/x/x/x/

Twilight furrowed her brow at the plate sitting before her.

Around her the sounds of ponies talking drowned out the ambience. Clatters of metal on ceramic filled in the gaps. The greasy stench of charcoal and burnt hay assaulted her nostrils, but at least the lighting was pleasant. Easy on the eyes as it was all natural lanterns, no fluorescent bulbs like they had back home in the human world.

In the booth on her left sat her counterpart, the Princess of Friendship, and past her was the Dragon Lord. Across the table in front of her were the pony counterparts to her own group of friends, and to her right sat Sunset. Past her were the last few members of their party of a dozen. All were chatting amicably.

Twilight felt the frequent glances from at least one of them at any given moment. She didn't blame them. It wasn't every day that they saw two of the same pony sitting right next to each other. Granted it did happen sometimes, particularly with Pinkie Pie or an evil bug queen she’d have to ask several more questions about. But not all the time.

Out of the corner of her eyes beyond her glasses lenses, she managed to make out the fuzzy movements indicating the consumption of junk food. Even without, she could hear the oh-so-familiar voices of Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack through mouths that sounded full of food. Food that made her feel the slightest twinge of envy. And a slightly bigger twinge of hunger.

She clenched her jaw and focused on the useless nub sticking out of her forehead. Still nothing.

Twilight glanced to her sides. The other Twilight was enraptured in a discussion about taxes with the dragon, Ember. Sunset was answering some questions that this Rainbow Dash had about her own Rainbow Dash... Not that Rainbow belonged to her, exactly, that’s just the way she thought to distinguish the two.

She turned her vision back to glare at the burger on the plate before her. The fact that it was made of hay notwithstanding, it was still probably made of as much meat as most hamburgers back home. And a lot more appetizing now than it had been ten minutes ago. The only problem was eating it.

It should, in theory, be easy. Levitation was apparently the easiest spell to learn, especially for objects with low mass like food. Even the children here could do that! And yet here she was, unable to perform even the simplest feat of magic in the unicornian repertoire. She grit her teeth in frustration and sharply exhaled, blinking away the tear that threatened to spill over.

“Hey,” Sunset said, cutting off the conversation she was in the middle of. “Something wrong?”

Everyone at the table stopped speaking altogether and glued their eyes to the hair partially obscuring Twilight’s face. The insides of her limbs and the back of her neck felt hot, and she could hear her pulse. It was rapid, to say the least.

“N...no,” she replied, voice hoarse. No pun intended. “I just...” she swallowed and sighed. “I don't know how to pick this up.”

A moment of silence passed before she heard the start of a peal of laughter from what was quite unmistakably this world’s Rainbow Dash, cut off immediately by a firm smack.

“You don't wanna pick it up with your hooves and make a mess everywhere, huh?” Sunset asked. “I take it magic isn't exactly coming natural to you?”

Twilight nodded.

“That's okay, it'll take time and work. So uh... that doesn't leave you with much opportunity to eat anything.”

Twilight grimaced. “Well, you're not wrong.”

A teal blue aura enveloped the sandwich and lifted it in the air. Twilight brought her eyes to Sunset’s.

“Here, I’ll hold it if you want me to. You shouldn't have to go hungry just because of something like this. Honestly I thought you weren't eating it because it was made of hay, that's why I didn't say anything earlier.”

Twilight pursed her lips. A bead of perspiration slipped down her forehead as she tried not to notice the stares. “I’d appreciate that, but...” she glanced at the burger floating in front of her. “I'm not breaching any pony etiquette here, am I? It seems... well...”

Sunset patiently waited for a response.

“Eating using your magic isn't some kind of... weird intimacy thing over here, is it?” She finally asked, slightly lowering her head and volume of speech. “The silence feels awkward and oppressive and I feel like it's because of me...”

“Well sure, it canbe intimate for some,” Rarity chimed in. “Especially in the Prench district of Canterlot. But I’ve fed Fluttershy with my magic before.”

“I've fed Rainbow,” said the other Twilight. “No big deal.”

“And I’ve fed Tri-” Starlight began before faltering, exchanging a nervous glance with a certain periwinkle unicorn, a single bead of sweat appearing on her forehead. “Eh... I mean... Maud... without it being romantic or anything like that.”

“Yeah, Twi, it’s only a big deal if you want it to be one.” Sunset moved her hoof to wrap around the bespectacled mare’s suddenly-tight shoulders. “We’re friends, so it's fine. Social norms are a little bit different here than they are at home.” She blinked. “Your home, I mean...”

Twilight pursed her lips. “I guess if you say so it must be so...” Her eyes darted around again. “It's just so weird to be in a body and a culture that's so... foreign.”

Behind her, Princess Twilight offered a quick wink obscured from everypony else at the table. In response, Sunset twitched the eye facing away from the rest of the party.

“Yeah...” she returned, cautiously at first before fully focusing her attention back on the food. “Going from human to pony can be disorienting when you do it at first. Learning about all of the differences in culture can be a lot too. It's like going to another country but ten times weirder.”

“Right... I have been to Estonia before,” Twilight offered. “And one time Nihon.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “You would call it that, ya weeb.”

“It's what they call it!” She defended, not even close to privy to the looks of confusion she was now garnering. “At least it's not some horse pun like ‘Es-pony-a’ or ‘Ni-pony’... or Equestria!”

Sunset blinked before receding back into her chair. “Actually, there's... there's a city called Neighpon here.”

Twilight stared off into space as if there was a person with a camera filming her as her soul for one very brief moment astral projected itself all the way back through the mirror.

“With all seriousness, though,” Sunset continued, attempting to bring her back to the present. “It's not anything weird or romantic or anything if you don't want it to be. We’re just two friends sitting here, having dinner.”

Twilight was refocused with the immediacy of panic of when somebody shouts ‘fire’ in the middle of a crowded room. Externally she managed to remain neutral in her expression, but internally she could feel the metaphorical knife that's been embedded in her gut for months now twisting in place.

