The Second Pony to Go Through the Mirror Portalby Razor Blade the UnicronChaptersMeeting of the PrincessesThief From the MirrorTo the Other WorldNew WorldGoing to SchoolMeeting of the PrincessesRainbow Dash walked joyfully through the streets of the Crystal Empire, towards the castle. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike followed the elated alicorn, who was currently wearing her crown, which was also the Element of Loyalty. "Rainbow, darling," said Rarity, "I'm all for lovely jewelry, but why exactly did you wear your crown here?" "Luna said that when all of the Princesses meet up together, there's more likely to be ponies who want to take pictures, or get an interview." said Rainbow. "So it's best that I look nice for them, while not being too extravagant." "Well, if you wanted to I could style your mane!" "I'm good, Rares, but thanks for the offer." "Whoa!" said Spike, pointing ahead. "Look at those!" Rainbow looked up, and her mouth dropped in surprise. There were two large statues of crystal that were in the process of being built, one that resembled Spike holding the Crystal Heart, and one that resembled herself protecting the Crystal Heart. Both she and Spike stared wordlessly at the statues, along with the rest of their friends. "Well..." said Twilight, finding her voice. "The Crystal ponies sure are fast builders!" "They sure are!" added on Pinkie. "That is extremely excessive." finally said Rainbow. "I really don't need a statue! Only Spike does!" "Ya sure you don't want one?" teased Applejack. "Oh, be quiet, you. Race you to the castle!" "Yer on!" Rainbow flew into the air, and zipped off towards the castle, with Applejack sprinting after her. The rest of the group simply walked there. Rainbow landed on the ground, just as Applejack ran up to her. "I won!" they said at the same time, before glancing at each other. "Tie..." "You girls done racing around?" asked Twilight as she and the others walked up. "Yep!" said Rainbow with a smile. "Now I've gotta get to a meeting!" Rainbow walked past the Royal Guards, and into the throne room, where Luna, Celestia, and Cadence sat around a table. They all looked up as she walked in, and up to the table. "Sorry if I'm late." said Rainbow nervously. "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash." said Celestia. "You are here on time, we just arrived early." Rainbow nodded, and sat down in the unoccupied seat, and didn't notice her right wing twitch. Luna's horn lit up, and a silencing spell was cast over the room, so only the four of them could hear each other. "Is everypony ready to begin?" asked Luna, and everypony nodded. "Excellent. Now, Cadenza, can you tell Rainbow Dash about your ascension?" "Auntie Luna, you don't need to call me Cadenza." said Cadence. "Yes... I know..." Cadence smiled, and then turned towards Rainbow, who was very eager to her story. "So when I was just a filly, several Earth ponies found me in a forest. They brought me back to their village and raised me to be very kind and passionate. One day, Prismia, a reclusive sorceress who harbored jealousy towards the villagers, used a powerful necklace that amplified her evil and jealousy to drain the villagers of their love, causing them to become distraught." "A powerful necklace that amplified her evil and jealousy?" repeated Rainbow. "That sounds like the Alicorn Amulet!" "You know of the Alicorn Amulet?" asked Celestia. "Yes. A unicorn who came to Ponyville, named Trixie, bought it in a pawn shop because she recognized it as a magical amulet, and thought it would help improve her abilities. But the Amulet made her evil and jealous, and she came back to take over Ponyville!" "What happened?" "We tricked her into taking the Amulet off, and gave it to Zecora for safekeeping." "Ah. I do remember Luna telling me this after you sent her a letter detailing the events. The Everfree does seem like a good place to hide such a dangerous object." "Er, sorry to interrupt you..." said Rainbow, turning back towards Cadence. "No, no, it's fine." said Cadence with a smile. "Now, I confronted Prismia and the love she had stolen amplified my love! Using that magic, I defeated her, and encouraged her to change her ways. It was then that I was surrounded by a magical energy, and transported to a strange place where I met Auntie Celestia. I had apparently ascended to an alicorn, and had earned my cutie mark! Auntie then adopted me as her royal niece, and that was that!" "That's amazing!" said Rainbow in awe. "You just confronted Prismia, and then ascended?" "Actually, I only ascended after I encouraged her to change her ways." "Huh... Magic does work in its strange ways... So where exactly did you go when you ascended?" "The Ethereal Plane." said Celestia. "All alicorns can sense it if they try, but can only go to it when they feel the time is right. I felt a source of magic enter the Plane, and went there to find Cadence." "But why didn't I go there?" asked Rainbow. "We do not know." said Luna. "Which is the main reason we are holding this meeting. It is most likely due to the different circumstances of when you ascended as opposed to Cadenza did. Only after preforming the feat of magic and assisting Prismia to change did she ascend. However, you, Rainbow Dash, had just preformed another feat of magic to protect the Crystal Heart, which caused it to activate. Perhaps these two magical events happening at the same time sped up your ascension." "That seems probable." said Celestia. "Though, we can only guess right now." "Sister, I need to go raise the moon." said Luna. "Ah, yes. It is getting rather late. We can continue talking tomorrow." Thief From the MirrorRainbow yawned as she walked down the hall towards her room. She hadn't realized how tired she was. She walked by a window, and paused to admire Luna's beautiful night. The stars were twinkling, and the moon was shining brightly. Rainbow smiled, and then continued walking when she saw a flash of light in the corner of her eye. Huh? thought Rainbow, looking around. What was that? "Ouch..." muttered a voice from another room. Rainbow quietly walked over to the room where the voice had come from, and peeked in. A yellow-orange unicorn with a red and yellow mane stood up shakily in front of a large mirror with purple trim. Rainbow watched silently as her horn flickered, before finally sustaining a dark turquoise glow. "Perfect..." whispered the unicorn. "Now where is the item I seek?" Rainbow blinked in confusion as the unicorn stood still with her eyes closed, and her horn glowing. Her horn briefly faded to a darker shade, before winking out. The unicorn opened her eyes, and nodded. "I see..." she said softly. "It's under the castle..." At this point, Rainbow simply pushed open the door and walked into the room. The unicorn whipped around and looked at her in surprise, before casting Rainbow a glare. "Who exactly are you?" asked Rainbow suspiciously. "And what are you doing in here?" "Like I need to tell you, rainbow-head." said the unicorn. "Now move out of my way so I can do what I need." The unicorn's horn flared up threateningly, and Rainbow's eyes narrowed. Her horn lit up bright red in response, and the unicorn smirked. "What do you think you can do against me?" she asked. "You're just some average unicorn going up against an ultra powerful one!" "If you'd use your eyes you would see that I'm not just a unicorn." said Rainbow, flaring out her wings. "And I think you're a bit out of the loop. Here, I'll give you some help: I'm Rainbow Dash. Princess Rainbow Dash if you want to be specific." "Rainbow Dash, huh? That sounds like a pegasus name. You're as deserving of being an alicorn as Cadence: not at all." Rainbow reacted instantly by flying towards the unicorn, who barely manged to dodge out of the way. She blasted out a beam of dark turquoise magic off at Rainbow, who countered it with a slightly weaker red one. The resulting beams created a small shock wave, which knocked Rainbow's crown off her head. The unicorn instantly picked it up in her magic, and brought it over