Canterlot Academy: Equus Equum Edit

Chapters

2. This Is Your School
3. Help Adagio
4. Rich Kid Blues
5. Love Makes The World Go Around
6. The Big Game
7. Go See The Principal
8. Complete Mayhem [FINAL]
1. Welcome To Canterlot

2. This Is Your School

The place Sunset Shimmer was assigned to was in total disrepair; the paint was peeling off, making the place look more like a crack den than the dormitory of a respectable educational institution, the couch on the lobby looked like it had seen better days some 20 years ago and the soda machine had been thoroughly vandalized and emptied ages ago. The only thing that was spared was the TV, possibly because all tenants agreed that it was the only half-decent form of entertainment available. Being the Princess’s former protégé and coming from a family of aristocrats, the pony girl was used to accommodations a little… fancier than that.

“It will all be worth it in the end.” She mentally chanted. “It will all be worth it in the end. It will all be worth it in the end.”

First door on the right, that was the room she was assigned to. The room itself was nothing special: two beds on one side of the room with a dresser separating them, another bed on the other side, a single desk in front of the only window and a nearly empty bookcase – the last person who touched those books was probably the person who put them there in the first place when the dorm was built. Sunset dropped the bag containing her uniform on the bed, sat on the chair and looked through the window. She wished she could at least have a good view of the sun setting but the bigger and better dormitory on the other side was blocking her view.

“O-Oh, um… H-Hello…” Sunset turned around when she heard what appeared to be a mouse squeaking, but it turned out to be a girl by the door with one towel wrapped around her body and another wrapped around her hair. She had aquamarine eyes, a fair, yellow skin and the strands of pink hair peeking from under the towel suggested that this was yet another pinkette.

“What, is pink color of the year or something?” She thought out loud.

“I-I’m sorry?” Seeing that the new girl didn’t plan on pursuing the subject any further, the towel girl decided to drop it. “I-I heard that s-someone new was co-coming.” She approached Sunset and extended her hand. “M-My name is Fl-Fluttershy. I-I guess we-we’ll be roommates for the year s-so I hope we can, um… Get along?”

Sunset Shimmer eyed the yellow girl’s extended hand; she knew very well what a handshake was, she had seen it happen during her short stay in this new world, she just didn’t care. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Fluttershy pulled back her hand and used it to adjust the towel around her body.

“A-Anyway, the sh-shower is available. I-It’s the l-last door down the c-corridor t- to the right. Th-That is, if-if you want to…” Her new roommate’s unsettling silence was making her more uncomfortable than she already felt on a regular basis, so she slowly backed away as she talked. “I-I-It’s just that wh-when Rainbow D-Dash c-comes back from t-training she usually uses a-all the hot water, s-so, j-just thought I sh-should warn you. Oh, right, y-you’re new here s-so you probably don’t know, but R-Rainbow Dash is the c-captain of our s-soccer team, the W-Wondercolts.”

Fluttershy eeped when Sunset got up and walked up to her. She closed has eye, as if expecting something horrible to happen to her, but opened them again when all she felt was a pat on the shoulder.

“Thanks for the tip. After the day I had, I could use a good shower.” Sunset walked past her and towards the door, but suddenly stopped. “Oh, right, I almost forgot.” She turned around to face the shy girl. “You see, my luggage seems to have been misplaced, so I don’t really have anything to wear. Think you could lend me something for tonight?”

Fluttershy was a little taken aback by the request but, being the kind-hearted soul her parents raised her to be, she decided to help the person in need. “S-Sure. W-We seem to have v-very similar f-figures so I guess I-I can lend you one of m-my nightgowns.”

“And please, nothing pink. I’ve seen plenty of it today already.” Fluttershy nodded. “Ah, and what about towels? Got any to spare too?”

“Y-Yes, I--” Fluttershy’s world started spinning and she fell on the bed. It took a second for her to figure out the new girl had taken her towel from her with a firm tug. She yelped and immediately curled up in an attempt to hide her naked body.

“Thank you.” She said as she left the room and slammed the door before rushing towards the bathroom at the end of the hallway.

Sunset had to come up with a way to earn money, and fast. Since she didn’t bother bringing any bags with her through the portal, all she had was the uniform she received from the vice principal and the clothes the portal was kind enough to give her. She couldn’t rely on other people forever. Or could she?

“Everypon-- Everybody in this school look like a pushover. Especially that Flitterfloosh girl or whatever her name was. I can just flex some muscle and they’ll do whatever I tell them to. Besides, this is the losers’ dormitory anyways, who cares if someone is being extra mean?”

When Sunset Shimmer returned to her room, the number of people in there had multiplied.

“Oh come on, Flutters. Don’t be like that, I swear I’ll pay you back once I receive my allowance. It’s for an emergency, really.” Fluttershy was sitting at the desk, doing what appeared to be homework. The girl bothering her was none other than Adagio, who was standing behind the shy gal with her hands on her shoulders.

“I-I’m really s-sorry, Adagio, I-I want to h-help you, but I-I already gave e-everything I could spare. A-All I have left is j-just enough to b-buy my medicine.”

Adagio let go of her shoulders and shook her head. “And just when I finally thought we were getting along. Well, I guess you value material possessions more than you value your friends, huh? A pity, really!”

“N-No! That’s not what I meant, I-I’m--”

“And here comes the girl of the hour!” Adagio cheered, focusing her attention on the new girl in the room. “How was your first day? Made any friends? Fucked somebody? Got a good beatdown behind the sports equipment storage room? Details, honey, details!”

“And what are you doing here?” Sunset Shimmer asked as she sat on her bed.

“I live here, of course. We’re roomies now! And I assume you’ve already met our pet, Flutters? Oh, you’re gonna need one of these!” She said as she picked a yellow hair dryer that was sitting on another bed and started blowing Sunset’s hair.

“Um, th-that’s mine…” Fluttershy quietly protested.

“You’re being awfully nice for someone who just a couple of hours ago told me I shouldn’t trust anyone.” Sunset pointed out.

“Just testing the waters.” Adagio explained, blowing Sunset’s hair with one hand while the other explored the Equestrian’s towel-covered midriff. “Trying to figure out what makes you tick…” Her hand travelled further south, her fingertips now touching Sunset’s bare thighs while her mouth approached her ear. “Seeing what I can get away with…” Fluttershy’s face became beet red as she turned around, focusing her attention back on her textbook.

Before Adagio could go any further, Sunset grabbed Adagio’s wrist and pulled the hand away from her legs, using her other hand to push Adagio’s face away. “Yeah, sorry to disappoint but whatever… THAT was, it ain’t happening. Actually, no, I’m not sorry.”

“Oh, bummer! You’re no fun at all.” Adagio jokingly complained as she focused her efforts back in helping Sunset dry her hair.

The sound of a door being kicked open echoed throughout the dormitory, followed by a shout:

“I’M GONNA PUNCH THE SHINS OF THE BITCH WHO USED ALL THE HOT WATER!”

Sunset Shimmer smirked, prompting Adagio to smirk as well.

“Rainbow Dash sounds angry. Know anything about that, Sunny?” She asked.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sunset replied, feigning innocence.

Sunset Shimmer was the first to walk out of the dormitory the next morning, now wearing Canterlot Academy’s uniform; she wore a blue skirt and sweater vest – at first she thought she might be mistaken for one of the jocks before realizing that none of them wore the standard uniform. It was also a little tight, but for now it was all she had.

She was alone outside, making her the target of a girl with a slingshot hiding behind a trash bin.

“OW! WHAT THE HELL!” Sunset yelled out when she felt a very sharp pain on her back. She turned around while trying to rub the sore spot when she saw a cheering girl with mint green skin and hair with a rose headband on it. Judging by her dark green vest, she was one of the cliqueless outcasts.

“You’ve been whammed, bitch!” She yelled out. Sunset growled and ran towards her. “Oh, crap.” She ran back towards the nice dorm she came from. “Crap crap crap CRAP!”

Before the girl could go back inside she got body-slammed onto the ground by Sunset Shimmer.

“Give me that!” Sunset demanded while trying to wrestle the slingshot out of the girl’s hand.

“No, it’s mine!” The girl said while holding onto it tightly.

“Hey, you!” A third voice called out. Sunset looked up and saw a grey skinned girl with long blonde hair and golden eyes wearing the same dark green vest standing in front of the open door. Upon closer inspection, Sunset also noticed that the girl’s eyes weren’t quite aligned. “Get off Lyra right now!”

She never gave Sunset the chance to actually get off her before rushing towards the assailant with her head lowered. Before she could say or do anything, the cross-eyed girl headbutted her in the chest, which not only caused her a great deal of pain but also sent her flying a couple of feet backwards. The former unicorn tried getting up, but the best she could do was get on her knees, pressing her hands against her sternum and gasping for air. Her vision was a little blurry with bright spots, but she managed to see two people dressed in blue rush past her and restrain the blonde.

“Don’t you ever lay your dirty hands on my friends, ever again, understand?” She shouted while struggling against the two prefects holding her arms, but then screamed when one of them sprayed something on her face. A third prefect helped Sunset up; she had light grey skin, dark grey hair and purple eyes.

“Are you alright, dear?” She asked, her voice having a distinguishable British accent.

“Yeah, I’ll live.” Sunset said, still a little out of breath, watching as Fleur de Lis and another prefect with light green skin and brown hair tied in a bun wearing glasses escorted the angry girl away. In the confusion, Lyra snuck back into the dormitory, leaving her slingshot in Sunset’s hand, which she tossed in a nearby trash bin.

“Would you like medical attention? I can escort you to the infirmary if you wish.”

“No, I… I’ll be fine, I…” She took a deep breath to make sure her lungs weren’t damaged. “I have some things I need to do before class.”

“Do you need me to hel--”

“I said I’ll be fine!” Sunset angrily interrupted, pushing her away just hard enough to get her point across but not enough to get busted for assaulting another prefect. She walked away, leaving the unamused prefect behind.

Lunchtime. Sunset Shimmer hated to admit it but the first period, chemistry class, was actually somewhat interesting; chemistry, physics and other science-related topics weren’t as popular as magic back in Equestria, meaning that this world’s knowledge of the subjects at hand was far more advanced than hers. The horse woman was a scholar at heart, so the prospect of learning more about a subject she thought she already mastered excited her.

But this wasn’t the time for that. She got destroyed by one person in a single move, so she would either have to:

A) Learn how to defend herself or;
B) Avoid conflict altogether.

But she knew option B was off the table; she was self-aware enough of her own personality to know that if she held herself back she would eventually snap, and it would be far more damaging to her than a string of small outbursts on a regular basis.

“U-Um… Hi…”

Sunset looked up to the person that interrupted her thoughts; it was Fluttershy, the person she now shared a room with carrying a lunch tray. She wore a blue sweater vest and skirt combo just like hers, but the shirt she wore was pink instead of the popular white.

“Hi.” She replied dryly.

“C-Can I sit here? I-I mean, I c-can sit somewhere else if you w-want me to, it’s ok…”

She rolled her eyes. “If you promise not to be even more of a nuisance than you already are.”

“Y-Yes, I-I promise.” She immediately sat down, as if Sunset Shimmer would change her mind if she didn’t sit fast enough.

The two of them ate their lunch in silence, until Fluttershy of all people broke the silence.

“I… Um… I heard that you got into a f-fight with Derpy today.”

“So the rumors are already spreading, huh? Is that the minty fresh girl or the cross-eyed one?”

“The, um, the latter.”

“I didn’t get into ‘a fight’, it was self-defense; the walking mouthwash attacked me with a slingshot.”

“Those are surprisingly popular around here…” Fluttershy commented.

“She shot me in the back so I tried to disarm her, and that’s when Miss Depth Perception decided to play hero. Next thing I know I’m on the ground, trying to remember how my lungs work.”

“She got detention.” Fluttershy mentioned. “She’s going to mow the sports ground after class.”

“Let me ask you something: is she just an anomaly or is violence the go-to when it comes to solving conflicts?”

Fluttershy took a long sip from her apple juice box, as if stalling for time while she came up with a good answer. “Not if the prefects are around. They carry pepper spray.” She took another sip. “Fleur has a stun gun.”

“Oh, isn’t that just wonderful. I am stuck in here with a bunch of troglodytes and I can’t even throw a decent punch! This is going to be a fun year.”

“Um… Maybe I can teach you?”

Sunset stared at her with a vacant expression for a few moments before finally processing what she just heard.

“Excuse me? You? Teach me?” She chuckled. “You can barely speak loud enough to be audible from across this table, do you really expect me to believe you know how to throw down?”

Fluttershy cowered and looked away, trying to hide her face behind her long hair. “We-Well, not in practice no, b-but…” She focused her sight back on her roommate. “M-My brother was into martial arts a while back, s-so he asked me to be his sparring partner while we followed instructions from some books. I-I’m no good in a fight, b-but I remember a few things about stances, moves, weak points and such.”

Sunset Shimmer crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Alright then, let’s say I believe you. What’s the catch?”

“I’m sorry?”

“The catch! If – a very big IF – you really know the basics of fighting, would you really just teach me out of the goodness of your heart?”

“W-Well, yes! Before you came here Adagio was the closest thing to a friend I had in a while, and she’s…” She paused for a second, unsure of how to proceed. Eventually she decided against finishing that sentence. “Well, you don’t insult me when you talk to me. At least not as much. Th-The point is, I-I want to help you. I want you to… To be my friend!”

This surprised Sunset Shimmer. All her life the only people who approached her had ulterior motives. Maybe to worm their way into the inner circles her family was a part of or to get closer to the princess. But in this world she wasn’t the child of an upper class family or the protégé of the literal ruler of the entire land. She was just a high schooler, a mere sophomore, and this girl in front of her just wanted to be friends for the sake of being friends?

“Well, I suppose I can give this a shot. Alright, we have a deal.” Sunset Shimmer extended her hand. “Friend!”

Fluttershy squee’d as she used both hands to shake the pony girl’s.

Sunset Shimmer made a habit out of reading human books every time she had a chance in the most secluded places she could find – she felt like she still had plenty to learn, but at this point she knew more about the human world than the average high schooler – at least as far as books could teach her; she was still lacking in street smarts. At that moment she was sitting on the bleachers with a book in hands, enjoying the pleasant summer sunlight. The jocks running around the tracks were far away enough for their shouting, cheering and yelling to not bother her, but something that was bothered her was the sound of a pencil furiously scribbling on paper just two rows above her.

She turned around and saw a girl with cream-colored skin, purple eyes and red hair with purple and violet highlights; her bangs were tied up in a bundle over her head with a hair tie. She alternated between staring at the field and writing on her notebook – she wore glasses with thick black frame and the nerds’ green vest and skirt.

“Hey!” She called. “Can you tone it down up there? I’m trying to read.” But the girl either didn’t pay attention to her or downright ignored her. “Do you not hear me talking to you, strawberry jam?” The girl kept on writing until the Equestrian walked up to her and grabbed the notebook she had on her knees. “You son of a bitch, do not ignore me!”

“Hey, give that back!” The girl protested and tried getting up, but Sunset pressed her foot against her stomach and kept it there, preventing the girl from getting up. She then looked at the page the nerd girl was writing on.

“Now, let’s see what was so important to the point that it would make you ignore someb--” Sunset raised an eyebrow; the page contained a very well-drawn sketch of one of the girls running laps on the track – the person in question had short and spiky blue hair, golden eyes and surprisingly pale skin for an athlete that ran around in the sun all day. She had goggles on her forehead and wore blue and yellow sports shorts with the horseshoe C on the left thigh and a blue and yellow jersey with the CA crest on the left side of her chest. “Well, well, well, it looks like we have a stalker in our midst.”

“It’s not what it looks like!” The girl tried explaining, once again trying to get up but Sunset Shimmer’s foot didn’t budge. “I am just planning a strategy.”

“Trying to figure out how to get her alone and do disturbingly graphic things to her, are we?”

“Shut up! She stole something that belongs to me and I want to get it back before it’s too late.”

“Oh really? And what are the stakes here?”

“Why do you care? This doesn’t concern you.”

“Well, I was just thinking, maybe I could offer you my services and help you out. If the price is right, that is.”

“So you’re a mercenary? Are you saying you have not sworn loyalty to any of the clans?”

“I… What?”

She blushed. “U-Um… Forget I said anything.”

“Whatever, just tell me what you need and I’ll tell you how much that’ll cost you.”

“Indigo Zap – that’s her name, by the way – stole my diary. She thought it was my homework notebook, saying she’s going to ‘compare notes’ after training, meaning that she wants to copy everything I made.”

“Really? That’s it? A diary? You’re freaking out because of a diary?”

“It has… really sensitive information in it. Information that would be the end of me, in case it was made public – which I am absolutely certain she’ll do. She keeps all her stuff in the locker room, you just have to break into it and steal it back without being caught. Simple, right?”

“Yes, very simple. So simple that it makes me wonder why you’re not doing it yourself.”

“Because I am a quote-unquote nerd; I get too close to that gymnasium and they’ll eat me alive! Why do you think I was working on a plan to get her alone after training? You, on the other hand, are a variable. You have not allied yourself to any of the cliques, but you are not disconnected to the point where you’d be considered one of the outcasts. They will probably taunt you, maybe rough you up a little bit, but they wouldn’t kick you out on sight.”

“So, then… What’s your name again?”

“Moondancer.”

“Right. Moondancer. I’m willing to walk into hostile territory to break into someone’s locker for you… For twenty bucks!”

“T-Twenty?”

“Fifty if you don’t want me to read your diary.”

“F-F-FIFTY?!”

“And the price is non-negotiable.”

“B-B-But… I…” Moondancer sighed. “How about we compromise? I pay you twenty-five, you bring me back my diary, you read it if you want to, but you keep quiet about it. I’ll pay you after the job is done. Deal?”

“Make it thirty.”

She growled. “Fine, thirty!”

Sunset smiled, finally removing her foot from the girl’s stomach. “You’ve got yourself a deal. I’ll meet you by the library.”

“This better be worth it.” Moondancer took back the notebook Sunset Shimmer had taken from her and walked away. “I could buy a lot of booster packs with that.”

The inside of the gym was a small basketball court with bleachers on the left side and stairs leading to the locker room underground. The coach, Mr. Lockdown, a light grey-skinned, muscular bald man wearing sunglasses indoors oversaw a couple of jocks doing sit-ups. Sunset did her best to keep a low profile and walk past them without getting the coach’s attention. She couldn’t tell if he was looking at her or not because of his sunglasses – apparently he wasn’t because she managed to just walk past them without him asking her to join them as he usually did.

Thankfully Canterlot Academy was obsessed with labeling everything, so locating her locker was simple: it had a plate with the name “Zap, Indigo” on it.

The combination locks were fairly easy to bypass, you just had to slowly turn the dial left and right until you heard it click, so all you needed in order to break into someone else’s locker without knowing the combination was a little silence, a little patience and not get caught. Adagio had taught her this trick, but she never had a reason to use it until now – and she succeeded on the first try.

Just to be safe Sunset decided to exit through the other building connected to the locker room, the swimming pool, which was empty due to it being closed for repairs. She skimmed through Moondancer’s diary on her way to the library; she wasn’t particularly interested in knowing the girl’s deepest secrets, just trying to squeeze some extra cash out of her, but seeing the name “Twilight Sparkle” mentioned several times in every page with hearts drawn on the edges of the pages told her everything she needed to know. Sunset then reached the pages filled with details about the realistic dreams Moondancer had about the two of them which involved a bed, handcuffs, candle wax, lots of leather and a 12-inch tentacle-shaped--

“Nope!” She thought to herself as she slammed the diary closed.

She found her “employer” sitting on the front steps of the library, once again furiously scribbling on the pages of her notebook.

“I got your thing.” Sunset Shimmer announced, holding up the diary. Moondancer stood up immediately and grabbed it. She quickly checked it for any damage or missing pages.

“Alright, everything seems to be in order.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out thirty dollars, as promised. “And do not forget our agreement.”

“Yeah, yeah, mouth shut, I get it.” She said while checking the bills to make sure she received the right amount. “Talking about it implies that I want to remember the things I’ve read.”

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad.” She argued. “…Was it?”

“This discussion is over. If you want to talk about it with someone, I’d suggest a psychiatrist.” Sunset pocketed her money and walked away. “Ciao!”

Later that night Sunset was lying in bed, still wearing her uniform and reading a different book. Fluttershy was sitting on her own bed, wearing green pajamas with white butterflies on it while combing her hair – she had just finished showering after another training session with Sunset, who was waiting for Adagio to finish hers so she could have one as well.

“People are saying you were hanging out with Moondancer today.” Fluttershy broke the silence. “Is it true?”

“Technically. She lost something and paid me to get it back, that’s all.”

“Moondancer asked someone else to do something for her?” Fluttershy sound legitimately shocked – or at least as shocked as a person who could barely whisper sentences could sound. “That’s unusual. She usually takes matters into her own hands, she’s not the type that relies on others.”

“It was an urgent matter. For her, at least.”

“Was it something involving Twilight?”

Sunset remembered seeing the name “Twilight Sparkle” repeated several times in the pages of the diary. She looked up from her book with a raised eyebrow. “How’d figure that out?”

“Well, it’s no secret that Moondancer has a crush on Twilight. She thinks it’s confidential, but I think that at this point it’s common knowledge to everyone in CA. Everyone except Moondancer. And Twilight, apparently.”

“Huh, go figure.” She turned her attention back to the book.

Another day of classes finished. Sunset Shimmer went straight back to the library as soon as the bell rang – she had learned so much in the one and a half week she had spent in that foreign land. She usually preferred reading outside, but unfortunately on this particular afternoon it was raining. With a new book in hands, she proceeded to learn.

“Quantum displacement, huh?” An unfamiliar voice questioned, referencing to the book she was reading. “A little advanced for a high schooler, don’t you think?”

The pony girl looked at the person who had approached her: yet another girl wearing the green nerd getup. Her skin was violet and the eyes behind her glasses were purple. Her dark blue hair with violet and pink highlights was tied up in a bun.

“It’s a hobby.” Sunset explained.

“A fellow scholar, I see.” Twilight said, taking a seat on the other side of the desk. “Personally I’m more interested electrochemistry. Creating a working cold fusion reactor is a life goal of mine, and I hypothesize that--”

“Ok, let’s cut to the chase!” Sunset interrupted, putting her book down. “You are here for a reason, aren’t you? No need to make small talk, just tell me what you want done and we’ll discuss my price.”

The girl was taken aback by her bluntness but then shook her head, focusing on the discussion. “Alright, let’s start again. My name is--”

“…Twilight Sparkle, I know!” Sunset interrupted, pointing at a poster of Twilight hanging from the wall. “Your face greets me every time I walk in here. You’re running for student council president.”

