Our Inner Ponies

Chapters

Chapter One, The "Magical" Quiz
Chapter Two, This Isn't a Dream
Chapter Three, Surprise Errands!
Chapter Four, Just the Two Of Us...Sort Of
Chapter Five, Unexpected News...
Chapter Six, The Big Event
Chapter Seven, Believe Me...
Chapter Eight, Going Back Home!

Chapter One, The "Magical" Quiz

"Baby, your friend is here!" My mom yelled up the stairs of our small apartment.

"Okay!" I yelled back, closing a tab on my Toshiba laptop.

I smiled widely. It was finally Saturday, which meant that my BFFL (Best Friend For Life) could visit me. We had met in the fourth grade and ever since then we haven't seen each other in a while. A few minutes later, I heard someone running up the stairs, and I saw her. My BFFL: Zaria! Her braided hair was pulled back in a lowish ponytail and she looked really nice in her sparkly orange T-shirt and dark blue Apple Bottom Jeans.

"Yay, you're here!" I screamed excitedly, attacking her with a tight hug. She squeezed me harder and laughed.

"I'm really glad I could spend the night," she told me, settling on my bed with her tablet in her hands.

"I know. Our school just hates us," I joked, which caused us both to laugh. We didn't have any classes together at our school, and we were really bummed about it. Luckily, we still saw each other in the hallways and in the cafeteria—though it wasn't the same.

"Oh hey," I began, "you know my new obsession: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I took a quiz from it a few nights ago—"

"Oh God...!" Zaria interrupted, laughing loudly.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad!" I argued, closing my door so my mom wouldn't ask why we were yelling.

"Okay, so? You took the quiz and?"

"Well, I got Twilight Sparkle as my results," I continued. "I was really happy about it, and I...want you to take the quiz, too."

"No," Zaria replied flatly.

"Please?" I begged. "Just once?"

"No."

"Aww come on! I, I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye that this'll be only once. Now, is that an okay promise?" Zaria rolled her eyes and groaned. But she got off her tablet and let me search for the quiz.

"Okay...oh, here we go!" I exclaimed.

Zaria slid closer to my computer screen and lowered her head to read the questions.

"Question Number Uno," I read aloud, which made Zaria flick my head. I laughed and continued reading the question. "What is your favorite slash was your favorite school subject?"

* * *

"Okay, you got....Fluttershy!" I reported, smiling.

"Great," Zaria replied sarcastically, turning her attention back to her tablet.

Don't get me wrong; we both adored Fluttershy and her little, yet rare, angry "outbursts." It's just that Zaria was the exact opposite of the shy yellow Pegasus. Oh yeah...my best friend wasn't afraid to state her opinion or decide to speak her mind; she could kick your butt if she had the option to (she took karate); she could sometimes be difficult to agree with; and she wasn't afraid to let out her super-random side.

"Aww come on, be happy," I urged her. "I thought I was gonna get Pinkie Pie, but I got Twilight. And I didn't complain, did I?"

"You are Pinkie Pie, Maya," Zaria shot back sarcastically.

"Noooo, Andrea Libman is Pinkie Pie—and Fluttershy," I wisecracked, which made Zaria groan once more.

"Oh hey, you wanna go on Cool Math?" she asked me.

"Sure," I replied, typing the website in my search engine. We spent the rest of our time playing games like Run, Fireboy and Water Girl, and Papa's Pizzeria. But something weird happened. Right in the middle of a game of Bloxorz, it just...froze!

"Hey! What happened?" I cried. "Did you pause it?"

"No," Zaria answered. "It doesn't have a pause button. Maybe your computer slowed down."

"Alright, let me just restart the page." But when I clicked the restart button, nothing happened. Nothing!

"What the heck?" I cried. "Alright, lemme ask my mom." I swung my legs over the edge of my bed and went downstairs.

"Hey mommy, my computer just—mommy?"

Yes, I call my mom mommy, but what made me stop mid-sentence shocked me. My mom's eyes were planted on the TV...which was paused. Now I know my mom can be silly like me sometimes, but I know for sure one does not simply stare at a paused TV. I went over and poked her shoulder. She didn't move. I waved my hand in front of her face. Still nothing. Is she frozen? I thought, backing away. Oh my God... I ran back upstairs.

"Hey Zaria? My mom is just...I dunno what happened, but she's not answering me. She's, like, frozen."

"Is your window open?" she asked me, and I shook my head no. Come to think of it, it was kinda cold in my room. Suddenly, I felt something blow on my neck lightly.

"Did you feel that?" I asked, touching my neck.

"Feel what?" Zaria replied to me.

"Something just blew...um, never mind," I said.

"Well, I didn't feel anything, but my back hurts," Zaria went on, laying down. I looked around my room just to make sure no windows were propped open. They were all closed tight.

"Ah geez! Now my head hurts," I complained, rubbing it. "I'm blaming you for that one."

"Oh shut up," my friend responded, hitting me with a pillow. We had a bit of a pillow fight, but we stopped when a gust of wind blew out of nowhere.

"Whoa mama!" Zaria screamed, dropping the pillow.

"Well that was really weird!" I chimed in. "What was that?"

Suddenly, this mysterious wind picked up. Papers went flying, my stuffed animals collapsed from my bookshelf, and my bedroom door slammed shut. The wind was so strong I couldn't see properly. I covered my watery eyes and reached a hand out to my friend. Once I found her hand, I held on tight to her until everything went into a painfully deathly silence...

Chapter Two, This Isn't a Dream

I felt my hand slip out of Zaria's as a bright white light flashed in front of us. In a heartbeat, the light faded out. I must've blinked or something, because another room materialized before me. Wooden walls, a double bed with a blue blanket and dark blue stars patterned atop it, a medium window with yellow curtains—Wait a minute! I thought in horror. I moved my head and realized I was no longer in my bedroom, nor did I have my human body. I had a light lilac horse body! I also noticed that I was settled in the double bed under it's covers, which were pretty stiff yet comfy. Bright hot sunlight poured against my face, and I heard birds chirping loudly.

"Well finally! You're awake!" a boy's voice cried.

"Huh, what?!" I cried. My eyes widened. What happened to my voice? I shifted my head over to the left and my mouth opened wide. I-is that Spike? I thought suddenly.

A little purple baby dragon with green spikes on his tail and head was walking toward me, smiling.

"I was wondering when you'd wake up!"

I was silent for a moment. "What are you talking about?" I asked him.

Oh goodness. I wasn't imagining this. My voice had somehow changed into a version of voice actress Tara Strong's voice. Except a little more high pitched and sweeter. I knew she only did this voice with one character and one character only in one cartoon and one cartoon only!

"Hey Twilight? You okay?" Spike asked me.

I blinked several times and raised a hand (or hoof, really) toward my forehead. Sure enough, I felt something long and a teeny tiny bit sharp placed in the middle of my forehead. A horn, of course. Why else would Spike have called me Twilight? I forced a wide grin.

"Oh yes, never better Spike," I replied, slowly pushing the blanket back.

Controlling this new body wasn't that difficult since I was sitting upright in the bed. Just imagine you were a regular human getting ready for school or work or something. Sitting up was pretty normal, but getting out of bed was tricky—I found that out the hard way. Picture leaning towards the floor on your hands and knees and crawling your way toward the bathroom—with your fists. And pretend your fists were circles. Yes, it felt like I was doing that. And it felt so weird. I didn't know if I had grown taller by a few inches or shrunk a few centimeters. It felt weird, and that's all I'm gonna say.

"Well, we might as well get started," I heard Spike say.

"Get started on what?" I asked. "A letter to the princess? A new day? Taking you to the vet?" Spike stared at me like I had just asked him if he would go jump off a cliff.

"No," he replied slowly. "Your project. Remember? You've been working on it all week, and it's due in a few days." Ugh! Why Twilight? Why did you have to be working on something complicated?

