Dear Diary, I'm doing my homework with Sunset. Right now! It's cold, so we're curled up under the covers on my bed. I finished my homework a while ago, but Sunset is still working on hers. She's super focused, like she's lost in her own world. It's really cute. I'd die if Sunset ever found out that I wrote that about her, but for some reason I'm writing it anyway. I really think Okay, she was just stretching. I think I'm going to go get us snacks anyway. -Twilight Sparkle

Twilight's world lurched around her, her vision swimming with odd colors and shapes. Her stomach flipped in on itself and before she knew it, she fell, sprawled out across the ground.

"You guys made it, that's great!” she heard her own voice say from somewhere nearby.

Groaning, Twilight tried to get a handle on her surroundings, but her vision still spun and her body felt strange and unresponsive.

"Ugh," Sunset grunted from beside her. "I forgot how unsettling that is."

Something loomed over Twilight, and she tried her best to focus. Her glasses didn't seem to be helping.

“Wow, it’s like looking into a mirror! Or, well, I suppose maybe an old photograph would be more accurate. In any case, welcome to Equestria, Twilight Sparkle! I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight shook her head, loosened her glasses, and squinted to see the creature above her. The… thing looking down on her wasn’t exactly what she would refer to as a horse. It was purple, for starters, the face was squashed, and the eyes were massive, occupying nearly half of its face.

The horn and the wings were a bit unnerving, too.

“Uh, hi.” Twilight’s mouth felt weird, her jaw working in unfamiliar ways. She closed her eyes and tried to get a good sense of what her body had become. She had four legs, of course. Her leg were splayed out in angles that should have been anatomically impossible for a normal horse, but nothing seemed to be broken. And she also had... a tail? An entire new limb her brain had to process. She gave it an experimental flick and only ended up wiggling her butt.

It would probably help if she stood up first. She tried to draw her limbs in underneath her, but only succeeded in flopping around like a fish on land.

“Here, let me help you with that,” Sunset said, her tone amused.

A green glow and an unknown force wrapped itself around Twilight’s midsection and lifted her into the air. She instinctively tried to kick and flail.

“Hold still,” Sunset snapped.

Twilight did so, letting her legs dangle beneath her, and in a moment she was set down. Her legs slipped out underneath her again, but the force holding her up stayed firm, and she was able to finally get her balance. Once she found her bearings, the light vanished, and she stood on her own.

“Ah,” Sunset sighed. “I’ve missed good old-fashioned unicorn magic.”

Twilight finally dared to turn her head, slowly, to get a good look at what the woman she had fallen in love with really looked like.

It was weird, but in a way, almost kind of cute. The hair… mane? was styled a little differently, but was still as radiant as ever. Because of the way Sunset was proportioned though she looked more like a toy than an animal.

Sunset gave her a big smile, blushing slightly. “Well, what the Princess said. Welcome to Equestria, Twilight.” She leaned forward and kissed Twilight on the tip of her nose.

Princess Twilight coughed. “Uh, girls? I’m right here, you know.”

Sunset blinked, then rubbed at the back of her head with her hoof. “Oh. Right. Sorry.”

Twilight watched the gesture with fascination, then stared down at her own hooves. Biting her lip, she shifted her weight and lifted one of her forehooves before twisting her joints. What an odd creature I’ve become.

“Normally, I’d insist you just call me Twilight, but for obvious reasons, using my title will help make things a little less confusing,” the Princess said. “Not to mention… oh wow, you have a different cutie mark!”

“What?” Twilight nearly lost her balance again as she turned to watch the purple pony circle around her, eyes sparkling with excitement. The Princess stared at what she supposed was her butt now.

“I guess it makes sense,” Sunset said. “No wings either, and she’s a bit shorter than you, too.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “I’m not a piece of meat, you know.”

Sunset grinned. “Sorry. Here, maybe this will help.” Her horn glowed with that same green light, and a small hand mirror soon floated up in front of her.

Her reflection stared back at her. She really was a pony, nearly identical to Princess Twilight, like she had said. The mirror floated around and Twilight followed it until she could see her haunches reflected, along with the supposed cutie mark that the mirror had deigned to assign her.

“A carbon atom!” Twilight said. She squinted. “Or at least the stereotypical graphic we use to represent it. They don’t actually look like that. I suppose it’s also an icon accepted as a shorthand for ‘science’ in general.”

