“Make a single sound in there and I swear I’ll find some new henchmen,” Sunset Shimmer warned, her hand resting on the locker door. “Am I making myself clear?”
Snips and Snails shared a brief exchange of looks before they returned to Sunset Shimmer with reassuring faces. “Yes, ma’am!” they announced loud and proud together, “We read you loud and clea-“
SLAM
“Ugh.” she groans. “Starting now.” She walked away from the locker and more importantly, the Principal’s office.
As soon as Twilight entered Principal Celestia’s office, she was surprised not only by how small her office was compared to her palace chambers but also - despite the cramped conditions - how well-furbished it was. There was a lot of paper work on her desk but it was so finely organized. And the books, the comfy chair, the decorations plastered against the walls, the nice wooden desk…
But her attention turned away from all that to Princes- Principal Celestia. She sat behind a desk, wearing a honey-colored blazer, and was busy as shown by her eyes concentrated on writing something.
“So, how may I help you?” said Principal Celestia, finally. She smiled to make her guest feel comfortable. “Miss…”
“Uh, ummmm…” Twilight hesitated. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle. I’m actually new here and-”
Principal Celestia raised her eyebrows at Twilight, looking as if she wanted Twilight to just get to the point. It was here when Twilight realized that this wasn’t the same Princess Celestia she knew from Equestria. She didn’t smile at her as her pony counterpart would so it probably was better to just cut to the chase.
“I understand that Fluttershy found a crown this morning and gave it you.”
“Yes as a matter of fact. Vice Principal Luna put it somewhere for safekeeping.” Principal Celestia smiled finally. “Why? Were you interested in running for princess of the Fall Formal this year?”
“The Fall Formal?” Twilight asked.
“It’s Canterlot High’s big fall dance.” Celestia explained. She got up and motioned to a poster on the wall. It looked just like the Grand Galloping Gala. “Here at Canterlot High, the students select one of their peers to represent them. She receives her crown at the Fall Formal.”
“Can anyone run for princess?”
“Yes, you just need to let the head of the Fall Formal Planning Committee know that you’d like to be on the ballot,” Principal Celestia said. “Was there anything else?”
“Um, no. That was it,” Twilight said, despite deep down having more to say. In fact, if she could she would have blatantly revealed why she was here in the first place. Everything could be done and over in just a few seconds. But just as she’s about to open her mouth though, she realized it was better left unsaid lest she makes a fool of herself for claiming to be a pony princess.
“Well, if you need anything else, my door is always open.” Princess Celestia smiled again, noticing the silence from Twilight.
Twilight smiled back, as if she would to Princess Celestia. Before she could close the door, she heard Celestia’s voice again.
“Remember, the students want to vote for the ones who represent who they are.”
“So, look and act like a role model. Got it.”
She closed the door and turned her attention to the hallway which was bustling with students standing by their lockers and chit chatting with their friends or on their small rectangular looking contraptions, just tapping away on them.
“Twilight,” Spike said from her bag, “what are you doing? Why didn’t you just tell her the crown was yours and ask for it back?”
“You think she’d believe my story?” Twilight posed. Spike didn't answer. “Looks like if I want my crown back, I’ll have to become Princess of the Canterlot High Fall Formal.” Twilight lifted her head triumphantly and thrusts her fist into the air. “So, that’s what I’m going to do!”
However, unbeknownst to her, hiding in the locker room right beside her and the Principal’s office were two of Canterlot High’s notorious bumbling duo: Snips and Snails. Since the lockers weren’t exactly big enough for the two, they had to tightly pack themselves into it like a can of tuna. Speaking of which…
“Snails,” Snips said, holding his nose. “Why do you have a half-opened can of tuna just sitting in your locker!?”
“Because- uhhh… ummmm…” It took a while for Snails to come up with a response, but a toothy grin on his face was to be followed with a clear answer. “Tuna has good stuff for you like protein and mercury. I learnt that in biology today.” He said, proud of that statement. For once he felt like the smarter one around here. But when he felt Snips’ feet push him down even more, that small victory was sidelined. “Why do you get to see through the openings? I’m the taller one.”
“'Cuz I’m the smart one, duh.” He said, turning his eyes away from the locker’s slit to Snails below. “And besides, you have the least amount of focus and concentration. I mean, if you were in charge of sentry duty, you’d lose sight of-“ His sentence was interrupted when he brought his eyes up and saw no trace of Twilight.
