PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

-CHAPTER START-

Ponyville

Next Day – 9:30 AM

Teana sighed as she sat on the cushion in pony form, telekinetically lifting another bite of pancakes to her mouth. She'd recently gotten out of the shower, and Rarity had insisted on brushing her mane, though the fashionista had reluctantly obeyed Teana's request to not style it; she preferred it hanging loose, "like Twilight's". She'd already confirmed via telepathy that the others were awake, and were settling in nicely; Mr. & Mrs. Cake seemed to like Mai because of her politeness and her cooking skills (and Mrs. Cake thought she looked so cute with that bow in her mane), Dash had taken Shion on an ad hoc Cloud-Bucking tutorial course, and Twilight & Ahsoka had apparently indulged in a brief telekinetic game of Spikeball… until the little dragon woke up mid-toss and was a mite pissed off about it.

Having finished her breakfast, Rarity chattered on as she worked on Teana's hair/mane, telling the girl about her little sister Sweetie Belle and her "Crusader" friends. Apparently, unicorn children weren't born with the conscious ability to use magic; like human babies and swimming, they had the ability instinctively in infancy but then lost it, and had to re-learn how to do it consciously later on in life. And pegasus foals were the same with flying, according to Rarity; just as Sweetie Belle couldn't yet use magic, her pegasus friend Scootaloo couldn't fly yet, mostly because her wings hadn't quite grown big enough yet.

The front-door chime was heard, along with the sound of little feet/hooves walking along.

"Rarity?" a little girl's voice called out.

"In here, Sweetie!" Rarity shouted as she finished getting the last little tangle out of her new friend's mane.

Teana saw as a little white unicorn filly with pastel pink-&-purple mane walked in. The little girl's bright green eyes saw Teana, and she gasped. She ran over, looking very excited.

"Is it true?" she asked. "Rainbow Dash told Scootaloo told us that you and your friends are heroines from another universe!"

Teana and Rarity looked at each other, and the redhead sighed. "Well, that particular cat's out of the bag."

Sweetie Belle's eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh, it's true?-!"

"How many other ponies know?" Teana asked.

"Uh… I think just me, the other two Crusaders, Apple Bloom's big brother, and Mr. & Mrs. Cake… so far" Sweetie Belle replied. The door-chime was heard.

"Hey, Tia" Kaede said as she, Applejack, and Apple Bloom walked in. "You too, huh?"

"Yep. Are the others coming?"

The door-chime was heard again, and the group already present, noticing the room they were in was feeling a little crowded, moved out into the main room, to find the rest of the gang, with Scootaloo in tow.

"Okay, so everyone's here" Teana said. "Any idea on what to do now?"

"How about we get to know each other better?" Fluttershy suggested. "Swap stories? …I-I mean, if that's okay with everyone…"

"You girls go first" Shion said to the Element-Bearers. "Our story's a lot longer, anyway."

"Well," Twilight began, "it started when I was in Canterlot, a few days before the Summer Sun Celebration…"

And so the Local Group told of Twilight's being assigned to Ponyville, the unsealing of Nightmare Moon, the forging of powerful bonds, and the purification of Luna. Applejack ashamedly confessed her attempt to harvest an entire orchard by herself, and the sleep deprivation that ensued. The arrival of Gilda, the incident with Trixie (and how the two little idiots Snips & Snails took a showman's obvious tall tales at face value, resulting in them luring an angry Star Bear into town; a lot of ponies were still giving them grief about it, especially that one stallion who had a bite taken out of his roof), Twilight's First Sleepover, the incident with Zecora and the Poison Joke (Teana: "Okay, the TSAB's botanists are gonna go nuts when they find out about that plant"), the brief but devastating Parasprite infestation, and the recent (six days ago) founding of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"So we came here to blend in and seem normal," Ahsoka said, "and yet we're grouped with the six locals who have lives that are the farthest thing from dull and normal that one can get?"

"Yep" Applejack replied. "That's about the size of it."

Any further discussions were halted as a blue magical rune-circle appeared on the floor, across the room from the group. A bright half-dome of bluish-white light formed over it. Everyone present shielded their eyes as the half-dome dissipated with a flash. As their eyes were still closed, they heard the startled "Eeep!" and then the sound of something moving very fast. When they opened their eyes, there was nobody there.

