//------------------------------//
// Chapter 29: Memories And Love Before The Storm 
// Story: Our Name Across The Multiverse: 10 years later 
// by DATONETWIxDASHFAN 
//------------------------------//

Dash watched as Twilight walked around the bedroom, nervous as all hell, as she was thinking of how things could go wrong tonight. She couldn't help but smile, which Twilight took notice of and made her upset.


"What?"


"You are adorable. Why are you so worried, Twi? Things will be okay. They're our friends, no matter what universe they come from." Dash said, standing on the bed and hugging Twilight from behind as Twilight faced away from her, kissing her neck. "Man, this reminds me of the old you, worried about every little thing and stressing out over a simple task with friends. But that's one of the many things I love about you."

Twilight turned around, giving her a cute, pouted look. "Really?"

Dash gave her a sly smile. "Yep, and I know how to get that mind off things."

Twilight quickly gave a shocked reaction and looked away. "Dash, no." 

"Too late," answered Dash, getting ready to do it.

"Rainbow, yes," but Twilight blinked and covered her face. "Wait, why am I saying yes to doing it? God, we never did it while being here, and our bodies are different now...huh?" thought Twilight until she felt Dash's hands rubbing her shoulders. It was very loving, even relaxing, and her hands slowly moved down.

"Don't worry, Twi. I got you," Dash whispered as she slowly made herself further down. Twilight freaked out a bit, but all that vanished as she felt Dash massage her wrist. "A good massage will help! Massage that worry away!"

Twilight felt disappointed, as she was hoping Dash would do...' that,' but this is Dash after all, as Twilight remembered she was the one who had to get things going for the first time.

"...thanks, Dash. I feel so much better." Twilight lied, trying to sound happy.

"You're welcome, Twi," smiled Dash, rubbing her hands against Twilight's back.

"But, can you stop? The girls will be here soon. Gosh, going out for drinks with these universe girls is..."

Dash stopped, like Twilight asked, and sat on the bed and looked up at her. "Scary? Nervous?"

"Very, like...really. Like, really. I mean, I'm used to drinking, but these aren't our girls. What if I make a fool of myself, or they make fun of us?" Twilight started to get more nervous and move her legs like she was running in place but in a panic.

"Twi, you saw them and how they acted around Blitz. They're like our girls, nothing to worry about, but don't drink too much. Last time, Shy and I had to carry you back to the Cloud Hotel that one time. Man, seeing the newspaper about Princess of Friendship is a cute and silly drunk was a riot!" laughed Dash, but Twilight did not like it.

"Dash, that only happened because I thought it was iced tea! I didn't know it had alcohol in it!" blushed Twilight, remembering that night and the newspaper report of it. She even remembered the picture they took of her, where she was chugging down a barrel of what she thought was ice tea.

"Hey, at least you were given the title of ice tea princess at that bar," smirked Dash.

"DASH!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. Don't stress out, okay? Stressing yourself out before it even starts isn't healthy. Remember, take a deep breath, and..."

Twilight looked at her wife, waiting for her to continue, and Dash smiled at her. "And what?"

"And just relax and have fun. They're our friends, no matter what. They will never judge us, laugh at us, or hurt us. They will love and care for us as we will do for them, just like Dashie and Twilah did. They're us after all, so relax and just be you, Twilight Sparkle." smiled Dash, standing on the bed, wrapping her arms around her wife, and holding her tightly.

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Thank you for marrying me, loving me, and being the best mother to Braver. I love you, Rainbow Dash." Twilight smiled, sitting on the bed and looking at her.

"No, thank you for letting me marry you, having a family with you, and loving you. I love you, Twilight Sparkle, with all my heart. I never loved anyone else before I met you." smiled back Dash, slowly leaning in to kiss her, but Dashiell's phone on the bed started to ring. "Of course, it had to ring."

"It's the girls, so it's alright," smiled Twilight, picking up the phone and answering.

"Hey, Twilight, we're right around the corner; come down," replied AJ.

"Hi,...AJ. Oh, okay. We'll be right down. See you," said Twilight, then hearing AJ say right, and both hung up. She then told Dash they were almost here, so they left the bedroom and walked down the hall. They stopped in front of the Blitz room and looked inside to see the twins playing a VR video game. Dash knocked on the door, getting both girl's attention, and waved her hand, signaling them to come over, which they did.

Blitz took off the helmet fully and spoke. "Leaving? Have a nice girls' night out. I know my mom's friends are going to love you guys. You're basically my mom; there's just tiny differences between you guys."

Braver, who had removed the helmet, looked at her mother, Twilight. It was more like looking up at her. 

"Or very tall differences?" she smiled.

"We should be back around midnight or a little bit after," said Twilight, looking down at her daughter and patting her head.

Blitz nodded but looked at the two like she was the parent there. "Don't drink too much and stay out of trouble, you hear? I don't want to bail all six of you out of jail...again." She shook her head and corrected herself. "Sorry, my moms and their friends get in trouble sometimes when they drink. Just stay safe, okay?"

"Don't worry, Blitz. Everything is fine; we won't drink too much or get in trouble. I promise!" replied Twilight, with a big smile and a bit of stress behind it.

Dash patted Braver on the shoulder. "Have fun with your sister, Braver. You two deserve some sister time after what's been happening. Love you." then hugged her, and then Blitz. Twilight did the same, and both headed downstairs and exited the house just in time to see a pickup truck rolling up. In the back were Penny and Faith as they waved at them.

"Ready forrrrrrrrrrrrr-" Penny took out a party popper, but the string didn't pop it, and she pulled again. "Ready, forrrrrrrrrrrr-fuckin sake! Come on!"

Faith giggled a little but stopped, not wanting to laugh at her, so she took the popper and pulled it, making it pop out loud. "There."

"Thanks," smiled Penny, then looking at the two and giving the same wave. "Ready for this? It's gonna be a blast."

"Yup!" replied Dash as she jumped in the back and could see that Rachel was in the front seat, checking on her makeup with her small makeup mirror. AJ was the one driving the trunk and had to put the window down as Rachel was blasting a ton of perfume, making AJ cough and gag.

"Hey, I can't blame a gal for wanting to smell good. Plus, I think I found the perfect perfume for you, AJ. It's called-." Rachel couldn't finish, so AJ tossed the bottle out the window, making Rachel gasp.

"Hey, I paid good money for that."

"And I'm allergic to it," coughed AJ, looking back and seeing Dash laughing at what happened, and both smiled. Penny and Faith were going to help Twilight in the truck, but they realized how tall she was and that she didn't need help to step in. The whole truck shook from her weight when she sat down, and the girls were scared and worried.

"Sorry, sorry," blushed Twilight, realizing the problem.

"No, it's okay," chuckled AJ, looking back. "She might be old, but this girl can carry many apples and other things. I'm sure your-"

"Big butt!?" shouted Penny.

AJ glared at Penny, as everyone could see Twilight was red. "No! I was going to say her weight."

Rachel gasped. "Are you calling her fat!?"

"N-no. What, why would I?"

Penny put her head through the small, opened back window. "Because you're calling her a heavyweight, like some sumo wrestler."

"I'm not!" shouted AJ, smacking Penny with her trucker hat.

Faith started worrying and tried to stop the fighting with her quiet, shy voice, but no one could hear her. Rachel was still checking herself out as she fought with AJ about calling Twilight fat. Penny was still going on about sumo wrestlers, and Faith couldn't take it anymore and screamed for them to shut it. She was breathing hard, and her hair was a bit of a mess. Everyone was shocked to see her like that, but Faith realized what she had done and was too upset and embarrassed to face them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that," said Faith, covering her face but removing her hands when she and the other girls heard laughter and could see it wasn't Dash laughing but Twilight, who then started to cry while laughing.

"Just like my girls back home! This makes me so happy and so relieved! Does!" Twilight spoke while wiping tears away from her eyes, and she felt much better now that she was hanging with them.

AJ smiled and started the pickup truck, which made a loud noise as it drove down the road. The girls started talking and telling jokes and were already having a good time, heading towards their destination.

Blitz and Braver were looking out the window, watching everything, and waving goodbye to them. When the truck was out of view, they closed the window and sat on the bed, looking sad and serious.

"Sis, are you sure about this plan?" Braver whispered, looking at the notebook Blitz had taken and shown her.

Blitz nodded. "It's the failsafe. If we fail to save Lucy, it needs to be done. When we get her back and maybe your Dawn, we can go through the failsafe plan when everything is over."

Both girls looked at it and held each other close, hoping they wouldn't need to do this.





"WEEEEEEEEEEEE!" shouted Penny as AJ drove down a hill pretty fast. "Fuck yeah! Wow!"

"Pinkie, sit down before you hurt yourself," ordered Twilight, forcing Penny down but realizing she called her Pinkie rather than her real name. "S-Sorry!"

Penny, on the ground, smiled and said it was fine.

"It's been a while since someone called me 'Pinkie'; the last time was in the Pinkie Company. Other Pinkies call me by that name and number."

Twilight and Dash looked at each other and sighed loudly. "Yup, just like our Pinkie being weird," said both in unison.

AJ drove, saw a gas station, and parked there.

"Alright, girls, time for a pit stop. Faith, could you get some food?"

Faith nodded and hopped out first, as the others got out soon after, but Twilight stayed.

"Anything you want, Twila-err, I mean Twilight and Dash? Drinks? Snacks?" asked Faith.

"I'll take a coke and a bag of chips," smiled Dash.

