A Shadow of Myself

Andrea dealt with a lot when dealing with her now only younger sister. Charlotte wasn't the easiest human or pony to deal with. She wasn't a bad person, but she needed a good kick in the pants sometimes.

Trying to deal with Charlotte's first time getting drunk was the latest headache for Andrea. Not just drunk, completely plastered.

"Can't I…can't I just take the necklace thingie off," Charlotte said as she started fumbling with the necklace with her hooves.

Andrea put her hands on the necklace, batting Charlotte's hooves away from it. "Stop talking about that," she whispered harshly. Afraid someone would notice. "I already told you, that won't work. Food and drink stay in your system for whatever reason during transformation. Plus, we are sitting in the lobby, and people will see you naked."

"But I'm a pony, I'm naked like…all the time! Except now. I'm not naked right now. See! They won't see me naked!"

Andrea wasn't religious, but she still sent up a silent prayer to have God give her patience. Why did her sister have to be the type that just went completely stupid when drunk? Andrea didn't get this dumb when she got drunk. Shouldn't there be the same reaction to alcohol since they were from the same family? Why did Equestria not have any drinking restrictions for minors? Was Charlotte even a minor in Equestria? Why had the stupid fancy gala been serving alcohol?

"You won't be a pony after you take the necklace off," Andrea whispered. This wasn't the first time reminding her sister of that.

Charlotte blinked. "Oh, yeah! That's right. You are sooo smart. How'd you get so smart?"

"Just eat the bread rolls, Charlotte. They will help," Andrea instructed with exasperation as she shoved another serving of bread at her sister.

If they weren't sitting in public, taking the necklace off might actually help somewhat. It would increase Charlotte's body mass and decrease her blood-alcohol content as a result, but the problem was they were in public. Taking Charlotte to her room was the eventual goal, but that meant walking by their parents' room and that potential encounter. Sunset had been no help. She could have just cast a sobering spell on Charlotte, it would have been easy for her, but instead the blasted unicorn said to take this as a learning experience, and that she hoped Charlotte's migraine in the morning was a good one, before she scampered off towards Amicus's room. If she wasn't going to sober Charlotte up, she could have at least teleported Charlotte directly to her room. How long would it be before their parents came to check on them?

Empathy came hurrying into the room with a basket in hand. "I have more bread, water, and hot cloths for Miss Charlotte. Are they helping?"

Andrea held out her hand and wavered it in the air, saying she wasn't so sure. Empathy at least was quick to help, even if the little twerp had no idea what being drunk meant, yet another word that produced an 'I don't understand what you are saying' response. He had gotten to the point he believed Charlotte to be poisoned after many attempts to explain it to him. Charlotte probably did not have alcohol poisoning, at least, Andrea hoped not. Andrea was honestly unsure how much her sister had consumed. The poisoning explanation worked well enough for Empathy. How did he understand the concept of poisoning but not being drunk? He came from a weird society.

Her eyes went wide as she watched her parents come right behind the elephant.

"Who's drunk?" their dad said, sounding exhausted.

Charlotte's eyes turned towards their parents. "Hi, Mom and Dad! You missed the party. I had to get a pony to strip Andrea."

"That answers that question," their dad replied with a shake of his head.

Andrea gaped. "How did you two know someone was drunk?"

Their mom pointed at Empathy. "He came into the room and took all our complimentary bread. I'm the one who taught you to load up on bread if you or anyone you know gets too drunk. How'd you let your sister get like this? You were supposed to be watching out for her."

"It was those damned nobles!" Andrea defensively growled. "They separated us and started questioning us. It was like a coordinated attack! They wanted to know all about Sunset and they knew we came in with her."

"They were really friendly. They gave me lotta drinks," Charlotte slurred.

Their mom touched a hand to her forehead like she had a headache. "I'm not going to get mad. I'm too tired to get mad. Just get your sister to her room. Sleep is the best thing for her."

"I figured she would do a little better once we got the necklace off her," Andrea said. "Body mass and all that. I had a fair amount too, but I'm way bigger than her."

"I know they recently reduced the drinking restrictions down to requiring a high school diploma or equivalent back home, but she's still in high school. She shouldn't have been drinking at all," their dad said. He didn't sound angry, only exasperated.

"Equestria has even less restriction," Andrea informed them. "Anyway, I think she's a legal adult here, by their standards."

"I'm all grown-up!" Charlotte said happily.

Andrea took a deep breath. "Hey, look on the bright side. At least we now know she isn't the type to get mean and angry when she gets drunk. I had actually expected her to be that type with her temperament."

