Ever wonder what happened in that altenate Equestria High School Uninverse? I did.by Uncle KnotChaptersShining ArmorLast Minute thoughtsSchool Bus Ride A new friendA less than secret crushBring a FriendIs everyone CRAZY?Sincerly, Sunset ShimmerA pale SunsetState InterventionLuna's LectureKidnappingShining ArmorPatrol officer Shining Armor drove his cruiser to the bus stop. He didn’t have a choice; the family car had broken down again. He was worried that he was going to be late. He toyed with the idea of using his flashing lights to get their quickly, but that was an obvious breach of the public trust. Nevertheless, he did arrive just as the bus had started discharging its passengers. Some of them were not too pleased to be greeted by the police. Twilight ran across the street and greeted her brother warmly. They retrieved her bags from the bus. Except for the backpack that Twilight had not removed from her shoulders, for when Shining attempted to put into the trunk of the cruiser, Twilight said “Spike is in there, he travels with me”. “Okay, Twily, but you’ll have to travel in the back. Regulations” “But people will think I’ve been arrested” “Yay, but after they get to know you, anyway let’s get you registered at the High School” “So do a lot criminals ride in the back of this?” “No, except for a drunken driver now and then, you’re my first criminal” Twilight noted that the police radio was on, but the scanner made no sounds. “Anything exciting happening around here?” “Well, the front door of our school collapsed the other night. High school antics at a prom dance, I suppose.” “Great, so I not only have to go to a new school, but one that is falling apart” “Maybe you can find out what really happened for me” “A research paper, I can do that” The cruiser pulled into the school parking lot as the school buses left with their cargos of kids, screaming kids, the kids were pointing and screaming at the police cruiser. They were pointing at Twilight. She didn’t like this. What a horrible humiliation to have the entire school think she was a truant student being brought back to the school by the police. They parked the car in the side parking lot. Shining Armor opened the back door for his sister and walked around the building to the main entrance. Two students were working with trowel, laying bricks rebuilding the entrance. A third student with flaming red hair was mixing mortar in a wheel barrow. Shining Armor took in the scene with his trained eye. At least now he had a suspect for the unusual incident that the school was being mysteriously very quiet about. The big hole in the pathway up to the school had already been refilled by ‘volunteers’ according to Principal Celestia. As Shining and his sister walked down the new pathway, the red haired girl looked up and dropped her trowel into the barrow absently. Shining like the sense of fear his uniform might be inspiring. But he could tell she wasn’t looking at him but at Twilight. “What can I do for you, officer?” she asked The other two students working also paused to stare at Twilight. “Just getting my little sister registered for classes, Miss ?” “Shimmer, Sunset Shimmer, class president, recently promoted to construction worker” “Promoted?” “It is my humble duty to serve my fellow students and my school in whatever capacity is needed, officer” then turning to the other students said “Snip, Snails, don’t let this mortar go to waste. I want to welcome our new student and I know that vice Principal Luna would want me to escort her around.” “Okay, this is my sister Twilight” “Twilight Armor?” asked Sunset reading the name tag on officer Armor’s uniform. “Twilight Sparkle” interrupted Twilight, “I’m his step sister” “Of course you are, Twilight Sparkle. I hope we can be the best of friends” “Well, err, sure” responded Twilight “I look forward to introducing you to the others tomorrow” The three walked down the hallway toward the school offices. Sunset leading the way past the library doors just as a somewhat tired and disheveled adult female exited through the doors. “Good afternoon, Miss Cherrilee” said Sunset “Oh” responded Miss Cherrilee, straitening her hair and putting on a broad smile as she saw the adult male with the two girls “good afternoon Sunset, and officer, err, we haven’t meet before officer Armor” “And this is Twilight Sparkle, you HAVEN’T meet her before” “I haven’t met her before, oh, right, hello Miss Sparkle. I’m Miss Cherrilee, the school librarian and sometimes the elementary and junior high school teacher. Is this an official visit officer Armor?’ “No” interrupted Twilight “he is just getting me registered for classes and then we are going home to have dinner with my sister in law, Cadence, his wife” “Oh” The three resumed their journey down the hallway, this time with Twilight walking furiously beside Sunset, dragging Shining in tow. They entered the main office and were greeted by the smiling faces of Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. Before anyone could speak, Sunset began the introductions; “This is officer Armor and his step sister, Twilight Sparkle and they are here to be registered for classes tomorrow” Luna and Celestia looked at Twilight, then back at each other, then at Sunset, and finally back at Twilight “Luna, will you get the forms? Officer Armor, did you bring a letter of dependency? Oh, good you have it. So Miss Twilight’s parents are going to be in Manila, and she will be staying with you until graduation. So Miss Twilight, I am so glad that Sunset has taken you under her wings. You will be sharing her curriculum for a few days until we can complete your counseling profile. Any questions? No, just remember my door is always open.” Last Minute thoughtsAfter dinner officer Armor had to go out on his shift, so Cadence and Twilight had a chance to catch up. The house was a 16x70 trailer, next door to a Cape Cod house. “That’s our landlady’s house” said Cadence “Madame Zecora, as she likes to be called. She is really very nice, and a bit eccentric. Some of the people in town call her a witch. If you ever come home and I am not here, check with her first before calling Shining.” “Woof, woof” “Do be a dear and don’t let Spike do his business on her lawn. Take him out into the woods behind the trailer. Beyond the woods is Sweet Apple Acres, where the Apple family live. They have been having a tough time. Granny Smith lost her children and now raises the grandchildren. You may meet them at school tomorrow.” “Cadence, you are really showing. When is the baby due?’ “In about 9 weeks, unless it is a primi.” “So I got 9 weeks or less to build myself a social life” “Shining suggested at dinner that you had made a new friend already” “Yeah, I guess so, but Sunset seems a bit, oh I don’t know, like a fascist dictator who runs everything at the school bent on world domination or something.” “All class presidents seem that way. Give her a chance before you send her off to trial in Nuremberg” “I need to take Spike for his walk, and then I think I’ll turn in, goodnight Cadence” “Goodnight Twilight” Out in the woods as the sun was setting, the shadows grew longer every moment. Spike was sniffing all sorts of new scents, too busy to do his business. Twilight was thinking to herself. “You know Spike; everyone at the school seemed to instantly learn my name as soon as it was mentioned. They must have really good memories to do that, unless they’re physic. Yeah, that would be so awesome to read their minds, but what would it be like if they could read mine? Would they know I was lonely? Would they know that I am scared? I have to do extra well in my studies if I want to get a scholarship to City University. Can I do it in this hick school? I wonder if they are Wi-Fi connected. Cadence and my brother can’t really afford internet now. I think I’ll beg dad in my next letter for an allowance that can cover the cost of internet, just so I can keep in touch. Yep, that’s the plan.” School Bus RideAt the bus stop, Twilight meet two other girls. “Howdy, I’m Applejack and this is my sister Apple Bloom” “Hi” “Wow, she …” “Shush now, Apple Bloom, Twilight don’t need to hear some silly song” “But I wasn’t… “ “Excuse me, how do you know my name?” “Lucky guess?” said Apple Bloom “Sunset called me last night, said to look for a new girl, I told Apple Bloom last night as she was drifting off to sleep. I reckon she got a bit confused.” “Oh, so you and Sunset are friends?” “Well, sort off, only recently did we patch up our differences” “What kind of differences?” “Yeah after she turned into a demon, and turned us into zombies, and tried to take over an alternate world where everyone is a pony” piped in Apple Bloom “Yeah, like I’m going to believe that” The school bus arrived and the three of them boarded it. It was the first stop and they were the only ones on the bus, except for the driver. Twilight put her backpack beside her on the bus to block Applejack’s attempt to sit with her. Applejack and Apple Bloom both took their regular seats further back in the bus. At the next stop, more kids climbed aboard. The ages of the kids varied from teenagers in the high school to kindergarteners. They didn’t pay much attention to Twilight other than saying ‘hi’ to the new kid. At one stop, a girl with pink hair got on. She carried her backpack like precious cargo. “If you don’t mind, may I sit there?” Twilight nodded and put her own backpack on her lap. “My name is Fluttershy” “Twilight Sparkle” As the bus pulled into the school yard, Twilight did a quick census of the passengers. The bus was only half full with kids. Disembarking the bus, Twilight noticed that many of the students had walked to the school. A few of high school students had even driven, including a handsome boy, who gave Twilight a big smile from across the parking lot. Twilight hurried into the school. Sunset was waiting for her. “Come along, I’ll show you your locker and then we are off to homeroom” “Okay” Twilight’s locker was in a dark hallway. One of the overhead lights tried to flicker to life, but kept dying. Twilight flung her backpack into the locker and slammed the door. Sunset flinched. “Did I do something wrong?” “No, I was thinking that Fluttershy sometimes smuggles her pets into the school in her backpack. You didn’t do that?’ “Err, no” said Twilight guiltily remembering how she had smuggled Spike into the school yesterday when she registered. In the homeroom class, Twilight learned that Vice Principal Luna was also her homeroom teacher. The school seemed to be a bit short on staff with both Luna and Celestia doing double duty as teachers. Later in the science class, Twilight was able to escape Sunset’s constant presence. Twilight got a fashionista/drama queen for a lab partner. ‘Rarity’, as she introduced herself, was ‘most dismayed’ to be dissecting a frog. She let Twilight do most of the cutting work, while she drew the diagram. Twilight was impressed that Rarity could draw so well. Next was the math class, with a pop quiz. Find the square root of 526. Twilight got the answer faster than Sunset, but Applejack seemed to be having problems. As the new star pupil, Twilight got ‘roaming assistant’ duty to help the slower students. So while helping Applejack, who didn’t seem to know the difference between a quotient and a derivative, Twilight began pumping questions; “If 5X=Y then Y/5 is = to? That’s an easy one.” “1?” “Let’s try this with something you know.” “I know apples” “If you put 5 apples in a pie, then 1/5th of a pie is how many apples?” “1” “Right, so does everyone in the school know I’m new?” “Yup” “And if you had 25 apples, how many pies could you make?” “5” “And did Sunset tell them all about me?” “Nope” “And if you had 5 pies, how many apples would you need?” “125” “And Sunset runs the school?” “Not anymore” “So who does?” “The mane six do, sugar cube” “Did you say the main six?” “Yup” “And if you had 100 apples, how many pies would you make?” “20” “So who are these main six?’ “We were kinda’of hoping to surprise you at lunch” “Wait, what, you’re one of them?” “Yup” “Oh, I didn’t mean… “ “To imply we are keeping a really big secret from you?” Interrupted Sunset “Well, it seems that way” “When you’re ready to join us, we’ll be waiting” A new friendA new friend In the lunch room, Twilight looked over the crowd of high school students, noting that the entire high school class ate together, while the elementary and jr. high ate in different time periods. This was a far cry from her old city high school, where the seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen had their own separate lunch periods. Being used to cliques, Twilight recognized the ecokids, fashionestas, jocks, geeks, and other groups. Yet these group boundaries seemed to be breaking down. Fluttershy and Rarity were sitting with Applejack and Sunset. A very butch style jock was also with them and what seemed to be a class clown joined them. Wait, an epiphany struck Twilight. Could they be the main six? The ‘clown’ waved to Twilight to come join them. Twilight was frightened. Who were they? They were breaking all the rules by sitting together. What kind of power did they possess? They seemed friendly, but Twilight had the feeling they were keeping a terrible secret. She was sure it had something to do with the recent incident. She needed to think about this, make a plan before diving in. Twilight looked for another table, realizing that the ‘clown’ seemed particularly upset. In the far corner, a girl was sitting by herself playing with a deck of cards. Twilight would join her; it would give Twilight time to think. “You’re the new girl” “Yeah, I bet you already know my name?” “The Great & Powerful Trixie never bothers with knowing names. Would you like to see a magic trick?” “Sure” “Pick a card” A less than secret crushFor the rest of the week, Trixie and Twilight spent as much time together as they could. Trixie even began teaching Twilight some of her magic tricks. Twilight showed Trixie that she was good at learning. Twilight learned that the ‘jock’ was captain of almost all the sports teams. Her name was Rainbow Dash, captain of the Mustangs (girls basketball), the Mavericks (girls soccer), the Thoroughbreds (girls Lacrosse), and the Broncos (girls baseball). One day in gym class, Rainbow challenged Twilight to a one on one soccer match, and if Twilight lost, she would join them (the six) for lunch. Twilight declined. Twilight also learned who the ‘clown’ was. Her name was Pinky Pie. She was in charge of all the social events at the school. Everyone liked her. She was so bubbly; it became difficult to keep her distant. Fluttershy sat on the bus next to Twilight every day. They didn’t talk much. Applejack started sitting across the aisle and talking with Fluttershy. Twilight tried not to listen and concentrated on the world outside the window. Still, Twilight did listen enough to find out whom that ‘boy’ was. Flash Sentry, guitar player and Sunset’s ex-boyfriend. Rumor (according to Fluttershy & Applejack) was that he might have a crush on Twilight. She pretended not to care. Bring a FriendTaking her book bag back to her room, Twilight joined Cadence and Shining at the kitchen nook. “I think I know what happened at the school, last weekend” “So?” said Shining “I can’t tell you yet, I have to go over to the farm and meet up with the main six” “Okay, but be careful, and bring a friend” “Oh, yeah, I can bring Spike” “Yes, you can bring Spike, but I was thinking of another friend” Is everyone CRAZY?Several phone calls later; Flash Sentry stopped his car in front of the blue house. Trixie came out, looked over his car approvingly and climbed in. They drove out to the fringe of town, down the country road, until they came to the Cape Cod house and trailer. Twilight was waiting outside with Spike. Flash was quick to get out of the car and flash his best smile at Twilight. He was also quick to jump back into the car, as Shining Armor in uniform came outside. The car speed off. Trixie and Twilight greeted each other, waved goodbye to Shining and walked off into the woods. As they crossed the fence line, the farm lay before them. The hills were covered with grain. Beyond the grain fields were the apple orchard and the reason for the farm’s name. Twilight and Trixie didn’t know what to expect as they approached the barn. The doors were wide open, but it seemed dark inside. Where were the others? “Grrr” “Surprise” went the chorus “Surprise” went Pinky Pie “Oh, darn I’m late again” It was a great party, cupcakes and cake, apple cider and soda, streamers and balloons. Applejack played her fiddle. At last, as time slipped by and the evening sun began to set, twilight’s purple haze painted the sky. “Okay, I’m here, and I had a great time, but I want to know” “What do you want to know, sugar cube?” “Why is everyone in this town CRAZY?” “Well, that’s kinda hard to explain” “Let me do it” said Sunset Shimmer. “It all started several years ago when my mentor and teacher, Princess Celestia took me under her wing” “You mean Principal Celestia?” “No Twilight, I mean Princess Celestia. In an alternate dimension, she is a princess. She taught me my magic.” “Magic, you’re talking science fiction Sunset” “Yes, Trixie, it isn’t like you’re magic. I really am from another dimension. Another dimension where magic is real and I was a unicorn.” “So why did you come here?” “Oh, I wanted something. I wanted more than what I had, but I didn’t know what it was. I thought it was power, but when Princess Celestia said no, I rebelled and came here.” “So this Princess Celestia is a unicorn too?” “No, she is more than that. She is an alicorn, something more than a unicorn and a pegasus combined. She raises the sun for the day and the moon for the night with her magic.” “She sounds like a god” “In a way she is. She has ruled Equestria, the land where I am from, for 1000 years” “She is Immortal?” “Not exactly, as long as the ponies believe she is, she will be” “Ponies?” “The land of Equestria is inhabited by earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, as well as other creatures” “Sounds fantastic, why would you leave than to come here?” “I didn’t know what I wanted till I got here” “You wanted power?” “I thought I did, until I meet you” “Me?” “Yes, you, or at least the other you from my dimension” “The other me?” “She came into this world