"Oh, right, that," I said with no emotion. "I forgot about my project. But I can't—"

"Really?" Spike interrupted. "It's not like you to forget things. You're not sick, are you?"

"What? No, I never get sick!" I cried, which was true. I had never gotten sick back in the real world. "But whatever. I can't—"

"I know you don't get sick," the baby dragon interrupted again. "I was just wondering, that's all."

I sighed. "Listen. I can't do the project right now. What even is this 'project'?"

"Whoa, maybe you are sick," Spike repeated, backing away slowly. "I'll call a doctor later, okay?"

"I'M NOT SICK!" I screamed. "Just tell me what this project is!"

Spike held up his little claws in surrender.

"Okay, okay," he said, grinning a bit. "You told me yesterday that the project was going to be testing different pony abilities, I think. If it works, it may increase their metabolism and they'll develop stronger and quickly." I thought for a moment.

"So basically I'm brainwashing every single pony here to be like Rainbow Dash?" I asked. "Like this world needs another show-off." I could tell Spike was about to burst into laughter. He put a hand over his mouth.

"If you tell her I said that, I'll twist your tail into a pretzel. Got it?" Spike immediately stopped laughing and stared at me wide eyed. I couldn't help but laugh myself. His face was priceless!

"Anyways, um, I really can't work on that 'brainwashing' assignment right now."

"How come?"

"Because...I..." I stopped. What excuse was I suppose to say? Even though I was stuck in Twilight's house, I was still thinking of Zaria and wondering where she was.

"I have to visit Fluttershy really quick!" I blurted out. "She borrowed something from me a week ago, and she forgot to return it."

"Fluttershy, huh?" Spike repeated. "I'm not sure she borrowed anything from us."

"She did," I insisted, a little too quickly. "I wouldn't have remembered it if it weren't true. But it is!" I grinned again, feeling beads of sweat roll down my forehead.

"So...you can remember Fluttershy borrowing something from you, but you can't remember the project you've been spending weeks working on?" Spike asked flatly. "Well, whatever floats your boat is fine with me. Have fun."

I watched him walk away and nearly smacked myself in the head. How was I ever going to fool these ponies (and dragon) to make them believe I was the real Twilight Sparkle? I pushed the thought away, but another thought stashed itself in my brain: Where did Fluttershy even live? Oops. Should've asked Spike when he was up here! I thought.

"Spike?" I called to him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you, by any chance, know where Fluttershy lives?" Just as I suspected: silence. I didn't know if the dragon was rolling his eyes or slapping his forehead.

"You're kidding, right?" Spike finally called back. I felt myself blush, which I never do.

"No," I cried. "Do you think you could show me the way? Since I've been so busy with my project, I kind of forgot where she lived."

There was another silence. I hated that. "Spike?"

I heard him groan.

"Alright," he moaned. I saw him walk towards the door and stare up at me. When I didn't move, he started tapping his small foot. He raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

Oh gosh. I forgot one important detail: Twilight's house had a ladder connecting upstairs to her bedroom and down to the main living area. At least, that's what I saw in one of the episodes.

"You comin' or what?" I heard Spike yell.

"Just a minute!" I called back. Well, I wouldn't be climbing ladders anytime soon, but then I remembered something: Twilight could teleport! Aww, but how do I do that? I thought sadly. Did I have to think about it, or did I have to do some meditating process before performing the spell?

Ugh. Whatever. I'll just jump and hope I don't die. I walked toward the little ladder, squeezed my eyes tight, and jumped off the edge. Visualize someone trying to jump in the air on their hands and knees without removing either one of their body parts from the ground. You can probably imagine my pain.

"Uh, Twilight? You know you could've just used the ladder," Spike said, looking down at me. "Or the stairs."

I blinked. This house had stairs?

Chapter Three, Surprise Errands!

I watched as Spike pushed open the front door and stepped outside. I squinted to protect my eyes from the sudden sunlight and blindly made my way outside. My heart nearly skipped a beat and my jaw just dropped once I could see. I instantly knew that where I was had to be Ponyville. My top three guesses?

There were multicolored ponies walking around
There were colorful buildings that looked way too cheerful
EVERYONE WAS SMILING!

I'm not kidding. Everywhere my head turned, I saw smiles and grins and I heard laughter and tons of chatter. There wasn't even a single frown on one of these ponies' faces, and none of them were disagreeing with the conversation they were having with their friends. I concentrated on focusing on Spike since he was leading me to Fluttershy's house (aka my best friend since fourth grade who was probably freaking out by now). I also tried to concentrate on remembering this path in case I'd need it for later. After about three to eight minutes, we reached a small neighborhood filled with little cottages and mailboxes.

"Geez! Which cottage does this girl live in, anyway?" I said aloud, which I didn't mean to. Spike stopped and looked at me for the third time.

"Wow, this must be a serious illness," he told me. "Don't worry. I'm sure there's a cure for it."

I resisted the urge to strangle the dude and continued following him until we reached the last small cottage on the block. The trees were filled with small colorful birdhouses, a little bridge was settled over a stream of water, and a few bird nests were tucked in the comforting trees' leaves. I slowly crossed the bridge and knocked on the door.

"Hello? Fluttershy? It's me, Twilight!" I cried. "You in there?" Silence. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about that thing I borrowed."

Still nothing! I knocked on the door again which slowly turned into a loud bang. Suddenly, the door creaked open a bit. I smiled.

"Zaria?" I whispered to myself. Oh, but it wasn't my friend. It was the complete bastard that acted mean towards Fluttershy: Angel Bunny. I lowered my head and forced a grin.

"Hello Angel Bunny!" I crooned in a baby voice. "Is Fluttershy home? 'Cause I really need to talk to—" SLAM! "—her," I finished silently, raising my head and rubbing the hopefully-not-forming bruise on my nose.

"Geez, what a grouch," Spike announced, walking over to me.

"I know," I agreed, praying that my nose wasn't red. I knocked again, thinking of what I'd say to Grouchy Bunny over here. But he never opened the door. Was what I said really that bad?

"Maybe Fluttershy's not home," Spike stated, shrugging. "Oh well. There's always tomorrow, right?" I sighed.

"Yeah, tomorrow," I replied sadly. I wasn't gonna wait until tomorrow to find my friend! I would spend hours trying to find her, even if it meant showing my actual true self.

Spike cleared his throat. "So...ready to run those last few errands?" My eyes bugged out and I slowly turned my head toward the baby dragon.

"We...have...to do...some...errands?!" I screamed, feeling my lungs shrivel up. Yes, I said my lungs because my breathing had literally gone into short gasps. "You never told me we had to do errands!"

Spike smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Uh, surprise?"

My left eye twitched and I swear I thought my hair was spiking up. Being trapped in Ponyville was sort of bad enough, but now we had to run errands? I was starting to regret talking to Spike.

I'm not going to bore you by telling what Spike and I had to do, but I will tell you a few things we had to do. We had to, in this order:

1) Place in an order for ten bottles of ink

2) Pick up a few scrolls

3) Have my mane groomed (which I actually enjoyed)

4) Receive daisies from, well, that Daisy pony

5) Pluck some weeds that were sprouting rapidly in the town square. (I don't know why I had to do this, but I was glad Spike took care of those for me and that Twilight was Eco-friendly)

I would go on with the list, but I don't want to bore you with the ten other things I had to accomplish. Anyways, Spike and I were finally on the last and final errand: Pick up cupcakes. As soon as I stepped inside Sugarcube Corner, I felt a little better. Despite the sweat covering my face and my fatigueness, my spirits were suddenly lifted when warm and inviting smells of cinnamon and frosting greeted my nose.

"I'll tell the Cakes we're here to pick up the order," Spike told me.