“You lost her!”
“You were the one who distracted me!”
“You better tell her it’s your fault.” Snips began pushing down on Snails.
“Nuh-uhhh!” He began pushing back up. “You tell her it’s-”
But before Snails could finish, the two came crashing out the locker. Papers, books, and that opened can of tuna also accompanied them onto the floor. The two, dazed and on the floor and smelling like tuna, looked up and saw a tall imposing figure above them. (You’ve used the same description for Discord twice, you should change one of them, maybe the second time.)
Standing over them stood a tall imposing figure looking down on them. Hands on his waist, he was properly clothed: wearing a brown suit with a red tie and black pants. He sported graying hair and a finely groomed goatee but what caught their attention the most were his slightly yellow eyes.
“Well, well, well,” he said, intrigued, “What have we here?”
He picked them up off the ground and grabbed their ears.
“Ow!”
“Hey!”
“Seems like you two’ve been snooping around,” he said. “I’m afraid that goes against school rules.”
“Excuse me!” came Sunset Shimmer’s voice from the hallway. She was running to meet them and by the time she got there, she panted a bit before she spoke any further. “I’m so sorry, sir. I asked these two to grab my books from my locker and I should have known that these two would get themselves locked in somehow.”
Snips and Snails looked at one another in confusion. When they turned back to Sunset Shimmer, she glared back at them as if to take a hint.
“Oh, right!” Snips began.
“Oh, yeah!” Snails followed.
“Clumsy us!”
“Real stupid too!”
The man’s face was covered with skepticism. “Hmmm… I wonder if you’re lying.” He paused, looked at the locker. “Miss Lyra. I didn’t know you dyed your hair red and yellow.”
Sunset Shimmer’s eyes widened. “Oh- what I was- uhhh, trying to say-“
“Sunset Shimmer. Senior year. An A-student despite using threats to copy off other student’s work. You have a track record of being unopposed in this school. No one gets in your way unless they want to be humiliated online or in front of the entire school. Even teachers are not safe from you. And recently,” he leaned forward to her, “the firebrand of friendships.”
Sunset Shimmer gulped.
“I’m impressed!” he said, pulling back and letting go of her henchmen’s ears.
Her expression went from fear to confusion. As did the other two.
“I must say, I’ve been to countless schools and talked to many malicious students but none have come close to you.”
“Um, th- thank you, mister-“
“Please,” making a gesture of modesty, “call me Counselor Discord.”
“Comfy?” Discord asked. Sunset Shimmer, Snips, and Snails nodded warily. “Good.” He leaned back on his chair and put his legs on the desk. “Now, I hate to punish wrongdoers whose poor crime was merely to give some life to the mundane routine of school. A little bit of chaos never really hurts. Don’t you agree?”
“I guess,” she said, cautiously.
"Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna seem to disagree so I have to do my job." Discord reached for his coffee mug and sipped it before continuing. "Why do you cause trouble here?"
"Well-"
"I can spot a lie by just looking at your expressions," he warned.
She gulped and decided to tell it as it is. "If I feel like someone isn’t respecting me or is trying to challenge me and the status quo, I’ll have to put them back in their place.”
“Yeah!” her minions hollered in the back.
“Hmmm,” he thought, tapping his fingers with a slight grin. “So, before I reform you three into becoming disgustingly innocent kids like I have done to any miscreant I’ve ever had to deal with,” he gestured to the pictures on the wall, many of them more or less sharing a theme: Two pictures set aside one another, the first one being a ‘Before’ picture where the trouble making kid is frowning or grinning malevolently and is in uncouth attire, while the following ‘After’ picture shows that same kid but in a nice dress or suit looking proper, gentle, and innocent. The three gulped, fearing what would become of them soon. “I’d like to know who’s trying to disrespect you. Challenge you. Upset the quote unquote, 'status quo.'”
“There’s this girl,” Snails blurted out, “who we were eavesdropping on when she was in the Principal’s office and she’s going to make Sunset Shimmer really, really jealous!”
“SHHHHH!” Sunset Shimmer shushed. “And I am not jealous of her!”
“Oh? Who is this girl that you speak of?” Discord asked.
“Twilight Sparful!"
