The Element of Empathy

~Eleanor's POV~

"Come on, Ellie." Twilight Sparkle encouraged me, "You can do it!"

I swallowed a lump in my throat and looked at the teacup. It's been over a week since the Girls and I tried to persuade a large dragon to take his nap elsewhere. Ever since then, I've been resting and recovering in Golden Oak Library and learning new magic from Twilight Sparkle. Right now, Twilight has been teaching me how to transfigure inanimate items into other inanimate items. Such as teacups into fruit or plates into books.

I closed my eyes and focused my thoughts on the spell Twilight taught me. I reached out my hand and tapped my finger into the teacup resting on the library table. There was a sound of a magical poof and then Twilight's voice cheered, "You did it! Wonderful job, Ellie! Well done!"

I opened my eyes and looked at the table. Laying in the place of the teacup was a small tangerine orange. A smile grew on my face. I did it! I can perform transfiguration magic! This is great!

Twilight ran over to me, hugged me and began spinning us around, "You're doing awesome, Ellie. You're becoming a very powerful mage!"

I giggled and hugged Twilight tightly. Suddenly our bodies started to glow and there was a bright light.

~POOF~

~???'s POV~

I stopped spinning and opened my eyes as the bright light vanished as soon as it appeared. Then I noticed Ellie was nowhere to be seen. Did I spin too fast and ended up throwing her somewhere?

I looked at my hands and noticed they were a darker shade than Twilight's fur color. And my nails were green.

"Why are my... Your nails green?" I asked in a light tone of my voice. I found Ellie's sandals and they were smaller than usual, "Why are your... My shoes too small for my... Your feet?"

I searched my body and found I was wearing a polo shirt under a green sweater vest with black khaki pants. My hooves were green, like my nails, and I was taller than normal. I was nearly as tall as Princess Celestia.

I gasped as my voice changed to a deeper tone, "T-Twilight?"

"Ellie! Wha? What happened to us?"

I looked over my body, "I... I think we fused!"

My eyes widen in shock and disbelief, "Fusion Magic?! But that's forbidden and a type of Pony Magic! How can a human use Fusion Magic?!"

I shook my head, "Never mind that now. We need to un-fuse, before someone sees us."

I nodded my head and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. My body was enveloped by the light again and...

~POOF~

~Eleanor's POV~

Twilight and I un-fused and sat facing each other. We looked ourselves over and we were back to normal. Thank goodness for that.

Twilight was shocked beyond belief. She smiled and hugged herself, "That felt... Exhilarating! I never thought Fusion Magic would be so... Wonderful!"

I shook my head, "Fusion Magic shouldn't be taken lightly, Twilight. There's a reason why it's forbidden."

Twilight tilted her head slightly, "Why? We just fused and nothing bad happened."

"Yet..." I pointed out. Then I explained the story, "You see, over a thousand years ago, before Starswirl the Bearded became the legendary sorcerer we know today, three Ponies, one of each tribe, discovered a magic that allows the magic of two or more to merge together into one... Single... Entity."

Twilight lowered her head, "Fusion Magic."

I nodded, "It fused the three Ponies to create the first Alicorn. Three minds... One body... Tremendous power." I frowned and shook my head, "However, one of the minds of the Fusion became hungry with power and wanted to use Fusion Magic to grow into a more powerful being. Dragons. Timberwolves. Griffons. Chimeras. Zebras. Centaurs. Anything with a connection with the magic of Equestria, the Fusion fused with."

Twilight leaned closer to me with interest, "What happened to the Fusion? With all that power, something had to give."

I shook my head again, "It died, Twilight. With all that power, word got out that the Fusion was hungry for more. Starswirl knew what had to be done. To save Equestria, he used his magic to de-stabilize the Fusion and free the components within. However the magic was so strong, the Fusion collapsed upon itself and released the magic it absorbed. But the innocent components of the Fusion were never seen again."

Twilight stared at me with wide eyes. Suddenly, lightning flashed and a loud thunder clapped across the sky. I flinched and squeaked in fear. Twilight wrapped her arms around me, to make me feel better. It helped a little.

After a few seconds, everything calmed and I looked outside. Still standing out in the rain, two mares were trying avoid the rain. One was hiding under a picnic bench, and the other was out in the open.