Sarah smiled. "I recognize that squeal…"

She looked around for a few seconds, and then spotted that the floor-reaching tablecloth of one of the work tables was trembling. She slowly walked over to it, bending down. She closed her eyes and extended her senses, and smiled as she recognized the magical energy signature. She poked her head in under the sheet.

"Hey, kiddo."

The figure – a unicorn filly about the size of the Crusaders, with green eyes, turquoise fur, and a short black mane & tail, wearing a long dark-green skirt on her hips – squeaked and backed away.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" the little thing squealed. "I'm n-n-not used to n-new people or c-crowds, and…" She trailed off as she got a good look at the young mare before her, and her eyes widened as she noticed the bright-green eyes and ponytailed blonde mane. "S-Sarah?" she asked.

"Yeah, Erika, it's me. We're all here."

"…Y-You're a…"

"Take a look at yourself, baby sis."

Erika did so, and gasped with surprise as she discovered what she'd been turned into. She was, at the least, grateful that she had been materialized with a skirt to hide her little problem. She looked back at Sarah.

"S-So we're ponies here?"

"Yep. You're a unicorn…" she reached out and tapped the horn growing from the little girl's head, "I'm an 'Earth Pony', and Marie's a pegasus. Tia and Mai are unicorns, Shion's a pegasus, and Kaede & Ahsoka are Earth Ponies."

"I see…"

"We've only been here a day, and we've already started settling in."

"A d-day? B-But it's only been 15 minutes over on the other side. …I g-guess that time dilation, displacement thing is true."

"We've met the local group of VIPs. They're with us all right now, most likely wondering who you are and why you bolted for cover. Why don't you come out and say hello?"

As this went on, the others watched the scene unfold, Sarah's back end sticking out from underneath the table as she spoke softly to whoever was down there.

"What's this about?" Dash asked. "Who's in there?"

"Most likely our little sister Erika" Marie replied. "She's really, really shy around new people – like, Fluttershy shy."

Hearing this, Fluttershy slowly, quietly walked over toward the sisterly meeting.

"I c-c-can't go out there" Erika squeaked. "T-T-There's s-so many s-strangers! A-And I'm in this t-tiny little body; I f-feel even s-smaller and more h-helpless than I n-normally do with new people."

"They're all really nice, Erika" the motherly blonde replied. "You don't need to be afraid of them."

Erika was about to respond, when Fluttershy's head came in next to Sarah's. She squeaked and backed up.

'She's so cute~' Fluttershy thought. The gentle pegasus gave the girl a warm smile. "Hi, there" she said softly. "You're Erika, right? You don't have to be scared, sweetie. My friends are all very nice ponies… Well, Spike's a young dragon, but he's nice too."

"D-D-Dragon?"

"He's only 10 years old" Sarah replied. "He's small, only a little bigger than you."

"You can hide behind me or your sister if that makes you feel a little better" Fluttershy suggested.

Erika gulped, and then squeaked out "Okay."

The little unicorn filly slowly, cautiously walked toward the 'exit'. As Sarah and Fluttershy pulled out, she followed them, crawling out from under the table. Instantly she was aware of being the center of attention not only from six ponies who could only be the rest of Gamma, but also from five others Fluttershy's size, three fillies, and a little dragon. In this new environment, surrounded by so many new people looking at her, in this tiny body, Erika was quivering like a frightened Chihuahua.

Pinkie Pie giggled. "She is cute" she said.

"Girls… and Spike… this is our little sister Erika."

"H-Hi" the filly in question squeaked out. She was already trying hard to keep her new tail from moving around, for fear that it might lift her skirt enough to reveal what she was wearing beneath it.

"Hey, there" Apple Bloom said as she took a few steps forward. "I'm Apple Bloom."

"I'm Scootaloo"

"And I'm Sweetie Belle!"

"We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

Erika stared at the three girls with confusion. "…C-Cutie Mark?"

"Hey, kiddo" said a unicorn who – with her red-orange mane and crimson fur – could only be Teana. "I'm thinking I should use that Knowledge Transfer technique to let you know what you need to know 'bout this world."

"S-Sure."

Erika looked into Teana's eyes as her Sharingan activated, and felt a brief pulse of power and mild pain as the information was 'copy-pasted' into her brain. She let out a little groan as, over the course of several seconds, the knowledge was assimilated.

"…I wonder if I have one…" she murmured, looking at her skirt-covered flank.