to look at it. "Oh, so this must be why you can even use magic!" she said with a smirk. "You've got a magical artifact here! I think that I'm far more deserving of this, thank you very much. Now go fly off while I use this to boost my already amazing power!" Rainbow grabbed her crown in her magic, and yanked away from the unicorn. The crown froze in midair between the two ponies, one half covered in red magic, the other covered in turquoise. "Give me that crown..." hissed the unicorn angrily. "Not a chance!" snapped Rainbow. "Now you drop my crown right now!" "No way!" The unicorn dove forward towards the crown, and Rainbow quickly flew towards it. The unicorn grabbed it first, and her horn glowed brightly. However, Rainbow grabbed it just in time for the unicorn to let off her spell. They both crashed down onto the floor of the throne room, and Rainbow realized that the unicorn had tried to teleport away as an escape. The throne room was unfortunately empty, but Rainbow held onto her crown tightly with both her magic and hooves. "Give me the crown!" yelled the unicorn. "No!" yelled Rainbow. "Luna! Celestia! There's a thief trying to steal my crown!" The unicorn glared at Rainbow, and her horn flared brighter. In a flash of light, she had teleported her and Rainbow into the hallway outside the room with the mirror. Rainbow managed to wrench her crown away, and instantly flew down the hall, grasping it tightly with her magic and hooves. "Get back here!" yelled the unicorn, sprinting after her. Rainbow didn't respond, and continued flying. She kept glancing back at the unicorn, whose horn was glowing darker and darker turquoise. Her eyes suddenly began to change color, her eyes themselves turning red, her corneas turning green, and a familiar purple haze flowing out. Rainbow's mouth dropped open in shock, just as the unicorn blasted a beam of dark magic off at her. The magic hit Rainbow, sending her sprawling across the ground, and causing her to drop her crown. "Thanks for the gift, Princess." said the unicorn tauntingly, before running back down the hall towards the room with the mirror. Rainbow got up and flew after the unicorn, her wings aching from the magic blast. She put on a burst of speed to reach the unicorn just as she entered the room with the mirror, and her crown got knocked away. Rainbow's crown sailed over to the mirror, before going into it. Rainbow's mouth dropped open in shock, and the unicorn grinned. "What did you do with my crown?!?" yelled Rainbow. The unicorn teleported over to the mirror, and smirked at Rainbow, against. "Later, pegasus!" she said, before diving into the mirror. Rainbow stared for a few seconds, before flying towards the mirror. At that moment, Celestia and Luna both ran up to the doorway, and Celestia quickly grabbed Rainbow in her magic before she could make it to the mirror. "What happened?" she asked, gently setting Rainbow down on the ground. "A unicorn stole my crown!" cried Rainbow. "She ran into that mirror with it!" Celestia's eyes widened in surprise, and her mouth dropped open a bit. "Sister, what is the matter?" asked Luna. "The unicorn," said Celestia, "Did she have a yellow-orange coat and a red and yellow mane?" "Yes!" said Rainbow. "Then I know who she is: Sunset Shimmer." To the Other World"-and she just left you a note saying she had gone through the portal to study it even though you specifically told her not to?!?" cried Twilight in surprise. "Why would she have done that?!?" Rainbow, her friends, and the other Princesses were all in the throne room, discussing Sunset Shimmer. Apparently she had once been Princess Celestia's student. "It is my fault she left..." said Celestia sadly. "I should not have shown her the mirror portal, but I did, and barred her from studying it. I had given her too much temptation to leave alone, so she just had to study it. I waited for her to come back, as it was far to dangerous for me to go into the portal, but she did not return, and the portal closed." "How long does the portal stay open for?" asked Rainbow. "Seven days, however, it appears that it has been open for at least one." "We only have six days before the portal closes?!? When will it open again?" "Thirty moons." Rainbow's mouth dropped open in shock, along with the rest of her friends'. They needed to get back Rainbow's Element soon, as the other Elements of Harmony wouldn't work without it. And thirty moons was far too long to go without the most precious magical artifacts in Equestria. "How soon can I go after her?" asked Rainbow. "Now hold up, sugarcube." said Applejack. "Surely you ain't going without us!" "Do you realize how dangerous that is?!?" cried Rainbow, turning around. "If all of us went, there would be a huge change in the magical balance! That could create havoc in both our world and the one on the other side of the mirror!" "Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash is right." said Luna. "Especially considering that she knows the most about alternate universes." "But Sunset knows what Rainbow looks like." said Twilight. "Wouldn't she be able to tell that Rainbow would have come after her crown?" "We can use a disguise." said Rainbow. "But we need to get everything ready quickly. I need to go through the portal as soon as possible, so I have time to get back out." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Alright, then..." said Rainbow, turning back towards Celestia and Luna. "What will I need to bring with me?" "We know very little about the world on the other side of the mirror." said Celestia. "So the mostly likely thing you should bring are bits or gems. Although... I do have something I would like you to bring to Sunset if you can..." Rainbow nodded. "Of course." "I will help you with your disguise." said Luna. "For a magic one will be best." Rainbow remained perfectly still as Luna cast the enchantment on her wing encasement. A tingly-feeling passed over her as the disguise covered her, and she opened her eyes. She turned to look in a mirror that Luna was holding in her magic, and her eyes widened. "Whoa..." she said in surprise. "That's good..." Her coat was now pink, and her mane blue. Her cutie mark was three blue lighting bolts. Her wing encasement was also disguised pink. The most surprising thing was that her horn appeared to be gone. "The illusion should last at least seven days." said Luna. "Will be plenty of time while you are in the other world. However, if you use magic, your horn will be revealed." "Can't use my magic, huh?" asked Rainbow. "That's no problem. I'll just save using it until I need to." "Now you just need a fake name." Rainbow paused to think. "Let's go with Firefly. That sounds nothing like Rainbow Dash." "Indeed." Rainbow smiled at Luna, and turned around to see her friends walking into the room with Celestia following. She put on the saddlebags that Rarity had made to match her disguise, which were filled with bits and gems on one side. Celestia was holding a journal with Sunset's cutie mark on it in her magic, which she gave to Rainbow. "If you could, please give this journal to Sunset." she said. "Anything written in it links over to a journal that I have. But if you need to use it, you can." Rainbow nodded, and placed the book in her other saddlebag. "I know that Sunset is under Sombra's influence somehow." she said. "If I can find a way, I'll change her back to normal." Celestia smiled, as Rainbow walked up to the mirror. She glanced back at everyone before turning back towards the portal. "I'll be back with my crown." said Rainbow, before stepping into the portal. She was greeted by flashing and spinning colors. This didn't faze her too much, as it had been like this went she had traveled to the other timeline. However, that time she hadn't been spinning. The colors flashed by Rainbow's eyes as she spun in a spiral similar to the trick of a corkscrew. The big difference being that she couldn't stop. Alright, Dash! she thought, closing her eyes to block out the colors. You just need to get your crown back, and get rid of