Twin Odditiesby MidnightMagpieChaptersSomething new: part oneSomething new: part twoAn unexpected audienceSomething new: part oneFluttershy was currently in her small cottage, located on the outskirts of Ponyville as the Pegasus gathered her saddlebag, getting ready to head to the marketplace so she could buy more food for her animals. While humming a soft tune to herself, she suddenly heard the sound of the door being open, causing her ears to lower as she went silent and turned to see who had opened the door. “Oh...it’s just you Angel.” She said before letting out a sigh of relief. She noticed that her pet bunny seemed to be tugging on her long pink mane after approaching her, quickly pointing towards the door. A look of confusion struck Fluttershy. “Is something wrong?” She asked in a concerned tone. “Did somepony fall into a well?” Angel shook his head with a slightly annoyed look on his face before he motioned for her to follow him outside. Deciding that the market could wait, she followed her rabbit outside, wondering what he wanted to show her or where he was taking her. Her eyes widened slightly once she noticed that he was leading her towards the Everfree forest. She started to remember the various journeys and adventures she and her friends had taken, from defeating Nightmare Moon to stopping the forest from growing out of control. It made her think about how far she had grown from the shy mare she was long ago who couldn’t even say her own name in front of a stranger. Her trip down memory lane was quickly interrupted as her hoof crushed a branch, causing it to crack as she let out a surprised and short yell at the sound. Angel quickly halted to a stop as the rabbit looked over at her, before he looked over in the distance as if he heard or noticed something. Fluttershy was about to ask her pet what he had seen before an unfamiliar and loud voice spoke from somewhere. “Who’s there?!” Fluttershy looked over in the direction of the voice before she heard a more soft spoken and nervous one speak afterwards. “We...We won’t hurt you or anything, I-I promise.” The pegasus and the bunny looked at each other for a moment before the two made their way towards the voices. Her cyan eyes widened once she saw the two bipedal figures, who didn’t look exactly like anything she had seen before. The first figure seemed to be taller and goat or ram-like in appearance, with brown fur and four orange eyes that stared at Fluttershy distrustfully before looking at the shorter figure that stood behind his stretched out draconic wings. The second one appeared to be similar to a deer, and somehow had a pair of antlers despite being a girl. Her forearms and long tail, which was currently curled around one of her legs, were covered with sky blue scales that were starting to shift into a pale green with white patterns. Unlike the other figure that stood next to her, she had a single wing on the right side of her back that seemed to be covered with ebony black feathers. The lizard-crow-deer chimera approached Fluttershy as she took a step back, unsure what she was going to say or do to her. “I-It’s okay,” She quickly reassured the pegasus in a quiet voice that was filled with nervousness. “My br-brother Apollo and I won’t harm you…” Apollo, who Fluttershy guessed was the name of the ram hybrid, nodded his head in agreement as he watched the three of them in silence. The yellow pegasus mumbled something under her breath before Angel nudged her a bit, almost as if he wanted her to speak up. “Oh, um...I’m glad you two don’t want to hurt us,” She quickly spoke. “I’m Fluttershy, and this is my pet Angel.” “As my sister Artemis said earlier, I’m Apollo.” The ram hybrid grinned, his gaze from earlier starting to soften. “Artemis and Apollo…” She repeated, a soft smile appearing on her face. “Those are very nice names. By the way, are you possibly from the Badlands?” “The what?” The two hybrids asked in unison, confused expressions appearing on their faces before Apollo spoke for himself and his sister. “I don’t know what kind of place is named Badlands, but the two of us definitely aren’t from around here,” He began. “One moment we’re somewhere else, and the next, both of us are in this weird forest and talking to a—“ “I-I think she gets your point.” Artemis adjusted the crescent moon necklace around her neck as she went silent after she spoke, her tail swaying behind her as Apollo sighed quietly. “Anyways...Fluttershy, where exactly are we?” “This is the Everfree Forest,” Fluttershy answered. “My cottage is actually nearby, if you two want to go there...But first, I probably should take you two to Ponyville to see my friend Twilight. I think she’ll work on finding a way to get you two back home once I explain everything to her.” “I don’t mind if you take us to your friend,” Apollo replied as his sister nodded in agreement. “Besides, I think this place is getting creepier the longer we stay in here.” “Angel, please go back to the cottage and make sure none of the other animals try to escape.” The pink-maned pegasus spoke to the rabbit. He raised a brow before letting out a sigh and