"Well, why don't you check an' see?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah, let's see if you've got one!" Scootaloo added.

Erika's eyes went wide. "O-Oh, n-no we d-don't need to. L-L-Let's s-save that for later."

"How come?" Sweetie Belle asked, confused.

"I-I-I'll c-check it myself later, I s-swear. I-I'll even tell you w-what it is! W-W-We don't need to find out now!"

"…Are you hidin' somethin'?" Apple Bloom asked.

"No!" Erika replied, a bit too quickly and a bit too high-pitched to be believable. She shook her head frantically. "N-No, o-of course not!"

Unfortunately, it was at this point that it became clear that Rarity had a window open, as a fairly strong breeze blew in, blowing Erika's skirt up and forward… and revealing to everyone in the room the diaper she was wearing. The little filly let out a loud, sharp shriek, her face going bright red, and she flash-stepped to behind Sarah, shaking like a leaf, burying her face in her pony-form sister's back.

'They saw they saw they saw they saw they all saw!-!'

"…W-Why is she wearing a…" Twilight started.

Sarah sighed. "When she was six, Erika was in an accident. She suffered irreversible damage to the muscles that allow her to control… certain functions. So she has to wear diapers."

The girl in question was now quietly crying from mortification, refusing to open her eyes or pull away from her hiding spot.

"I s-shouldn't have come" she whimpered out. "S-Something like this w-was bound to happen. I c-can never keep it s-secret for long, a-and p-people always r-react like… I-I should… b-be going now. I k-know you all w-won't want me around w-when I'm so… abnormal. I'll j-just t-transfer out and-"

"Hey, whoa, sugarcube, y'all don't need to leave" Applejack interrupted. "It ain't a big deal."

"Yeah, we're not gonna say anything bad" Sweetie Belle added.

"It's something you can't help and have no control over" Scootaloo said.

"We ain't gonna look down on ya or stuff like that" Apple Bloom said.

The little filly sniffled, slowly opening her teary eyes, and seeing warm, understanding smiles looking back at her.

"Y-Y-You don't mind?" she squeaked out. "Y-You're all okay with m-my… condition?"

Everyone nodded.

"It's cool, kid" Rainbow Dash said. "Nothin' to get so worked up about."

"It adds +10 to your Cuteness score" Pinkie said.

"You see?" Fluttershy smiled at the girl. "I told you my friends were nice."

Slowly, a little smile formed on Erika's face. "T-Thank you."

'So cute~' was the group mental response.

"It's perfectly fine, dear" Twilight said as she walked up. "Hmm…" Her horn glowed, and then a circular spot of Erika's skirt became invisible, followed by what was worn beneath it, revealing her Cutie Mark.

"A half-note…" Rarity said. "So you have a music-related Special Talent."

Erika blushed as the spell wore off. "I l-like to sing…"

"Having heard all three of them at different times," Teana said, "I can say that all three of the sisters have beautiful singing voices. It's, like, the Swanson Family Talent, I guess."

All three sisters blushed and smiled at this praise.

"So now I've got one more pony to add to the plan!" Pinkie said.

"P-Plan?" Erika asked.

"For the welcome party! We're holding it this evening at 7:00 at Sugarcube Corner!"

"Hmm… W-Well, I g-guess that'd be okay… as l-long as there aren't t-too many people… er, I mean ponies."

"Great!"

"How about a tour of the town?" Twilight suggested to the eight travelers. "We haven't really shown you girls too much of Ponyville yet. Applejack and I can take you on the tour."

"Can we take Erika on the tour?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Sarah looked to her little sis, who nodded after a few seconds' thought.

As the trio of fillies grinned and began drawing in breath, Rarity let out an "Uh-Oh".

"Rarity?" Twilight asked. "Why are you covering your e-"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TOUR GUIDES!-! YAY!-!-!"

Everyone else looked quite surprised, all of them covering or rubbing their ears. Those within a few feet of the girls had their hair blown back by the force.

"Holy…" Rainbow Dash said, shaking her head.

"Gah…" Spike winced as his ears rang a little. "What was that?-!"

"Wow" Teana was chuckling. "That was impressive!"

The three smiled innocently.