Sombra's influence on Sunset! It will be easy! She opened her eyes again to see the colors spinning faster, and quickly closed them. I really hope this ends soon! She risked opening her eyes, just in time to a huge white light. Everything became blindingly white as Rainbow was pitched straight forwards, and went into the other universe. New WorldRainbow crashed down on the hard ground, and winced from the abrupt stop. She opened her eyes to see that it was still night time, with the moon shining brightly in the sky. She glanced down to see if the disguise had held, and her eyes widened in surprise. Yes, her coat was still pink, but she no longer had hooves. She instead had these things that looked like Spike's claws or those things minotaurs had. What were they called again? Hands. thought Rainbow. Minotaurs have hands. Huh, I didn't expect that I wasn't going to be a pony in this world... Rainbow glanced back to see what her back hooves had changed into, but instead saw that they were in some kind of tall shoes. The color was similar to that of her space suit, or perhaps even the same. Huh... I guess I must be changed into whatever the dominant species is in this world. And I guess that they wear clothes. At this thought, Rainbow realized that she was wearing a jacket that matched her boots, and a skirt with yellow that matched the color of the seams on her space suit. She was also wearing a yellow t-shirt under the jacket, and gray leggings. She would have spread out her wings to fly into the air, but she didn't have any wings. "Really?" asked Rainbow out loud. "Wow, this world has basically no magic in it..." She gently placed her hands down on the ground, and carefully stood up on her hind legs. The new position felt very awkward, but it was surprisingly easy to balance. Perhaps because whatever creature she was was designed to stand like this. Wait... If I don't have my wings - and I'm assuming I don't have my horn - then how is the enchantment on my wing encasement still working? Rainbow looked at herself, and realized that her wing encasement was now around her foreleg, er, arm. She hadn't been able to tell because it was the same shade of pink as her coat. Ah. That explains it. Rainbow turned around to look at the portal, but instead saw a large statue. She saw the marble plinth at the bottom gleam with almost undetectable magic, and determined that it was the portal. Okay, got to remember where this is. She looked around at her surroundings, and saw that the statue was in front of a large building. The building was castle-like in some ways, but it more closely resembled her flight school - if the clouds were replaced with stone. Rainbow took a step towards the building, when she stumbled on something in front of her. She threw out her hand just before she hit the ground, and made it away from the fall unscathed. What did I trip on? Rainbow looked back to see that she had tripped over a soccer ball. It was dark blue with a moon on it. This confused Rainbow, as she hadn't gone through the portal with a soccer ball. Did I get it from going through the portal? Or was it just here? Rainbow stood back up, and glanced at the school. It was night time, so it must be closed. Not like it really mattered: she needed to find Sunset. But where would she look? And why hadn't she been waiting for someone to come after her? One thing at a time, Rainbow. First things first: find out where you are so it will be easy to find Sunset. She's got to live somewhere in this world, considering how long she's been here. Rainbow started walking, but then went back and grabbed the soccer ball. She didn't know why she didn't just leave it, but didn't bother to question it. She gently tucked it under her arm, and continued walking. She headed down the sidewalk, taking observation of everything around her. The world seemed to be designed more like Manehattan, with large streets for vehicles and sidewalks for everyone else. It was really annoying she couldn't just fly into the air. She turned the corner and saw that there were many houses along the other side of the street. They were rather small, and more closely resembled the houses in Ponyville. It actually felt rather homely. "No, no, this isn't the right way." said a familiar voice. "We really should go back to my house... Oh, I know you wanted a walk, but still..." Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise as someone familiar walked down the sidewalk towards her, walking a dog. The young girl stopped as she walked up to Rainbow, and held the leash even more tightly. "Oh, um... hello..." said the girl that looked and sounded just like Fluttershy. "Uh, hi." said Rainbow, trying not to sound surprised. "Um... I'm surprised to see someone else out this late at night." that sounded right; she hadn't seen anyone else. "Me neither..." said Fluttershy, looking down at the ground nervously. "So, what's your name? I'm Firefly, I just... moved here." "I'm Fluttershy..." "What?" asked Rainbow, knowing perfectly well what she had said. "It's Fluttershy..." "Uh..." "Fluttershy..." "Fluttershy!" Rainbow smiled, and stuck out her hand (that's probably how hoof bumps worked). "It's nice to meet you." Fluttershy nervously stuck her hand out and shook Rainbow's hand, before quickly pulling away. The dog was she walking had been surprisingly quiet, and had just been sniffing around Rainbow's legs. "You're dog is really cute." said Rainbow, trying to help Fluttershy be less nervous. "He's not mine, I'm just taking care of him while his owner is away." "That's really nice of you to do! You know, I have a pet." "Really?" Fluttershy sounded a bit less nervous. "Yeah, a bird named Captain." "Really? That's really nice. Birds are so beautiful." the dog Fluttershy was walking suddenly began walking, and Fluttershy followed after it, holding the leash tightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'd guess I'd better get going. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at Canterlot High if you need a friend or anything." "Okay!" said Rainbow with a smile. "Bye!" Fluttershy walked off with her dog, and Rainbow looked back up at the school. Fluttershy goes to Canterlot High, huh? Well I guess that's Canterlot High. Maybe Sunset also goes to it... But it's not like I can just walk into the school tomorrow not being a student or anything... Er... Rainbow shivered as a small wing blew around her. I guess I'd better find someplace to stay... Rainbow carefully took off the backpack that her saddlebags had changed into, and opened it up. It wasn't filled with bits, but odd slips of paper instead. Rainbow blinked in confusion, but dug around the bag and found the gemstones at the bottom, underneath the journal for Sunset. I guess the bits changed into whatever the currency is here, but why didn't the gems change? Rainbow put the backpack back on, and continued walking. She just needed to find some place to stay before she did anything else. And hopefully before she had to go to her "new school" tomorrow. Going to SchoolRainbow continued walking for quiet a while, but didn't run into anyone else. Though, that did make sense considering that it was the dead of the night. She was shivering a bit from the cold, but that could have just been because pegasi didn't get as cold as other ponies, and she currently wasn't a pegasus. She was a... something. But where can I stay for the night? thought Rainbow, looking around. Come on, how hard is it to find someplace empty or easy to sneak into? Rainbow continued walking until she noticed a familiar sign. She walked up to it, and stared in surprise at the sign for Sweet Apple Acres. The similarities are starting to get just weird... Oh! The CMC have a clubhouse here in my world, maybe it's the same here! Rainbow smiled, and walked into the orchard. After wandering around a bit (she normal flew over Sweet Apple Acres), she located the colorful treehouse. She walked up the ramp and pushed the door open, to reveal the messy interior. There were papers scattered everywhere, with ideas and pictures