"I've never seen Sunset Blessing drunk, so I was kind of expecting the same thing," their mom agreed. She held a hand out to Charlotte. "Come along. Let's get you to bed. You're going to feel like crap in the morning, but hopefully that will teach you a lesson. I'm just glad you're safe and sound."

Andrea walked over to Charlotte. "Can you walk, or do I need to carry you?"

Charlotte's eyes went wide. "I can get a pony ride?"

"Carry you it is," Andrea said, not objecting. She promptly picked her sister up and swung her over her back, laying draped over it with forelegs hanging off one side and hindquarters hanging off the other. "Now, just lay still."

After she was sure Charlotte wasn't going to fall off, she looked at her parents. "You two are taking this very well. I was sure you were going to murder one or both of us for this."

Her parents looked at one another. Her dad turned and faced her after a second. "Please, don't use the term murder. As for the going easy…"

"We have our reasons," their mom said quickly. "Get Charlotte to bed. I'll help nurse her hangover in the morning. It's isn't like no one here is innocent of having been stupid and drank too much at some point."

Empathy raised a hand. "I've never drank too much!"

"Empathy is a goodie-goodie," Charlotte chortled. Andrea rolled her eyes.

"I'm very good," Empathy agreed. "Hey! You should all spend time with Miss Ami. She is very sad, but she was talking more today."

"I'll spend some time with her tomorrow, I promise," Andrea said as she started walking.

"All of you need to," Empathy insisted. It was enough to make Andrea stop and look at him. He wasn't normally the type to put his foot down.

Her mom fidgeted. "We can't, sweetie. It's too hard right now."

Empathy wasn't having it as he stomped his feet and balled his fists. "It is hard for her too! You had other selves too. I heard. They died. I also heard she did not avoid you when they died. Miss Ami is hurting. She has lost her other self. She has lost her mate. She has lost her parents. She has lost a sister. She has lost a nephew. She is hurting, and you are avoiding her! Miss Kristin is dead, but Miss Ami still lives, but if you don't care for her, she might not keep living! Then you lose her too! You need to care!"

"Woohoo! Tell them off, Empathy!" Charlotte cheered from Andrea's back.

The elephant beamed at what he probably took as praise from Charlotte. Such a simple soul.

It was silent for a few seconds before their mom cleared her throat. "We'll discuss it tomorrow. Maybe you're right, but right now, I need to make sure Charlotte gets to bed."

"I'm not sleepy," Charlotte protested.

"Hush," Andrea instructed. She looked at Empathy appraisingly. "You're a good friend to everybody here. Don't let anything ruin that. Keep being you."

"Thank you, Miss Andrea," Empathy said, bowing his head slightly.

Charlotte started to snore. Well, that hadn't taken long at all. So much for not being tired. At least it would be easy getting her to bed.

Charlotte found herself in a field of stars, there was no ground, but she did not panic. It briefly occurred to her she was human again, but that didn't seem to be a concern. She was wearing an altered form of the dress that she had worn to the gala. That was nice, she wouldn't admit it, but she had felt pretty in that dress.

"Charlotte Portsmith, I am clearing your mind of its fog. I apologize, but doing this may make your morning feel all the more miserable. It is necessary that I speak to you with a clear mind."

A dark midnight blue alicorn with a starry blue mane stepped out in front of her, looking majestic, and her thoughts got clearer. She was dreaming, but this was no ordinary dream, it was yet another visitation from a warden, just not one of Earth's wardens.

"Hello, princess. Missed you at the galla," Charlotte said. "What was that about my morning being miserable?"

"Thou art inebriated, Charlotte Portsmith. I expect a headache, light sensitivity, and perhaps nausea in the morning. While I could help you if I were there, I cannot counter such physical effects from the dream realm, and my sobering of your mind will result in a worse headache when you awake. You will have to endure it. Such is the fate of those who spend too much time with the bottle," Luna said. She didn't seem critical or amused. She was simply stating facts.

"I got drunk?" Charlotte asked in confusion. "I feel gypped. First time getting drunk, and I don't even remember it."

"As I mentioned, thou shalt get a reminder of it in the morning, but that is not important to our business tonight," Luna said, sitting down and tuning down the flair on her appearance. "To be fair, you are not entirely at fault for your state. If what Flurry Heart tells me is true, the other guests at the gala were making an attempt to loosen your tongue about my student. It is an old tactic, but it stays in use because it is effective."