He headed toward the kitchen and was gone in a flash. I felt pretty awkward just standing in the middle of the bakery. I didn't want to move, but I didn't want to be crazy and just stand still until Spike got back. Before I could think any further, high-pitched laughter echoed in my ear followed by another laugh. I gazed over to two ponies settled at a table, and my mouth hung open. Laughing at that table was none other than Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy! I felt a smile spread across my face as I made my way toward the table.

"Hi girls," I greeted. Pinkie Pie looked up at me and smiled.

"Hi Twilight!" she cried. "What brings you here at Sugarcube Corner?"

"Oh, you know...errands and whatnot. But that's not important right now."

"True. It's not so important, is it?" Pinkie said.

I nodded in agreement, then I stopped. Wait a minute. Did Pinkie just say what I was doing wasn't important? How could it not be important?! Running errands was very mandatory, and had to be done sooner than later! Hold on, something wasn't right. It wasn't like me to be thinking like this, but on the other hand, it wasn't like Fluttershy to just be laughing out loud with Pinkie Pie. I tried to clear my head from all the thoughts and focused on my real task.

"Fluttershy, I've been looking all over for you!" I cried. "We need to talk ASAP."

"Okay."

Wait another minute..."Okay?" "Okay?" Now I know Twilight, er, I, was this Pegasus' friend, but I don't think Fluttershy would simply just say "okay" to me like it was no big deal. As soon as Fluttershy and I were out of earshot of Pinkie, I asked the first question that popped into my mind.

"Zaria, are you okay?"

Fluttershy (or Zaria, hopefully) just stared at me, no emotion in her face whatsoever.

"Oh my God, Maya?" she asked after a few seconds with a hint or laughter and relief in her voice.

All I could do was smile until my cheeks hurt. I did it! I finally found my lost BFFL! I pulled her into a hug, and she hugged me right back. I wonder how ponies get used to hugging. Basically, it's just putting your arm around their neck and giving a light squeeze. Zaria, however, had other plans and practically squeezed the breath out of me.

"Okay, okay!" I whispered in a strangled voice. "You're gonna kill me!" Zaria laughed and let me out of her death grip.

"Sorry," she apologized. "After I escaped those pesky animals, I went looking all over for you, but I didn't know where you lived. I know it's in a tree, but still. So I just walked around this town and bumped into Pinkie Pie. We're having a blast! You wanna join?"

"Uh, no!" I cried, then lowered my voice when Pinkie looked my way. "I'm glad you're having fun and I'm relieved that I found you, but we really have to figure this out! I mean, why are we here and how did we get here?" Zaria just shrugged.

"I think it's kinda fun," she told me, smiling softly. "There's so many things to do here!"

"I know. That's why it's called Ponyville," I said. "Why else would it have been called that?" Normally I would've freaked out and then I would've had a little fun, but I was just traumatized at the moment. I mean, who wouldn't be?

"Oh hey Maya?" Zaria asked me.

"Yeah?"

"Um, how do I fly? I mean, it seemed easy in the show, but do you know how I can do it? Do I just move my back, or what?" I groaned. Really? This girl was seriously asking me how to fly when I was freaking out? What a great friend.

"I dunno how you fly," I answered. "I don't even know how to use my horn! But anyways, I think we should—"

"I'm back!"

"Holy hamburgers!" Zaria burst out laughing. I immediately bit my lip as Spike stared at me once again, holding a bright blue box.

"Okay then," he said slowly, clearly confused and clearly trying to understand my new vocabulary. Hey, I couldn't help it! One should never sneak up on a unicorn!

"Oh hey, I see you found Fluttershy," Spike continued. Zaria smiled and waved.

"Cool. Anyways, you ready to go home?"

Home? A part of me did want to leave, but another part of me wanted to stay and catch up on some missed fun. I had just found Zaria, and I didn't want to leave her. But I also had to work on that project that was due in a few days! So, which was the choice? Go home and finish the project, or spend some time with my BFFL and, possibly, Pinkie? Ugh, I hate tough decisions.

Chapter Four, Just the Two Of Us...Sort Of

THANK YOU SO MUCH poptartslayer1 FOR THE IDEA!!!

I sighed as I weighed my options in my mind. Friend or Project? No fun or stress with a hint of fun mixed in served with a side of possible regret? I knew what I had to choose.

"Actually Spike, why don't you go home without me. You can put away the stuff and get my project out so I can finish it when I get home," I suggested, grinning at the baby dragon. "I'm going to spend a little more time with Fluttershy because I'd like her opinion about...uh..." Think, Maya, think!

"About, f-fish!" I sputtered, forcing a fake smile.

"Fish?" Spike, Zaria, and Pinkie said at the same time, sounding unimpressed. I just nodded.

"Yes, fish. Catfish, for example," I rattled on. "Fish don't have whiskers, am I right? I mean, what's up with that?" No one said anything. Even Pinkie, Queen of Randomness, was looking at me like I had lost it! If she wasn't saying anything or agreeing with me, I knew my cover was about to be blown.

"Um, alright then," Spike finally said. "I'll, uh, get everything ready back home so you and Fluttershy can talk about—" Spike snorted. "—fish."

Before I could make an even bigger fool of myself, Spike ran out of the bakery. I felt a wave of awkwardness wash over me again.

"Soooo," I began, looking at Zaria for some help. "Fluttershy, I think we should begin our discussion outside." I nodded my head toward the door.

"Um, alright," Zaria replied uncertainly. "I'm right behind you."

"Ooh! Can I join you?" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed. "Pretty please?"

"Sure," Zaria said.

"No!" I cried, wincing at how loud I was. I didn't mean to say it like that. Pinkie was my favorite pony from the show, and it would be paradise if I could hang out with her. But that "no" just blurted out so fast that I couldn't stop it. It was as if I was afraid she would screw something up.

Pinkie's blue eyes widened and her face twisted into a pout so sad I seriously thought my heart collapsed. If you could see her face, you'd feel the same thing in your chest.

"Please?" she begged again.

"Pinkie, I really don't think—"

"Aww come on, let her join us!" Zaria urged. "It'll be fun!" I stared at her in disbelief.

"Alright, alright, she can join us," I gave in, fighting the urge to change my mind. I was pretty happy when Pinkie's face lit up brightly and her frown turned into a huge smile. Thank goodness she didn't go Pinkamena on me! We all made our way outside. While Pinkie bounced ahead, I leaned toward Zaria.

"Okay, since we're stuck here, you'll have to refer to me as Twilight, and I'll refer to you as Fluttershy got it? And don't worry about using your wings 'cause Fluttershy's scared of heights. And Zaria, please don't let your random side take over that shy side of Fluttershy, alright? Ponies will be looking at you crazy."

Zaria just stared at me, showing no signs of annoyance. She just calmly replied to me, "Mmm kay" and continued staring ahead. Wow. I didn't know if this was Zaria being Zaria or if some of Fluttershy's quiet personality had rubbed off on her.

"Oh, and by the way, what was your reaction when you found yourself as Fluttershy?" I asked. "Did you scream?" Zaria laughed.

"I screamed so loud—or soft, really—that I think I woke some mice and made some chickens go crazy outside!" I had to laugh, too. I couldn't wait to tell her my reaction when I found myself inside Twilight's body! Suddenly, Pinkie stopped dead in her tracks. I nearly bumped into her.

"Pinkie, what is it?" I asked. She didn't reply. All she did was point a hoof at tree—an apple tree, to more specific.