Snips jumped in. “No, you dumb-dumb. It's Twilight Sparkle. She wants to become the next Fall Formal Princess. That's why Sunset Shimmer is going to be jealous.”
Sunset Shimmer glared furiously at them. “You two are so owing me your lunch money for the rest of the month and the next entire month!”
“Tw- Tw- Twilight?” Discord stammered. His hesitation and shock in his voice caught their attention. “For some reason, it sounds all… familiar. That name…Like as if I heard- no! Met her before! I remember… talking to her. And then we... hated one another."
Sunset Shimmer turned around in her chair.
“Snips, Snails. Wait outside.”
Without a word, just going off by her tone, they got up and left the room.
Breathing in deeply, Sunset Shimmer finally spoke. “Look, I knew who you were when I saw you earlier. That greying hair, the color of your clothes, and those eyes of yours. You’re Discord. You are like a god from where I come from.”
Discord was in absolute silence for a long while. “A… god? Wait, where are you talking about?”
“I'm from... Equestria,” she admitted. She saw Discord space out again. Hand on his forehead. “Ever wondered why your name is Discord?”
“I... I just thought my mom had a sense of humor when she named me.”
“Anyway,” she began, not amused by his joke, “Where I come from is Equestria. A land filled with magic and- just hear me out: Talking ponies.”
Discord remained absolutely baffled, trying to comprehend what she just said. Talking ponies? However, it didn't seem that strange as his blurred memories, initially made up of voices and vague visuals in his head slowly became clearer.
“You’re actually not a pony but a draconequus. A hybrid of many animals that can alter reality with ease. You can alter reality whenever you want!”
“I can alter reality?” His voice growing excitement.
“With a snap of the fingers.”
Excited and curious, he snapped his fingers and… nothing. He snaps again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Suddenly he snaps his fingers furiously over and over.
“Looks like your magic won’t work here either, unfortunately,” she said. “I don't think living beings can perform magic in this world. I was a unicorn, as was Twilight in our world but as soon as we entered this one, we couldn't use our magic anymore. However, while living beings cannot cast magic here…” She went through her school bag, believing she could trust him at this point. And what she held in her hand for Discord to see was a vial. A green vial. “This is from Equestria.” She handed it over to Discord. “It’s a growth serum.”
“Wait, does that explain why Octavia’s teeth suddenly grew comically huge at Picture Day?” he asked, with Sunset Shimmer nodding in response. “Everyone thought she’d take the prettiest picture on that day.”
“Or…” she reached for her bag again and took out another vial. A blue one. “Brain drain.”
He accepted the other vial in his other free hand. “And that explains why Poindexter got an F- on his Math exam.”
“That’s what he gets for refusing to give me the answers during the test. My favorite though,” again, reaching for her bag before proudly presenting it to him. “Femininity.” It was obviously in pink.
“Fleetfoot.”
“Yup,” she said. “The rising star in the school. MVP on the Wondercolts. Getting all the spotlight at one point.”
“Then unexpectedly dropping it all to become a ballerina all of a sudden.”
With that, she put the vial back in her bag and took the other two away from Discord. “It seems that potions infused with magical properties still have an effect here. I bought these and more in case my magic was nullified. And I have more like ones to put someone to sleep, cause uncontrollable hair growth, one for muscle growth, but so far I found those three the most useful here.”
“So what happened to me?” He asked. “I remember a bright light, made up of different colors, all blinding me."
Sunset Shimmer bit her lip. "Twilight and her friends used the Elements of Harmony to stop you from taking over Equestria. They turned you into stone." Discord looked as if he just saw a ghost. He seemed like he could faint at any second now.
"You said 'friends', correct?"
"Yup. In fact, they're in this very school too," she said. Discord gulped and began to sweat. "Their names are Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity."
"Those girls? And Twilight's here with them!?" He got off his chair and looked for his suitcase. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Sunset Shimmer but I must be leaving."
"Whoa. Hold your horses, Discord."
"I'm sorry, Sunset Shimmer," he said, to her, still in her seat, "but I rather find a new school to work in than be turned into stone." He grabbed his top hat, put it on, walked past her and had his hand on the knob.
"They don't have the crown yet."
Discord paused. "What crown?"
"That crown for the Fall Formal Princess."
