"You both have the same cutie mark." Barb pointed at Big Mac's back end. "Not 'sorta the same', but exactly the same. No other two ponies have exactly the same cutie mark, at least that I met. Close, sure. Same thing in a different color? Happened. But exactly the same, with the same fur color on top?"

Big Mac peeked back at the big green apple that was his mark. "What's the tell ya?"

Barb shrugged. "Well, I guess it doesn't say anything, except these two ponies are super connected. If you wanted to be one pony, I doubt a single pony around would argue the idea. Just point back to that, wiggle it around, and who could even argue it?"

"Huh. So... is Twilight in? Really wanna hear what that test came up with." He looked past Barb, but no Twilight was spotted. "Sorry, not tryin' to brush ya aside."

"Please." Barb stepped out of the way. "Like you're close to the first to want Twilight over my opinion."

Big Mac hesitated. "Don't take it like that. Right 'ppreciate yer thoughts." He reached for Barb and placed her on his back, advancing with her. "Yer one ah my best friends, ya know that, right?"

Barb considered her perch. "You know... This feels less... innocent."

"Hm?"

"I mean... I'm a girl now." Barb hiked a thumb at herself. "Giving random girls rides has... meanings, right? Sorry, just a passing dirty thought."

Big Mac swiveled an ear to the litttle she-dragon. "Stop that. Yer still a young thin', last ah checked. Ain't gonna be doin' any of that. 'sides, already got a girlfriend."

"And a boyfriend," sang Barb with a giggle. "I didn't forget."

"And a boyfriend," admitted Big Mac with a growing coloring. "We're jus' friend friends, an' there ain't not a thin' wrong with that!"

"Not a thing," she agreed, petting the top of Big Mac. "Sorry for making it odd."

Big Mac clip-clopped into the tower. "Now a good time?" he called out into its cavernous depths. "Ya know... Twilight really should fill out this place a bit more."

Barb shrugged from atop Big Mac. "With what? She's putting books everywhere, promise, but what else? She doesn't want guards or fancy-dancy servants or anything."

Big Mac considered, tapping his chin. "Maybe some fellow big-brain ponies, tryin' to figure out other things? A little company wouldn't hurt, and she's got the room fer it."

Barb poked Big Mac on the back of the head. "She may be the princess of friendship, but she prefers her friends be at arm's length. Me and Starlight are the only ones allowed to get that close on a day to day basis."

"Well, that makes ya special." Big Mac nodded, seemingly satisfied with that. "Twi?"

"Right here." She descended the stairs, winding down towards them. "Good to see you. That eager to see the results?"

"Yes'm!" Big Mac bobbed his head up and down with a big grin. "What'd ya find?"

"It was fascinating." She reached the bottom and led the way towards the map room, a set of papers bobbing in her magic above her with her steps. "Where it matches, and where it does not. I would love to do some more control examinations, but--"

"--pass," concluded Barb.

"Getting willing test subjects is not as easy as one might think." She sat on her throne, setting the papers down ahead of herself. "Still... First, I need to ask, did you answer these are you are or as you saw the world wanted you to be? Those are not the same thing at times."

Big Mac took a seat himself, humming with thought. Barb jumped free of him onto the table. "Don't be nervous. We're not judging."

Twilight coughed into a hoof. "I was asked to judge."

Big Mac chuckled at that. "Sure were... Ah tried to be honest. There were a few questions I mighta steered a little different 'cause I couldn't do that. Like me an' Blossom sure can't both have Winona."

"Logical." She tapped at the papers with a hoof. "But I'm more interested in the more personality-based questions than that." Her magic glowed as she pulled one sheet free. "There are noticeable differences between the two, even ignoring the situational questions. I expected differences there. You two are, quite literally, in different situations."

Big Mac nodded along slowly as Twilight broke down exactly how the differences shook out. Blossom was a social pony, an extrovert even. She recharged being around other ponies and ran down when she had to be alone for too long. Big Mac was an introvert, recharging with his alone time and drained when he had to be social. Both were friendly, of course, but that was a difference, a big one.

Big Mac was looking forward to raising a family, to having a foal and marrying and all that.

Blossom was curious about physical parts of that. to put it more bluntly, Blossom was hornier. She had a more powerful sex drive. Both were equally faithful, but Big Mac's thoughts were more about the relationship and connections, and Blossom was curious and eager to actually be physically with her +1s. Both loving, just in different ways.

"That... explains a lot." Big Mac colored, remembering the time Blossom had turned Sugar Belle's world upside down. "Ayup..." He glanced to Barb, sitting there, grinning and listening. "This is hardly a conversation fit fer a foal."

"Hey." Barb waved a finger at Big Mac. "I'm not a little foal! I'm old enough to lay eggs."

Twilight colored sharply. "Be that as it may... Big Mac is correct. Go on." She waved Barb away.

"Aw..." But she did slide to the floor and went running off, leaving the adults to their chat.

Twilight inclined an ear. "I admit... part of me is... curious, on a personal level."

"Personal level?"

Twilight leveled a hoof at Big Mac. "You are fairly average, and Blossom is elevated." She turned the hoof on herself. "I'm very low. I... wonder what it would be like, to be higher on that scale. Would I enjoy it? Would it be distracting? Would it help, or hinder, my attempts to understand the magic of friendship?"