‘Right. Just... friends.’

“Well, technically it's two, four, six... twelve friends. But, eh, you know what I mean.”

Twilight gently nodded, hoping her melancholic grimace could successfully masquerade as the kind of awkward non-grin one would muster when at a friend’s house and trying to ignore the fact that said friend’s parents are screaming at each other in the next room, or another situation of comparable discomfort.

“Yeah, Suns, I... I know what you mean.”

A tiny smolder of fuzziness burned in Twilight’s belly as Sunset merely offered the same dazzling smirk she always did, brightening her mood quite considerably as she even managed to let out a nickname that went completely unnoticed. Her heart beat a little harder in her chest, which did feel strange as typically there was breast tissue there to muffle the feeling, but it was enough to distract her from the sadness that their relations were strictly platonic. Starlight’s words from earlier rang in her head, muffled slightly from the mild intoxication coloring her hearing at the time.

“Now come on,” Sunset said, pointing her horn at the accursed hayburger. The teal aura of her magic glowed brightly in the dim lantern light, enveloping both her horn and the sandwich. “Don'tcha wanna try the epitome of fine equestrian dining?”

Twilight positioned her neck to have easier access to the food. Her own vision flickered between the twelve pairs of eyes rooted on her own, briefly stopping at her dimensional counterpart, at her lilac adviser, and at the demon that had somehow followed her through the mirror and evaded both detection and capture, before coming to rest on Sunset’s compassionate gaze.

She set her jaw, nodded, and leaned forward. Sunset positioned it at the prime height for bite-taking without it feeling awkward; clearly she had done this before. Twilight felt her teeth sink into the bun, setting all kinds of warning bells off inside her head because, little known fact, human teeth are a fair bit differently shaped than horse teeth. Still, it wasn't too much of a difference, and before any time passed at all, a bite was taken.

She chewed gingerly, feeling the contradictory textures battling for dominance inside her mouth. The bun tasted good, like bread as any bun worth its salt should taste. The toppings were a standard and decent quality; the tomato was juicy, the onion bitey, the pickles vinegary, the lettuce... lettucey. In theory, all of that made for a pretty mediocre but not altogether unenjoyable burger just like from home. The problem, however... was the meat.

Or, to be exact, the most-definitely-not-meat.

Her eyes crinkled, her stomach turned, and the back of her throat threatened to implode upon itself, gag reflex in fight-or-flight mode. She stopped chewing and widened her mouth as far as it would go while staying closed. It literally tasted like dead, dried-up grass.

“Not good?” Sunset asked, trying to keep the mirth out of her voice.

Twilight merely nodded.

She immediately found a napkin covering her mouth, and took the opportunity to spit out the offending goop. She let out a small whine of pure unadulterated disgust once her mouth was free, and cursed her existence. A glass of water replete with a straw also materialized, and she gratefully guzzled it down, scrubbing her palate against the roof of her mouth.

“Not much for hay, huh?” Sunset asked.

Twilight drained the glass, and found her mouth was at least sufficiently clean enough to speak. “It tastes like that weird fake meat that Fluttershy has. But worse.”

“I actually like that stuff...” Sunset muttered.

“What?” Fluttershy asked from behind Sunset.

“No, darling,” Rarity whispered, setting a hoof on her confused friend’s shoulder. “Not you.”

“Gah!” Twilight scraped her tongue on the fur of her foreleg. “It's so bad! No offense everybody but how can you eat hay?”

Applejack shrugged. “We’re ponies, we grew up on it.”

“So what do humans eat instead of hay?” Pinkie asked. “Grass? Alfalfa? Clover? Oats?”

Twilight sucked down the rest of her water, privy to Sunset’s badly-hidden snickering but choosing to ignore it. “Among fruits, grains, vegetables, and the occasional cake... Meat.” She said, simply, to the utter shock and horror of the pony she answered.

“Rock on, little pony human dude,” Ember said from the other side of this world’s Twilight, digging into her fangs with a toothpick. “What kinds?”

“Mostly cow, chicken and other fowl, pig, fish and other small maritime creatures, sometimes goats and sheep,” Twilight continued despite the sudden drop in half the table’s attitudes as she went on. “Some places insects, deer, cats, dogs, buffalo, turtles, rabbits-”

“RABBITS!?” Fluttershy cried in horror.

“Turtles?” Rainbow muttered, growing defensive.

“Buffalo!?” Pinkie gasped, leaning back in revulsion.

“Dogs?” Applejack growled, leaning forward and squinting.

“...Cats?” Rarity asked, trailing off as her eyes glinted with a half-formed idea that was immediately squashed.

Twilight blinked. “Well... only in some places. I've never had any of those more exotic meats...”

“Girls, please,” Princess Twilight said from behind a piece of parchment she was scribbling on. “The animals of Terra are a different species entirely from the ones we know and love in Equestria. Angel, Tank, Prince Rutherford, Winona, and Opalescence would certainly not be on the menu.”

As the girls gently shook their heads and murmured in agreement, Ember stood up from the table.

“Em?” Princess Twilight asked.

“I need some air,” the Dragon Lord answered as she headed to the door. “Be right back.”

“I'm sorry everyone,” Twilight half-whispered. “I didn't think about what I said before I-”

“No biggie,” Sunset comforted, wrapping a hoof around her friend. “Ponies don't really eat meat at all, so asking a question like that is bound to get an answer nobody likes.”

“Yeah, our bad for gettin’ hot,” Applejack uttered with a shrug. “Ain't our place to judge another culture.”

“Ember, is it-?”

Ember merely nodded without turning around, shoulders slumped slightly.

“Besides, it's just eating an animal that shares a resemblance to a sapient creature from another dimension,” Starlight added. “Not like... starting a cult.”

“Or utilizing magics great and powerful to... show off and then seek revenge and banish a mare from her home.” Trixie exclaimed with a flourish before fading into a more sheepish tone.

