Spike had written the message out and sent it via Dragonfire.

Now he just has to wait for the response, he went back downstairs to see how the girls are doing.

Spike paused at the top of the stairs.

He saw the yellow unicorn without a shirt on briefly, she thankfully put a shirt on but it seemed to hug her body tightly.

Twilight to be modest was never that well endowed or shapely, he’d take those words with him to the grave for the sake of his safety.

The new unicorn, however, seemed to have Rarity’s generous figure with Fluttershy’s large chest.

Getting these inappropriate thoughts out of his head, he turned to see the alicorn, if he was right and the girls really did merge into separate ponies he could see that she inherited Pinkies figure to balance out Twilight’s average frame.

Lastly the pegasus seemed to have found Twilight's baggiest jacket, her figure seems to have boosted Applejack’s muscle with Rainbow’s. Making for one beautiful she-adonis.

Spike slapped himself to make himself stop measuring up and examining his friends merged forms.

“Hey Spike, are you an expert in my flank 101? You seem to be studying thoroughly,” The alicorn burst out laughing.

“Crap, they saw!?” Spike internally panicked.

“It’s alright Spike,” The unicorn chuckled.

“S-sorry," Spike said.

"Go on and stare, a pony as awesome as me never disappoints," the pegasus laughed.

Deciding to go down the stairs and hopefully get past this little tribulation Spike approach them.

"All right we're just waiting on Celestia's response, while we're waiting what can we call you guys?" Spike asked.

"Huh?" The group asked.

"Well I can't just keep referring to you all as they and them, what can I call you girls, any name ideas?" Spike asked.

The girls became speculative at this request, come to think about it they've been kind of referring to each other in that way too, perhaps they do need names for now at least until they get back to normal.

"Hmmm… ah think ah'll go with…. Zap Apple," the pegasus said.

"Why?" Spike asked.

"Because ah'm partially an Apple and ah'm rainbow-colored," the pony self-appointed as Zap Apple said like it was obvious.

"I'll go with Twinkle Pie Sparkle! Or just Twinkle for short!" The alicorn said cheerfully.

"Ok," Spike nodded.

"Hmm…. Charity," the unicorn said.

"Why that name?" Spike asked.

"I am the merged form of the elements of generosity and kindness what other name could I have besides Charity?" Charity said.

"Makes sense," Spike shrugged.

Zap Apple, Twinkle Pie and Charity.

"Alright, now we wait," Spike said.

The three mares and one teen dragon sat in the room, waiting.

Charity summoned with her magic a sewing kit and she has managed to expertly craft a new shirt for herself in under an hour, and that includes measurement time.

Zap got bored and started hovering around the library, looking for Daring Do novels.

And Twinkle made and brought in several snacks and a new cake.

Even though they didn't have the ingredients beforehand… not to mention she somehow did this all while reading an algebra book.

Spike decided to read a comic book himself.

"It'll be alright… Celestia will receive the message and reply soon, this'll all be fixed." Spike said to assure himself.

A few more minutes passed but Spike felt a burp coming up

Knowing what this means he set his book down and turned away from the girls and belched out some flames that carried a letter.

"It's here!" Spike said.

"Bout time, what does it say?" Zap asked.

Spike opened it and read aloud.

Dear Spike

The issue you have brought to my attention is a truly… unique situation.

If what you said is true then we must meet as soon as possible to fix this mysterious merging, I will send a chariot to take you and the three ponies you claim to have appeared when my student and your friends vanished.

Bring the item that caused this in a sealed container, we can not allow this to happen again.

Keep them close until then.

Love Princess Celestia.

"Yay we get to meet Celestia today! I bet we can play all sorts of games, read all sorts of books, and in the morning, I'll be making waffles." Twinkle cheered.

"And hopefully we can return to our normal selves." Charity added.

"Hey Spikey, can you get everything set up? I'll get the food packed for today's trip." Twinkle asked.

"Ok," Spike said getting up and walking upstairs.

"Should ah inform mah kin about this? It's only right they know," Zap said.

"Which one?" Twinkle asked.

"The apple side," Zap replied.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea it's best to keep what's happened quiet for now." Charity suggested.

"Ah don't know, ah think ah was supposed to take care of the fields t'day," Zap said.

"I could send a message via teleportation!" Twinkle said.

"Good idea," Zap said before locating a quill and ink and drawing out a message.

After a few minutes Zap Apple finished and walked into the kitchen where Twinkle was setting up food for the trip.

"Yippie! Let me see!" Twinkle said snatching it and reading it in one second.

"You told the truth about what happened today?" Twinkle asked.

"Course, ah can't lie, not to mah family," Zap said.

Twinkle shrugged and flared her horn before teleporting the letter.

