Blossom dove from the top of a roof, her wings snapping out as she fell. "Stop right there!"

The mare she was pouncing jumped out of the way with a rapid twirl, sending sharp daggers bouncing off Blossom's swatting hooves. Was that why the princesses wore metal shoes? That thought faded quickly as she charged after the outlaw. "Yer under arrest!"

"Ain't caught me, so that isn't true." The mare jumped around the corner, lost to sight.

Blossom slid around the same corner to come to a sharp halt. There were no ponies there, just a hole. Someone had left a sewer entrance without its lid. Where the mare had gone felt obvious, if irritating. "Dang nabbit..." She trotted quickly over to the hole and peeked down into the darkness. "Get out of there! It ain't safe."

"Safer than where I was a moment ago," came an echoing shout from within. Distantly, Blossom could hear hoofsteps rapidly receding away. They were running, galloping at full speed in the dark sewers.

"That really ain't safe..." But she wasn't sure what to do about that. She instead looked around. There. The lid to the sewer entrance was sitting there. She grabbed it between both hooves and hefted it up. Those things were real heavy! She slammed it down, not out of any desire to accelerate it, but simply as a side effect of its impressive bulk. "There." At least nopony else would end up down there on accident, or purpose unless they had the proper tools to pry it open.

What about the crook? "They got somewhere to be..." They wouldn't have hopped down there if they didn't have someplace to run to... right? Shaking off the annoyance of letting a baddie get away, Blossom resumed her patrol.

"Very interesting." Twilight considered her fellow princess. "We should start with the first question."

Big Mac raised a brow. "What's the first question?"

Twilight hopped up onto her seat instead of sitting in it. "I was hoping you'd ask! The first question is if this isn't already the case. You and Orchard Blossom are clearly in mental contact, and agreement, but we have no proof that this isn't already two different ponies in close contact, as opposed to one pony."

Big Mac's brow fell along with the other to form a frown. "Don't get it... Ah'm still 'me'."

"Of course you are." Twilight willed a book to approach, glowing gently. "But that 'you' is subtly different between the two 'yous', and the two have been influencing one another. For the positive, I hope." She set down the book and began flipping through it with her magic. "We can start with the obvious. You're far more talkative lately. That isn't a complaint. It's actually nice to be able to share words with you other than 'yes' and 'no'.

"Ayup." Big Mac colored, realizing he had stepped right in that one. "Ah... Do ponies even wanna hear what ah say?"

Twilight perked up at that. "Of course they do! Why would you even ask that?"

Big Mac rubbed behind his head with an awkward look. "Mah big mouth done got us in trouble before... Ah... just figured listenin' more and talkin' less was better... Worked fer years!"

Twilight placed a hoof next to one of her long ears. "Listening is a fine activity. Sometimes I need to be reminded to do more of it."

"Tell me about it." Barb flipped the next page of her comic. "But that doesn't mean you can't talk."

Big Mac hopped down to the floor and stomped around, pacing agitatedly. "A lot of things... They changed. Ah changed! Maybe ah ain't the same pony no more..."

Twilight curled a hoof at herself. "You're talking to who was a student, then librarian, then princess. I've been through a fair few changes..." She extended her wings. "Some of them we share! But I'm still Twilight Sparkle, and you are Big Macintosh."

"And I'm Barb." She flipped to the next page.

Big Mac chuckled softly at the role call going on. "Sure... But yer sayin' maybe ah ain't Orchard Blossom?"

"Maybe not." Twilight inclined her head. "That you don't get tired hints towards the possibility. Anypony else would be exhausted trying to live up to your daily routine."

Big Mac scrunched his nose. "Don't feel tired."

"Which is the point." Twilight circled around Big Mac, though couldn't and didn't try to hop on the table to finish the circuit, just ending up on the other side of him. "You are entirely refreshed. Which is why my theory, and this is just a theory, barely a hypothesis if we're being honest, is that Orchard Blossom remembers everything you've done, and you remember everything she's done. When you sleep, you sleep. Then she wakes up. When she sleeps, you awaken, new memories in your head." She pointed at her own head. "Which blurs the line quite a bit on who is who and if this counts as one pony or two..."

Big Mac blinked slowly, trying to absorb that. "How... do we even start to, you know... prove that?"

"Now there is the challenge." Twilight moved her hoof to her chin. "We would need to interrupt the process. Make it so not all the memories made it from one to the other. Then, with a clear difference, it would become clear there are two ponies. We just need one of you to know one little thing the other does not."

Barb looked up form her book. "How do you suggest we do that, Twi?" She waved in a casual motion at Big Mac. "You got a spell for that?"

"Not off the top of my head." She willed the book she had pulled out back to the shelf. "But I'll start looking. The first thing that comes to mind is trying to learn how the memories get from one pony--" She pointed at Big Mac. "To the other--" She pointed in a Canterlot-y direction.

Barb set her comic aside. "Because Twilight is focused, I'll go ahead and say it." She hopped up on the table. "Two or one, you're both awesome ponies that I'm happy to call a friend."

Big Mac smiled at Barb's words. "We're, uh... both happy to be friends with you too." He rubbed the side of his head. "But if this is true, does that mean her things ain't things ah done?"

Twilight flicked her ears back. "That... is complicated... You still have that knowledge. Do you have her muscle memory too?" An idea came and she pointed at Barb. "Hoofcuff them."

