Author's Note

I'm back!

Finally got another chapter of something done! Working on three stories at once is a bit draining, but rest assured that I AM actually working on them!

Chapter 12: Reversal

The trees flew by as I stared out the train window, reflecting over the past week. I'd been graciously taken around Equestria by 4 kind individuals after accidentally stumbling into their lives, and they'd asked nothing of me in return.

Despite them saying it was no trouble at all, it just didn't feel right; I had to repay them somehow.

Suddenly, I had an idea.

"Hey Gallus, Silverstream? When are you and Fluttershy next available?"

A few days later...

I paced back and forth across Starlight's library, nervously anticipating the arrival of three friends.

Starlight herself, who had been let in on the surprise, was standing nearby. "Relax, Graff; I'm sure they'll like the surprise."

"I sure hope so," I muttered to myself.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long; Fluttershy, Gallus, and Silverstream entered the room a few moments later. "Alright, we're here," Gallus pointed out. "What'd you want to show us?"

I gestured behind me, where the Mirror Portal waited. "Surprise! I'm taking you to my world!"

Fluttershy and Gallus' eyes widened; Silverstream, surprisingly, grinned, "Called it."

Fluttershy hesitantly spoke up, "A-are you sure about this?"

I nodded. "Sunset already said it'd be okay. Besides, I still feel like I oughta pay you back for the hospitality in my visits, so what better way than letting you visit my world?"

She thought it over for a moment, before smiling. "Thank you, Graff; that's very thoughtful of you."

Gallus concurred coolly, "I'm down for it."

Silverstream cheered, "Interdimensional road trip!"

Without so much as a second thought, she practically dragged Gallus through the portal. Fluttershy hesitated a bit longer, and I chose to capitalize by holding out a talon. "After you, m'lady," I said.

A splash of red played across her face for a moment as she gave me her hoof, and we stepped through.

I swear, I'm never gonna get used to the journey between Earth and Equestria. Regardless, I somehow managed to hold on, even as her hoof turned into a hand.

I stepped out the other side first, dressed in my casual slacks and gray tee. Fluttershy followed shortly after, looking almost exactly as she did when she first came over — with the notable addition of a dark green jacket. I have absolutely no idea why, but whatever; it wasn't the strangest thing I've seen since this all started.

The first thing I noticed was Gallus, in human form, trying not to freak out. He looked almost exactly like I'd imagined: a teenager dressed like a 50's greaser, with an olive bomber jacket, cream sweatshirt with golden hems, light denim jeans, and blue-and-gold sneakers.

Then I noticed Silverstream, who was prancing about, eagerly getting accustomed to bipedal movement. She wore a loose light blue jewel neck shirt, a white undershirt with sleeves down to her elbows, a mermaid-style skirt with seashell patterns, magenta dockside shoes, white calf-high stockings, and a necklace similar to the one she usually wore. Her blue two-toned hair was tied up in her usual style; her deep purple eyes sparkled with wonder at the new world around her; and her freckles took on the color of her beak, tying everything else together with an air of child-like innocence.

"This is so weird!" Silverstream was shouting ecstatically, "I'm used to having two forms and all, but never one like this!"

Wait, what?

But before I could ask what she meant by that, I'm interrupted by Gallus finally losing his cool. He began screaming "Something happened to my talons, WHERE ARE MY TALONS!?" while trying desperately to claw his hands off of his arms. Silverstream and I watch him for a moment, then we both burst out laughing.

Fluttershy, on the other hand, rushed over to him and whisper-shouted, "Gallus, they're just hands!"

He paused for a moment, taking a closer look at his trembling hands. "Wh-what happened to me?"

"The same thing that happened to all of us," I pointed out, drawing his attention.

"Geez, what the—!?" Gallus flinched at the sight of us.

"We're humans in this dimension, remember?" Fluttershy reminded him patiently.

He blinked owlishly, then his face reddened. "R-right, I remembered that."

We all shared a good-humored chuckle, then I stepped forward to help Gallus up. He shakily stood, nearly losing balance, but I kept him upright until he got comfortable. "You good?"

He nodded tentatively. "Yeah, I think so."

"Alright, I'm gonna let go, and I want you to take a step towards Silverstream. Okay?" He nodded, and I stepped away.

And then he fell flat on his face.

A few minutes of practice later, and Gallus was walking decently enough. I brought everyone to the bus stop across the street, where we only had to wait a few minutes for a bus to arrive. I paid for everyone's bus fare, and we took our seats near the back of the bus. Gallus and Silverstream sat across the aisle from Fluttershy and me.

"I've never ridden a bus before," Fluttershy commented hesitantly.

"They're not all that special," I warned. "In fact, they're widely regarded as one of the least pleasant modes of transport."

Gallus blinked. "Then why are we using one?"