"Uhh, I'll have some water, please, and no snack," replied Twilight.

Faith nodded and headed inside the store as AJ walked towards the pump and started gasping her truck.

"Damn, I forgot that we're almost out of gas. Been a long day." AJ sighed, taking the pump, putting it inside her truck, and waiting for the gas to fill the tank.

Dash walked over and started to chat, while Rachel and Penny walked up to Twilight. They were fighting each other to ask her a question but didn't want to say it first.

"Ummm, something wrong?" asked Twilight, not understanding what they were doing.

"No! No! Nothing at all, right, Rachel?!" shouted Penny, nudging Rachel to agree.

"Yeah, totally!" she said, as both kept nudging their heads to tell her.

"Well, if nothing is wrong, then you can tell me," Twilight spoke, hoping that would get them to talk.

Penny nodded and spoke up first. "Okay, can you lift us?"

Rachel smacked her in the head. "That wasn't the question we were going to ask her, Penny!"

"Then, what's the question?"

"Do you want her to lift you?!" shouted Rachel, looking back at her and seeing her nod.

Twilight chuckled a little and smiled at them.

"What was your question, Rar-Rachel?"

Rachel sighed and waved for Twilight to get closer, which she did. Then Rachel whispered into Twilight's ear, "So, how was it?"

"How was what?"

"The 'human' se-!"

"Excuse me!?" blushed Twilight, getting back quickly.

Rachel got her answer and felt disappointed, while Penny looked at Twilight size and then back to Dash size and nodded. "Yup, I can't see them doing it. Twi will crush Dash! Like a pancake! YUM!"

Twilight, redder than before, couldn't believe what they were asking her, and she started to play with her fingers.
"Well, it never crossed our minds...but, no doubt, it is weird. We can't do our normal 'things'..."

Rachel and Penny's eyes went wide. Wanting to know what they meant by 'things', they started asking her many questions, which made Twilight blush harder and more embarrassed.

Faith returned with food and drinks and gave them to the three, and when she was done, Twilight quickly grabbed her, put her in front of her, and tried to hide behind her like a giant hiding behind a tree. Faith asked what was going on, to which Rachel and Penny answered.

"Girls, stop it. Don't force her if she doesn't want to share."

Penny and Rachel looked at Faith, seeing that she was right. "Sorry," they said.

Twilight sighed in relief and thanked Faith for stopping the two.

Faith smiled and handed her a drink, which Twilight took and started to drink. "No problem. Even if you do it, it might be weird, right? Twilah told us how weird it was while they did it in their pony forms." Twilight spit out her drink, not believing her human counterpart did that.

"Yeah, she also said it was weird in her hybrid form, too," added Faith, remembering her talk with Twilah, while the other two nodded.

Dash and AJ returned to the group and saw how red Twilight was but didn't think it was a big deal. Soon, everyone got back in, and the pickup truck took off down the street.

"So, where is this bar?" asked Dash as she poked her head into the rear window glass, making AJ eye her quickly and back on the road.

"It's up ahead, near the edge of town. Pretty famous around here," smiled Rachel, looking back.

Twilight and Dash looked at each other and didn't want to know what kind of bar it was, but when they got there...

"...so," whispered Dash and Twilight as the gang looked at the closed bar as they were closed for repairs.

"Well, this sucks," frowned Rachel, looking back. "We were going to have so much fun tonight, too."

"Maybe we can find a different place to drink?" asked Faith, not knowing any other bar around here.

"There's none. The only one that was open is closed and won't be opened till who knows when," said AJ, feeling sad too.

Everyone wondered what to do now, but Dash called out to Twilight, who walked over and noticed Dash was looking up into the sky.

"What is it, Dash? Why are you looking at the sky?"

Dash pointed to a star. "That star... isn't our world and this world have the same locations?"

Twilight nodded as she remembered how Dashie said their worlds share the exact locations and landmarks.

Dash turned to her and smiled. "So, then, where does that star lead in Equestria? Do you remember?"

"Hmmm, let me check," replied Twilight, closing her eyes and thinking of the location. She quickly opened her eyes and looked back at her; who could tell Twilight remembered now? Both turned to the others and told the girls they had a place to hang out.


After some time, the pickup truck was heading down a dirt road in the forest. No one was talking, as everyone knew where this road was heading. Dash and Twilight could feel the tension as everyone was silent, and they hoped that they wouldn't regret this. Soon, they all saw the road had ended, and the truck came to a stop, and everybody got out.

"So, are you two sure about this?" asked AJ to Twilight and Dash as she jumped into the back and opened the bed toolbox. "We can drink somewhere else."

"We want to see them. It would be nice to drink and remember the memories of them," Dash said, making AJ shut her eyes and understand.

Rachel, Penny, and Faith didn't know what to do and stood there, wondering if they should come or stay.

Twilight turned and saw the girls standing there as AJ held two cases of beer, jumped off, and walked past her. "If you want to leave, we won't be mad. But if you want to come, it's okay," she told them, giving them a warm smile, which made them follow her.

It was a long, long walk as everyone took a beer and drank a bit until they could see something up ahead. There was a bright rainbow flash, and they could see a rainbow and blue/purple comets flying back to town. Everyone knew who was there as they walked over to the crater, put the beers down, and sat on the edge while watching Dash and Twilight slide down it.

"It's been a while," whispered Dash, the first to walk up to the two graves, seeing two freshly picked flowers on them. It was like she was back home, too, as the graves were one-to-one with the ones back home.

Twilight walked to Dash's side, holding her hand, and both were quiet. The other four couldn't say anything and looked at the two, who were looking at the graves and crying a bit.

"Hey, guys...long time no see, huh?" asked Dash, putting a hand on the tombstone. "I see your daughters were just here. I am glad they went to see you. It's not been great lately. Stuff has been happening, and I bet the twins told you everything. So, I won't bore you with the repeats." Twilight put her hand on the other grave, closing her eyes and listening to Dash as she kept talking. "Braver became a wonderful mare; you two will be proud to see her now. She became like Twi in looks." Dash coughed and corrected herself. "I mean you, Nightfall. She looks just like you now; she even became a librarian just like you. I remember when New Ponyville wanted her to run a library."






One year ago

Dash looked out the window of the library and could see a ton of ponies and creatures waiting for the grand opening of the town's first library.

"Wow, look at that! So many are here! Sweetie, you must be hyped to run-" Dash turned to her daughter and sighed, as she could see her breathing in a paper bag, panicking. "-or not."

"Mom, I can't do this! I can't!" she shouted, panicking more. "I can't run a library; I'm not smart, or-or-or!" Braver went back to using the paper bag as Dawn patted her back.

Dash shook her head, as she couldn't believe her daughter was acting like somepony she knew. Speaking of which... "So, Twi. Care to give your daughter some pointers when running a library-" She could see Twilight doing the same thing as their daughter, "or not."

"This is bad!" cried Twilight, pacing around the room and running in place. "I'm the princess of friendship; how can I not make a speech in time!? What do I say as Sunset and I hand my daughter the key to the library!?" She went back to breathing in the bag, while Sunset could laugh at her friend while she held the big key with her magic.

"You're overthinking this. Just say what's on your mind, and everyone will love it," answered Sunset, patting Twilight back.

"Sunset, you are not helping me. And besides, aren't you nervous too?" Twilight grabbed Sunset, and their noses were touching. "You are the mayor! If I screw up, it's going to hurt your image, and the town won't trust you again! And what if my daughter messes up and embarrasses you!?"

Sunset couldn't help but laugh, pushing Twilight away from her face and putting her arms around her. "I have faith in both of you. I'm not worried at all. You're my friend, and I'm sure you'll make a fine speech."

Twilight calmed down, hearing her say that, and she felt a little better but was still panicking. She soon felt a tapping on her shoulder and turned to see Dash, who pointed behind. Twilight looked and could see Braver on the floor, panicking and saying, "What if I screw up!? It's going to ruin Aunty Sunset's image as the mayor! The town won't trust her again and might even reelect someone better. Oh, Celestia, I can't do it! I'm not as perfect as a mom; I can't think of a great thank you speech." Twilight watched as her daughter started breathing into the paper bag. Twilight looked at her own and realized she might have taught Braver the same habits as her, which made her a little sad.

"Braver, listen to me," Twilight said, holding her daughter's head and looking at her. "Just relax. Remember when I told you I'm not as perfect as you think? Do you think an Alicorn princess doesn't have her fair share of mistakes and fears? Even as a princess, I had my worries and fears but always faced them head-on." Twilight quickly remembered and quickly hid the paper bag she held with magic. "That's right, h-head on. I was never freaking out, nope! Nuh-huh! Not me!" she laughed, hoping her daughter didn't notice.

Braver blinked and could tell her mother was lying, but she didn't bring it up. "So, you're not perfect, huh?" She sat up, gave Dawn the paper bag, and looked back at her mother. "But you are, mom! You're not scared of anything and can do anything, right?"

Twilight sighed, knowing her daughter looked up to her but wishing she could see her flaws. She smiled and shook her head. "No. I'm not perfect. You don't have to be. Everyone has faults and flaws, as a princess and even a mare. It's a fact. But no matter what, everyone has to take chances and face the future." She lowered herself to her and nuzzled her softly. "Like what the other versions of I and Dash taught you, the very lessons you kept close to your heart, sweetie, Always keep moving forward, no matter what life throws at you."