“Or turning into a demon and brainwashing an entire school in order to develop an army to take over Equestria.” Sunset continued.

“Or... inadvertently trying to destroy Equestria.” Starlight shrugged. “You're among forgiving company here.”

The girls all laughed at this, both Twilights included even if to a lesser degree.

“So what kinds of grains do you eat if not hay?” Pinkie asked after the spat of laughter died down.

Twilight sought a warm grin from Sunset before taking a deep breath and letting the prior upset go. “Usually wheat, rice, corn-”

“Isn't that a vegetable?” Rainbow asked.

“Technically it's a grain, but we just call it a veggie.” Applejack put a hoof to her mouth in thought. “Kinda like how tomatoes are actually a fruit and potatoes are actually veggies.”

Rainbow leaned back. “...Tomato is a fruit?”

“And oats,” Twilight finished. “But not raw. We usually cook them, sometimes in oatmeal.”

Pinkie gasped. “Oatmeal!?” She cried. “Are you cra-”

“Whoa!” Rainbow called, accidentally interrupting Pinkie, as she lurched from her seat and toward the front door.

“Dang it...” Pinkie muttered.

“Rainbow, what’s-” Twilight asked as she turned and cut herself off, joining Rainbow.

The two mares stood side by side with their wings aflare, Rainbow saluting. In front of them were two ponies, a mare and a stallion, both pegasi, and both wearing military garb.

“At ease, kid,” the stallion said with a smile. His mane was pale white and close cropped, his coat a pale yellow, and his eyes sitting behind round glasses were a gentle aquamarine. A single silver star was pinned on his chest. “I’m not here for you, she is. I’m here for the Princess.”

“Hey Dash,” a familiar scratchy voice greeted. “Sorry to interrupt your day off.”

“No problem, cap,” Rainbow said, dropping the salute. “I'm just surprised to see you is all. Everything okay at HQ?”

Spitfire cracked her neck. “Yeah, ‘cept Soarin managed to get a real bad case of the feather flu. He’ll be out all week. So I’m in town to give Thunderlane a twenty four hour heads up that he’ll be taking his place, and I need to give you some intel. Also, as you know, the Admiral shouldn’t leave Cloudsdale without an escort because he's a high prio target, especially now, and he's gotta chat with the Princess about something not even I know about.”

“Speaking of,” the stallion said, putting out a wing towards Twilight. “Do you mind terribly if I have a word with you outside, Princess? It'll only take a minute, but Celestia herself entrusted me with this information.”

“Of course!” She said, taking his primaries in her own. “Lead the way, Admiral Dawn.”

“So whaddaya need to see me for?” Rainbow asked as the two left. “I mean, no offense and all but-”

“Yeah yeah, I’ve known you long enough that I can tell when you're being disrespectful and when you're being you.” She pulled a photograph out of a pocket and showed it to her. “This stallion has escaped from Tartarus and he was last seen by a hidden operative of mine in the town’s outskirts. I want you to discreetly keep an eye out, and let the mayor know she might wanna establish a night watch. It can wait until daylight but it is important.”

“Wow he's ugly.” Rainbow looked back up. “Yeah, I can do that. Anything else, cap?”

Spitfire nodded as she returned the photograph. “To enjoy your night off.” She looked past Rainbow towards the table. “Hm? Isn’t that the mare from Operation Supernova?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, Sunset. But she’s chill.”

“I know,” Spitfire said before biting her lip. “I just... could swear that I’d seen her before.” She blushed slightly.

Rainbow blinked. “Cap?”

In an instant Spitfire’s composure returned. “Is that a changeling or are there two Twilight Sparkles?”

Rainbow facehoofed. “...long story.”

Meanwhile, back at the table...

“What do you think they're talking about?” Pinkie asked in between mouthfuls of hay fries doused in ketchup.

“Beatsh da heck outta me,” Applejack said, through a mouthful.

“Who’s the yellow one?” Sunset asked. “She looks familiar.”

“She looks like Spitfire, right?” Twilight asked. “The captain of the Wondercolts? Wonder what she’s captain of here...”

“Yes, that is Spitfire, and she’s the captain of the Wonderbolts, darling. But, pray tell,” Rarity began to ask. “What in Equestria are the Wondercolts?”

“Soccer team,” Twilight said. “It's a sport.”

“Like buckball,” Sunset clarified. “But the ball stays on the ground. Most of the time.”

“And what are the Wonderbolts?” Twilight finished.

“They're a subsidiary branch of the Equestrian military devoted to aerial reconnaissance, crime investigations concerning the throne, and athletic stunt flying,” Fluttershy said before all eyes turned to her. “What? I’ve been friends with Dashie since we were fillies. Why wouldn't I know that?”

“Maybe that's why you recognize her?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Sunset nodded. “That's not it. It's gotta be something else- OH!” She leaned back before dropping her volume and leaning back in. “She looks kinda like a stallion I had a crush on before I went through the mirror for the first time. But older, and... you know, a mare.”

“Somebody told me, you had a boyfriend, who looked like a girlfriend...” Twilight murmured.

“Stop.” Sunset said with a smirk and a leer.

“Wait a minute...” Twilight furrowed her brows. “How old are you?”

Sunset blinked before dropping her gaze. “...well, I’m... not seventeen in human years.”

Twilight’s mouth dropped open. “You're not?”

“Figured this would happen eventually,” Sunset muttered, face blushing as she took a very large drink of water. “Please drop it.”

“I'm sorry!” She quickly apologized. “I didn't mean to-”

“I know you didn't mean to,” Sunset interjected, hugging her. “But I don't wanna talk about any of the things that happened before I was reformed. Including how long I lived. I've just, I’ve put that life behind me. You understand that, right?”

Twilight hugged her back. “Yeah... completely.”

“Awww...” Pinkie whispered.

