Celestia launched herself from the wagon before it finished touching the ground. "Why didn't I see this coming?" Sure, she had sent her amazing student into dangerous tasks before, but always with preparation and near-certainty that Twilight would win through. This had come without warning, and threatened to destroy all she loved. "What if something even worse than a little temporary amnesia is at play?" she muttered to herself as she strode agitatedly towards the front door of the castle.

Her horn glowed brightly as she threw open the large doors of the castle with enough force that they banged against the opposing walls. "Twilight! Are you here?"

There was a sudden fit of sparkles before a pony that bore the name appeared, smiling. "Oh goodness! I didn't know you were coming, Princess, or--"

Celestia raised a hoof to Twilight's face, silencing her. "Twilight, are you alright?" Twilight nodded silently. "Are you aware of what is befalling your town?" Twilight nodded again. Celestia drew her clad hoof back. "What are you doing about it?" She had a cocked brow, worry giving way to confusion and a little irritation.

Twilight spun in place and threw out a hoof. "I'll leave that to my amazing partner, Zecora!"

The named Zebra stepped in from upstairs, a strange and large contraption strapped to her, like a great iron cauldron with its top stoppered and running to some tubing that led to a great open horn like that of a musical instrument, bits of purple smoke escaping from it. "As you request, beloved wife. With this we will save more than one life." Her pace was slow, the big thing behind her making quite a bit of noise with every step that she prevented from becoming a freefall.

Celestia blinked softly. "Partner?" She looked to Zecora. "Wife?"

Zecora inclined her head a little as she reached the last step and took her first easier step. "Perhaps that is indeed misspoke, for it is she that does the poke. Would you prefer wife or husband?" She aimed the question at Twilight, looking to her.

Twilight colored around the bridge of her nose. "We can iron out those details later, but being called a husband would raise even more questions." She wobbled a hoof at the big device. "This will cure Ponyville!"

Zecora nodded in agreement as she approached. "Inside a secret brew; their fogged minds it will break through. The smoke we spread far and wide. It will turn things towards our side."

Celestia eyed the curious contraption as she stepped to the side in case it went past. "That is quite the remarkable device... but I'm afraid I have more questions now than when you began. Twilight, what has happened? Spare no details."

Twilight looked away. "Some of it shouldn't be shared."

Celestia brought down a hoof with a firm metallic clop. "Twilight, I'm afraid to do this, but I must insist. Tell me entirely without a single step missing."

Even as Twilight flinched back at the ire of her mentor, Zecora advanced into her position. "While Twilight is unsure; to speak of things impure. Our love is true, and this should be said clear. Of all the ponies, she is the one I hold most dear."

Celestia's concerned expression brightened into a sudden smile. "I'm happy to hear Twilight is expressing love to all ponies, even our cherished zebra kin, but, kindly, tell me what exact form this love takes?"

Zecora lifted an ear at Celestia as her eyes roamed over the larger ruler. "We are wed. I am bred."

Celestia slowly looked from Zecora to Twilight, then dipped her head to peer beneath Twilight without subtlety. "Twilight is not equipped to do what you are suggesting."

Twilight raised a hoof to her chest. "With the title of princess, I am fully entitled to oversee and officiate wedding ceremonies."

"Not... what I mean," spoke Celestia through mildly-clenched teeth. "Twilight, what happened? Stop trying to hide from me."

Twilight shrank back a step before she took a shaking breath. "Alright, you deserve as much... In a... moment of weakness... we fell under the effects and... we conceived a foal together. While we have recovered from this moment of passion, we are facing the results like two adults." She threw a leg over Zecora's withers and drew the zebra in close. "I will accept responsibility for what I did and all that entails."

Zecora touched her snout to Twilight's. "The way you tell this tale, you take blame for some fail. While not planned, this is true; Our feelings do accrue." She looked to Celestia directly. "I do not yield for some societal must. This is the princess whom I very much trust."

Celestia raised a hoof up level with Twilight's head, only for it to slowly sink to the ground. "Twilight, we have discussed this manner of magic before."

Twilight's blush began to spread across her face. "I-I wasn't thinking clearly, princess! I'm sorry!"

"I am Celestia, Twilight." Celestia dipped her head towards Twilight. "You have made a mistake, but you are still a princess. What I must know is what you feel for Zecora." She gestured a hoof towards Zecora. "If you feel this is what 'must' be done, say so."

"N-no!" Twilight hopped in place, coming down with all four hooves. "No! I made a foal with a wonderful mare. I didn't plan on this this morning, but I did, and I will do what is right, by myself, and her, and our child. She accepted me, during and after... I accept her. This is... just another friendship lesson, really." She smiled a strained smile. "Not the usual sort..."

"I should imagine not," agreed Celestia as she turned to the large device trailing behind Zecora. "Miss Sparkle, are you prepared to test your device?"

Zecora was quiet a moment before she smiled. "Your blessing I hold most dear. Let us get this plan into gear." She trotted forward past Celestia, the cart rolling loudly behind her. "We should--"

Twilight cut in suddenly, "--to the center of town, where we can get the most ponies."

Celestia's horn glowed with her power as she unhooked Zecora from the machine suddenly. "Come along, both of you. We have a town to save." She moved alongside Zecora, pulling the cart much more easily with her magic.