Braver thought about her mother's words and felt better as she could understand her. She looked at her mother, who looked like her, but still couldn't help but think she was a perfectionist. Soon, Braver started to panic again as her mother let her go. Her new fears were failing her mother now, and she had so much trust and hope in her. The pressure worsened, and as she was about to freak out, she felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked to see Dash smiling at her.

"Sweetie, you have your mom's worried look and even her 'I'm going to fail my friends and family!' look. Listen, Twilight doesn't judge you, not even me, if you somehow mess up. All that matters is that you did it. Sure, we may worry about you and stuff, but in the end, we'll support and help you, okay? So, stop stressing out." Dash petted Braver's head, finally seeing her calm down.

"Your moms are right, Braver," said Dawn, handing her some water and hoping she would calm down even more. "Believe in your mother's words. And besides, you won't be alone. Everyone will be here, and you even have me! We're not going anywhere. We'll help you. I know you can do this." She hugged Braver and nuzzled her. She blushed a bit as she could feel Braver hugging back and saying thank you to her.

"Dawn is right, honey. We'll be there. Now, get out there and do us proud, okay?" Twilight hugged Braver, as did Dash.
Braver nodded and followed Sunset outside, while Twilight waved goodbye as the door closed, but Dash pushed her.

"Remember? Are you going to give a speech after Sunset? Get moving!" Dash forgot how heavily Twilight got as she became a large Alicorn, and she could hardly move her to the exit. Twilight started to freak out again. "Maybe take your advice? Even now, because this is a significant event in our daughter's life."

"Y-Yeah. Right, right." Twilight said as they opened the door, where a bunch of ponies and creatures were waiting for them. They saw Sunset and Braver in the middle of the stage as Sunset approached the mic and made her speech.

"Ponies and creatures! We are here to witness the grand opening of the town's great library, and the one running it will be none other than the town's hero and savior! Braver!" Sunset turned to Braver, who was sweating—or, in this case, melting a bit—as Sunset gave her the spotlight and continued her speech. "The bravest creature ever to risk her own life to save everyone's life here. It felt right for her to run this library and no one else, plus she's following her biological mother's footsteps in running a library. Speaking of mothers, here's our Princess of Friendship and Mother to Braver! Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

Everyone cheered and clapped as Twilight emerged and made it onto the stage.

"Thank you, Mayor Sunset," said Twilight, taking the mic from Sunset and looking at the crowd. She was going to speak but heard booing. She knew that voice anywhere, as she narrowed her eyes, searched the crowd, and finally found her. "Cozy," whispered Twilight, seeing Cozy booing loudly while the rest of Braver's friends were behind her, laughing or feeling embarrassed by Cozy's actions. Twilight cleared her throat and spoke. "Hello, everyone; I'm thrilled to be here. I'm so glad that I didn't even make a speech for this special event, and I know what you are thinking: how can I not have a speech for my daughter as she takes a new step in her life? Well, it's simple. Braver isn't following in my footsteps to become an Alicorn princess. As a mother, that makes me so proud. She is proud that she's following her path in life, not letting someone else write her story. But I am still helping her. Why? Because that's what a mother should do. They should help their child, guide them, and watch them grow and mature into something great. Something special." Twilight turned to Braver, who looked like she was going to cry. She noticed her student, Dawn, looking upset but couldn't focus on that right now. "My dear Braver, I've always seen a little spark inside you for the last nine years of seeing you grow from a filly to a wonderful and brave mare. I always believed in you, and you made me and so many others proud that they met you. To be your friend and to be my daughter." Twilight looked at the crowd, seeing Cozy and the rest of Braver's friends cheering her name. "Never stop moving forward; always take those steps to the future, and stay yourself." Twilight turned to her daughter. "Because I love you for who you are. You aren't me or Dash; you are your future. Your self; never forget that."

Braver didn't realize that tears were falling until Dawn wiped them away and pushed her forward softly, smiling.

"Thanks, Mom," said Braver as Twilight gave her the mic and smiled. "Everyone, I'm very honored and proud to be able to run this library. This has been a dream of mine for a long time. Ever since my mother ran one." She looked toward Twilight and gave a small smile. "I also learned that my new mother ran a library when she was younger, and it makes me proud that I can carry on that tradition." She looked into the crowd and saw her friends, including Cozy, cheering for her super hard and making her smile. "Thank you, everyone. This next part of my speech isn't a thank you to you, but..." Braver looked at her mother and waved at Dash to come up on the stage, which she did. She stood next to Twilight, who was trying her best to hold herself together. "For the last nine years of seeing these two become the most loving and caring mothers and being a family, I wanted to say thank you—thank you for not giving up on me, for helping me to be who I am today, and most of all, for being the greatest mothers I can ever ask for! Twilight." Braver took Twilight's hoof and held it, and both were crying. "Mom, I never said this, but you are like a teacher and mentor to me; you sent me here with Dawn to study more about friendship, which is something I will forever cherish and love you for. But now, on a day like today, I can honestly say I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for the friendships I've made because of your guidance and love." She looked out to her friends, ponies, and creatures she helped and befriended, who waved at her.
"Each of you taught me something about friendship, and I will always be grateful." She turned to Dash, who did her best to look cool while crying. "And Dash, mommy! Thank you for giving me so much love that a daughter can ever wish for; you were always there for me, helping me whenever I was feeling down, and for the last nine years, I wouldn't trade it for the world." She hugged Dash and was lifted off the ground as the two started to flap their wings. "I love you so much. Today, I consider myself the luckiest 'pony' in Equestria and the universe! I'll make you, Mom, and everyone here proud! I promise!" They returned to the stage floor and held each other as Twilight joined in. The crowd started to cheer and clap loudly while the rest of Braver's friends could feel her happiness.

"We love you too, blockhead!" shouted Cozy, jumping up and down.

"Yeah!" joined in Chrysalis, her body glowing bright white.

"Yeah! You go, little one!" joined in Tirek.

Tempest and Luna said nothing but just smiled, seeing her happiness.

Dawn was very happy for her, but at the same time, she felt jealous, as she wished she had this motherly love and support. She shook her head and smiled at Braver. She had a best friend, which was enough for her.

Sunset got back on the mic and wiped away a tear. "What wonderful speeches! Truly takes after her mother." She cleared her throat. "Now, without further ado, I, Sunset Shimmer, and the Mayor of New Ponyvlle announce you, Braver, to be the new manager and owner of the New Ponyville public library." She presented a considerable key and handed it to Twilight and Dash, who then gave it to Braver. She took it and bowed, making everyone cheer once more.

"Thank you. Now let's open t-WHOA!!!" Braver shouted as she tripped over nothing and sent the key flying towards the door, knocking it down. The key could be heard hitting something inside. Braver's ears went down in sadness, while the crowd laughed.

"Well, that's one way of opening a door," joked Dash, helping her and patting her back.

Twilight just smiled and walked into the library. "Braver."

Braver looked at her and was going to apologize, but then she saw that the library was fine and the key had just lodged itself into the wall above the check-out counter.

"This is a big moment for you, but no pressure, alright?" Twilight smiled.

Braver looked at the key and then back at Twilight and Dash, hugging them as many ponies and creatures entered the library.





Dash covered her eyes as the memories faded from her mind. "I know I said she looks like you, but...she reminds me so much of Twilight. It's looking into a mirror. Seeing Twilight's flaws and best parts in her makes me want to cry."

"She does remind me a lot of myself from when I was younger and even now," answered Twilight, her eyes still closed. "It's like, every time I see her, she gets more beautiful. Her spark keeps growing, and I see myself and her person more and more. I'm so proud of her."

"I am, too, but I'm sad as well. I feel like I'm not doing my part in raising her, as I don't see my traits being left in her. I know I'm busy with the Wonderbolts and could be there for her more often," replied Dash, feeling she failed as a mother. "Rainbow Sky, please don't hate me for not living up to you. Please, I'm trying my best."

Twilight opened her eyes and grabbed her wife's hand, removing it from her eyes. "Dash, Braver loves you so much. Even if we're not there for her 24/7, she knows we're there for her. Also, stop talking nonsense about not seeing yourself in her. I can always see you in her. Her stubbornness, bravery, and even how she acts around friends by always being there for them. All of it is yours. Rainbow Dash, you're doing amazing." Twilight kissed Dash's lips. "I remember a time when I saw you within her."





Two years ago

"GO, MOMMY!" shouted Braver, watching Dash fly through the sky, doing her Wonderbolt tricks and making the crowd scream joyfully. She was so happy for her mom, who was showing off her best tricks, and the way her mother was smiling was something to behold. "You can do it!" shouted Braver, holding a massive sign with Dash's face on it and jumping up and down.

Twilight joined her with her sign, which was Dash Rainbow Trail. "Love you, Rainbow Dash!"

Braver flew and sat on Twilight's shoulders, waving her sign, and was waving it hard while they watched her make her finishing move—the Sonic Rainboom. Dash went straight up, and everyone could see the clouds being blasted away as the Sonic Rainboom went off and soared across the sky, filling it with beautiful colors. Everyone was screaming and clapping, even Braver, who jumped down from Twilight's shoulders and screamed the loudest and the proudest.

Dash flew down with the other Wonderbolts, and the whole group passed by the stands, leaving behind their trails. Dash made a quick loop When they passed the Twilight and Braver section, making a rainbow heart. Twilight blushed hard, but Braver felt so loved that she wanted to fly by her mother's side.