“Well it was certainly good to meet you, Dragon Lord!” Boomed a voice from the front door.

“And you as well, Admiral Dawn!” Ember volleyed. “I just might take you up on that game of pai sho next Friendship summit, if you're prepared to lose.”

He chuckled. “You underestimate my ability, Lord Ember. Until next we meet. Princess.”

“Admiral.” Twilight said, nodding.

“That's my cue to leave,” Spitfire said, clapping Rainbow’s shoulder. “I trust you with your orders.”

“Yes ma’am!” Rainbow exclaimed, saluting. “I won't let you down.”

Wordlessly, Spitfire and Dawn turned and left as the remaining trio returned to their table.

Rainbow briefly eyed Sunset before returning to her food, contemplating Spitfire’s reaction. But then...

“Pinkie...” she said, cautiously. “Where are my fries?”

She looked up to see Pinkie’s cheeks bulged out and covered in red splotchy sauce.

Pinkie shrugged. “Mm drr nmm.”

Rainbow sighed. “Hey, waiter! Can I get some more hay fries?”

The girls all laughed except for Princess Twilight. She merely stared at the table in thought.

“Abacus Cinch...” she whispered to herself. “Where have I heard that name before...?”

/x/x/x/

“Ugh, don't even get me started on Cinch. She’s being an absolute pain in the neck, even more so than usual.”

The speaker pierced a piece of lettuce with a fork before putting it in her mouth. She glanced around the table, at her husband and parents in law, the dog, and the empty seat. She frowned slightly before swallowing and returning to her conversation.

“Ever since I took her position as principal and she took the new seat on the board of education, it's like she never left. For the spring dance, she had demanded to the superintendent that she be there considering we were on the yacht and it was a public safety hazard. And now she’s bogging me down in financial reports and inspections.” She sighed. “I don't even have time for the kids any more.”

“I always knew she was a nasty woman,” said a second female voice from across the table. “Every single thing Twilight has said about her the entirety of her attendance at Crystal Prep just reeked of fear and revile. But, Cadance, the important thing to note is that you were the one who okay’d the yacht. And as dean, you were there for all of them, especially our daughter. The students love you, and they all know how bad Cinch was.”

“I appreciate that, Velvet...” Cadance leaned in towards Shining, who wrapped a supportive arm around her shoulders. “I can really use some encouragement right now.”

“In fact,” Night said from aside his wife. “Just last week when I picked up Twilight from something she did with her friends, I recognized two of the girls there. Flare, I think, and Zap. She told me a few things about what they think at school under new management. All of them good, of course.”

“See babe?” Shining asked. “The ‘bolts love you.”

“Eh, I guess I can't argue with definitive proof... and it's good to see Sunny and Indigo being social, especially with those girls.” Cadance looked to the empty chair again. “So Twilight won't be here tonight?”

Velvet nodded. “She's staying the night at Sunset’s apartment.”

Cadance blinked. “Sunset Shimmer’s? Ahhh...” she couldn't help but smile. “Say no more.”

Velvet and Night shared a confused glance, and upon seeing this, Cadance stiffened in her seat.

“Uhh...” she continued, turning to see that Shining also had no idea what she was talking about. “I'm not implying anything, I just mean. You know. Sleepovers. Ignore me.” She stuffed a large forkful of salad into her mouth.

“Is that what she texted you about last night?” Shining asked.

“Twilight texted you last night?” Velvet asked. “What about?”

Night scratched at his five o'clock shadow. “Hmm. Didn't she text you that night before the first time she slept over at Rainbow’s house while they were dating?”

“Twilight and Sunset aren't dating!” Cadance exclaimed. “And what we talked about was a private and personal conversation. How did you know?”

He shrugged. “Accidentally checked your phone instead of mine.”

“If they're not dating then what did you mean by say no more?” Velvet asked. “That sounded fairly suggestive. I don't mind if she’s romantically involved with her friends, but she's never been outright deceitful about anything... before this week.”

Night sighed and pat his wife’s knee as Shining leaned forward.

“Before this week?” He asked. “Did something happen? Is she okay?”

“She's fine, son. She just... had a little accident or something last night.” Night wrapped his hand around Velvet’s. “There was a cut on her neck this morning, and the pizza slicer had some blood on it. You know your sister’s penchant for clumsiness. She didn't say anything, so I don't think she even knew it was there. But she's okay. If she wasn't, she'd have told us by now, don't you think?”

Cadance bit her lip. Twilight was notorious for hiding things from her parents. In fact, Cadance wasn't even entirely sure that they even know who Midnight was. They didn't know Spike could talk for weeks. They didn't know half of what she herself knew about Twilight. Her fears, insecurities, anxieties, worries... inadequacies.

Shining leaned back, not thoroughly convinced. “Alright... she’ll be here tomorrow though, right?”

“As far as we know, yes.” Velvet poured more wine into her glass. “I texted her when you arrived but she hasn't even opened it yet. I told her that you two were staying here in the guest bedroom for the next few days. Surely she’ll want to stay here tomorrow night, she hasn't seen either of you in so long.”

Cadance hid her worried frown as best as she could, and decided to talk to Twilight tomorrow after school.

She’d have to check Twilight’s wrists to make sure she hadn't relapsed.

/x/x/x/

Twilight adjusted her ear plugs as the deafeningly booming bass tried stabbing through to her brain. The dusky blue settled over the atmosphere, interspersed with flashing neon of the entire spectrum. A pony who looked an awful lot like Vinyl Scratch ran the turntables, bearing a sign that said “DJ P0n3”.

Twilight was in the middle of wondering what a Pon Three was when a glass was gently set in front of her. She glanced to the side to see this world’s Trixie slowly levitating several glasses of colorful liquid onto the table, one at a time. Starlight was at her side, gently motivating her. A small smile came to Twilight’s face as she remembered Sunset’s instructions on how to properly use her geode.

Those were better times.