quickly heading back towards her cottage. The two hybrids started to follow Fluttershy as she led them out of the forest and the trio made their way towards Ponyville. Once they arrived, they saw the small town that was filled with various ponies going throughout their day. Fluttershy seemed to notice that a few ponies stopped to stare at Artemis and Apollo with curious looks as the group made their way through Ponyville, along with a few creeped out or disgusted ones mixed in. She suddenly halted to a stop as the two hybrids stood still, noticing that some kind of crowd formed around them as ponies looked at the strange creatures and whispered about them among themselves. “What are those things?” “I’ve never seen a creature like that before!” “Do you think those two are Draconequui?” “Look at how...freaky they look.” “Um...Flutter-Fluttershy?” Artemis asked quietly, her ears lowering slightly as her scales changed into a pure white color while her eyes glanced around. “Why is everyone staring at us?” Something new: part twoFluttershy’s cyan eyes looked over at Artemis once she had asked her question before turning back towards the crowd. She could tell that the deer hybrid seemed to be nervous about everypony staring at her and Apollo. Getting closer to the two legged creatures, she started to look for a way through the crowd before a voice suddenly rang out. “Hey four eyes and mud freak, how about you go back to where you came from?” Apollo’s orange eyes glowed faintly as he glared in the direction of the voice. Fluttershy looked in the same direction for a moment before she went back to observing the twins. “How about you go and—“ The ram hybrid shouted back in an irritated voice before he felt a shadowy hand cover his mouth. He let out a puff of smoke from his nostrils as he looked over at Artemis, the hand returning to his own shadow as she looked away from him. “There’s no need to start a-anything,” The deer chimera said quietly. “I-I don’t want you to end up hurting anyone, ok?” Fluttershy saw Apollo nod his head in silence before she noticed that the crowd of ponies started to move aside. She saw a familiar face walk through the gap as she internally let out a sigh of relief, the twins tilting their heads at the sight of the lavender alicorn. “Thank goodness you’re here Twilight!” Fluttershy exclaimed as a smile appeared on her face before she motioned to the two creatures with a hoof. “These two are Artemis and Apollo, and—“ “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like you two before!” Twilight interrupted as her head turned towards the twins. “Sorry if this is rude, but what exactly…are you?” “I...um, think we should continue this conversation in a more private place,” Artemis began. “B-Besides, I don’t want to be stared at for any longer.” Twilight nodded her head in understanding before she led the three to her castle. Once they arrived at the entrance, the door was quickly opened by a young purple and green dragon with green spikes on his head and tail. “Hiya Twilight!” The dragon greeted with a smile on his face, his expression turning into a confused one once he saw Artemis and Apollo. “Uh...who’s that?” “These two are Artemis and Apollo,” Fluttershy explained. “I found them in the Everfree Forest, and they’re not...really from Equestria.” “Uh...ok.” He said before lending out his claws to them. “Anyways, I’m Spike, Twilight's personal assistant!” “Nice to meet you.” Apollo said as he grabbed his left claw. Artemis grabbed his right one in silence as she gave him a shy smile. The purple dragon moved aside so the four could enter the castle. The interior appeared to be a mixture of wood and crystal. Along with this, it had many regal looking banners hanging from the ceiling and green stained glass windows that had the design of a tree on the glass. “So...Twilight,” Artemis began. “You asked what Apollo and I were earlier, right?” Without waiting for a reply from the princess, the deer chimera proceeded to continue. “Well...my brother and I are hybrids between two races that aren’t from here.” “Yep, it’s true.” Apollo added. “You probably haven’t heard of them before, but the races are called Caelest and Mikos.” “Interesting.” Twilight commented in an intrigued tone. “Could you possibly tell me more about these two creatures?” “Well...what do want to know about them?” He asked. “There’s a lot of things I could tell you about, but I don’t want to overwhelm you or anything.” The Princess of Friendship thought about his question for a moment, quickly coming up with an answer before she spoke. “Does...every Mikos or Caelest look similar to you two?” She asked. “Sorry if this comes off as rude or weird or anything.” “You’re fine, Princess—“ Apollo began before she interrupted him. “Just Twilight is fine.” “I’ll keep that in mind. Anyways,” He continued. “Not all Mikos or Caelest’s looks like deer or ram hybrids like my twin sister and I. Most individuals have unique appearances and whatnot, if that makes sense.” “It does.” She said with a soft smile on her face. “What is your diet like?” “Well, everyone...or everypony in your case, has