After the show, Twilight took her daughter outside of the Cloud Stadium and waited for Dash. She was still touring with the Wonderbolts, and this was the only time to meet her before the next show and before leaving Las Pegasus for the next stop on their tour.

"Braver, sweetie, what are you doing?" asked Twilight, seeing her daughter flapping her wings hard as she flew around the place. She wasn't going as fast, but fast enough to leave behind a trail of her own, which was ink-looking and quickly evaporated before it could splash on some pony or creature's head.

"I want to fly like mommy. I want to make a Sonic Rainboom, just like her. Can you teach me, Mom?" asked Braver, flying up and down in front of Twilight.

"Sweetie, I can't do a Sonic Rainboom; only Dash or someone super fast like her can." She could see how disappointed her daughter was when learning this. But I can give you my old research papers on her and how she does it. Here." Twilight summoned her research notebook and handed it to her, which Braver quickly opened and read out loud.

"After much analysis and hours of field testing, I discovered that to do a Sonic Rainboom, one must fly up to five times the speed of sound. This is apparent through the Mach cone that often forms around Rainbow, which indicates that she has broken the sound barrier. And the angle of which proves she can reach up to Mach 5 speeds." Twilight felt worried as she saw Braver's happy face slowly turning to a nervous look.

"Five times the speed of sound...and upon breaching Mach 5, Dash can enter hypersonic speeds to create the Sonic Rainboom. With this, her speed doubles instantaneously to Mach 10. This results in the Sonic Rainboom completely shattering the visible light spectrum." Braver lowered the book and closed it. "Mom is so awesome."

Twilight could tell her daughter was crushed by not being like her mom. "Yeah, she is. You'll learn how to make your own Rainboom when you train to go faster. Now come on, your mom should be done soon." Twilight held out her hoof, but Braver didn't take it. "Braver? What's wrong?"

"I don't have the natural gift that Mom, Sky, or Blitz have." Braver started to cry. "I don't have the speed or anything close. How can I do something as cool as the Sonic Rainboom? Even though I carry Rainbow Sky DNA within me, I'm just a failed part of her, a failed clone."

Twilight hugged her daughter tight and could feel her tears on her chest. This was her fault, crushing her daughter's dreams. "Oh, Braver, don't say that. You're not a fail clone, and you're not a fail part of Rainbow Sky."

"How can you say that? I don't have her speed. Blitz has it, but I don't. She was always the perfect copy of Sky." Braver dug deeper into her mother's chest.

Twilight was going to say something, but they could hear Dash calling out to them. As a shock to Twilight, Braver quickly let go and tackled Dash to the cloud stadium walls, leaving a Dash-shaped hole. Twilight looked in, and what she saw broke her heart—seeing her daughter put up a front so Dash wouldn't notice how upset she was and how she was acting like the daughter Dash was proud of.

Braver laughed and told Dash how amazing she was in the sky, like an excited fan, while Dash laughed and patted her head. Unaware of what happened...


After returning home to Canterlot, Twilight watched her daughter repeatedly read the research book. It's like someone wishing upon a star. "I'm sorry, Braver."


A week later, Celestia came to visit Twilight. They spoke in the garden with tea and caught up, but Celestia asked her a question.

"How's Braver? Is she okay?" asked Celestia, lowering her teacup.

Twilight coughed on her drink and quickly wiped her mouth. "Uh, she's doing great. Why do you ask?"

"Twilight. Luna and her friends have been building something over my castle in Everfree. She told me Braver designed it, which should make her happy again. So, what happened?" Celestia looked worried but could see even more worry on her former student's face.

"What did Braver design?"



Twilight and Celestia teleported above the Everfree castle. They could see further above them a sixteen-mile-long tube with magical spinning rings in different crossing points as a slime-like magical aura was holding it up, and above the tube was a floating hot air balloon with all of Braver's friends. Both Alicorns teleported to them and could see Braver going over the plan, but she stopped as she noticed her mom and Celestia.

"Mom! Celestia! What are you doing here?" she asked, smiling.

"Celestia invited me here. So, what did you build?" asked Twilight, looking at the vast tube with the others.

Twilight and everyone could see Braver's bright side coming out as she coughed and pointed to the floating whiteboard she was holding up with her magic.

Cozy moaned with her hooves on her eyes and her body leaning against the edge of the basket. "Ugh, not another egghead lecture..."

"Now, you have all been wondering what we built over the forest, right?" Braver quickly drew the tube. "This tube, which I'm calling 'Accel Burst Collider," will increase my speed to Mach 10 levels or even beyond, colliding with sound and light barriers. Allowing me to scatter it with my body and finally allowing me to perform a Sonic Rainboom." Braver was grinning from ear to ear. "With the speed boost and my high magic density, I can break through both barriers, which will be done to the crossing point rings, which will spin my body like a drill. Increasing my speed while giving me enough friction and heat will allow me to do the impossible." Braver finished and waited for the response.

Everyone looked at the drawing, then the machine, then Braver, then back at the drawing, then the machine, and finally back to Braver. Cozy raised her hoof.

"Yes, Cozy?"

"Can you explain that with simpler words? You're confusing the stupider folks here...which is Dawn." Cozy smirked as she heard Dawn shout 'what?' and try to smack her.

"Uhhhhhhhhhh, what?" Braver was confused, but she shrugged it off and tried to explain it again, this time in simple terms: "I'm going fast like a spinning top and will hit things really hard, thus causing me to fly faster like Mom and do a Sonic Rainboom." But Braver couldn't finish as Twilight flew towards her, looking over the plan and then at her.

"Sweetie, this is too dangerous! This collider will increase your speed beyond even Mach 10! It will put too much pressure on your slime body! This could kill you or create a feedback loop from your magical core!" Twilight shouted, holding her daughter's hooves.

"I know, Mom; I've calculated every risk and outcome of the collider. Everything will be fine; nothing will go wrong, and if it does, I'll be fine." She pulled her hooves away from her mom and looked at her friends. "Okay, everyone, I just need you all to use your magic to hold the tube in the air, as I'm going to let it go." She could feel her friend's magical energies and released the tube, seeing it fall but returning to where it was. "Okay, just hold it like that!"

After what Twilight said, Dawn and the others looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure about this?" Dawn questioned, while the others said the same thing.

"Yes, I am. Nothing will go wrong, I swear." Braver looked at the vast tube and took a deep breath, then took off and entered the tube hatch, closing it.

Twilight didn't like this and quickly followed her daughter, following her from outside the see-through tube.

"Sweetie, stop this! This isn't safe! I'm ordering you to get out of there!" shouted Twilight, flying near the tube.

"Sorry, mom, I gotta do this." Braver turned her head and gave her a sad smile.

Twilight could see the same stubbornness that Dash has when she's set on doing something, no matter what, and sighed. "Just like your mother, I swear. Just please, be careful. If anything goes wrong, I'll-"

"Mom, I promise. Nothing will go wrong, and if it does, I'll come straight to you, okay?" Braver smiled, which made Twilight blush a bit, as she felt like Dash was talking to her. Braver flew as fast as she could, entering the first ring and seeing her magic and speed rise as she spun like a drill. She felt the next ring colliding with her magic and speed, raising them even more. "So far, so good!"

Twilight could only watch in fear and worry as her daughter spun around and could see her speed rising above Mach 3.

Braver could see the last few rings coming and entering them, feeling her body spin faster and harder and the air and wind pressure increasing. "Here it comes...here it comes...HEEERRRREEEE IIIIIIIEEEEETTTT COMESSSS!!!!!"

"Braver, stop this now!" shouted Twilight, hearing the whole machine shaking. She could even see Dawn and the others having trouble holding the tube up in the air. The feedback from Braver's magical energy core was causing them trouble. "Braver!"

Twilight flew to the tube and tried to follow her daughter, but she stopped as she was moving too fast, as she saw just afterimages of her. She could feel her daughter's magical energy and saw that her magic and speed had risen over Mach 5 and were still rising.

"Braver, slow down and get out of there, please! Your magical energy is sparking out and creating a feedback energy loop with the machine, and you will create a shockwave if this keeps up! Please, Braver, please." Twilight was getting more and more worried. She could see that Dawn and the others were struggling more, but the looks on their faces showed the same fear and worry she was feeling. Twilight closed her eyes, opened them with purple energy within them, and shouted with her royal Canterlot voice. "BRAVER! I ORDER YOU TO GET OUT OF THERE RIGHT NOW! THAT'S AN ORDER!"
She could see her daughter stopping, but yet, her afterimages were still flying forward somehow, and she was looking at her with her own eyes, glowing bright purple and rainbow tears falling from them.

"NO! I HAVE TO DO THIS! I NEED TO BE LIKE MOM! I NEED TO PROVE MYSELF!" shouted back Braver with her magical voice. She could see the surprised look on her friends and her mom's faces, as they had never heard her using her royal Canterlot voice against her mother. But Braver was crying more as her afterimages were getting faster and faster.

"PROVE WHAT!? YOU ALREADY ARE LIKE YOUR MOTHER AND MORE! So, STOP THIS BEFORE SOMETHING GOES WRONG!" shouted back Twilight, feeling the magical feedback grow stronger. Soon, everyone couldn't hear them, even with their Canterlot voices, as the input drowned them out.