“I did it!” Trixie exclaimed, arranging the final glass onto the table. “Levitation is now my- hic! My bitch...” She drifted slowly to the side as Starlight put a hoof out, keeping her from falling over. “Star Swirl the Beardless can... can suck it!”

“Congratulations, you can do grade school magic.” Starlight rolled her eyes and pushed Trixie back to standing. “To be fair you're a little drunk, and that's somewhat impressive. But you also put them in the wrong order.” With a quick flash of her horn, all but one of the glasses lifted and moved to a different spot on the table. “There we go.”

“How many drunk people are you going to babysit tonight, Starlight?” Twilight asked, yelling slightly to be heard over the music.

“Too many, that's for sure,” Starlight answered, laughing a little as Trixie began to lean in the other direction. “Applejack’s got her hooves full keeping Rainbow from flirting with every mare in here, and Twilight’s constantly purging Ember’s liver. We’re just lucky that Rarity can keep her alcohol down, and Fluttershy’s asleep.”

Fluttershy snored in response, facedown and drooling on the table. Her mane was sprawled everywhere, and her tongue was lolling out. All grace had fully vacated the premises.

“Aren't you gonna go dance with Sunset, Pinkie, Rarity, and Maud?” Starlight asked, convincing Trixie to sit down. “They look like they're having fun.”

In the background, they could see the two unicorns and Pinkie having an absolute blast of a time, while Maud stood motionless. Like a rock. Wait, no, if they looked carefully enough they could see Maud slowly swaying to the beat. But the other three were stomping a different hoof down on every beat.

“I'm good,” Twilight said, before bending down to her cup. She put her mouth around the entirety of the slim glass, gripped with her lips and teeth, and turned up to chug the whole drink. It was only two shots worth, so nothing too impressive. Satisfied, she placed it back down and lightly flourished a hoof. “I can now drink without help.”

“Ha!” Trixie shouted, levitating a drink of her own. “Trixie can do that too!” She said as she splashed her own face with the drink. “Ta da!”

Starlight burst out laughing as she reached for some napkins. “Alright, that's last call for you. But are you sure, Twilight? I'm sure Sunset would dance with you. Maybe more if you wanted to.”

Twilight’s cheeks burned. “Yeah, no, I’m fine right here. I just... don't dance. At all. Ever. You saw our music video. That's proof enough.”

“What? Come on, you're not that bad. You nailed that choreography at the beginning.”

Twilight shrugged. “You're not... human... though.”

“Racist,” Starlight replied, sticking her tongue out. “What, just because I’m a pony it means I can't compliment my friends? Besides, you've never seen this Twilight dance.” She leaned in to whisper. “She's really bad.”

“No Discord,” Fluttershy mumbled. “The ceiling is not for dancing on... don't eat the couch.”

“What did she drink?” Twilight asked. “That must be some dream.”

“No... Discord just likes dancing on ceilings and eating couches. He's a god of chaos.”

“Ooohhh... does Fluttershy dream about the god of chaos often?”

Starlight blinked and then snickered. “Uh, well, he's kind of her roommate. She's his best friend.”

Twilight stared at Starlight, searching for any sign of jest. Finding none, her mouth fell open. “You're serious.”

“Watch this.”

Starlight stepped off her stool and over to Fluttershy’s sleeping form.

“Oh no!” She said, wooden, voice almost as devoid of emotion as Maud’s was. “This is a real shame. Fluttershy has drank so much alcohol, that she is going to fall out of her stool!” Starlight slowly reached over to nudge the chair, when suddenly the front door of the club kicked open and a puff of smoke burst through over everypony’s heads.

It materialized into a set of arms providing a net of safety.

“I've got you, Fluttershy!” Cried a creature Twilight had never seen before. His voice was deep and mellow; delicate. He had a powder blue shower cap on his head, and a fluffy pink towel was wrapped around his chest. “I told you once and I told you a hundred times that pegasi can't handle their liquor as well as earth ponies can.” Beat. “Hold on a second. Starlight, she's perfectly fine.”

Starlight presented him with a foreleg. His visible fur was grayish brown, his limbs all belonging to different animals. His arms were that of a lion and an eagle, his legs a lizard and a goat. He had two horns, one like an icicle and the other an antler. His face was shaped like a number 8, his yellow eyes two different sizes. He had a constant light sneer on his face, or at least it seemed such as he had one fang protruding out one side. “Twilight, this is Discord. Discord, this is Twilight.”

Discord crossed his arms and frowned. “Don't try to change the subject, Starlight. I’ve met Twilight before. Oh, by the way Twilight, nice glasses. They suit you. Anyway, Starlight, you made as if Fluttershy was in trouble just to summon me. I told you not to abuse that except in emergencies. You interrupted my bubble bath! Trixie, hello.”

Twilight was busy picking her jaw up off the floor as Princess Twilight returned to the table behind her with a passed out dragon lord slumped over her barrel.

“Hello Discord,” she greeted. “Fresh out of the shower, I see? Very fresh...”

Discord turned to the voice, froze as he registered there were two of them, and rubbed at his eyes. “Wow,” he said, as the towel fell. “Okay, I give up, what spell is this?”

“It's not a spell, she's from the magic mirror.” Starlight tried to discreetly put the towel back but to no avail. “She and Sunset Shimmer are here to hang out for the night. The rest of the girls are here too. Is Ember okay?”

“I decided to just let her drink enough to pass out,” Twilight answered. “Surely the hangover she’ll have in the morning will be warning enough to her not to go so hard on equine drinks just because they're weaker than dragonmead.”

“Oh! The world beyond limbo, eh?” Discord reached out a paw. “Good to meet you, human Twilight Sparkle. You know, I met a human once. A captain of an enterprising spaceship. He was delightful to toy with once upon a time. I'm Discord.”

Twilight tentatively reached a hoof out and shook hands with the god of chaos. “I'm Twilight... so uh... which god of chaos are you?”

