still start on her friends.

“Find Rarity?” Rainbow Dash scratched at her head. “That shouldn't be hard. She's probably at her shop.”

“Then that's where we'll go.” Twilight nodded. “Uh, if you can lead me there?”

“Lead you? But you've been there like a million times before!”

“Please?” Twilight's voice cracked, just a little.

Rainbow Dash blinked a few times, and finally nodded as an understanding smile. “Oooooh, now I understand.”

“You do?”

“You just want me to go first so you can look at my butt!” Rainbow Dash broke out laughing.

Twilight gasped in horror. “Rainbow! I'd never--”

“You'd better!” Rainbow Dash started to jog in place (which caused her modest chest to bounce a bit) and turned around. She flagged her multi-hued tail, revealing a set of round, toned cheeks, each bearing a familiar cloudburst plus rainbow-bolt image. “'cause I totally have the best butt in town! Now c'mon!” and with that, Rainbow Dash took off at a jog.

Twilight could do little but follow.

Chapter 3: Featuring yet MORE gratuitous nudity, plus a springtime fertility festival, with a little bit of something for everyone.

The trio walked briskly through the streets of the town, soon joining a growing throng of various pony-people. Twilight bit her lip, and let her gaze roam. She was only observing in order to get some kind of cultural context, that was all.

It seemed a flimsy excuse even as it went through Twilight's mind.

Everyone was bare, and shamelessly so-- though many of the crowd had decorated themselves with little accessories: necklaces, bracelets, belts, sashes, masks, and even what appeared to be occasional instances of body paint. Many ponies seemed to be accentuating their 'assets' with their choices in ornamentation. More than once, Twilight forced herself to look away from the gentle slope of a breast, or the heavy promise of a male member.

Not that anyone seemed to mind her looking, or even notice. Twilight began to identify couples (and even larger, more scandalous groupings), noting the occasional straying hand or stolen kiss. Two pony-people with haircuts analogous to Lyra and Bon-Bon at Canterlot high were particularly guilty of this, erupting into naughty giggles every time one of them would squeeze or tickle the other.

Which was often.

“Howdy!” Applejack's voice cut through the genial din of the crowd. Twilight turned her head, and sure enough, there was a tall, well-muscled woman (filly? Mare?) striding through. Twilight recognized the freckles on this Applejack's cheeks-- only to blush as she realized that matching spots were spattered over the top of her abundant chest as well. A familiar brown stetson perched atop her blonde hair, and a battered red bandanna hung around her neck-- though it looked to be there for more practical purposes than debauched decoration.

“Dearest!” Rarity said, and practically threw herself into Applejack's arms. The taller pony-woman scooped Rarity up effortlessly, carrying her along. Rarity kicked her hooves delightedly, and pulled Applejack in for a lengthy, needy kiss.

Twilight stared.

So there was yet another difference in this dimension.

“You guys are the worst.” Rainbow Dash landed beside Twilight with a little bounce. “You're getting so lovey dovey that even Twilight wants to barf! Isn't that right?” Twilight jumped a little as Rainbow nudged her.

“Oh! Uh. I … I wasn't … I mean, I didn't! I mean, uh. Applejack and Rarity can do whatever they like?”

“I reckon Rainbow's just jealous,” said Applejack. Rarity nodded in prim agreement.

“Pssh. Yeah right.” Rainbow blew a tuft of multicolored hair out of her eyes. “I can't get bogged down with all this 'relationship' crap. I'm a gal of action, in it for the action.” She thrust her hips forward a few times, lewd and ridiculous. “Aaaaaw yeeeeah.”

“Is that so?” Rarity made a show of examining her fingernails. “Then what about that fellow you've been exchanging letters with?”

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped. “How did you know about Quibble?!”

Twilight blinked. Who?

Rarity just laughed, a melodic, pleasant sound. “I didn't. Until now, that is. Will he be at the festival?”

“Nah.” Rainbow Dash scratched at the back of her head. “He lives in Phillydelphia. I didn't want to make him sit on a train for a bajillion hours.”

“Oh, Rainbow.” Rarity's gaze sized the blue pegasus up and down. “You'd be worth it.”

“Hey now.” Applejack said, and tugged lightly at Rarity's tail, eliciting a squeak from the unicorn.

“Now who's the jealous one?” Rarity cooed.

“I ain't— mmmph.” Applejack couldn't finish her complaint, as Rarity leaned up mashed her lips up against Applejack's once more.

“Save it for the ceremony, you two!” Rainbow Dash shook her head, and nudged Twilight again. “Were they this bad last year?”

“I … couldn't say.”