Charlotte felt a surge of dread. "I didn't tell them anything they shouldn't know, did I? Can you look at my memories to see?"

"I can look, but such memories made when drunk are often broken and of poor quality. It makes it difficult to glean useful information from them," Luna replied. She then shut her eyes briefly before opening them again. "I see nothing damning, but the memories are fragmented and broken, so it is uncertain. They seem to be primarily you expressing your displeasure about my student's methodology in dealing with you."

"So, I basically whined about her being mean and nasty," Charlotte said flatly.

"That would be a good way of saying it, yes," Luna agreed with a nod. "On to my reason for being here. First, there is someone who has something to say to you. Please be gentle with her, she is having some struggle with her adjustment to being in Equestria."

"Who…?" Charlotte trailed off asking as Phobia Remedy appeared, nervously looking around. Was Phobia shivering? "Oh…it's you."

Phobia spotted her and huddled close to Luna. "Charlotte…hello. I'm sorry for the distress I caused you and am happy I lost the vote against you. I really didn't want to see you dead." Luna draped a wing over Phobia and pulled her closer.

Charlotte arched an eyebrow. "What's up with you? Is apologizing that hard?"

"I told you, she is having adjustment issues," Luna answered for the now retired Dreamwarden. "My dearly departed Krik and Psychic Calm had initial adjustment issues when they retired, but Phobia's seem to be a bit more severe. They will pass, in time. I understand the feeling. I felt it too, the first time I ventured to Earth."

"I don't understand. Equestria is different from Earth, but it isn't that different," Charlotte said in confusion.

"It is for a Dreamwarden, the dream realm is, anyway," Luna said gravely. She glanced down at Phobia and pulled her closer, then turned her attention back to Charlotte. "You would not understand. Dreamwardens aren't just masters of the dream realm, we are the dream realm. Phobia, like myself, has spent most her adult life as a warden. This dream realm is not her, it is me. She is experiencing the dream realm as any other normal pony would, since that is primarily what she is here, and it is extremely disconcerting for her. She will adjust, in time."

"Primarily?" Charlotte questioned.

Luna nodded. "She can still make someone else a warden here. That separates her from a normal dreamer. It is a critical ability, as it assures that if something were to happen to me, unlikely as that is, someone could be put in my place. That same ability is why I was able to raise her and your world's other wardens despite my not being a Dreamwarden of your world. That same ability may come into play again in our next matter to discuss."

Charlotte was still looking at Phobia. It was weird, seeing the mare so nervous and scared in a dream.

Luna waved her free wing that wasn't draped protectively over Phobia. "As you may know, we are assembling a scout team to go to the universe your elephant friend hails from. The purpose is for information gathering and establishing contact with the non-bear intuits. It has come to our attention that your presence will be required for this expedition."

That was enough to make her forget Phobia. "Wait, what?! I'm not a scout or diplomat!"

"Your magic is required to get the team there and back safely," Luna explained. "My student has explained that while she has a working knowledge of how your magic functions, it still requires your magic to work."

"But I can't do it!" Charlotte protested. "I've tried to replicate what I did, I haven't been able to do it, and even if I did, there's no promise I would get us to the right place."

Luna frowned. "That's where the most unpleasant matter of business comes in. Sunset Blessing may not be able to cast the same spell herself, due to it needing to be your specific human magic, but she can make your magic do as she wills."

Charlotte blinked. "I don't understand."

"I believe the term you might use on Earth is hijack. She can use her magic to hijack yours," Luna said, sounding unhappy. "In good conscious I must warn you that it would be a highly unpleasant experience, possibly painful. Your other self has been desperately trying to find another way, but has not found one. She might yet find a way, but it is doubtful she will do so in the timeframe we need."

"I'm just a tool then," Charlotte muttered. "And telling me that this is going to be physically painful isn't exactly selling me on helping."

Luna sighed. "Everyone is a tool, but that isn't all they are. Your other self is a highly versatile tool, but she is also an at times troubled mare. You have a different toolset that you bring, but you are also still an inexperienced young woman, just coming of age who has endured a life that might seem fantastical to most, but has also left you very troubled in your own way."

"I'm super unqualified for this job," Charlotte said in a whisper.

"I cannot make you agree to do this, but I can ask and present the case for it," Luna replied. "Your friend, Empathy, is depending on us to help liberate his world. So he, in turn, is depending on you. I know he adores you and trusts you. Outside of him, this No Heart still posses a potential threat to our efforts here in Equestria and on Earth at the worst possible of times. I believe The Marshmallow has informed you of the gravity of the situation. There is no way of oversimplifying it; the fate of life itself is at stake. We're asking you to do your part, and help us prevent anything from getting in the way of our efforts to save your world– and possibly ours as well. It may not be pleasant, but the stakes are too high to turn your back on this."