"I'M NOT! MY SISTER IS, BUT NOT ME! I'M THE FAILED PART OF THE CLONE! I'M THE LEFTOVERS! I'M NOTHING MORE THAN THAT! I DON'T HAVE SKY SPEED; I DON'T HAVE THE HOT-HEADEDNESS, I DON'T HAVE THE COOLNESS OR EVEN COLOR TRAIL! I CAN'T BE LIKE SKY OR DASH! NOT IF I DON'T DO THIS! NOT IF I AMN'T ABLE TO DO A RAINBOOM!"
Braver was crying harder as she couldn't stop her body from moving faster and faster. She was spinning at Mach 7.8 speed and rising, with tears leaking from her eyes.

"BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE BECAUSE YOU'RE YOUR PERSON! YOU CARRY THE BEST PARTS OF DASH! LIKE HER STUBBORNNESS! HER DRIVE TO PUSH HERSELF TO THE LIMITS! HER WILL AND PASSION TO PROTECT HER LOVE ONES!"
Braver didn't respond and just kept going and going, as she could feel her body spinning harder and faster. Her body was already at Mach 9.2 and still rising, as everyone could see her becoming a blur and could barely see her color.
"YOU DON'T NEED TO PROVE ANYTHING TO DASH! I PROMISE! WE ALL SEE IT WHENEVER WE LOOK AT YOU! YOU'RE SO LIKE DASH THAT IT'S SCARY! PLEAS-AHHHHHHH!" Twilight screamed as the tube unleashed its pent-up magical feedback, and it soared across the sky, knocking Twilight and Celestia back while Braver's friends were knocked out cold and the air balloon popped. 

Twilight shook her head and quickly used her magic to catch the falling tube, which was too heavy to hold up, but Celestia joined in, allowing them to hold it. 

Celestia looked back, hoping her sister could help, but she could see her and the rest falling as they were knocked out.

"Luna!" screamed Celestia, letting go of the tube but quickly hearing Twilight screaming and quickly recatching the tube. "TWILIGHT!"

Twilight could see Braver's friends falling, and they couldn't let go, or Braver would also be hurt. One person could save them. She quickly turned back and shouted. "BRAVER! DAWN AND THE OTHERS ARE FAL-," but she didn't have time to finish as Braver tore through the tube at great speed and instantly stopped before her mother, creating a blast shockwave. She quickly looked around and flew towards her friends, saving them before they could hit the forest below. Twilight thought she saw Dash flying by as she flew by, but it was just Brave as she took her friends to safety.

"Are they okay?!" asked Braver, dropping her friends off and looking over them. They were all knocked out and breathing heavily, showing the effects of the shockwave hitting them.

"What happened!?" groaned Cozy as she and everyone else started to wake but were hugged by Braver, who was glad they were okay.

After the whole thing was over, everyone helped break down the tube, which was on the ground now. Braver wanted to do it independently, but her friends were against it. They tried to help and took the blame for not stopping her sooner. Twilight and Celestia watched above in the air as friends broke it down.

"I must say, she's like her," teased Celestia.

Twilight blushed deep red. "Come on; I've never done anything at this level, right?"

"Mmmm, not sure. But I wasn't talking about you, Twilight." Celestia flew forward and smiled. "She takes after Dash a lot, and not just you. Her loyalty to her friends when they were in danger, her stubbornness in her goals, her will and drive, her determination to do anything, no matter what," she then put her hoof on Twilight's back. "She has the best parts of you. She has your magic, smarts, and kind heart and cares for others. Be proud. Tell her that she isn't a failure of what she is."

Twilight was blushing with happiness and nodded. She was glad she had someone like Celestia by her side.

After the whole machine was destroyed, Braver was sitting under a tree, thinking of the events that had just happened, when her mom floated down and sat in front of her.

"Come to ground me?" whispered Braver, not daring to look her mother in the eyes.

"Sweetie, come here," answered Twilight, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm sorry... I just wanted to be like mom," cried Braver, crying into her mother's flowing mane.

Twilight held her tighter and spoke with a caring tone. "Sweetie, remember what I told you? You are your person, but you carry the best parts of us. Even Dash, as I saw it even more. Celestia even commented on it, saying your loyalty to your friends when they were in danger, your stubbornness in your goals, your will and drive, and your determination to do anything, no matter what. Tell me, Who does that sound like?"

"My mom...do I sound a bit like my mom?" whispered Braver.

Twilight chuckled and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Of course, but in your way as well, which makes you Braver."

Braver pulled away and rubbed her eyes before speaking. "Sorry for disobeying your order, mom."

"It's fine; just don't do it again."

"I promise, Mom, so I'm no-"

Twilight petted her daughter's head. "Grounded for a month."

Braver groaned in disappointment but then laughed as she hugged her mom.






Dash couldn't help but laugh, hearing how Braver was so worried she wasn't like her or Sky. She laughed even more when she said. "That tube thing sounds like something you'll make. She's our daughter, alright."

"Yeah, she is."

The group enjoyed watching the two talk about the past as they told Nightfall and Sky what it was like to raise Braver. Rachel opened a can, looked up at the night sky, and asked her friends something.

"Hey girls, do you remember when Blitz came to live with Dashie and Twilah? How did they move back to town and show us Blitz?" asked Rachel.

The girls were thinking and then started to remember that day.





Five years ago

Everyone helped move Dashie and Twilah's things into the empty house. AJ had no trouble moving the couch over her head while Penny and Faith had a few boxes in their arms. Finally, Rachel was carrying the most minor things but stopped before Twilah, who was checking stuff off her list.

"Darling, I noticed others in the moving truck. Like toys and stuff. What's up with that?" asked Rachel, placing the small boxes on the floor and walking closer.

Dashie walked past and asked what was up, and Rachel asked her the same question, which made the others ask, too, as they noticed the things they were bringing in were kids-related.

"Yeah, you see, we were hoping to surprise you, and we were hoping to tell you, girls, after, but..." nervously answered Dashie while holding Twilah's hand.

"OH MY GOD, ONE OF YOU ARE PREGGOS!?" shouted Rachel, jumping in place.

"WHAT!?" shouted AJ and Faith, dropping the couch and boxes as they couldn't believe what Rachel said.

"Oh no, we're no-" Twilah couldn't finish as Penny screamed with joy and pulled a party popper, which exploded, covering everyone in confetti.

"Penny! I was going to say something!" complained Twilah, brushing the confetti off.

"Oops, sorry. I was just so happy for you two. So! Who took the donor seed, Dashie or you, Twilah?" asked Penny with a huge smile.

Dashie blushed hard. "Neither of us!"

"So, who was it, then? You must be expecting a child with all this stuff," Rachel questioned, looking confused.

"No, no. We-we-we-" but Dashie couldn't finish as a young girl's shirt was smacked in her face, thanks to Penny going through a box.

"Wait, these aren't baby clothes! This looks like stuff for an older kid!"

Faith took the box away from her and gave it back to Twilah. "Then you two adopted?"

"Not exactly. She's got our DNA, but not really. It's a complicated and long story, but we have a daughter now. She's ten years old," said Dashie, removing the shirt from her face. "Come inside; she's hiding somewhere."

They all entered the dark house, and the girls watched as Dashie and Twilah called out their daughter, Blitz, but no one came. They called again, but just like before, no one came. Twilah turned to the girls, telling them she was timid, as she's been through a lot.

Dashie went near the steps of the stairs and called out. "Hey Blitz! Come on out; the girls want to meet you! They won't bite!" She shouted, but no one replied or came down. She sighed and turned to the girls, feeling ashamed and nervous. "She's scared. She doesn't trust others yet, I guess. Sorry. Maybe next time, let's finish moving the stuff inside."

The girls frowned, feeling sorry for Twilah and Dashie. But also this Blitz girl—why was she so distrusting and scared? They were about to head out the door when Twilah screamed, getting spooked by something. They all turned, and they could see someone hiding behind her, but it was too dark to make her out.



AJ was the first to step forward, kneel, and remove her hat. "What have we got here? Why, she's a cutie. Hi there, sweetie. My name is April Jones, but you can call me AJ."

The girl hiding behind Twilah peaked out a bit more, and AJ could see her hair; it had different colors like a rainbow but was also a bit black. Penny skipped over and waved hello. "Hello there! I love your hair! Did you dye it? My name is Penny! Like the penny, see!" She took out a penny, flipped it, and caught it. "Heads or tails?"

Blitz whispered. "Heads..."

"Alrighty!" said Penny, and she flipped it, and it landed on her head. "Oh! That means good luck, right!? Good luck means free-" She searched her fanny pack and pulled out a giant cookie. "COOKI-huh?" Penny felt a gust of wind, and the cookie was gone, but she could hear the little girl eating something.

As Penny tried to understand what had happened, Faith and Rachel joined in. Faith sat on the floor and tapped her lap. "Want to sit on my lap? My dear husband says it's very comfortable."

"Hubby!? Oh, please don't say his name! It gives me the creeps!" complained Rachel as she kneeled. "Come here, darling, let me see good luck at you."

Faith was a little annoyed. "What you have against him, Rachel? He might be a little out there, but he's got a sweetheart."

Rachel gave her a look and spoke. "Sweetheart, my ass. Remember the whole prank he caused around town when he moved here? Plus, who calls himself Discord anyway? His real name is-" Rachel couldn't finish as the girl finally stepped out and smiled.


"DISCORD HERE!?" asked Blitz, her pony ears twitching with joy and her wings flapping. She quickly saw their scared reactions and hid behind Twilah again. "I'M SORRY!"

Twilah softly rubbed her daughter's head. "You don't need to apologize, honey. They're not scared of you or anything. I'm just surprised, is all. They had seen your hybrid form before." Twilah transformed into her anthro form, covering Blitz with her mother's tail. She peeked out and saw her other mom in her anthro form, too, while the other girls waved at her.