“The best one, of course.” He finally looked down, before covering his chest with his hands. “Oh my, now that's embarrassing. My first meeting with a human after my reformation and I'm completely naked. One second.” He snapped his claw and was suddenly wearing a black shirt, red jacket, large black hat comically in the shape of an upside down cone, and a golden chain around his neck. “There, that's better.”

“You look ridiculous,” Starlight said, voice flat. “And we’ve established with her that humans don't care about clothes on ponies, dragons, or... a klutzy draconequus.”

He turned to point a threatening claw. “I will throw you into the dimension of eternal tickling if you ever bring that up again.”

Princess Twilight leaned in to Twilight. “He's kidding. I think. Oh, they're laughing now, yes. Phew.”

“Oh, I know,” she responded. “Friends often threaten each other in a playful manner. Rainbow Dash, or mine, at least, and I used to do it all the time. Especially when we were together. I just didn't expect to meet a chaos god tonight.”

“You also probably didn't expect to meet the dragon lord, spit out a hay burger, or almost die, either. But here we are!”

Twilight nudged her royal counterpart, grinning, and turned her attention back to their new arrival. He'd taken the seat next to Fluttershy, and was pulling her mane off the table to keep it somewhat straight. In Starlight’s lapse of attention, Trixie had fallen into the floor, and she was currently occupying the responsibility of picking her back up again.

“So, I take it that this is a mares night out, thus why I wasn't invited?” He asked. “I'm not jealous or anything, nope. Princess Ember is here despite not technically being a mare even though she doesn't even live anywhere close by, yet I live literally a snap away and not even a card. Nope, not jealous at all.”

“Discord, you just had dinner with Twilight and Trixie I the other day.” Starlight pointed across the room with her free hoof, the other occupied by a now unconscious and snoring Trixie. “And didn't Pinkie and Rainbow just bake a bunch of cupcakes with you last week?”

Princess Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “And come to think of it, aren't you going with Fluttershy and Rarity to the spa in two days?”

Discord offered a sheepish look as he shrunk down in his chair, continuing to stroke Fluttershy’s mane. “Well... none of those involved alcohol.”

“You can't even get drunk!” Starlight complained. “Only Chaosville tequila and zap apple jam can even get you tipsy!”

He turned his nose up at this. “Hmpf. Does that even matter?”

“Heyyy, Discord!” Cried Rainbow, lazily flapping over to the table followed closely by Applejack. “You came to the club too? Niiiiiice...”

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Midnight standing amongst the throngs of dancing ponies. She was just standing there, staring.

“Hey, um...” Twilight muttered. “I'm gonna go and dance with the others for a bit.”

“I'll go with ya,” Applejack said, pressing Rainbow’s flank down into the chair as she swayed. “I wanna let loose a little now that this one’s all partied out.” She set her hat on Rainbow’s head and shook her hair out of her omnipresent ponytail. “That okay?”

“Yes!” Twilight exclaimed, a little more energy than she wanted to. “That's fine, let’s go.” She pulled an earplug out, immediately assailing her senses with the full spectrum of noise and chatter.

The two stepped away from the table and onto the dance floor, and Twilight lost sight of Midnight.

But... Why on earth was Midnight here in Equestria?

/x/x/x/

White lines of text scrolled up a black background on the television sitting front and center in Rarity’s living room. Next to her on a green pinstripe couch were Fluttershy on the left, her sister on the right, and Scootaloo on the far side. In front of them on a glass coffee table were empty plates decorated with pizza crusts and empty plastic sauce containers, and napkins in various states of use. Four red plastic cups held various drinks.

Across the room, her parents shared a sofa, and stood up from their seats.

“Well, I can't say that was the best movie I ever saw,” her father Hondo said, causing her to wince at the poor grammar. “But it sure was funny.”

Fluttershy said nothing, nibbling away at a thin crust garden veggie slice. The entire couch was fairly quiet, actually.

“You girls don't stay up too late,” her mother Cookie playfully teased. Rarity winced again but got a different reason. “School waits for no woman!”

“Eh, they'll be fine,” Hondo responded, fiddling with the DVD player and removing the completed film. “As always, just keep whatever you watch down. Clean up the kitchen, and good night.” With that he headed into the hallway on the right side of the room, removing his overshirt as he did so.

Cookie began to gather his trash and dirty dishes, as well as her own, as the teenagers did their own items. They all remained wordless.

With the five of them, it took as many minutes to make the kitchen completely spotless with time to spare. Leftovers were consolidated: the older teens’ thin crust and gluten free in one box, the youngers’ pepperoni sausage in the other. Cookie put her pineapple ham in with them, and both boxes were placed into the refrigerator.

She kissed her daughters on the forehead, nodded to the others, and quietly excused herself out of the room.

Only when a full minute passed did anyone speak.

“That wasn't a very good movie.” Fluttershy said. “It was shallow, bland, trite, poorly edited, and it had a lot of racist undertones.”

The others shrugged in agreement.

“Dad likes a lot of bad movies,” Sweetie Belle said, casual and aloof. “But watching them with him makes them a little better. Or... tolerable.”

“I think I'm ready to go to bed though,” Scootaloo continued. “No offense to you guys but I’m tired.”

“I don't blame you dear, you didn't get much sleep last night.” Rarity replied, patting Scoots’ head. “By the way, Sweetie, are you feeling better today? Applebloom was concerned about you two today.”

“Better now,” she said. “I think I'm ready to go to school tomorrow. So, uh... I should go to bed soon too.”

The two excused themselves, leaving Rarity and Fluttershy alone.

“Next time I’ll invite you over,” Fluttershy whispered. “No offense, but I don't... like it here.”

“I know, Fluttershy... I know.”

The two simply headed to Rarity’s bedroom, and sat down side by side.

“It's strange,” she mused. “Just last night, Twilight was sitting right where you are. And now she's in a dimension of magical talking ponies. Just what kind of life have we run into?”