They made it to a clearing some distance outside the town. Dozens of chest high posts had been driven into the ground in a circle roughly the size of a soccer field. Each post supported a flickering lantern. The hooded lights provided just enough illumination to bathe the clearing in a soft, gentle glow. A vine-wrapped maypole stood directly at the center. Twilight briefly thought about certain theories that viewed the maypole as a phallic symbol. Then again, a phallic symbol seemed redundant when she noticed several of the males standing around the edge of the circle were already in various stages of … excitement.

“Ladies and Gentlecolts!”

A figure walked out into the center of the circle. It took Twilight a moment to recognize the middle-aged woman as the pony-person equivalent to The Mayor. She had at least kept in shape, Twilight mused.

“It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to the seventy-fifth Ponyville Maypole Festival!”

Cheers and applause rolled through the clearing.

“I know you're all very excited, so I won't waste time. Most of you know how it works already.” The Mayor continued. “This circle will gather our personal energy, and channel it into Ponyville's fields and orchards. As we gather together, we will ensure a fruitful year, just as our forefathers did. So, whether you're here with an old lover, or if you're in the mood to find a new friend, just enjoy yourself!”

There was more cheering (along with a few lewd suggestions), until The Mayor held up a hand for silence.

“Remember, if you get tired, all you have to do is step out of the circle. Pinkie Pie has even been so thoughtful as to provide refreshments.”

“Hiii!” Pinkie Pie waved a hand high above the heads of the crowd.

“And now, begin!” Once the Mayor gave the signal, the cheering grew even louder, and the crowd flowed into the designated circle.

Twilight stood still, and stared at the unfolding debauchery. She had thought she had gotten used to the whole 'society without a nudity taboo' thing, but to see the open sexuality on display was another matter entirely.

Ponies paired off in all sorts of combinations. Twilight saw Bon Bon drag Lyra to the ground, the both of them giggling through the whole process. The Mayor settled down in an elegant kneel, and soon several stallions were gathering around her. The Mayor took each thick, erect cock into her mouth and bobbed up and down as eagerly as if she were shaking hands at a fund raising rally. Nearby, a tan-colored stud bent over and presented himself to his blue-coated (and even better hung) friend, who, after slathering a great deal of some shiny, oily liquid over his lengthy prick, eagerly guided himself into his friend's rear. With each passing moment, more and more pony-people stepped into the circle and immediately started climbing upon one another.

“Oh my.” Twilight's wings flared.

Ignoring Twilight's shock (and, in fact, anything but each other), Rarity and Applejack stepped into the circle-- at which point Rarity eagerly pressed her face into Applejack's chest, closing her lips around one thick brownish nipple. Applejack moaned, blonde tail flagging upwards-- and suddenly Twilight became acutely aware of the very smell of her friend.

Rarity perked her ears at the moan, and then slid a hand between Applejack's legs. Twilight couldn't see exactly what the unicorn did, but Applejack soon let out a wordless gasp of pleasure. Rarity pulled away from her lover's chest, and eased the taller cowpony down to the ground. She nibbled lightly at Applejack's collarbone (earning another little squirm from her) and then looked over her shoulder, directly at Twilight.

“Don't be shy, darling.” Rarity hiked her tail, revealing an absolutely lovely derriere, as well as the wantonly displayed line of her pussy. “I like to share.”

“I, uh.” Twilight's heart began to beat faster in her chest, each pulse of blood through her body seemingly raising her temperature. How did a spring evening get so warm? She took a half step backwards, almost startling herself with the jingle of the bracelets around her wrists.

“Dibs!” Rainbow Dash said from where she stood behind Twilight. She rushed into the circle (though not without giving Twilight a hearty, 'good game' kind of smack across the rump in passing) and practically dove forward, happily situating herself on her knees, all the better to lean in between Rarity's offered cheeks. Twilight didn't see exactly what Rainbow's mouth was doing, but to judge by their reactions, both she and Rarity were enjoying it. A lot.

“Oh!” The white coated unicorn said, voice trailing off into a shudder. “Not so fast, Rainbow! I-- oh!”

Twilight clenched her fists tight enough to drive her fingernails into her palms, and turned away. Though somehow, only hearing the moaning and laughter and other … wetter sounds without the images to go with them made the orgy even more scandalous.

More tempting.

“This is insane.” She murmured to herself, forcing one foot (one hoof?) in front of the other as she walked away from the unfolding orgy. “But … insanity can be treated. Yes. All I need to do is to take a properly clinical perspective, and apply just some basic analysis, and then things will make sense like they properly should.”