Dashie kneeled and looked at her daughter in the eyes. "It's okay, sweetie; they're family. You can trust them. We promise they won't hurt you," she smiled.

"Ah, this is the little girl you were talking about five years ago, right?" asked Faith, tapping her lap again. Blitz slowly walked towards her and sat down, blushing as Faith stroked her hair.

"Yup, she's the one. Sorry, we didn't tell you her name; just... it's going to be hard to explain her backstory. She's a clone of another universe version of Twilah and I. There's also..." sighed Dashie with sadness.

The girls could see Blitz becoming sad and shaking with fear as she cried. They could tell the girl had had a horrible life. AJ put her hat on Blitz's head and spoke: "You don't need to explain anything, sugar cube. When you are ready, we'll be here, okay?"

The girls nodded in agreement. Blitz looked up and smiled. "O-okay."
Everyone smiled back and continued moving in; even Blitz helped as she turned into her human form.





All the girls were looking at the night sky and smiling.

"Blitz... I remember when she started to trust and open up to us more, to the point she started to call us her aunts," whispered AJ, wiping away tears.

Faith cried as she held her beer can. "When she told us about her old life—the suffering she had to go through—and how her sister saved her by bringing Twilah, Dashie, and their other universe counterparts to her, I just wanted to hug her forever and ever."

Penny was crying as well. "And how she grew up to be sure a great girl! Has the best parts of her parents!" She started to cry like a waterfall.

Rachel tried her best not to cry, but she was failing as her makeup was starting to run. "Her and her dear sister don't need to keep suffering! We'll stop this evil Lucy version! Right girls!" she raised her beer can up in the air.

"Right!" shouted the others, touching all their cans together.

Twilight and Dash could only smile as they saw the incredible sight. They joined them on the edge and started drinking and chatting.





Sunset lay in bed and looked at her phone. She saw a weird text from Wallflower and Brishen that they had just sent. It talked about being away and being gone for a while, and no other information was given. She sighed and hoped they were okay, as the text wouldn't go through no matter what she sent. Sunset placed her phone on the dresser and was going to turn off the lights, but her phone started to ring, and she could see it was from Lucy.

She answered as she sat back up. "What's up, Lucy?"

"Sorry for calling you this late, Sunset. I want to talk about...Blitz," whispered Lucy, as Sunset could hear the fear in her voice.

"She told you everything."

"Yeah.."

Sunset sighed. "That's great. So don't be scared, okay? Blitz, her sister, and everyone else will protect you soon. Everything is going to be fine."

Lucy was silent and then spoke. "Sunset...what happens if Blitz and everyone fail to protect me, and I get eaten by this evil version of me?"

Sunset didn't know what to say.

Lucy continued. "Sunset, if I get eaten, can you tell her I love her, okay? Tell Blitz I was so glad and lucky to have met her and how much she meant to me. Not only her but all of you as well. Meeting all of you is a great blessing, and it was thanks to Blitz." Sunset could hear her softly crying a bit. "Please, I know she will blitz it if I get eaten. Can you please protect her for me and stop her from doing something stupid? Please, Sunset."

Sunset's lip was shaking, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. "L-Lucy...I promise. I won't let that happen. You will be alive and well, and you and Blitz will live happily together."

It was silent between the two—just two girls crying—until Lucy spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry, by the way."

"For what?" wondered Sunset.

Sunset could hear something as if Lucy were moving back and forth until she answered. "For taking Blitz away from you. You love her and want to be with her, right?"

Sunset laughed hard, leaving Lucy puzzled by the reaction. "I don't blame you for her falling in love with you; Blitz can love whoever she wants. And yeah, I love her, so listen, Lucy! LISTEN REAL GOOD!" Sunset smirked as she heard Lucy getting scared over the phone as she heard her loud voice. She closed her eyes and smiled. "...better love and treat her right. She's a wonderful and caring girl who deserves love like no tomorrow. So, you better be nice and make her happy. Got it?"

Lucy blushed hard and smiled, feeling embarrassed. "GOT IT! Thank you for accepting and not hating me, Sunset."

Sunset turned off the light and laid down on her bed. "I can never hate you, Lucy. No one can ever hate you; you're too much of a dork and too pure for that. Night Lucy."

"Night, Sunset. Talk to you later." and they hung up.

Sunset could hear her own breathing and how quiet her room was, but she was able to fall asleep fast, never noticing the unicorn pounding on the mirror on the dresser as she held a red geode in her mouth.





It was 1 a.m. when the front door opened, and Asteria stepped into her small apartment, placing her suitcase on the floor. She sighed, "Finally, home..." she mumbled, heading for the fridge and grabbing a beer.

As she opened the can and shut the fridge, she could see another family photo of her daughters and sighed loudly. She took a few slips, walked to the couch, and sat down. She took out her cell phone and noticed two missed calls and two voicemails.

"Huh, I didn't notice. I must have been too busy with the conference." She mumbled and opened the missed call screen. It was from both her daughters, as their faces were on screen. She didn't want to answer them until two white orbs, one big and another small, flew around her phone and gave emoticons.

The smaller orb showed "(づ ◕‿◕ )づ " and the big one showed "(•◡•) / " like they wanted her to answer the voicemail.
Asteria sighed loudly as she tapped the orbs, which showed "(≧∇≦)"when she tapped them. "You two, I told you to stop hacking into my phone. Such misfits, both of you," she chuckled.

She opened the first voicemail, and it was from her older daughter. "Hi...Mom. I am just calling to check on you. I hope everything is going fine at your job. Selena has been hounding me all day to call you and to invite you to the church fair that Canterlot High is hosting every year." there was a pause before she spoke again. "...Mom, it would be great if you came just this once. We never blamed you for never being in our lives, but I hope you visit. Love you."

"Oh, Sunna," whispered Asteria as she opened the following voicemail.

"Hey Mom! It's Selena! I'm calling because I know my big sister won't do it. Please visit the church fair. As vice principal, it will be another great one. They even got pony rides this year! PLEASE visit! I love you. We love you; don't ever forget that. What happened in the past will always be the past. Okay, I must go! BYE!"

Asteria felt like crying as the voicemails were making her remember the horrible past she had with her two daughters. She suddenly felt her phone vibrate, and it was the two orbs again, looking worried for her.

The big one showed " ಥ﹏ಥ, "and the smallest one showed " (╯•﹏•╰). "

"I'm fine. Don't cry, you two; I'm fine. But I should visit like they wanted."

The orbs became excited as the immense orb started to spin and showed "( ˘▽˘), "while the small one began to bounce around and showed "◕ᴗ◕✿ . "

Asteria could only laugh as she watched the orbs dance around the phone screen and see how much energy they had.
"Oh, Mizuki and Arev, you two remind me so much of my daughters when they were kids. They were full of life, happiness, and joy." She whispered as she watched the orbs slow down. The bigger one showed a heart shape, and the smallest one showed a heart and a U letter.

Asteria laughed. I can finally forgive myself if I visit the fair and meet them again. I can finally apologize and tell them I love them, too. Yeah...that's it."

The two orbs bounced around and showed emoticons like crazy as the woman laughed and tried to grab them with the tips of her fingers. They let her and showed "( ◜‿◝ )♡."





Twilight and Dash fumbled with the front door lock, finally opening the door. They turned back and waved goodbye to the girls, who waved back and drove off. The two quietly tiptoed up the stairs and passed the Blitz room, which was closed, but they thought they saw a dim light under the door. Dash yawned and was ready to head to the bathroom and shower, but Twilight grabbed her hand and led her into their bedroom.

"What's up, Twilight?"

Twilight didn't say anything; she closed and locked the door.

"Twilight?" wondered Dash, until Twilight picked her up and held her like a princess, making Dash blush. "T-Twilight! We can't, we never-oof!" Dash was tossed on the bed, Twilight's shadow loomed over her, and Dash felt something. "Twilight?"

"Dash," whispered Twilight as she got close to her face. "As humans, I want to try it just this once."

"Twi, you are drunk, aren't you?"

"No. I can handle my liquor," said Twilight as she took her shirt off, revealing her bra. "I just...just want to do it as humans. I want to see how different it is. Learning how Twilah and Dashie did it as ponies makes me want to try even more."

Dash gulped as Twilight leaned in for a kiss and covered themselves in a blanket.


Meanwhile, Blitz and Braver were watching a horror movie with headphones on, and Blitz yawned and looked over to her sister, who was scared out of her mind.

"Hey, you good?"

Braver read her sister's lips and answered her. "N-n-n-no-no. No. This is too scary," cried Braver, who was shaking. "Why would you watch this? It's terrible. All the deaths, screaming, and gore!"

Blitz laughed and removed her headphones. She was going to get up but heard something.

"Huh?" Braver saw her sister looking confused, worried, and red as she quickly put her headphones back on. "What's wrong? It looks like you heard something."

Braver was going to remove her headphones, but Blitz stopped her and said, "Trust me, you don't want to hear what I just heard just now...I wish I didn't hear it."

Braver was confused, but she was so scared of what was happening in the movie that she didn't care and kept watching it with her sister.

Blitz couldn't focus on the movie, as the noises coming from her parent's room were much louder, and all were coming from one tall person.

"Hope the fair can erase this awful memory away," whispered Blitz, looking out the window and seeing the starry night.