I walked over to the door and called out as loud as I could, "Applejack! Rarity!" Twilight joined me, as I called again, "Applejack! Rarity!"

The two mares turned to the library and called, "Ellie/Eleanor?"

I beckoned the two mares inside, "Come on inside, quick!"

Applejack and Rarity quickly ran toward the library. But Applejack stopped at the doorway, "Whoa, Nelly." Then she asked, "Is inside a tree really the best place to be in a lightning storm?"

"It is, if you have a magical lightning rod protecting your home, like we do." Twilight answered with a smile, "Come on in!"

Rarity smiled and entered the library, "We are most grateful for your invitation."

Applejack nodded in agreement, "Thank ya kindly for yer hospitality."

She was about to enter the library, until Rarity stopped her and pointed to her muddy hooves and hands, "Uh, do be a polite house guest and go wash up please, won't you?"

Applejack growled and muttered under her breath, "If I gotta spend one more second with that fussbudget, Rarity, today, I can't be held responsible for what I'm gonna do." With that, she walked outside and looked for the hose.

"Some storm, huh?" Twilight smiled, trying to start a conversation "The Pegasus Ponies sure have outdone themselves this time. I hope you and Applejack don't have any trouble getting home."

Rarity shook her head, "It may indeed be a problem."

"Well, you're welcome to stay, if need be." I answered with a small smile.

Twilight nodded, "Spike is away in Canterlot on royal business. Ellie and I are home all alone tonight." Then she gasped and smiled, "You and Applejack should totally sleep over!" She clapped her hands in excitement, "We'll have a slumber party! I've always wanted one of those."

Rarity blinked, dumbfounded, then gave a nervous smile, "Oh! Uh, goodness. Uh, I do believe I have another engagement scheduled for this evening that completely slipped my mind until just now. Ah, silly me, I can't possibly stay here all night..." She frowned, "With Applejack."

Twilight walked over to one of the shelves and grabbed a book with a brown cover and a picture of two pillows. She showed it to Rarity and Rarity read, "'Slumber 101: All You've Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask.'"

"My own personal copy." Twilight smiled proudly, "It's a fantastic reference guide. You should see the table of contents." Her smile grew bigger, "I've been waiting for a chance to use it, and today is the day! This is gonna be so great!"

Rarity gave a nervous laugh, "Yes, uh, great."

I looked over to the window and saw that Applejack was having trouble washing the mud off the frogs of her hooves. I walked outside of the library and walked over to Applejack. I grabbed the hose and began washing the mud off her hooves.

"Thank you kindly, Ellie." Applejack thanked me.

"Think nothing of it." I answered with a smile.

Once the mud was washed off, Applejack's hands and hooves were clean enough to go inside. Applejack and I entered the library, and Applejack gasped, "What in tarnation!"

We just caught Rarity applying a mint green mud mask onto Twilight's face.

"Now wait just a goll-darn minute!" Applejack spoke up, getting the girls' attention, "Ya make me wash the mud off my hands and hooves, but it's okay for y'all to have mud all over yer faces?"

Rarity waved her hand, "Silly! This is called a mud mask. It's to refresh and rejuvenate your complexion."

Twilight smiled and clapped her hand in excitement, "We're giving each other makeovers! Eee-hee!" Then she grabbed her book, "We have to do it, it says so in the book."

Applejack grabbed the book and gave it a read, "'Slumber 101: Everything You'-" Her expression changed, and she looked at her wrist, "Oh hey, heh, would'ja look at the time. I gotta skidaddle on home quick." She adjusted her hat and turned toward the door, "I'm powerful late for, uh, fer somethin'." Then she ran toward the door, "Uh, g'night."

Suddenly, there was another flash of lightning and another loud clap of thunder. Applejack and I yelped in fright and Applejack returned with a sheepish smile, "Or maybe I'll sit here for a spell."

"Hurray slumber party!" Twilight cheered, clapping her hands.

Applejack looked uncertain, until Rarity splashed her face with the mud mask, then placed two cucumber slices over her eyes. I removed my glasses and rubbed my eyes, then Rarity splashed my face with the paste. Then she put two cucumber slices over my eyes.