an omnivorous diet. Basically we eat meat, eggs, vegetables, all that nice stuff. Mikos’ strangely prefer a more carnivorous diet, but personally we don’t eat meat very often.” “How old are you two?” Twilight questioned as she tilted her head slightly. “Fifteen.” The twins answered in unison, looking at each other for a moment before they laughed softly. “It’s kind of a habit for us to say things in unison, or even—“ Apollo began before Artemis spoke. “Finish each other’s sentences.” Twilight and Fluttershy chuckled at the twins speaking at the same time, the two mares smiling at each other before Twilight went back to questioning the both of them. “Can you two use any magic?” The Alicorn asked. “I can try to teach you two a couple spells, if that’s okay.” “Well,it isn’t exactly magic or anything.” He answered. “It’s more like...abilities or something we were born with. The two of us can shapeshift and mimic voices or sounds. I can heal wounds, manipulate light, and summon small flames. My sister can manipulate shadows, generate electricity and cast illusions.” “Maybe you two could...um, show us them sometime.” Fluttershy chimed in, having stayed silent for most of the conversation due to her not knowing when to finally say something. “Sure, we c-can do that.” Artemis said, hiding a hint of worry in her eyes with a soft smile. “But...I feel like you two might think I’m—“ She mumbled to herself before quickly going silent as she heard footsteps from behind. She turned around before noticing that Spike had managed to catch up to the group, stopping to catch his breath before the deer chimera spoke in a concerned tone. “Are...are you alright, Spike?” “Yep! I’m one hundred percent ok.” Spike answered with a wider than normal grin. “I just had to make sure nopony from that crowd got in.” “Oh...thankfully we won’t have to come across any more rude ponies, right Apollo?” Artemis asked as she looked over at her brother, who nodded slightly in agreement. “Yep. I can’t believe that…pony from earlier would say something like that to us.” He said. “Do you think we’ll know who said it?” “I don’t really know.” She shrugged. “Besides, it could’ve been any—“ She suddenly jumped at the sound of doors being opened loudly before moving closer to her brother. The room had some kind of table in the middle that showed a map of some sort, and there were chairs made of white crystals, and four of them appeared to be occupied by a rainbow-maned pegasus with a blue coat and a marking on her flank that resembled a cloud with a lightning bolt that had red, yellow and blue stripes. There was a white unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail, who seemed to be wearing some type of makeup. Her marking appeared to be three blue gemstones. Two other ponies, a light pink earth pony with a bright poofy pink mane and tail with a symbol that were two blue balloons with a single yellow one and an orange mare with white freckle-like markings and a blonde mane and tail, which were currently tied back, who was wearing some kind of hat over her head. Her symbol was simple; three red apples with green leaves. The ponies looked over at Twilight and Fluttershy before their gazes turned towards Artemis and Apollo. Their reactions ranged from opened mouths and wide eyes to an excited grin from the pink mare. “Twilight, Fluttershy…” The orange earth pony said in a southern accent that was filled with surprise as she pointed a hoof at the two creatures. “What the hay is that?” An unexpected audience“Well, Applejack—“ Twilight began. The Princess was suddenly interrupted by a pink pony who darted over to the bipedal creatures, starting to bombard the two with questions while a wide smile appeared on her face. “Are you two Twilight’s new friends? Why didn’t she tell me about you so I could throw a Welcome to Ponyville party like I did for her when she first arrived? Are you two from the Badlands? Anyways, my name’s—“ “I think that’s enough, Pinkie.” The purple-maned unicorn interjected after she looked up from filling one of her forehooves. “Now, who are you?” She asked curiously. “Well...I-I’m Artemis.” The deer chimera began quietly before pointing to her brother. “And this is Apollo, my twin brother.” “As Rarity said earlier, I’m Pinkie Pie!” The pink earth pony replied before immediately zooming over to the rainbow-maned pegasus. “This is Rainbow Dash, she’s one of my good friends and she’s an awesome flyer! She wants to join the Wonderbolts someday, so she can become even more awesome at flying.” “Sup.” Rainbow Dash greeted as she gave a slight wave to Artemis and Apollo. “And this is my other friend Rarity.” Pinkie Pie said as she moved over to Rarity and put an arm around her. “She’s amazing at designing dresses and costumes and outfits and—“ “I think they...get the point.” Rarity said, her eyes widening once she noticed the sky blue scales that covered Artemis’ forearms and long tail, which current had scattered splotches of pale green. “Ooo, I really love your scales!” She said, quickly continuing before the chimera could say anything. “Is it ok if I use them as a form of