“You sure know a lot about us despite being a transfer student.”

“I’m not the kind of person that stays out of the loop for long. Now, what is it that you want?”

“Ok, then I’ll just cut to the chase: I need votes.”

“Yeah, I’d imagine that’s how democracy works.”

“Theoretically, yes.” Twilight sighed. “But we’re in Canterlot Academy, the presidential election is no more than a popularity contest.”

“I thought every election was like that.”

Twilight let out a dry chuckle. “You have a point there.” Her faint smile disappeared. “But I’m running against Rainbow Dash, captain of the Wondercolts and most popular girl in the entire school. I can’t compete with that!”

“Then you better save up enough money and start buying those votes.”

“And commit electoral fraud? No way!” Twilight looked away. “Besides, if I had that kind of money I would be hanging out with the preps in their luxurious dorm.”

“So, are you getting to the point anytime soon or should I come back later?”

“Right, right, right. You see, I’ve been working on a plan with some friends that might just work. I already have the nerds on my side but that’s not enough to win the election, so I need to appeal to a larger demographic. The jocks are out of the equation, they will support Rainbow Dash no matter what I say or do, and the vagrants don’t exactly get along well with us, so that’s out of the window as well.

“That leaves the preppies and the outcasts. I’m fairly certain that the speech I wrote can get me in their good graces, but one of my associates overheard that Rainbow Dash and her goons are planning on showing up and ruining my speech. If I can’t get my word out there then I won’t be able to get them on my side, and I’ll most certainly lose the election.”

“And where do I fit into all this?”

“Tomorrow at 5 PM I want you to cause some ruckus in the sports ground. Not enough to get into trouble, but just enough to make the jocks too distracted to go through with their plan.” Twilight pulled a book from her backpack and opened it, revealing a fifty-dollar bill that she offered Sunset Shimmer. “I’ll pay you half now and the rest if I manage to finish my speech uninterrupted. What do you say?”

Sunset stared at the bill Twilight held right in front of her, thinking about the pros and cons, the results of her actions and the impact it would cause in her life. Would she really want to be on the jocks’ bad side? Fluttershy’s classes were a big help, but if she ended up getting caught there’s no way she could take on all of them by herself.

“I know that look. I know what you’re thinking.” Twilight said. “If you’re caught, I promise I’ll take care of your medical expenses.”

Sunset shoved the money it in her skirt pocket. “Done deal!”

4:55 PM of the next day. Sunset was watching from the bleachers as the jocks trained on the soccer field.

“Are you sure about that?” Fluttershy asked as she sat beside her. “Things could get ugly. You could get hurt.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to be careful and not get caught, right?”

“It’s just… I know you are in shape and very capable, but you’re messing with athletes here. I’m not saying you’re weak, but when it comes to getting physical they are the best of the best. I just have a bad feeling...”

“Oh come on, are you really underestimating me?” Sunset patted the duffle bag beside her. “I came prepared. I know what I’m getting into, alright?”

She sighed. “I just don’t know if it’s worth it…”

“They’re getting what they deserve, Shy. They act like they rule the place, so it’ll be nice to knock them down a peg or two. Besides, it will be fun! Anyway, it’s almost time. Ready to do your part?”

Fluttershy nodded. “This entire plan is making me so nervous, I may not even have to pretend.” She then got up and walked towards the gymnasium; she agreed to pretend to faint next to Sophisticata, the prefect that patrolled the area next to the sports ground so that she would take her to the infirmary and not bother Sunset Shimmer as she put her plan into motion.

Sunset Shimmer got up, stretched her limbs, cracked her knuckles and unzipped her duffle bag. “Alright, time to go to work!”

3. Help Adagio

“She’s opening her eyes!” Was the first thing Sunset Shimmer heard. It sounded distant, like someone was shouting it at her from the other end of a tunnel. Her vision was blurred, but things slowly cleared up. The white ceiling of the infirmary greeted her, followed by pink hair strands that belonged to Fluttershy.

“Oh, thank goodness. Can you hear me? Are you in pain? How many fingers am I holding up?” Fluttershy bombarded her with question.

“At least let her fully wake up before overwhelming her.” Twilight said as she pulled Fluttershy away from the Equestrian.

“S-S-Sorry…”

“Wha… What happened…?” Sunset asked. She tried rubbing her head, but her arm wouldn’t obey her. She tried sitting up, but the moment she moved she felt so much pain in her stomach that she gave up immediately. “How did I get here…?”

“That was a nasty spill you took.” Another woman in the room spoke. She was a tall woman with alabaster skin, pink hair bun and blue eyes wearing a nurse uniform, cap with red cross included. “Nothing too serious, but I strongly caution you to think twice before skating near stairs again.”

“Skate? Stairs? What are you--”

“That’s what the official medical report says, anyway.” Twilight explained. “Remember when I promised to take care of your medical expenses? I suppose it included bribing Nurse Redheart so that she won’t tell Principal Celestia you actually got into a huge fight with the soccer team.”

“I… What? What happened? How long was I out?”

“Just a couple of hours. Ish!”

Sunset looked at the wall clock: 8:47 AM. “Ish, huh? I can’t remember a thing... What did I do?”

Twilight looked at Nurse Redheart, who shrugged.

“I’m going to the bathroom. Watch the place while I’m gone, m’kay?” The woman said as she walked out of the room.

“Well, if things were according to how you planned then you squirted super glue on the benches, sprinkled marbles on the field, filled their water bottles with…” Fluttershy flinched – she didn’t want to say the word. “The point is, you wanted to give them a lot of trouble, and it looks like they weren’t happy about it. By the time I got there you were already face down and unconscious on the grass.”

“Well, at least they were smart about it.” Adagio, who was standing by the door, commented. “They didn’t punch you in the face. They knew that if you showed up to class with a black eye you would get into trouble, but they would as well. I guess not all of them are the meatheads I thought they were.”

“Thank you for your input, Adagio.” Sunset commented, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Hey, how about showing some fucking gratitude? I helped carry you back here. I could have left Fluttershy to do all the heavy lifting, but I didn’t. I expect a ‘thank you’ in the next ten seconds, if you don’t mind.”

Sunset Shimmer grumbled. “Thank you, Adagio.”

She smirked. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”

“And look on the bright side: at least now you own a skateboard!” Twilight said, showing her a skateboard that looked brand new. “We had to get you one to validate your alibi. My big brother gave it to me a long time ago, but I never needed one until now. Take good care of it, alright?”

“How’d the speech go? Am I getting paid?”

“Things went south on your end, but at least I managed to say everything I wanted to say – some of them even looked interested. I think I may have won at least a few votes!” She reached into her pocket, pulled another fifty-dollar bill and stuffed it inside Sunset Shimmer’s pocket. “You more than earned your payment.”

“Spectacular.”

“I should be going. The first bell is about to ring and I have some things I need to do before class. You’re an ok girl, Sunset Shimmer. Well, as ok as a bounty hunter with no true loyalties can be; a solid chaotic neutral. If you ever find yourself in need of help, just contact me!”

“Sure, whatever.” Sunset tried getting up once again after Twilight left the room and the nurse returned. Fluttershy placed her hands on her shoulder, stopping her. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“What are you doing? You’re injured!”

“I’ll be fine. You heard her, the first bell is about to ring.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you. Please, just rest for a little bit longer. I promise to make notes on everything the teachers say for you, alright?”

“But--”

“You should listen to your friend.” The returning nurse commented while looking around for something. “You’re not seriously injured, but you should still take it easy. You don’t just sleep off a beatdown.” She cleaned her throat. “I’m sorry, I meant to say ‘fall’. But this is just a suggestion; if you want to get up and leave, I’m not gonna stop you.”

Sunset looked into Fluttershy’s big pleading eyes and sighed. “Alright, fine. But I’m not staying here another day. I’m going back to class tomorrow, and that’s final.”

Fluttershy smiled. “I can agree with that. I’ll come see you later.”

She left the infirmary, soon followed by Adagio. Sunset closed her eyes in an attempt to take a nap.

A couple of days passed and Sunset Shimmer’s injuries had mostly healed. Nothing eventful happened in that period, other than the odd job here and there for the nerds and some outcasts. That is, until one night, when Adagio shook her awake.

“Come on Sunny, the wicked don’t get to rest. Now wake up and smell the soda, we got business to take care of.”

“What gives you the goddamn right to interrupt my well-deserved rest, you bi--” Sunset’s half-asleep rant was interrupted by Adagio placing her index finger on her lips.

“Watch the fucking language, missy. Now get up and wear something presentable, I need you to come with me.”

“Give me one good reason to do as you say and another good reason to not break your knees before doing so.” She threatened as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“The only thing that seems to motivate you is cash, so come with me and you’ll get your cut. And if your performance is deemed acceptable you’ll get mad respect from some powerful players in this game. That sounds like fun, right?”

“I stopped paying attention when you said I was getting a cut. Toss me my vest.”

Adagio did just that and in a matter of minutes Sunset Shimmer was wide awake, wearing her uniform and ready to go out. They left the dormitory and snuck around campus – after all they were violating curfew and the prefects were still patrolling.

“Ok, so what’s the plan?” Sunset whispered.

“I’m not so sure myself, to be honest.”

“Really? You drag me out of bed at this ungodly hour and you don’t even know what we’re doing?”

“Relax, I know what we’re dealing with here. This is a safe bet, trust me.”

They quietly headed towards a small door on the side of the main building which read “boiler room”. The inside was exactly as advertised: pipes, valves, panels, a toolbox with some tools lying around it, there was nothing out of the ordinary; nothing aside from the vent Adagio had pried open and was currently crawling through.

“You coming or what?”

Sunset sighed before following her. “If a spider crawls in my hair I’m gonna make you swallow it.”

“Duly noted, now keep moving.”

The vent led to a corridor Sunset Shimmer had never been to before, and she had explored the building thoroughly. She let out a whistle.

“Hidden passages, huh? CA suddenly got a lot more interesting!”

The corridor only had one door, a door that led to a big, round, empty room of pure concrete, save for another door on the other end of the room and the large octagonal hole between the two. There were tall chain link fences on all sides of the octagon, with a gate directly in front of each door. With a smirk on her face, Adagio opened the closest gate and stepped aside.

“Take a look down there.” She invited, her voice a low purr; whatever was about to happen, it excited her.

Throwing caution to the wind, Sunset approached the open gate and looked down. “I don’t see anyth-- Whoa!”

While Sunset was bent down, Adagio planted her foot between the girl’s buttcheeks and pushed, causing her to fall into the pit. She immediately closed the gate and rushed to the other side.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?!”

“In a moment!” The poofy-haired student then opened the other door. “Alright everybody, the guest of honor has arrived!”

A couple of students came into the room from the other door, which also appeared to lead to another corridor – there weren’t too many of them, but definitely enough to be considered a crowd; some of the faces that poured out of the room were familiar, some were not, and some were more than familiar.

Fluttershy looked as surprised to see Sunset Shimmer inside that hole as Sunset Shimmer looked surprised to see Fluttershy in that place.

Rainbow Dash, captain of the Wondercolts and person who delivered the final kick that knocked her unconscious days ago, simply crossed her arms and leaned against a wall, looking unimpressed.

The last person to come out of that room was Derpy, who seemed both angry and joyful to see her nemesis.

“Ladies and girlies!” Adagio announced. “It’s been a while since a worthy contestant has been lured into The Pit like a dumb little cow straight to the slaughterhouse. I present to you the newcomer that’s been causing trouble since she first stepped foot into this dump, will do any dirty deed if the price is right, survived a beating from the soccer team and took one of Derpy’s signature headbutts and lived to tell the tale. On the east end of The Pit, the unscrupulous mercenary herself, Sunset Shimmer!”

As the crowd cheered, Adagio opened the other gate.

“And on the west end of The Pit; you may love her, you may hate her, but you won’t cross her, otherwise you get the business end of a mean skull bash. Ladies and girlies, our undefeated champion, Hammerhead Derpy!”

The students above cheered. Derpy didn’t even bothered using the ladder, she simply jumped into the hole.

“I’ve heard them all.” The cross-eyed girl said. “Ditzy Doo, Bright Eyes, Cross-Eyed Freak… Eventually I learned to ignore them. People are mean to those who look different, I came to accept that.” She then cracked her knuckles. “But the things you’ve said about my friends… You have a problem with me, I know that, and the least you could do was keep it that way and leave my friends out of this. But no, you had to say mean things about them. You had to spread nasty rumors. If you are not going to play nice, then someone has to teach you some manners. It may as well be me!”

“What are you talking about?”

“DON’T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!” She yelled. “Adagio told me everything. Lying is not going to help you anymore.”

Sunset looked up at Adagio, who shrugged with an amused look on her face.

“I’m so sorry, Sunny, but you were out of control, I had to tell someone!”

“You’re behind this, aren’t you, you lying, conniving sack of shit!”

“Enough chit-chat, girls. All bets are off. Two people go into the pit, only one of them leaves with her consciousness and her dignity. Begin!”

Before Sunset could register what was happening, Derpy had already lowered her head and charged towards her. In a moment Sunset was pressed against the “hammerhead” and a concrete all, and it hurt on both sides. Thinking fast she brought her hands together and slammed them on Derpy’s back. The assailant fell down, giving the Equestrian an opportunity to move away from the wall and avoid being pinned down again. The crowd cheered, with the exception of Fluttershy, who looked horrified.

Derpy quickly got back on her feet and Sunset tried punching her in the face, but the girl barely flinched.

“That’s not gonna work on me!” She said with a smile as she knocked on her own head. “As a child my parents dropped me on my head so many times that I’ve developed a resistance.”

“That makes no sens--” Sunset couldn’t even finish her protest; Derpy placed her hands on the back of her opponent’s knees and pulled, causing the sophomore to fall on her back. Derpy straddled her and grabbed her by the collar.

“Now apologize for what you said about my friends.”

“I don’t know what--” Derpy punched her in the face.

“Apologize!” She repeated.

“I did not--” Another punch.

“I will force that apology out of your mouth sooner or later. Might as well do it now while you’re still conscious, or this will happen again and again and keep happening until I hear you say it.”

“I don--” Derpy got up and pulled Sunset to her feet. She clenched her fist, ready to deliver the biggest blow of the match, when Sunset Shimmer placed her hands on the back of Derpy’s head and pulled her, delivering a fierce headbutt to the bridge of her nose. Derpy let go of her collar and covered her nose with both hands. “It’s no use, you’re not going to listen to reason, are you? That’s ok, once you’re on the ground with your consciousness fading away I will make you listen.”

With a bloody nose and a scowl, Derpy charged towards her again, but this time Sunset was ready. With a quick sidestep, Sunset grabbed Derpy on a headlock and dropped to the smooth concrete floor; she landed on her butt while Derpy landed on her face.

Fluttershy covered her face; she could no longer watch such senseless display of violence. All she could hope at this point was that none of them came out seriously injured.

The fight was evenly matched as they traded blows, but Sunset got the upper hand when she faked a punch that Derpy prepared to counter, only to stop at the last moment and kick her in the stomach. Derpy leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her stomach in pain, only to see a knee approaching faster than she could move. The knee connected with her chin and she fell backwards. She tried getting up, but was too disoriented to do so. Sunset Shimmer placed a knee on her back and whispered in her ear.

“Say it.”

“I… I…” Derpy sighed in defeat and rested her cheek against the floor. “I give up…”

The crowd cheered even louder. The former unicorn could see money trading hands, Rainbow Dash leaving, soon followed by others, Fluttershy’s look of relief and Adagio’s resting bitch face.

“You set me up Adagio.” She accused. “Why’d you do it?”

“Because you are so goddamn stubborn! When I put you down, you’re supposed to stay down!”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Did you really think the jocks were planning on ruining Sparkle’s speech? That was all a lie, a rumor I spread with the intent of reaching her ears. I tricked her into hiring you as a distraction because I knew they would kick your ass, but you just bounced back up. You’re like a cockroach, in every sense of the word!”

“Answer the question! Why?”

“Because I want to break you, Sunset Shimmer! There is nothing I want to do more than to see your defiant self shatter into a million pieces and become another moron eating out of the palm of my hand, just like everybody else!” She took a deep breath to calm down. “But it doesn’t matter. This was just another setback. There will be plenty of opportunities in the horizon, I’ll just have to seize them when the time is right.”

She turned around and walked towards the exit. Fluttershy opened the gate and offered a hand to help Sunset Shimmer up. Adagio scowled at her and shoved her into The Pit with both hands. Fluttershy yelped as she fell, but Sunset grabbed her before she landed on the concrete floor. “There, now all the biggest losers in this place are sharing the same grave. Fucking perfect!” She finally left the arena.

“I-I’m so sorry, Sunset. I-If I knew this was going to happen I would have warned you. Adagio told me to come because you were going to be here, I didn’t know--”

“It doesn’t matter.” Sunset interrupted as she put Fluttershy down. “It’s over.” She turned to look at Derpy, who had sat up, but still hadn’t gotten up. She walked up to her and offered a hand to help her up. Derpy flinched at first, thinking she was going to finish the job, but accepted the help once she realized the girl had no malicious intentions. “That was all bullshit! I never said anything about you or your friends nor have I spread any rumors about anyone in this place. Adagio fed you lies so this could happen, and you ate it all up.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that out when she started monologuing. My bad!”

“And that time with the other girl, she slingshot me from behind. I was just trying to disarm her when you jumped in.”

“Lyra told me about that. I’ve been meaning to apologize, but then Adagio told me all those lies and I just… I just lost it, you know?”

“So it’s all cleared up, right? You’re not my enemy and I’m not your enemy. If anyone here is the real enemy then it’s Adagio, and she’s going to pay for what she did to me. What she did to us!”

“I just don’t know why she did that. She was my friend. I’m everyone’s friend!”

“Well, Adagio is nobody’s friend. And once I get back to our room, things are going to get ugly. Let’s go, Fluttershy!”

“R-Right!” The shy girl nodded and started following Sunset.

“Wait!” Derpy called as Sunset was about to climb out of The Pit.

“Hm?”

“What about you? Are you going to be my friend too?”

Sunset shrugged. “Well, if it means you’ll help me take down that whore, then--” Before she could finish that sentence, Derpy wrapped her in a tight bear hug.

“Awesome! I love making new friends.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Sunset gasped those words, having trouble breathing.

After Adagio’s betrayal in The Pit she physically vanished from Canterlot Academy, leaving all her belongings behind in the dorm room – only clothes and spare uniforms; Sunset Shimmer thoroughly checked her things for clues.

The next morning, when she came back to the room after brushing her teeth, she saw Fluttershy sitting on the bed, hugging her knees, staring at the wall.

“You seem troubled.” She commented.

Fluttershy sighed. “Before you, Adagio was the closest thing I had to a friend after coming to CA. She wasn’t the best of friends, but at least she was someone I could talk to. And then she just stabs you in the back and leaves to God knows where…” She turned her head to look at her roommate. “Are you going to ditch me once I outlive my usefulness too? Am I… Disposable?”

Sunset didn’t know how to respond. When they first made that agreement in the school cafeteria that was exactly what she was planning to do; once all the pieces were in place and she set her master plan in motion, she would move on and leave them all to rot. But after weeks of getting to know this girl, learning from her how to defend herself and just spending time with her in general, all things she didn’t get to do back in Equestria, this friendship thing was definitely growing on her.

“Your silence says everything I need to know…” Fluttershy then crawled back under her blanket. “I’ll just go back to sleep.”

Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath and pulled the covers off her friend.

“Come on, Shy! It’s a bright Sunday morning, I’m not gonna let you sleep in. Let’s go to town and do something, what do you say?”

Fluttershy’s expression was a mix of surprise and confusion.

“To town? I haven’t seen you leaving school grounds since the day we met.”

“Exactly! I need to stretch my legs and see what Canterlot Town has to offer, maybe buy some new clothes since I only have one set of clothes that isn’t part of the uniform. Seeing how I’m new around here I’m gonna need a guide, and I can’t think of anyone better than…” She extended her hand. “…my friend!”

Fluttershy grabbed her hand and squee’d. Sunset Shimmer pulled her out of bed and they walked out of Canterlot Academy together.

Author's Note

Releasing this chapter earlier than promised because it is the shortest of the bunch and I think it would be cruel to make you wait an entire week and have this as the result. It's a one-time deal only, then it's back to weekly releases of chapters that are definitely longer than this one.

New chapter still coming this friday, by the by. Double release!

4. Rich Kid Blues

Fluttershy and Sunset Shimmer spent most of that autumn morning as well as a good portion of the afternoon hanging out, shopping and just having a good time in general. Sunset got excited when she saw a poster advertising a bike race later that afternoon with a prize money for the winner and immediately signed up. They rushed to the beach, getting there just in time – not that it did her any good, she had never ridden a bike before and didn’t even manage to cross the starting line before falling on the sand. Fluttershy promised to teach her how to ride a bike one day.

The skateboard she had gotten from Twilight Sparkle (which she had customized by drawing the blazing red and yellow sun that used to be her cutie mark on the underside) was much easier to master and it had become her preferred method of transportation – especially when she managed to grab onto the rear bumper of a moving car and skitch a ride. She couldn’t perform tricks like she’d seen some skateboarders in town doing, but it didn’t bother her; she wasn’t planning on impressing anybody, all she needed was a decent way of getting around without turning into a sweaty mess too quickly.

With popsicles in hand to combat the afternoon heat, the pair was on their way back to Canterlot Academy when they passed by the local movie theater, where a girl paced back and forth; she had pale-white skin, sapphire-blue eyes, a lot of makeup and well-combed curly purple hair – kept from covering her face by a hairclip shaped like three diamonds. She was a Canterlot Academy student who had ditched the white shirt, opting to wear only the light and dark blue argyle vest and the tartan skirt that identified her as one of the preppies.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy muttered.

“You know the spoiled bitch?” Sunset asked, pointed her half-eaten strawberry popsicle at her.

Fluttershy nodded while looking down at her lemon-flavored popsicle. “That’s Rarity. One of the most popular girls in school, if not the most popular.” She looked back at her companion. “She seems upset. Maybe we should see what’s bothering her?”

Sunset rubber her chin while looking at the prep, deep in thought. “Hm… The most popular girl, you say? She must have connections like crazy. If we get on her good side we could get some info on what Adagio is up to. Not a bad plan, Shy!”

“That’s not what I--” Sunset was already walking towards the damsel in distress. “Oh well…”

“You seem like someone who cares a lot about their looks.” Sunset Shimmer called out, getting Rarity’s attention. “If you keep frowning like that then your forehead will be marked forever.”