-SCENE BREAK-

11:35 AM

Four fillies moved through the town, three at an excited pace, and the fourth at a slower, more careful one. Erika was moving slowly and carefully, keeping her tail still and down, in order to keep her skirt from lifting up too much. She had quickly figured out unicorn-style telekinesis, and was using it at a low level to further try and keep the garment in place. The Crusaders noticed, but didn't say anything.

"An' this here's the schoolhouse!" Apple Bloom said, pointing to the building in question. "Miss Cheerilee works hard to teach us stuff here."

"She's really nice" Sweetie Belle said. "You'll like her if you meet her."

"Well, lookie here" said a snooty little voice. "Looks like the blanks have a new member."

"Of course," Scootaloo deadpanned, "not everything about school is pleasant."

Two new fillies made themselves known; the first had a light-pink coat with a pale-pink mane & tail with a thick white stripe through it, and a Cutie Mark of a tiara that matched the one atop her head, while the second had grey fur and a silver mane & tail, was wearing blue-framed glasses, and a cutie mark of a spoon with a heart in the handle.

Apple Bloom gave an annoyed sigh. "Erika, this is Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon – the school bullies."

"And for your information, Tiara," Scootaloo said to the girl, "Erika has a Cutie Mark; she just can't walk around showin' it off because she has to wear that skirt for a medical reason. She's new in town, and we're showing her around."

"Really?" Silver Spoon said with some skepticism. "What's her Mark?"

"A half-note" Sweetie Belle replied. "Singing's her Special Talent."

"Hmmm…"

"Anyway, we'd love to stay and chat," Apple Bloom cut in, "but we gotta hurry up and finish the tour. …Hey girls, do I have a Tour Guide Cutie Mark yet?"

The two looked at the little cowgirl's still-blank flank, and shook their heads.

"Darn."

"Hey, Silver, I got a joke" Diamond Tiara said. "What's yellow and bare?"

"W-Winnie the Pooh?" Erika replied.

A few seconds of silence gave way to a *snerk* from Silver Spoon, followed by the filly in question bursting into giggles. The Crusaders started chuckling, too. Diamond Tiara tried to look upset at her friend for laughing, but it was hard to when she was trying hard not to join in.

"Well played, new girl" Diamond said between suppressed giggles. "I walked right into that one."

"T-Thanks. …Uh, w-we'd better get going."

"Hey now, what's the hurry?" Diamond said as she sidled up to Erika with a grin. "Why don't you chill with us for a bit? Let us show you the good stuff, not like what these three Blanks can offer."

"Uh, no thanks" Erika said with a slight scowl; she already didn't like this girl. "T-These three have been good to me s-so far."

"Aw, c'mon~. You don't need to hang out with these three. Silvie and I can show you lots of stuff! Besides, they don't have Cutie Marks, but you and we do." Diamond's expression changed to a suspicious one. "You do have one, don't you?"

"Yes!" Erika squeaked out, backing away to avoid the hoof moving toward her skirt. "Yes, I have a Mark!"

"Yeah, we've seen it" Scootaloo joined in, realizing what was at risk of happening.

"It's a half-note, for singing! We saw it!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Hmph. Likely story. She's probably just another blank-flank trying to hide it with that skirt!"

Diamond Tiara advanced towards Erika, who nervously stepped back. Unfortunately, she failed to notice the rock in her path until she backed into and tripped over it, falling over backwards onto her butt, leaving what was beneath her skirt visible to the two bullies. She squealed and covered herself, getting into a forward seated position.

Diamond and Silver were speechless for a few seconds. "Uh…" Diamond started.

Erika looked at her with tears in her angry eyes. "Go ahead!" she squeaked. "M-Make fun of me j-just like everyone else does! Ever s-since the accident, when I st-started havin' to wear 'em, e-everyone at my school is a-always bugging me about it! I k-know you want to; j-just get it over with already!"

"Hey, whoa, whoa" Diamond Tiara interrupted. "…You're saying you have to wear them? Like, medically obligated?"

Erika whimpered and nodded her head.

"Well, I'm not gonna make fun of you for that."

Silver and Erika looked at Diamond with surprise… while the Crusaders looked at her like she'd just grown a second head.

"What?" Diamond said defensively. "If she has to wear 'em because of damage to her body from an accident, and it's, like, circumstances she has no control over, I can't make fun of her for that! I mean, it'd be different if she, like, never got potty-trained or was being punished by being made to wear them, but if it's due to injury an' stuff?"

"I'd have figured you'd look for any excuse to make fun of anyone" Scootaloo said.