to retrieve something I had stolen” “What did you steal?” “Her crown, I had returned to Equestria and traded the prom crown for hers. She followed me back here to get it back, and she did” “That is where we come in, sugar cube” “In the other dimension” interrupted Pinky “Our other selves were her friends” interrupted Rainbow Dash “And we helped her get the crown back” interrupted Rarity “And Spike can talk” said Fluttershy “So this other me has a crown? Wait, what? Spike can talk?” “He told us he is a fire breathing dragon in that other dimension” “What were you really seeking Sunset?” “Friendship, friends like you have there, friends like you could have here” “So for each of us in this dimension, there is another, there?” “Basically, yes?” “Another Trixie?” “I suppose, but I never met her” answered Sunset “So where is the Sunset Shimmer from this dimension?” asked Twilight “Missing” stated Sunset “Missing?” asked Twilight “When I came to this dimension, I fit in so well, I didn’t realize the Sunset from this dimension was missing” “Did you think to report her missing to the police?” “I couldn’t do that; they would lock me up as a looney” “Do you think she went to Equestria, like you came here?” “When the doorway between dimensions is open, travel is possible either way” “Dun, dun, dun” interjected Rainbow Dash. “We are going to have to go there to look for her” Sincerly, Sunset ShimmerDear Mom & Dad, I am fine, I miss you, but I’ve been on the greatest adventure. It all started about 3 years ago or as the locals say “30 moons”. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch, but there really wasn’t any way to contract you before. It all started when I was at the new school and examining that horse statue out front one day after school. That’s when I found the doorway. I’m sorry Dad, I know how much you like science fiction, but the doorway is just that. I had no reason to believe it would remain open so I just went through. And suddenly, I was some place very strange. I was very strange, I had been transformed into some type of horse, and Dad, you are going to love this; I had a horn growing out of my forehead. And I can do magic with it! Magic is sort of like when you’re dreaming (and you know that you are dreaming) and moving stuff with your hands. Well it is sort of like that. I had to learn to think outside my head to do it. The unicorn’s horn acts as a focal point. That’s the best explanation I have, but the really wild thing is that everyone, no I mean every pony here uses magic. They just don’t seem to notice it. Can you imagine me using my two front hooves to eat with a fork and knife or button my shirt, unless there was some type of magic at play? All the people, I mean ponies, here do it, and it took me a while and a lot of practice to do it myself. In fact, I’m writing this letter using my hoof and not magic as some unicorns become so dependent on. But the really amazing part is not that there are dragons, and manticores here, but I got a job, more than a job; a career. I work for the E&E (eyes & ears) of Equestria (also referred to as the ‘3Es’). Yes, Dad, I’m a secret agent. Specifically assign to be watchful for others who cross over into this dimension. After all, I have the most experience with that. Dad, I know how you enjoyed the X-files, so I guess I’m kind of like that Fox Mulder guy. I get to go around Equestria investigating all the bizarre happenings, and in this world of magic, some things are really bizarre. I’m writing this letter now, because I learned that the doorway between our worlds will reopen soon and I know you are going to have a lot of questions so I thought that the first thing I would do after I come through the doorway would be to post a letter. You see, I love you both, Mom and Dad, but I got a life here and I like it. I don’t want to come home. I don’t want you to try to keep me from coming back here. I want to stay here and learn more magic, have more exciting adventures, and make more friends. Now let me answer a question you might be asking. No, there isn’t a special boy/colt here or anything. There was, but we broke up. His name was Flash Sentry, he works with the royal guard, and we had to work together on special assignment in the Crystal Empire (it is actually part of Equestria). To answer your next question, after I had completed my assignment with Mr. Yew (he is one of the 4 stars – they run the E&E) in Manehatten, I got the job of watching for the return of “It”. Let me explain, ‘it’ is the Crystal Empire, and it was magically sealed away. The E&E had the duty of watching for its return. They had discovered that there was magic associated with the name ‘Crystal Empire’, and that with use would deteriorate the memory of those who did use it, so every pony was instructed to refer to ‘it’ as ‘it’. But I know this has nothing to do with Flash Sentry, so yeah, Mom, I still like him. However, rumor has it that one of the Princesses (they run everything, including the sun and moon) has intentions to ‘use’ him. Poor fellow, there is something of a role reversal here for the colts and mares. Oh, about the Princesses, when I first arrived here, there was only one. Princess Celestia; she is really smart and wise (and really old). Well, after I was released from jail (yeah Dad, the first thing that happened to me was I got arrested by the palace guard). And no Mom, it is not part of my permanent record. It seems the charges were dropped, some type of mistaken identity. So once, I had explained myself to the local constables, I was introduced to Professor Sump, Captain Shining Armor, and Lt. O’Neigh. The captain wanted to send me back, but Prof Sump explained that the doorway only opens once every 30 moons. It was Lt. O’Neigh (he doesn’t always sound Irish – only when he gets excited or mad) who realized that I had a unique perspective on inter-dimensional travel and would be better able to spot others. My next assignment was very boring, but that’s part of the duty of an E&E agent; watching the moon on the night before the longest day. Wow, I didn’t know how pervasive magic was here until then. It is everywhere. Nightmare Moon had spent 1000 years trapped inside the moon, and the moon reflected that. That is when the four stars converged upon the moon and released her. I didn’t understand why the E&E was releasing Nightmare Moon, but it turned out great. Nightmare Moon was freed to terrorize us with the threat of eternal night, then defeated, and unmasked to restore Princess Luna; the sister of Princess of Celestia. Now we had 2 princesses to govern. It was kind of funny or strange, the E&E didn’t seem very happy about what had happened. However, they gave me the job of briefing Princess Luna on their activities and duties. She was glad to hear that her sister had such good and generous shadowy assistants. Princess Luna was a bit imposing, but I adjusted well to her use of the ancient language and REALLY LOUD VOCABULLARY. She sounded like she was stuck in a Shakespearian play, feeling guilty for all the trouble she had caused, and sorry for herself about all the time she had lost. That was when I learned she hadn’t lost the time; she had really lost the time to be with her sister, and only now understood how important that could be. Dear Mom and Dad, I want to thank you for the time you spent with me, especially for all the time you invested in me. I don’t know how to truly thank you; I only hope I can make you happy about what I am doing here. I am doing my best, but sometimes I make a mistake. The biggest mistake was an incident involving the 3rd Princess. I started asking myself why Captain Shining Armor had been so eager to send me back to my world. I reasoned that he was afraid of his feelings for me. When I confronted him about it, some other Pegasus got in the way. Seems she also wanted to ‘confess’ her affection for him, and well things didn’t go my way. I can’t really say that is how she became a Princess, but that is what she did. So as a result of my interruption, Princess Mia Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor are getting married. And to add insult to my injury, the E&E have directed me to try to postpone the wedding. So as the wedding was going to happen in Canterlot, I made up some type of threat that I shared with Shining Armor. He was unhappy about the vagueness of the threat, so I asked the E&E what to do about that. They told me to quit the assignment and that they would send a special agent to deal with it. I don’t think any pony was very happy about the results, apparently their special agent tried to attempt a coup d’état. Plus, what seemed to put them in a very bad mood, none of the four stars could get there for the wedding. Still it all seems to work out I just have to keep reminding my bosses that this wonderful place is full of possibilities. We also recruited some others to join the E&E. My first new recruit was a griffon. Yes Mom, a griffon, part eagle, part lion, and all attitudes. She was a bit annoying with her constant reference to every pony being a ‘dude’. I came to realize she was just trying to over compensate for her insecurities. I settled this when I told