I shrugged, "Because I don't have a license to drive a car."

"Oh."

A moment later, the bus door closed, and it began to pull forward. Fluttershy instinctively braced her legs against the seat in front of us, but quickly realized what was happening and relaxed. She peeked out the window and gasped, "We're really moving!"

I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "I wish I could say I was just as ecstatic the first time I rode a vehicle, but I was far too young to remember it."

Fluttershy didn't respond; she was too entranced watching the neighborhood pass by out the window.

Gallus was the one to respond instead: "How exactly does all this work?"

I shrugged, "I hardly know myself. All I really know for sure is that gasoline is used as fuel for the engine, and the engine has pistons in it in some form."

He frowned. "That was hardly helpful..."

"Well, I'm sorry I never looked into it; I never thought I'd need to know it."

He held up his hands, "Okay, I get it, sorry. Arguing won't help, so let's just drop it, 'kay?"

I nodded, and we sat in silence for a moment.

Then a new voice piped up, "I can tell you how an engine works."

We all turned around to find a young girl with a laptop on her lap, sitting in the seat behind us. Her light gray skin contrasted with her brilliant green eyes; her curled hair was half pale rose, half grayish mulberry; and she wore a cherry red jacket over a striped pink-and-white shirt, a pale yellow skirt, and knee-high cherry red boots with yellow straps.

Fluttershy, Gallus, and Silverstream all seemed to recognize her immediately. "Sweetie Belle?!"

She, however, only seemed to recognize Fluttershy. "Oh hey, Fluttershy! I didn't expect to see you here; I thought you were still taking Apple Bloom to the mall?"

We all visibly cringed. "Actually," Fluttershy began, "you see, the thing about that is, um...."

Gallus stepped in bluntly, "We're from the alternate universe."

Fluttershy and I blanched at his bluntness. Good job, Gallus; you probably just blew this poor girl's —

"Ah, I get it now."

I did a double-take. "Wha- you KNOW about that whole thing!?"

She casually waved it off, "It's kinda hard to ignore when my sister Rarity is continuously raving on about it."

Now I felt like an idiot; my face reddened, and I slunk back into my seat.

Thankfully, Gallus butted in again: "So, you said you'd explain how an engine works?"

Her face brightened up. "Oh, would I! I'm still in the middle of taking my automotive classes, so I'm not 100% yet, but I can still answer any major questions you have."

Fluttershy smiled sweetly, "You're much more mature than our Sweetie Belle."

She blushed. "Aw, thanks, Fluttershy. Now then, back to the topic at hand: engines. You see, it all starts with the intake..."

"...and the resulting propulsion, or torque, forces the pistons back down. And it's this stroke that provides the power to move things like vehicles!"

For the past half hour, we had sat there, enraptured by her explanation. I never realized just how complex an engine was! And yet, it was still rather easy to grasp the basic concepts — except for one thing.

"So, uh," I piped up, "what exactly gets the pistons moving in the first place?"

She blanched for a moment, then her face reddened. "I'm not entirely sure myself. Like I said, I'm still taking those classes."

I nodded, "Fair enough."

"Now arriving at Maple Court!" The bus driver called out. I looked up; indeed, we were at our stop.

"Alright, this is where we get off. Thank you, Miss..."

"Sweetie Belle."

"Right. Thank you for talking with us."

"No problem!" She smiled, then turned her attention back to her laptop.

Gallus, Silverstream, Fluttershy and I stood up and walked down the aisle, then stepped out onto the cold pavement. Just ahead of us sat my apartment building. I looked upon it with indifference, but I could tell that the others were intrigued, and that kept my spirits up.

We made our way inside, opting to take the stairs (Gallus said he had claustrophobia, so he didn't want to take the elevator) to the second floor. Down the hall we went, until we reached a door that was all-too familiar to me: Apartment 207. I took out my key and unlocked the door, hesitated for a moment, then pushed it open. "Welcome to Casa de la Graff."

The looks on their faces were not what I was expecting: instead of disappointment, confusion, or even horror, they actually seemed rather... intrigued?

"So this is your place, huh?" Gallus commented absently. "It's actually nicer than I'd expected."

I raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged, "You just seem like a guy who's down on his luck, that's all. Besides, you saw how much of a dump Griffonstone is, right?"

I had to admit, he had a point. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

Fluttershy and Silverstream, meanwhile, had already ventured further in. On one end of the room, next to the door to the balcony, sat my average-sized bed, covered sloppily with dark grey sheets and a rumpled pillow. My single closet sat next to that, and across the room from that were the living area (consisting of a small armchair, a decent-sized TV, and a small coffee table), the kitchen area (complete with a table and two chairs), and the bathroom.

Silverstream, of course, immediately jumped up onto the sofa. "Wow, this place is so neat!"