Fluttershy silently nodded in reply, and bit her lip as her thoughts drifted to their mutual friend. More specifically to a concerning series of events a few months prior...

Recently after Twilight and Rainbow had broken up, the group had planned a shopping trip to try on and purchase swimsuits for an excursion to Cadance’s beach house. Cadance had granted Twilight permission to use it, and it was an ideal location for a last hurrah of a summer outing.

While they were at the mall, Twilight had a slight meltdown once things got to the trying-things-on phase. She'd sprinted away upon seeing Rarity and Sunset in suits that were admittedly too small, and Rainbow had gone after her. They came back fairly okay, whereupon Twilight had come clean, saying that she’d never seen other girls in swimsuits before, and she was worried they would think she was being perverted and lusting after them. After comforting her and letting her know that everything was fine, everything seemed okay and they all split up to continue trying on suits.

Sunset had wanted to pair with Rarity, and Rainbow with Applejack, leaving Twilight and Pinkie with Fluttershy. She herself had already been in one of her own, which definitely seemed to have still caused Twilight some small distress. It had seemed for a moment that she would push through, but alas, it was not to be, and Twilight went and changed in another room.

For the next few days she seemed incredibly detached from the others. Her responses had all been much shorter than anyone was used to. She didn't participate in as many activities. One of the days she’d actually excused herself to the house at around six, and they'd discovered that she’d taken some allergy medication and gone to sleep for some reason.

The pattern of behavior had continued once school had begun. Twilight rarely spent time alone with any of the girls. Her clothing had become much more plain, opting for jeans and a gray wooly jumper rather than her usual more complex getups courtesy of Rarity. She was quieter, more solitary, and seemed to be spending a lot more time alone. The only time she ever really went anywhere with them were when they asked her a favor. She was more than happy to help, but she never stayed longer than was necessary. And worse still, all of her grades in the biology class they shared were slipping inch by inch.

Fluttershy noticed signs, signs all too familiar to herself. Signs of depression. She recognized them because she went through all of them herself back in middle school. Her parents were too concerned with favorite child Zephyr to pay any attention to her, so Fluttershy considered herself lucky that she had Rainbow Dash, who helped her through it. She feared that had it not been for Rainbow, she wouldn't be here today.

And that fear now persisted, inhabiting her every waking thought towards Twilight. She was scared that Twilight was going through the same thing, and didn't have her own Rainbow. Twilight wasn't close to any of them the way Fluttershy and Rainbow were, or at least the way they used to be back in middle school. Even Twilight looked scared when she thought nobody else could see her.

Luckily Rainbow appeased some worry with letting her know Twilight was just afraid of turning into a pony. That explained some things. But still, there were nagging doubts in the back of Fluttershy’s mind. Doubts that wouldn't go away. Doubts that were strengthened by their interaction earlier.

Despite Twilight affirming that Rainbow’s hypothesis was correct, it still felt insincere and hollow. Even Sunset didn't seem to believe her. And the vulnerability in Twilight’s voice when Fluttershy held her hand was enough to break her heart.

“Rarity?” She asked.

“Hmm?” Rarity answered from across the room, changing into pajamas consisting of a black tank top and light pink short shorts.

“Was Twilight okay last night?”

Rarity folded her clothes from the day as she contemplated the question. “What do you mean?”

“I mean...” Fluttershy pressed her forefingers together as she contemplated how best to voice the words she wanted to say. “How did she act?”

Rarity’s eyebrows scrunched together as she placed the dirty clothes neatly onto the stack inside a laundry basket on the floor. “She acted like Twilight. I don't know how else to answer the question.”

Fluttershy leaned back onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling. “I mean, did she seem okay to you? I'm worried that she's depressed.”

“Ah...” Rarity exhaled before stepping over and sitting beside her concerned friend. “You're worried about her mental health, is that it?”

Fluttershy gently nodded.

Rarity leaned back on her hands and stared at the computer as she spoke. “I don't believe she's having problems with depression. I sincerely don't. If she is, then that's just something else on top of what I believe is truly going on that may have caught your eye. Have you been thinking about this since lunch?”

Fluttershy nodded again. “I have been for a long time, but our conversation at lunch just made me think about it harder.”

“Sunset and I discussed this. I don't know the results and I won't until they return, but I know for a fact that it isn't anything as serious as that. Sunset and the other Twilight planned a sort of ritual that gets rid of dark magic. We think Midnight has returned.”

Fluttershy gasped and sat up. “No!”

“It's okay,” Rarity said, setting a hand on her friend's shoulder. “If she has, then Twilight will take care of it. But that's most likely what's happening right now. Sunset saw a small drawing of Midnight in Twilight's psychology notebook. Hopefully, all of this will be over very soon, if not already.”

Fluttershy trembled in terror and worry as she leaned over and placed her head in Rarity’s lap.

“I hope so...” she whispered.

Rarity began to stroke her hair as she hummed a lullaby.

“Can we go to the mirror in the morning?” She asked, slurring her speech a little.

“Yes, dear,” she answered, leaning back so her head hit the pillows. “First thing. You can be the first person she sees when she returns.”

“Okay...” Fluttershy said, before sitting up. “Thank you for inviting me over.”

“Think nothing of it, darling. I enjoy your company.”

Fluttershy beamed as she stood up and stepped over to her own bag. Within a minute she'd changed out of her old clothes and into a faded flannel nightgown, and within another she’d returned to the bed and under the covers.

“Good night, Rarity.”

There was no answer; she was already asleep.

/x/x/x/

Twilight sipped out of the straw sitting before her on the crystal map of Equestria in her princess counterpart’s throne room.

A teal glow enveloped a hand of cards floating in front of her face. She reached out and tapped the forth from the left in the seven.

“Thiz one,” she said, slowly and deliberately. Still clearly intoxicated.

To her side, Sunset nodded and telekinetically placed the card onto the table, prompting a frustrated groan from Twilight’s left side.