Dang. Did we reach Sweet Apple Acres that fast or was it just really close to Sugarcube Corner? I didn't know what Pinkie was staring at, but when she and Zaria suddenly burst into laughter, something funny must've happened. I looked past the laughing pink pony and saw two other ponies near an apple tree who were, in fact, laughing themselves. I also noticed that the two ponies were Applejack and Rainbow Dash. I could see that Rainbow Dash was tied up, arms and hooves, dangling in an apple tree, and Applejack's hat was on the Pegasus' head, dirty and scratched up a bit. I'm guessing Rainbow had tried to steal an apple or two, and AJ wouldn't allow that and tied her up while Rainbow stole the pony's hat. Pinkie, Zaria, and I made our way toward the two.

"Dashie, did you try to swipe AJ's apples again?" Pinkie questioned the tied up Pegasus, raising an eyebrow in amazement. "The last time that happened, you nearly broke a wing! Remember, huh, huh?"

"Yes Pinkie, I don't have a bad memory," Rainbow stated flatly. "Anyways, I'm getting dizzy hanging like this. Hey Twilight, can you give me a hoof?"

"Huh?" I said distractedly. "Oh, with the rope? Um, sure. I'll try." Okay, how does this horn work? I wondered.

I decided to just visualize the rope untying from Rainbow's body, so I did just that. I closed my eyes, waited a few seconds, and opened my eyes again. Crap! Nothing had happened! Dash was still swaying on a tree branch. Everyone was staring at me, and I noticed Zaria was trying not to laugh. I tried again, really concentrating this time. Nothing. I laughed nervously.

"Whoops," I said. "Guess those ropes are pretty tight!"

"Uh, that's okay. I'll untie her myself," Applejack announced. I watched her easily untie the rope from Rainbow's body with her mouth. I felt myself blush once more. Being Twilight sure was hard!

"Applejack, why'd you even tie Rainbow Dash up?" I heard Zaria ask, which caused me to groan at her rare slowness. "I mean, I know she tried to take your apples, but still! That's pretty harsh!" Zaria was laughing now. Pinkie joined in, nearly kicking me in the face when she collapsed on the grass.

"Um, don't mind them," I told AJ and Dash. "They're being very crazy today."

"Pinkie I get, but you Fluttershy?" Rainbow exclaimed. "Is it Opposite Day or something?"

"Oh, you have no idea!" Zaria cried between laughs.

"Zar—Fluttershy, zip it!" I snapped, feeling myself explode with anger. "Remember what I told you earlier?"

"But why can't we have a little fun?" Zaria complained. Darn her Andrea Libman Fluttershy voice. I couldn't get mad at this, but I was.

"We can, but not this much!" I cried. "You're already blowing—you know what, forget it!" I sighed in frustration and smoothed my newly-cut-and-trimmed mane. Everyone was really silent, which made everything awkward all over again. Please don't ask any questions, I prayed to myself. Please just think we're sick! Applejack cleared her throat.

"Okay then. That was...interestin'," she declared slowly. "I'll ask about that later."

"Are you guys fighting or something?" Rainbow suddenly asked.

"No," Zaria and I said at the same time. Sometimes we say things together, and we were used to it. But now it just made us look and sound even more suspicious.

"You sure?" Pinkie countered. "Earlier, I saw you two whispering in Sugarcube Corner. And then Twilight started talking about fish—"

"Fish?" Rainbow interrupted. I nodded and grinned thinly.

"Long story short," I told her. "But to put things in order, Z—uh, Fluttershy and I are not fighting."

"Yeah," Zaria chimed in. "We're just talking about fish." I glared at her. Now was not the time for jokes. I would've been laughing by this time, but again, I was still shocked that this had happened to us. We were all silent again when Zaria pondered up the most unneeded question ever:

"Um, could someone please teach me how to fly? 'Cause I want to know how." I stared at her, speechless. She did not just ask us four ponies for tips on flying!

"Uh, sugar cube, what're ya'll talkin' about?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, did you hit your head or somethin'?" Rainbow added, running her hoof around Zaria's soft head.

"No, I just really want to know how to fly," Zaria repeated. "You Pegasus make it look so easy."

"Shut up," I whispered through gritted teeth, but Zaria just nudged me . Suddenly, I saw Rainbow smirking. This could only lead to bad things.

"Ohhhh, I get it. Little Miss Scared of Heights finally wants to break out of her shell and fly, huh? Don't worry; Dashie will teach you all the tips and tricks you'll need to know about flyin'." Zaria smiled widely and followed Rainbow Dash off to a clear spot.

"Fluttershy, really?" I screamed. "Are you sure you wanna do this now?"

"Yeah!" Zaria called back.

"But you're totally abusing our experience!" I screamed. "I, I mean, not our ex—what I mean is, wait don't fly yet! No, no, no! UGH!" My head throbbed with anger and stress as I stomped away from Pinkie and Applejack. I plopped down against a shady tree and resisted the urge to cry.

Yes, yes, I know it sounds babyish, but people cry when they're stressed out and angry. That's a certain fact I know is true. But I couldn't help it; I let the hot tears roll out of my eyes and tried to breathe calmly. It just resulted in choppy little gasps and more burning tears. If Zaria wouldn't bear with me through this weird adventure, I'd just let her be. I didn't care. Just then, I felt a light hoof touch my arm. My eyes widened and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Applejack with her hat back on.

"You okay, sugar cube?" she asked softly. "You're kinda scarin' me." I sighed and wiped my eyes.

"I'm scaring myself, too, AJ," I admitted. "There's...there's something I gotta tell you, and I'm not sure how to put it." I sniffed. "But it's really shocking, and you have to promise not to tell, okay?"

Applejack was silent for a moment, but then she nodded.

"I Pinkie Promise."

I blinked to clear out the leftover tears planted in my eyes and sniffed again. Applejack had just made a Pinkie Promise, which indicated that she was really willing to keep my secret. That made me kind of better. So I cleared my throat.

"I'm not really your friend Twilight. I'm a human from another world."

Chapter Five, Unexpected News...

Applejack just stared at me, as I knew she would, and didn't reply. I blinked to prevent even more tears to rush out, which were burning my eyes badly, and held my breath. I was hoping Applejack would at least say something to me. Finally, I saw her face turn into a...smile? And get this: she started laughing!

"Ha! Ya got me, Twilight!" AJ laughed. "I never knew you were a prankster!" I frowned deeply.

"Applejack, I'm not joking," I insisted. "I'm not really Twilight. Honest!" Applejack just blinked, but her smile never left her lips.

"Ya know what I think? I think someone's gettin' a bit worked up from her project," she reasoned. I was speechless once again. How did she know about that?

"Listen Twilight, I know ya want this project to work well. I get that. But it doesn't make sense to go around and stress about it, ya know what I mean?" I...was...one hundred percent confused. I was also ticked off since this pony didn't believe me!

"But I'm not lying!" I repeated, feeling another set of tears running toward my eyes. "I would never lie to you, now would I? And I can prove to you that I'm not Twilight!"

"Alright, how?"

I paused. Aww man! I didn't know how to explain to Applejack that I wasn't Twilight. I would have to do something un-Twilight in order to make her believe me! But...what?

"There. See now?" I heard AJ say. "You are Twilight. You're just stressed, that's all! Either that or Pinkie's been givin' ya lessons on craziness!" I sighed and stared at the ground.

I knew she wouldn't believe me. Who would?! Suddenly, Pinkie jumped out of nowhere, making me scream Bloody Murder.

"Pinkie, don't ever do that again!" I shrieked, trying to catch my breath. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!" I heard Pinkie giggle slightly.

"Sorry Twilight," she said. "But I had to cheer you up someway!"

"By giving me a heart attack?" I cried. "GAH! Not helping, and I'm not feeling any better!" Pinkie laughed again.

"Don't worry. I'll find a way to turn that frown upside down!" Oh God. Unconsciously, I gazed up toward the sky and nearly had another heart attack. Zaria was high in the air, flying around with Rainbow Dash! Even though they were about two feet in the air, I could hear them laughing loudly.

"Man, this is so fun!" Zaria screamed. "Way better than walking!"