“What kind of gullible fool do you take me for? I know that’s a myth.” Rarity replied, not sounding too amused.

“Well, aren’t you a little miss sunshine.” The unicorn crossed her arms. “That’s how you greet everyone or am I just that special?”

Rarity took a deep breath. “Forgive me, darling, for my… Outburst of emotion, but at the present moment I’m not at the best of moods.”

Sunset Shimmer finished her popsicle and threw the stick at a nearby trash can – she missed by a few inches, but Fluttershy picked it up and threw it in the trash properly, alongside her own popsicle stick. “Well, if it’s something a third party can take care of, I’m sure you’ll find my prices agreeable.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about you. You’re the new girl that will do anything for money, right? What’s your name again? Sunny--”

“Don’t you dare call me Sunny!” She interrupted. “My name is Sunset Shimmer. And no, I don’t do ‘anything for money’, I get paid to make problems disappear. It’s different!”

“If you say so, darling.”

“So, what’s bothering you?”

Rarity sighed and pointed at the long line in front of the box office. “Tonight is the premiere of Made In Manehattan. It’s the first time the greatest actress of our generation, Chestnut Magnifico, and the greatest director of the last three generations, Canter Zoom, work together in a major motion picture. Watching this film has been the priority of my to-do list for months but my fiancé, who was supposed to be here with me to buy the tickets, simply forgot. And I did a headcount: the people waiting in line far surpass the amount of seats available in this theater. As soon as that window opens twenty minutes from now, my dream will be ruined. Ruined, I say!”

“Can’t you, like, watch it tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Rarity grabbed her by the collar and pulled her so close that their foreheads were touching. “TOMORROW? By tomorrow EVERYONE will have already watched it and will be talking about it. What do you expect me to do in order to avoid spoilers? Wear earmuffs all day? No no no, this has to happen today. I can’t miss this, darling!”

Sunset pushed the girl away. “Fine, I get it! You want me to get rid of those people before they start selling the tickets, right? I can do that. In the meantime, think about how you’re gonna pay me back. I don’t accept checks. Let’s go, Shy, I need your help.”

“Did she say ‘fiancé’?” Fluttershy asked as she followed Sunset Shimmer.

“Are you sure about this?” Fluttershy asked as she climbed the ladder leading to the roof of the building. “I mean, what if someone gets hurt? Or what if we get caught?”

“Life is not worth living if you’re not living dangerously.” Sunset, who was crouching near the edge of the roof, said while scouting the crowd below. “Now light this bitch!”

While still looking down below, she passed a bunch of firecrackers to her partner in crime, who hesitantly pulled the lighter she had been handled moments before out of her pocket and lit the fuse. She passed the firecrackers back to Sunset, who had found the perfect spot to throw them in order to startle the largest amount of people possible. The moment she threw them into the crowd she got up, turned around and ran. She quickly slid down the ladder and looked up.

“Jump down, if they catch us we’re screwed!”

Fluttershy was looking down at her, hesitantly. She was about to slowly climb back down when the crackers went off; the noise scared her and she involuntarily jumped. Sunset Shimmer managed to catch her bridal style and ran off while still carrying her to a back alley. She put Fluttershy down, took a deep breath and started laughing.

“That was great! Did you hear those screams? I wish I could have seen them running around like headless chickens.”

Fluttershy let out a giggle; it wasn’t the situation that amused her, she wasn’t very fond of pranks herself, but her friend’s laughter sure was contagious.

“Ok, I think the coast is clear. Let’s go see Charity about our payment.”

“Rarity.”

“Yeah, that one.”

After a walk around the block just to be sure they wouldn’t be the prime suspects of the prank, the duo returned the front of the movie theater, which had become mostly empty after the firecracker incident, and Rarity was now the very first person standing in line, which had become considerably smaller, with a big smile on her face – she must have slipped in during the confusion. Not long after that the attendant opened the box office and Rarity gleefully made a purchase. She walked up to the girls, who were sitting on a nearby bench.

“Well, a little less discreet than what I expected, but a job done is a job done, I suppose.” Rarity commented as she did a hair flip.

“Right, now about the payment…”

“I have that covered, darling!” Rarity then presented the three tickets she had just purchased. “I cordially invite you both to join me in the premiere of Made In Manehattan, starring Chestnut Magnifico and directed by Canter Zoom!”

“Movie tickets, huh?” She grabbed one and inspected it closely. “Well, it could be worse. At least you didn’t try to pay me in trading cards like that Naomi girl.”

“Those were pretty rare…” Fluttershy muttered.

“You know what? I’m game!” Sunset Shimmer got up from the bench and stretched her arms. “I haven’t seen one of those motion pictures since I came to this world, may as well see what all the fuss is about.”

“You mean to tell me you’ve never been to a movie theater before, darling?”

“’This world’?” Fluttershy inquired.

“Town!” Sunset quickly corrected herself. “I’m from a… Rural area. Like, VERY rural. We don’t have a movie theater back home.”

Rarity chuckled. “Oh, I see what’s going on. Fret not, darling, your secret is safe with me.”

“S-Secret?” She tried not to sound alarmed, but a subtle stutter escaped her lips.

“I know a thing or two about humble beginnings and not being too fond of rumors being spread.” The preppy winked. “The subject of your hometown dies here, I promise you.”

“S-Sure…” Externally she simply raised an eyebrow, but internally she sighed in relief – her actual secret hadn’t been exposed.

“Now, Fluttershy, can you be a dear and stand in line for the popcorn?” Rarity asked. “Now that tickets are being sold the place is starting to crowd, we can’t afford to wait an hour in line.”

Fluttershy eeped and flinched when Rarity extended a hand towards her, but relaxed when saw the dollar bills the alabaster woman was holding. She quickly grabbed them and rushed inside the movie theater.

“She’s jumpier than I remember.” She commented.

Sunset Shimmer shrugged. “You get used to it.”

Not too long afterwards, with popcorn and drinks in hand, the trio went inside the movie theater auditorium, deciding then to chat a little while waiting for Made In Manehattan to begin.

“So, about what you said earlier; do you really have a fiancé?” The fiery-haired girl asked. “A teenager interested in settling down instead of enjoying life and partying her face off is a… Well, rarity.”

Rarity tried to mask a huff, but Sunset noticed it. “It’s a… Complicated subject.”

“Well, those are my specialty. Have you seen my algebra tests?”

Rarity sighed. “Listen, darling, please don’t be offended, but this is just a show of my appreciation for what you did. I don’t know you well enough and I certainly don’t trust you enough to share sensitive information regarding my personal life. Understand?”

Sunset nodded. “Can I at least get the name of the stud?”

Rarity sighed. “Well, I suppose it’s ok. Our relationship is not exactly a secret. His name is Blueblood. Blueblood Trueblood.”

Sunset Shimmer smirked. “Listen, darling, please don’t be offended, but your boyfriend has the most ridiculous name I’ve ever heard.”

Rarity covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. “Can’t argue with that.”

Sunset switched her attention to the big screen, the trailers were starting to play, meaning that the actual movie was not far behind. Since none of the trailers caught her attention, she instead focused on her thoughts: what kind of person would laugh at someone openly insulting their beloved? Maybe their relationship wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. She would definitely look into it later, but for now, she had a movie to watch – Sunset Shimmer was not a fan of romance, but she would never admit to anyone that she actually enjoyed Made In Manehattan. Besides, the chemistry between the two leading actresses was relevant to her interests.

A number of days had passed since the premiere of Made In Manehattan and Sunset was back into the weekly school schedule. Classes were done for the day and she made a beeline towards her locker so she could store her English textbook; a slip of paper fell down when she opened it, and she picked it up after closing the locker. The note read:

“It’s been a while since we last met outside of school. Would you like to spend some time together at the carnival? See you there are 4:30, don’t be late! - R”

The entire message was written in very fancy cursive in purple ink but that last R, which took 25% of the paper, looked very carefully crafted with lots of unnecessary curves and spirals; it didn’t take a forensic handwriting analysis to figure out who the sender was.

Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow, but eventually smiled. Instead of going to the library as she usually did after class, this time she went straight to her dorm room – after all, she had a date to get ready for. Her sudden appearance surprised her sole roommate.

“Gosh, did something happen?” Fluttershy asked, turning her head to look at her while taking off the half-moon glasses she usually wore when reading.

“What makes you say that?” She asked while rummaging through her side of the dresser, browsing the clothes she bought during a shopping spree with Fluttershy.

“Well, you never come back here this early.” Fluttershy’s face turned red when her roommate started undressing, so she turned around and focused back on her homework. “I-I just thought that s-something may have happened, l-like a fire or something.”

“Nothing serious, something just came up and I have to go out for a bit. How do I look?”

Fluttershy turned around once again; Sunset Shimmer, now fully clothed once again, wore a teal shirt with her trademark open leather jacket over it, jeans and black high heel boots with an upwards arrow-shaped orange stripe on the tongue.

“You look… Ravishing! But something doesn’t quite fit, hang on.” Fluttershy rushed to the dresser and pulled out a different leather jacket; this one had a zipper instead of buttons and only went down to her midriff, but it exposed more of her teal shirt, giving her a very pleasing color scheme – it also had the same stripes as her boots did, but on the sleeves. She helped her friend take off the older leather jacket and wear this one instead. “There, this one works much better with this outfit. Anyway, what’s the occasion?”

“Thanks for the help, Shy! Don’t wait up for me.” She picked up her skateboard and with that she was gone, slamming the door shut as she left the room. Once outside she took off her high heel boots in order to ride her skateboard with ease. By the time she got to the front gate of the carnival, it was already 4:15. Using her skateboard as a makeshift bench, the Equestrian girl sat down to wait, and wait she did. For longer than she expected, to the point where she regretted not bringing a book. She resorted to reading discarded flyers to stave off boredom. By the time Rarity arrived around 4:50, Sunset knew about several sales and events that would happen in the incoming week, as well as the grand reopening of a local night club her human body was too young to visit.

“I used to be an adult back in Equestria…” She muttered under her breath as she let the wind carry the flyer away.

“Yoo-hoo!” Sunset looked around and finally spotted Rarity walking towards her, waving. She, too, had ditched the school uniform, wearing a very simplistic outfit instead; a knee-length purple skirt with three diamonds not unlike the ones on her hairclip, golden bracelets on both wrists, a low-cut light blue top that revealed a fair amount of her décolletage, a dark purple belt and matching dark purple boots.

“I admire your punctuality.” Sunset spoke as she up, her voice full of sarcasm.

“Oh, hush! I’m fashionably late at best. By the way, you look fabulous, darling! You have very good taste.”

“Yeah, yeah, well, you invited me here, and here I am.”

“So you are, darling! So you are!” She sighed and slumped her shoulders. “You see, my fiancé was supposed to take me out on a date here today, and he ditched me for God knows what reason – again! But since all of my friends had already planned their Friday nights with me out of the equation, I have no one else to spend time with. That’s when it dawned on me: we had such a gay old time at the movie theater last Sunday, I thought we could do a follow-up!”

“Well, your tardiness aside, that sounds… Ok, I guess!” She was very good at masquerading her excitement.

Rarity chuckled and waggled her finger. “Fashionably late, darling. Now let’s us go, those rides aren’t going to ride themselves!”

If anyone asked her she would definitely deny it, but Sunset Shimmer actually had a really good time that afternoon/evening; she favored rides that would make her feel the wind on her face, such as the swing ride and the roller coaster – since she was a filly, Sunset envied the freedom of the pegasi. She wanted to take off and soar through the skies, free as a bird just like them. For an entire year she obsessed over levitation spells, but she could never get more than a few inches off the ground and she could never gain enough momentum either. Those rides were the closest thing to the excitement of flying she knew she would ever get.

When the sun had already set, the duo decided to take it slow and go for a ride on the ferris wheel, Rarity hugging the stuffed animal Sunset got as a prize on the shooting gallery and gave to her – it was an orange horse with yellow mane and tail.

The two chuckled lightly as they watched the town after dark from above.

Rarity looked down at her horse and sighed. “Well, I hate to admit it, darling, but I think I had much more fun with you today than I did with my fiancé since the day we were introduced.”

“What’s up with you and Blood Clot? The mood always seems to sour when you bring him up.”

“It’s Blueblood.” She corrected her. “And, well…” She took a deep breath. “Promise me that what I’ll tell you now won’t leave this cabin.” Sunset zipped her mouth shut then threw away the key. Rarity chuckled again before her expression turned back to serious.

“You see, my mother used to work at Trueblood Mansion as their maid a few years back. She learned that they planned on marrying him to the most charming, polite, smart and skilled young woman they could find to show off at parties and gatherings, so my parents concocted a very ambitious plan: they invested every penny they could spare into my education; dancing, etiquette, fencing, the full experience.

“Once I graduated middle school they called in a few favors, so once I was accepted into Canterlot Academy they secured me a room in the private dormitory reserved for the families who make generous donations to the school. The rest was up to me, and I jest you not, they were holding auditions to find the perfect trophy wife for their perfect little boy. Obviously I was the best choice and now here I stand, a frighteningly short amount of time away from becoming a prize just so that my parents can live the good life.”

“Yeah, but so what? You’re going to live the good life as well, aren’t you?” Sunset Shimmer inquired. “Most pon-- people have to work their asses off 9 to 5. All you have to do is smile and wave while being pretty.”

“I know, it’s just… Blueblood Trueblood is not exactly my first choice for a husband. I mean, once my parents shared their plans with me I was thrilled, I felt like a fairy tale princess about to meet her own prince charming, but he’s… Not what I expected.”

“So he follows the snob rich prick stereotype to a T, I gather?”

Rarity groaned. “I expected that, but he’s not only that but much, MUCH worse! One time he used me as a shield when a car drove past us and I got splashed with mud, can you believe that?!”

“A royal douchebag.”

Rarity took a deep breath, but this time she smiled. “Thank you for that, darling. I needed to get that off my chest, but most of the people I associate with were my competition during the ‘auditions’, so if they ever became aware that my relationship with the number 1 most desired single in town is on a rocky path, they would do their damnest to tear us apart take him for themselves.

“I can’t stand him and I don’t think I ever will, but this is for my family; I have a little sister back home, the cutest little marshmallow you’ll ever meet in your life. If I fail, my parents will have her go through the same grooming I had to endure, then use her to seduce another heir. I love my dear Sweetie Belle and I want her to live her own life, not become an empty shell carrying my parents’ hopes and dreams like I was forced to.”

Sunset Shimmer nodded as she listened to her date’s story. “I understand. I promise you, this conversation dies the moment we step out of this cabin.”

With a smile on her face, Rarity hugged her companion. The ferris wheel came to a halt and they stepped out of the cabin. Together they took the bus back to Canterlot Academy and went their separate ways. Once back in her dorm room Sunset simply tossed her skateboard aside and fell on the bed with a big, goofy smile on her face.

Fluttershy was lying in bed but not yet asleep. When her roommate arrived, she stated:

“You look like you just came back from a successful date.”

“In a sense.” Sunset Shimmer was too tired from an afternoon filled with activities, so instead of changing into her pajamas she simply kicked off her boots, removed her jeans and jacked and curled up under her blanket.

Fluttershy smiled – it was so rare for her friend to look this genuinely happy, and that happiness was contagious.

The next afternoon, while checking her locker after classes were done for the day, Sunset Shimmer didn't see a group approaching her from behind. She quickly turned around with fists clenched when an unfamiliar hand slammed her locker shut, missing her face by a single inch. Behind her were standing three girls she knew attended Canterlot Academy but never had the displeasure of talking to them; judging by their attire, they were most certainly Rarity's acquaintances.

The girl on the front had pink skin, purple curly hair held in place by a white headband and light brown eyes. The girl standing to her right had pale yellow skin with equally pale purple hair with white streaks, violet eyes, pink ball earrings hanging from her lobules and heavy makeup that stood out, especially the long eyelashes and cyan eyeshadow. The final member of the trio, standing to the left of the girl Sunset assumed was the leader, had cyan skin and hot pink eyes, and the color of her short hair alternated between pink and purple with a sun-shaped hairpin on her temple – she didn't seem as invested in her as the other two, too busy staring at some kind of device strapped to her wrist.

“You Sunset Shimmer?” The leader asked, her upper-class accent gave Sunset the distinct impression that she would not enjoy talking to her for extended periods of time.

“It's the polite thing to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name.” Sunset Shimmer said as she crossed her arms, relaxing her fists but still not lowering her guard.

“A fair point. My name is Suri Polomare, these are Upper Crust and Sunny Flare.” The pony girl scowled, the name Sunny bringing up memories of the person she was after. “We are here on Rarity's behalf, so allow me to ask one more time: you Sunset Shimmer?”

“The very same. Now what do you want?”

Suri reached into her bag, pulled out the stuffed horse Sunset Shimmer gave Rarity the previous night and shoved it into her chest.

“Rarity is not fond of what you did, and we don't take kindly to people who spread nasty rumors about one of our own. She politely asked that you never contact her again, otherwise you will regret it.”

The three preppies walked away as a confused Sunset Shimmer looked down at the stuffed animal she was holding: some of its stitching was coming loose, causing the stuffing to show, and the word "bitch" had been scrawled on its side with crimson red lipstick.

Despite the warning, the Equestrian walked straight to the private dormitory where the preppies resided with the horse still in hand. She knocked on the door, ready to demand some answers. The person who answered was a baby blue-skinned girl with magenta eyes and a long light blue ponytail with two dark blue streaks.

“Can I help you?” She asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“I'm here to talk to Rarity.”

“Well, she's busy.”

“I didn’t ask.” Sunset Shimmer then pushed the girl aside and walked in uninvited.

The inside of the building was just as fancy as one would expect the dormitory of the rich girls to look like: the walls were lined with fine art, the floors were carpeted, suits of armor stood on each side of the front door, a trophy case filled with awards and medals, and stairs that lead to the second floor, undoubtedly just as fancy as the first floor. On the other end of the wall of the front door was a fireplace with a coffee table and two armchairs facing towards it. One of the armchairs was occupied, and Sunset could see a pair of crossed marble white legs and a hint of purple hair.

“Who was it, Sonata, dear?” Rarity asked while drinking what appeared to be wine from a wine glass, but the bottle of grape juice on the table gave away its true nature.

“Me.”

After a few seconds of silence, Rarity placed the glass on a coaster on the table and got up, without turning to face her.

“You, indeed.”

“I want answers.”

“So you do, darling. So you do.”

“What's the meaning of this? Sending your cronies to threaten me, returning the gift I gave you, even now you won't even look me in the eye. What's going on?”

“They warned me, you know. From the day we first met, my friends – my true friends – warned me about you. They told me you were a manipulator, a liar, someone who only got close to people in order to find out their secrets and use it against them for personal gains. But I was stupid, I didn't listen. You helped me in a time of need and you were nothing but pleasant during our escapade last night. You made me feel... You made me feel comfortable. I thought I could trust you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS--” Rarity took a deep breath to calm herself down. “What I'm talking about is, everyone in school is talking about me and Blueblood, saying our relationship is unstable and hanging by a threat.” She turned her head and raised her voice a little, to make sure people on the second floor could hear her. “Which is nothing but a nasty rumor, I assure that we couldn't be happier with the current state of things!”

She lowered her voice once again. “I never discussed my relationship with anyone but you, and as soon as I open up, people are spreading rumors about us. And before you even dare to play the ‘eavesdropper’ card, may I remind you that we were alone in a ferris wheel cabin, dozens of feet above ground. All the evidence accuses you of being the culprit, Sunset Shimmer!”

“Rarity, listen to me!”

“I don't want to hear it! I don't care what excuses you came up with or what grand speech you prepared. I just want you to get out of my house and never speak to me again, or I will hurt you as badly as you hurt me.”

“Rar--”

“NOW!”

Sunset Shimmer scowled and squeezed the stuffed horse she was holding. When the girl named Sonata grabbed her shoulders to escort her outside she just slapped her hands away and walked herself out. “This isn't over.”

“Yes it is.” Sonata said as she blew her a raspberry before closing the door.

“Early again?” Fluttershy asked, then she cowered when her roommate threw the stuffed horse against the wall with all her strength before jumping in bed with her face buried in her pillow. “D-Did something happen?”

“I got too comfortable.” She said, lifting her head from her pillow so her friend could understand. “I got too comfortable in this place, forgot what truly matters and now I paid the price for my mistake. But not anymore. I came here with a goal in mind, and I will fulfill that goal. No more sidetracking.” She sat up, took a deep breath and cracked her knuckles. “Well, back to work! What can you tell me about the spoiled bitches?”

“Well, the preppies value two things above all else: money and skill. If you want to get their attention you'll need one or the other, and unless you have a plan to get rich overnight then you must beat them in their own game.”

“And what game are we talking about here?”

“Fencing has been popular amongst the high society of Canterlot Town for decades. If you challenge and beat their best, they will definitely listen to what you have to say.”

Sunset Shimmer rubbed her chin. “I read a book about fencing in the library, I get the gist of the thing. With enough practice, I think I can give them a run for their money.” She smiled at her friend. “What do you say, want to help me practice?”

Fluttershy smiled and clapped her hands together.

A knock on the door echoed throughout the silent first floor of the private dormitory. Rarity put down the book she was reading but not the teacup she was drinking from; she didn’t bother getting up from her armchair, already guessing who was at the door. When no answer came after the third time she knocked, Sunset Shimmer simply opened the door and walked in, Fluttershy in tow.

“And what gives you the right to come into my house uninvited?” Rarity asked, taking a sip of tea. “For the second time.”

“Unfinished business!” She explained. “But I can tell you’re not going to hear me out, that is why I come with a challenge.”

Rarity gave her a side-glance. “Is that so? What kind of challenge?”

“Something all the rich pricks in town love: fencing. If I win, you are going to listen to what I have to say.”

Rarity finished drinking her tea and put down the teacup, finally getting up and turning around to face her.

“And what if I win? What are you willing to offer?”

“I’m willing to do anything you want me to do.”

Rarity grinned. “Oh, darling, never in my life have I met someone who uttered those words and didn’t come to regret ever saying them. But fine, then. How about this: if I win, I will make you my pet for the rest of the year. I will order the most beautiful custom-made collar that you must wear all day, every day, and when you’re inside this building you won’t be allowed to talk or stand on two legs. You will crawl like a dog, bark like one, worship the ground I walk on, and any misbehavior will be punished. Severely!”

Sunset flinched. She expected something humiliating when she decided to offer her a blank check, but that was more than what she expected. “I, uh…”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re backing down after waltzing in here so full of swagger, darling.”