“Aw man!” Pinkie complained, slamming her own cards down. “I fold!”

Twilight and Sunset turned to face her with matching expressions of confusion.

“Pinkie...” Sunset said. “This isn't poker. This is uno.”

Pinkie squinted, before glancing at the cards and back again.

“Oooohhhh...” she murmured, before passing out and falling asleep on top of the cards, violently snoring.

“I'll take her home to the bakery,” said Maud from Pinkie’s own left, shouldering her sister’s sleeping form up onto her back. “Thank you for having me over.”

“Of course, Maud,” Princess Twilight replied before yawning. “You're always welcome in the castle. Have a safe walk home.”

“I'll destroy anypony who tries to inhibit such.” She said, voice devoid of any emotion. “That was a joke, by the way.”

“I oughta get back to the farm, too,” added Applejack, who threw her own cards in as she put her hat back on. “I gotta replace the barn door in the morning. We got termites makin’ it weak. Today was fun, Twi. Y'all sure yer okay keepin’ Rainbow here overnight?”

“It's fine,” she answered, placing a card into the center of the table. “She and Ember can both fit in Starlight’s bedroom, and I’m pretty sure that she's staying over at Trixie’s, but Celestia knows we have plenty of rooms even if they didn't. You get home safe too.”

“Will do. Night everypony.”

The remaining three bid her farewell, and continued their game in silence for a few minutes.

“Today waz fun...” Twilight slurred as she sipped again. “Bein a horz is... cool...”

“I think it's time you retire too,” Sunset joked, setting the cards down. “I'm gonna take you to your bed and then I’ll be out here talking to the Princess about stuff, okay?”

Twilight nodded, stubbornly refusing as she was flopped over against her will. “No, I wanna ztay out here with you.”

“As flattering as that is, you're drunk and tired and you have school in the morning. Like it or not you're still a teenager, and a hangover will just make hardass and psych that much harder to deal with.”

Twilight kicked all four of her legs, wildly flailing for a foothold to get off. “No no no no no no no...” she grumbled. “I wanna be with you. I like you.”

Sunset chuckled to herself as she opened the door and began climbing the spiral stairs. “I like you too, Twilight. And that's why I’m putting you in a comfy bed up in the observatory. You can sleep under the stars on a fluffy feather mattress in silk sheets. That sounds like a great night, don't you think?”

Twilight nodded her head. “Noooo, you don't GET it... I LIKE you. I wanna BE with you. I wanna ZLEEP with you. For real.”

Sunset grinned as she stepped out onto the platform. “You'll sleep better if you're alone, silly filly. You'll just wanna talk to me all night, like you did all day today. And that's not good for you, you know?”

Twilight grunted. “No no no. I mean. I wanna ztay with you forever. I love you Zunzet. Don't leave me.”

Sunset turned around and kissed Twilight on the forehead as she opened the observatory doors. “I love you too, Twilight. Now come on, don't be such a lug. I'll be right downstairs. I'm not gonna leave you, okay? I'll even be here in the morning and make sure you don't, you know. Fall flat on your face in the night trying to go to the bathroom. Okay?”

Sunset gently placed Twilight on the bed and pulled the sheets over her body.

Twilight was too tired to object.

“Okay,” Sunset said, setting a hoof on Twilight’s own. “Good night. I'll see you in the morning.”

She turned and left the room, latching it behind her, and all was quiet for a minute.

The silence was soon broken by quiet sobbing.

“I'm in love with you, Sunset...” she murmured to herself. “I wanna be with you forever... please... stay with me...”

As she drifted off into fitful slumber, the sniffling died down, letting cold silence descend over the room, blanketing it in its quiet chill.

A dark figure materialized in the room.

It spread its navy blue wings and approached the sleeping pony.

“I cannot protect you when you leave this place,” she whispered, leaning over and touching horns. “But I can ensure that your dreams are pleasant tonight, little one.”

The pain on Twilight’s face faded away, replaced by gentle ecstasy.

“I would stay longer,” the figure murmured as she cast her eyes downward. “But I am needed elsewhere. Be strong, Twilight Sparkle. This adversity is only temporary.”

And with her final words of encouragement, she turned to shadow and slipped through the floor.

/x/x/x/

Twilight wandered down a long, dark maze. The moon shone overhead, casting its pale light on the smooth stone steps beneath the unicorn’s hooves. A light breeze ruffled evergreen trees just out of her line of sight. The scent of old musty books carried along it, beckoning with the possibility of knowledge.

“Hello?” She asked, familiar with the concept of lucid dreaming but suspicious of magic.

No voice greeted her, so instead she continued on the path. Eventually she encountered a building made of smooth stone, with a large doorway of steel and oak blocking her path.

Twilight pressed forward on the door, and her jaw fell in awe.

Before her were rows and rows of books, all on subjects she had never encountered before. History of magic, mystical botany, ancient equipology, alchemical chemistry, you name it.

Twilight glanced behind her, affirming she was alone, then shrugged and stepped forward as the doors gently closed behind her.

“Oh my goodness!” One could hear her exclaim. “Are these real macaroons!?”

/x/x/x/

Author's Note

Oh my GOD this took seven months because literally nothing happens here but I can't skip it because it's all essential to the fourth act leading to the climax, and the sequel that focuses on Sunset. But now that this hump is over I can get back to the real meat and potatoes of the story which is Twilight's huge crush on Sunset.
Thanks for the patience. This is of course priority number one right now, Supernova being a close second. Work is demanding many more hours than I expected it to, and is the main reason why I'm not able to write as much of what I want to write as I can, but as promised I am putting the effort into my projects.
We have of course now entered the second half. All of the setup and foreshadowing is out of the way now so all that's left to do is results results results. And I have a general idea of what happens from now on. It was exclusively this chapter that was causing slowdown issues, so the next one will be much sooner than this one was. I promise.