"What in the world is this for?" Applejack asked.

"To reduce the puffiness around one's eyes, of course." Rarity answered with a rolling eyes tone in her voice.

"Puffiness-schmuffiness!" Applejack smiled, the picked the cucumbers from her eyes and ate them, "That's good eatin'!"

I removed the cucumbers from my eyes and ate one, "Actually, the cucumbers don't do anything. They actually keep the paste from getting into your eyes." Then I tasted the paste, "Uh... Rarity? Did you get this paste from the Aloe Sisters?"

Rarity looked at me, "Yes. How did you know?"

I smiled, "This isn't mud, it's mint paste. A paste mixed with mint, witch hazel and bloodstones. A recipe I gave to the sisters a few weeks ago. It asks like a mud mask but it also clears acne and more rejuvenating for your complexion."

Rarity smiled, "My, my, Eleanor. You sure do have a knack for herbs and beauty products."

I shrugged, "I just know my plants and gemstones. It's a talent."

Twilight clapped her hands again, "Hee-hee! Isn't this exciting?" She turned to put her book on the podium behind her, "We'll do everything by the book, and that will make my slumber party officially fun."

Rarity turned to Applejack, "Did you hear that, Applejack? You certainly would not want to do anything that would ruin Twilight's very first slumber party, would you?"

Applejack shook her head, "Of course not, 'n you wouldn't either, I reckon?"

"So do we have an agreement?" Rarity asked.

Applejack nodded, "You betcha." She spat into her hand and extended it to Rarity.

Rarity winced in disgust, "Oh! Gross! You know, there's messy and there's just plain rude."

Applejack glared angrily at the white Unicorn, "You know, there's fussy, 'n there's just plain gettin' on my nerves."

"Fortunately, I can get along with anypony, no matter how difficult she may be." Rarity shot back.

Applejack raised a brow, "Oh yeah?" Then lifted her head proud, "Well, I'm the "get-alongin-est" pony you're ever gonna meet."

Rarity shook her head, "That's not even a word."

I got in between the two quarreling Ponies, "Girls, that's enough. We don't want to upset Twilight, do we?"

Rarity and Applejack looked at me, looked at each other, then looked away, "No."

Twilight popped up from beside me and wrapped her arms around me, Rarity and Applejack, "This is going to be the best-est slumber party ever! Yay!"

"Yay." Applejack, Rarity and I cheered in a subtle deadpan tone.

*A Little Bit Later...*

"So, how are you getting along over there, Applejack?" Rarity asked Applejack with a smile.

While getting makeovers, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and I changed into our nightwear and got our manes and tails into curling pins. Since Rarity and Applejack didn't come prepared, Twilight and I had some spare nightwear we could donate.

Right now, Rarity was wearing one of Twilight's nightgowns. Applejack was wearing a polo shirt and shorts. Twilight was wearing a two-set of her favorite star-themed nightwear. And I was wearing galaxy-themed nighttime overalls.

"Just fine, Rarity." Applejack answered, looking like she just lost her pride.

I winced and started scratching my head, "Ugh! Where the hell did you get these pins? They bloody itch something awful!"

Rarity frowned at me, "Language, Eleanor!"

Twilight giggled, "This is so awesome!" She grabbed her book and a quill, "Makeovers, check."

With her magic, Twilight made the pins disappear. The itching subsided and I sighed in relief.

Twilight looked over her book and smiled, "Ooh, it says here we have to tell ghost stories." She asked, "Who wants to go first?"

Applejack quickly raised her hand, "Me!" Then she told her ghost story, "I'd like to tell y'all the terrifying tale of the prissy ghost who drove everypony crazy with her unnecessary neatness. Oo-oo!" She glanced at Rarity, "I'm sure y'all are familiar with that one?"

Rarity shook her head, "Never heard of it, but I have a much better one." Then she began her ghost stories, "It's the horrifying story of the messy, inconsiderate ghost who irritated everypony within a hundred miles! Oo-oo!"

Applejack shook her head, "That's not a real story. You made it up."

"It is a ghost story, they're all made up." Rarity pointed out.

Another lightning flash and thunder clap. The lights went out, causing Applejack, Rarity and I to scream.