Sunset Shimmer shook her head. “No, I’m not. Now bring out your weapons, let’s do this.”

“Not so fast darling. You were the one who challenged me, that means you must abide by the rules of the house.” Rarity clapped her hands twice and four girls walked down the stairs – she recognized them as the girls from the other day: Suri Polomare, Upper Crust, Sunny Flare and Sonata, who carried with her a pair of sabers. “In order to fight me, the champion of the house, you must first defeat three fencers of my choosing.”

Sunset huffed. “If that’s what it takes, then fine. Bring it on!”

Sonata threw one of the sabers at Sunset Shimmer, who grabbed in in midair by the blade with her left hand, but since they weren’t sharp she wasn’t injured. The blue girl then offered the second saber to Upper Crust, who stood in the middle of the room, ready to fight. Fluttershy took several steps back, nearly pressing her back against the front door.

Rarity sat back down on the armchair, which Sonata had turned around so she could watch the match. Sonata then turned the other armchair around and sat down as well.

“You’re going down, newbie!” Sonata taunted. “Just don’t cry when you lose, the carpet alone is worth more than your organs.”

“Let’s keep things simple.” Rarity explained as she crossed her legs and intertwined her fingers above her thigh. “Touchés are scored with the tip only and the torso is the only valid target area. There is no time limit and the first to score is declared the winner.”

Upper Crust chuckled. “Fine by me. She’s just a rookie, this will be over in a second.”

“Ready? En garde!”

Upper Crust thrust her saber, but Sunset Shimmer deflected it using her own saber and quickly poked her on the sternum.

“Touché!” She said with a cocky smirk.

“B-But I… You… She…” She groaned and passed the weapon to Suri Polomare before walking upstairs. “Whatever, I’ll be in my room.” Suri Polomare took her place, more aware of her opponent after witnessing her speed firsthand.

She was more challenging than the previous fencer, but Sunset came out on top. Sunny Flare, once she started paying attention on her surroundings instead of whatever device she had on her wrist, grabbed the saber and joined the challenger in the center of the room. Suri followed Upper Crust’s example and left the room.

Sunny Flare didn’t look like it, but she was very skilled with a sword. There were more close calls than the Equestrian was comfortable with, but she eventually found an opening and poked the girl on the abdomen.

“Tou… Touché…” She said before wiping the thin layer of sweat that had appeared on her forehead. Sunny Flare simply shrugged, tossed the saber to Sonata and walked back upstairs, once again caring more about her wrist device than the world around her.

“Well done, darling, well done.” Rarity said, sarcastically clapping as she got up from her seat.

“There, I did what you asked, now--”

“I am the champion of the house, darling, I am well aware of the rules.” The leader of the preppies interrupted, before eyeing the saber being held in front of her by the ponytail girl. “You know what, why don’t we up the ante?”

Rarity turned around and reached for two sabers mounted above the fireplace. She kept one and tossed the other to the challenger, who grabbed it in midair by blade with her left hand once again. This time she hissed in pain and dropped the sword on the ground. She looked down at her freshly cut hand – it wasn’t deep, but it was still bleeding.

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy said, pulling a green handkerchief out of her backpack and pressing it against the wound.

“What the hell, those swords are real!” Sunset stated, glaring at Rarity.

“Of course they are, darling. That’s what I meant by ‘up the ante’.” She did a few swings to test the blade she hadn’t wielded in a long time. “I told you I would hurt you as badly as you hurt me, but I doubt someone as unscrupulous as you would even be fazed by mean gossips. I bet everyone is already doing that as we speak!

“As much as I hate lowering myself to your level and resorting to such uncouth methods, you’re the type of person whose first and second language is violence. Now let’s see, how do you feel about a scar across the eye? Those seem popular among ruffians like yourself. Or maybe an ‘X’ across the cheek? What about fixing that frown with a Glasgow smile? Oh, why am even asking? It’s not like you have a say in the matter!”

“The horrifyingly sadistic things you just said aside, I thought we were doing ‘torso only’.”

“Oh, but we are! That doesn’t mean we can’t hit each other in other places, it just means we won’t score a win if we do.”

“Ready?” Sonata called. Squeezing the cloth on her left hand and picking up the slightly bloodied sword with her right hand, Sunset Shimmer assumed her fighting stance. “En garde!”

Sunset Shimmer didn’t even see her opponent moving; Rarity was so fast that all she managed to do was raise her own saber to block the attack. She hadn’t even recovered from the blow and Rarity was already preparing to strike again. Once again, all she had time to do was move her blade to block. Rarity was relentless, barely giving the pony any time to react. So far Sunset was managing to hang in there, but just barely, but not unscathed – she already had a couple of cuts on both arms of her shirt, the hint of red around them suggesting that it had pierced her skin, and another cut on her left cheekbone. Fluttershy stood in place, covering her mouth with both hands, looking horrified.

The Equestrian saw an opening and tried to strike, but it was a trap; the preppy dodged with ease and prepared to counterattack, but Sunset dropped and rolled on the carpet, losing only a few hair strands in the process. She got back up a few feet away from Rarity, panting heavily and holding the saber with both hands.

“Tired already, darling?”

“It’s almost like I fought three people before you. Crazy, huh?”

“You can still give up, you know. It will cost you your dignity, but at least I won’t ruin your beautiful face. A fair trade, non?”

“Not until I do what I came here to--”

Rarity smirked; her plan had worked – while Sunset focused on talking she loosened the grip on her saber, so one powerful swing sent it flying, the impact causing her shaky legs to give out. When she fell on one knee the marble-skinned girl walked closer and pointed the tip of her saber to the fallen girl’s chest.

“Any last words, Sunset Shimmer?”

“I admit, when I first approached you my goal was to use you. I wanted to use your popularity to my advantage.”

“You’re not helping your case, darling.”

“Listen to me! I wanted to use your secrets to blackmail you, not hurt you for shits and giggles. What’s the point? I don’t know who spread the word or how they found out, but I’m certain Adagio has something to do with this. She’s the real enemy, not me!”

“You just confessed your plans to blackmail me and you expect me to trust you?”

“Look, all I wanted was information. You’re a popular girl, you know all the right people, I was gonna blackmail you into helping me find Adagio. She fucked with me and I want revenge, no matter the cost. After that was done, I would get out of your hair for good!”

“And the idea of asking for help never crossed your mind?”

“I think you’re forgetting that this is Canterlot Academy; nobody does anything out of the goodness of their heart. I had no reason to believe you would be any different.”

A moment of silence followed. Sunset Shimmer sighed in defeat.

“Just poke me already and be done with it. But poke hard, if I have to wear a collar for the rest of the year I’ll probably just kill myself anyway.”

Instead, Rarity lowered her saber.

“I’m either incredibly gullible or dangerously crazy, but deep down I… I want to believe you.”

“Because deep down you know the truth. I don’t do things that won’t benefit me, and getting you to distrust me is the exact opposite of that.”

It was Rarity’s turn to sigh. “Look, if… If I help you track down Adagio, promise me you’ll forget everything I told you about Blueblood and I, ok?”

“Like I said, all I needed that info for was to get you to help me. If you do that, I have no reason to hold onto that info. Join me and you can consider my memory erased!”

“Fine.” The preppie dropped her blade and extended her hand to help her up. “I yield. You win.”

Sunset Shimmer smiled and accepted the helping hand. After dusting herself, she looked back at Rarity. “Thank you. And, well, I don’t know if this means anything anymore, but… Yesterday, at the carnival, was the most fun I had since I came to Canterlot Academy. Maybe longer than that.”

She spotted a hint of a smile forming on Rarity’s mouth before the girl turned her head. “Oh, hush, you! We have more important things to discuss.” She bent down to pick up the two sabers lying on the carpet. “I personally don’t know much about Adagio, but she came by a few days ago looking for Sonata, maybe she knows something. Sonata, dear, can you--” Rarity looked around, only then realizing that they were the only three people in the room. “Sonata, where are you?”

“Um, excuse me…” Fluttershy spoke up, getting the attention of the two girls. “She, um… She snuck out the front door not long ago.” She pointed at the slightly ajar front door.

Sunset Shimmer didn’t waste any time and rushed out of the building and looked around, but the blue-skinned girl was nowhere to be found. The other two followed soon after.

“That’s not suspicious at all.” Sunset said, crossing her arms and turning her head to look at her friend. “Why didn’t you stop her, Shy? Or at least warned us?”

“I-I didn’t know she knew about Adagio, I-I’m sorry!”

She sighed. “No, you’re right. Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault.”

“You think Sonata is working with Adagio?” Fluttershy asked.

“We started talking about Adagio and she bolted. I’m thinking this pretty much confirms the connection.”

“But… But Sonata is such a sweet and innocent girl.” Rarity said. “Why would she be in cahoots with a ruffian like her?”

“That’s what I intend to find out. You’re with me, right?”

With a determined but slightly hurt look on her face, Rarity nodded. “My associates may not be the most agreeable bunch, but I’ll make sure they’ll keep an eye out for Adagio or Sonata. If they come out of hiding, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks! Now let’s go, Fluttershy. We can’t sit on our asses and let them do--”

“Now hold it right there, darling.” The girl with porcelain skin said, grabbing the Equestrian’s wrist. “Before you go, let me make something clear: this is not a vote of confidence, just a second – and final – chance. For the time being I don’t feel like I can fully trust you just yet, so I’d like you to be aware that I will keep an eye on you, to make sure you’ll stay true to your word. Are we clear?”

Sunset Shimmer nodded. “It would be weird if you didn’t.”

Rarity nodded back as she let go of the girl’s wrist; she watched as the two of them walked away before going back inside and closing the door. She then summoned all her housemates to the entrance hall for a briefing.

Author's Note

I was writing this chapter when I heard news of a possible Bully 2 being in the works. That gave me motivation to keep on writing and I made it my goal to finish it before any official announcement.

Still not confirmed, but I have hope.

5. Love Makes The World Go Around

Sunset Shimmer was woken up that cold Saturday morning by the sound of frantic knocking on her dorm room. She looked in the direction of Fluttershy’s bed, who appeared to have been woken up by the same sound. Rubbing her eyes and wrapping her blanket around her body, she got up and answered the door, almost taking its place as the one getting knocked on when the person didn’t stop moving her knuckles for a solid second.

“Hey, Moondancer.” Sunset greeted, stretching her arms. “Did you fall off the bed this morning?”

“Twilight is in trouble!” Moondancer, clearly on the verge of a panic attack, said.

“Say what?”

Moondancer pushed Sunset Shimmer aside, invited herself in and started pacing around the room, her arms swinging wildly as she spoke.

“I was in the library reviewing my English homework when those thugs in leather jackets walked in. I thought it was strange, I spend a lot of time there and had never seen any of them walk in by themselves, let alone in a big group like that. They were looking around, like they were searching for somebody, so I just hid behind my book in case they were after some poor soul to bully.

“But it was a poor decision because by the time I realized I was being surrounded there was nowhere left to run. They asked me where Twilight was but I don’t know where she is and that’s what I told them, so one of them grabbed me by the collar and threatened to beat me up if I didn’t spill the beans.”

“Why are they after Twilight?”

“Do I look like I know? I was surrounded by angry-looking thugs, one of them with her hands dangerously close to my throat, so excuse me if I was afraid of saying something that would earn me a trip to the infirmary!”

“Ok, so you don’t know where Twilight is and they were going to pummel you if you didn’t tell them, but you’re standing here in my room with a distinct lack of a black eye; what did you tell them?”

“I told them I was planning on meeting her by the movie theater.”

“So you just flipped on your friend?”

“Of course not! I told them I was planning on meeting her there.” Moondancer blushed, looking at the floor while twiddling her thumbs. “I just haven’t asked her out yet...”

“And what do you expect me to do?”

“Is ‘beating up all the vagrants until they leave us alone’ a viable option?”

“Alone? Hell no! I was lucky enough to not get a concussion after last time I did that, I can still remember how that ended.”

“Ugh, who is in charge of cleaning this place? Oscar the Grouch?” Came a familiar voice from the corridor. Sunset Shimmer peered outside, seeing Rarity walking carefully and trying not to step on the stains on the floor.

“Rarity? What are you doing here?” She called.

“Oh, Sunset, darling!” Rarity tiptoed towards her bedroom and sat on the bed, making sure her shoes weren’t touching the dirty floor. “I’m glad you’re awake!”

“I had my reasons.” Sunset gave Moondancer a side-glance.

“In this time of need, I couldn’t think of anybody else to turn to for help.”

“Well, get in line, I got here first!” Moondancer complained.

“Excuse me, darling, but this is a life-or-death situation – whatever trivial assistance you and your gauche associates need can undoubtedly wait.”

“Trivial assist-- Gauc-- How dare you, you spoiled little--”

“I fear for the safety of a friend’s sister.” Rarity continued, proceeding to ignore Moondancer’s protests. “Those ruffians clad in leather are asking around for her, and they appear to have malicious intents.”

“You too?” Sunset asked. “Wait, is Twilight your friend’s sister?”

“What? Of course not darling, she’s-- Wait!” She shifted her gaze to Moondancer. “Oh, don’t tell me the vagrants are after poor Twilight as well.”

“So an entire group is after two different girls from completely different social circles.” The pony in the room said, rubbing her chin. “Did any of them happen to mention why?”

“I’m afraid not, darling. All I know is that they’re cornering people and asking questions.”

“So you’re both entirely sure you don’t know where they went?”

Both Rarity and Moondancer shook their heads.

“Although...” Moondancer spoke up. “Now that I think about it, Twilight did mention planning on meeting up with someone in town. I’m 72% sure it was today!”

“Ok, that’s a start. Where?”

“I don’t know, maybe one of our usual hangouts?”

Sunset Shimmer facepalmed. “Do you have any idea how big Canterlot Town is? You may as well tell me she’s still somewhere in the country.”

“I’m trying, ok?! Do you think I want something bad to happen to the woman I love?!” Moondancer immediately covered her mouth with both hands when she remembered that they weren’t alone in the room.

“First things first, I need to change.” Sunset Shimmer said as she tossed the blanket back in bed, then proceeding to remove her PJs, with Fluttershy following suit; in a matter of minutes she was wearing her casual getup, but with a few additions to combat the cold of the winter that had just begun – namely a pair of black leggings and black gloves, as well as an orange scarf to cover her neck. “Now, for lack of a better plan, we stick together and look around town.”

“Shouldn’t we split up?” Fluttershy suggested. “You know, to cover more ground?”

“I see what you mean, but it’s best to play it safe.” She explained. “From what I gathered, the vagrants are looking for a fight – stick together, there’s safety in numbers.”

Together the four girls crossed the front gate of Canterlot Academy and headed toward the snow-covered town, which wasn’t as lively as usual due to most people staying inside to avoid the winter cold; they looked around in public places, stores, fast food joints and other miscellaneous places for about two hours, to no avail. Sunset Shimmer was ready to throw in the towel – a hunger-induced defeat, given that they skipped breakfast – when she spotted a small group of girls in black Canterlot Academy uniform and leather jackets running by. She motioned for her accomplices to follow them, and so they did.

The three vagrant girls unknowingly led them to the park, or more specifically to the gazebo located in the middle of the park. A large group of girls in leather jackets surrounded the spot, where three girls stood; the first was Twilight Sparkle herself, who looked terrified. The second girl, who seemed completely apathetic to the situation she found herself in, was someone Sunset Shimmer had never met: she had shoulder length straight grayish violet hair, blue eyes, grey skin and wearing the same blue Canterlot Academy uniform worn by Sunset herself and Fluttershy.

The third girl was one of the vagrant girls, wearing the same black uniform with a leather jacket over it; she had purple hair with green highlights styled in waist-length twintails, light purple skin and dark purple eyes.

“The boss is not happy with the two of you.” They heard the twintailed girl say. “You’re bothering her best buddy, and that’s bothering the boss.”

“I-I’m sorry, but I don’t know what--”

Moondancer gasped when the apparent leader of the posse planted her knee in Twilight’s stomach, who keeled over, clutching the zone of impact.

“Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking to you. Understand?” Twilight’s answer was a weak whimper. “As I was saying, when the boss is feeling bothered, we take care of it for her. So you better remember that next time you feel like messing with one of us!”

The other girl, still looking unfazed, helped Twilight up, then looked around as the group surrounding the gazebo started closing in on them.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Sunset Shimmer shouted as she grabbed two of the vagrant girls by the shoulder and pushed them to the side, opening room for her to walk up to the gazebo. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but this stops now.”

“Scram, new girl, this doesn’t concern you.” The girl with twintails said.

“Oh, but it does. You see, you just assaulted one of my associates and this other girl is important to someone I’m working with. I think you’re the one who should scram, or things are going to get ugly.”

“Oh ho ho!” The purple girl grinned. “And here I thought today was going to be a total bore. I love it when they fight back, it’s so fun to watch.” She took a few steps back, snapped her fingers and pointed at the quartet. “Girls, go get them!”

The girls in leather jacket rushed the gazebo. Sunset looked at her three companions standing a few feet away from the scene: Rarity grabbed one of the tree branches lying around to use as a makeshift sword and Moondancer reached into her pocket and pulled a slingshot and a small bag out of her backpack; she tossed the bag to Fluttershy, who pulled marbles out of it and handed them to Moondancer one by one so she could use them as ammo for her slingshot.

Moondancer and Fluttershy attacked the group from a distance and Rarity struck any of the leather jacket girls who strayed from the group and tried to attack the sniper and her supplier.

Sunset Shimmer was doing her best to hold her ground; the vagrant girls weren’t skilled fighters individually, but there were just too many of them.

“Helping the person who came here to help you is a good idea!” She said while looking at the grey one.

Two of them managed to grab her arms and a third prepared to strike, but a swift blow to the face coming from the unemotional girl put her out of commission. After that she hit one of the girls immobilizing Sunset in the face using her elbow; with one of her arms free, Sunset Shimmer punched the girl holding her other arm. The two girls stood back-to-back, and with the help of Moondancer’s superb aim they eventually managed to fight off the group, who ran away carrying a couple of unconscious girls. One of them wasn’t quick enough to flee and the girl grabbed her by the collar.

“I want to ask you some questions.” She told the struggling girl, her voice just as monotone as her expression would suggest. “This situation you find yourself in leaves room for two options: you can stop struggling, you tell me what I want to know and I let you go, or you can keep on struggling and we can have this same conversation in about an hour after you wake up from being knocked out.” She stopped struggling immediately.

“And don’t you hurry back!” Sunset, who was covered in bruises, warned the fleeing girls before falling to her knees, panting.

“You didn’t have to do that.” The purple-haired girl said, pushing her hostage to the snowy ground and planting her foot on her back to preventing her from escaping. “But we can’t undo things that have already been done, so I suppose I should thank you.” She offered her hand to help Sunset up. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” She replied, accepting the girl’s help. “Like, seriously. I’m getting paid for that; avoiding it wasn’t an option.”

“TWILIGHT!” Moondancer rushed to the gazebo to inspect her injured friend. “Are you ok?! Can you breathe?! Do you want me to carry you to the hospital?!”

“I… I’ll live, Moondancer, don’t worry about me.” Twilight said as the redhead wrapped her arm around her own shoulders for support.

“Oh, Maud!” Rarity called, approaching the two brawlers. “I’m so glad to find you in one piece. I was so preoccupied, when I heard those ruffians asking around about you I feared they were planning on doing unspeakable horrors to you.”

“A few bruises and lacerations aren’t unspeakable horrors, just minor injuries that will heal over time.” She replied in her default deadpan tone while eyeing a particularly large bruise on her forearm. The girl named Maud then crouched in front of the vagrant on the ground. “As I was saying, I have some questions.” The girl nodded, ready to flip on her friends.

“Huh, guess all that bravado isn’t worth shit when there’s no one left to back you up.” Sunset taunted, crouching in front of the vagrant as well. “Let’s start with the obvious: why?”

“Someone’s been harassing the boss’s best buddy.” The hostage girl explained. “We figured it was either of them, if not both, so we wanted to teach them a lesson.”

“Why us, specifically?” Maud asked.

“She’s been hanging out with you a lot lately, we just connected the dots.”

“That’s just ridiculous!” Twilight interjected. “The teacher picked her as my partner for the history class project, of course we’ve been interacting more than usual lately.”

“I’m tutoring her in geography.” Maud explained.

“Oh…” The girl muttered. “I guess Aria’s intel wasn’t as airtight as she thought…”

“Is she this ‘boss’ we’ve been hearing about?” Sunset Shimmer questioned.

“No, Aria is the one who kneed the nerd in the stomach. She’s our… Well, I suppose ‘enforcer’ is the closest equivalent.”

“Well, where can we find your boss then? I want to have a word with her.”

“Do you want detailed directions or--”

“Hurry up, we don’t have time for stupid questions!”

“Turn left after the tunnel under the train tracks near the commercial district, past the barber shop there’s an old abandoned pool house. That’s where we usually hang out after school, you’ll definitely find her there!”

Sunset Shimmer nodded and got up. The girl looked at Maud, whose empty but intense and unblinking stare was making her incredibly uncomfortable.

“Can I go now?” Maud closed her eyes and got up as well; believing that was the closest to a confirmation she was gonna get, the girl bolted.

“So now we have a lead. Who’s coming with me?” She looked around at her companion.

“I don’t think it’s a wise idea for a big group to march into enemy territory without a battle plan.” Twilight Sparkle interjected. “If we stand out too much, we may find ourselves in the middle of another fight before we even get to their base; a small group, on the other hand, can blend in well with the crowd and get to the pool house without major complications. Two or three of us should be enough.”

“B-But what if it’s a trap?” Fluttershy asked. “Th-Then a fight would break out either way but we would also be outnumbered on top of that.”

“A fair point…” Twilight muttered while adjusting her glasses with her middle finger, deep in thought.

“We don’t have all day!” Sunset Shimmer interrupted. “Look, let’s keep in simple: we’re going in there to talk, so we’ll try to avoid fighting. If things get out of hand, we bounce. Good enough?”

“Mayb--”

“Great! So, anyone with me or do I have to do this alone?”

“I’ll come along.” Maud offered. “Rarity’s swordsmanship isn’t suited for taking on multiple opponents and Moondancer’s long range attacks aren’t very effective in closed spaces; if we have to fight our way in our out, hand-to-hand combat is the only viable option.”

“Her plan is… A sound one, actually.” Twilight said. “You two are our safest bet.”

Maud turned around, walking towards the exit of the park with Sunset Shimmer in tow.

“So, uh…” Twilight started, addressing Rarity. “I know your inner circle and mine don’t exactly have the best of relationships, but… Do you think we can, well, tolerate each other? At least until business with the vagrants is resolved?”