"Where on the farm did ya send it?" Zap asked.

"To the kitchen," Twinkle replied.

Big Mac was eating a bowl of cereal on the table.

Suddenly a scroll of paper materialize in front of him and it fell down before he could react and it fell in his cereal splashing him in the face with milk.

"Thanks Twinkle," Zap said

Spike walked down the stairs and into the library with the stuff they'll need.

"Thank you Spike," Charity said.

Zap and Twinkle walked out of the kitchen, Twinkle carrying a tall stack of food.

“Twinkle, isn’t that too much food?” Spike asked.

“Nah, most of it’s for me, gotta stay stocked up, my Twinkle sense told me so,” Twinkle said.

“Twinkle sense?” Spike questioned.

“It’s like Twilight’s magic and Pinkie’s Pinkie sense mixed together! It’s awesome!” Twinkle cheered.

“Can we get a move on?” Zap Apple asked.

“Hold on, we need disguises so nopony recognises you girls,” Spike reasoned.

“Don’t worry darling, I was way ahead of you,” Charity said before producing several hoodies.

“When did you make those?” Spike asked.

“You’d be surprised how fast I can work when there’s a deadline,” Charity chuckled.

“Convienent,” Zap admitted.

The group put on their hoodies and exited the castle, Spike led them to the center of Ponyville and waited.

As they sat there waiting several passing ponies noticed them but brushed them off as new ponies in town.

“Ah’m feeling a little exposed here…” Zap said.

“Be patient,” Spike said.

As they waited they heard hoofsteps and the group turned to see a familiar red stallion walking by.

“Mac?” Zap said before hurriedly putting her head down when he passed.

Mac heard the familiar accent and turned to see several ponies sitting there with Spike.

“Hey Mac,” Spike said.

“Hey Spike, maybe you know what this message ah received means,” Mac said before handing Spike the letter Zap wrote.

“Uh…”

“Spike, somethings happened to Applejack and ah want to see if she’s okay,” Mac said.

“She is, she’s just… mixed up in something,” Spike joked but Big Mac wasn’t amused.

“She went to see the princess about an issue and we are going to go an accompany them,” Charity meekly said.

“Hmm? Do ah know you miss?” Mac said studying her facial features carefully.

“N-no! I’m… My name is Charity and I am a... friend of your girlfriend, Fluttershy…” Charity said sadly.

“...” Big Mac could tell she was hiding something but decided to not push the issue.

“Jest find Applejack and let her know ah’m worried about her,” Big Mac said before walking away.

“M-Mac I-” Zap wanted to say but Twinkle touched her shoulder and shook her head.

“Later… Pinkie promise,” Twinkle said.

“Ok…” Zap said sadly.

The group waited there for an hour or two before the carriage arrived.

“Finally,” Spike said and he ushered the mares along.

They approached the carriage and a guard stopped them.

“We were told we were picking up a Mr Spike and three other mares, are they the three mares,” He asked.

“Yes,” Spike responded.

“Alright, get in,” The guard said.

The three climbed in but Zap paused.

“Actually, can ah fly there? Ah’ve been itchin to do some flying,” Zap asked.

“Mam you are aware that it is a long flight back there?” The guard mentioned.

“Ah, horseapples, ah bet ah can do it in ten seconds flat!” Zap brushed that off and she spread her wings and blasted off into the sky.

“Zap Apple! Get back here!” Spike called after her.

“Eenope!” Zap giggled as she swooped and dove around before taking off.

To Spike’s surprise she caused a rainboom without needing to build up speed.

“What?” Spike said in surprise.

“Uh’m… is she perhaps related to Rainbow Dash?” A guard asked.

“...You could say that…” Spike admitted.

Spike and the other two fused mares sat there in uncomfortable silence for hours before finally arriving.

The carriage touched down and they saw Zap lounging on a lawn chair waiting for them.

“Ah, finally got here,” She smirked arrogantly.

“Har har, what if you got lost Zap?” Spike scolded coming out of the carriage with the other two.

“Like ah would forget where Equerstia’s main city is,” Zap brushed him off.

“This way, Celestia has set up a private room to meet with you all,” A guard gestured for them to follow.

“Thank you ever so much sir,” Charity gave a shiny smile.

The guard blushed a little “R-right, this way,” he led them through the castle.

As they walked about the castle Twinkle got distracted a few times and Spike had to drag her back along with the group.

Eventually, they arrived at a small living room area.

The guard excused himself and the mares and dragon entered the room.

They found Celestia sitting at a chair, writing something out when she looked up and noticed the group.

“Twilight?” Celestia said sounding a little hopeful.

“Princess!” Twinkle exclaimed and she bounced over and hugged Celestia.