scribbled on them. Wait, do the... creatures here get cutie marks? Rainbow automatically looked down at her legs, but then noticed an image similar to her cutie mark on her skirt. It looked the same, but it was the color of the lightning bolt cutie mark that Luna had given her for her disguise. Either that's my cutie mark or the creatures in this world don't get them. I wonder what the CMC do then... Are they even called the CMC? That does stand for Cutie Mark Crusaders... Rainbow yawned. Ugh, I'm too tired to think about this. Rainbow grabbed a convenient pillow out of the corner, and placed it on the clubhouse floor. She grabbed a convenient blanket, and then laid down, pulling the blanket over her. I could just go back to Equestria through the the portal... But I don't want too be constantly changing the magic balance. Rainbow glanced through the window at the bright moon one more time, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. "Come on, Apple Bloom!" called another familiar voice. "Ya don't wanna be late fer school!" "Ah know, Ah know!" called Apple Bloom. "Ah'm coming, Applejack!" Rainbow sat up from off the ground, and glanced out the window. She saw three figures walking through the orchard, and then remembered that she needed to go to Canterlot High, as it was her best bet for finding Sunset. She grabbed her backpack and put it on, and then automatically ran her fingers through her mane. It occurred to Rainbow that her maned was pulled back, but didn't think about it for too long. She couldn't let anyone see that she was here. Just get up like you're going to flight school. Rainbow exited the clubhouse, and quickly ran off Sweet Apple Acres before anyone could see her. As soon as she made it out, she started walking in the direction of Canterlot High. "Hey, there!" called Applejack, causing Rainbow to stop. Rainbow turned around to see Applejack walk up to her, with who looked like Apple Bloom and Big Mac following her. "Ah've never seen you 'round these parts." said Applejack. "Are ya new here?" "Yep!" said Rainbow. "I just moved here." Applejack smiled. "Well it's nice to meet ya. Mah name's Applejack." She stuck out her hand. "Firefly." said Rainbow, accepting Applejack's handshake. They both resumed walking, and Rainbow hoped that her walking didn't look weird. "So, you goin' to Canterlot High?" asked Applejack. "Yep!" said Rainbow. "That's great! It would be awful if ya went ta Crystal Prep." Applejack scowled. "Crystal Prep?" "A bunch of stuck-up snobs go to it. And the worst part is that we're playing the Friendship Games against them later this year!" "The Friendship Games?" "It's supposed ta be a friendly competition between schools, but Crystal Prep always wins!" Rainbow nodded, just as she felt someone behind her pull at her sleeve. "Ah'm just wonderin'," said Apple Bloom, "But why are ya carryin' a soccer ball?" "Uh..." Rainbow paused to think. "I'm going to try out for the team." "The only way yer gonna make the team is if yer really good." said Applejack. "And don't mind Rainbow Dash stealing your spotlight." Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise, but neither Applejack or Apple Bloom noticed. Whoa, I never thought that I would run into myself! Good thing I opted for a disguise! "Well, looks like we're here!" said Applejack. Rainbow looked up and realized that they were already at Canterlot High. There were many students walking inside. Rainbow glanced around, and noticed Fluttershy standing near the statue holding a pile of papers, but no one was paying attention to her. "So, you goin' to the office to get yer schedule?" asked Applejack. "In a minute." said Rainbow. "I'm gonna help Fluttershy give out those papers." "That shy girl?" Applejack glanced over at Fluttershy. Rainbow simply walked over to Fluttershy, who gave a small smile at seeing her. "Oh, hi, Firefly." said Fluttershy. "Would you like a flier to come support the animals at the rescue shelter?" "Sure thing!" said Rainbow. "Actually, do you want me to help you hoof- hand them out?" "That would be great!" Rainbow smiled, and took half the stack from Fluttershy. "I'll give them out during the day. Plus, that will give everyone a better chance to know me!" "Thanks, Firefly!" "No problem." Rainbow walked back over to Applejack, who was looking at her oddly. "What?" asked Rainbow. "Ah don't mean ta sound rude, but why are ya friends with Fluttershy?" asked Applejack. "You don't really seem like an Eco-kid to me. Yer more like an athlete." "I don't care about cliques! I just make friends with whomever I want. Plus, that way my friends and I have a variety of interests." "Ah guess if that's yer thing you go ahead and do it. But you'd better get to the office to get yer schedule from Principal Celestia before the bell rings." "Principal Celestia?" asked Rainbow, her thoughts coming to a stop. "Or Vice-Principal Luna depending on who's in there." "Yeah... Okay..." Applejack walked inside, and Rainbow followed. She glanced around the large interior, until finally spotting the office, and walking over to the door. She walked in, but there was no one in the room. Rainbow sat down in one of the chairs, and pondered how she was going to do this. Okay, so there aren't any papers on me being a new student here and I don't think that anyone is going to be gullible enough to just believe that I'm a new student. What am I going to do? Rainbow nervously tapped her hand against the arm of the chair, and took off her backpack. She opened it up and pulled out the journal with Sunset's cutie mark on it, and opened it to the first page. I don't want to do this... But it's my best shot. She took the pen out of her bag, and held it in her hand as if she was holding it in her wing. Twilight - I need a simple spell that tricks someone into believing something is true. Rainbow sighed, and waited for a response. Moments later, the book vibrated, and Twilight's writing appeared in it. I would normally ask why, but I know you wouldn't ask unless you had a good reason. The spell you need to make somepony believe one simple lie is Trickise. It is not permanent, and will fade away eventually depending on what power level you use. Rainbow scribbled a quick thanks, just as one of the doors swung open. She quickly shoved the journal back in her backpack, and zipped it shut. She looked up to see someone that somewhat resembled Celestia, who looked over at Rainbow. "Hello there." said Celestia, walking up to Rainbow. "Do you need something?" Rainbow carefully pulled some of the magic out of her wing encasement (even though that wasn't what it was encasing) and focused it into her hand. The glow from the magic was only visible to someone who regularly saw magic. "Uh, yes." said Rainbow, looking up at Celestia. "I'm the new student." "New student?" Celestia looked confused. "I don't remember anything about a new student coming..." Rainbow unleashed the magic she was holding onto Celestia, who stood with a blank expression on her face. Rainbow ran out of magic, and Celestia's expression returned to normal. "Do you need something?" asked Celestia. "Yes." said Rainbow, hoping that the spell had worked. "I'm the new student." "Ah, yes. You must be Firefly. I'm Principal Celestia. Why don't you step into my office so we can get you your schedule?" "Um... I'm actually... Shadowing someone!" she remembered a few other ponies doing that in flight school. "Because... We haven't quite decided what school I'm going to." "Of course. Let me just check the list of students who signed up for shadowing. I'll be back in just a second." Celestia walked into her office and Rainbow exhaled in relief. She really didn't like having to lie this much, and the mind control was extremely unsettling to use, but she had to do what she had to do. Rainbow noticed that a small portion of her wrist was now blue, which must have been because she took magic out of the disguise. At least it's only a little bit... Celestia came back out of her office, and Rainbow looked up. "Okay, the student you'll be shadowing will be down in a minute." she said. "Who is it?" asked Rainbow. "Her name is Rarity."