Tempesta walked Fizzle Pop around her neighborhood early in the morning and waved at her neighbors. It's what she wanted—a simple and everyday life—but she knew deep down that she wasn't normal and was just broken. She was hurt because she couldn't save her friends back then, to the point she developed PTSD and would freak out, causing her to be alone. Alone with her thoughts, alone with her mind, and alone with her voice.

Fizzle Pop looked up at her and could see her smiling but could see her eyes and tears. The dog could sense something was wrong, and her PTSD dog training kicked in as she pulled the leash, interrupting any flashbacks that her master was or was going to have.

Tempesta understood why Fizzle just pulled her and thanked her. She started to head home, but even though she was leading them home, she felt like she was walking around in circles, like she was lost. However, she wasn't, and within her thoughts, she felt lost still.

When she arrived home, she opened the door, letting Fizzle pop in first and then closing the door. She let the leash loose and watched her run and lay on the couch.

"What am I doing? I'm supposed to be fighting with the others soon. I shouldn't be feeling like this right now." She whispered, hanging the leash on the hanger, and started to walk around.

She went into the kitchen and looked in the fridge. She could see food and drinks but didn't feel like eating or drinking anything. She shut it close and just stood, looking at nothing.

"I need to stay focused on the mission. Blitz is counting on me to protect Lucy from that evil version of Lucy. I promised I would do anything for her, and I meant that," said Tempesta, turning her back to the fridge and walking off.

She stopped and turned back to the kitchen, thinking she heard something. It was voices—voices from the past. They were calling her that she had failed them, that she needed to fix her mistakes, and so on. Tempesta closed her eyes, started to hum to calm herself, and relaxed until the voices were gone. She opened her eyes and sighed. She looked around her parent's house and didn't feel safe anymore, not with all the memories still attacking her. She decided to walk over to the basement door and open it. Fizzle Pop's ears went up as she did, and they quickly joined her. Tempesta gave her a slight head rub, went down the stairs with her, and turned on the lights.

The basement was immense; many things were stored in the corner, and the other side was empty. Tempesta took a deep breath and could feel a bit calmer until she could hear the voices again, saying how she had failed them and how they needed her. To end her mistakes so they can finally rest. She closed her eyes, walked forward, touched the empty wall, and kneeled. She opened her eyes and looked back, seeing her dead squad mates. All of them were standing there, and the center one was holding out a handgun, asking her to fix her mistake.

Tempesta said nothing and went back to the wall. She started to pull out a brick and kept taking out more bricks until a secret place was revealed. She looked inside and pulled out a rag-covered item, slowly removing the cloth, showing a handgun and a few magazines with it.

Tempesta looked back up and spoke to her memories. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you all," she whispered, her eyes wet and tears falling. "But I promise to make sure Blitz and Lucy will be okay. Please, let me have some time with them before I join you all."

Her dead friends were silent, but she knew they were mad at her for not listening to them and not joining them sooner. But she'll follow them soon; after all, she also had a promise to keep to them.

"Tempesta, keep moving forward," whispered two new voices at the same time, making her open her eyes and seeing Blitz, Braver, and all of her friends around her, holding her hand with the handgun. You will have peace, too! We'll make sure of it! We will even share our peace with you. You don't have to suffer all alone; you should have a happy ending, too. Be strong and listen..."

Tempesta watched as all her friends disappeared, and the only ones left were the dead squad mates, still looking at her. She heard Blitz and Braver's voices again, telling her to listen to her spark. She closed her eyes once more, and she listened.

"Please, Tempesta," whispered one of her squad mates. "Don't end it. It was never your fault. Never.".

"No, it's my fault. I should have done more! I could have saved you all!" replied Tempesta.

"You did everything you could. Don't blame yourself. Don't let it eat you up," added the second one.

She opened her eyes and cried as she saw them looking more normal than their bloody, horror-looking selves. They smiled at her, and they were gone. She dropped the gun and covered her eyes as Fizzle Pop went to her and set her head on her master's lap, trying to calm her down.

Tempesta slowly took the gun and held it flat to her heart. She needed it for the coming days, as she was given a second chance to redo her past mistakes, and this time, she would save them. She will save them all and protect Blitz and Lucy. She will do her mission. She will not fail. She will not allow the past to repeat itself, not anymore. Even though the voices were gone for now, she knew they'd be back like always, but this time, she had hope and a tiny spark within her. She was no longer alone, even if it was within her mind. The spark of friendship was within her, and she won't lose it again. She smiled and petted Fizzle Pop.

"Thank you, girl. I'll be alright. Come on, we should eat something.

She covered the handgun once more, placed it inside her jacket pocket, and headed upstairs to make breakfast for them and the rest of her family and get ready for the fair later today.





Before the Sky Mirror Prism event started in Equestria, Cozy, Tirek, and Ember kept fighting Fire Demon versions of Armor and Cadance, as both sides weren't winning or losing.

"Why are these guys so strong?" asked Cozy, panting and hovering above the fight as Tirek and Ember fought the fire demon couples. "It feels like they're getting stronger."

Tirek blocked Armor's flaming sword, feeling the burning of the blade burn his skin a bit as he pushed him back. "They're gaining more power by the second like they are sucking our strength," he smirked. "So, that's how it feels..."

Ember roared and blew flames at the fire demon couple, making them jump back and land on their feet.

"We should leave. They're becoming stronger than us and will drain us if we keep this up," suggested Tirek as he jumped away from the fight and landed near the others who landed.

"No, we can't retreat, remember? We need to keep them busy so the others can get inside the castle," replied Cozy, cracking her neck.

Ember looked at the couple briefly, then turned to the others. "Hey, speaking of which, How long are we meant to distract these two?"

Cozy and Tirek looked at each other, wondering the same thing.

"It has been a while. Did those idiots even get inside?" asked Cozy, her body turning red with rage. "The heck are we even meant to know they got inside!?"

The fire demon couple stood there, staring at them with burning eyes. They looked at each other.
"Why is Cozy so upset?" asked Cadance.

"Not sure, but we should finish these three off," replied Armor as the two rushed forward and started to attack again.

Tirek raised his arms, blocking the flaming shield, but was bashed into a building while Cozy dodged the sword and quickly dashed toward Armor.

"Too slow!" laughed Armor as he dodged and slashed her wing with his burning horn, making her cry out in pain.

Cozy landed hard as her wing was torn a bit. "That fucking hurt!" she yelled, turning to the others. Seeing Ember unleash her fire breath on Cadance, who countered with her pink stream of flames. Making the two flames clash and evenly match.

Ember could feel her breath losing the struggle match and see the pink flames pushing her back. In a quick move, Ember stopped, used her wings to block the pink flames, and used the force to push her backward, far enough that the pink flames couldn't reach her.

"Hmmm..." thought Ember, checking her body and wings out and not seeing much damage, but that was the problem itself. "My scales are barely charred. They're strong and can even match the dragon's fire. Just how are we meant to win?" She looked down and saw Tirek bursting out of the house, charging forward, winding up his punch, and unleashing it into the armor shield, but hardly pushing it back.

"It's impossible. No matter how hard we hit them, it's like punching a mountain," whispered Ember as her tail swished around. She sensed something coming towards her, making her quickly look back and get blasted by pink flames.

"You shouldn't let your guard down when facing a princess! But it's not surprising coming from a stupid dragon, " mocked Cadance, seeing Ember having trouble flying, falling to the city below, and crashing.

"EMBER!" yelled Tirek, trying to move away from the fight and to help her.

"I don't think so," said Armor as he bashed Tirek in the face with his shield, dazing him, and was going to follow it up by stabbing him, but Cozy caught the blade of the sword and forced it to the left, missing Tirek.

"Don't worry about her. She'll live if she knows how to dodge a simple fire blast. Right now, you better focus on the fight and stop trying to get yourself killed," ordered Cozy, who quickly removed the sword from Armor's magical hold, flipped it around, and tossed it back at him, which he promptly blocked.

"Huh, well played," complimented Armor as the sword turned back to his control and the shield returned to his side.

Cozy smirk. "Yeah, yeah. Just keep the fight going," she replied, looking back at Tirek, who was holding his face and finally snapping back to his senses. "If you're so worried about her, go help her. I'll take care of the blue-flaming boy here."

Tirek stared at Cozy and could see she was serious, so he nodded. He took one last look at the battle and rushed towards Ember, who was being blasted and couldn't move.

Armor bowed at Cozy. "For someone once so evil and heartless, you show much emotion and care for others. Is it because you have friends now? Or are you finally growing a conscience?" he questioned, raising his sword.

Cozy smirked. "Both, but there's another reason." 

"Oh? What would that be?" asked Armor, lowering his guard slightly.

"It's called 'love'."

Armor froze and stared at her with shock, and he could see the look in her pissed-off eyes.
He laughed a bit. "You can't be serious? You of all ponies?"

Cozy joined in that laughter. "Hey, I'm proud of it. I can say I found someone who has given me hope, a purpose in life, and a damn good reason to keep moving forward in life, no matter the obstacle. She has shown me the meaning of the word I was so blind to. A word that you two know all too well, that we all know all too well." Both flew into the air and faced each other down.

Cozy floated in front of Armor, seeing the flames around his body start to dim. "How does it feel to be on the receiving end of love?"

"It's...amazing. It feels nice like you have something special that you wouldn't want to lose. But why are you telling me all this? Are you trying to distract me or something?" asked Armor.

Cozy was going to answer, but she thought she heard Pinkie's voice. She looked around but saw no pony and was quickly hit by a magical fireball.