“Oh, darling!” Rarity shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, the vagrants are an undeniable menace, but you’re missing the bigger picture; the real threat is hidden behind the curtains, pulling all the right strings at the right time to throw us against each other – and I’m willing to bet that she is the one responsible for what happened here today. I agree a truce is necessary, but it needs to last longer than just enough to take down those delinquents.”

Twilight adjusted her glasses again. “What are your demands?”

“Nothing too big, I was just thinking maybe your motley crew could be generous enough to do our homework for free for the rest of the quarter. What do you say?”

“I say that this complicates things, because my demands were for your people to stop pressuring us into doing your homework.”

“I know this goes against everything you trust fund babies believe in,” Moondancer chimed in. “but money isn’t the solution to all of your problems. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty like the rest of us!”

“Oh, darling, trust me, I did my fair share of getting my hands dirty. The point is, my associates and I already have a lot in our plates, so forgive me for trying to cut corners when it comes to something as inconsequential as high school.”

“How about we meet you halfway?” Twilight suggested. “Instead of just outright making us do your work for you, you can hire us as tutors! You get your homework done and learn a few things in the process, and we can help you at our own pace without being afraid of our parents losing their jobs; it’s a win-win situation!”

“Wait, losing jobs? Who said that?”

“Oh, don’t play dumb with us, that’s what all your goons say.” Moondancer said before adopting a highly exaggerated, mocking posh accent. “Your dad works for my dad, if you don’t finish that essay by the end of the week make sure to tell him to start filling out job applications!”

“I assure you, I was not aware of that.” Rarity said. “I’m going to have a talk with the girls about the truce terms and the unemployment threats but, for now, I think your demands are agreeable.” Rarity extended her hand. “Truce?”

Twilight shook her hand. “Truce.”

Just as Twilight said, it was easy for Sunset and Maud to blend in with the crowd, even with Maud still wearing her Canterlot Academy uniform, so they managed to reach the abandoned pool house without getting into trouble with the roaming girls in leather jackets.

The place itself was easy to identify due to the massive 8-Ball above the entrance; the windows had yellow tape covering them – a person passing by wouldn’t bother reading them and just assume they were the usual “Caution”, “Danger Area” or “Police Line – Do Not Cross” tapes, but that’s not what was written on them:

“Great and Powerful.” Sunset Shimmer read out loud. “Every single one of them.”

“Oh. Her.” Maud stated; her wording implied surprise or annoyance, but Sunset couldn’t tell which one given that the girl had yet to express a single emotion since they met.

“You know who we’re dealing with?”

Maud simply nodded. The amber girl waited for a response that never came.

“So, you’re gonna tell me or…?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“I thought it was implied!” Sunset facepalmed and took a deep breath. “Who--”

“Trixie Lulamoon: wannabe magician and aspiring pop star.” Maud stated matter-of-factly. “Her tricks need practice, but she’s decent with a guitar.”

“Any useful information on how to deal with her?”

“Hit her before she hits you.”

“That applies to anybody.”

“But it’s useful.”

She facepalmed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Sunset Shimmer opened the door and her nostrils were assaulted by a smell that immediately sent her into a coughing fit.

“Oh, not used to cigarette smoke, are we?” A third voice coming from inside the building taunted.

Sunset covered her mouth and nose with her hand and looked around for the source of the voice; she saw a girl lying down on a pool table with her legs crossed and arms behind her head, staring at the ceiling with a lit cigarette dangling from her lips. She sat up, picked the cigarette and put it out on the cloth of the table, which already had several burn marks from previous cigarettes. She then blew out a cloud of smoke towards her visitors; Sunset Shimmer waved her free hand in front of her face to dissipate it.

Once the air in the building became somewhat breathable, Sunset Shimmer managed to take a better look at the girl: she had light blue skin, purple eyes and her long hair was a mix of white and pale blue streaks and a star-shaped purple and golden hair clip could be seen on her left temple. She wore the black variation of the Canterlot Academy uniform, as well as a worn leather jacket with faded spots and stitches.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie has heard about you, but you and Trixie were never formally introduced.” She said. “Shoichet Shimmer, was it?”

“Sunset Shimmer.” She corrected.

“Right. And The Great and Powerful Trixie has been told some really concerning regarding you and someone Trixie cares about.”

“Sweet moon in the sky, that third person crap is gonna give me a headache…” She muttered under her breath before sighing. “Ok, what lies have you been fed about me? It happens very often, I’m unfortunately getting used to it.”

Trixie pulled out a new cigarette from the pack in her left pocket and lit it with a lighter she pulled from her right pocket. She blew another cloud of smoke before jumping from the table to the floor. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to make you regret messing with her.”

“Great, so I was blamed for your problems. That’s original.”

Trixie blew out another cloud of smoke, but it was much bigger and much thicker than usual; it covered the entire area in a matter of seconds, blocking Sunset Shimmer’s and Maud’s sight.

“How are you doing this?”

“Magic!” Trixie’s voice came from behind her, followed by an impact on the back of her head. Sunset tried to swing at her, but her fist only connected with the wall; she groaned in pain before being pushed into Maud. The two collided and fell to the ground. Before she could get up, Trixie planted her foot on her stomach. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is the most talented magician in the world; you should just give up, apologize and promise to never bother her again, and The Great and Powerful Trixie promises to break only one of your knees so that you can hop out of here for Trixie’s amusement.”

“I don’t even know who you’re talking about.”

“Playing dumb, huh? The Great and Powerful Trixie tried to be merciful, but it appears you truly are the brute that only understands displays of strength that people say you are. Suit yourself!”

As the smoke dissipated, Trixie raised her foot before bringing it back down with the intention of stomping on her, but Maud managed to push her of the way. Sunset helped her up but, before they could strike back, Trixie blew forth another cloud of smoke and once again disappeared in it. That’s how the fight went on: Trixie would create a smokescreen, attack either Sunset or Maud, and once the cloud dissipated she would create another one, thus repeating the process.

“Okay, how do you break the nose of someone you can’t see?” The pony girl asked before letting out another cough. “Or smell, for that matter.” She looked at Maud, who was motionless and had her eyes closed. “Hey, are you listening to me?”

“Yes.” Maud stated. “Be quiet.”

“Hey, we’re--” Before she could finish that sentence, Maud covered the girl’s mouth with her hand. Sunset Shimmer’s eyes widened in understanding, so she closed them as well. With both girls focusing on their hearing instead of their sight, they managed to hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind them – it was faint, suggesting that Trixie was in fact tiptoeing towards them instead of teleporting like she wanted them to believe. The two of them quickly turned around and delivered a double punch to the girl’s face, sending her flying and causing her to collide against the pool table in the middle of the room.

When the smoke settled down they saw the leader of the vagrants slumped against the side of table, a little disoriented and whit a gas mask strapped to her face, which Sunset immediately took off. Aware of her surroundings again, Trixie reached into her pocket and pulled out a small sphere, but Maud quickly grabbed her wrist and confiscated the item.

“Smoke bomb.” Maud said after inspecting the item.

“Magic, huh?” Sunset threw the gas mask over her shoulder. “I’ve done better tricks in kindergarten.” Magic kindergarten, but Trixie didn’t need to know that.

Trixie didn’t say anything, she simply glared at the duo from her seat on the floor.

“Trixie isn’t known for being quiet, you should use that opportunity to clear things up before she starts talking again.” Maud suggested.

“Yes, you’re right. Look, Trixie, I don’t know who told you I’m behind whatever is happening to your friend, but it’s bullshit. I never met you before today, I don’t even know who your friend is, and even if I did I have nothing to gain from bothering her or whatever. The person you’re trusting to find out the truth is at worst a liar and at best really incompetent.”

“Aria is neither of those things.” Trixie spoke up. “She never let me down before, her info is always on point and she always had my back when I needed her. What makes you think I should trust your word over hers?”

“Oh, she dropped the third person, thank the stars.” Sunset mumbled before clearing her throat. “Look, if there’s one rumor about me that I can guarantee is the absolute truth is that people pay me and I help them deal with their problems. No one paid me to bother you or one of your people.”

“I see where you’re getting at; you expect me to hire you, is that it? Pay you to make my problems disappear?”

“Even better! I think we can make a mutually beneficial agreement; I help you figure out what’s going on with this friend of yours free of charge, and in return you and your goons will not bother her” she pointed at Maud “or Twilight Sparkle again, and I get paid for a job well done. What do you say?”

“I’m still not convinced you aren’t the one bothering her.” Trixie started. “But I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

With a smile, Sunset Shimmer helped the girl in leather up. “Ok, but first things first, I’ll need details about what’s going on between you and this friend of yours.”

Trixie and Sunset sat on the pool table while Maud stood by the front door. The magician then began explaining:

“Her name is Starlight Glimmer. We met under… peculiar circumstances and been best friends ever since. We were inseparable, or so I thought; for the last few weeks she’s been very distant, barely talks to me, and when I try to spend time with her she comes up with an excuse and ditches me. At first I thought she was mad at me, but I noticed that she is really jumpy all the time, avoiding crowded areas, wearing sunglasses and hats even when it’s not sunny outside, looking over her shoulder… Someone is doing something to her, but I can’t figure out who it is or what they’re doing.”

“Have you tried following her?”

“I sent some of my girls to tail her, but she caught them and scolded me for not respecting her privacy.”

“Hard not to notice a group of girls wearing black following you around.” Sunset jumped down from the table. “Alright, sounds like you need someone on the case that won’t be recognized by her right away. I can handle that!”

Trixie reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “Here, I saw her throw this away.”

The Equestrian looked at the paper, which contained a very simple message: “This Sunday afternoon, don’t be late.”

The next day, Sunset Shimmer camped near the front gate in the good company of Fluttershy and a pile of unread books, but they weren’t the primary reason she was in that spot; she was actually waiting for Trixie’s friend to come out of Canterlot Academy so she could follow her and figure out where she was going, who she was going to meet and why.

Said girl came out not too long past noon – she had pale purple skin, blue eyes and purple hair with teal highlights. She wore the black variant of the Canterlot Academy uniform, although the trademarked leather jacket worn by the vagrants was missing; all she had to combat the winter cold was the long sleeve white uniform shirt underneath her sweater vest – she was a perfect match of the description Trixie gave of her best friend, Starlight Glimmer. With her hands in the pockets of her skirt, Starlight looked around before walking towards town.

Sunset Shimmer stuffed the book she was reading in her backpack then elbowed Fluttershy, who looked up from the book she was reading, nodded and picked up all the books on the bench they were sitting on before carrying them back inside. After making sure there was a safe distance between her and the girl she was following, Sunset Shimmer adjusted her scarf to cover the lower part of her face, put on an orange beanie to cover her hair, stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets and inconspicuously followed her.

Starlight Glimmer would look back frequently, but she never bothered to check the other side of the street, where Sunset Shimmer was. She followed the girl to a big house in the richest neighborhood of Canterlot Town where the families of the preppies resided; she expected Starlight to knock, but instead she pulled a key from her pocket, unlocked the door and walked in.

Sunset raised an eyebrow; either the residents trusted her with a copy of the front door key or she lived there herself. Both scenarios seemed unlikely; a member of the Canterlot Town elite would never allow a “commoner” into their house, much less give them free access to it, and an heir of a wealthy family wouldn’t be caught dead associating with people like the vagrants.

“Have fun on your date, pumpky-wumpkin!” An adult male’s voice snapped Sunset Shimmer out of her thoughts. She looked at the house again and saw a man standing on the front porch, waving at Starlight Glimmer.

“No cutesy nicknames outside the house, dad, you promised!” Starlight Glimmer complained.

She went inside the house for a wardrobe change, given her new attire: she now wore a black hoodie, a green t-shirt, grey ripped jeans, black boots with bright pink shoelaces and a pink beanie with white stars.

“Whatever you say, chipmunk-cheeks.” The man with purple skin and side-combed aquamarine hair said before going back inside and closing the door – this was definitely Starlight’s house.

She groaned before looking down at the watch on her left wrist; she gasped and picked up the pace, forcing Sunset Shimmer to speed up as well. Thankfully Starlight stopped checking her surroundings, focusing on getting to her destination on time; she slowed down after a brief jog down the street, coming to a halt in front of the gates of a literal mansion.

She rang the doorbell and not long after that the gates opened, letting out a young man wearing a light grey suit and royal blue bowtie. He had pristine white skin, light blue eyes, long golden hair and a wide smile that made Sunset Shimmer want to punch him, even though she had never met him before and had no idea who he was.

The wealthy young man offered her his arm, and she begrudgingly grabbed it; it was clear that she wasn’t happy with her current situation, but for some reason couldn’t turn him down. Sunset followed them from a safe distance, far enough so she could keep an eye on them without being spotted, but too far to overhear the conversation, so when he started talking while motioning to her body, she could only assume that he was talking about her attire – most likely complaining about it.

She followed them to a fancy restaurant located at the heart of the neighborhood, a place Sunset Shimmer was nowhere close to welcome given her own attire and lack of wealthy company, so she decided to observe from the outside. They were taken to a table far from the window, so it was hard to see everything that was going on, but all the signs pointed to this being a date. Not a romantic date, given Starlight Glimmer’s reluctance, but a date nonetheless. Sunset sat on a bench and reached into her backpack.

Starlight Glimmer returned home a couple of hours later, feeling tired and irritated. As soon as she opened the front door, her father was already there to greet her.

“Welcome home, sugarplum! How was your date?”

“Fine, dad. Just fine!” She said as she took off her beanie and walked upstairs. “I’ll just go change back into my uniform and go back to the dormitory.”

“Oh, one more thing, puddin’. One of your friends from school came by, left an envelope for you. I slid it under your door.”

“Thanks, dad.” Starlight Glimmer walked into her bedroom and picked up the white envelope on the floor. She turned it around, but there was no name or any form of identification. She opened the envelope, its contents being a piece of paper and a Polaroid picture. She looked at the picture first, and her eyes went wide; it was a photo of the restaurant she just left with a red circle drawn on one of the windows, and she could clearly see herself inside said circle, as well as the person she was just with. She then read the paper:

“I have some questions. CA front gate, 5:30”

Starlight Glimmer didn’t even bother putting on her uniform like she said she would, she just stuffed it in a backpack and ran out of the house.

Sunset Shimmer was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed when the girl she asked to meet her arrived; she looked angry.

“Hey there, I--” She started speaking, but was interrupted by a punch in the face.

“I will not let a piece of shit like you blackmail me!” Starlight yelled.

“Okay, first: that’s not how you greet someone, unless you already have history together.” Sunset said while rubbing her punched cheek. “And second, I gave you that picture, how can I blackmail you with something you have?”

“You must have copies!”

“It’s a Polaroid.”

“You could have taken more!”

“Look, this isn’t about blackmail, I just wanted to get your attention in a way you couldn’t ignore.”

“Well, congratulations, you have my attention.” She crossed her arms. “Now what do you plan on doing with it?”

“I want you to follow me.”

“Where to?”

“I don’t want to deal with potential eavesdroppers, we’re going somewhere quiet.”

“And why should I? Give me a reason.”

“You don’t look too happy with that spoiled snob . Maybe I can help you with that.”

“What makes you think I need help?”

“Well, don’t you?”

After a few seconds of quiet staring, Starlight Glimmer sighed and looked away with her arms crossed.

“Lead the way.”

Starlight Glimmer followed Sunset Shimmer into town; it was a quiet walk, none of the girls felt like chatting. The sun had already begun to set when Sunset got out of the main road and followed a dirt path.

“Why are we going there?” Starlight asked, crossing her arms for warmth due to the chill she felt once she realized where she was being taken.

“Like I said, somewhere quiet.” Was Sunset’s only reply as they came to a halt in front of the gates of the town graveyard. She pushed the gates open and motioned for her companion to go in.

“After you!” Sunset shrugged and walked in; convinced that this wasn’t an elaborate plan to trap her inside the graveyard, Starlight followed her inside.

Aside from a girl standing in front of a pair of tombstones, the place was empty. In the middle of the graveyard was an old church that looked like it had seen better days, a church Sunset was currently walking towards.

Before they could reach their destination, the girl near the tombstones walked up to them, blocking their path. Sunset Shimmer took a good look at her: her skin was bright orange, she had freckles on her cheeks, her long golden hair was tied up in a ponytail that fell over her shoulder and her emerald green eyes were staring daggers at the duo. She had a brown Stetson hat on her head and wore jeans, brown boots and, despite the cold, a white tank top that fully exposed her well-developed muscles. She crossed her arms and began to talk:

“Y’all from Canterlot Academy?” She asked in a distinct southern accent Sunset hadn’t heard anywhere else in town.

“Why do you care?” Sunset asked back, also crossing her arms.

“Because CA is home to the worst troublemakers in town. Most of the vandalism y’see ‘round these parts, from vulgar taggin’ to property damage, is the handiwork of those snakes. So I’ll ask again: y’all from Canterlot Academy? ‘Cause this here graveyard is the last place in this town left untouched, and I plan on keepin’ it that way, even if it means getting’ my hands dirty, y’hear me?”

“Look, I am many things, but I am not a monster. Wrecking a cemetery is just low. There, are you happy now? Will you let us pass or do I have to make you?”

The girl stared at Sunset for a few more seconds before sidestepping.

“Long as you people are allowed to roam free in my town, I ain’t ever gonna be happy.” She said before leaving the same way they came in.

“Who the heck was that?” Starlight Glimmer asked.

“I was about to ask you the same.”

“I’ve never seen her in school before, so she’s not one of us.”

“Yeah, the whole ‘CA students suck’ vibe gave that away. Probably a dropout.”

Sunset Shimmer went around the church, Starlight Glimmer two steps behind her. They came to a halt behind the building, where a third girl was waiting for them.

“T-Trixie!” Starlight nearly shouted.

“Took you long enough.” Trixie said as she got up, patting her skirt to get rid of the snow clinging to it. “Hey, Star! How have you been? We haven’t talked in a while, huh? Almost like you’ve been avoiding me.”

“Oh wow, look at the time! It was nice catching up, Trix, but I have to--” Starlight started walking away, but Sunset Shimmer grabbed her by the hood, preventing her from leaving.

“You tell her or I do. What’s it gonna be?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Well… I… Uh…”

“Time’s up! Trixie, she’s going out with some rich dickhead.”

“WHAT?!” Trixie’s yell echoed throughout the graveyard. “Starlight, tell me that’s a lie!”

“I-I-I…” Starlight tried to speak, suddenly forgetting how words work.

“I’m not finished!” Sunset interrupted. “She’s going out with some rich dickhead, but something smells fishy about this whole ordeal. That’s why I wanted to arrange this meeting in a secluded location. Okay, Starlight, it’s just the three of us here, so spill it!”

“Wh-What makes you say that?” Starlight did her best to avoid eye contact. “The-There’s nothing fishy about--”

“Starlight, please.” Trixie spoke softly, completely dropping her braggart persona. “I know something is up, but I can’t help you unless you talk to me.”

“I… Um… It’s…” Starlight Glimmer took a deep breath. “I’m being blackmailed.”

Trixie’s pleading eyes quickly turned into an expression filled with hatred. “Who is it? Tell me and I’ll break all the bones in their body right now!”

“Trixie, don’t! Confronting him about it will only make things worse.”

“Who is he? What is he even blackmailing you with? And what for?”

Starlight side-glanced at Sunset. “Are you sure--”

“Tell me!”

She sighed. “He has a picture of us… Of us making out!”

Trixie froze. Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “So what?”

“So what?” Trixie turned to look at her. “SO WHAT? You don’t know my parents! You don’t know what they are like! Their opinion of homosexuality is--” She paused for a few seconds, staring deep into Sunset’s eyes. “…is low. The point is, if my parents find out about us, it’s over. They will pull me out of Canterlot Academy, kick me out of the house, disown me, and that’s just the beginning!”

“It can’t be that bad.”

Trixie grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “Sunset Shimmer, listen to me! That’s exactly what they said they would do when I was twelve and told them I wanted to marry my best friend from middle school until I was pressured into telling them it was a joke. And I was never allowed to go to her house or bring her home again, ‘just in case’. If that’s how far they were willing to go when I was twelve, imagine now!”

“Blueblood says he will make sure everyone in town sees it if I don’t play nice.” Starlight explained. “I had no choice.”

“Wait, Blueblood?” Sunset asked, remembering what Rarity told her. “The Trueblood boy? Doesn’t he have a fiancée?”

“He is not really interested in her because she has, and I quote ‘no pedigree’.” Starlight continued. “So he is trying to turn me into the perfect bride to take her place.”

“Why you, specifically?”

“My family is… Prosperous!”

“That’s her way of saying her parents are fucking loaded.” Trixie added. “They don’t exactly flaunt it, but Starlight’s family’s net worth is nearly double the Truebloods’.”

Sunset whistled. “For real? Yeah, I can see why he’d want to nab you.”

“And that’s the gist of the thing: he wants to empty my parents’ bank account so he can live a like a king without ever having to lift a finger for the rest of his life.”

“What’s with the dates, though?”

“He wants to make small public appearances so it will look like a… natural progression. Like we just fell for each other over time. A bunch of bull!”

“And what’s your plan for getting out of this situation?” Trixie asked.

“I… I don’t have one. Frankly, all I can do is hope for a miracle.”

The three of them stood there in silence for a moment, when Sunset Shimmer finally spoke up:

“Ok, I think I have something!”

“What is it, what is it?” Trixie asked.

“I can’t promise anything yet, I’ll need to work out the kinks first.”

Trixie rolled her eyes and groaned. “Then how is that any better than the nice pile of nothing we currently?”

“Just leave that to me, I’ll contact you once I have the full thing planned out. For now, let’s just go back to the dorm. Separately!”

Sunset and Starlight started walking towards the front entrance. Trixie looked around to make sure there was no one else in the graveyard, and so she grabbed Starlight Glimmer by the shoulders, turned her around, pulled her close and gave her a deep, passionate kiss.

“Oh wow…” Starlight said while blushing and smiling, catching the breath she suddenly lost.

“We’re gonna take down that douchebag, I promise!” Trixie said. She then patted Sunset on the back and pulled a smoke bomb out of her pocket; she threw it on the floor and disappeared in the smoke.

Blueblood followed the directions in the letter he received, the contents of which were Rarity’s depictions of all the highly unladylike things she wanted to do to him out of the public eye and inside four walls – he wasn’t interested in marrying her, but he could never deny that she was one of the prettiest women he had ever laid eyes on, so if he was inviting her to get down and dirty, he could never turn her down. During the interviews his parents conducted he overheard her saying she had never been with a man before, so the thought of tasting an unspoiled fruit made him giddy.

