To call the mood in the Headmare's office strained was an understatement. The girls had become somewhat used to the odd and strange things that happened around Twilight Sparkle in her time in Ponyville.

But seeing a near-exact clone of her sitting in front of her desk, with a look that seemed to switch between hope and resignation, was a new one for all of them.

All but Pinkie Pie it seemed. But no one questioned why that was.

Of course, they all remembered the day or so before when they had seen the same mare save them from the Everfree Forest, but they hadn't expected to see her here of all places.

The strained mood became even more so once the mare, or Mean Twilight as Pinkie Pie had begun to call her, began to tell her story. It only got worse as they saw where she had come from.

"Ya mean to tell me that Chrysalis made ya?" Applejack asked.

Mean Twilight nodded, her eyes seething with rage. "Yes. I have no love for her, nor did she for me and the others. All we were to her were tools to get revenge."

"Obviously, it did not work," Rarity added.

Mean Twilight nodded. "We may have been clones. But we were all based on one of you. Enough of that carried through to allow us to never fully give in to her. I was just better at it."

That seemed to take the air out of the room. They could all feel there was more to it than that, but the clone said no more. Twilight of course knew, but she said nothing as the story continued.

All of them winced as they watched that camping trip they had taken played back, now from another angle and viewpoint. It made the girls wonder how they could have missed all of this that day? Where they that bad at seeing things.

It only got worse as the story progressed. By the time Chrysalis and the clones had come to the Tree of Harmony, all of the girls were asking themselves if they deserved to be where they were if they were this bad.

For Twilight, it hit home even worse. While it had been pushed back from the original date, she was still soon to be the High Princess of Equestria. She was supposed to be better than this. And if the rumors were to be believed, even the title of a princess was to be dropped.

What did it say about the mare that was soon to rule all of Equestria, that would soon bear a title not seen since Unicornia of the Three Tribes Era, that she had never seen any of this? Twilight's ears drooped as she thought about it. Some Princess of Friendship she was.

Even though she knew how this ended, Twilight's face still turned green as she watched what the Tree of Harmony did to her twin and the others. As did the faces of all her friends.

Fluttershy finally found her voice after a moment. "Are they... Dead?"

Mean Twilight shook her head. "No. They're still alive in the Tree of Harmony. I remember that time well, brief though it had been for me at least."

That seemed to help the girls a little as the scene progressed. Watching Cosmos revitalize Mean Twilight, and then the mare pulls herself back together, made all of their stomachs churn.

Mean Twilight chuckled at the sick looks on all of their faces. "After that, I stayed hidden in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Until recently that is. You know the rest of the story."

The girls nodded. "So then. Now, what do we do with you?" Starlight asked.

Twilight sighed. "I've already promised her that I will take her in. She deserves another chance. It's better than letter her be alone."

Rainbow didn't look convinced. "I still don't like it. What if she's playing us, and this is all a trap?"

Mean Twilight sneered up at her. "That's funny coming from you, Rainbow Dash. Do I regret what I did? No. But I learned my lesson. Yet the lot of you put up with Discord, someone whose done things a thousand times worse than I ever have, and he never once apologized for a single one of them. What does that say about you all?"

That shut them up for a good long moment. "He helped save us from the Changeling Hive," Rarity tried, but even she could tell it felt hollow.

Mean Twilight rolled her eyes. "If you honestly think he did that out of the goodness of his heart, then you're more naive than I thought. He only cared about Fluttershy, and that was all."

Nopony could argue with that, though Fluttershy wanted to. The recent events with King Sombra were still fresh in their minds, and how Discord had played them in the end.

"Be that as it may darling, what do you want from us?" Rarity asked. "I am inclined to believe Twilight on this matter. But-"

"I am what I am," Mean Twilight interrupted, a knowing look in her eyes. "I'm not asking you to trust me. Why should you? You have no reason to trust me. But I am tired of running. I'm tired of wondering if this day will be last."

Everyone was shocked to see tears form in the clone's eyes. "I'm tired of worrying about you finding out about me. You know. I can't change that. I have my life. I have my freedom. I won't go back to Chrysalis, or see you all out."

"Then where would you go?" Pinkie asked.

Mean Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. I know a few spells that would allow me to look like somepony else. To hide my horn or my wings if I want." She looked at Princess Twilight. "You gave me a place to stay. I won't forget that."

Twilight was concerned. "Then stay with us in Ponyville. You know I wouldn't throw you out or turn you over to somepony else because of what you are. You do have a place here. You have friends."

Mean Twilight laughed, but there was no mirth behind it. "Don't kid yourself, princess. I have no friends. We barely know each other. Hardly friends."

The girls all shared a look. None of them could say the really trusted this pony. But a part of them did in some way. They could all feel she was being honest.

Twilight finally sighed sadly. "If that is what you want, I won't stop you from leaving. I am not going to be that kind of princess. You will always have a place here." She smiled. "But please. Stay a few days. Get to know Ponyville. You might change your mind."

Mean Twilight looked around the room. All of the girls were giving her an encouraging smile, even Spike looked hopeful. It made her feel better in a way she couldn't explain, but it felt right all the same.

"Fine." She finally said. "I will stay for a few days with you. It will give me time to plan where I will go next. I make no promises though."

That was enough for Pinkie, as she soon scooped everyone up in a big group hug. And for the first time in her short life, Mean Twilight didn't mind it at all.

Author's Note

And that, sadly, is that. Not only with the story. But this whole universe as a whole. I've lost all interest in it at the moment.

I can't really give anyone a go to do the sequel, because too much of my own cosmology is worked into the fabric of the story, and only I know it well.

I might come back to this universe one day. But it would not be for a long time.