Octavia shut the door behind the last of her once-clones. "Finally." She sank against the wood, turning as she went to face Vinyl. "You have so much explaining to do."

"I didn't do it!" Vinyl clapped her hooves together and fell to her knees. "I swear! I didn't plan for any of this!"

Octavia rolled up to her hooves and took a single step towards her roommate. "I didn't see you fighting them off, either. You seemed quite comfortable under a mass of pretenders."

Vinyl's ears clapped against her head. "I..."

"Is that all you see in me then?" Octavia raised a brow lightly as she circled the timid Vinyl. "Perhaps some appealing lines? Little more?"

Vinyl licked over her lips as she shook her head. "No way! You're a fantastic mare, a--"

"--easily replaced one." Octavia stopped in front of Vinyl, facing her directly. "Vinyl Record Scratch--" Vinyl winced as her full name was invoked. "We are roommates, and, a few headaches aside, we have gotten along reasonably well." She raised a hoof and rolled it in the air slowly. "Is there something you'd like to admit?"

Vinyl tapped her hooves together, looking around under her glasses just before they were yanked free, her goggles suddenly in the hooves of the irate Octavia. "He--" She didn't finish her outcry, intimidated by the refined glare she was receiving. "Alright..." She dared to look Octavia on without the shield of her eyewear to protect her. "I..."

"The truth," spoke Octavia. "We are beyond little falsehoods at this point, I should imagine."

"Yeah." Vinyl sat up straight. "Octavia Melody." Octavia was not shaken. "I think you're really great. When you smile, I get all weak in my knees. When you play, I wonder why you like that kinda music so much, but I can feel my heart." She raised a hoof to her chest. "It matches, every time, and I can't help but listen, even if it's a song I heard a dozen times before without any variety or anything. I love the way you talk. I love the way you dress. I love you, alright?" She drove a hoof to the ground in a stomp. "I love you! There, I said it. Happy?"

"No."

Vinyl flinched back at the stern rebuttal of her admission. "B-but..."

"It's not that easy." Octavia shook her head slowly. "I acknowledge your feelings, but find them hollow. I cannot return them at this time." She leaned in, noses almost touching. "I can't promise I ever will, if we are being frank, which I hope we are. You have betrayed me. I find myself uncertain you even grasp the nature by which you did. To you, this is just some strange but amusing little event. For me, it is much more. You proved that you were happy in the company of other ponies that were not me, yet accepted them as me. You knew they were not me. Be honest."

"Well, yeah... I mean, there can never be more than one of you. You're way too awesome for that." Vinyl waved the very idea away like an irritating fly. "There's only room enough on this world for one Otcy!"

The faintest of smiles touched along Octavia's set lips. "And yet, there you were, with a dozen of me on either side of you, not looking very put out by the idea."

"A girl can dream, right?" Vinyl tapped at her cheek lightly. "I mean, really, I thought I was dreaming for half of that. I couldn't believe it! Even if they were fakes, they were pressing all the right buttons and... Aw heck, I'm digging myself deeper..."

"You are." Octavia sat on her haunches. "I am not entirely without sympathy. This leads to another thought..." She furrowed her brows at Vinyl. "Last I knew, you were a mare that enjoyed the sight and company of a stallion. When did this change?"

Vinyl blurted out a strangled laugh. "You don't know me as well as you thought you did."

"Clearly not. Explain."

"Right right." Vinyl stood up, her horn glowing. "I don't care if they're an innie or outtie, just the beat that their heart thumps in. Show me a pony that has music running through them and you have my interest." She thrust a hoof at Octavia. "Those copies, fake as they were, they had your music. It's creepy thinking back on it, but they did. They moved with it. Talked with it... I could feel it."

Octavia looked aside at her cello leaning against a wall. "Did they now?"

"Y-yeah, I mean..." Vinyl began to shrink. "I mean... Shoot... I..."

Octavia rose and approached her instrument slowly. "You must not know my music very well, Vinyl, if you think they had it."

"I felt it! I swear!" Vinyl fell back. "Octy..."

Octavia rose, pulling her instrument into place. She drew her bow out and played a single low note. "Vinyl, be a dear and shut up."

"Yes ma'am."

The low note slowly raised and a song formed from the very depths of Octavia's pain. It was not a proper piece composed by any famous pony musician, like so many she performed. She played her pain with sweeps of her bow across her beloved cello, sharing with the world the uncertainty she felt. For as cloudy as her heart was, the instrument rang clear and true, broadcasting her truest self without blemish.

Vinyl's ears were perked, listening to every turn and note. Each extended sound made her hold her breath, only to release when Octavia moved forward. When the song slowly came to a halt, Vinyl sank to the floor. "I don't know you."

"You don't." Octavia set her instrument against the wall and turned to Vinyl. "Would you care to learn?"

Vinyl was up on her hooves in a flash. "Yeah!"

Author's Note

That Vinyl and Octavia scene... It was not what I intended going in, but I feel like it came out so right. It's the start of something new. Maybe something grand.

Oh right, votes!
1: Twilight and Zecora's fog works, starting to free ponies of whatever impulses were nudged upon them.
2: Or, you know, it doesn't.
3: Bon Bon enters a new stage of relationship without nearly as much bitterness.
4: Big Mac faces off against Tree Hugger for the sake of Ponyville