her (in my best mobster voice) “Once you’re in the E&E, we will never let you go”. She was scared, but she was also happy to feel like she was part of something special. That is kind of how I feel; I am part of something special here. One of the ‘old timers’ in the E&E just retired. I helped him out in Baltimare (sic) on one of his assignments. He was kind of gruff, a no nonsense kind of donkey (as in Cranky D. Donkey), like the type of detective in Mom’s mystery books. Hi Mom, it is no secret to anyone or any pony that you have a crush on Humphrey Bogart. How often did you make me watch The Maltese Falcon or Dead Reckoning? And do I even need to mention the Casablanca film festivals? Our newest recruit got kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy (our premiere aerobatic flying pegasus group) for being too “reckless”. She is as good at flying as I hope to be at magic. I call her ‘Dusty’, but her name is Lightning Dust. It may take me awhile to get her broken in to the duties of being an agent in the E&E, but I’m hopeful. I like her, and she makes a good foil for all of (Gilda) the griffon’s comments about lameness. I have told you all their names so if you get really careless, and want to check up on me by visiting Equestria you will know who to contact in order to find me. My assignments take me all over the place so I can’t predict where I will be if you come here. Like I could pretend not to know that both of you might come here. In addition, to my immediate bosses (Professor Sump [white unicorn at the magic academy in Canterlot], Lt O’Neigh [red night-wing pegasus in Canterlot] with the royal guard, and Mr. Yew [black pegasus] banker of some type in Manehatten) there is the shadowy Uncle Knot “pale” or brown earth pony. Sincerely, your loving daughter, Sunset Shimmer A pale SunsetThe next day at school in homeroom, Sunset Shimmer looked as pale as a ghost. Twilight spotted her unusual appearance first. “What’s wrong?” “Good morning Twilight, we need to talk” “Okay” “NO, I mean ALL of us” Some of the color returned to Sunset. And the rest of the morning went as expected until they all sat down at the lunch table. ‘All’ meant Sunset, Twilight, Applejack, Trixie, Snips, Rarity, Flash, Fluttershy, Snails, Pinky, and Rainbow. As they took over Trixie’s old self-imposed isolationist table, the rest of the cafeteria also seemed to be paying close attention. Lyra came over and offered her sign language skills, if they wanted to share with everyone in the lunch room. They didn’t but thanked her anyway. “I have an announcement to make” announced Sunset “My parents got a letter, from me” “Hugh?” “The other me in the other dimension” Sunset let the words sink in before continuing “my parents were very upset and confronted me about it” “I tried explaining it was part of an English literary fiction exercise, but they didn’t go for it. They said it was too real, for example why had I posted it in the mail? And why was it delivered postage due? Hadn’t I just weeks ago been complaining about the new postal rates? Surely I was well aware of the new rates? So them they asked me to quote what I had written as proof that it was mine. “I didn’t know what to say so I started talking about the world of Equestria. At least that fit the letter, but they wanted more details, details I didn’t know about” “They are not really your parents, sugar cube” “I know, but that doesn’t change how I feel about them. You don’t understand, the reason I want to be in this world instead of Equestria, the real reason isn’t about taking over the world. It’s because in this world, I have parents” “Oh, Sunset” “I was an orphan foal in that world; my magic brought me a lot of attention. Unwanted attention.” “Oh, dear” “Do you mean creepy pedophiles?” “Pedophiles no, but creepy in that other way” “Other way?” “You know how some people look really dangerous?” “Yeah” “But not cool, just real creepy, like they eat the monsters that hid under beds and eat the bumps in the night for snacks” “Yeah, we know” “No, you don’t, in Equestria there really are those who eat the monsters and bumps. Remember it is a world of magic.” “Oh” “They got me a scholarship to the magic academy in Canterlot. That is where I meet Princess Celestia. She became my mentor and my teacher, but I wanted more. Stuff between us went sour, and when I found out about the doorway here, I just had to come. And life was so wonderful, when I got here, my parents, I mean her parents, took me in like I, I mean ‘she’ hadn’t even been away. “Oh, Sunset we are so sorry” said Twilight “my parents sent me here, because I couldn’t go with them. I miss them so much. I can imagine how wonderful it is for you to have them now, and we’ll do everything to get them back for you.” State InterventionThe state vehicle pulled into the school yard. The driver – Miss Harsh Whiny – was already annoyed at the relatively long drive out to this school from the state capital. Her assistant sitting next to her in the passenger seat – Miss Coco Pommel – reviewed out loud all the key factors regarding this ‘incident’. As deputy director of the state department of education, Miss Whiny had been acting as her own boss for as long as she could remember. Her ‘boss’, the director was always a political appointment chosen by the state legislature. Whoever got that job would either be a complete doofuss she could ignore or smart enough to differ to her experience. Miss Whiny liked being in the driver’s seat, she liked being in control. Her first stop was the school office where she was greeted by Principal Celestia. Miss Harsh Whiny explained that she was just here on a friendly visit at the suggestion of the local school board. Principal Celestia reluctantly agreed that she could meet with the ‘vocational eager beavers’ involved with the reconstruction. Celestia ushered Miss Whiny and Miss Pommel into Vice Principal Luna’s office. There Miss Whiny dropped her friendly façade and started explaining how using Sunset Shimmer and her friends to do the reconstruction work were against the law and several child labor ordnances. In addition, Miss Whiny pointed out that all school construction had to be done by a ‘licensed contractor’. And finally Miss Whiny was not at all convinced that Sunset and her friends had any intention of pursuing a vocational trade in stone & mortar. Sunset Shimmer responded, “First that the ‘work’ involved was actually an artistic expression of the students to beautify the school and did not involve ‘quid pro quo’ or pay and therefore was exempted by state worker regulations. Secondly, we are indeed being supervised by a licensed contractor (Snail’s dad). And thirdly, that while doing stone & mortar work might not be our chosen profession, it does strengthen our team work skills and partnerships, two useful talents that will help us in our future endeavors” “Well said Miss Shimmer” said Harsh Whiny “but it still doesn’t explain how this happened. We must bring in a state building inspector and certify that the entire school is sound. We may have to close the school while we do this.” The room grew very quiet. “Would this have anything to do with the dimensional doorway in the base of the statue?” asked Miss Pommel “YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!” exclaimed Sunset, Twilight and several others “Does that mean ‘yes’?” asked Coco Pommel “Well, yes” “Very well” said Miss Harsh Whiny “a state building inspector will not be needed. Thank you for your cooperation in this investigation. We understand how these cross dimensional gateways can produce collateral damage." Luna's LectureInside Vice Principal Luna’s office, she toyed with the window blind while trying to regain her composure. Sunset, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Trixie, Rarity, Pinky Pie and Rainbow Dash stood quietly hoping to avoid another of Luna’s loud outbursts about the ridiculous fury of something. “Do you know why you’re here?” No one responded. “Let me tell you, while I am delighted with the improvement in attitude of Sunset Shimmer and the great friendship you all seem to have found together, breaking out in song should be the exception not the rule. Last week’s disruption can be accredited to gathering votes for the fall formal, but today is one song too many” “We’re sorry” “And?” prompted Vice Principal Luna “We’re real sorry” echoed Fluttershy “No, you are missing the point” said Luna “We took an oath to keep our knowledge of the dimensional doorway a secret. Breaking out into spontaneous song and dance is NOT keeping away attention. The school board has been most interested in the unusual events we have had lately. In addition, not a day goes by where I don’t get a phone call from some news journal about our tower of light, damage to our building and space aliens invading. But now… KidnappingOn Friday, the bus ride home from school seemed a bit odd to Twilight. Not only were Applejack, Apple Bloom and Fluttershy aboard, but so were Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinky Pie. So also were two other younger girls, which Twilight hadn’t met before; Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell. They were having