The letter led him to a love hotel in a less busy part of town, where there was no risk of him being caught walking into such an undignified place. The front desk attendant, instructed by the person who invited him there, pointed him to the room he was looking for.

Blueblood walked into the room and, even though he was an insufferable snob who couldn’t stand anything lower than the best, admitted that the room was mildly adequate. He could hear the shower running, so he closed the door and sat on the bed.

“Blueblood, darling, is that you?” Rarity’s voice came from inside the bathroom.

“The one and only.” He replied.

“Oh, good! I’ll be out in a minute, so why don’t you… Get comfortable?”

Blueblood could practically feel the lust in that last sentence, so he was fully undressed in a matter of seconds. After looking in a nearby mirror to make sure he was looking as hot as he believed himself to be, he stood in the middle of the room, wearing nothing but a smile. The sound of water coming from the shower stopped.

“Now, I want you to look away from the door, and only turn around when I tell you to. Can you do that?” Rarity’s voice was much closer, suggesting that she was just behind the closed door.

“I’m ready!” Blueblood said with his back turned. His smile grew wider when he heard the click of the bathroom door being unlocked.

“You can turn around now, darling.”

His look of joy turned into one of terror when he turned around to look at his prize, only to see Rarity wearing a bathrobe and two more girls, all three of them holding cameras.

“Surprise!” Trixie said as she, Rarity and Starlight started taking pictures of his naked body.

Blueblood shrieked and grabbed the clothes he left on the bedside table to try and cover himself, but it was already too late as the trio laughed at his expense.

“And that is why you don’t mess with the people close to The Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“Who-- What-- We-- I’m-- Rarity, how could you?!” Blueblood shouted. “Y-You’re my fiancée, why are you doing this to me?”

“Oh you poor, poor dear. I thought you weren’t interested in someone with ‘no pedigree’, isn’t that right, Ms. Glimmer?” Rarity turned to look at Starlight, who simply nodded.

“I-I-I can give you anything you want. Anything! Just name your price, your list, whatever it is you want, I’ll do it. Just please, don’t make those pictures go public!”

“Well, then I suppose we could make a trade.” Starlight said. “I’ll give you the film with the picture of your little ding-dong exposed, and in exchange you give me the film with the picture you took of Trixie and I, and as a bonus I will not tell the world you are a creepy little stalker!”

“D-Done! Consider it done! We can go to my mansion and end this right now.”

“Then put on some clothes, we’ll be waiting outside.” Rarity commanded as she took off the bathrobe, revealing that she was fully dressed underneath it.

In any other occasion, the idea of escorting three extremely hot young women back home would be Blueblood’s idea of paradise, but right now this was the only way he could prevent his life from being turned into a literal hell. On their way there, he noticed a group of girls in leather jackets running in the opposite direction they were going, giggling amongst themselves. When they finally reached his home, he realized what that was all about: every window of the Trueblood mansion had been used for target practice, with eggs being used as ammo.

“What is the meaning of this?!” He yelled.

“That’s part two of the agreement!” Sunset Shimmer, who was standing right next to the unlocked gate, explained. “You are going to clean every window with your own two hands. Once they are all spotless…”

“…then these will go straight to the trash!” Rarity finished that sentence, shaking the camera she took pictures of him naked with. “A little manual labor never killed anybody, darling.”

“I thought we agreed to get rid of them once I gave you--”

“We, as in you and me, agreed to that.” Starlight interrupted. “You give me the pictures you took, I give you the pictures I took. Neither Trixie nor Rarity agreed to that. What happens to their pictures are not up to me.”

“You scheming little--”

“You should think carefully about what you’re about to say, ‘darling’, because this little show of hypocrisy might escalate into indecent exposure.” Trixie said while pointing her camera at him. “The Great and Powerful Trixie was thinking, maybe print a lot of posters and spread them around town; one by the town hall, another one in the market, that boutique Rarity says you love to visit…” She turned to look at the gate of the Trueblood mansion. “But the first one would definitely go right here. What do you think, Blue?”

Blueblood sighed in defeat. “My parents are coming back from their business trip tomorrow morning, if they see the mansion like that, they will lose their minds!”

“Then you better hop to it.” Sunset Shimmer urged him.

“After you bring me the film, of course.” Starlight Glimmer added.

After retrieving the photographic film and making the exchange, Blueblood spent the next half hour trying to figure out where in the giant building the housemaid kept the cleaning products. Meanwhile Rarity laid down a picnic blanket on the front yard, where the four girls sat to drink tea brewed with supplies found in the kitchen of the Truebloods.

After a few hours of chatting, laughing at shouting words of encouragement to Blueblood, he finally approached them, completely exhausted and covered in soap.

“There!” He managed to say between gasps for air. “All clean. Now give me the film and get out of my property.”

They all took a brief walk around the mansion, inspecting the windows that were surprisingly clean.

“Not bad for your first time, darling.” Rarity praised as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the film that she then tossed at his feet.

“What about you?” He asked Trixie. “What do you want in exchange for your pictures?”

“Oh, nothing, really!” Trixie smiled as she patted her pocket. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will keep this within arm’s reach to make sure you’re going to leave Trixie’s friends alone and not try anything cute again.”

The four girls then left the Trueblood mansion, leaving behind a furious but scared Blueblood Trueblood.

“I didn’t wash the cups we drank tea from.” Rarity added as the four girls giggled. “He’ll have to take care of that as well.”

Starlight Glimmer took a deep breath and sighed in relief. “Liberation feels so good.”

“Don’t forget revenge.” Trixie added. “It’s a rush!”

“Are you gonna be ok, Rarity?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “I mean, you just screwed over your own fiancé, I don’t think your relationship will be all sunshine and rainbows after that.”

“Oh, darling, please!” Rarity smiled at her. “I knew he was a bad egg the moment I met him in person.”

“Then I guess all those eggs we threw at his house should have made him feel right at home, huh?” Starlight and Trixie laughed.

“What I mean is, since we had that talk in the ferris wheel I thought long and hard about my situation, so I’ve been working on a little project behind his back. This marriage is something my parents wanted for financial stability, so I thought: if a constant income of cash is what they want, then why not take care of that myself? I had the Trueblood seal of approval, so I decided to use it for my advantage; I started chatting with the right people, getting the best contacts in places of interest…

“Long story short is, sewing has been a passion of mine since childhood, and now that I had the opportunity to show the people in the business what I am capable of, I managed to land a decent sponsorship, and I want you to be the first to know that by the end of the semester I will open my very own boutique, with my own original designs for sale!”

“Impressive! Congrats, Rarity.”

“Thank you, darling! I hope you come and visit the place when I open it, I promise you a discount.” She spoke that last sentence with a sing-song voice and a wink.

With the vagrants in tow, the preppies tamed, the nerds on her side and the outcasts on good terms with her, Sunset Shimmer now only had one more group to conquer before she could unite the entire school under one flag against their common enemy and take down Adagio Dazzle for good.

“And after everything is over…” Sunset Shimmer thought. “…I can get back to working on my original plan.”

6. The Big Game

“But do I want to?” Sunset Shimmer asked herself, feeling unusually conflicted. “I mean, that’s what I came here for, right? The original plan? That’s why I’m putting up with this petty high school drama, so that I can finally get the opportunity to--”

“Ugh, why am I having second thoughts?” Sunset Shimmer grabbed her pillow and threw it against the wall.

“About what?” Fluttershy asked as she got up from her bed.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were awake.” She shrugged. “I’m just… Unsure about the essay I turned in yesterday. I thought it was perfect, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Don’t worry about that, Sunset.” Fluttershy gently placed her hand on her roommate’s shoulder. “Miss Cheerilee said it herself, you are one of the best writers in class, I’m sure she’s gonna love anything you make.”

“Thanks, Shy!”

Not too long after their conversation, the two of them left the dormitory and walked together towards the main building, chatting on their way there while appreciating the fresh spring breeze caressing their skins, too distracted to notice they were about to collide with another pair of students.

Fluttershy barely touched Indigo Zap’s back, but the athlete was on the mood to stir up some trouble, so she let go of the soda can she was holding while trying to look like the impact caused her to drop it.

“Oh, um… I-I’m really sorry…” Fluttershy apologized while trying to hide under her long pink locks.

“Aw, man, come on! That was my last dollar.” Indigo Zap made sure to raise her voice more than necessary to attract the attention of passersby. She turned around to face Fluttershy. “And I am so, so thirsty, but I don’t have any water on me!” She wrapped her arm around the shy girl. “Well, lucky for both of us, there is a soda machine right over there. You can replace the one you made me lose, I’ll totally forgive you for it. What do you say?”

Fluttershy looked at Indigo’s companion, Rainbow Dash, who didn’t seem interested in what was happening. She then looked at Sunset Shimmer, who crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. She took a deep breath and spoke up:

“I-I’m really sorry, Indigo, t-that was an u-unfortunate accident b-but I don’t have the o-o-obligation to replace the soda y-you dropped.”

Indigo Zap’s look of amusement faded; that was the first time she had seen that girl stand up for herself, and she wasn’t having any of that.

“Look, Flutters.” She tightened the hold she had on the girl, causing her to struggle in discomfort. “What I just gave you was the illusion of choice. What I meant to say is that you are going to replace the soda you made me waste, whether you like it or not!”

“Back off, Indigo!” Sunset Shimmer said, pushing the girl’s shoulder. Indigo suddenly grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm, causing the pony girl a great deal of pain.

“No, you back off, Shim! Or are you up for a rerun of what happened last time we had a little chat?”

“L-Let go of her!” Fluttershy requested. Indigo simply pushed both girls into the ground.

“All I wanted was for you to buy me a goddamn drink, seeing as how you are responsible for what happened, but I see you’ve grown a little sassy while I wasn’t looking.” Indigo Zap straddled Fluttershy and raised her fist. “Looks like I gotta put you back in your place!”

But before she could punch the defenseless girl, someone grabbed her wrist. She turned her head and saw her teammate, Rainbow Dash, glaring at her.

“I’ve told you before.” Rainbow Dash finally spoke up, that being the first time Sunset Shimmer heard her tomboyish voice from up close. “Leave Fluttershy out of this. This is your second warning.” While still holding her wrist, Dash pulled her to her feet. “There is not going to be a third, keep that in mind.”

Indigo Zap clicked her tongue and pulled her wrist free from her grasp, rubbing it to alleviate the pain. “Whatever. We’re running late for practice, pick up the pace.”

The blue-haired athlete walked away. Rainbow Dash helped Fluttershy up and, without saying another word, ran after her teammate.

“What was that all about?” Sunset Shimmer asked as she got up, looking at her friend with a very confused expression on her face.

“Indigo Zap has always been a no-good bully. Pair that with her short fuse and--”

“Not that!” She interrupted. “I mean Rainbow Dash. She totally stood up for you just know, what’s up with that?”

“Oh, um… Well, Rainbow Dash and I knew each other for a very long time, and she always had my back. We lost touch after coming to CA, but if she’s around and someone gives me a hard time she comes to my rescue. She never sticks around or talks to me, she just… Helps me and goes away.”

“Hold the phone, you used to be friends with the leader of the jocks?”

She nodded. “We first met during summer camp when we were children; some bullies were taunting me and she came to my rescue, so I kind of followed her around from a distance until I mustered up the courage to ask her if we could be friends.” Fluttershy smiled as she looked in the general direction of the sports ground. “She told me I didn’t even have to ask because we were already friends. We met again a couple of years later when my family moved to another town and we ended up going to the same middle school. She introduced to some of her friends, like Twilight, Rarity, Pin--”

“Wait, you mean our Twilight and our Rarity? You were friends with all of them? Why am I only hearing about this now?”

“It’s just…” Fluttershy’s smile vanished and she sighed. “We used to be inseparable. If you saw one of us, the others usually weren’t far behind. But then we came to Canterlot Academy and… Well, we just kind of drifted apart at first; they started meeting new people, expanding their circles of friends, hanging out without us after school… But eventually they started fighting, and not just heated arguments; there was a lot of hurtful name-calling, and sometimes things even got violent. We were barely on speaking terms, I wasn’t even sure if we were even friends anymore.”

Her smile returned when she turned back to look at her friend. “Then you came along and started uniting us all again! I swear, Rarity, Twilight and I have spoken to each other more in the last week then we did in all of last year. We are rekindling our friendship and it’s all thanks to you, Sunset Shimmer!”

“Uh… You’re welcome, I guess?”

“Shimmer, wait up!” Someone shouted. She turned around and saw Moondancer running towards her.

“What’s up?” She asked when the redhead caught up with them.

“The girls called a meeting.” She explained. “It’s about time we take down the jocks, so they want to get together and discuss strategies. You coming?”

“Do you really have to ask? Where is it gonna be, the library?”

“Nah, they want this war council to take place in neutral territory, so we’re meeting in the abandoned observatory behind the gym as soon as classes are over.”

“Um, aren’t we forbidden from going in there?” Fluttershy asked. “Also, isn’t it locked?”

“Being the prez comes with perks. Twi will get us in there, no problem. 5 PM, Shimmer, don’t be late!”

Later that day, Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy walked together over to the thankfully empty sports field, meaning that no jocks were going to harass them on their way to the observatory. They followed a short dirt road on the east side of the field that led to the aforementioned abandoned building. The blonde-redhead tried opening its door, only to find it locked. She tried one more time before banging on it.

“Anyone in there?” She called. “It’s 5 PM, open up!”

They heard the click of the door being unlocked, followed by Twilight opening it.

“Welcome, you two, I’m so glad you could make it. Sorry about the lock, we’re trying to keep this meeting private. Please, make yourselves comfortable!” She motioned for them to come in and, as soon as they were inside, she closed the door and locked it once again.

The inside of the building looked surprisingly clean for a place that was supposedly abandoned. In the middle of the empty room were a few wooden boxes serving as a makeshift table, with two chairs on each side of the square.

On the north end sat Moondancer with an empty chair to her left – obviously Twilight’s.

Trixie and Starlight Glimmer were on the west end; Starlight was resting her bare legs on her girlfriend’s lap, who was absentmindedly caressing them.

The south end was empty, meaning that the spot was reserved for Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy.

Rarity sat on the east end, happily chatting with a girl Sunset had never met before, who seemed more interested in listening to Rarity than engaging in a conversation – Rarity didn’t seem to mind. Her companion had bluish grey skin and voluminous silver hair, which she styled in pigtails; she wore the blue tartan skirt and argyle vest, the prep variant of the school uniform, and red-framed glasses.

“And who are you supposed to be?”

“Oh, Sunset, darling, this is S--” Rarity started speaking.

“Sugarcoat.” The girl interrupted, tucking under her arm the clipboard she was holding; she stood up and approached the newcomers, shaking both their hands; her handshake was firm and her serious voice tone brimmed with confidence. “Rarity’s business partner, among other things. While the boutique may technically be hers, Rarity still must answer directly to her benefactor, Miss Prim Hemline, to make sure her funds are being used responsibly as part of the contract; I will be in charge of all bureaucratic procedures so that she can focus on designing and sewing following the opening of Carousel Boutique. I shall accompany her to every meeting, even those unrelated to the business, to make sure we won’t spend more than we can afford.”

“What she said!” Rarity finished with a smile. “But my future as a fashionista is not why we have gathered here today.”

As Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy sat on their chairs, Twilight quickly dashed towards her own seat on the other end of the makeshift table. While pretending to look at the defunct telescope above them, Moondancer moved her own seat closer to her crush’s.

“I, Twilight Sparkle, student council president of Canterlot Academy, declare this meeting...” She looked around for something to serve as a makeshift gavel, but eventually sighed in defeat and just knocked on the wooden crate. “…open.”

“Why are you even wasting precious time with this?” Trixie asked. “The Great and Powerful Trixie votes marching right up there and beating them all into submission.”

“There’s strength in numbers.” Starlight Glimmer added. “With our cliques combined, we have a clear advantage!”

“Oh, please!” Rarity said, waving her hand dismissively. “Having bigger numbers means nothing if they don’t know what you’re doing. I mean, your goons tried that against us, and I don’t have to remind us how that ended, do I?”

“An ant colony can try to take on a human, but the boot still comes out on top.” Moondancer chimed in. “Numbers don’t win wars, strategy does.”

“Besides, even if we somehow beat them all down, they would probably just see it as a challenge, get back up and strike back harder.” Sunset Shimmer said. “No, if we’re going after them, it has to be a permanent solution.”

“So, kill them?” Trixie asked, causing Fluttershy to gasp and cover her mouth with both hands.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ms. Lulamoon, that is not what Sunset meant!” Rarity scolded before looking at the girl in question with a concerned look. “That’s not what you meant, right?”

“Of course not! I’m saying we have to crush their spirits, beat them in a way that will make them feel so bad that they won’t even think about crossing us again.”

“So we hit them where it hurts, their pride!” Twilight Sparkle finally spoke up. “They firmly believe that anyone who is not one of them sucks at sports, so if we can beat them in their own game their pride will go up in smoke.”

“That’s a fine plan and all, but there’s one big flaw:” Starlight Glimmer said. “They’re kinda right! Soccer, basketball, track and field, anyone who is good at something is with the jocks, where can we find someone who can hold their own against the best athletes in school who is not already on their side?”

The room felt silent, save for the sound of Sugarcoat writing on her clipboard.

“Dodgeball!” Moondancer nearly shouted while getting up and slamming her hands on the crate/table. “They love playing dodgeball amongst themselves; it’s not as serious as the other sports, but it’s still something they love and that doesn’t require the same absurd levels of skill. Beating them in a game of dodgeball won’t strike a blow as hard as beating them in something like soccer but a defeat is still a defeat, their pride will definitely feel it!”

The girls in attendance all looked at each other, expecting someone to challenge Moondancer’s plan. As the girl in glasses sat back down, Twilight Sparkle finally spoke up:

“Those in favor raise their hand.” She then raised her own hand, followed by a very eager and smiling Moondancer.

Trixie and Starlight looked at each other, then nodded other and raised their hands.

Rarity also raised her hand. When her right-hand girl didn’t raise hers, too busy looking at her clipboard, she grabbed Sugarcoat’s wrist and raised her hand for her.

Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy finally raised theirs.

“This motion passes via unanimous consent.” Twilight knocked on the crate again. She then leaned towards her partner and whispered: “Good one, Moondancer. I’m proud of you!”

The girl’s smile grew wider as she blushed.

“First things first, let’s talk about rules and team formation.” Glimmer spoke. “How do they play, Moon?”

“W-Well…” Moondancer adjusted her glasses, still blushing heavily. “They play best of three with a single ball and four players on each side, with three inside the sidelines and one outside on the opposite team’s side of the court. Players who get hit continue playing from the sidelines, and you win by eliminating all three players on the opposing team.”

“Sounds simple enough.” Starlight said, nodding her head. “Now, we should decide who’s going to play. Any volunteers?”

Sunset Shimmer raised her hand. “I still have to make them pay for sending me to the infirmary that one time. Seems like the best opportunity to make that happen.”

“You can count on The Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie raised her hand as well. “Rainbow Dash and Trixie haven’t seen eye to eye since day one, so Trixie will use this as an opportunity to show her who truly is the most awesomest of the two.”

“That’s not a word.” Moondancer commented.

Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Smoking and physical activities don’t exactly go hand in hand.”

“Oh, Trixie doesn’t smoke!” Starlight explained with a smile, waving her hand dismissively. “She just plays around with the smoke when she wants to look tough in front of someone, she doesn’t actually inhale it.”

“Starlight, they weren’t supposed to know that!” Trixie whined.

“Oh, oops!” Starlight giggled.

“Actually, mouth-fagging is still a dangerous practice.” Twilight explained. “You can still inhale the smoke through your nose and get the toxins into your blood stream through your tongue and mouth lining.”

Trixie and Starlight exchanged worried looks.

“I’ll talk to Maud!” Rarity said while happily clapping. “She’s really fast and really strong, she can help us.”

“Okay, that makes three. Anyone else?” Twilight looked around, but there were no more volunteers.

“Don’t worry about our fourth player, I have someone in mind.” Sunset reassured the team. “But first, I’d like to ask a couple of questions about Rainbow Dash.”

A few days later, the entire school had heard about how Sunset Shimmer marched to the sports ground and challenged the captain of the Wondercolts to a game of dodgeball; Saturday morning was the day agreed upon for the game to take place, and they were all excited for it. Sunset and her allies talked to Coach Lockdown – the only unbiased person with free time they could reach – who begrudgingly agreed to be the referee, making the entire thing somewhat official. The rest of the week went by in a flash, and soon the big day was upon them. 9 AM was the time the game was going to take place, but by 8 AM most of the bleachers in the gymnasium had already been filled.

Coach Lockdown , wearing his usual white tank top that showed off his muscles, blue shorts with the C-shaped horseshoe on the left leg and ever-present unnecessary sunglasses, entered the gymnasium holding a ball under his arm. He blew on the whistle hanging from his neck, immediately silencing the chattering.

“Alright, listen up!” He started speaking, his voice gruff and commanding. “I don’t know what you expect to accomplish with this waste of time, but since you really want this crap to happen and I had nothing better to do, let’s get this over with already. I will call the players one by one and they will take their places on the court.” He blew on his whistle one more time and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper with the names of the players. “First, the challenger; if it wasn’t for her we could be outside doing something productive with our free time. Sunset Shimmer, get up here!”

The crowd started cheering loudly. Sunset Shimmer walked up the stairs that led to the locker room located underground; she was wearing a Canterlot Academy basketball jersey and shorts but, unlike the one worn by the jocks, which was mostly blue with yellow details, hers was white with blue details, except for the crest on her chest and the horseshoe on the left leg that still were the usual blue and golden. She waved to the crowd and took her place on the right half of the court, on the left side of the three-point line.

“Next up is the captain of the Wondercolts, Rainbow Dash.”

The cheering was significantly quieter, mostly coming from the other jocks on the bleachers, as Dash came out of the lockers wearing the blue and yellow basketball jersey with her hands on her hips. She simply sneered at Sunset Shimmer before going to the left half of the court, standing in the center circle.

“Trixie Lulamoon? Oh, that’s rich! Last year this one skipped my class just enough times to not get held back. This is gonna be fun to watch!”

Trixie, wearing the white variant of the jersey, flipped the coach off while he looked down at his list, causing the crowd to erupt into laughter. With that out of the way, she basked in the attention she was receiving from the crowd, twirling, bowing and blowing kisses. Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer rolled the eyes before Trixie took her place behind the baseline on Rainbow Dash’s side of the court.