Princess Twilight turned so Twilight could see her own cutie mark. “Mine represents magic, yours represents science. Similar, but different. Fascinating.”

Twilight nodded, then took a deep breath and looked around the room.

Well, here she was. Alien world. Alien body. She was surrounded by strange crystalline architecture and literal magic was treated as though it were commonplace. It was like she had stepped into the pages of a high fantasy novel.

A light draft against her backside suddenly made her very keen of something.

“What happened to my clothes?” Twilight stammered. She tried to cover herself, which, being a quadruped now, resulted in her heading face first towards the floor.

Sunset caught her in the soft embrace of her magic once more, chuckling. “Easy, Twilight. Nudity... well, it isn’t really a thing here. And I don’t know exactly how it works, but your clothes get stored in extradimensional space somewhere in the mirror. Your phone and wallet will be returned to you when you step back through the portal.”

Princess Twilight nodded. “I have a theory that at least some part of the mirror is intelligent, though if there’s a consciousness governing its actions, it has resisted all attempts at communication.”

There was a snort of laughter from somewhere behind her, and she heard light footsteps approaching. “Just to be clear, Twilight’s ‘communication’ was just sitting next to the portal for five hours and shouting random words in different languages.”

“Spike!” Princess Twilight snapped. “I told you to hold back for now! I don’t want to overwhelm her.”

“Eh, too late now. Yo. What’s up?”

Twilight turned and looked down at the creature before her. A small lizard walking upright, with the same name and color scheme as her dog…

“Spike? You can talk here?”

Spike blinked, then rolled his eyes. “Right, the other me is a stupid dog. What a joke.”

Twilight shook her head. “You said that Princess Twilight had an assistant named Spike too, but I thought…”

Sunset frowned. “Huh. I guess I wasn’t clear on what I meant. Sorry, my bad.”

“It figures.” Spike glared at both Princess Twilight and Sunset, before he sighed and turned back to Twilight to extend a claw. “Well, I’m Spike the dragon, Twilight’s number one assistant. Nice to meet you.”

Twilight shifted her balance again and hesitantly extended her forehoof. He shook it vigorously.

“Well,” Princess Twilight said, “now that introductions are out of the way, I’ll let you two have some space, though I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding anything. But please: take some time to get your bearings. Get used to your new body. I sure wish someone had told me that when I first passed through the mirror.” Princess Twilight nodded, then turned and wandered over to a bookshelf in the distance.

“So, uh, yeah,” Sunset said, crossing her forehooves. “We’re here. In Equestria. As ponies.”

That they were. It was an unbelievable dream. Even though Twilight’s brain already ached, she craved more information. She wanted her equipment to study everything, to dissect everything, to catalogue everything she could see in meticulous detail. She wanted to be the first to see, experience, and explain the unexplainable.

Still, Sunset had been pretty clear about the rules. Maybe she was a little overenthusiastic about this.

“We’re here,” Twilight repeated. “I’m a pony. Um, now what?”

Sunset shrugged, then stepped forward, her horn lighting up again. “Let’s start with the basics.”

Sunset spent the next several hours teaching Twilight how to be a pony.

Twilight was a quick learner, and as adorable as it was to watch her flounder about, she quickly got the gist of basic four-legged locomotion. Sunset even had some success in getting her to do some basic acrobatics like standing on her hind legs, although Twilight grumbled about physics the entire time.

The use of magic, however, completely eluded her; no matter how Sunset tried to explain it and demonstrate, Twilight couldn’t conjure up a single spark. Whether it was a quirk of crossing worlds or that she was more similar to a foal when it came to exercising that part of that brain was unclear, but it left Twilight a bit helpless without hands.

Still, Twilight wasn't going to be left to her own devices. Sunset had every intention of staying by her side and helping her get used to all of this. She wanted Twilight to love Equestria as much as she did.

Because in the future, they could maybe…

"You two really do make a cute couple, you know. I'm happy for you," Princess Twilight said as she returned from the kitchen, setting down a platter full of snacks and tea.

Sunset snapped out of her reverie, then glanced over at the human-turned-pony, who was off on her own, deep in what appeared to be a riveting discussion on dragon biology with Spike. "I'm not really sure how I should take that, coming from you."

Princess Twilight grinned, then took a sip from her tea. "I'll admit, it is a little off-putting, but it’s not like I have any room to talk. Who am I to judge anypony?"