a sleep over at the barn. Clearly Rarity was a bit put off by the thought of sleeping in a hay loft. “Now Darling, with this weekend being so important, I can’t really see myself roughing it” “Well, sugar cube, it our chance to let our hair down, tell some stories, and have some fun.” “Hey Twilight” said Sunset “why not join us?” “I got homework to do” “Homework?” interrupted Rainbow Dash “Sunset says you’re tops in most of your classes” “And I stay ‘tops’ in my classes by doing extra homework” “But you’re our friend; you were so awesome, at the prom” “I wasn’t at the prom” “Silly Dashie, this Twilight wasn’t at the prom” “Wait, what? What prom? And what do you mean ‘this Twilight’?” “It was a wild night and if you want to hear about it, come out to the barn” said Sunset “I don’t know” “Well we just going to have to kidnap you” said Pinky Pie “and feed you cupcakes” “Kidnap me? You won’t let that happen, Fluttershy?” “Well, if you don’t mind, I think it would be great to kidnap you.” “WHAT?” “Easy there sugar cube, there will be no kidnapping involving my farm” “That’s right” commanded Sunset “When and if Twilight wants to join us she will be welcomed, not dragged off a school bus. Right Pinky? Right Dash?” “Okay” said Rainbow Dash “No, I want the old Twilight back” said Pinky “I miss her so much” “Okay, Pinky” said Twilight “If it’s that important to you, I think I can spare some time to come over to the farm and hear the story about the other me” “Yeah” said the chorus “But I need to check home first”
Shining ArmorPatrol officer Shining Armor drove his cruiser to the bus stop. He didn’t have a choice; the family car had broken down again. He was worried that he was going to be late. He toyed with the idea of using his flashing lights to get their quickly, but that was an obvious breach of the public trust. Nevertheless, he did arrive just as the bus had started discharging its passengers. Some of them were not too pleased to be greeted by the police. Twilight ran across the street and greeted her brother warmly. They retrieved her bags from the bus. Except for the backpack that Twilight had not removed from her shoulders, for when Shining attempted to put into the trunk of the cruiser, Twilight said “Spike is in there, he travels with me”. “Okay, Twily, but you’ll have to travel in the back. Regulations” “But people will think I’ve been arrested” “Yay, but after they get to know you, anyway let’s get you registered at the High School” “So do a lot criminals ride in the back of this?” “No, except for a drunken driver now and then, you’re my first criminal” Twilight noted that the police radio was on, but the scanner made no sounds. “Anything exciting happening around here?” “Well, the front door of our school collapsed the other night. High school antics at a prom dance, I suppose.” “Great, so I not only have to go to a new school, but one that is falling apart” “Maybe you can find out what really happened for me” “A research paper, I can do that” The cruiser pulled into the school parking lot as the school buses left with their cargos of kids, screaming kids, the kids were pointing and screaming at the police cruiser. They were pointing at Twilight. She didn’t like this. What a horrible humiliation to have the entire school think she was a truant student being brought back to the school by the police. They parked the car in the side parking lot. Shining Armor opened the back door for his sister and walked around the building to the main entrance. Two students were working with trowel, laying bricks rebuilding the entrance. A third student with flaming red hair was mixing mortar in a wheel barrow. Shining Armor took in the scene with his trained eye. At least now he had a suspect for the unusual incident that the school was being mysteriously very quiet about. The big hole in the pathway up to the school had already been refilled by ‘volunteers’ according to Principal Celestia. As Shining and his sister walked down the new pathway, the red haired girl looked up and dropped her trowel into the barrow absently. Shining like the sense of fear his uniform might be inspiring. But he could tell she wasn’t looking at him but at Twilight. “What can I do for you, officer?” she asked The other two students working also paused to stare at Twilight. “Just getting my little sister registered for classes, Miss ?” “Shimmer, Sunset Shimmer, class president, recently promoted to construction worker” “Promoted?” “It is my humble duty to serve my fellow students and my school in whatever capacity is needed, officer” then turning to the other students said “Snip, Snails, don’t let this mortar go to waste. I want to welcome our new student and I know that vice Principal Luna would want me to escort her around.” “Okay, this is my sister Twilight” “Twilight Armor?” asked Sunset reading the name tag on officer Armor’s uniform. “Twilight Sparkle” interrupted Twilight, “I’m his step sister” “Of course you are, Twilight Sparkle. I hope we can be the best of friends” “Well, err, sure” responded Twilight “I look forward to introducing you to the others tomorrow” The three walked down the hallway toward the school offices. Sunset leading the way past the library doors just as a somewhat tired and disheveled adult female exited through the doors. “Good afternoon, Miss Cherrilee” said Sunset “Oh” responded Miss Cherrilee, straitening her hair and putting on a broad smile as she saw the adult male with the two girls “good afternoon Sunset, and officer, err, we haven’t meet before officer Armor” “And this is Twilight Sparkle, you HAVEN’T meet her before” “I haven’t met her before, oh, right, hello Miss Sparkle. I’m Miss Cherrilee, the school librarian and sometimes the elementary and junior high school teacher. Is this an official visit officer Armor?’ “No” interrupted Twilight “he is just getting me registered for classes and then we are going home to have dinner with my sister in law, Cadence, his wife” “Oh” The three resumed their journey down the hallway, this time with Twilight walking furiously beside Sunset, dragging Shining in tow. They entered the main office and were greeted by the smiling faces of Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. Before anyone could speak, Sunset began the introductions; “This is officer Armor and his step sister, Twilight Sparkle and they are here to be registered for classes tomorrow” Luna and Celestia looked at Twilight, then back at each other, then at Sunset, and finally back at Twilight “Luna, will you get the forms? Officer Armor, did you bring a letter of dependency? Oh, good you have it. So Miss Twilight’s parents are going to be in Manila, and she will be staying with you until graduation. So Miss Twilight, I am so glad that Sunset has taken you under her wings. You will be sharing her curriculum for a few days until we can complete your counseling profile. Any questions? No, just remember my door is always open.”
Last Minute thoughtsAfter dinner officer Armor had to go out on his shift, so Cadence and Twilight had a chance to catch up. The house was a 16x70 trailer, next door to a Cape Cod house. “That’s our landlady’s house” said Cadence “Madame Zecora, as she likes to be called. She is really very nice, and a bit eccentric. Some of the people in town call her a witch. If you ever come home and I am not here, check with her first before calling Shining.” “Woof, woof” “Do be a dear and don’t let Spike do his business on her lawn. Take him out into the woods behind the trailer. Beyond the woods is Sweet Apple Acres, where the Apple family live. They have been having a tough time. Granny Smith lost her children and now raises the grandchildren. You may meet them at school tomorrow.” “Cadence, you are really showing. When is the baby due?’ “In about 9 weeks, unless it is a primi.” “So I got 9 weeks or less to build myself a social life” “Shining suggested at dinner that you had made a new friend already” “Yeah, I guess so, but Sunset seems a bit, oh I don’t know, like a fascist dictator who runs everything at the school bent on world domination or something.” “All class presidents seem that way. Give her a chance before you send her off to trial in Nuremberg” “I need to take Spike for his walk, and then I think I’ll turn in, goodnight Cadence” “Goodnight Twilight” Out in the woods as the sun was setting, the shadows grew longer every moment. Spike was sniffing all sorts of new scents, too busy to do his business. Twilight was thinking to herself. “You know Spike; everyone at the school seemed to instantly learn my name as soon as it was mentioned. They must have really good memories to do that, unless they’re physic. Yeah, that would be so awesome to read their minds, but what would it be like if they could read mine? Would they know I was lonely? Would they know that I am scared? I have to do extra well in my studies if I want to get a scholarship to City University. Can I do it in this hick school? I wonder if they are Wi-Fi connected. Cadence and my brother can’t really afford internet now. I think I’ll beg dad in my next letter for an allowance that can cover the cost of internet, just so I can keep in touch. Yep, that’s the plan.”