"I don't even have hoo--" She didn't get to finish, being pinned to the ground with a squeak as Big Mac subdued and restrained her with ease. "Lemme go!"

Twilight inspected the work critically. "Hm, very good. It appears you have, as Big Mac, learned how to do that. Do let her go though."

"Ayup." Big Mac released Barb back to their feet. "Sorry 'bout that."

Barb rubbed at her wrists with a scowl. "Ask before you start horsing around. Alright, so Big Mac learned what Orchard Blossom learned, neat! Does that mean you know how to do magic?"

"Uh... Technically? But ah ain't got a horn." He pointed to that complete lack of a horn. "So that don't do me much good. Ah know how to fly too." But he had no wings either, no matter how much he tried to wriggle his shoulders and back.

Twilight folded her wings even tighter, perhaps out of sympathy. "I see... Fascinating! But before we take one step further, an important question needs to be asked."

Barb picked up what Twilight was setting down. "Do you want this? I mean, if you're happy, why mess with it?"

"Hm." Big Mac rubbed at his chin in quiet consideration. "Ain't fair."

"What isn't?" Twilight leaned forward towards him.

"She don't get no vote." Big Mac shrugged helplessly. "Doin' this assumes we're not 'xactly the same, jus' really close. Somepony should ask her for her thoughts. Ah can't do that."

Barb raised a scaled brow. "Guess not... You could write her a letter! Postage works even if one of you is asleep."

Big Mac brightened at that. "Now that's a good idea! Gotta--" He didn't get to finish, a quill, ink pot, and a paper being pushed against him, all glowing with Twilight's magic. "Thanks..." He took the paper in his mouth and put it on the table, setting himself up. "Ah'll write a letter. Feels funny, knowin' 'I' will be readin' it letter. But maybe it ain't me? Still, worth askin' before we go doin' anythin'!"

He wrote with the quill in his mouth.

Dear Orchard Blossom,

It's me, Big Mac! I know this must feel really funny. You're probably reading this, knowing I wrote it, which is maybe you? But I still wanted your opinion. If we could be pulled apart, would that make you happy? Or would that make you sad? Um... If it did happen, you'd be welcome to stop by for a hoof shake and to share a mug of cider anytime. As the others said, yer an Apple! Does that make you a sister?

Just wanna be clear, I'm not voting. Which ain't exactly fair. You know what I was thinking. You were in here, with me. But
I really want your opinion, not mine, if there's a difference. Please write back to me when you can, and good luck with the super heroing business.

"Super heroing?" Barb was on top of Big Mac, watching him write. "What's this about super heroing?"

Big Mac jerked his head up and turned it about to see Barb. "Oh." He had been so focused he hadn't even felt Barb climb up there. "Ah didn't say before? When I'm Orchard Blossom, ah'm a police officer, and a princess, an' ah go around helpin' ponies and takin' care of bad ponies."

Barb clapped her hands together firmly, eyes sparkling. "That sounds amazing! Why haven't you invited me along? I wanna see this?" She stuck out her tongue mildly. "Keeping all the fun stuff to yourself."

"Ya know that ain't it." He got a hoof on Barb and pulled her around for a proper hug. "She's up an' about when yer asleep. Shoot, when ah'm asleep, technically... Ah didn't even think about it, and I don't 'magine none yer sister wants me scoopin' you up out of bed to go wanderin' with me."

"No she does not," agreed Twilight, giving Barb a critical eye. "A young dragon needs hi--her rest!"

Barb crossed her arms over chest. "Yeah yeah... I'm friends with a for real superhero!"

Big Mac inclined his head at Twilight. "An' she ain't? She's rescued us no few times."

Barb squeaked at that. "Oh, um... yeah, sorry..." She rubbed behind her head. "Wasn't thinking there."

"Forgiven," allowed Twilight with a smile. "You happen to be friends with a lot of creatures I could call a superhero if you think about it. Besides me, there's Celestia! She should definitely qualify." She nodded with confidence in the splender of her former mentor. "All of the girls are amazing in different ways, and they've all fought at least one monster, if not several... And would do it again if the need was there. How can they not be superheroes?"

Big Mac was still looking over his shoulder at Barb. "There's somethin' that bothers me."

"Hm?"

"More a curiosity, and feel free to not answer... but... ya still got feelin's fer Rarity, or not?"

Twilight stiffened with wide eyes. "Big Mac! Spike, um, Barb. You do not have to answer that. In fact, please don't. That's your business."

Barb shuffled awkwardly. "Oh, um... alright... Tell me what Blossom says. I mean when she writes back. Which may be you? Maybe? This is kinda confusing."

Big Mac nodded at that. "Ayup." He couldn't think of another way to phrase that. "Gotta be done." He folded the letter neatly and offered it to Twilight. "Please."

"I'll mail this immediately." She took the letter in her magic and promptly vanished in a puff of magic.

Author's Note

Some connection to

TOnce Spiked, Now Barbed

• MLP: FiM
• Slice of Life

She smiles into the mirror, pleased with the dragon she sees. Once she tried to be as macho as she could, but that was a game. Now she can just be herself.

• Spike
• Other

David Silver · 22k words  ·  129  73 · 1.7k views

. They're the same universe, so ignoring one entirely can be hard at times. Handled smoothly, I do hope.

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