Diamond Tiara glared at her. "I'm a bitch, but I'm not a monster. Contrary to what some ponies believe, I do have lines I won't cross. Like… Say you never learn to fly because you never put effort into it, or you can't get the trick to it. That's something I'd tease you about. But if you were unable to fly because of, like, a congenital defect, or you lose a wing in an accident, I wouldn't make fun of you. It's… kinda like that."

Behind Diamond's back, Silver Spoon was looking at her friend with a mixture of surprise and pride.

She walked over to Erika and helped her up. "Um… Sorry 'bout that" she said sheepishly.

"It's okay" the other filly said softly.

Then Erika looked at the two, sighed, hiked her skirt up, and moved the side of her undergarment out & back, letting them get a from-an-angle view of her half-note Cutie Mark.

"So you weren't lying about that part. …You sure you wanna hang out with these blanks, even though you've got your Mark?"

Erika nodded as she put her skirt back down. "Y-Yes. They've been n-nice to me, a-and my big sisters are f-friends with theirs."

"Okay…" Diamond Tiara looked a bit uncertain. "Um… This is gonna sound really weird comin' from me, but… If anyone gives you grief over having to wear those, come tell me."

"Only if we don't get to and pound them first" Scootaloo said.

"O-Okay. Thanks, I…"

Erika trailed off, her cheeks turning pink.

"I, uh… n-need to go find one of m-my sisters…"

"Why, what's…" Silver started, before realization set in. "Oh. Um… Want an escort?"

"N-No, thanks. I've… got the Crusaders for that. T-Thanks for the offer, though."

The four fillies then departed (Erika walking a little funny), heading in search of the elder Swanson sisters. As she watched them leave, Diamond Tiara turned to her friend.

"Should we go eat?" she asked.

"Um… You go on ahead, DT" Silver Spoon replied. "I've got something I need to take care of."

Diamond shrugged and then walked off. Silver took a deep breath.

'Will this really work?' She thought. '…I guess it's worth a shot.'

-SCENE BREAK-

Carousal Boutique – Back Room

13 Minutes Later

Sarah stood over her little sister, who lay on her back, skirt off. The blonde looked at her current body's hooves.

"Huh…" she said. "Um…"

"H-How about we both shift to our real forms for this," Erika suggested, "a-and then return to our p-pony forms after?"

The elder grinned, and her body became a shifting mass of magical light that took the shape of her real, human form, and then faded to reveal her base state; Erika followed suit. "Good thinking, kiddo."

A few minutes later, the two sisters exited the room, their bodies still sparkling faintly with magic after transforming back to their pony forms. As Erika headed out front, Sarah heard Marie's voice. The other girl was singing. She followed the sound, finding her sis by her lonesome, moving back & forth a bit as she covered a Michael Jackson song. However…

"Keep it up, we're the porn stars, don't stop 'til you get enough! Keep it up, we're the-"

Marie was interrupted by Sarah's loud laughter. She turned to her sister, currently holding her stomach as she laughed her head off. "What?" she asked.

"Th…" Sarah tried to talk, but she couldn't stop giggling. "T-That's not how it goes!" she giggled out. "It's 'keep on with the force', then 'don't' repeated twice with the second leading to 'stop', and-" she dissolved into inarticulate giggles again.

"Oh" Marie blushed. "I-I coulda sworn…"

Meanwhile, Erika walked out into the living room, finding the Crusaders waiting for her.

"Better?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Y-Yeah" the filly blushed and smiled. "I'm good. L-Let's keep going."

As the quartet exited the boutique, however, they found someone waiting for them outside: Silver Spoon… with no Diamond Tiara in sight.

"Uh… hi" she said. "I need to talk to you girls."

"What about?" Scootaloo asked with a suspicious tone, eyeing the girl.

Silver Spoon took a deep breath. "Diamond Tiara wasn't always so mean" she said. "When we were really little, she was nice, and kind. But… When she & I were five years old, something happened to her mother. I won't say exactly what, since it's not my place to say. But… ever since then, Diamond's gotten meaner. I've stuck with her because, well, she's my only friend. I try my hardest to keep her from doing anything too bad, but… I guess I'm so desperate to keep her as my friend, that I've let myself become sorta like her. …I'm sorry that I always play along whenever she starts teasing you three."