“Spitfire, you’re next, and hurry up. We don’t need more Trixies in my gymnasium.”

Trixie glared at the coach as another girl in blue and yellow came from the underground passage; she had yellow skin, orange eyes and short, fiery orange and bright yellow hair, which she combed backwards and styled in a way that made it look like an actual burning flame. She fist-bumped Rainbow Dash and stood behind her, on the right side of the three-point line.

“Maud Pie, get up here.”

Maud simply walked towards her spot on Sunset’s side of the court, on the right side of the three-point line.

“Indigo Zap.”

The blue-haired girl ran up the stairs, doing peace signs with both hands. She kept on running until she reached her spot on Rainbow Dash’s side, to the left of the three-point line.

“And… Derpy? Really? You had all this time to form a half-decent team and you pick Derpy?” He shrugged and shook his head. “Suit yourself.”

Derpy ignored the coach’s comments, simply smiling and waving as she stood in front of Rainbow Dash in the center circle.

“And the final person partaking in this waste of time, Aria Blaze!”

“Wait, what?!” Trixie shouted in disbelief.

The girl with the purple and green twintails joined them in the court, wearing the blue and yellow jersey, the same girl who worked with Trixie’s vagrants as their enforcer. She grinned at Trixie and waved at her.

“Aria, you traitor, what are you doing with these meatheads?!” The girl simply cupped her hand over her ear and shrugged, acting as if she couldn’t hear her former boss over the sound of the crowd, even though she most definitely could, before taking her place behind the baseline on Sunset’s side. “You little bitch, don’t you dare ignore The Great and Powerful Trixie, Trixie is your--”

She tried walking towards her, but Indigo Zap grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back, causing her to fall on her ass. “The game is about to start, save your drama for later.”

Mr. Lockdown walked towards the inner circle where Dash and Derpy were standing on and placed the ball on the ground, right in the middle and on top of the half court line.

“Good luck, Rainbow Dash!” Derpy said with a smile, offering her hand for a handshake. She used that hand to rub the back of her neck when Dash crossed her arms and glared at her.

Coach Lockdown went back to his place, leaning against the wall opposite to the bleachers. “You all know the rules, so hurry up and start.” He blew on his whistle again, signaling the beginning of the game.

Derpy quickly grabbed the ball in front of her, expecting Rainbow Dash to do the same, but she just stood there with her arms crossed.

“We’ll give you the first round for free.” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. “We’re generous like that. We’ll play for real on round two.” Indigo and Spitfire started chuckling.

With an eyebrow raised, Derpy tossed the ball towards Rainbow Dash without any strength behind her throw. The ball bounced off her crossed arms and rolled towards Derpy’s feet. Dash walked to the outside of the sidelines on the left of Sunset’s side of the court. Derpy then threw the ball at Indigo, who faked a gasp before going to the right side. Spitfire grabbed the ball and passed it to Derpy, who threw it at her.

Mr. Lockdown blew on his whistle again. “Zero to one. I told you to hurry up, but that’s just painful to watch!”

The three jocks returned to their position on the court, with Dash placing the ball back in the middle. Lockdown blew on his whistle one more time.

Derpy went for the ball again, but Dash was much faster and picked it up before she even finished bending down. Before the lazy-eyed girl could even process what had just happened, the ball connected with her face before soaring through the air and landing in the very back of the court, where Trixie was standing. Derpy, still a little unsure of what had just happened, joined her.

Trixie tried passing the ball to Maud, but Spitfire jumped up and intercepted the pass. She quickly turned around and sent the ball flying towards Maud, who tried catching it, but the ball flew too fast and passed through the gap between her hands as she tried to grab the ball, hitting her in the stomach. Sunset picked up the ball as Maud left the court and threw it at Indigo Zap, but the athlete simply stepped to the side, dodging it. Trixie picked up the ball and quickly tried throwing at Zap but she dodged again, this time with a spin. Sunset once again tried throwing it at her, but this time Dash intercepted it and threw the ball back, hitting Sunset Shimmer square in the face.

Lockdown blew the whistle. “One to one. That was just pathetic, girls. Only one round left, try harder!”

“Derpy, switch with me.” Sunset commanded as she rubbed a sore spot on the bridge of her nose. The blonde nodded and moved to the left of the three-point line. Sunset carried the ball back to the center of the court and placed it on the half court line. Neither her nor Dash said anything, they just scowled at each other.

“Final round, try to make this at least a little interesting.” Coach Lockdown said before blowing on his whistle.

Dash and Sunset grabbed the ball at the same time, pulling with all their might to try and make the other girl let go of it. Once Dash realized this was pointless she planted her foot on her opponent’s midriff and pushed, causing her to fall to the ground.

“HEY!” Sunset shouted, but when she noticed the captain was about to hit her while she was down, she rolled out of the way.

The ball bounced off the wooden floor and towards Aria, but Maud jumped inhumanly high, grabbing the ball in midair. She tried launching it towards Rainbow while still up in the air, but the multicolored girl managed to step out of the way.

Spitfire picked up the ball and passed it to Aria, who tried hitting Derpy on an apparent blind spot but, despite her lazy eye, the grey girl had a decent peripheral vision, so she easily dodged the ball. Sunset Shimmer intercepted it before it crossed the half court line. She aimed the ball at Indigo, who raised her arms to protect herself, but with a swift move of her arm she passed the ball to Maud, who threw it at Spitfire, hitting her thigh. She groaned as she joined Aria on the outside of Sunset’s side of the court.

Rainbow Dash passed the ball to Indigo Zap, who passed the ball back to Rainbow Dash. The two of them kept passing the ball to each other for a few more seconds until they saw an opening: Derpy ended up lowering her guard while trying to follow the ball with her eyes, so she couldn’t react in time when Indigo threw it at her. The ball bounced off her chest and rolled towards Sunset, who picked it up as Derpy joined Trixie.

Sunset passed the ball to Derpy, who passed it to Trixie, who passed it to Maud, who then passed it back to Sunset. They kept that going until Indigo, who tried to keep up with the passes, got a little dizzy while spinning in place; she didn’t see Trixie throw it at her, only realizing the ball had stopped switching hands when it hit her on the back.

With only Rainbow Dash left in the court, the crowd was on the edge of their seats; was the best player of every sport in Canterlot Academy really on the ropes?

Rainbow Dash bounced the ball on the floor like a basketball a couple of times, analyzing her situation. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then prepared herself to throw it at Sunset with as much strength as she could. The blonde-redhead girl tried diving out of the way, only to realize she wasn’t Dash’s target.

Rainbow Dash actually threw the ball to the floor in front of her own feet, causing it to bounce really high up. As the ball fell back down the soccer captain spun her body around and prepared herself for a kick; when her foot connected with the ball, Sunset Shimmer realized the ball was moving towards her. Since she was still getting up from the dive, she couldn’t properly dodge out of the way, and the ball was moving towards her fast. She closed her eyes and steeled herself, but the impact never came. She opened her eyes again and saw Maud lying down on the wooden floor and staring up at her, with a cheek bruised and a trickle of blood coming out of her left nostril and tears coming out of her left eye. She rolled the ball in front of her closer to Sunset.

“It’s up to you now.”

“Why did you do that?” Sunset Shimmer asked, helping her up. “You’re a better player than me, if anything you’re the one who should be standing and me bleeding on the ground.”

“That kick was really strong.” Maud wiped the tears and blood on her white jersey. “I knew I could take it, but it would seriously injure you. If I hadn’t blocked it you would be in much worse shape than me.”

“Huh… Thanks, Maud.”

Maud nodded and walked towards her other teammates on Rainbow Dash’s court; she was trying to act tough, but Sunset Shimmer could see her walk was a little wobbly.

The crowd cheered on as Sunset Shimmer walked closer to the center of the court. Rainbow Dash did the same.

“You hear that?” Sunset Shimmer asked. “Those cheers? They are all for me.”

“Apparently.” Dash said.

“The vagrants, the preppies, the nerds, the outcasts, every single one of them wants me to take you down.”

“Apparently.” She repeated.

“It wasn’t always like this, was it? Those people cheering against you used to be on your side. And I’m not talking about the school as a whole, I mean your friends. Not the mindless drones who obey your every command on the field, I mean Rarity, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy. Your real friends. They told me about how you used to be, and they are just in the dark as to why you changed as I am.”

Rainbow Dash looked past her opponent and saw the three girls in question sitting on the front row of the bleachers.

“I don’t deserve friends like them.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I let my friends down when they needed me the most. All I had to do was step up, but I hesitated and they paid for my weakness.”

“It’s not too late, you know? Whatever happened between you, I’m sure it can still be repaired. You can get your friends back and together we can take down the real menace in this place. I know who the real villain of this story is and it’s not you, Rainbow Dash. But as long as petty politics keep the students apart she’ll hide in the shadows and only make things worse for everybody. If we work together we can root her out, end her reign of terror and make this place somewhat bearable until we can graduate and finally start living the real life. So, what do you say?”

Rainbow Dash looked at Sunset Shimmer, then at her teammates behind her and finally at the girls she used to call her best friends before Canterlot Academy tore them apart. She sighed and turned her back to the girl in the white jersey.

“What are you waiting for? Win this game already so I can go talk to my friends.”

Sunset hit Rainbow in the back with the ball. The crowd cheered louder than ever, almost drowning out Coach Lockdown as he blew his whistle, signaling the end of the game.

“One to two, the challengers win the game. And here I thought I was doing a good job training these girls, what a disappointment.”

Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity invaded the court and wrapped Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash in a group hug. Trixie ran past the five girls and towards the twintailed girl behind the baseline, who made a beeline for the exit.

“Get back here, you pathetic turncoat!” Trixie called as she left the building and ran after Aria Blaze.

During lunch, Sunset Shimmer shared a table with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle and Derpy; her companions were chatting, laughing and reminiscing.

“This feels just like old times, doesn’t it?” Twilight said with a bright smile. “Six friends, hanging out during lunch, having a good time…”

“You used to be friends with them too?” Sunset asked Derpy.

“No, not really. We only met here in CA, and this is the first time I’m hanging out with all of you girls.” Derpy looked around, finally noticing that the mood shifted and the other four girls now looked gloomy. “Oh! Right, of course…”

“Hm?” Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “I’m totally lost here, what’s going on?”

Suddenly a troubled Trixie sat between Sunset and Fluttershy, with Starlight Glimmer quickly joining them and squeezing her shoulders in reassurance. The vagrant magician sighed.

“Why the long face, darling?” Rarity asked.

“I couldn’t catch up with Aria.” She said, dropping her third-person talk.

“Well, she’s gonna have to show up eventually.” Rainbow Dash said. “Classes aren’t over yet and Aria can’t exactly afford to miss many more after how many times she played hooky.”

“I don’t think she’s coming back.” Trixie pointed at Sunset. “When you figured out what Adagio was up to, that bitch vanished off the face of the earth.” She moved her finger to point at Rarity. “And when you found out Sonata was in cahoots with Adagio, she ran off and poofed out of existence.”

Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “Wait, are you saying…?”

The girl in black leather nodded. “I followed her into the parking lot, thought I would corner her in the shop. But there was a van there, already waiting for her with the door open; I saw Adagio behind the wheel and Sonata riding shotgun. She jumped inside and they peeled outta here.”

“DAMMIT!” Sunset Shimmer slammed her fist on the table, making their juice boxes jump up a few inches. “Every time we find a lead she steps out of her hole and covers her tracks!”

“Don’t worry about it, Sunset!” Twilight reassured her. “Now that we’re working together, it’s only a matter of time until we pick up her scent. We’re going to find out where she’s hiding and you’re gonna make her tell us what she’s planning!” She extended her hand towards the center of the table. “Go team!”

With a smile, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and placed her hand on top of Twilight’s. “Go team!”

Fluttershy and Rarity looked at each other; they giggled and followed suit. “Go team!”

“I’ll help too, go team!” Derpy placed her hand on top of Rarity’s.

Trixie placed her hand on top of Derpy’s. “Go team!”

And Starlight placed her hand on top of Trixie’s. “Go team!”

They all looked at Starlight with a smile on their faces. She smiled back and moved her hand in order to add it to the pile. “Go t--”

Suddenly the idle chatter that permeated the cafeteria was silenced, replaced by the fire alarm sounding off.

“Attention all students and staff.” The voice of Vice Principal Luna coming from the wall speakers echoed throughout the corridors. “Please exit the building in a calm and orderly fashion. This is not a drill; I repeat, this is not a drill.”

All the students looked around confused but they knew better than to disobey Vice Principal Luna, so one by one they left the cafeteria and eventually the school building through the many fire exits. Once outside, they saw a cloud of smoke in the south – too far away to be coming from the main building, but definitely close enough to be within school grounds.

“Is that the gym?” Rainbow Dash asked; suddenly her eyes widened. “Oh shit, Indigo Zap eats lunch under the bleachers!”

“You think she’s still there?” Trixie asked.

“FUCK!” Rainbow Dash suddenly ran towards the gym, Sunset Shimmer not far behind.

When they arrived at the scene they saw that it was indeed the gymnasium that was on fire, with columns of smoke coming out of the windows. Coach Lockdown was standing a few feet away from the burning building, pacing back and forth and running his hands over his bald head. When the two girls tried to run past him, he grabbed them by the back of their clothes.

“And where do you two numbskulls think you’re going? Can’t you see the building is on fire?”

“Let go of me, cue ball!” Rainbow Dash said. “Indigo Zap is still in there, I gotta go save her!”

Sunset Shimmer slipped out of her vest, freeing herself from the teacher’s grasp. Rainbow Dash followed her example and removed her letterman jacket. Sunset slammed the door open with her shoulder and the two went inside, ignoring the coach’s shouts of protest.

The smoke was already thickening, limiting the visibility, but they could still see relatively well.

“INDIGO!” Rainbow Dash called. “INDIGO, WHERE ARE YOU!”

“R-Rain… Dash…” Indigo Zap’s weak coughs came from the other side of the building. Rainbow Dash followed her voice while Sunset ran towards the stairs, where the fire extinguisher was located. She saw some movement at the corner of her eye and looked downstairs, where she saw a silhouette of a person coming out of the locker room.

“Hey!” She called. “Are you ok?”

But the person simply turned tail and ran towards the pool area. She considering giving chase, but right now she had bigger problems at hand; she picked up the fire extinguisher and joined Rainbow Dash, who could see Indigo Zap stuck under broken parts of the bleachers. Sunset cleared the path of burning pieces of the ceiling that had fallen off using the fire extinguisher and Rainbow Dash lifted the wreckage while the Equestrian pulled the semi-conscious athlete out of there. Together they wrapped the girl’s arms around their shoulders and dragged her out of the burning gym.

It didn’t take long for the firemen to arrive, and while they worked on the burning gym the paramedics took care of Indigo Zap. Rainbow Dash wanted to stay and help, but Coach Lockdown escorted them away.

Indigo Zap woke up in the infirmary the next day, surrounded by her teammates.

“Rise and shine, kiddo!” Spitfire greeted. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit…” Was her answer.

“Hey, it could be worse!” A blue girl with white hair, magenta eyes and a lisp said. “At least you came out alive. If it wasn’t for Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer, you’d be indistinguishable from a well-done steak!”

“Fleetfoot, shut the fuck up!” Rainbow Dash chastised the girl, pushing her aside to make room. “Not appropriate right now.”

“Take it easy on her, Dash.” Sunset Shimmer said, elbowing her new friend on the ribs. “We’ll all be cracking jokes about today in about a week, you’ll see.”

“Yeah, but today is not next week, she almost died in that fire.” Rainbow Dash sat on the bed and held one of Indigo Zap’s hands. “Hey there!”

“Hi, cap’n.” She cleared her throat, which felt very dry. “Can I get some water?”

“On it!” Spitfire reached into her backpack and pulled out a water bottle. She passed it to Rainbow, who helped the bedridden girl drink.

“Yeah, that’s the good stuff. Thanks!”

“Well, I believe you guys will want to have a private Wondercolts-only moment, so I’ll be on my way.” Sunset Shimmer said as she walked towards the door. “Get well soon!”

“Hey, Shim?” Indigo Zap called. “Thank you for saving me. For real. You didn’t have to, after the way we... The way I treated you, but you did it anyway.” She chuckled. “Now that I think about it, last time you were here was because of us, huh? Sorry about that, too!”

“Hey, you guys were the ones who put me in here but it’s not like I didn’t have it coming. Sure, a conniving bitch manipulated me into fucking with the team, but it was still me. As for saving your life, well… Consider that a favor that I may cash in at some point in the future! Deal?”

“Sure thing!”

Sunset Shimmer nodded at her and closed the infirmary door as soon as she left the building. She started walking down the corridor when the vice principal’s voice came out of the speakers once more:

“Sunset Shimmer, your presence is required in the principal’s office immediately.”

Unsure of why she was being summoned to Principal Celestia’s office, she shrugged and followed Vice Principal Luna’s instructions.

7. Go See The Principal

Sunset Shimmer was sitting on a chair in front of the principal’s desk and Principal Celestia was standing in front of the large black and white photo hanging on her wall, a perfect reenactment of her first day in Canterlot Academy.

“Remember what I told you when we first met, Miss Shimmer? I told you that the students of Canterlot Academy are amongst the brightest and most talented in the country, from all sorts of different background. Every single one has proven their worth and earned their keep, and you are no different; your grades are spectacular, I thought you had a bright future ahead of you despite your rocky start.

“But I’ve received some worrying reports about your behavior. I was willing to look the other way as long as you only behaved badly within school ground, hoping that we could contain you, convince you to convert all that extra energy into something good, something productive. But after today, I can see that this is not working.”

“Wait, you think I was responsible for the fire?!” Sunset Shimmer finally stood up, ready to defend herself. “I’ll have you know that--”

“Sit! Down!” Principal Celestia interrupted, turning around and shooting the student and icy glare that made Sunset flinch. “I am not finished.” Sunset Shimmer did as she was told. “I know you are not responsible for our gymnasium burning down, the vice principal herself saw a suspicious person fleeing the scene not long after the fire had started and we are going to find out who he or she was. But let’s not digress, we are here to discuss your behavior.”

“Fighting. Blackmail. Extortion. Trespassing. Those are all flaws I thought we could fix. But an all-out brawl in the middle of the park? Attacking someone with a real sword? Destruction of private property? And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. For goodness sake, you bullied the son of the Truebloods into cleaning their house after you vandalized it yourself!”

Sunset Shimmer wanted to challenge those accusations, but she was stunned at how well-informed the principal was. “Wh-What--”

“All this information came from a very credible whistleblower who asked for their identity to remain undisclosed for fear of retaliation, if that’s what you’re about to ask.”

“I--”

“Before you come up with any excuses, Miss Shimmer, I want you to know that this person has also provided heaps of evidence that they are going through with Vice Principal Luna as we speak. If anything you say contradicts what we have, things will only look worse for you, so I warn you to think carefully before speaking.”

Sunset Shimmer opened her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. After several failed attempts at speaking, she gave up.

“Well, under other circumstances I would expel you immediately, but I am willing to give you the chance to redeem yourself.” Principal Celestia sat down on her chair and interlocked her fingers under her chin. “I know for a fact you couldn’t have done all of this alone, but our mutual friend has done enough bringing all this to my attention. Now I want to hear this from you: tell me who else was involved in those incidents, and I’ll go easy on you.”

“What if I told you there was no one else involved?”

“Then I would accuse you of lying, because that’s what that would be.”

“Too bad, because that’s my answer. None of my friends were involved, and that’s the end of the story.”

“Think about what you’re throwing away, Miss Shimmer. Graduating from Canterlot Academy opens up a lot of opportunities later in life, opportunities that you are turning your back on for petty reasons.”

“Since when was loyalty to those I care about reduced to pettiness?”

“Loyalty, huh? So there are other people involved.”

“Ok, fine, you got me. I wasn’t working alone, but guess what? I’m not telling you. If you want to find out then do it yourself, you lazy cow!”

“Excuse me?”

“What, can’t hear me from up there you dumb giraffe? I’m going to be expelled anyway, I have nothing to lose, so let me get a few things out of my chest: your stuck-up school is a literal dumpster and your teachers are a joke who only suck up to you in order to gain a raise. Everybody hates you, you long-legged freak, and I’m happy to leave this shithole behind. ‘One of the best’ my ass, this is worse than a concentration camp!”

Principal Celestia angrily slammed her hands on her desk.

“Gather up your things and get out of my school. If you’re still here in the next ten minutes I will have my prefects forcefully throw you out.”

Sunset Shimmer got up and walked towards the door. “I won’t give them the satisfaction.”

“And don’t even think about wearing our uniform, I don’t want people thinking someone like you is associated with the prestigious Canterlot Academy!”

“I’m not sure the bum who finds this poor excuse of a dishrag in the garbage will care about how prestigious this pile of shit school is as he uses it to wipe his ass!”

“OUT! NOW!”

“GLADLY!”

Sunset Shimmer slammed the door shut, causing a picture frame that was hanging near the door to fall and crack the glass. Sunset Shimmer picked it up, and after a quick inspection she figured out it was a smaller version of the black and white photo the principal was staring at in her office. She turned around as she heard the sound of the door across from the principal’s opening.

“What’s with all the screaming?” Vice Principal Luna asked.

“None of your damn busin--” Sunset Shimmer stopped halfway when she peered into the darkness of the woman’s office and saw the light of a desk lamp illuminating two things: the first was the pile of evidence Principal Celestia told her about. The second was the face of the person sitting in front of the desk who, according to what the principal told her, was the snitch. They silently stared at each other for what felt like hours.

“…Fluttershy?” The girl tried to hide behind a curtain of pink hair as Sunset tried to march into the office, only to be stopped by the vice principal herself. “No. No no no, that can’t be right! Someone is fucking with me, right? You-You are not the snitch, Fluttershy! That can’t be you. You are…”

The shy girl looked away from her “friend” and sighed.

“I’m so sorry, Sunset, but you were out of control, I had to tell someone!”

The amber-skinned girl’s legs stopped responding and she fell to her knees. “…my friend.”

Luna said something to her, but she had completely tuned out the world at this point. The one person she felt she could trust the most had stabbed her in the back; the world was spinning and nothing made sense anymore.

The vice principal placed her hands on her shoulders but Sunset Shimmer shrugged them off, got up and ran. She only stopped running when she returned to her dorm room. Along the way, her shock and sadness morphed into rage, so the sound of the door slamming against the wall as Sunset kicked it open echoed throughout the entire building. Only when she was inside did she realize that she was still holding the picture frame with the cracked glass. She was going to toss it into the trash bin when something caught her attention.