"I know, right?" Rainbow agreed. "Aren't you glad your fear of heights is over and done with?" I sighed again and stood up. Zaria just didn't know when to stop.

"Fluttershy, don't you think you should be, oh I don't know, on the ground before you fall?" I called to her.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna fall!" Zaria screamed back, doing a clumsy back flip in the air. I winced, praying that my friend wouldn't come crashing down. And you know what? I jinxed it! As soon as Zaria was another foot in the air, her wings snapped shut!

"ZARIA!" I screamed, running toward my falling friend. For some reason, I jumped in the air and crashed in the dirt. My eyes were squeezed tight, and I was now begging the lord that my friend wasn't hurt.

"Oh my God, that was close!" I heard Zaria whisper.

I quickly opened my eyes and gasped. Zaria was surrounded by a purple, sparkly force field, her bottom an inch from the ground. I blinked and Zaria fell on her butt. Ignoring her "Hey!" I backed up as Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow made their way toward the Pegasus, blurting out questions.

"Fluttershy, are you okay?"

"Goodness, ya nearly broke your wing, sugar cube!"

"Maybe you shouldn't be flying anytime soon..."

"Thank goodness Twilight was here!"

I slowly walked toward Zaria and put a hoof on her shoulder. Shaking from both the fall and the fact that I'd saved her with magic.

"You okay?" I whispered. Zaria nodded, breathing hard. Good. Now that my friend was okay, I could yell at her.

"Didn't I warn you?" I gloated. "I told you to land before you fell! And you did, and you almost got!"

"Well, you jinxed it, anyway!" Zaria snapped, voice trembling. "I wouldn't have fallen if I had concentrated harder. But you kept screaming at me!"

I rolled my eyes and huffed, annoyed and stressed. But I knew it was my fault. If I hadn't kept yelling at her to be careful, she wouldn't have fallen. And if I hadn't gloated, Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow wouldn't have been staring at us with worried and surprised expressions like they were right now! I guess Twilight's personality was really rubbing off on me.

"Uh, are you sure you two aren't fighting?" Rainbow asked after a while. "It's pretty obvious now."

"No, we're not fighting," I told her, though I didn't sound like I meant it.

I was starting to give up on covering me and Zaria's secrets. I slowly made my way back to the apple-less tree and sat down, focusing on a small rock near my left hoof. I could hear Zaria asking Dash for a do-over for the flying thing, and I didn't object when I heard Rainbow agree (though she did say they would keep the flying at a safe point). I looked up when I heard hooves walking toward me. AJ and Pinkie sat down on either side of me, avoiding eye contact.

"Hey Twilight? What was that word you said when Fluttershy fell?" I heard Pinkie ask. "It started with a Z. Remember?" I nodded.

"Um, I said Zaria," I exclaimed. "But that just means 'Oh my goodness' or 'Oh no.' I learned that from another pony in Canterlot." I was kinda surprised to hear that lie slip out of me so easily, but I didn't bother to stop it.

I started playing with the grass with my hoof when I saw something weird occur: Pinkie's tail shook like a vibrating phone. My eyes widened. Oh crap! I knew what that Pinkie Sense meant! Something was gonna fall! I slowly put my hoof above my mane and waited for the worst. But, luckily, it never came. Sighing softly with relief, I removed my hoof and—Thump!

"OW!" I cried, rubbing my head. I looked down and saw a half eaten apple at my feet.

"Aha! I knew something was gonna fall!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"T-that doesn't make sense! There's no apples in that tree!" I argued.

The trees' leaves rustled furiously and another object fell on my head—a heavy object. I saw tiny little stars swirling around me. My head throbbed like mad, and I swear I heard faint ringing in my ears.

"Spike! Where'd ya get that apple?" AJ snapped, standing up and looking down at the dragon. I blinked and tried to clear those pesky little stars.

"Spike, why would you belly flop on my head?" I asked, rubbing both my mane and ears. "You wanna give me a concussion or something?" I heard Spike laugh nervously.

"Yeah...I might've lost my balance—and that apple," he began, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Sorry about that." Sorry my butt! I thought angrily. He seriously gave me one bad headache. Note to self: Whenever Pinkie's Pinkie Sense goes off, dive for cover.

"Anyways, prepare to thank me, Twilight," Spike continued, smiling. "Okay, so, you know your project you've spent weeks working on, right? Well, some of the critics came over, and when I told them all about you, they rescheduled the date to tonight!"

Spike held his arms out wide, probably waiting for a hug. My mouth sagged all the way open, and my tongue flopped out, too. He did what now?!

"Spike, tell me you're joking!" I breathed.

"Nope," Spike stated. "It's all true! That's okay, you can thank me later."

"Thank you? THANK YOU?" I screamed.

"Oh, you're welcome."

I slapped my forehead and groaned.

"Okay, first: I'm not even finished with this project, and second: I didn't even ask you to do this!"

"I know. That's why it was a surprise," Spike said. "And don't worry. I threw a few things in, and all you need to do is snap it up a bit and it'll be ready!" My eye twitched and I could hardly breathe (again...). I couldn't believe this was happening!

"Well, congratulations Twilight!" AJ suddenly cried, shaking my hoof furiously. "Wasn't that nice of Spike?"

"Exactly. But I could use a hug right now." Spike held his arms out again. Of course I'd hug him. I'd put my arms around his throat and squeeze ever so tightly!

Instead of me doing that, Pinkie hugged Spike tightly. While she did that, I gazed up at the sky. The sun was already halfway toward the horizon, and the sky was a goldish orange. I didn't think I'd have enough time to complete this project, and if I did, would it even work? Suddenly, I felt a rush of cold air and looked to my left. Zaria was standing by my side.

"Ha! I didn't fall, did I?" she gloated. "All I had to do was concentrate and Boom! I was flying." Zaria showed her white teeth in a wide smile. I just shrugged.

"Good for you," I mumbled. "I'm happy for you."

"Oh! It's almost sunset!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed. "Twilight, you should get going and finish that project of yours!" I nodded.

"Thanks," I said flatly. "Come on Spike." Without the slightest warning, Spike jumped on my back and I nearly fell.

In the cartoon, it looked like he was light as a feather, but it wasn't like that. I'm not saying he was painfully heavy. It just felt like I was giving a three-year-old a piggyback ride.

"Ya want us to tag along?" Applejack asked, walking towards my left side. I smiled, a real smile this time.

"Sure, thanks."

Chapter Six, The Big Event

I couldn't help but fidget as I waited for my number to be called. Me, Zaria, Spike, Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash (Rarity couldn't make it due to an important clothes design for a client) were waiting in a small, plain waiting room. Earlier, I had had no idea what to mix in with the project (aka a potion), so I just mixed in a few liquids, shook it a bit with my magic, and followed everyone to, yes, Canterlot! It was a lot prettier in person; with its sparkling lights and crowded streets, it reminded me of New York—only a lot happier. Now we were all waiting for my number to be shouted on the other side of the room. I gazed down at the number on my chest. Earlier, some stallion had slapped a number 42 on me, and even though I said "Uh, ow?" he flat-out ignored me.

"Hey, what if that potion doesn't work?" Dash suddenly asked. "Then what'll you do?"

"Rainbow, think positive!" AJ urged her. "For Twilight's sake, anyway. We don't want her frettin' like she did earlier."

"I wasn't frettin'," I snapped, emphasizing the word. "I was just stressed, that's all."

"Doesn't that mean the same thing?" Pinkie wondered. I shot her a look.

"No," I responded. "Wait, yes! I dunno. I'm not a dictionary."

"Yes you are," Zaria said. "You once told me you loved reading and wr—"

"Nope! Nope! I know I do, but ssh, okay?" I interrupted, which caused Zaria to laugh again. She would laugh at anything hilarious. I was probably making her day right now.