inspiration for my next line of clothing? Maybe I could use some gemstones or new fabric for it? Do you think you could help me with—“ “I think that’s enough pesterin’ sugarcube.” The orange mare said in a southern accent as she looked over at the two. “Oh...I’m very sorry about my improper behavior, I just got excited there.” Rarity apologized after letting out a sheepish chuckle. “It’s fine.” Artemis replied. “Anyways, the name’s Applejack.” Applejack said just before Pinkie was about to introduce her to Artemis and Apollo, resulting in a slightly disappointed look appearing on the pink mare’s face before it was replaced with a grin. “I take care of Sweet Apple Acres with Granny Smith, my brother Big Mac, and my little sister Apple Bloom.” “So, where are you two from?” Pinkie asked curiously. “You two don’t look like you’re from here.” “Well, we aren’t really from the Badlands, or Equestria either.” Apollo explained. “I know it might sound crazy, but it’s the honest truth.” “Oh really?” Rainbow Dash asked, taking to the air before flying over to Apollo and landing near the ram hybrid as she looked up at him with a skeptical look. “How do we know you two aren’t spies?” “Rainbow, are you out of your mind?” Applejack said, her green eyes glaring daggers at the blue pegasus. “Can’t you see that Apollo’s telling the truth? And what would they even be spyin’ for?” The blue pegasus narrowed her eyes at Apollo for a second before flying back to her seat. Twilight cleared her throat before she spoke up. “Anyways...as I was going to say earlier, Artemis and Apollo aren’t from Equestria, and we need to work on finding a way to return these two back to their home before—.” “What happens if we...don’t do that?” Rainbow Dash interjected. “Besides, it’s not like they’re causing anything bad to happen by being here.” “I’m..not entirely sure.” Apollo answered before Twilight could do so. “We don’t know if anyone back home has noticed we’re gone, or even if anyone else here knows of our existence.” “Right..” The lavender alicorn said as she turned her head towards the two hybrids. “That reminds me! I have something I want to talk to you two after—“ “Excuse me!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she raised her hoof. “Quick question, what’s your favorite flavor of cake?” “Chocolate.” Artemis answered. “I think my brother prefers either strawberry, carrot or red velvet.” “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said as a grin appeared on her face. “Anyways.” Twilight said after letting out a sigh. “Let’s get back to what I was saying. I need some help with finding a way to send Artemis and Apollo back to their home. In the meantime, they will stay here in the Castle of Friendship. I want you girls to make sure that Artemis and Apollo are comfortable and feel at home here in Ponyville.” “So Artemis, right?” Rainbow Dash asked before the deer chimera nodded silently. “Not to be rude, but what’s up with your...wing?” Artemis’ irises seemed to shrink as she glanced over at her left wing. She took a deep breath before speaking. “I...I don’t want to—“ “It’s a long story and she doesn’t feel like talking about it right now.” Apollo interrupted. “It brings back memories that she would rather forget.” “Oh my...that’s terrible.” Fluttershy said, her ears lowering as a worried look appeared on her face. “But—“ Rainbow Dash began before interrupting herself. “Alright, I won’t ask about it again. I was just wondering why she seemed to only have one wing.” “Which is...fine.” Artemis mumbled, her voice somehow loud enough so the pegasus could hear her. “But you heard what my brother said.” Twilight Sparkle turned her head towards one of the windows, noticing the dark and star covered sky before she turned back towards the others. “Goodness!” She exclaimed. “We’ve really been at it all day? Everypony should go home and get some rest, we have a lot of things to work out tomorrow. Artemis and Apollo, I’ll show you two to your rooms.” After everyone had said goodnight to each other, Twilight led Artemis and Apollo to a hallway that had many connected rooms. The twins looked at each other before turning towards her. “Goodnight Twilight.” Artemis and Apollo said in unison, laughing shortly after they spoke. Twilight let out a slight giggle before speaking. “Goodnight Artemis and Apollo, sweet dreams!” The three went their separate ways into each of their rooms to go to bed for the night. As Twilight curled up and got under the sheets, she couldn’t help but wonder if the two hybrids would like living in Ponyville. Her head turned towards Spike once he had opened the door. “So Twilight, how did the meeting go?” He asked curiously. “It went well,” She answered. “I was going to ask Artemis and Apollo about telling Princess Celestia and Luna about them, but I didn’t realize it had gotten so late.” “Maybe you could ask them tomorrow?” Spike suggested as he got into his own bed. “I think they might be asleep by now.” “Good idea!” The princess replied. “Maybe—“ She noticed that the purple dragon was now fast asleep, snoring softly in his sleep. A smile formed on her face before she closed her eyes and silently slept for the night.