"Y'mean… You don't have a problem with us?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I don't care one way or another if a pony has their Cutie Mark yet; I just act like I do to stay in DT's good graces. But… I've been getting tired of it – of standing by and listening to her be such a bully. I'd started to think that when her mother left the picture, she took all of Diamond's goodness with her."

She focused on Erika. "But today, I got to see that my pessimistic thought was incorrect. How she treated you showed me that she's not too far gone, that there's still kindness and goodness inside her. And… I was wondering if you girls could help me bring more of it out, get her to let go of her anger and prejudices."

"Are you saying…?" Sweetie Belle said.

"Yes. …Girls, I want your help in turning Diamond Tiara good again."

The Crusaders looked to each other. "That's a pretty tall order" Apple Bloom said.

"I'll help" Erika said, stepping forward.

"I… guess it couldn't hurt to try" Sweetie Belle said.

"…Okay" Apple Bloom said, slightly reluctantly. "What's the worst that could happen?"

The four fillies then looked at Scootaloo.

"…Alright, alright, fine!" the orange pegasus snapped. "I'll help, so stop giving me that look!"

"Thank you" Silver Spoon smiled. "This'll mean a lot."

The Crusader Trio nodded, and then they looked at each other, and drew breath.

"Silver, quick! Cover your ears!" Erika said.

Used to obeying orders, Silver did so, with Erika following suit, just in time for…

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BULLY REFORMERS!-! YAY!-!-!"

Silver was wide-eyed, leaning back after being pushed by the force of the shout, her glasses askew and her mane a bit messed up. Hesitantly, she uncovered her ears and looked at Erika, who nodded.

'What have I gotten myself into?' the silver filly thought.

-SCENE BREAK-

Twilight's House/Library

4:45 PM

Everyone – the Element-bearers, Gamma Team, the Crusaders, and Erika – gathered in the main room, awaiting the message Celestia was going to give them. Teana had a magitech holoscreen up, waiting for Celestia to "pick up" on the other end.

Finally, the screen flickered with static, and a few seconds later stabilized to show Celestia's face.

"An interesting utility spell" she said. "I'll have to learn it."

"What is it that you wanted to tell us, Your Majesty?" Teana said.

Celestia's smile left her. "Travelers… I've discovered something regarding extradimensional travel, and what happens to those who partake in it. You'll no doubt have noticed that, despite the fact that you've been realm-hopping for over a year, Lanstar, you haven't changed in height or body structure? …When somebody travels between the dimensions, their aging process is slowed dramatically… and permanently. Teana… You and your friends, your teammates, your allies, your fellow members of the coalition, now age at a rate of one year for every 300 years that pass."

The Mane Six and the Crusaders reacted with shock… that paled in comparison to the shock that the individuals being addressed felt. Erika and Kaede almost fainted. Teana, now somewhat pale, looked at the Princess' projection.

"What?" she squeaked.

"The change seems to vary depending on the species' lifespan. For instance, one year per 300 is the rate for your species and Ahsoka's, as well as for other races with similar lifespans to humans', like Equestrians. Longer-lived races, like Protoss and Elvaan, have their aging rates merely halved, so they age at one year per two."

"S-So… E-Every person among us who's ever realm-hopped…" Shion said.

"Yes. Every one… including your friends, family, and loved ones, provided they've made the jump from one Realm to another at any point."

The group calmed down a little bit as the fear of vastly outliving their friends and lovers faded away.

"And all it takes to trigger it is a single inter-realm transition?" Teana asked.

"Yes"

"So if we ever want to leave Equestria and go elsewhere to help them…" Rainbow Dash said "we'll get super-slowed aging, too?"

"That's correct."

"I… By Olivie, this is going to take some time to process…" Teana looked a bit frazzled, but she was doing her best to keep calm. "T-Thanks for informing us. …The others need to know about this."

"I've already telepathically informed Master Yen-Sid and a few others; they'll spread the word."

"I… W-We need to discuss things amongst ourselves for a bit. Do you mind, ma'am?"

"Take however much time you need, dear."

"Y-Yeah" Twilight said. "You girls go ahead and get yourselves sorted out."

"Thanks…"

The Traveler Group left, heading out of Twilight's house, and for the peaceful hillside where they'd first arrived. There, they sat and talked for a good long while, staying there long after sunset.

-CHAPTER END-

Yes, this was planned. From pretty much the very start, actually.