"Number 42!" a gravelly voice cried. Finally, I'm up! I thought, standing up and following the stallion who had called my number. The others trailed behind me.

Now, at first I thought I'd be showing the potion off to millions of other ponies, but there were only four ponies: two stallions and two mares who, by the looks of it, were the judges. They were standing in front of a bare wooden table looking at their clipboards. Spike placed the potion (which was hidden under a cloth) on the table. I stepped up to it and took a good look at the bottle's structure. I wonder what's so special about this anyway, I wondered. It's just a potion.

"Twilight Sparkle, what a surprise to see you here," a majestic voice suddenly said. My eyes widened. No...she couldn't be here! Not now! I slowly turned around and held back a startled scream. Princess Celestia was staring down at me with a warm smile on her face. She seemed taller in person; almost like a giant goddess.

"P-Princess Celestia," I sputtered, lowering my head to try and bow. "It's an honor to see you here tonight. If you don't mind me asking this, but...what're you doing here?"

"When I heard my most faithful student was going to be demonstrating a certain project, I just had to watch for myself," the princess answered. Crap! This wasn't good. I was probably gonna screw things up! That would surely ruin Twilight's "most faithful student" reputation from the princess.

"Alright, let's see this project in action," one of the judges announced. "The sooner we're done, the sooner I can go home and relax." I had to laugh. Looks like someone didn't want to quit their day/night job. I cleared my throat.

"Okay, um, well...I'm very happy to be here tonight. So, nevertheless, this here potion will succeed in increasing your metabolism, and it'll—" I stopped short. Shoot! What else did Spike say when I asked him about the project much, much earlier? Think!

"Um, it'll also increase your...strength, I think?" I rattled on. The four judges scribbled something on their clipboards. I felt my face burn. Note to self: Never say "I think" near judges. They'll just assume you're second guessing yourself.

"Uh, anyways," I continued, "I've been working long and hard on this project, and I hope you all like the results." I gave a fake smile as I watched the judges write something else on their boards. You're blowin' it! a voice in my head cried. I know! I thought back. What should I do now? Just then, I heard someone clear their throat.

"Miss Sparkle, aren't you going to test this project?" one of the female judges asked, looking at me over her yellow glasses.

"Oh, uh...sure! I mean, of course! Why wouldn't I?" I looked around. "Any volunteers?" No one raised their hooves. Not even Pinkie!

"Okay, I'll just pick!" I looked around some more and grinned. "How about...you!" One of the judges looked up.

"Who me?"

"Of course!" I used my magic (thanks to that potion, I had almost mastered the art of magic) to pull him over to me. I levitated the cloth off of the small bottle and twisted the cap off.

"Drink up!" I cried cheerfully. The stallion sniffed the drink and took a small sip. Please work! I know it'll work! It's gotta work! My thoughts were racing and came to a stop when the judge wrote something on his clipboard.

"Interesting flavor, yet no results, Miss Sparkle," he informed me. "Does it take place in a matter of time? Because clearly, it doesn't happen right a—" He stopped mid-sentence and blinked. I smiled. Yes! The results were working!

Another few seconds went by, and they...weren't too good. First, the judge's head started growing like a balloon, then he started sweating like mad. He was moving all around like he was having a seizure, and worst of all, his face turned bright red and I literally saw steams of smoke escaping his ears! After that, he just jumped in midair and collapsed on the ground, breathing hard and barely moving a muscle. The other judges stared down at him with concern.

"I—I'm so sorry!" I cried, feeling embarrassed but trying hard not to laugh. "I really didn't mean for that to happen!" The judge just glared at me. I smiled sheepishly and used my magic to dump the rest of the potion out on the table. I swear I thought I saw the table's wood was burning a bit. Just imagine if that judge had drank the entire thing! Whoa mama.

"I'm seriously sorry," I repeated, swallowing the laughter about to erupt out of my throat. "What can I do to make it up to you, sir?"

"Leave....now!"

I blinked.

"W-what? But I—"

"No, better yet, I'll leave. Thank you kindly for your demonstration, Miss Sparkle, but I'm afraid that had to have been the worst experience I've felt in my life!"

"Excuse me?" I exploded angrily. "Look, I realize that the potion wasn't what you were expecting, but there's no need to be rude! I'm not your pal, Mr. Steamy Head!" My own head felt like cotton was stuffed in it. My face was burning hot and my mane and tail felt dangerously tingly.

"Miss Sparkle!" Yellow Glasses Judge cried. "That behavior is very unexceptional here!"

"Oh really, Miss Tacky Yellow Glasses? I think it's very exceptional!" I argued, my heart pumping. "In fact, I spent a lot of time on this project, and you think you have the right to tell me what I did wrong? Oh no! You messed with the wrong pony! You just—" I felt a tiny hand touch my leg.

I looked down to see Spike, giving me a Let It Go and Calm the Heck Down look. I huffed and rubbed the top of my head—which felt spiky and stiff! Oh God. Wasn't Twilight's mane and tail all spiky-looking in Lesson Zero? No, not Psycho Twilight! Anything but that! Without another word, the three standing judges helped the other judge up and scurried out the room.

I felt my mane and tail shake a teeny bit as they reformed into their straight, smooth self. People say close calls all the time, but that was more than a close call. I avoided making eye contact with the four mares looking at me worriedly and gazed up at the princess. She didn't seem like she wanted to look at me, and that was fine. But what she said next was harsh.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you, Twilight? I thought I taught a better student than this."

"You did!" I blurted out. "It's just that, tonight wasn't the right night to come and—"

"I can see that now," Celestia interrupted. "And I can't believe it, either. I am very disappointed in you." Then she spread her graceful wings and flew out of a giant open window, leaving the rest of us alone.

I stared at the floor sadly, not knowing what to do first: Cry, Scream, or Cry and Scream at the same time. I straightened up when I felt the burning sensation of hot tears tease me from the back of my eyes. Breaking my will to make eye contact, I looked straight at Applejack, who didn't look like she was going to say something now.

"Do you believe I'm not Twilight now?" I asked her. "Or do you still think I'm her?" AJ didn't reply. She just gazed at a confused looking Rainbow Dash.

"Uh, what's she talking about?" she asked. I sighed.

"Go ahead Applejack. Break your Pinkie Promise," I dared her. Pinkie's mouth gaped open.

"What?! You can't break a Pinkie Promise!" she objected.

"Well I want her to," I explained. "Go ahead, AJ. Or should I break it for you?" Applejack didn't say anything. I'm taking that as a Go Ahead and Tell 'Em.

So I told everyone how I wasn't Twilight and how Zaria wasn't Fluttershy, and what they said back was pretty much expected. All they said were things like of course we were Twilight and Fluttershy; I was just nervous about the project; the princess wasn't that mad at me; stuff like that. But I got seriously mad when, get this, Zaria agreed that she actually was Fluttershy! I couldn't believe her! As soon as she had said those words, I was beyond speechless.

"I'm telling the truth!" I cried weakly.

"Um, Twilight? Maybe you should go home and lie down or something," Spike advised me quietly.

I just stared at him with an annoyed and "shut up" look. I was done. I didn't care if these ponies didn't believe me, or if Zaria was willing to keep acting like she was Fluttershy. Inside my head, something snapped and I just lost it.

"Okay, fine. Whatever, yeah. If you all won't believe a single thing that I say, then maybe you should take some classes on how to be a good friend. Because you obviously don't know what a good friend IS!" I felt my hair prick up a bit.

"Sure, don't believe me at all! That's fine and dandy! Just great!" I gave them all a thin psycho smile and squinted my eyes. "Why believe a friend in need when you can just tell them excuses so they think you're not worthy believing, am I right?"

They all took a step back as I got closer.

"Ooh, what gooood friends you girls are...!" I finished sarcastically, my eye twitching. I stopped and looked at Zaria.