Something new: part oneFluttershy was currently in her small cottage, located on the outskirts of Ponyville as the Pegasus gathered her saddlebag, getting ready to head to the marketplace so she could buy more food for her animals. While humming a soft tune to herself, she suddenly heard the sound of the door being open, causing her ears to lower as she went silent and turned to see who had opened the door. “Oh...it’s just you Angel.” She said before letting out a sigh of relief. She noticed that her pet bunny seemed to be tugging on her long pink mane after approaching her, quickly pointing towards the door. A look of confusion struck Fluttershy. “Is something wrong?” She asked in a concerned tone. “Did somepony fall into a well?” Angel shook his head with a slightly annoyed look on his face before he motioned for her to follow him outside. Deciding that the market could wait, she followed her rabbit outside, wondering what he wanted to show her or where he was taking her. Her eyes widened slightly once she noticed that he was leading her towards the Everfree forest. She started to remember the various journeys and adventures she and her friends had taken, from defeating Nightmare Moon to stopping the forest from growing out of control. It made her think about how far she had grown from the shy mare she was long ago who couldn’t even say her own name in front of a stranger. Her trip down memory lane was quickly interrupted as her hoof crushed a branch, causing it to crack as she let out a surprised and short yell at the sound. Angel quickly halted to a stop as the rabbit looked over at her, before he looked over in the distance as if he heard or noticed something. Fluttershy was about to ask her pet what he had seen before an unfamiliar and loud voice spoke from somewhere. “Who’s there?!” Fluttershy looked over in the direction of the voice before she heard a more soft spoken and nervous one speak afterwards. “We...We won’t hurt you or anything, I-I promise.” The pegasus and the bunny looked at each other for a moment before the two made their way towards the voices. Her cyan eyes widened once she saw the two bipedal figures, who didn’t look exactly like anything she had seen before. The first figure seemed to be taller and goat or ram-like in appearance, with brown fur and four orange eyes that stared at Fluttershy distrustfully before looking at the shorter figure that stood behind his stretched out draconic wings. The second one appeared to be similar to a deer, and somehow had a pair of antlers despite being a girl. Her forearms and long tail, which was currently curled around one of her legs, were covered with sky blue scales that were starting to shift into a pale green with white patterns. Unlike the other figure that stood next to her, she had a single wing on the right side of her back that seemed to be covered with ebony black feathers. The lizard-crow-deer chimera approached Fluttershy as she took a step back, unsure what she was going to say or do to her. “I-It’s okay,” She quickly reassured the pegasus in a quiet voice that was filled with nervousness. “My br-brother Apollo and I won’t harm you…” Apollo, who Fluttershy guessed was the name of the ram hybrid, nodded his head in agreement as he watched the three of them in silence. The yellow pegasus mumbled something under her breath before Angel nudged her a bit, almost as if he wanted her to speak up. “Oh, um...I’m glad you two don’t want to hurt us,” She quickly spoke. “I’m Fluttershy, and this is my pet Angel.” “As my sister Artemis said earlier, I’m Apollo.” The ram hybrid grinned, his gaze from earlier starting to soften. “Artemis and Apollo…” She repeated, a soft smile appearing on her face. “Those are very nice names. By the way, are you possibly from the Badlands?” “The what?” The two hybrids asked in unison, confused expressions appearing on their faces before Apollo spoke for himself and his sister. “I don’t know what kind of place is named Badlands, but the two of us definitely aren’t from around here,” He began. “One moment we’re somewhere else, and the next, both of us are in this weird forest and talking to a—“ “I-I think she gets your point.” Artemis adjusted the crescent moon necklace around her neck as she went silent after she spoke, her tail swaying behind her as Apollo sighed quietly. “Anyways...Fluttershy, where exactly are we?” “This is the Everfree Forest,” Fluttershy answered. “My cottage is actually nearby, if you two want to go there...But first, I probably should take you two to Ponyville to see my friend Twilight. I think she’ll work on finding a way to get you two back home once I explain everything to her.” “I don’t mind if you take us to your friend,” Apollo replied as his sister nodded in agreement. “Besides, I think this place is getting creepier the longer we stay in here.” “Angel, please go back to the cottage and make sure none of the other animals try to escape.” The pink-maned pegasus spoke to the rabbit. He raised a brow before letting out a sigh and quickly heading back towards her cottage. The two