I blinked. "You guys actually like it?"

Fluttershy nodded. "It may not be the biggest, but I can still tell that it's a good place to live. You wouldn't keep it so neat if it weren't, now would you?"

I looked around the room, taking in what she'd just said. I suppose I did have a tendency to keep this place organized...

But before I could reply, somebody knocked on the door. I walked over and opened the door, then smiled when I saw who it was.

"I see you have company over," my favorite next-door neighbor smirked her trademark smirk. "That has to be a first for you. Tell me, what's the occasion?"

"Oh hey, Chryssie!" I greeted. "I'm just showing my—"

"CHRYSALIS!?"

Both of us staggered at the sudden shout. We turned to see everyone staring at us, white as sheets. "You know her?" I asked.

Fluttershy pulled me in close. "You remember what we said about that attack on Canterlot a while ago?" I nodded. "Chrysalis was one of the attackers."

I was taken aback momentarily, then I scoffed. "Well, that's your world. I've known Chryssie for years now, and she's great. I couldn't possibly ask for a better neighbor."

Fluttershy stole a glance back towards the door, where Chrysalis was still waiting. Eventually, she sighed. "Alright, I'll give her a chance."

"That's all I ask," I patted her on the shoulder, then turned back to the rest of the room. "Everyone, this is Chrysalis, my next-door neighbor. Chryssie, this here's Fluttershy, Gallus, and Silverstream. They're visiting from out-of-town."

Chrysalis nodded. "Charmed to make your acquaintance, but it seems you've already heard of me?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing; they just mixed you up with someone back home. Right, guys?" I turned my head and looked directly at Gallus and Silverstream as I said this.

Thankfully, they seemed to get the idea, and they calmed down significantly. "Right, sorry about that," Gallus apologized.

"Yeah, me too," Silverstream added.

Chrysalis waved a hand, "It's no big deal."

"Come on in," I gestured to the kitchen table, and she took a seat. I then approached the fridge and asked, "Alright, anyone want anything?"

"I'll take some daisies if you have any," Fluttershy instinctively asked, causing me to internally cringe at her slip.

"Wait, daisies?" Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. "Alright, what's going on here?"

I chuckled nervously, "It's a long story..."

"I've still got time before I need to get to work." She raised her eyebrow, knowing she had me cornered.

I sighed. "Alright, fine. Long story short, they're actually from an alternate dimension, which I accidentally stumbled into last week. They were really kind to me while I was there, so I thought I'd bring them here to return the favor."

She took a moment to process, staring straight into my eyes. "Well, that certainly explains that night you didn't come home until morning... Alright, I believe you."

Everyone but me gawped. "Really? Just like that?"

I explained, "She's a psychologist; she has a knack for reading people."

They seemed to accept that explanation.

"So, is there anything different in this alternate universe other than you eating daisies?"

"Actually, that's a side-effect of the main difference," Silverstream piped up, "because where we're from, we're different species entirely."

She raised her eyebrow. "Really? Do tell."

I pointed to each of them as I elaborated, "Fluttershy's a pegasus pony, Gallus and I are griffons, and Silverstream is a hippogriff."

"And your alternate version is a changeling," Fluttershy added.

She nodded her head, "So that's how you knew me, huh? Alternate selves in parallel universes... I'll bet I'm the baddest bitch around there, huh?"

Everyone else visibly cringed, causing her to deflate in worry. "What's with the faces? Did something happen to my counterpart?"

Fluttershy nodded, but nobody dared actually say it. Chrysalis took the hint and decided to change topics: "So, uh... Ponies, huh? Wonder what they're like."

The conversation went on for about an hour, with them answering any questions she had about Equestria and its denizens. I piped in wherever I could, but the native Equestrians provided most of the information. Eventually, the conversation turned to my personal experiences in Equestria, and the other three decided to see what was on TV while I relayed the story.

"...you have no idea what it's like, standing on a cloud!" I sighed wistfully. "It's like being on damp, fluffy cotton."

"Alright, I get it." She chuckled good-naturedly, before getting out of her seat. "Well, this has been fun, but I actually do need to get to work."

I sighed, but nodded in understanding. "Of course. I'll see you later?"

"I'm sure you'll make time to visit."

I did a double-take. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

She chuckled. "You really don't get it, do you?" When I shook my head, she placed a hand on my shoulder. "I've known you since you moved in, and I can say for certain that you've been a lot happier now that you've met these three."

I looked over to my new friends, who were laughing at a cartoon on TV, and smiled slightly. "I suppose so, but..."

She sternly looked me straight in the eye. "No 'but's. Aside from me, what would you be losing?"

I went in for a rebuttal, but froze. What was holding me back from just staying over there?

She took notice of my uncertainty and smiled, patting my shoulder. "Think about it."

And with that, she grabbed her coat and left.