"The Princess of Friendship? It's absolutely your place to judge ponies," Sunset said, grabbing a cup of tea and a small bunch of greens. "Celestia, but I missed real food."

"I'm pretty sure a situation like this falls under the purview of my sister-in-law," Twilight said, giggling. "But seriously, it's good to see you again, Sunset."

Sunset leaned forward and nuzzled Princess Twilight affectionately. It was a simple expression of equine body language, equivalent to a hug, but just another minor thing on the ever-growing list of ways their worlds were different. The kind of thing that was usually taken for granted.

"It's kind of like having a little sister," Princess Twilight said, following Sunset's gaze to her marefriend. “Cadance would go absolutely gaga over her, don’t you think?”

“For one, I barely know your Cadance,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes. “For two, saying it like that makes this whole thing sound seriously creepy.”

Princess Twilight frowned, rubbing at her chin with a hoof. “I suppose I can see your point. Still, if the two of you are happy together, that’s all that really matters.”

Sunset shrugged. “It’s interesting, though, I think she’s a lot closer to Cadance and the rest of her family than you are. Er, no offense.”

“No, it’s okay. I believe you.” Princess Twilight moved over to the table and set the platter down before levitating a book off the shelf. “I spent a lot of time away from my family as Princess Celestia’s student, and your Twilight never had that chance.”

“Do you regret it?”

Princess Twilight laughed, shaking her head. “No, of course not. It’s been a pretty wild ride, and I made some mistakes along the way, sure, but I’m happy with where I’ve ended up and where I’m going. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” With a glance towards Twilight, she added, “Though getting a chance to see some of the ‘what ifs’ is certainly fascinating.”

“I see.” Sunset drank her tea.

That was Twilight Sparkle for you: so sure and confident about who she was and where she wanted to be. Both of them.

“Do you regret it?” Princess Twilight asked, not looking back.

Sunset frowned. “That’s a loaded question, and you know it. I regret a lot of things. We’ve talked about this.”

Princess Twilight turned back and faced Sunset head on, her eyes filled with an all too familiar mix of intensity and compassion. “She forgives you, you know. And she wants nothing more than to see you again.”

“No, Twilight,” Sunset said, gritting her teeth. “We’ve been over this a million times. I’m just… not ready, okay? I need…there’s a lot of things I need to figure out about myself before I can face her as an equal.”

“Sunset…” Princess Twilight sighed, then stepped forward and threw her forelegs around Sunset’s neck. “Fine, I’ll stop pushing you, but please promise me you’ll speak to her eventually.” Pulling back with a smirk, she added, “If for no other reason than I’m tired of receiving letters about it.”

Sunset laughed, then wiped some dust out of her eye. “Alright, fine. I promise.”

“So, what are your plans here anyway?”

“I figured we’d take the train to Canterlot. It wasn’t much of a home for me, but it’s all I’ve got to show off. Couldn’t really give a good tour of Ponyville anyway, y’know?”

Princess Twilight nodded. “I’ll lend you some bits for the train and the hotel. And some winter clothes, I suppose.”

“Hey,” Twilight called out, walking up to the pair with Spike riding on her back. “Are you talking about me behind my back with, uh, me?”

“Hey Twilight,” Spike said, grinning, “this Twilight is way cooler than you. Can we keep her?”

Both Twilights rolled their eyes, and Sunset couldn’t help but giggle.

“I was kind of actually going to say the same thing,” Twilight said, twisting to look up at Spike. “I could definitely use an assistant like you back home.”

“I’m afraid not,” Princess Twilight said, levitating Spike off of Twilight’s back and onto hers, sticking her tongue out. “I don’t know what I’d do without my number one assistant.”

Spike puffed out his chest, beaming, and they all shared in laughter.

“Come on,” Sunset said, stepping over and giving Twilight a quick peck on the cheek. “It’ll be getting dark soon, and we have a train to catch.”

Twilight fidgeted, tapping her hoof impatiently as Sunset used magic to dress her, wrapping her up in scarves and pony-shaped winter coats.

It was weird. That was the only real way to describe it. Without her hands to interact properly with the world around her, she felt like she was tied up in a straight-jacket. For all her mental issues, claustrophobia wasn't really one of them, but even so, it was hardly pleasant.

Her mind was already nearing exhaustion at this point. There was so much to do, so much to see, so much to try and understand, analyze and remember for later. Even she had her limits.