"The one Fluttershy found and gave to Celestia?"
"The same one. It's actually the Element of Magic. There's a total of six of these Elements but as far as I know, only one is present here and that's the Element of Magic. And that's why I had those two spy on her. Now that I know her next move, I can't let her or her friends win at the Fall Formal." She stroked her chin. "If only there was some way to make them the least likely to be voted in."
Suddenly, Discord's eyes widen. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but to win the crown, that person must best represent the students and the school?"
"Yeah. I'd win because no one would dare go up against me but now that Twilight's here..." Her sentence ended in a pessimistic tone.
"Best represent them," he repeated, slowly. He dropped his suitcase, turned around, walked back, put his top hat by the coat rack, and stood by Sunset Shimmer's side. "I don't suppose you've tried mixing those potions together, have you?"
She swayed her head.
"Good." He clapped his hands. "Because I know how you can win."
She jumped out of the chair in excitement. "Really?! How? What do I have to do to win?" Then the optimism in her voice deflated. "I hope it's not some charity or participating in some school event that I have to do."
"Oh, don't worry, Sunset Shimmer." He patted her on the back. "You won't have to do much to enhance your self-image."
"I don't?"
"No. What you will have to do though, is undermine Twilight and her friends' image." With a devilish grin and taking a glance at her bag, he said, "Let's find ourselves a test subject, shall we?"
“Someone order a dozen cases of fizzy apple cider?” A blond girl wearing a brown cowgirl hat and boots walked into the gym, followed by a taller guy with a red shirt on, carrying a crate of apple cider.
“Me! Me! Me!” Pinkie yelled, bouncing up and down.
As Applejack was handing Pinkie a bottle, she suddenly noticed Twilight’s presence. “Hey! You’re the new girl who gave Sunset Shimmer the what for in the hall today.”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “I’m going to run against Sunset Shimmer for princess of the Fall Formal.”
“Hooo-eeeeey, sugarcube! I’d think twice about that." Applejack leaned towards Twilight and whispered, "Watch out for the backstabbin’. The last girl you can trust is Su-”
RING RING
"Speaking of the devil," she frowned, looking at her cellphone screen. She looked up at Twilight.
“Don't mind me, Applejack. Go ahead and answer it," Twilight said, sheepishly.
With her permission, Applejack turned back to her phone, pressed the 'Answer' button and held the phone against her ear.
"You got some nerve calling me, y'know... You're sorry? Pah! That's a first... Hold on..." She turned her back against Twilight and Pinkie and walked away from the two.
"Bad history, I suppose?" Twilight asked Pinkie Pie as she was chugging down her Apple Cider.
"Mhm..." Satisfied, she took her mouth off the top and explained. "Applejack and Sunset Shimmer used to be close when we were all friends."
"We?"
" Applejack, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and me. But then we got into a fight and now we barely see one another." She shrugged.
"Huh."
Off in the distance, Applejack continued to talk to Sunset Shimmer on the phone. "You want to do more than say sorry?... You want to help me study for the
"Oh, as a final touch
“She’s the captain of, like, every team at Canterlot High,” Pinkie explained.
“She’s also the captain of sayin’ she’s gonna do somethin’ for ya and then turnin’ around and not even botherin’ to show up!” Applejack crossed her arms across her chest in a huff.
First, Pinkie had put down Fluttershy, and now Applejack didn’t trust Rainbow? Why weren’t any of her friends friends?! This place was bizarre and unsettling. Twilight was going to pry further, but something told her that all would reveal itself in the next few days. Maybe with a little help from some good old-fashioned research, or maybe Twilight was actually starting to become a little psychic. Either way, she had a lot of work to do if she wanted to win the crown.
"Ugh, speakin' of the devil..." She looked up away from her phone to Twilight. "Sorry, sugar. Someone's tryin' to call me."
On her knees, she quickly yet carefully pulls open one of the lower drawers. To her left, she sees a bunch of white socks but on her right she sees what she’s looking for. A stack of folded underwear. All light green, of course.
“Just as I thought.”
She turns her head over her shoulder to see if Applejack was there, but thankfully she wasn’t. Smiling, Sunset Shimmer she pulls out something from her handbag and proudly holds it up in the air.
It was a pair of undies, green like Applejack’s. But . In fact, there were even two pear
"Oh, and one final touch