"Oh, ho ho - and as for you! Are you seriously gonna keep pretending you're Fluttershy now?" I asked angrily. "Give it a rest, dude!"

"What do you me? I am Fluttershy!" Zaria replied, hiding half her face with her hair. "Stop saying I'm not, 'cause I am! Maybe you should go home and rest..."

"No you're not!" I cried. "You're my friend, and we stick together! We're not ponies, we're ordinary girls!"

"Wow, nice vocabulary Twilight," Zaria sneered, rolling her eyes. "Giiiirls. Pssh, Fantastic."

"Okay, ya know what, fine!" I screamed. "I'm done with this! Done fighting, done stressing, done with everything!"

"Even done with talking?" Zaria added haughtily.

"Yes. So if you wanna keep saying who you are in order to keep this new life, then goodbye to you, Miss 'Shy'!" I snapped.

I roughly levitated Spike on my back and made my way outside into the night. I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't care. I just wanted to get away from my so called "friends."

Chapter Seven, Believe Me...

The air had suddenly grown cold as I walked further away from Canterlot. I had just reached the outside of the gates and guards when Spike suddenly spoke up.

"Don't you think you were, I dunno, a bit harsh back there?" he asked. "I mean, so the potion didn't work and they didn't believe you about one thing? Big deal."

"I don't feel like talking, Spike," I stated through gritted teeth, concentrating on the path.

"Still! I've never heard you talk like that before," Spike went on, ignoring my statement. "I don't think I've ever seen you this angry before, either."

I shrugged.

"So? People get angry all the time and lose it," I explained, speeding up my walking. "But that didn't happen tonight."

"Are you kidding? That didn't happen tonight?" Spike argued. "If you ask me—"

"Well I didn't ask you, thank you very much! So you can shut up!" I interrupted, glaring at the moonless night.

"See! Right there! You just snapped!" Spike pointed out. "There's a difference between angry, losing it, and stressed out Twilight. Right now, you're losing it."

"And there's a difference between shutting up and keeping quiet for at least an hour, Spike," I mimicked. "Right now, you're not doing any of those things! Now I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay?"

"Fine." I felt him climb off my back and saw him walk in front of me.

"Uh, where the heck are you going?" I asked.

"Home," he answered flatly. "If you don't want to talk about what happened tonight anymore, then I'll be heading home. See you there."

"H-hey, wait a minute!" I cried, but this dragon didn't stop.

I watched as Spike scurried down a path and disappeared in a matter of seconds. Soon, I was all alone. And to make it an even more cliché night, I felt a big raindrop splash on my head. Afraid that I would get soaked, I kept walking until I found myself lost in a maze of dead trees and bushes. A few creatures of the night were emerging from their hiding places, but I hardly paid attention to any of them. I was too busy thinking about what Spike had said. There's a difference between angry, losing it, and stressed out Twilight. Right now, you're losing it, he had said. Well, was he right? Was I losing it?

Let's recap, shall we? I had told the ponies that they should take a class in being a good friend, and I had also told them they didn't know what one was; I was flippin' out over Zaria's safety earlier at Sweet Apple Acres; I was crying like mad; I had fussed at Spike; I ticked off the judges...Yep. I was losin' it. It didn't take me long to realize it. The part where I told everyone that they didn't know what a good friend was had really broken the You're Losing It meter, and I felt extremely bad for saying those words.

As soon as my body was in a comfortable position on the dewy grass, buckets of rain poured down on me, never pausing once for a break. It was like the world was slowly starting to hate on me and was going to punish me with natural resources.

"What did I do to deserve this?" I whispered, then immediately felt stupid. Of course I knew what I did to deserve this! "I don't think the girls need any classes on being a good friend," I continued to myself, "it's me who needs to be a good fr—" And then...I just lost it. But I don't mean I started kicking random things and screaming my head off. Nope. I started bawling my eyes out.

I kept telling myself to stop and get up before I got sick from the rain, but my brain was being retarded and told me to just stay where I was. My brain was also starting to think about some possible "What ifs." Like, what if Zaria and I were trapped here forever? What if my mom found out we were gone and called the police? What if the Mane 6 started to believe we weren't their friends and abandoned us? My heart lurched at that possible "what if."

I continued to cry into my arm until the storm turned into a light drizzle. I raised my head, which felt like hammers were pounding against my skull, and tried to dry my wet face (but to no avail). In my little dizzy condition, my brain was slowly functioning again: if I didn't say something (like I tried a million times before), then Zaria and I would never see our families again.

"I have to fix this," I mumbled, slowly standing up. The girls wouldn't be so happy about my presence...but that didn't mean I couldn't apologize! This idea made me stand up some more and grin.

"That's what I'll do! I'm going to apologize!" I declared to no one in particular.

Who!

"Me, of course! Maya!"

Who!

"Me, Maya. I already told—you know what, shut up you darn owl!"

Who?

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't about to argue back and forth with an owl, so I decided I'd go back to Twilight's home. The only problem was that I didn't know how. Spike had taken off, and the episodes of the show I had watched led to no advantage on giving directions to Twilight's home. Teleportation! a voice in my head screamed. Aww, but I can't do that, I thought sadly. I dunno how.

Well you have to try, the voice argued. I sighed. That voice was strangely right. I had to try. So I sat down, closed my eyes, and concentrated hard. I thought deeply about the library, Twilight's bedroom, all of those books and spells...The more I thought about this, the more comfortable and relaxed I became.

I felt my horn warming up, and I just wanted to open my eyes and scream "Oh my GOD! I'M TELEPORTING!" But I knew that would mess up the whole process, so I kept concentrating. My eyes slowly opened by themselves and a bright beam flashed before me. It felt incredibly hot at one point and cold at another. Then...I found myself staring at a double bed with a blue blanket settled on it. I smiled widely. I...I teleported, I thought. I did it...!

Author's Note

Okay, so it really bugged me that this chapter turned out short, so I decided to add a little more dialogue for Maya to lengthen it; like how she really wants to go home and fix everything. Hope ya'll love it, and if you have any tips/ideas/suggestions for me, I'm open ears.

~NYQUTIE

Chapter Eight, Going Back Home!

I'd like to thank FeinesFabi for the outstanding ending idea he gave me! Thanks!

I still couldn't believe I'd teleported to Twilight's house. It was as if I had found 100,000 dollars while walking home from the park! Okay, more like 100 dollars. Alright, alright, 20. But the point is that I enjoyed that feeling and I would cherish it for however long I'd like to cherish it. Downstairs, I heard some familiar voices.

"Well, we have to help her. She's gone crazy!"

"I dunno, she's probably just stressed, that's all."

"I say she's a new form of crazy!"

"Everypony, please! You're being ridiculous!"

"Are we now?"

I slowly leaned over the edge and pulled myself away as soon as I saw four ponies. Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, and now Rarity were arguing back and forth...about me. I had to put a stop to this once and for all. I started quietly toward the stairs, then stopped short. I looked toward the ladder and grinned. Might as well make an entrance, I thought deviously. I made a somewhat running start and jumped off the edge. And, what do ya know, I stuck the landing! Well, sort of. I was still wet from the rain, so when I landed, I ended up on my stomach. All of the ponies were staring at me, and I had to laugh.

"What? You've never seen a pony jump before?" I asked. "Come on, now." Rarity was the first to take action.

In minutes, I was wrapped in a fuzzy towel, a thermometer shoved into my mouth, and guided back upstairs (using the stairs, thank goodness) to sit on Twilight's bed. Oh, but the fun didn't start there. Soon, I was spoon-fed hot tomato soup—against my will after I said I was fine a million times—and showered with questions.

"Twilight, we've been searchin' everywhere for ya!"

"Where were you hiding, anyway?"