“Hmm.” Sunset stepped back to admire her handiwork. “Looks good on you, Twilight.”

Twilight turned to the mirror, checking herself out. “Thanks, I guess.” She wasn’t exactly sure how to take compliments to a body like this, but she could at least be polite. There was a strange dissonance whenever she looked into a mirror, like her brain didn’t want to accept what it was seeing. It was like looking at a doll.

The clothes did look nice, at least, even if the sight of a pony in clothing was simultaneously hilarious and adorable. And it certainly beat going outside naked. Even if it was the norm here, she was going to need more time to get used to that before she was comfortable going in the buff in public.

“Here you go,” Princess Twilight said, levitating a large bag into Sunset’s saddlebags. “There’s a couple hundred bits in there, for whatever you might need.”

Sunset bit her lip, adjusting her shoulders under the weight. “Isn’t this a bit much? You really don’t have to—”

“Just stop there,” Princess Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “I receive a very generous royal stipend. I donate a lot of it to charity, use it to fund entrepreneurs and community projects, and I have a well-diversified investment portfolio which allows my assets to grow beyond even the stipend. The rest covers basic living, castle maintenance, and, when I can, something nice to do for my friends. Take it, okay?”

“I…” Sunset looked unsure for a moment, then blinked, glancing between both Twilights before bursting out laughing. “You two really are alike. Fine, whatever.”

Princess Twilight beamed. “Good. Now, time for the illusion spell. Pay attention, Sunset, because you’ll need to recast it on your own.”

Twilight blinked. “Illusion spell?”

Princess Twilight’s horn began to glow, and a complex pattern of light soon filled the room and settled around them.

“Yeah,” Sunset said. “You do look like a national princess and all. A simple illusion spell on both of us will prevent any unfortunate misunderstandings.”

Twilight rubbed at her eyes as the spell took hold then checked the mirror again. A pale grey unicorn with dark brown hair stared back at her, whereas Sunset was now light green with a blue mane, though their hairstyles hadn't changed.

"Amazing," Twilight muttered, shifting around to see herself at different angles. "How does it work? Do you just bend the light around us so it reflects a different color?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. "This version of the spell is actually mind-affecting. The spell takes hold when someone looks at you and just overwrites what their brain would normally tell you they see. Incidentally, it's only configured to work with ponies, and isn't one hundred percent effective, but this is for convenience anyway, nothing dire."

Spike nodded. "Yeah, you two still look normal to me."

Twilight frowned, squinting her eyes, shifting her angle around to see if she could pierce the illusions, but she was only able to get a few brief flashes of purple before everything switched back. “Fascinating.”

Sunset nodded, her own horn glowing. “Yeah, it’s pretty neat. I was always better at the light bending variant, but I think I can see how this one works.” She leaned over to nuzzle Twilight. “You ready to go?”

“Any time.”

“Thanks for everything, Princess,” Sunset said, grinning.

They made their way through Princess Twilight’s palace, their hoofsteps echoing through the winding halls, until they reached the door.

“I wish I could hold your hand right now,” Twilight mumbled.

Sunset leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “It’s not really the same, but…” Sunset’s horn started to glow, and Twilight felt a light pressure on her own horn. “It’s kind of like holding hands, but for unicorns. I guess you can’t do it back without your own magic, but close enough.”

It was an odd sensation, but under the pressure Twilight felt a familiar warmth, and through her nose wafted a familiar strawberry scent. She smiled. “Thanks.”

They pushed open the door to the castle, only to be greeted by an, “Eeep!” and the scrambling of hooves.

Twilight stared down at the familiar looking pale yellow pony in front them, her ears flat against her skull as she scooted back on her haunches.

"Oh, um," Fluttershy mumbled, her eyes darting left and right. "I didn't realize that Twilight was expecting strange visitors today. I'm sorry to bother you, I'll just be going."

Sunset blinked, glancing over at Twilight. "It's fine, Fluttershy, we were just leaving. Twilight's all yours."

Fluttershy stared.

Sunset smacked herself in the face. "Whoops."

"Ehehehe..." Fluttershy forced a big smile, her eyes wide, sweat dripping down her brow. "That's, um, so nice of you to say that, ponies-whom-I've-never-seen-before-yet-know-my-name-for-some-reason. I'll, just, uh..." She inched past them towards the door, her voice raising another octave. "T-twilight? Are you, uh, in there? And okay?"