Meeting of the PrincessesRainbow Dash walked joyfully through the streets of the Crystal Empire, towards the castle. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike followed the elated alicorn, who was currently wearing her crown, which was also the Element of Loyalty. "Rainbow, darling," said Rarity, "I'm all for lovely jewelry, but why exactly did you wear your crown here?" "Luna said that when all of the Princesses meet up together, there's more likely to be ponies who want to take pictures, or get an interview." said Rainbow. "So it's best that I look nice for them, while not being too extravagant." "Well, if you wanted to I could style your mane!" "I'm good, Rares, but thanks for the offer." "Whoa!" said Spike, pointing ahead. "Look at those!" Rainbow looked up, and her mouth dropped in surprise. There were two large statues of crystal that were in the process of being built, one that resembled Spike holding the Crystal Heart, and one that resembled herself protecting the Crystal Heart. Both she and Spike stared wordlessly at the statues, along with the rest of their friends. "Well..." said Twilight, finding her voice. "The Crystal ponies sure are fast builders!" "They sure are!" added on Pinkie. "That is extremely excessive." finally said Rainbow. "I really don't need a statue! Only Spike does!" "Ya sure you don't want one?" teased Applejack. "Oh, be quiet, you. Race you to the castle!" "Yer on!" Rainbow flew into the air, and zipped off towards the castle, with Applejack sprinting after her. The rest of the group simply walked there. Rainbow landed on the ground, just as Applejack ran up to her. "I won!" they said at the same time, before glancing at each other. "Tie..." "You girls done racing around?" asked Twilight as she and the others walked up. "Yep!" said Rainbow with a smile. "Now I've gotta get to a meeting!" Rainbow walked past the Royal Guards, and into the throne room, where Luna, Celestia, and Cadence sat around a table. They all looked up as she walked in, and up to the table. "Sorry if I'm late." said Rainbow nervously. "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash." said Celestia. "You are here on time, we just arrived early." Rainbow nodded, and sat down in the unoccupied seat, and didn't notice her right wing twitch. Luna's horn lit up, and a silencing spell was cast over the room, so only the four of them could hear each other. "Is everypony ready to begin?" asked Luna, and everypony nodded. "Excellent. Now, Cadenza, can you tell Rainbow Dash about your ascension?" "Auntie Luna, you don't need to call me Cadenza." said Cadence. "Yes... I know..." Cadence smiled, and then turned towards Rainbow, who was very eager to her story. "So when I was just a filly, several Earth ponies found me in a forest. They brought me back to their village and raised me to be very kind and passionate. One day, Prismia, a reclusive sorceress who harbored jealousy towards the villagers, used a powerful necklace that amplified her evil and jealousy to drain the villagers of their love, causing them to become distraught." "A powerful necklace that amplified her evil and jealousy?" repeated Rainbow. "That sounds like the Alicorn Amulet!" "You know of the Alicorn Amulet?" asked Celestia. "Yes. A unicorn who came to Ponyville, named Trixie, bought it in a pawn shop because she recognized it as a magical amulet, and thought it would help improve her abilities. But the Amulet made her evil and jealous, and she came back to take over Ponyville!" "What happened?" "We tricked her into taking the Amulet off, and gave it to Zecora for safekeeping." "Ah. I do remember Luna telling me this after you sent her a letter detailing the events. The Everfree does seem like a good place to hide such a dangerous object." "Er, sorry to interrupt you..." said Rainbow, turning back towards Cadence. "No, no, it's fine." said Cadence with a smile. "Now, I confronted Prismia and the love she had stolen amplified my love! Using that magic, I defeated her, and encouraged her to change her ways. It was then that I was surrounded by a magical energy, and transported to a strange place where I met Auntie Celestia. I had apparently ascended to an alicorn, and had earned my cutie mark! Auntie then adopted me as her royal niece, and that was that!" "That's amazing!" said Rainbow in awe. "You just confronted Prismia, and then ascended?" "Actually, I only ascended after I encouraged her to change her ways." "Huh... Magic does work in its strange ways... So where exactly did you go when you ascended?" "The Ethereal Plane." said Celestia. "All alicorns can sense it if they try, but can only go to it when they feel the time is right. I felt a source of magic enter the Plane, and went there to find Cadence." "But why didn't I go there?" asked Rainbow. "We do not know." said Luna. "Which is the main reason we are holding this meeting. It is most likely due to the different circumstances of when you ascended as opposed to Cadenza did. Only after preforming the feat of magic and assisting Prismia to change did she ascend. However, you, Rainbow Dash, had just preformed another feat of magic to protect the Crystal Heart, which caused it to activate. Perhaps these two magical events happening at the same time sped up your ascension." "That seems probable." said Celestia. "Though, we can only guess right now." "Sister, I need to go raise the moon." said Luna. "Ah, yes. It is getting rather late. We can continue talking tomorrow."
Thief From the MirrorRainbow yawned as she walked down the hall towards her room. She hadn't realized how tired she was. She walked by a window, and paused to admire Luna's beautiful night. The stars were twinkling, and the moon was shining brightly. Rainbow smiled, and then continued walking when she saw a flash of light in the corner of her eye. Huh? thought Rainbow, looking around. What was that? "Ouch..." muttered a voice from another room. Rainbow quietly walked over to the room where the voice had come from, and peeked in. A yellow-orange unicorn with a red and yellow mane stood up shakily in front of a large mirror with purple trim. Rainbow watched silently as her horn flickered, before finally sustaining a dark turquoise glow. "Perfect..." whispered the unicorn. "Now where is the item I seek?" Rainbow blinked in confusion as the unicorn stood still with her eyes closed, and her horn glowing. Her horn briefly faded to a darker shade, before winking out. The unicorn opened her eyes, and nodded. "I see..." she said softly. "It's under the castle..." At this point, Rainbow simply pushed open the door and walked into the room. The unicorn whipped around and looked at her in surprise, before casting Rainbow a glare. "Who exactly are you?" asked Rainbow suspiciously. "And what are you doing in here?" "Like I need to tell you, rainbow-head." said the unicorn. "Now move out of my way so I can do what I need." The unicorn's horn flared up threateningly, and Rainbow's eyes narrowed. Her horn lit up bright red in response, and the unicorn smirked. "What do you think you can do against me?" she asked. "You're just some average unicorn going up against an ultra powerful one!" "If you'd use your eyes you would see that I'm not just a unicorn." said Rainbow, flaring out her wings. "And I think you're a bit out of the loop. Here, I'll give you some help: I'm Rainbow Dash. Princess Rainbow Dash if you want to be specific." "Rainbow Dash, huh? That sounds like a pegasus name. You're as deserving of being an alicorn as Cadence: not at all." Rainbow reacted instantly by flying towards the unicorn, who barely manged to dodge out of the way. She blasted out a beam of dark turquoise magic off at Rainbow, who countered it with a slightly weaker red one. The resulting beams created a small shock wave, which knocked Rainbow's crown off her head. The unicorn instantly picked it up in her magic, and brought it over to look at it. "Oh, so this must be why you can even use magic!" she said with a