Twilight ran through what she'd observed and what she knew, turning and positioning the facts like so many puzzle pieces. And then, like one bit of a jigsaw piece fitting into another (and not, Twilight reminded herself, like the various ways everyone else seemed to be fitting into each other some distance behind), it became clear. “That's it! I'm just looking at things from a monogamous, heteronormative viewpoint! Observer bias! I should've known! Different dimension, different culture, duh! It's like they evolved from bonobos, instead of a more aggressive primate! Or, well, whatever the equine equivalents of bonobos and chimps are here. Though how a plains-habitat herbivore developed opposable thumbs is an interesting question in and of itself.” Twilight held a hand up in front of her face and wiggled her fingers. “I wonder if there are any anatomy textbooks back at the library … “

“You can study my anatomy, if you want!” A familiar laugh bubbled out from behind Twilight.

Suddenly, Twilight became very, very aware that she was still standing naked in the middle of a field while the kind of bacchanal worthy of ancient Rome unfolded behind her. Plus, the whole 'pony people dimension' thing.

The corner of Twilight's eye began to twitch.

“Uh. Hi Pinkie.” Twilight turned around. Sure enough, there was a plump, pink pony-person with a smile across her cute, upturned muzzle. A pristine white apron heroically held Pinkie's heavy breasts in check, though not without creating a tempting valley of cleavage which Twilight certainly did not stare at. Somehow, running into Pinkie Pie's pony doppelganger wearing nothing but an apron was the most normal thing that had happened to Twilight that day. “Just how much of that did you just hear?”

“All of it!” Pinkie said, cheery as ever. “Now ask me how much of it I understood!”

“Er ... How much did you understand?”

“None of it!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “But that's okay! Sometimes it's nice to talk to yourself, because then you know at least somepony knows what you're talking about, right?”

“Uh. Yeah.” Twilight forced a laugh. “Right.”

“But you were talking a whole lot! I bet all of that made you thirsty. Here, have some water!” Pinkie Pie reached into a cooler she'd been carrying with her and pulled out a bottle, thrusting it into Twilight's hands.

As Twilight wrapped her fingers around the cool glass, she realized how thirsty she really was. It was a simple matter to uncork the bottle and kick back a refreshing mouthful-- even if a few icy drops of condensation dripped down between her breasts in a not-entirely-unpleasant sensation.

“Thanks.” Twilight managed with a wan smile. “It's … it's been a weird day.”

“These big parties usually are!” Pinkie nodded, causing her pouf of hair to wobble.

“Yeah.” Twilight said, and chanced a glance at the mass of bodies around the maypole. “To be honest, Pinkie, I'm kind of surprised you're not, uh. Celebrating.”

“Oh, I will!” Pinkie wet her lips, and ran her hands over herself, tugging her apron down slightly, to the point that the edge of a dark rose areola could be seen. “I just like to wait 'til after the first rush dies down. Easier to keep track of things that way! It's better for your endurance, too-- we've gotta be here all night, y'know, so things like hydration are important!”

Twilight eyed the bottle of water in her hand.

“But if you wanna get started a little early … “ Pinkie Pie took a step closer, and trailed a finger over Twilight's bare chest, following the path a few droplets of water had traveled moments before. Thankfully, Twilight wasn't drinking at that precise moment, so she didn't accidentally drown herself in surprise.

“Um.” Twilight said. “I … I'm not sure.”

“Kay!” Pinkie Pie said, “Whatever you like! You don't have to do anything-- or anyone – you don't want to! But you should at least try masturbating a little bit in the circle-- you know, for fun!” Pinkie Pie giggled, and pulled Twilight into a bosomy hug, only to plant a surprisingly chaste kiss on her cheek.

Twilight blushed-- but by the time she could get her mouth working again, Pinkie had flounced off, tail swishing from side to side above her broad, jiggly rump. She intercepted a pair of sticky and panting young women, and immediately pushed more chilled bottles of water into their waiting hands. Twilight's eyes slid over to the couples and trios and quartets within the maypole circle … and started walking forward.

She could have made excuses. Something about first hand cultural observation, or a pithy 'when in Rome' statement, or … something. But to be honest with herself, there was only one conclusion.

She was horny.

A simple, biological phenomenon. With slightly different biology, perhaps, but nothing she couldn't deal with. She bit her lip as she stepped into the circle, feeling a mild electric buzz shimmer over her. She picked her way past enthralled couples … and finally found a clear stretch of grass to sit down on. Curious, experimental, she ran her hands over her purple coat-- the feeling was surprisingly soothing. Allowing herself the liberty she'd denied herself earlier, Twilight cupped her generous breasts in her hands, and tugged lightly at her own nipples. She gasped sharply, feeling a thrill course through her from eartips to tail.

She'd have to get used to that.