School Bus RideAt the bus stop, Twilight meet two other girls. “Howdy, I’m Applejack and this is my sister Apple Bloom” “Hi” “Wow, she …” “Shush now, Apple Bloom, Twilight don’t need to hear some silly song” “But I wasn’t… “ “Excuse me, how do you know my name?” “Lucky guess?” said Apple Bloom “Sunset called me last night, said to look for a new girl, I told Apple Bloom last night as she was drifting off to sleep. I reckon she got a bit confused.” “Oh, so you and Sunset are friends?” “Well, sort off, only recently did we patch up our differences” “What kind of differences?” “Yeah after she turned into a demon, and turned us into zombies, and tried to take over an alternate world where everyone is a pony” piped in Apple Bloom “Yeah, like I’m going to believe that” The school bus arrived and the three of them boarded it. It was the first stop and they were the only ones on the bus, except for the driver. Twilight put her backpack beside her on the bus to block Applejack’s attempt to sit with her. Applejack and Apple Bloom both took their regular seats further back in the bus. At the next stop, more kids climbed aboard. The ages of the kids varied from teenagers in the high school to kindergarteners. They didn’t pay much attention to Twilight other than saying ‘hi’ to the new kid. At one stop, a girl with pink hair got on. She carried her backpack like precious cargo. “If you don’t mind, may I sit there?” Twilight nodded and put her own backpack on her lap. “My name is Fluttershy” “Twilight Sparkle” As the bus pulled into the school yard, Twilight did a quick census of the passengers. The bus was only half full with kids. Disembarking the bus, Twilight noticed that many of the students had walked to the school. A few of high school students had even driven, including a handsome boy, who gave Twilight a big smile from across the parking lot. Twilight hurried into the school. Sunset was waiting for her. “Come along, I’ll show you your locker and then we are off to homeroom” “Okay” Twilight’s locker was in a dark hallway. One of the overhead lights tried to flicker to life, but kept dying. Twilight flung her backpack into the locker and slammed the door. Sunset flinched. “Did I do something wrong?” “No, I was thinking that Fluttershy sometimes smuggles her pets into the school in her backpack. You didn’t do that?’ “Err, no” said Twilight guiltily remembering how she had smuggled Spike into the school yesterday when she registered. In the homeroom class, Twilight learned that Vice Principal Luna was also her homeroom teacher. The school seemed to be a bit short on staff with both Luna and Celestia doing double duty as teachers. Later in the science class, Twilight was able to escape Sunset’s constant presence. Twilight got a fashionista/drama queen for a lab partner. ‘Rarity’, as she introduced herself, was ‘most dismayed’ to be dissecting a frog. She let Twilight do most of the cutting work, while she drew the diagram. Twilight was impressed that Rarity could draw so well. Next was the math class, with a pop quiz. Find the square root of 526. Twilight got the answer faster than Sunset, but Applejack seemed to be having problems. As the new star pupil, Twilight got ‘roaming assistant’ duty to help the slower students. So while helping Applejack, who didn’t seem to know the difference between a quotient and a derivative, Twilight began pumping questions; “If 5X=Y then Y/5 is = to? That’s an easy one.” “1?” “Let’s try this with something you know.” “I know apples” “If you put 5 apples in a pie, then 1/5th of a pie is how many apples?” “1” “Right, so does everyone in the school know I’m new?” “Yup” “And if you had 25 apples, how many pies could you make?” “5” “And did Sunset tell them all about me?” “Nope” “And if you had 5 pies, how many apples would you need?” “125” “And Sunset runs the school?” “Not anymore” “So who does?” “The mane six do, sugar cube” “Did you say the main six?” “Yup” “And if you had 100 apples, how many pies would you make?” “20” “So who are these main six?’ “We were kinda’of hoping to surprise you at lunch” “Wait, what, you’re one of them?” “Yup” “Oh, I didn’t mean… “ “To imply we are keeping a really big secret from you?” Interrupted Sunset “Well, it seems that way” “When you’re ready to join us, we’ll be waiting”
A new friendA new friend In the lunch room, Twilight looked over the crowd of high school students, noting that the entire high school class ate together, while the elementary and jr. high ate in different time periods. This was a far cry from her old city high school, where the seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen had their own separate lunch periods. Being used to cliques, Twilight recognized the ecokids, fashionestas, jocks, geeks, and other groups. Yet these group boundaries seemed to be breaking down. Fluttershy and Rarity were sitting with Applejack and Sunset. A very butch style jock was also with them and what seemed to be a class clown joined them. Wait, an epiphany struck Twilight. Could they be the main six? The ‘clown’ waved to Twilight to come join them. Twilight was frightened. Who were they? They were breaking all the rules by sitting together. What kind of power did they possess? They seemed friendly, but Twilight had the feeling they were keeping a terrible secret. She was sure it had something to do with the recent incident. She needed to think about this, make a plan before diving in. Twilight looked for another table, realizing that the ‘clown’ seemed particularly upset. In the far corner, a girl was sitting by herself playing with a deck of cards. Twilight would join her; it would give Twilight time to think. “You’re the new girl” “Yeah, I bet you already know my name?” “The Great & Powerful Trixie never bothers with knowing names. Would you like to see a magic trick?” “Sure” “Pick a card”
A less than secret crushFor the rest of the week, Trixie and Twilight spent as much time together as they could. Trixie even began teaching Twilight some of her magic tricks. Twilight showed Trixie that she was good at learning. Twilight learned that the ‘jock’ was captain of almost all the sports teams. Her name was Rainbow Dash, captain of the Mustangs (girls basketball), the Mavericks (girls soccer), the Thoroughbreds (girls Lacrosse), and the Broncos (girls baseball). One day in gym class, Rainbow challenged Twilight to a one on one soccer match, and if Twilight lost, she would join them (the six) for lunch. Twilight declined. Twilight also learned who the ‘clown’ was. Her name was Pinky Pie. She was in charge of all the social events at the school. Everyone liked her. She was so bubbly; it became difficult to keep her distant. Fluttershy sat on the bus next to Twilight every day. They didn’t talk much. Applejack started sitting across the aisle and talking with Fluttershy. Twilight tried not to listen and concentrated on the world outside the window. Still, Twilight did listen enough to find out whom that ‘boy’ was. Flash Sentry, guitar player and Sunset’s ex-boyfriend. Rumor (according to Fluttershy & Applejack) was that he might have a crush on Twilight. She pretended not to care.
Bring a FriendTaking her book bag back to her room, Twilight joined Cadence and Shining at the kitchen nook. “I think I know what happened at the school, last weekend” “So?” said Shining “I can’t tell you yet, I have to go over to the farm and meet up with the main six” “Okay, but be careful, and bring a friend” “Oh, yeah, I can bring Spike” “Yes, you can bring Spike, but I was thinking of another friend”
Is everyone CRAZY?Several phone calls later; Flash Sentry stopped his car in front of the blue house. Trixie came out, looked over his car approvingly and climbed in. They drove out to the fringe of town, down the country road, until they came to the Cape Cod house and trailer. Twilight was waiting outside with Spike. Flash was quick to get out of the car and flash his best smile at Twilight. He was also quick to jump back into the car, as Shining Armor in uniform came outside. The car speed off. Trixie and Twilight greeted each other, waved goodbye to Shining and walked off into the woods. As they crossed the fence line, the farm lay before them. The hills were covered with grain. Beyond the grain fields were the apple orchard and the reason for the farm’s name. Twilight and Trixie didn’t know what to expect as they approached the barn. The doors were wide open, but it seemed dark inside. Where were the others? “Grrr” “Surprise” went the chorus “Surprise” went Pinky Pie “Oh, darn I’m late again” It was a great party, cupcakes and cake, apple cider and soda, streamers and balloons. Applejack played her fiddle. At last, as time slipped by and the evening sun began to set, twilight’s purple haze painted the sky. “Okay, I’m here, and I had a great time, but I want to know” “What do you want to know, sugar cube?” “Why is everyone in this town CRAZY?” “Well, that’s kinda hard to explain” “Let me do it” said Sunset Shimmer. “It all started several years ago when my mentor and teacher, Princess Celestia took me under her wing” “You mean Principal Celestia?” “No Twilight, I mean Princess Celestia. In an alternate dimension, she is a princess. She taught me my magic.” “Magic, you’re talking science fiction Sunset” “Yes, Trixie, it isn’t like you’re magic. I really am from another dimension. Another dimension where magic is real and I was a unicorn.” “So why did you come here?” “Oh, I wanted something. I wanted more than what I had, but I didn’t know what it was. I thought it was power, but when Princess Celestia said no, I rebelled and came here.” “So this Princess Celestia is a unicorn too?” “No, she is more than that. She is an alicorn, something more than a unicorn and a pegasus combined. She raises the sun for the day and the moon for the night with her magic.” “She sounds like a god” “In a way she is. She has ruled Equestria, the land where I am from, for 1000 years” “She is Immortal?” “Not exactly, as long as the ponies believe she is, she will be” “Ponies?” “The land of Equestria is inhabited by earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, as