Big Mac considered that, fighting the warmth in his cheeks. "Well... Um, not sure how to check that. Y'ain't gonna get a double of yerself, now are ya? We ain't even sure how ah went and got one."

"Princess Luna..." Twilight's eyes turned towards the sky. "Is unlikely to assist in such experiments, not that I think even she understands exactly what happened. Still, we're getting off topic." She cleared her throat softly. "The more pressing matter is that there are differences. Now, I can't confirm if they are a result of your position or not. Blossom lives in a much more populated place, with a more social position, and with her paramor closer at hoof. These would have to all be considered potential confounding factors. Even if you two are the same pony, just that could lead to you deviating just from your environment, to some extent. How much? Nopony knows the pony mind well enough to guess that."

"Ah see... Well, did ya find anythin' that can't be so easily 'xplained? Somethin' that ain't just 'well that's where she lives' or somethin'?"

Twilight shuffled through her papers, not touching them but with her magic. "Favorite color shifted. I can't explain that by surroundings very easily, and you have the same general body, so... Curious, but not telling?"

"Curious," echoed Big Mac. "Oh, Blossom's braver, ah 'magine."

"Bravery is a complicated topic." She set the papers down. "But she is more willing to accept risks. But, she is also a police officer and princess, two risky positions to be in. I can't say that's not, in part, due to her circumstances. You--" She pointed at Big Mac. "--are an apple farmer. A less, by the day, risky position. 'Bravery' is when that risk suddenly increases, and how you react to it."

"That makes sense..." He considered a moment. "That's how... Oh. This makes sense suddenly."

"Do share," she encouraged with a smile. "I'd love to hear."

"Well, we were in Luna's nightmare." He pantomimed awkwardly. "It was very dangerous, fer all of us. Blossom was, at the time, me tryin' to be at my bravest." More seemed to click. "She was... everythin' ah I wanted to be. A princess, bold, out there..."

"But she was still you," noted Twilight. "Just a specific vision of you. A dream of Big Mac, about Big Mac."

"Yeah..." He sat up, rubbing his hooves together. "We are the same, but we are two different ponies. If ya had a dream, the dream Twilight wouldn't be the same as awake Twilight, no... But yer powerful related..."

Twilight inclined her head. "So which is it?"

"Discord put it best, without givin' away answers, like he does... He said ah'd find the answer, and what ah found would be right fer me. He also said I'd know it when ah found it."

Twilight burst into laughter. "Did he say you'd keep it a secret?"

"No. Oh!" He chuckled, rubbing behind his head. "Sorry. Blossom is her own pony, fer me. Fer another pony, maybe it'd be different. But fer me, we're two ponies. She's like a dear sister."

Twilight nodded slowly. "I don't mean to make this awkward... but does this mean you're effectively marrying your sister?"

Big Mac stared, unmoving a moment. "Um... It ain't like that. We can't even shake hooves, let 'lone nothin' else. Um... but ya ain't wrong, 'xactly... Fancy pants is hitchin' his wagon to both of us, and so's Sugar Belle. So... Like... twins with an open relationship?" He frowned, trying to puzzle through it. "That's awful complicated, and a little weird..."

Twilight hopped down to come in and pat Big Mac on the shoulder. "I can imagine. Still, all involved are free-thinking adults, and all have agreed, so... I don't see any ponies being harmed here. While I'm still curious, perhaps it'd be better if I didn't have a second-Twilight around. I'm not sure I could handle it."

"Still." Big Mac sat up, a smile growing. "This is good news. Ah feel better, really. If we're seperate, we can act like it."

"You weren't already?"

"Nope." Big Mac tapped at his head. "It was always rattlin' 'round in there, wonderin' if I was embarassin' the other side. But that's just silly. Blossom's mah sister. Ah can't go through life worried about how much she may giggle or scoff at what ah'm doin'. And it ain't my business to go hasslin' her 'bout what she's doin', 'less ah'm worried fer her."

Twilight inclined her head. "I'd be careful how I brought that up. Shining will send me packing if I bring up my complaints inconsiderately, even with the best of intentions." She could remember how the wedding had gone. "But, that sounds like a healthy resolution." She made a sudden scratched note. "Very good."

"Um, are ya takin' notes 'bout me?"

Twilight stacked the papers into a neat pile and tucked them away. "Of course. Are you surprised?"

"Ah... suppose not." Twilight does what Twilight will do. It wasn't out of her character at all. "Well, since you have that... You'll share if you notice anythin' else worth noticin', ah hope?"

"Well." Twilight considered that with a soft humming. "Well... Oh! You should stop being upset about that. That you--" She pointed at Big Mac. "Feel heterosexual, and Blossom is bisexual? If you're separate ponies, this is entirely understandable."

Big Mac recoiled. "Oh! Ah... hadn't even thought 'bout it like that... Ah... just gotta tell the two of 'em 'bout it... an' hope they're alright wit' that." He grabbed Twilight in a firm hug. "Ah knew ya's have some great ideas. Thanks fer takin' the time."

Twilight wobbled back, recovering from the sudden squeeze. "Glad to help. I'll call on you if I have sudden need for police action." She vanished, appearing back on her throne with a magic pop. "Now, go on. You have a full day ahead of you."

Author's Note

Big Mac decides they are two ponies. This has a lot of implications, some of which are gone over straight away.

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