hybrids started to follow Fluttershy as she led them out of the forest and the trio made their way towards Ponyville. Once they arrived, they saw the small town that was filled with various ponies going throughout their day. Fluttershy seemed to notice that a few ponies stopped to stare at Artemis and Apollo with curious looks as the group made their way through Ponyville, along with a few creeped out or disgusted ones mixed in. She suddenly halted to a stop as the two hybrids stood still, noticing that some kind of crowd formed around them as ponies looked at the strange creatures and whispered about them among themselves. “What are those things?” “I’ve never seen a creature like that before!” “Do you think those two are Draconequui?” “Look at how...freaky they look.” “Um...Flutter-Fluttershy?” Artemis asked quietly, her ears lowering slightly as her scales changed into a pure white color while her eyes glanced around. “Why is everyone staring at us?”
Something new: part twoFluttershy’s cyan eyes looked over at Artemis once she had asked her question before turning back towards the crowd. She could tell that the deer hybrid seemed to be nervous about everypony staring at her and Apollo. Getting closer to the two legged creatures, she started to look for a way through the crowd before a voice suddenly rang out. “Hey four eyes and mud freak, how about you go back to where you came from?” Apollo’s orange eyes glowed faintly as he glared in the direction of the voice. Fluttershy looked in the same direction for a moment before she went back to observing the twins. “How about you go and—“ The ram hybrid shouted back in an irritated voice before he felt a shadowy hand cover his mouth. He let out a puff of smoke from his nostrils as he looked over at Artemis, the hand returning to his own shadow as she looked away from him. “There’s no need to start a-anything,” The deer chimera said quietly. “I-I don’t want you to end up hurting anyone, ok?” Fluttershy saw Apollo nod his head in silence before she noticed that the crowd of ponies started to move aside. She saw a familiar face walk through the gap as she internally let out a sigh of relief, the twins tilting their heads at the sight of the lavender alicorn. “Thank goodness you’re here Twilight!” Fluttershy exclaimed as a smile appeared on her face before she motioned to the two creatures with a hoof. “These two are Artemis and Apollo, and—“ “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like you two before!” Twilight interrupted as her head turned towards the twins. “Sorry if this is rude, but what exactly…are you?” “I...um, think we should continue this conversation in a more private place,” Artemis began. “B-Besides, I don’t want to be stared at for any longer.” Twilight nodded her head in understanding before she led the three to her castle. Once they arrived at the entrance, the door was quickly opened by a young purple and green dragon with green spikes on his head and tail. “Hiya Twilight!” The dragon greeted with a smile on his face, his expression turning into a confused one once he saw Artemis and Apollo. “Uh...who’s that?” “These two are Artemis and Apollo,” Fluttershy explained. “I found them in the Everfree Forest, and they’re not...really from Equestria.” “Uh...ok.” He said before lending out his claws to them. “Anyways, I’m Spike, Twilight's personal assistant!” “Nice to meet you.” Apollo said as he grabbed his left claw. Artemis grabbed his right one in silence as she gave him a shy smile. The purple dragon moved aside so the four could enter the castle. The interior appeared to be a mixture of wood and crystal. Along with this, it had many regal looking banners hanging from the ceiling and green stained glass windows that had the design of a tree on the glass. “So...Twilight,” Artemis began. “You asked what Apollo and I were earlier, right?” Without waiting for a reply from the princess, the deer chimera proceeded to continue. “Well...my brother and I are hybrids between two races that aren’t from here.” “Yep, it’s true.” Apollo added. “You probably haven’t heard of them before, but the races are called Caelest and Mikos.” “Interesting.” Twilight commented in an intrigued tone. “Could you possibly tell me more about these two creatures?” “Well...what do want to know about them?” He asked. “There’s a lot of things I could tell you about, but I don’t want to overwhelm you or anything.” The Princess of Friendship thought about his question for a moment, quickly coming up with an answer before she spoke. “Does...every Mikos or Caelest look similar to you two?” She asked. “Sorry if this comes off as rude or weird or anything.” “You’re fine, Princess—“ Apollo began before she interrupted him. “Just Twilight is fine.” “I’ll keep that in mind. Anyways,” He continued. “Not all Mikos or Caelest’s looks like deer or ram hybrids like my twin sister and I. Most individuals have unique appearances and whatnot, if that makes sense.” “It does.” She said with a soft smile on her face. “What is your diet like?” “Well, everyone...or everypony in your case, has an omnivorous diet. Basically we eat