Celestia hugged her back but when she pulled away she looked at her and her face fell a little.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” Twinkle asked.

“I am, come, sit, all of you,” Celestia said.

As they all sat Spike looked around but didn’t see Luna.

“Where’s Luna?” Spike asked.

“Considering the possibilities of your letter, this was urgent enough that I had to pass up day court, Luna offered to take over for me,” Celestia said, before clearing her throat.

“Well, you may remove your hoods, allow me to see your new faces and hear your names,” Celestia asked.

The group complied and Celestia saw their new appearances as well as them telling her their new names.

She gave a weak smile at this and allowed a tear to slip loose.

“Celestia? Are you alright?” Charity asked.

“Yes… I will be, although now I have to prep for the inevitable bad news…” Celestia said.

“Oooh… I hate bad news,” Twinkle said.

“Bad news? What bad news?” Zap asked.

“First give me the object mentioned in your letter Spike,” Celestia asked.

“Here, but be careful,” Spike said handing it to her, it was wrapped in paper.

Celestia opened it and her face fell again and she let a few more tears loose.

“Celestia?” Spike asked

“Why are you crying?” Charity asked.

“...Of all the things Pinkie could have retrieved…” Celestia said.

“What?” Zap asked.

“I am afraid I indeed have bad news for you all, this is a merge mirror,” Celestia said.

“What is a merge mirror?” Spike asked.

“It is a magical mirror that was designed back in the day to create warriors capable of defeating Discord,” Celestia said.

“Create warriors? For fighting against Discord?” Zap Apple said confusedly.

“Yes, when the mirror is activated and it reflects two beings it will then trigger a magic ritual that pulls the reflected ponies into a magical field that fuses the body and souls of the two absorbed ponies at the molecular level, creating a new, stronger being from the materials provided, it was this way my sister and I created ideal soldiers from volunteers to fight Discord, this was how we were able to weaken him enough to seal him in the first place,” Celestia explained.

“Ooooh, like mixing your favorite soda’s to create new better soda’s, right?” Twinkle asked.

“Exactly…” Celestia sighed discontentedly.

“Why do you seem so forlorn? With some study and effort we could find a way to un-merge, right?” Charity asked.

“It’s permanent…” Celestia said despondently.

Humor, hope and conversation all simultaneously died at those words…

“W-what?” Spike squeaked.

“We all heard ya wrong… right?” Zap asked.

“You didn’t, the process is irreversible, we have tried, that is why only voluntary ponies underwent the process, and also why we destroyed all traces of the mirrors after Discord was subdued,” Celestia said.

“Y-you mean, we…I…Pinkie… she-” Twinkle stuttered.

“Yes, I am afraid Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack exist no longer, they have fused body mind and soul into you three, their memories and skills, experiences and everything else that makes up the elements of harmony now exist in you, and now you must carry on their legacies,” Celestia said with a grim expression.

“B-but… with enough research you could-” Spike said with tears in his eyes, but Celestia cut him off.

“Once two souls become one, it cannot become undone, those were the words told to all who volunteered, trying to separate two combined souls is virtually impossible-”

“NO!” Zap Apple flew across the room and landed in front of Celestia, tears in her eyes.

“Ah, can’t go back to the Apple family or Rainbow’s parents like this, what am I gonna say? 'Yer sis is gone forever, you’ll have to make do with me from now on'?!” She fell to her knees.

“I want to exist but I want to rob Rarity and Fluttershy of their existence even less!” Charity cried.

“It’s all my fault… if Pinkie never brought that mirror back to Ponyville,” Twinkle said before sobbing.

Spike sobbed too, knowing the last time he ever saw his sister Twilight she was crying out for help before being forcibly merged with Pinkie Pie.

“No Twinkle… It is my fault this happened, And I shall regret it forever, if we had found another way besides this to defeat Discord, I never would have lost my student, or the other Elements of Harmony, or the other innocent mares and stallions that gave their lives. But what’s done is done, you must live on for them,” Celestia said getting up and putting her hand on Twinkle’s shoulder.

“I ask you Twinkle, will you continue in Twilight’s hoofsteps, as well as Pinkies?” Celestia asked.

“I will,” Twinkle nodded but she was still crying.

“Same to the rest of you, I will allow you all to stay tonight, take this time to become accustomed to your new identities, and then, I suggest talking to your families about how to move forward,” Celestia said, before taking her leave.

Author's Note

Not the outcome you all expected, was it? Unfortunately, there is no returning from a Merge Mirror experience.

So now Zap, Twinkle, and Charity must learn how to move on.

Celestia has a new regret to regretfully add to her regretful list of regrets, regretfully.

If you have any questions or constructive criticisms, feel free to let me know.

Hope you all enjoyed this new chapter.