Twilight got a lantern out and smiled, "I've got one! This story is called The Legend of The Headless Horse."

Another lightning flash and thunder clap. I curled up into a ball, closed my eyes and covered my ears.

Rarity noticed this and asked, "Eleanor? Are you alright, darling?"

Twilight looked at me and put her hand over my shoulder, "Maybe you should sit the rest of the slumber party out, Ellie. Just until the storm passes."

I nodded my head in agreement. I picked myself up and hurried down into the basement, as Twilight began her story, "It was a dark and stormy night, just like this one. And three ponies were having a slumber party, just like this one..."

I closed the door and walked down the stairs of the basement. I walked past Twilight's science equipment and into a spare room. I laid on the bed and rested my head on the pillow. I stared at the ceiling for ten minutes, then my eyelids began to feel heavy and I closed my eyes to welcome the dreamscape to take me on my next adventure.

*Dream*

*Dream End*

~CRAASH!!!~

My eyes snapped open to the sound of something big crashing into the library. I hopped out of bed, grabbed my dressing gown and made my way up the stairs.

I walked up to the main floor and saw that there was a large pine tree poking from the upstairs' bedroom. The window was open and the wind was blowing into the library. Rarity and Twilight were sitting on both sides of the tree and Applejack was hanging from a rope.

"I tried to tell you it would come crashing down in here!" Rarity shouted to Applejack, shielding herself from the wind with a book.

Applejack climbed back into the room and glared at Rarity, "Well, ya shoulda tried harder!"

I face-palmed with a small tired sigh. You know what? I don't need an explanation for what just happened. I think I just figured out the main part of it. Applejack and Rarity have been quarreling again and took it too far. The storm struck the tree outside, and Applejack used her rope to prevent it from crashing into a nearby house. However, the tree crashed into the library. Communication!

"I'm mighty sorry, Twilight." Applejack apologized.

Twilight looked around at the mess in the bedroom, "It's... Well, it's not okay. There's a giant tree branch in the middle of my bedroom, and the book doesn't say anything about having a giant tree branch at your slumber party." She looked over her book and skipped through the pages in a panic, "Or at least I haven't found that entry yet."

Applejack looked over to Rarity, who was cleaning up the mess on her end, ignoring the tree in the bedroom, "What in tarnation are y'all doin' over there?!"

"Cleaning up this mess somepony made." Rarity answered with a glare, "Who was that again? Oh, right, that's you."

I face-palmed again and shouted, "I don't care who started it! JUST GET THE TREE OUTTA HERE!!!"

Twilight continued looking through her book, "'Baking'... 'BFFs'... 'Brothers'... There's nothing in here about branches."

Applejack tried kicking and attacking the tree, to make it break or move, but the tree wasn't budging. She turned to Rarity, "Rarity, for pony's sake, stop sweatin' the small stuff and help me get rid of this thing!" But Rarity ignored her and kept cleaning up her side of the mess, "I said hussle over here and help me!" Applejack shouted, but Rarity ignored her.

Applejack thought for a moment, and sighed, "Look, I'm sorry, all right?"

That got Rarity's attention, "What was that?"

"I said I'm sorry!" Applejack repeated, "I shoulda listened to you when you noticed where this here branch would end up. Yer annoyin' attention to detail would'a saved us from this whole mess. But right now, ya need to stop bein' so dang fussy pickin' up all the little things and help me move the one big thing in here that actually matters! Please!"

Rarity turned to Applejack and walked over, but she hesitated at the sight of the dirt and mess, "But I'll get all icky!"

"Dammit!" Applejack shouted in annoyance, trying to keep her temper, "What the... Eh... You..."

I rolled my eyes and turned to Rarity, "Yes, you will get 'icky'. But getting dirty is a result of hard work. Take your job for instance, Rarity. When you create an outfit, do you keep everything neat and tidy?" Rarity looked away in thought, "No, you don't. I've seen how you work. Now, let's work together and solve this problem."

Rarity looked at me, then at Applejack. She gathered up her courage and smiled at us, "Let's do this."