well as other creatures” “Sounds fantastic, why would you leave than to come here?” “I didn’t know what I wanted till I got here” “You wanted power?” “I thought I did, until I meet you” “Me?” “Yes, you, or at least the other you from my dimension” “The other me?” “She came into this world to retrieve something I had stolen” “What did you steal?” “Her crown, I had returned to Equestria and traded the prom crown for hers. She followed me back here to get it back, and she did” “That is where we come in, sugar cube” “In the other dimension” interrupted Pinky “Our other selves were her friends” interrupted Rainbow Dash “And we helped her get the crown back” interrupted Rarity “And Spike can talk” said Fluttershy “So this other me has a crown? Wait, what? Spike can talk?” “He told us he is a fire breathing dragon in that other dimension” “What were you really seeking Sunset?” “Friendship, friends like you have there, friends like you could have here” “So for each of us in this dimension, there is another, there?” “Basically, yes?” “Another Trixie?” “I suppose, but I never met her” answered Sunset “So where is the Sunset Shimmer from this dimension?” asked Twilight “Missing” stated Sunset “Missing?” asked Twilight “When I came to this dimension, I fit in so well, I didn’t realize the Sunset from this dimension was missing” “Did you think to report her missing to the police?” “I couldn’t do that; they would lock me up as a looney” “Do you think she went to Equestria, like you came here?” “When the doorway between dimensions is open, travel is possible either way” “Dun, dun, dun” interjected Rainbow Dash. “We are going to have to go there to look for her”
Sincerly, Sunset ShimmerDear Mom & Dad, I am fine, I miss you, but I’ve been on the greatest adventure. It all started about 3 years ago or as the locals say “30 moons”. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch, but there really wasn’t any way to contract you before. It all started when I was at the new school and examining that horse statue out front one day after school. That’s when I found the doorway. I’m sorry Dad, I know how much you like science fiction, but the doorway is just that. I had no reason to believe it would remain open so I just went through. And suddenly, I was some place very strange. I was very strange, I had been transformed into some type of horse, and Dad, you are going to love this; I had a horn growing out of my forehead. And I can do magic with it! Magic is sort of like when you’re dreaming (and you know that you are dreaming) and moving stuff with your hands. Well it is sort of like that. I had to learn to think outside my head to do it. The unicorn’s horn acts as a focal point. That’s the best explanation I have, but the really wild thing is that everyone, no I mean every pony here uses magic. They just don’t seem to notice it. Can you imagine me using my two front hooves to eat with a fork and knife or button my shirt, unless there was some type of magic at play? All the people, I mean ponies, here do it, and it took me a while and a lot of practice to do it myself. In fact, I’m writing this letter using my hoof and not magic as some unicorns become so dependent on. But the really amazing part is not that there are dragons, and manticores here, but I got a job, more than a job; a career. I work for the E&E (eyes & ears) of Equestria (also referred to as the ‘3Es’). Yes, Dad, I’m a secret agent. Specifically assign to be watchful for others who cross over into this dimension. After all, I have the most experience with that. Dad, I know how you enjoyed the X-files, so I guess I’m kind of like that Fox Mulder guy. I get to go around Equestria investigating all the bizarre happenings, and in this world of magic, some things are really bizarre. I’m writing this letter now, because I learned that the doorway between our worlds will reopen soon and I know you are going to have a lot of questions so I thought that the first thing I would do after I come through the doorway would be to post a letter. You see, I love you both, Mom and Dad, but I got a life here and I like it. I don’t want to come home. I don’t want you to try to keep me from coming back here. I want to stay here and learn more magic, have more exciting adventures, and make more friends. Now let me answer a question you might be asking. No, there isn’t a special boy/colt here or anything. There was, but we broke up. His name was Flash Sentry, he works with the royal guard, and we had to work together on special assignment in the Crystal Empire (it is actually part of Equestria). To answer your next question, after I had completed my assignment with Mr. Yew (he is one of the 4 stars – they run the E&E) in Manehatten, I got the job of watching for the return of “It”. Let me explain, ‘it’ is the Crystal Empire, and it was magically sealed away. The E&E had the duty of watching for its return. They had discovered that there was magic associated with the name ‘Crystal Empire’, and that with use would deteriorate the memory of those who did use it, so every pony was instructed to refer to ‘it’ as ‘it’. But I know this has nothing to do with Flash Sentry, so yeah, Mom, I still like him. However, rumor has it that one of the Princesses (they run everything, including the sun and moon) has intentions to ‘use’ him. Poor fellow, there is something of a role reversal here for the colts and mares. Oh, about the Princesses, when I first arrived here, there was only one. Princess Celestia; she is really smart and wise (and really old). Well, after I was released from jail (yeah Dad, the first thing that happened to me was I got arrested by the palace guard). And no Mom, it is not part of my permanent record. It seems the charges were dropped, some type of mistaken identity. So once, I had explained myself to the local constables, I was introduced to Professor Sump, Captain Shining Armor, and Lt. O’Neigh. The captain wanted to send me back, but Prof Sump explained that the doorway only opens once every 30 moons. It was Lt. O’Neigh (he doesn’t always sound Irish – only when he gets excited or mad) who realized that I had a unique perspective on inter-dimensional travel and would be better able to spot others. My next assignment was very boring, but that’s part of the duty of an E&E agent; watching the moon on the night before the longest day. Wow, I didn’t know how pervasive magic was here until then. It is everywhere. Nightmare Moon had spent 1000 years trapped inside the moon, and the moon reflected that. That is when the four stars converged upon the moon and released her. I didn’t understand why the E&E was releasing Nightmare Moon, but it turned out great. Nightmare Moon was freed to terrorize us with the threat of eternal night, then defeated, and unmasked to restore Princess Luna; the sister of Princess of Celestia. Now we had 2 princesses to govern. It was kind of funny or strange, the E&E didn’t seem very happy about what had happened. However, they gave me the job of briefing Princess Luna on their activities and duties. She was glad to hear that her sister had such good and generous shadowy assistants. Princess Luna was a bit imposing, but I adjusted well to her use of the ancient language and REALLY LOUD VOCABULLARY. She sounded like she was stuck in a Shakespearian play, feeling guilty for all the trouble she had caused, and sorry for herself about all the time she had lost. That was when I learned she hadn’t lost the time; she had really lost the time to be with her sister, and only now understood how important that could be. Dear Mom and Dad, I want to thank you for the time you spent with me, especially for all the time you invested in me. I don’t know how to truly thank you; I only hope I can make you happy about what I am doing here. I am doing my best, but sometimes I make a mistake. The biggest mistake was an incident involving the 3rd Princess. I started asking myself why Captain Shining Armor had been so eager to send me back to my world. I reasoned that he was afraid of his feelings for me. When I confronted him about it, some other Pegasus got in the way. Seems she also wanted to ‘confess’ her affection for him, and well things didn’t go my way. I can’t really say that is how she became a Princess, but that is what she did. So as a result of my interruption, Princess Mia Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor are getting married. And to add insult to my injury, the E&E have directed me to try to postpone the wedding. So as the wedding was going to happen in Canterlot, I made up some type of threat that I shared with Shining Armor. He was unhappy about the vagueness of the threat, so I asked the E&E what to do about that. They told me to quit the assignment and that they would send a special agent to deal with it. I don’t think any pony was very happy about the results, apparently their special agent tried to attempt a coup d’état. Plus, what seemed to put them in a very bad mood, none of the four stars could get there for the wedding. Still it all seems to work out I just have to keep reminding my bosses that this wonderful place is full of possibilities. We also recruited some others to join the E&E. My first new recruit was a griffon. Yes Mom, a griffon, part eagle, part lion, and all attitudes. She was a bit annoying with her constant reference to every pony being a ‘dude’. I came to realize she was just trying to over compensate for her insecurities. I settled this when I told her (in my best mobster voice) “Once you’re in the E&E, we will never let you go”. She was scared, but she was also happy to feel like she was part of something special. That is kind of how I feel; I am part of something special here. One of the ‘old timers’ in the E&E just retired. I helped him out in Baltimare (sic) on one of his assignments. He was kind of gruff, a no nonsense kind of donkey (as in Cranky D. Donkey), like the type of detective in Mom’s mystery books. Hi Mom, it is no secret to anyone or any pony that you have a crush on Humphrey Bogart. How often did you make me watch The Maltese Falcon or Dead Reckoning? And do I even need to mention the Casablanca film festivals? Our newest recruit got kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy (our premiere aerobatic flying pegasus group) for being too “reckless”. She is as good at flying as I hope to be at magic. I call her ‘Dusty’, but her name is Lightning Dust. It may take me awhile to get her broken in to the duties of being an agent in the E&E, but I’m hopeful. I like her, and she makes a good foil for all of (Gilda) the griffon’s comments about lameness. I have told you all their names so if you get really careless, and want to check up on me by visiting Equestria you will know who to contact in order to find me. My assignments take me all over the place so I can’t predict where I will be if you come here. Like I could pretend not to know that both of you might come here. In addition, to my immediate bosses (Professor Sump [white unicorn at the magic academy in Canterlot], Lt O’Neigh [red night-wing pegasus in Canterlot] with the royal guard, and Mr. Yew [black pegasus] banker of some type in Manehatten) there is the shadowy Uncle Knot “pale” or brown earth pony. Sincerely, your loving daughter, Sunset Shimmer