"How'd you get in here? Are you part ghost?"

"I came all the way here for you, dear. Now tell me what's going on!"

I laughed at all the questions being thrown at me.

"Look, I don't feel like explaining again, but I came here to apologize," I explained. "It was wrong of me to say those things, and I'm really sorry. I was just really stressed that no one would believe me, and I was really scared after I got transported into this body—uh, forget about that statement. But the point is I'm just really sorry and I hope I haven't tainted our friendship. In fact, I'd get if you'd never wanted to speak to me ever again..." One by one, each of the ponies, except a confused Rarity, looked at one another and smiled at me, each took turns giving me a hug. I felt loved again!

"I think I speak for everpony when I say, we're sorry for not supportin' ya in the first place," Applejack said. "If we would've stopped and listened, none of this would've happened." I smiled.

"There's a difference between being angry, losing it, and being stressed out," I told the group, smiling down at the floor. "I was losing it back there. A little dragon told me that. Where is Spike, anyway?"

"We're not sure," Rainbow said. "We think he's with Fluttershy, but she's not here."

"If that's the case, then where are they?" I asked in panic. "Didn't she follow you out of Canterlot or something?"

"Of course not. She went and got me." I looked up and made a sound between a gasp and a squeak. Standing next to a proud-looking Zaria was none other than Princess Celestia! What was she doing here? Didn't she hate me from screwing up that project or something?

"Your friend told me about your little dilemma," she began, "and she came to me for help when I flew off."

"So, she told you everything?" I asked nervously. My eyes widened when the princess nodded.

"Yes, everything. Maya." I grinned sheepishly and looked toward Zaria.

"Forgive me?"

"I'm really sorry!" she cried, and I laughed and squeezed her tight. Once we were done, I stepped beside Zaria and noticed something hiding behind the princess's left leg.

"Hey!" I cried, using my magic to place the object in front of me. "S-Spike? What were you doing behind the princess?"

"Helping," he answered, as if it were obvious.

"Wait, so...you believed me this whole time?" I asked, putting the dragon down. Spike shrugged.

"Maybe." I laughed and squeezed him into a hug.

"Uh, I hate to interrupt this whole happy moment here, but, what in tarnation is goin' on here?" I had to laugh at AJ's reaction.

"Allow me to explain," Celestia said. "Apparently, after these two took a particular quiz, they were somehow merged between Twilight and Fluttershy. After this collision, they began acting like their regular selves, but with the real Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy's genes still implanted in their brains, they began acting differently."

"So, basically these two got stuck in our friends' bodies, and by their combined personalities, it resulted in negative effects?" Pinkie asked. We all stared at her.

"What?" she asked innocently. "Can't a girl be smart from time to time?"

"Yeah, but not in this situation," Spike replied.

"Nevertheless, the point is that this unexpected merge is beginning to stretch a bit of the fabrics of time between Equestria and your world girls," Celestia went on. "If the merge had been expected, then time would've run by smoothly without any glitches."

I nodded.

"So, if everybody knew this little merge was going to happen, nothing bad would result because it?" I tried to clarify. "No weird personality effects or anything bad?" The princess nodded.

"Precisely."

"Okay, so what happened to the real Twilight and Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked the princess.

"I'm afraid half of them are still in their former bodies, while the other half of them are inside these girls' former bodies," the princess explained.

"Twilight and Fluttershy are in our bodies?" Zaria cried. The princess nodded again.

"Well, we know why our friends have been acting weird lately," Rainbow said, eying me. "But that doesn't explain how we can switch the two back." Celestia smiled.

"I might know a way," she said. "We haven't got much time, but there's still a way. In order for it to work properly, we'll have to contact Twilight and Fluttershy. With their true energy source, we might be able to switch them back in no time."

"Um, do we have to right now?" Zaria asked suddenly. "Because...I, I kinda like being Fluttershy..."

"Huh?!" I cried, staring at her. "You've only been her for a day and a half! You nearly crashed if it weren't for me, and—" I lowered my voice to the next sentence I said.

"You don't even like the show that much."

"So?" Zaria said loudly. "I want to stay like this for a while. But you can go back. Take some pictures and tell me what I'm missing, okay?"

"I'm afraid that won't work," the princess informed us. "In order for this spell to process correctly, you'll have to go back together, not separately."

Everyone was silent and staring at each other. It did feel nice to be Twilight, but I knew her friends missed her, and I couldn't prevent her from seeing them.

"Zaria, we have to go back," I told my friend.

"No we don't!" Zaria objected. "Give me one good reason!"

"'Cause we have another life as well, and we can't keep Twilight and Fluttershy from seeing their friends and family. We've had some fun, I guess, but we've gotta go back."

"I don't wanna," Zaria complained, pouting.

"Please?" I begged her.

"No," Zaria said again. This was why she was difficult to deal with. If she wanted something badly, she tried to accomplish the task and earn it. Now was not the time to be all whiny.

"Zaria, listen," I tried. "I know you love the flying, and I love the magic. But think about how Fluttershy and Twilight must feel. If they'd do the same thing for us, by going back to their world, we have to do the same thing for them." Zaria was really silent then. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, their eyes wide.

Zaria groaned and hung her head.

"Alright, let's do this."

A half an hour later, Zaria and I were saying our last goodbyes. Celestia was able to contact Twilight and Fluttershy, who agreed to use the most of their energy to help with the spell. I can't explain how she did it since I was unconscious while Celestia was talking to Twilight and Fluttershy.

"I'm going to miss all of you," I said sadly. "I wish I could've spent more time with you. That would've been great, wouldn't it?" The ponies nodded.

"We'll miss ya too, sugar cube," AJ said sweetly. I smiled and gave her a soft hug as Zaria hugged Rainbow Dash and Rarity.

"Too bad I wasn't able to throw you a Welcome Party," Pinkie sighed. "It would've been amazing!" I smiled and squeezed her tightly.

"I know it would've been more than amazing. It would've been stupendous. You always throw the greatest party, Pinkie."

Zaria and I hugged everyone else, including the princess, and slowly stepped in the middle of the room, holding hooves. Celestia's horn glowed a bright white, and I felt as if I were floating through a stable object. There was another bright light and when I opened my eyes, I could see Zaria and I floating up and down in a glittery white force field. We had our normal bodies back, and Twilight and Fluttershy were lying on the floor as if they were asleep.

"I'll put them under special medical care just in case. But we'll all miss you two very much," Celestia said, nodding her head. "If you ever decide to come back, we won't mind at all."

"Well, that's gonna be a problem because we actually don't know how to come back here," I explained. The princess gave me a secretive smile.

"Don't worry. Perhaps you'll find another way back," she said suspiciously.

"I wish," Zaria mumbled. I smiled at her as we both glowed brighter and brighter. The ponies shouted their final goodbyes as we glowed incredibly bright. I smiled down at Spike.

"Hey. Thanks for being the first one to believe me," I said, winking. I looked at Rainbow Dash. "Oh, and Dashie?" I added. "Much earlier, I asked Spike if that project was to brainwash everyone to become a show-off like you!"

"Wait a minute, you did what?"

I laughed.

"Bye-bye!"

Zaria and I soon evaporated into thin air and were slowly brought back to the real world. We were both settled on the bed, the door was closed, and the Cool Math website was still on my computer screen. Downstairs, I heard the TV playing and my mom laughing. Outside, dogs were barking, cars were driving down the street, and kids were screaming. Everything was back to normal.

"Can you believe what just happened Maya?!" Zaria screamed. I smiled at her.

"Yeah," I answered calmly. "I think we just encountered our inner ponies!"

THE END

Author's Note

I changed the beginning a bit. Since Maya's still wet, the ponies treat her and they really (especially Rarity) wanna know what's going on. So, yeah! Keep readin', everypony!

~NYQUTIE ^_^