"Ha! How you fight shows you're a warrior, but no true warrior will let their guard down during a fight."

Cozy was pissed as she rubbed her sore back. "Bastard, I'll kill you," she hissed as she charged forward. She punched the shield, and she could hear Armor laughing again.

"Now, now, Cozy Glow. If you are going to kill me, then you should use this," he suggested, tossing a sword her way.

Cozy was surprised and quickly caught the sword, seeing her reflection on the blade. She could see the burning hate in her eyes as tiny black seeds fell within the reflection and how much power the blade held. She could hear whispers and sounds of someone writing in a book. Calling out to her, commanding her to be their 'savior' and to 'kill her' and 'destroy her core' and to 'finally bring this universe down the same path to the end.'

Cozy could feel herself getting pulled into the darkness and was going to fall in, but something bright and beautiful stopped her. She could see Braver doing her stupid smile, the same smile she loved so much.

Armor watched in surprise and horror as Cozy snapped the sword in half and tossed each piece aside as she hovered in front of him, still looking pissed.

"I would never use that weapon! I would rather freaking punch you until you come back to normal or get knocked out. Either one is fine with me." growled Cozy, slamming her hooves together.

Armor was confused. "I don't understand; that should have turned you into a 'savior,' like us!? How could you resist that?!"

Cozy held her chest and smiled with pure happiness. "Simple, she'll hate me if I give in to that darkness. That's the last thing I want."

"But how are you able to do that? I know you aren't a real Alicorn or anything. So, what makes you so strong?" He demanded, readying his sword and shield.

Cozy hated to admit it and looked around, hoping no one could hear her. "Never tell that stupid Twilight or anyone! But it's because..." she groaned, making Armor very curious.

"Yes?"

Cozy groaned louder. "Friendship and being loved back. It's the only reason why I was able to reject that darkness because of her." She blushed hard and felt cringe as Armor started to laugh at her.

"Oh, man! That's hilarious and cute. I never knew that the once cold and heartless Cozy Glow would fall for a pony, and you could resist 'her' because of your lover."

"WHOA! HEY THERE! We're not that close, you stupid idiot! I mean, sure, I LOVE HER AND ALL THAT, BUT I...never thought we would ever go that far." Cozy shook her and prepared herself. "Besides, she loves someone else. So that ship sailed a long time ago."

Armor lowered his weapons, hearing the sadness and heartbreak in her voice. "That's rough. Sorry about that."

Cozy shrug. "Yeah, well...wait..." she could see Armor flames becoming more dimmer. Could this be the way to turn them back? "No! There has to be another way! Like beating his ass! Please not this way!"

Armor could see Cozy looking scared, and he wondered why. However, he became baffled as he saw Cozy's rugged look become very soft, like that of a maiden. "What's wrong? What is happening to you?"

Cozy was blushing and could feel her heart racing. "N-n-n-nothing. Don't worry about it."

Armor was really confused and somewhat scared. "You're acting very differently. Why are you acting like a maiden now? You were full of anger, rage, and hate before; now you look blushy and shy. Why? And why do you keep looking away from me?"

Cozy was shaking. "I know how to save you...with the power of..." she groaned hard. "LOVE!" she screamed and blushed hard. "Yeah, I love Braver, okay!? But she doesn't love me that way! She loves that creep and loser, Dawn, but I just want to see her happy, even if it hurts...like a bitch," she hissed the last part, holding her chest.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," replied Armor, his flames fading and his standard look slowly returning.

Cozy sighed. "Yeah, yeah. But what can you do, right?" she asked, floating closer to Armor. She could see him smiling softly and saw the old him returning. "Damn it, I wanted to punch you. The stupid power of love crap."

Armor smiled as his weapons vanished and patted Cozy's head. "Hey, now, you'll find someone else. Someone who will make you happy, no matter what. Remember, the most important thing is not the power and strength but the feelings in your heart. That is all that matters."

Cozy groaned, feeling embarrassed. "I guess so," she smiled. "Thanks, Armor. That's the best advice I got in a while."

"You're welcome, Cozy," replied Armor, pulling her in a hug.

"Oh, my fucking god! No, we're not doing hugs!" She screamed, pushing him off and seeing Armor break free from the corruption and return to normal.

"Sorry, I got a bit carried away. But that's good; it means I'm free from 'her' control." Armor checked his body, seeing that he was back to normal, and looked below, seeing his empire in flames. "...did Cadance and I do all this?"

Cozy could see that Armor looked sad and could feel the guilt in his voice. "Yes, you and Cadance did all this, but you were..."

Armor stopped her as he knew the answer. "Sunfall, we need to save my wife! Let's go!" He used the magical aura on his body to soar back down to the burning city while Cozy followed. 

Both landed and saw Cadance blasting Tirek and Ember with her flames, pinning the two down. Armor quickly ran towards his wife and started talking to her about his love for her, making Cozy gag a bit.

"Screw this; I wanted to fight in a cool battle, not talk about love and crap," complained Cozy, crossing her arms.
She sat down and watched as Armor failed to get through to his wife, who used her magic to cage him and laughed with madness.

"COZY! HELP!" shouted Armor, looking at her.

Cozy got up and started to walk away. "Yeah, not getting involved in this. This is your battle, not mine. Sorry, but I'm done."

"WAIT! TO SAVE HER, YOU GONNA TALK ABOUT YOUR LOVE FOR BRAVER!" screamed Armor.

Cozy flinched and sighed. She turned around with a bright red face, swearing under her breath, and floated towards Cadance.

"Look, you have a wonderful husband who loves you. I wish I had that, but I don't," she corrected herself. "Wait, I do. She loves me so much, but her heart belongs to another."

Cadance started to become normal after listening to Cozy's story.

"I don't have anyone to love or return my feelings. She loves me, but not lovingly, and I want her to be happy, no matter what. Sure, it's killing me slowly and painfully inside. But I'm just happy to see her happy. Because she's the only pony that believes in me and sees me for who I am, not a monster." Cozy looked down. "So, I don't know what will happen in the future since I'll be alone and all that. But I'm not going to let her see me break. I'll keep smiling and laughing like I always do. I'll move forward for her." She looked up and saw Cadance return to normal, crying her heart out and quickly grabbing her in a hug. Cozy didn't want this, but it felt like a mother hugging their child, and she was loving it—not that she'll admit it.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" sobbed Cadance. "You'll find someone else, Cozy! Never give up on love!"

Cozy blushed and nodded. "Right, thanks..."

Cadance let her go and saw Armor running towards her and hugging each other while Ember and Tirek walked up to a blushing Cozy. Ember gave her a thumbs-up while Tirek made fun of her.

"Maybe the Empire will build a statue of you, a heroine of love who saved the princess of love from being corrupted. The spot across from the Spike statue will be the perfect spot. Right, miss heroine of lo-ugh!" grunted Tirek as Cozy punched him in the gut.

"Shut up, asshole," grumbled Cozy, turning her back and mumbling to herself.

The four started laughing but stopped as they looked up and saw a mirror-prism window forming in the dark clouds. They suddenly could see Braver's life—her past life. Seeing her destroy her world and then her universe. All of it was repeated as the images covered the whole sky.

"Braver, was this why you were scared of telling us?" whispered Tirek, seeing the monster known as Breaker destroying the city with its magical lasers as Sky dodged them. "Monster...like me. That's what you meant."

"SHE ISN'T A MONSTER!" shouted Cozy, causing everyone to look at her. "She isn't that anymore! She's our dumb blockhead and klutz friend, not a monster. I don't care if we saw her doing horrible things; she isn't like that. I'm the same, as is Chrysalis, including you. We have done bad things, but look at us now! We changed because of her! She gave us a chance to change, and we did, not for her, not for Equestria, but for ourselves!"

Cozy turned around and pointed her hoof at the image of Braver as the images continued to spread across the sky.
"So it's our damn turn to give her a chance now! Not for Equestria, not for us, but for her! We know she's a good pony and has a good heart! If any ponies and creatures can't accept her, then they can get fucked! And I mean FUCKED!" shouted Cozy, breathing hard as she felt like screaming for days.

Cadance, Armor, Tirek, and Ember looked at each other and smiled.

"Let's do it for her!" replied Cadance, smiling brightly.

"Yes, for our friend," added Tirek, cracking his knuckles.

"Yeah, for Braver!" cheered Ember, giving everyone a thumbs up.

Armor, step forward. "Yes, for Twily daughter! My niece, Braver!"

"Braver," repeated Cozy, looking at the image. "We'll be in your corner! Never forget that!" She turned to the group. "Come on! We need to help the others and find out why we're seeing those images in the sky.".

She flew off, with the others behind her, heading to the palace as a bright purple flash appeared at the top.





They hurried along and finally reached the base of the palace, where they could see Fluttershy and Flutterwar, who looked very different now and were lying next to her friends, while the rest of Fluttershy's friends were there and giving their element necklaces to them, stopping them from fading away.

"What's going on?" asked Cozy as her group finally arrived and saw AJ and JA happy to see her.

AJ pointed to her. "Glad you're here! Braver will need you!". JA added, "Yeah, she needs you fast! She's going nuts!".

They all looked up and could see a slime human-looking monster screaming one word: "BREAKER!" Cozy narrowed her eyes at the creature and realized it was Braver. She looked back at AJ and JA, asking one thing: "Tell me how to get into that universe." She pounded the ground, leaving a crater. "NOW!"

end of chapter 29