meat, eggs, vegetables, all that nice stuff. Mikos’ strangely prefer a more carnivorous diet, but personally we don’t eat meat very often.” “How old are you two?” Twilight questioned as she tilted her head slightly. “Fifteen.” The twins answered in unison, looking at each other for a moment before they laughed softly. “It’s kind of a habit for us to say things in unison, or even—“ Apollo began before Artemis spoke. “Finish each other’s sentences.” Twilight and Fluttershy chuckled at the twins speaking at the same time, the two mares smiling at each other before Twilight went back to questioning the both of them. “Can you two use any magic?” The Alicorn asked. “I can try to teach you two a couple spells, if that’s okay.” “Well,it isn’t exactly magic or anything.” He answered. “It’s more like...abilities or something we were born with. The two of us can shapeshift and mimic voices or sounds. I can heal wounds, manipulate light, and summon small flames. My sister can manipulate shadows, generate electricity and cast illusions.” “Maybe you two could...um, show us them sometime.” Fluttershy chimed in, having stayed silent for most of the conversation due to her not knowing when to finally say something. “Sure, we c-can do that.” Artemis said, hiding a hint of worry in her eyes with a soft smile. “But...I feel like you two might think I’m—“ She mumbled to herself before quickly going silent as she heard footsteps from behind. She turned around before noticing that Spike had managed to catch up to the group, stopping to catch his breath before the deer chimera spoke in a concerned tone. “Are...are you alright, Spike?” “Yep! I’m one hundred percent ok.” Spike answered with a wider than normal grin. “I just had to make sure nopony from that crowd got in.” “Oh...thankfully we won’t have to come across any more rude ponies, right Apollo?” Artemis asked as she looked over at her brother, who nodded slightly in agreement. “Yep. I can’t believe that…pony from earlier would say something like that to us.” He said. “Do you think we’ll know who said it?” “I don’t really know.” She shrugged. “Besides, it could’ve been any—“ She suddenly jumped at the sound of doors being opened loudly before moving closer to her brother. The room had some kind of table in the middle that showed a map of some sort, and there were chairs made of white crystals, and four of them appeared to be occupied by a rainbow-maned pegasus with a blue coat and a marking on her flank that resembled a cloud with a lightning bolt that had red, yellow and blue stripes. There was a white unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail, who seemed to be wearing some type of makeup. Her marking appeared to be three blue gemstones. Two other ponies, a light pink earth pony with a bright poofy pink mane and tail with a symbol that were two blue balloons with a single yellow one and an orange mare with white freckle-like markings and a blonde mane and tail, which were currently tied back, who was wearing some kind of hat over her head. Her symbol was simple; three red apples with green leaves. The ponies looked over at Twilight and Fluttershy before their gazes turned towards Artemis and Apollo. Their reactions ranged from opened mouths and wide eyes to an excited grin from the pink mare. “Twilight, Fluttershy…” The orange earth pony said in a southern accent that was filled with surprise as she pointed a hoof at the two creatures. “What the hay is that?”
An unexpected audience“Well, Applejack—“ Twilight began. The Princess was suddenly interrupted by a pink pony who darted over to the bipedal creatures, starting to bombard the two with questions while a wide smile appeared on her face. “Are you two Twilight’s new friends? Why didn’t she tell me about you so I could throw a Welcome to Ponyville party like I did for her when she first arrived? Are you two from the Badlands? Anyways, my name’s—“ “I think that’s enough, Pinkie.” The purple-maned unicorn interjected after she looked up from filling one of her forehooves. “Now, who are you?” She asked curiously. “Well...I-I’m Artemis.” The deer chimera began quietly before pointing to her brother. “And this is Apollo, my twin brother.” “As Rarity said earlier, I’m Pinkie Pie!” The pink earth pony replied before immediately zooming over to the rainbow-maned pegasus. “This is Rainbow Dash, she’s one of my good friends and she’s an awesome flyer! She wants to join the Wonderbolts someday, so she can become even more awesome at flying.” “Sup.” Rainbow Dash greeted as she gave a slight wave to Artemis and Apollo. “And this is my other friend Rarity.” Pinkie Pie said as she moved over to Rarity and put an arm around her. “She’s amazing at designing dresses and costumes and outfits and—“ “I think they...get the point.” Rarity said, her eyes widening once she noticed the sky blue scales that covered Artemis’ forearms and long tail, which current had scattered splotches of pale green. “Ooo, I really love your scales!” She said, quickly continuing before the chimera could say anything. “Is it ok if I use them as a form of inspiration for my next line of clothing? Maybe I could use