smirk. "You've got a magical artifact here! I think that I'm far more deserving of this, thank you very much. Now go fly off while I use this to boost my already amazing power!" Rainbow grabbed her crown in her magic, and yanked away from the unicorn. The crown froze in midair between the two ponies, one half covered in red magic, the other covered in turquoise. "Give me that crown..." hissed the unicorn angrily. "Not a chance!" snapped Rainbow. "Now you drop my crown right now!" "No way!" The unicorn dove forward towards the crown, and Rainbow quickly flew towards it. The unicorn grabbed it first, and her horn glowed brightly. However, Rainbow grabbed it just in time for the unicorn to let off her spell. They both crashed down onto the floor of the throne room, and Rainbow realized that the unicorn had tried to teleport away as an escape. The throne room was unfortunately empty, but Rainbow held onto her crown tightly with both her magic and hooves. "Give me the crown!" yelled the unicorn. "No!" yelled Rainbow. "Luna! Celestia! There's a thief trying to steal my crown!" The unicorn glared at Rainbow, and her horn flared brighter. In a flash of light, she had teleported her and Rainbow into the hallway outside the room with the mirror. Rainbow managed to wrench her crown away, and instantly flew down the hall, grasping it tightly with her magic and hooves. "Get back here!" yelled the unicorn, sprinting after her. Rainbow didn't respond, and continued flying. She kept glancing back at the unicorn, whose horn was glowing darker and darker turquoise. Her eyes suddenly began to change color, her eyes themselves turning red, her corneas turning green, and a familiar purple haze flowing out. Rainbow's mouth dropped open in shock, just as the unicorn blasted a beam of dark magic off at her. The magic hit Rainbow, sending her sprawling across the ground, and causing her to drop her crown. "Thanks for the gift, Princess." said the unicorn tauntingly, before running back down the hall towards the room with the mirror. Rainbow got up and flew after the unicorn, her wings aching from the magic blast. She put on a burst of speed to reach the unicorn just as she entered the room with the mirror, and her crown got knocked away. Rainbow's crown sailed over to the mirror, before going into it. Rainbow's mouth dropped open in shock, and the unicorn grinned. "What did you do with my crown?!?" yelled Rainbow. The unicorn teleported over to the mirror, and smirked at Rainbow, against. "Later, pegasus!" she said, before diving into the mirror. Rainbow stared for a few seconds, before flying towards the mirror. At that moment, Celestia and Luna both ran up to the doorway, and Celestia quickly grabbed Rainbow in her magic before she could make it to the mirror. "What happened?" she asked, gently setting Rainbow down on the ground. "A unicorn stole my crown!" cried Rainbow. "She ran into that mirror with it!" Celestia's eyes widened in surprise, and her mouth dropped open a bit. "Sister, what is the matter?" asked Luna. "The unicorn," said Celestia, "Did she have a yellow-orange coat and a red and yellow mane?" "Yes!" said Rainbow. "Then I know who she is: Sunset Shimmer."
To the Other World"-and she just left you a note saying she had gone through the portal to study it even though you specifically told her not to?!?" cried Twilight in surprise. "Why would she have done that?!?" Rainbow, her friends, and the other Princesses were all in the throne room, discussing Sunset Shimmer. Apparently she had once been Princess Celestia's student. "It is my fault she left..." said Celestia sadly. "I should not have shown her the mirror portal, but I did, and barred her from studying it. I had given her too much temptation to leave alone, so she just had to study it. I waited for her to come back, as it was far to dangerous for me to go into the portal, but she did not return, and the portal closed." "How long does the portal stay open for?" asked Rainbow. "Seven days, however, it appears that it has been open for at least one." "We only have six days before the portal closes?!? When will it open again?" "Thirty moons." Rainbow's mouth dropped open in shock, along with the rest of her friends'. They needed to get back Rainbow's Element soon, as the other Elements of Harmony wouldn't work without it. And thirty moons was far too long to go without the most precious magical artifacts in Equestria. "How soon can I go after her?" asked Rainbow. "Now hold up, sugarcube." said Applejack. "Surely you ain't going without us!" "Do you realize how dangerous that is?!?" cried Rainbow, turning around. "If all of us went, there would be a huge change in the magical balance! That could create havoc in both our world and the one on the other side of the mirror!" "Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash is right." said Luna. "Especially considering that she knows the most about alternate universes." "But Sunset knows what Rainbow looks like." said Twilight. "Wouldn't she be able to tell that Rainbow would have come after her crown?" "We can use a disguise." said Rainbow. "But we need to get everything ready quickly. I need to go through the portal as soon as possible, so I have time to get back out." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Alright, then..." said Rainbow, turning back towards Celestia and Luna. "What will I need to bring with me?" "We know very little about the world on the other side of the mirror." said Celestia. "So the mostly likely thing you should bring are bits or gems. Although... I do have something I would like you to bring to Sunset if you can..." Rainbow nodded. "Of course." "I will help you with your disguise." said Luna. "For a magic one will be best." Rainbow remained perfectly still as Luna cast the enchantment on her wing encasement. A tingly-feeling passed over her as the disguise covered her, and she opened her eyes. She turned to look in a mirror that Luna was holding in her magic, and her eyes widened. "Whoa..." she said in surprise. "That's good..." Her coat was now pink, and her mane blue. Her cutie mark was three blue lighting bolts. Her wing encasement was also disguised pink. The most surprising thing was that her horn appeared to be gone. "The illusion should last at least seven days." said Luna. "Will be plenty of time while you are in the other world. However, if you use magic, your horn will be revealed." "Can't use my magic, huh?" asked Rainbow. "That's no problem. I'll just save using it until I need to." "Now you just need a fake name." Rainbow paused to think. "Let's go with Firefly. That sounds nothing like Rainbow Dash." "Indeed." Rainbow smiled at Luna, and turned around to see her friends walking into the room with Celestia following. She put on the saddlebags that Rarity had made to match her disguise, which were filled with bits and gems on one side. Celestia was holding a journal with Sunset's cutie mark on it in her magic, which she gave to Rainbow. "If you could, please give this journal to Sunset." she said. "Anything written in it links over to a journal that I have. But if you need to use it, you can." Rainbow nodded, and placed the book in her other saddlebag. "I know that Sunset is under Sombra's influence somehow." she said. "If I can find a way, I'll change her back to normal." Celestia smiled, as Rainbow walked up to the mirror. She glanced back at everyone before turning back towards the portal. "I'll be back with my crown." said Rainbow, before stepping into the portal. She was greeted by flashing and spinning colors. This didn't faze her too much, as it had been like this went she had traveled to the other timeline. However, that time she hadn't been spinning. The colors flashed by Rainbow's eyes as she spun in a spiral similar to the trick of a corkscrew. The big difference being that she couldn't stop. Alright, Dash! she thought, closing her eyes to block out the colors. You just need to get your crown back, and get rid of Sombra's influence on Sunset! It will be easy! She opened her eyes again to see the colors spinning faster, and quickly closed them. I really hope this ends soon! She risked opening her eyes, just in time to a huge white light. Everything became blindingly white as Rainbow was pitched straight forwards, and went into the other universe.