With that, Rarity, Applejack and I came up with a plan to take care of the tree. In the meantime, Twilight was still occupied with her book, "Well, they do have a section about backyard slumber parties. Is that what we're doing right now? Does this count as camping?"

Rarity and I took a step back and I took hold of Rarity's hand. We combined our magic to cast a powerful transfiguration spell. In a flash of magic, the tree transformed into a group of little, wooden decorations. All that was left was the stump hanging by the window.

Applejack was about to kick the stump out of the window, but Rarity cleared her throat. Applejack lowered her leg, turned toward the stump and picked it with her hands. She carefully dropped the stump over the window and closed the window.

Rarity smiled, then looked over herself in disgust, "U-ugh. Oh, I look awful."

Applejack rubbed her chin in thought, then smiled with an idea. She grabbed a couple of cucumber slices and put them over Rarity's eyes, "Better?"

Rarity smiled, "Hmph, thanks."

Rarity reached over to Applejack and the two mares hugged. I folded my arms and smiled in relief.

Just then, Twilight looked away from her book and saw the decorations, "Oh, pretty! Where did these come from?" Then she gasped and returned to her book, "They're not in the book either."

*A Little Bit Later...*

With everything cleaned up and everyone wide awake, Twilight thought it was a good idea to play a game of '20 Questions'. It was Twilight's turn to think of something and Applejack, Rarity and I have to ask what it is.

"Is it bigger than a barn?" Applejack asked.

Twilight giggled, "Nope."

"Is it smaller than a saddle?" Rarity asked.

Twilight giggled again, "No!"

"Is it as tall as a Pony?" I asked.

Twilight nodded her head, "Yes. Only three of your twenty questions left!"

Applejack sighed, "We're never gonna guess what you're thinkin' of, it could be anythin'."

"Are we getting warmer?" Rarity asked.

Twilight frowned in concern, "Why? Is it too cold in here for you? I can turn up the heat."

"She means are we gettin' any closer with our guesses?" Applejack simplified.

Twilight's eyes cleared, "Oh!" Then shook her head, "No. And that technically counted as a question, so only two more left!"

Applejack thought for a moment, the guessed, "Is it... A six-legged pony with a purple polka-dotted mane and shootin' stars comin' out of his eyes?"

"Who flies through the air all over the world to hide magic, sparkly eggs?" Rarity added.

Twilight nodded with a smile, "That's it!"

Applejack and Rarity raised a brow, "It is?"

"No." Twilight admitted. With a chuckle, she pointed over our heads, "It's that."

Rarity, Applejack and I followed and saw she was pointing to a telescope. Never would have guessed that!

"But it was just so nice to see you two finally getting along, I wanted you to be able to win together." Twilight explained.

Rarity, Applejack and I shared a laugh.

Twilight smiled, "See? We could have been having fun like this all along."

"If only somepony hadn't been so persnickety." Applejack noted, glancing at Rarity.

"Well, maybe she wouldn't have been if somepony else hadn't been so sloppy." Rarity glanced at Applejack.

"Sorry for being such a pain in the ass." Applejack apologized to Rarity.

Rarity shook her head, "Oh, no, I'm sure I was much worse."

Applejack smiled, "That's kind of ya to say, but I'm the one who's sorry."

Rarity glared at Applejack, "Oh, I'm much more sorry than you are."

Applejack glared back, "Ugh. Are not."

"Are too."

"Are not!"

"Are too."

Then they started smiling, "Are not."

"Are too."

Rarity and Applejack shared at laugh, as Twilight Sparkle announced, "I declare my first slumber party a success!"

Applejack, Rarity and I shared a high-five and cheered for a successful slumber party.

Twilight grabbed her book and quill and checked the list, "Have fun, check."

After a few minutes of setting up a new game, I walked up to the upstairs bedroom and grabbed my journal and a mechanical pencil.

Dear Princess Celestia,
Today, Twilight and I learned that it is amazing how two ponies of polar opposites would get along so well. We learned that if you embrace each other's differences, you can find a friend in anypony.

I closed my journal and Twilight spoke up, "So, who's up for another slumber party tomorrow night?" Then she thought back, "Ugh. How about a week from Thursday? Oh, how about two weeks from Saturday? A month from now?"

Applejack, Rarity and I shared a laugh.