some gemstones or new fabric for it? Do you think you could help me with—“ “I think that’s enough pesterin’ sugarcube.” The orange mare said in a southern accent as she looked over at the two. “Oh...I’m very sorry about my improper behavior, I just got excited there.” Rarity apologized after letting out a sheepish chuckle. “It’s fine.” Artemis replied. “Anyways, the name’s Applejack.” Applejack said just before Pinkie was about to introduce her to Artemis and Apollo, resulting in a slightly disappointed look appearing on the pink mare’s face before it was replaced with a grin. “I take care of Sweet Apple Acres with Granny Smith, my brother Big Mac, and my little sister Apple Bloom.” “So, where are you two from?” Pinkie asked curiously. “You two don’t look like you’re from here.” “Well, we aren’t really from the Badlands, or Equestria either.” Apollo explained. “I know it might sound crazy, but it’s the honest truth.” “Oh really?” Rainbow Dash asked, taking to the air before flying over to Apollo and landing near the ram hybrid as she looked up at him with a skeptical look. “How do we know you two aren’t spies?” “Rainbow, are you out of your mind?” Applejack said, her green eyes glaring daggers at the blue pegasus. “Can’t you see that Apollo’s telling the truth? And what would they even be spyin’ for?” The blue pegasus narrowed her eyes at Apollo for a second before flying back to her seat. Twilight cleared her throat before she spoke up. “Anyways...as I was going to say earlier, Artemis and Apollo aren’t from Equestria, and we need to work on finding a way to return these two back to their home before—.” “What happens if we...don’t do that?” Rainbow Dash interjected. “Besides, it’s not like they’re causing anything bad to happen by being here.” “I’m..not entirely sure.” Apollo answered before Twilight could do so. “We don’t know if anyone back home has noticed we’re gone, or even if anyone else here knows of our existence.” “Right..” The lavender alicorn said as she turned her head towards the two hybrids. “That reminds me! I have something I want to talk to you two after—“ “Excuse me!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she raised her hoof. “Quick question, what’s your favorite flavor of cake?” “Chocolate.” Artemis answered. “I think my brother prefers either strawberry, carrot or red velvet.” “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said as a grin appeared on her face. “Anyways.” Twilight said after letting out a sigh. “Let’s get back to what I was saying. I need some help with finding a way to send Artemis and Apollo back to their home. In the meantime, they will stay here in the Castle of Friendship. I want you girls to make sure that Artemis and Apollo are comfortable and feel at home here in Ponyville.” “So Artemis, right?” Rainbow Dash asked before the deer chimera nodded silently. “Not to be rude, but what’s up with your...wing?” Artemis’ irises seemed to shrink as she glanced over at her left wing. She took a deep breath before speaking. “I...I don’t want to—“ “It’s a long story and she doesn’t feel like talking about it right now.” Apollo interrupted. “It brings back memories that she would rather forget.” “Oh my...that’s terrible.” Fluttershy said, her ears lowering as a worried look appeared on her face. “But—“ Rainbow Dash began before interrupting herself. “Alright, I won’t ask about it again. I was just wondering why she seemed to only have one wing.” “Which is...fine.” Artemis mumbled, her voice somehow loud enough so the pegasus could hear her. “But you heard what my brother said.” Twilight Sparkle turned her head towards one of the windows, noticing the dark and star covered sky before she turned back towards the others. “Goodness!” She exclaimed. “We’ve really been at it all day? Everypony should go home and get some rest, we have a lot of things to work out tomorrow. Artemis and Apollo, I’ll show you two to your rooms.” After everyone had said goodnight to each other, Twilight led Artemis and Apollo to a hallway that had many connected rooms. The twins looked at each other before turning towards her. “Goodnight Twilight.” Artemis and Apollo said in unison, laughing shortly after they spoke. Twilight let out a slight giggle before speaking. “Goodnight Artemis and Apollo, sweet dreams!” The three went their separate ways into each of their rooms to go to bed for the night. As Twilight curled up and got under the sheets, she couldn’t help but wonder if the two hybrids would like living in Ponyville. Her head turned towards Spike once he had opened the door. “So Twilight, how did the meeting go?” He asked curiously. “It went well,” She answered. “I was going to ask Artemis and Apollo about telling Princess Celestia and Luna about them, but I didn’t realize it had gotten so late.” “Maybe you could ask them tomorrow?” Spike suggested as he got into his own bed. “I think they might be asleep by now.” “Good idea!” The princess replied. “Maybe—“ She noticed that the purple dragon was now fast asleep, snoring softly in his sleep. A smile formed on her face before she closed her eyes and silently slept for the night.