New WorldRainbow crashed down on the hard ground, and winced from the abrupt stop. She opened her eyes to see that it was still night time, with the moon shining brightly in the sky. She glanced down to see if the disguise had held, and her eyes widened in surprise. Yes, her coat was still pink, but she no longer had hooves. She instead had these things that looked like Spike's claws or those things minotaurs had. What were they called again? Hands. thought Rainbow. Minotaurs have hands. Huh, I didn't expect that I wasn't going to be a pony in this world... Rainbow glanced back to see what her back hooves had changed into, but instead saw that they were in some kind of tall shoes. The color was similar to that of her space suit, or perhaps even the same. Huh... I guess I must be changed into whatever the dominant species is in this world. And I guess that they wear clothes. At this thought, Rainbow realized that she was wearing a jacket that matched her boots, and a skirt with yellow that matched the color of the seams on her space suit. She was also wearing a yellow t-shirt under the jacket, and gray leggings. She would have spread out her wings to fly into the air, but she didn't have any wings. "Really?" asked Rainbow out loud. "Wow, this world has basically no magic in it..." She gently placed her hands down on the ground, and carefully stood up on her hind legs. The new position felt very awkward, but it was surprisingly easy to balance. Perhaps because whatever creature she was was designed to stand like this. Wait... If I don't have my wings - and I'm assuming I don't have my horn - then how is the enchantment on my wing encasement still working? Rainbow looked at herself, and realized that her wing encasement was now around her foreleg, er, arm. She hadn't been able to tell because it was the same shade of pink as her coat. Ah. That explains it. Rainbow turned around to look at the portal, but instead saw a large statue. She saw the marble plinth at the bottom gleam with almost undetectable magic, and determined that it was the portal. Okay, got to remember where this is. She looked around at her surroundings, and saw that the statue was in front of a large building. The building was castle-like in some ways, but it more closely resembled her flight school - if the clouds were replaced with stone. Rainbow took a step towards the building, when she stumbled on something in front of her. She threw out her hand just before she hit the ground, and made it away from the fall unscathed. What did I trip on? Rainbow looked back to see that she had tripped over a soccer ball. It was dark blue with a moon on it. This confused Rainbow, as she hadn't gone through the portal with a soccer ball. Did I get it from going through the portal? Or was it just here? Rainbow stood back up, and glanced at the school. It was night time, so it must be closed. Not like it really mattered: she needed to find Sunset. But where would she look? And why hadn't she been waiting for someone to come after her? One thing at a time, Rainbow. First things first: find out where you are so it will be easy to find Sunset. She's got to live somewhere in this world, considering how long she's been here. Rainbow started walking, but then went back and grabbed the soccer ball. She didn't know why she didn't just leave it, but didn't bother to question it. She gently tucked it under her arm, and continued walking. She headed down the sidewalk, taking observation of everything around her. The world seemed to be designed more like Manehattan, with large streets for vehicles and sidewalks for everyone else. It was really annoying she couldn't just fly into the air. She turned the corner and saw that there were many houses along the other side of the street. They were rather small, and more closely resembled the houses in Ponyville. It actually felt rather homely. "No, no, this isn't the right way." said a familiar voice. "We really should go back to my house... Oh, I know you wanted a walk, but still..." Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise as someone familiar walked down the sidewalk towards her, walking a dog. The young girl stopped as she walked up to Rainbow, and held the leash even more tightly. "Oh, um... hello..." said the girl that looked and sounded just like Fluttershy. "Uh, hi." said Rainbow, trying not to sound surprised. "Um... I'm surprised to see someone else out this late at night." that sounded right; she hadn't seen anyone else. "Me neither..." said Fluttershy, looking down at the ground nervously. "So, what's your name? I'm Firefly, I just... moved here." "I'm Fluttershy..." "What?" asked Rainbow, knowing perfectly well what she had said. "It's Fluttershy..." "Uh..." "Fluttershy..." "Fluttershy!" Rainbow smiled, and stuck out her hand (that's probably how hoof bumps worked). "It's nice to meet you." Fluttershy nervously stuck her hand out and shook Rainbow's hand, before quickly pulling away. The dog was she walking had been surprisingly quiet, and had just been sniffing around Rainbow's legs. "You're dog is really cute." said Rainbow, trying to help Fluttershy be less nervous. "He's not mine, I'm just taking care of him while his owner is away." "That's really nice of you to do! You know, I have a pet." "Really?" Fluttershy sounded a bit less nervous. "Yeah, a bird named Captain." "Really? That's really nice. Birds are so beautiful." the dog Fluttershy was walking suddenly began walking, and Fluttershy followed after it, holding the leash tightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'd guess I'd better get going. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at Canterlot High if you need a friend or anything." "Okay!" said Rainbow with a smile. "Bye!" Fluttershy walked off with her dog, and Rainbow looked back up at the school. Fluttershy goes to Canterlot High, huh? Well I guess that's Canterlot High. Maybe Sunset also goes to it... But it's not like I can just walk into the school tomorrow not being a student or anything... Er... Rainbow shivered as a small wing blew around her. I guess I'd better find someplace to stay... Rainbow carefully took off the backpack that her saddlebags had changed into, and opened it up. It wasn't filled with bits, but odd slips of paper instead. Rainbow blinked in confusion, but dug around the bag and found the gemstones at the bottom, underneath the journal for Sunset. I guess the bits changed into whatever the currency is here, but why didn't the gems change? Rainbow put the backpack back on, and continued walking. She just needed to find some place to stay before she did anything else. And hopefully before she had to go to her "new school" tomorrow.