Breathing shakily, Twilight reached between her legs, tentative fingertips tracing over her pussy. Her folds were wet, wetter than she'd ever felt them-- just another quirk of being half-pony, she told herself (without much conviction).

It wasn't as if she'd never masturbated before. It was just the fact that such … indulgences were fleeting things, to be done in the shower or beneath the covers or possibly slumped in front of her laptop. Not … in the open, surrounded by others cycling through every possible position and pairing Twilight could think of. (And quite a few she couldn't, as the addition of wings and magic allowed for certain complications).

Thankfully, Twilight mused, they were all distracted with each other-- nobody spared her so much as a second glance as she parted her legs wider, and slid a single slim finger into herself. She moaned aloud as the slick walls of her tight sex clenched on that digit.

Twilight squinted her eyes shut and let practiced instinct take over-- she fingered herself insistently, almost desperately, each little curl of her wrist sending familiar-yet-new sensations ripple through her. She leaned back, propping herself against the soft grass with one hand, while Twilight slid her fingers a little higher, teasing at the engorged nub of her clitoris. Soon, Twilight started to work her hand in tight little circles, fixing on that gloriously sensitive bundle of nerves and skin. The bracelets along her wrist clattered gently against each other, as if signaling Twilight's self indulgence.

Her whole body burned with molten tension, tension she desperately tried to relieve with each flick of her fingers. She braced her hooves against the grassy ground and pushed her hips forward, grinding lewdly against her own hand. Twilight's breath came in ragged gulps, as if she were drowning in her own desire. Eyes closed, ears splayed back, jaw clenched, Twilight remained oblivious to everything but her own body.

Without warning, she came.

Any sense of inhibition forgotten, Twilight cried out in triumph. Overwhelming pleasure wracked her body, hitting and flowing over her like the crest of a hurricane wave. Twilight kept her eyes shut through the whole ordeal, as every muscle in her body tensed at the same time. As the torrent of pleasure tapered off, Twilight felt an odd mixture of relief, disappointment, and more than a little pride.

Panting, Twilight collapsed to her back-- only to feel a decidedly unpleasurable jolt of pain as she landed too hard upon her wings. Jolted back to reality, Twilight sat up and opened her eyes.

She found herself sitting in a field of tall, uncut grass. Twilight blinked.

“Oh no.” Twilight stood on still-unsteady hooves, trying to ignore the wet and sticky feeling between her legs. “I didn't jump dimensions again, did I?”

She pushed some of the nose-high grass out of the way, and quickly abandoned that theory. The same nude pony-people from before were milling about in the tall grass with bewildered looks on their faces-- Rainbow Dash and some of the other winged folk had taken to hovering above, pulling couples out of the green tangle as needed.

Twilight's eyes flicked to the maypole-- where it'd been covered in dry, dead vines before, it was now a pillar of verdant green, with white blossoms dotting the suddenly arm-thick vines. It might've been a trick of the evening light, but a quick look towards the treeline made the trees seem notably taller than they had been before.

“Oh.” Twilight held her hands up to her muzzle. “Oh no.” She ducked down into the grass, going to hands and knees in an effort to hide. “The Mayor said something about magic, didn't she?” Twilight murmured to herself. She briefly tried rolling the mathemagical equations in her head, but she soon realized there was just too much she didn't know about the forces at play-- and too much she didn't know about what she herself brought into the equation, given her otherdimensional origins.

“Okay, don't panic.” Twilight told herself, and started crawling in a random direction, hopefully headed away from the maypole (and the mass of confused, grass-stained pony people). “All I have to do is get back to the castle without anyone noticing, and--”

“And what?”

Twilight looked up at … herself. Another Twilight hovered in midair just above the grass, wings splayed out behind her like those of an avenging angel. She was a vision in lavender-- confident, powerful, and faintly glowing with arcane energy. She wore rune-encrusted bracers around both her ankles and wrists, and a silvery circlet wrapped over her brow. These provided the entirety of the other Twilight's attire-- but with the confident way she carried herself, it was like looking at a stranger, or at least a more attractive and successful sibling.

The other Twilight waved one hand impetuously. The overgrown grass of the circle fluttered to the ground, suddenly scythed down without so much as ruffling a hair on the bewildered ponies gathered around.

Twilight marveled at the show of magical power-- and, more dangerously, control.

“I- I- can explain!” she said, desperate.

“I'm sure you can.” The other Twilight said, even as her eyes glowed with arcane power. “Which is why you're going to tell me everything you know.”

Feeling the power rolling off of her equivalent, Twilight backpedaled, raising a hand to shield her eyes. “W- wait!”

Everything went white.