Charlotte bit her lip. "Who else is going? I'm assuming Sunset is going."

"She has actually declined, although she says she can make your magic do what she wants without her joining you," Luna said. "I said she is a versatile tool, but a troubled one. Her presence could result in unfortunate consequences for life in that universe."

"That's a nice way of saying you're afraid she'll kill everybody there," Charlotte stated.

"More or less, yes," Luna mumbled. She then shook her head. "To answer your question; we are currently trying to contact our proposed team and get responses from them. The team would be headed by Princess Cadence, and include Luster Dawn, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Sapphire Sky, Josie Woods– if we can convince The Marshmallow to part with her, Phobia Remedy, Empath Elephant, you, and we are told that the only way you are being included and not your sister is over your sister's dead body, so we are including her as well."

Charlotte turned her attention back to the now retired warden. "You're coming?"

"I'm necessary too," Phobia answered. "Someone has to determine if there is a Dreamwarden in that universe, and Avtandil can't dreamwalk on his own."

"Who?" Charlotte asked at the unfamiliar name.

Luna coughed. "You may know him as Order. He is incapable of dreamwalking without my assistance."

She stared in disbelief. "A former Dreamwarden is incapable of dreamwalking? How'd he even get the job? How'd he even do the job?!"

"He has exceedingly low magic. It is so weak as not to be detectable by normal means," Phobia explained. "That is part of why we chose him as a warden, no one would ever suspect a person with no magic to be a Dreamwarden. Once we made him warden, he was capable of doing his job, but now that he is not in our universe, he is cut from our dream realm, and cannot access this one on his own. He won't be able to access the one in the intuit's universe either. I'm the only acceptable option."

Charlotte pointed at Luna. "What about her?"

Luna frowned. "While I have faith in my student and you to get the scouting party home safely, the danger of me getting permanently trapped in that new universe is far higher than the chances of me getting trapped on Earth. Too high for me to risk going."

"You're sending the Princess of Love. Is she more expendable or something?" Charlotte asked harshly.

"Not to put it too bluntly, but yes," Luna answered. "Losing Cadence would be a grave loss, but losing me requires prompt promotion of a new Dreamwarden in this universe and puts extra strain on one of the others to maintain the moon. We should have an alicorn go, and Cadence was the one that insisted on going, citing her own redundancy compared to the rest of us. Flurry Heart made the case for herself going instead, but Cadence was most insistent."

Charlotte licked her lips. "Exactly how dangerous is this going to be?"

"Unknown," Luna replied. "We are hoping the team can go in, gather intelligence about No Heart and the state of that Earth, make contact with the denizens of the Forest of Feelings, and return without detection so we may develop a plan to liberate that world. We are going in with only limited information gained from your elephant friend and a brief interrogation of a now deceased prisoner. We don't have enough information to fully determine the safety of the mission. However, you are being accompanied by an alicorn, two of Equestria's finest unicorn mages, an exceptionally fast pegasus flyer who can scout, a night pony who is among the best at moving about undetected, an Earth pony who is very strong and has advanced knowledge of wilderness survival, and your sister, who is bound and determined to keep you safe. It is a highly capable team, if all agree to come."

Charlotte bit her lip. "How long do I have to answer? Do I have to come to a decision on whether I'm going right now?"

Luna shook her head. "We are still awaiting responses from several of the proposed team members. Josie Woods and Sapphire Sky aren't even currently in Equestria to reach, so they will take more time to contact. You have at least a few days, perhaps as much as a week or two, but only perhaps."

"I'll think on it then. This is all so much, though. I'm not an adventurer," Charlotte said nervously.

"I understand," Luna said with a nod.

Phobia finally left Luna's protective embrace to step forward. "It is okay to be scared, because this is dangerous. However, this is a very important mission, and we need you, otherwise we would not be asking this of you. We are asking you to be brave. Bravery is not the absence of fear. The absence of fear is foolishness. Fear keeps us from charging head on into danger without a plan or sense of caution. Bravery means doing what needs to be done while respecting the danger and things to fear."

Charlotte nodded. "I understand, but I'm still going to think about it."

"Once your headache clears," Luna reminded her.

Charlotte winced. She was not looking forward to the morning. At least she'd be so bad off she wouldn't be up to breaching the subject to her parents.