Going to SchoolRainbow continued walking for quiet a while, but didn't run into anyone else. Though, that did make sense considering that it was the dead of the night. She was shivering a bit from the cold, but that could have just been because pegasi didn't get as cold as other ponies, and she currently wasn't a pegasus. She was a... something. But where can I stay for the night? thought Rainbow, looking around. Come on, how hard is it to find someplace empty or easy to sneak into? Rainbow continued walking until she noticed a familiar sign. She walked up to it, and stared in surprise at the sign for Sweet Apple Acres. The similarities are starting to get just weird... Oh! The CMC have a clubhouse here in my world, maybe it's the same here! Rainbow smiled, and walked into the orchard. After wandering around a bit (she normal flew over Sweet Apple Acres), she located the colorful treehouse. She walked up the ramp and pushed the door open, to reveal the messy interior. There were papers scattered everywhere, with ideas and pictures scribbled on them. Wait, do the... creatures here get cutie marks? Rainbow automatically looked down at her legs, but then noticed an image similar to her cutie mark on her skirt. It looked the same, but it was the color of the lightning bolt cutie mark that Luna had given her for her disguise. Either that's my cutie mark or the creatures in this world don't get them. I wonder what the CMC do then... Are they even called the CMC? That does stand for Cutie Mark Crusaders... Rainbow yawned. Ugh, I'm too tired to think about this. Rainbow grabbed a convenient pillow out of the corner, and placed it on the clubhouse floor. She grabbed a convenient blanket, and then laid down, pulling the blanket over her. I could just go back to Equestria through the the portal... But I don't want too be constantly changing the magic balance. Rainbow glanced through the window at the bright moon one more time, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. "Come on, Apple Bloom!" called another familiar voice. "Ya don't wanna be late fer school!" "Ah know, Ah know!" called Apple Bloom. "Ah'm coming, Applejack!" Rainbow sat up from off the ground, and glanced out the window. She saw three figures walking through the orchard, and then remembered that she needed to go to Canterlot High, as it was her best bet for finding Sunset. She grabbed her backpack and put it on, and then automatically ran her fingers through her mane. It occurred to Rainbow that her maned was pulled back, but didn't think about it for too long. She couldn't let anyone see that she was here. Just get up like you're going to flight school. Rainbow exited the clubhouse, and quickly ran off Sweet Apple Acres before anyone could see her. As soon as she made it out, she started walking in the direction of Canterlot High. "Hey, there!" called Applejack, causing Rainbow to stop. Rainbow turned around to see Applejack walk up to her, with who looked like Apple Bloom and Big Mac following her. "Ah've never seen you 'round these parts." said Applejack. "Are ya new here?" "Yep!" said Rainbow. "I just moved here." Applejack smiled. "Well it's nice to meet ya. Mah name's Applejack." She stuck out her hand. "Firefly." said Rainbow, accepting Applejack's handshake. They both resumed walking, and Rainbow hoped that her walking didn't look weird. "So, you goin' to Canterlot High?" asked Applejack. "Yep!" said Rainbow. "That's great! It would be awful if ya went ta Crystal Prep." Applejack scowled. "Crystal Prep?" "A bunch of stuck-up snobs go to it. And the worst part is that we're playing the Friendship Games against them later this year!" "The Friendship Games?" "It's supposed ta be a friendly competition between schools, but Crystal Prep always wins!" Rainbow nodded, just as she felt someone behind her pull at her sleeve. "Ah'm just wonderin'," said Apple Bloom, "But why are ya carryin' a soccer ball?" "Uh..." Rainbow paused to think. "I'm going to try out for the team." "The only way yer gonna make the team is if yer really good." said Applejack. "And don't mind Rainbow Dash stealing your spotlight." Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise, but neither Applejack or Apple Bloom noticed. Whoa, I never thought that I would run into myself! Good thing I opted for a disguise! "Well, looks like we're here!" said Applejack. Rainbow looked up and realized that they were already at Canterlot High. There were many students walking inside. Rainbow glanced around, and noticed Fluttershy standing near the statue holding a pile of papers, but no one was paying attention to her. "So, you goin' to the office to get yer schedule?" asked Applejack. "In a minute." said Rainbow. "I'm gonna help Fluttershy give out those papers." "That shy girl?" Applejack glanced over at Fluttershy. Rainbow simply walked over to Fluttershy, who gave a small smile at seeing her. "Oh, hi, Firefly." said Fluttershy. "Would you like a flier to come support the animals at the rescue shelter?" "Sure thing!" said Rainbow. "Actually, do you want me to help you hoof- hand them out?" "That would be great!" Rainbow smiled, and took half the stack from Fluttershy. "I'll give them out during the day. Plus, that will give everyone a better chance to know me!" "Thanks, Firefly!" "No problem." Rainbow walked back over to Applejack, who was looking at her oddly. "What?" asked Rainbow. "Ah don't mean ta sound rude, but why are ya friends with Fluttershy?" asked Applejack. "You don't really seem like an Eco-kid to me. Yer more like an athlete." "I don't care about cliques! I just make friends with whomever I want. Plus, that way my friends and I have a variety of interests." "Ah guess if that's yer thing you go ahead and do it. But you'd better get to the office to get yer schedule from Principal Celestia before the bell rings." "Principal Celestia?" asked Rainbow, her thoughts coming to a stop. "Or Vice-Principal Luna depending on who's in there." "Yeah... Okay..." Applejack walked inside, and Rainbow followed. She glanced around the large interior, until finally spotting the office, and walking over to the door. She walked in, but there was no one in the room. Rainbow sat down in one of the chairs, and pondered how she was going to do this. Okay, so there aren't any papers on me being a new student here and I don't think that anyone is going to be gullible enough to just believe that I'm a new student. What am I going to do? Rainbow nervously tapped her hand against the arm of the chair, and took off her backpack. She opened it up and pulled out the journal with Sunset's cutie mark on it, and opened it to the first page. I don't want to do this... But it's my best shot. She took the pen out of her bag, and held it in her hand as if she was holding it in her wing. Twilight - I need a simple spell that tricks someone into believing something is true. Rainbow sighed, and waited for a response. Moments later, the book vibrated, and Twilight's writing appeared in it. I would normally ask why, but I know you wouldn't ask unless you had a good reason. The spell you need to make somepony believe one simple lie is Trickise. It is not permanent, and will fade away eventually depending on what power level you use. Rainbow scribbled a quick thanks, just as one of the doors swung open. She quickly shoved the journal back in her backpack, and zipped it shut. She looked up to see someone that somewhat resembled Celestia, who looked over at Rainbow. "Hello there." said Celestia, walking up to Rainbow. "Do you need something?" Rainbow carefully pulled some of the magic out of her wing encasement (even though that wasn't what it was encasing) and focused it into her hand. The glow from the magic was only visible to someone who regularly saw magic. "Uh, yes." said Rainbow, looking up at Celestia. "I'm the new student." "New student?" Celestia looked confused. "I don't remember anything about a new student coming..." Rainbow unleashed the magic she was holding onto Celestia, who stood with a blank expression on her face. Rainbow ran out of magic, and Celestia's expression returned to normal. "Do you need something?" asked Celestia. "Yes." said Rainbow, hoping that the spell had worked. "I'm the new student." "Ah, yes. You must be Firefly. I'm Principal Celestia. Why don't you step into my office so we can get you your schedule?" "Um... I'm actually... Shadowing someone!" she remembered a few other ponies doing that in flight school. "Because... We haven't quite decided what school I'm going to." "Of course. Let me just check the list of students who signed up for shadowing. I'll be back in just a second." Celestia walked into her office and Rainbow exhaled in relief. She really didn't like having to lie this much, and the mind control was extremely unsettling to use, but she had to do what she had to do. Rainbow noticed that a small portion of her wrist was now blue, which must have been because she took magic out of the disguise. At least it's only a little bit... Celestia came back out of her office, and Rainbow looked up. "Okay, the student you'll be shadowing will be down in a minute." she said. "Who is it?" asked Rainbow. "Her name is Rarity."