A pale SunsetThe next day at school in homeroom, Sunset Shimmer looked as pale as a ghost. Twilight spotted her unusual appearance first. “What’s wrong?” “Good morning Twilight, we need to talk” “Okay” “NO, I mean ALL of us” Some of the color returned to Sunset. And the rest of the morning went as expected until they all sat down at the lunch table. ‘All’ meant Sunset, Twilight, Applejack, Trixie, Snips, Rarity, Flash, Fluttershy, Snails, Pinky, and Rainbow. As they took over Trixie’s old self-imposed isolationist table, the rest of the cafeteria also seemed to be paying close attention. Lyra came over and offered her sign language skills, if they wanted to share with everyone in the lunch room. They didn’t but thanked her anyway. “I have an announcement to make” announced Sunset “My parents got a letter, from me” “Hugh?” “The other me in the other dimension” Sunset let the words sink in before continuing “my parents were very upset and confronted me about it” “I tried explaining it was part of an English literary fiction exercise, but they didn’t go for it. They said it was too real, for example why had I posted it in the mail? And why was it delivered postage due? Hadn’t I just weeks ago been complaining about the new postal rates? Surely I was well aware of the new rates? So them they asked me to quote what I had written as proof that it was mine. “I didn’t know what to say so I started talking about the world of Equestria. At least that fit the letter, but they wanted more details, details I didn’t know about” “They are not really your parents, sugar cube” “I know, but that doesn’t change how I feel about them. You don’t understand, the reason I want to be in this world instead of Equestria, the real reason isn’t about taking over the world. It’s because in this world, I have parents” “Oh, Sunset” “I was an orphan foal in that world; my magic brought me a lot of attention. Unwanted attention.” “Oh, dear” “Do you mean creepy pedophiles?” “Pedophiles no, but creepy in that other way” “Other way?” “You know how some people look really dangerous?” “Yeah” “But not cool, just real creepy, like they eat the monsters that hid under beds and eat the bumps in the night for snacks” “Yeah, we know” “No, you don’t, in Equestria there really are those who eat the monsters and bumps. Remember it is a world of magic.” “Oh” “They got me a scholarship to the magic academy in Canterlot. That is where I meet Princess Celestia. She became my mentor and my teacher, but I wanted more. Stuff between us went sour, and when I found out about the doorway here, I just had to come. And life was so wonderful, when I got here, my parents, I mean her parents, took me in like I, I mean ‘she’ hadn’t even been away. “Oh, Sunset we are so sorry” said Twilight “my parents sent me here, because I couldn’t go with them. I miss them so much. I can imagine how wonderful it is for you to have them now, and we’ll do everything to get them back for you.”
State InterventionThe state vehicle pulled into the school yard. The driver – Miss Harsh Whiny – was already annoyed at the relatively long drive out to this school from the state capital. Her assistant sitting next to her in the passenger seat – Miss Coco Pommel – reviewed out loud all the key factors regarding this ‘incident’. As deputy director of the state department of education, Miss Whiny had been acting as her own boss for as long as she could remember. Her ‘boss’, the director was always a political appointment chosen by the state legislature. Whoever got that job would either be a complete doofuss she could ignore or smart enough to differ to her experience. Miss Whiny liked being in the driver’s seat, she liked being in control. Her first stop was the school office where she was greeted by Principal Celestia. Miss Harsh Whiny explained that she was just here on a friendly visit at the suggestion of the local school board. Principal Celestia reluctantly agreed that she could meet with the ‘vocational eager beavers’ involved with the reconstruction. Celestia ushered Miss Whiny and Miss Pommel into Vice Principal Luna’s office. There Miss Whiny dropped her friendly façade and started explaining how using Sunset Shimmer and her friends to do the reconstruction work were against the law and several child labor ordnances. In addition, Miss Whiny pointed out that all school construction had to be done by a ‘licensed contractor’. And finally Miss Whiny was not at all convinced that Sunset and her friends had any intention of pursuing a vocational trade in stone & mortar. Sunset Shimmer responded, “First that the ‘work’ involved was actually an artistic expression of the students to beautify the school and did not involve ‘quid pro quo’ or pay and therefore was exempted by state worker regulations. Secondly, we are indeed being supervised by a licensed contractor (Snail’s dad). And thirdly, that while doing stone & mortar work might not be our chosen profession, it does strengthen our team work skills and partnerships, two useful talents that will help us in our future endeavors” “Well said Miss Shimmer” said Harsh Whiny “but it still doesn’t explain how this happened. We must bring in a state building inspector and certify that the entire school is sound. We may have to close the school while we do this.” The room grew very quiet. “Would this have anything to do with the dimensional doorway in the base of the statue?” asked Miss Pommel “YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!” exclaimed Sunset, Twilight and several others “Does that mean ‘yes’?” asked Coco Pommel “Well, yes” “Very well” said Miss Harsh Whiny “a state building inspector will not be needed. Thank you for your cooperation in this investigation. We understand how these cross dimensional gateways can produce collateral damage."
Luna's LectureInside Vice Principal Luna’s office, she toyed with the window blind while trying to regain her composure. Sunset, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Trixie, Rarity, Pinky Pie and Rainbow Dash stood quietly hoping to avoid another of Luna’s loud outbursts about the ridiculous fury of something. “Do you know why you’re here?” No one responded. “Let me tell you, while I am delighted with the improvement in attitude of Sunset Shimmer and the great friendship you all seem to have found together, breaking out in song should be the exception not the rule. Last week’s disruption can be accredited to gathering votes for the fall formal, but today is one song too many” “We’re sorry” “And?” prompted Vice Principal Luna “We’re real sorry” echoed Fluttershy “No, you are missing the point” said Luna “We took an oath to keep our knowledge of the dimensional doorway a secret. Breaking out into spontaneous song and dance is NOT keeping away attention. The school board has been most interested in the unusual events we have had lately. In addition, not a day goes by where I don’t get a phone call from some news journal about our tower of light, damage to our building and space aliens invading. But now…
KidnappingOn Friday, the bus ride home from school seemed a bit odd to Twilight. Not only were Applejack, Apple Bloom and Fluttershy aboard, but so were Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinky Pie. So also were two other younger girls, which Twilight hadn’t met before; Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell. They were having a sleep over at the barn. Clearly Rarity was a bit put off by the thought of sleeping in a hay loft. “Now Darling, with this weekend being so important, I can’t really see myself roughing it” “Well, sugar cube, it our chance to let our hair down, tell some stories, and have some fun.” “Hey Twilight” said Sunset “why not join us?” “I got homework to do” “Homework?” interrupted Rainbow Dash “Sunset says you’re tops in most of your classes” “And I stay ‘tops’ in my classes by doing extra homework” “But you’re our friend; you were so awesome, at the prom” “I wasn’t at the prom” “Silly Dashie, this Twilight wasn’t at the prom” “Wait, what? What prom? And what do you mean ‘this Twilight’?” “It was a wild night and if you want to hear about it, come out to the barn” said Sunset “I don’t know” “Well we just going to have to kidnap you” said Pinky Pie “and feed you cupcakes” “Kidnap me? You won’t let that happen, Fluttershy?” “Well, if you don’t mind, I think it would be great to kidnap you.” “WHAT?” “Easy there sugar cube, there will be no kidnapping involving my farm” “That’s right” commanded Sunset “When and if Twilight wants to join us she will be welcomed, not dragged off a school bus. Right Pinky? Right Dash?” “Okay” said Rainbow Dash “No, I want the old Twilight back” said Pinky “I miss her so much” “Okay, Pinky” said Twilight “If it’s that important to you, I think I can spare some time to come over to the farm and hear the story about the other me” “Yeah” said the chorus “But I need to check home first”