"I'm fine, Fluttershy," Princess Twilight called out from inside. "There’s nothing to worry about, I'll explain the whole thing."

Twilight caught Fluttershy's fearful gaze, and she merely shrugged in response.

"R-right." Fluttershy swallowed audibly. "Wellitwasnicemeetingyoubye!" With a blur of motion she sprinted into the palace, slamming the doors behind her.

Sunset and Twilight shared a look for several moments before bursting out laughing.

"Wow," Twilight said, clumsily wiping at her eyes. "That was definitely Fluttershy, alright. She's so—"

"Adorable?" Sunset finished, still giggling. "I've never actually gotten to meet the pony versions of our friends either, you know?"

"I wonder what would happen if we stuck both of them in a room together, in their original forms."

Sunset shrugged. "I imagine they would both freak out over how cute the other is, then freak out over being freaked out over."

“I can already picture it,” Twilight said, grinning. “Wait… oh gods, I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if Pinkie Pie met herself.”

“That must never come to pass.”

Twilight groaned, planting her face into the pillow. “Ugh, so tired. How am I supposed to sleep like this anyway?”

“Same way you do as a human, Twilight. Lie down and sleep.” Sunset yawned as she used her magic to close the curtains to their hotel room, blocking the illumination from Canterlot’s street lights.

Twilight couldn’t help but mimic the yawn as she tried to figure out how to get comfortable in the bed. Calling it a long day would be an understatement. After leaving the castle, it was only a short walk through Ponyville, then a train ride to Canterlot, following which they went straight to the hotel.

But even that brief taste had her mind racing with curiosity. Ponies were a fascinating species, biologically, culturally, technologically… She wanted to learn everything, to understand everything.

But that could wait. Right now, she wanted to sleep.

Sunset snuffed out the light, then climbed into the bed and under the covers next to her. “So, did you have fun?”

Twilight grunted in acknowledgement, then attempted to copy Sunset’s sleeping posture. “I’ve been comparing myself to science-fiction heroines this whole time, but I’m starting to wonder if a more apt comparison is that I’ve literally fallen Through The Looking Glass and straight into Wonderland.”

Sunset frowned, then her eyes widened, sparkling. “I actually get that reference! I had to read that book in English class. I normally just skimmed or… threatened someone for their notes, but I actually found it pretty interesting. Relevant, you know?”

Twilight giggled. “I guess it applies to both of us now.” She leaned forward, carefully, and kissed her girlfriend on the tip of the nose. The way Twilight’s face was arranged was different, so it took effort to not just headbutt her by accident. “Thanks a lot, Sunset. Really, this place is incredible. Seeing another world like this is the chance of a lifetime... and I get to do it with you.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Sunset said, blushing. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

“It kind of makes my beach trip seem kind of lame in comparison,” Twilight said, rolling over.

Sunset shook her head. “No way. I had a ton of fun together with you and everypony else. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” Grinning, she added, “Lucky for us, neither of these trips are mutually exclusive.”

“Mmm,” Twilight grunted, closing her eyes and snuggling deeper into her pillow.

“Plus,” Sunset murmured, rolling over and running a hoof down Twilight’s haunches, “there were some other things we did on that trip that were a lot of fun, too. Have I ever mentioned how beautiful of a pony you make?”

Twilight stiffened. “You mean…” She shook her head. “That’s just, kind of weird, isn’t it? In this body?”

Sunset flinched, pulling back and sitting up. “I… this is my natural body, Twilight. It’s the body I belong in. You really think it wasn’t weird for me, too, when we were both humans?”

“Yeah, but still. I mean, we’re both horses, and…” Twilight sat up too, frowning.

“I just thought that we could… never mind. I’m sorry, it was a stupid idea,” Sunset said, her face falling as she laid back down and rolled over, facing away from Twilight.

Twilight sighed, then snuggled close to Sunset. “No, I’m sorry, that was irrational of me. The thought is scary, but it’s you, and if I trust you enough to step through an interdimensional portal, I trust you enough to have extradimensional intercourse. Just—maybe not tonight, okay? I’m super tired, and I think I’ve had my fill of new things today.”

Sunset stayed silent for about a minute, then rolled back over, and kissed her on the nose. “Alright, fine. Just so you know though, you can do a lot with magic,” she said, winking.

Twilight blushed, but smiled, then drifted off to sleep in the forelegs of her lover. Visions of her and thoughts of this strange new world carried her to dreamland.