With a raised eyebrow, she removed the monochrome image from the picture frame and inspected it closely. On the far left of the row stood one girl in particular that caught her eye; she was scowling at the camera with her arms crossed and her hairstyle looked very familiar: twintails with highlights. She couldn’t possibly tell what color they were, given that the picture itself had none, but the hair was much darker than the highlights.

The girl standing to her right had light hair with dark highlights styled in a bob cut and waved at the camera with a huge smile, but she also looked very familiar once Sunset imagined her with longer hair tied up in a ponytail.

The girl beside her wore glasses, her hair was styled in an over-the-shoulder braid and she also had her arms crossed but, unlike the first girl, she was smiling. Not just any smile, but a smirk; a wicked smirk that had been burned in her memory. The same smirk that plastered Adagio’s face the last time she saw her, underneath Canterlot Academy, in The Pit, all those months ago.

“How is this possible?” Sunset muttered; her confusion was justified, given that the picture she was staring at was around a hundred years old.

Sunset Shimmer threw the picture in her backpack, alongside a few other possessions. She also stuffed the clothes she was wearing when she first crossed the portal in the backpack; she would ask for her friends to pick up the rest of her stuff for her once she found a place to call home, but for now it would be wise to carry at least one change of clothes in case she needed it. She then took off her school uniform and picked up random articles of clothing. Once dressed, she gave the room she once shared with Fluttershy and Adagio Dazzle one last once-over before grabbing the skateboard leaning against the wall and exiting the building.

A group of people was waiting for her outside: Rainbow Dash, Trixie, Starlight, Derpy, Moondancer, Twilight and Rarity.

“We heard you being called to Celestia’s office.” Derpy asked. “What was that all about?”

“And why aren’t you wearing your uniform, darling? Did something happen?” Rarity asked, dreading the answer.

“Well, it’s been fun, but I guess I’m not Canterlot Academy material after all. Starting today, I’ll attend to my education somewhere else.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Twilight asked. “You’re leaving? But why?”

“Principal Celestia thinks I’m an animal that needs to be tamed, but I am a free spirit. She didn’t like that very much, so I got kicked out. Also Fluttershy is a filthy little traitorous bitch who snitched on me!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Fluttershy? No, that can’t be right, Fluttershy would never--” Rainbow Dash tried defending her friend.

“Well, she would. And she did! Why not ask her yourself, she’s with the VP right now, going over the evidence she collected on the things I did!”

“But why would she do that? She doesn’t seem the type.” Trixie questioned.

“Who knows? She was friends with Adagio before I came along, maybe they’ve been working together this whole time. I wish I could figure out what made her flip on me, but sadly I don’t have the time; if I don’t leave the school in the next few minutes, the prefects will kick me out themselves.”

“Correction, we’re going to kick you out right now!” They all turned around to see Fleur de Lis, leader of the prefects, standing just a few feet away from them with her three subordinates, Octavia, Sour Sweet and Sophisticata. “Your ten-minute head start is up, now please come along or we’ll have to make you.”

The quartet tried to walk past the students but they all stood side by side, blocking their path.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“We know where the exit is, we can escort her out ourselves, thank you very much.” Starlight Glimmer said.

“Aww, they’re standing up for their friend, that’s cute!” Sour Sweet said, placing her hands in her cheeks. “Think about this moment when you’re in detention and ask yourselves if it was worth it.”

The seven girls formed a circle around Sunset Shimmer to prevent the prefects from even touching her as they walked out of the school, but that didn’t stop Fleur from glaring at her. Sunset put her hands in the pockets of her jacket as she walked, but she felt something small and hard in her left pocket and pulled it out. She looked down at it in confusion: it was a small circular device, no bigger than a button.

“What’s this?” She asked, prompting Moondancer to inspect it.

The redhead picked the device and looked at it really closely as she adjusted her glasses. “Looks like a listening device. I think someone bugged you!”

Rarity looked at the yellow stripes on the sleeves of the jacket. “Isn’t that the same jacket you wore that day at the carnival?”

“The very same.” Sunset confirmed as she took it off. “Fluttershy suggested wearing it that day.” She tossed the jacket in a trash bin they walked past. “Guess we now know how your secret got out and who was responsible, huh?”

“I just don’t understand why Fluttershy was doing stuff like that!” Rainbow Dash spoke, still unable to fully believe what she had just heard. “There has to be more to this story.”

“I don’t doubt it. But I won’t be around to dig deeper.” She took a deep breath and stopped walking as soon as they were out of school grounds. “See you around, I guess?”

“Wait, before you go…” Trixie took off her battered leather jacket and draped it over Sunset’s shoulders. “You look… I dunno, wrong in everyday clothes without a leather jacket.”

“But Trixie, isn’t that--” Starlight Glimmer protested.

“This jacket belonged to the first leader of the vagrants.” She explained. “She gave it to the next leader of the vagrants after she graduated, and it’s been passed down from leader to leader since then. I’ll let you borrow it, but you’ll have to return it to me when you come back, alright?”

Twilight Sparkle pulled a pen and a small notepad from her pocket. She scribbled something on it, ripped that page out and passed the paper to Sunset Shimmer.

“This is the address of one of our old friends who lives in town. We… Lost contact over time, but she’s a very dependable gal. If you need a place to stay, I’m sure she can help!”

After saying their goodbyes, Sunset Shimmer rode her skateboard away from Canterlot Academy while her friends waved at her.

The address Twilight Sparkle gave her led Sunset Shimmer to a small, old house that had seen better days, located in a neighborhood caught between two worlds: to its right was a trailer park, full of people who preferred to keep to themselves, and to its left was an industrial park, a constant source of noise throughout the day.

“Another lost lamb leaves the wolves’ den, looking for the slaughterhouse.” Sunset Shimmer yelped and quickly turned around, assuming a fighting stance; a girl who wasn’t there before suddenly popped into existence barely a foot behind her.

“Where’d you come from?” Sunset asked – she originally thought she could never find pinker people than the ones she met in Canterlot Academy, but this new girl put the school’s levels of pinkness to shame: her skin was bubblegum pink and her long straight hair that went all the way to her knees. She wore blue sneakers, grayish blue sweatpants and a dark purple hoodie with a front pocket where she kept her hands in at all times.

“From a caring mother’s womb.” She sounded uninterested and her blue eyes, despite pointing in Sunset’s direction, didn’t seem to be looking at her or anything in particular.

“I… Uh… Anyway, do you live here? I came from Canterlot Academy and I--” The pink girl’s hand suddenly came out of her pocket and slapped Sunset Shimmer on the side of the head. “What the hell is your problem?!”

“Rule number one of the Apple household: mentioning that accursed place’s name is forbidden.” Her voice tone hadn’t changed a bit. “Keep that in mind if you plan on sticking around.”

“What in tarnation is going on out there?” A third voice joined the conversation, this one coming from inside the house. A girl opened the door soon after.

Sunset Shimmer eyed the newcomer up and down: orange skin, yellow ponytail, green eyes, freckles, the accent… She looked very familiar, but she couldn’t quite remember where she knew her from.

“Can I help ya?” The blonde girl asked with her hands on her hips.

“Have we met before?” Sunset asked.

The girl rubbed her chin, staring at the former unicorn for a few seconds. Suddenly she snapped her fingers.

“The graveyard! Yer that girl from CA, ain’t ya?” The memory quickly came back; they had briefly met when she took Starlight to talk to Trixie behind the old church. “What can I do ya for?”

“For real?” Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “After that ‘warm’ introduction I was under the impression you would punch me in the jaw if we crossed paths again.”

The girl clutched her stomach as she laughed. “Yeah, yer right, I would have. No student from that haunting place is welcome in my home. But then again, yer not one of ‘em anymore, are ya?”

“How do you--”

“It’s a sunny Sunday afternoon, ya want me to believe a CA student didn’t have better plans than hangin’ out all the way out here with us rejects?”

“Also you are carrying a change of clothes.” The pink girl, who had opened her zipper of the backpack and peered inside while Sunset was distracted, said. “I don’t think you came for a sleepover, students aren’t allowed to spend the night outside of school.”

“Don’t touch my stuff!” Sunset Shimmer took off her backpack and hugged it. “And yes, you’re right, I was expelled. Twilight Sparkle gave me this address, said you could help me finding a place to stay.”

“Twilight, huh? Well, I suppose she’s not the worst of the bunch. If she thinks yer ok enough to send my way, I guess yer not the worst scum that place has to offer. Ya can crash in the guest room, if yer willin’ to pull your own weight.”

“Can I at least get your names before I sleep in a total stranger’s home?”

The gal with the southern accent slapped her own forehead. “Right, of course, I knew I was forgettin’ somethin’!” She grabbed Sunset’s hand really tight and shook it really fast. “Name’s Applejack. The gal lurkin’ behind ya is Diane.”

“Pinkamena Diane Pie.” She introduced herself, but didn’t bother shaking hands. “Pinkamena is a mouthful so people took to calling me Pinkie, but that’s not my real name. Diane is not as funny or catchy as ‘Pinkie Pie’, but at least it’s in my birth certificate.”

“I’m Sunset Shimmer. You said your last name is ‘Pie’, are you related to Maud Pie?”

She nodded. “Maud is my big sister, the only person in that school who will not stab you in the back. Or at least not without reason. And she wouldn’t gain pleasure from doing so.”

“So, what’s yer story, sugarcube?” Applejack wrapped an arm around Sunset Shimmer and guided her into the house. Diane followed them in and closed the door behind her. Applejack sat on an armchair while Sunset and Diane shared a couch. “Who’s responsible for ya getting’ the boot? Was it Coach Lockdown, too?”

“What do you mean, ‘too’?”

“At least two of the three people in this room are here because of that snake. So, are we a three of a kind or just a pair?” Sunset Shimmer shook her head. “Then let me guess: someone ya thought was trustworthy turned her back on ya when ya needed her to stand up for ya?”

She frowned. “Out of all the people in CA, I thought I could trust her the most. Serves me right for lowering my guard again after the first time I got burned because I got too comfortable!”

“Was it someone from the soccer team? Maybe a certain somebody who looks like a walkin’ gay pride flag?”

“You mean Rainbow Dash? Nah, we barely know each other. But why her, specifically?”

Diane got up and walked up the stairs. “I’ll be in my room.”

They watched her until she disappeared upstairs.

“Am I missing something?”

Applejack sighed. “Diane and Rainbow didn’t exactly part ways in the best of terms. It’s a very sensitive subject so don’t go bringin’ it up, alright?” Applejack got up and followed the pinkette upstairs. “C’mere, let me show ya yer room!”

She took Sunset Shimmer to a room upstairs. When she opened the door, they found Diane lying in bed on her back, staring at the wooden ceiling with her hands on her stomach.

“Hope ya don’t mind havin’ a roommate.”

“Can’t be as bad as the roommate that got me expelled.”

“Make yerself comfortable. I’ll be downstairs, fixin’ supper.”

The pony girl tossed her backpack on the floor, slid her skateboard under the second bed in the room then flopped into it. She flipped over, mimicking Diane’s pose – Sunset thought about striking up a conversation, but nothing came to mind so they just ended up staring at the ceiling in silence until Applejack called:

“Soup’s on, girls!”

As the three figures sat around the table, the front door opened and two more people walked in.

“Hey there, Diane! Hey there, Applejack! Hey there, um…” The little girl with lemon yellow skin, orange eyes and bright red hair tied with a large pink bow greeted; she had the same accent as Applejack. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Nope!” The big, burly man behind her said; he had pale pink skin, messy orange hair and the same green eyes and freckles as Applejack.

“Welcome home!” Applejack greeted them. “This here is Sunset Shimmer. She’ll be stayin’ with us for a while, is that ok?”

“Eeyup!” He said, before joining them around the dinner table.

“This here is my big brother, Big Macintosh – Big Mac for short.” He nodded at her. “The tiny one is my lil’ sis, Apple Bloom!”

“Howdy!” Apple Bloom waved from her seat across the table.

They all had dinner together; Apple Bloom bombarded her with question while Big Mac kept interaction to a minimum. After they were done, the two siblings and Diane went upstairs while Applejack and Sunset Shimmer stayed behind to wash the dishes.

“Man of few words, isn’t he?”

Applejack chuckled. “Big Mac likes to think before sayin’ anythin’, and he does a lotta thinkin’! Apple Bloom, on the other hand…”

“Did she steal his vocal cords when she was born?”

“Maybe.”

The two shared a laugh as they finished cleaning.

“Ya should rest. Tomorrow we’re goin’ job huntin’!”

“Say what?”

“I told ya, you can crash in here as long as ya can pull yer own weight. Another mouth to feed ain’t cheap, ya know?”

Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh were the first to leave in the morning; Apple Bloom was still in middle school and Big Mac did construction work at the industrial park. Diane also left for her job as cashier in the local minimart after breakfast, leaving Applejack and Sunset Shimmer alone.

“Got any particular set of skills that would be good for a job in town?” Applejack asked from inside her bedroom while changing.

“I have many skills.” Sunset, who was waiting outside the bedroom, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, said with a cocky smirk. “Can’t exactly narrow them down.”

“That ain’t very helpful, sugarcube.”

“Let’s just look around town and see what’s available, alright? I’m sure I can handle whatever they throw at me.”

“I have a job too, y’know? Can’t exactly afford to accompany you all day.”

“Why do you even insist on coming along, anyway? I can take care of myself.”

“Just want to make sure yer actually tryin’.”

“Isn’t my word good enough?”

“Not until I get to know ya better, to make sure yer not a freeloader tryin’ to trick us. Not that it happened before, but I ain’t takin’ any chances.”

Sunset Shimmer grunted as she rolled her eyes. Her annoyed expression was replaced with one of shock when the bedroom door opened; Applejack was wearing jeans, boots and a white tank top, the same outfit she wore when they met in the cemetery, but there was one minor detail she had completely forgotten about, and that was the Stetson hat.

Sunset Shimmer had seen that hat before – or at least the silhouette of that hat, given that there was smoke blocking her view. Her shock turned into anger and she grabbed Applejack by the tank top and slammed her against the wall.

“What in tarnation?!”

“So it was you, you hateful bitch! You set the gym on fire!”

“What? I didn’t burn anythin’!”

“Don’t you lie to me, I saw you coming out of the locker room! Is your hatred for Canterlot Academy so profound that you’d not only commit a crime, but risk someone’s life over it?”

“Don’t you dare call me a liar! Yes, I admit, I was there, but it wasn’t me who started the fire.”

“Then who was it? Indigo Zap? Yeah, I can see why she’d start a fire then duck under the burning bleachers. Just confess already!”

“It! Wasn’t!” Applejack grabbed her wrists and, after a quick spin, she pinned them against the wall, preventing Sunset Shimmer from moving. “Me!”

She tried struggling, but the southern girl’s muscles weren’t just for show. “Then why were you there?”

“A student from CA came and talked to me, asked me to meet with her in the locker room and she’d help me get revenge on Lockdown. When I got there she’s nowhere to be found and suddenly the place is on fire!”

“After everything you said about the people from CA, you expect me to believe you would just blindly trust someone from there?”

“I know what I said about them and I meant every single word, but that creep is a bigger issue and I’d gladly work with an enemy in common to bring him down.”

“What’s your problem with Lockdown anyway? Besides being a verbally abusive asshole, he’s harmless.”

“Ya think he’s ‘harmless’, huh?” Applejack let go of one of her wrists and pulled her into the bedroom. She tossed Sunset on the bed, forcing her to sit down, then pulled a nearby chair and sat as well. “Let me tell ya the tale of Coach Lockdown and why he is a disgustin’ creep who shoulda been locked away ages ago.”

Sunset Shimmer looked down and saw Applejack squeezing her clenched fist, as if trying to hold back a lot of aggressiveness.

“It all happened on freshman year. Diane and I were CA students, and by then she still called herself ‘Pinkie Pie’; she was as happy as a clam at high tide, ya couldn’t find a person as cheerful as her anywhere in town and she always had this huge smile on her face. She and Rainbow Dash were inseparable, and one thing they loved doin’ together was prankin’ people, all harmless and in good fun. Sometimes they wouldn’t agree on what kinds of pranks were ‘ok’ or ‘not ok’, but Pinkie always managed talk her down eventually. Well, one time Rainbow wasn’t talked down so she decided to follow through anyway, but by herself.

“Long story short, someone got hurt – nothing too serious, but the girl still had to be carried to the infirmary. Coach Lockdown caught her and was goin’ to kick her outta the soccer team, so Rainbow freaked out. Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, she decided to help Rainbow. She marched right into Lockdown’s office and did the biggest mistake of her life.”

Applejack took a deep breath, trying to convince herself to keep going despite how uncomfortable she was feeling.

“Wh-What did he…?” Applejack raised her hand, signaling for Sunset to not interrupt.

After another deep breath, she kept talking. “They… They struck a deal; Pinkie would take the blame for the prank and Rainbow would stay in the team. In return, he… The dirty son of a bitch wanted to take pictures of her. Some really horrible, disgustin’ pictures. And she agreed.”

Sunset Shimmer’s heart skipped a beat as she flinched. “That’s… That’s just… Ugh, I don’t even have words to describe how I feel!”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Things just went from bad to worse; somehow the pictures got leaked. She takin’ the blame for that prank combined with pictures of her in her knickers everywhere in school, or ‘highly improper behavior for a girl her age’” Applejack did air quotes as she said that “as our dear Principal Celestia put it… Well, Pinkie got expelled.”

“Why didn’t she report him? What he did was a crime! A big one, at that!”

“She was afraid the truth about the prank would come out and Rainbow would get kicked out of the team; poor Pinkie was loyal to a fault. Soon as I found out what had really happened I marched right to Celestia’s office and tried to defend Pinkie, but she said it was the word of an angry student without a shred of evidence against the word of a ‘respectable’ teacher, and completely dismissed everythin’ I told her.

“I tried talkin’ to Rainbow Dash, see if I could convince her to confess and save Pinkie, but…” She glared at the floor, clenching her fist harder. “The coward didn’t want to lose her spot on the team, so she chose soccer over her best friend. So much for ‘standin’ up for her friends’ like she constantly bragged about!”

If Sunset Shimmer didn’t hate the principal enough before, she sure did now. Her opinion of Rainbow Dash also took a heavy blow. “What next? You said you were expelled because of him as well, right?”

“Sure was, but for a different reason.” Applejack reached under the bed and pulled out a baseball bat; it looked old and worn and it had a buttercup carved on the barrel. “Since I was the only one willin’ to stand up for Pinkie, the next morning I marched right up to Lockdown’s office when he wasn’t there and smashed everythin’. His windows, his desk, his cabinet with all the trophies inside it… I turned that room upside down!”

Sunset couldn’t help but smirk. “Can’t say I would have done things differently.”

“Pinkie was too ashamed to go back home, so she’s been livin’ with us since. Canterlot Academy ruined Pinkie’s life, and she’s changed ever since. Now that she calls herself Diane she don’t smile no more and, save for when she goes to work, she barely leaves the house. They… They broke her, Sunset.”

“Yeah, I… I see.” After a minute of awkward silence, Sunset Shimmer got up from the bed she was sitting on. “So, uh… About that job hunting trip we were going on…”

“Yeah, time’s a-wastin’!” Applejack got up as well, leaving the bat on her bed.

“Ah, and one more thing about the girl we talked about.”

“I didn’t know there was somebody else in there, honest. I would’ve stayed and helped if I did!”

“No, not her. I mean the girl you were supposed to meet there.”

“Ah. Then shoot!”

“Who was she?”

“I never did get a name, but she stands out in a crowd. Got this huge cloud of ginger hair behind her head! Ring any bells?”

Sunset Shimmer clenched her fists and nodded. “Many.”

8. Complete Mayhem [FINAL]

“Alright, Sunshim, you’ve been hangin’ out with us for two weeks now.” Applejack said. “That means it’s time for yer initiation!”

Sunset Shimmer looked up from the guitar she was trying to play with a raised eyebrow. “You didn’t say anything about initiation.”

“Well, I’m makin’ it up right now ‘cause I’m seein’ yer bare arm and I couldn’t help but notice yer skin is lookin’ a tad… Well, bare!”

Sunset Shimmer then looked down at her bare arms; she changed her wardrobe in the last few days, and now wore black ankle boots, a violet miniskirt, an open leather vest and an orange t-shirt with her cutie mark on the chest.

“What about my skin?”

“One of the rules in CA is that students are forbidden from gettin’ tattoos, so once Diane and I got out we decided to go get ourselves some. Y’know, to show that we were done with those rattlesnakes for good.”

Applejack lifted her shirt, showing off a trio of red apples tattooed on the right side of her midriff. Diane took off her hoodie and turned around before removing her shirt to show the blue and yellow balloons tattooed on her left shoulder blade.

“So, whaddaya say? I’ll pay for it and everythin’!”

Sunset Shimmer’s eyes darted from the apples to the balloons. After pondering for couple of seconds she put down the guitar and got up.

“Fuck it, I’m in!”

Diane and Applejack sat on an old couch in front of a trailer in the park; the place had a wooden plank with “tattoo” written on it nailed to its side and a red and blue neon sign that spelled “open” in one of the windows. The muffled sounds of hard rock became more audible once the door swung open and Sunset Shimmer stepped outside with plastic wrapped around her upper left arm.

“So, how’d it go?” Applejack asked, sounding very excited.

“I’ll admit, I thought this place looked sketchy.” Sunset Shimmer said as she looked down at her wrapped arm. “But it’s surprisingly clean on the inside, and that guy did a really good job.”

“What did you get?” Diane asked as the two girls approached the bicolor-haired girl.

Sunset Shimmer presented her arm and lifted her sleeve so the girls could see the red and yellow sun the tattoo artist had drawn on her.

Applejack chuckled. “On yer clothes, yer skateboard and now on yer flesh; yer really attached to that sun, ain’tcha?”

“It’s… Very special to me, yeah.”

“What’s the story behind it?” Diane asked.

“Maybe I’ll share it with you one day.”

So far, Sunset Shimmer had nothing to complain about her new life; she worked at a retail store in town, but also as a tutor on her free time after realizing she had a talent for it when she helped Apple Bloom ace a math test, a class the young girl had always struggled with. She had a roof over her head and the living conditions were much better than her old dorm in Canterlot Academy, even though the neighborhood wasn’t the best. She had met people who cared for her, and she – to her own surprise – cared for as well.

Even though her friends from CA hadn’t contacted her since the day she was expelled, she was ok with her current situation. Heck, this was the closest to happy she had been since she crossed the portal! She spent days not thinking about the plan she had in mind when she first left Equestria, and when she eventually thought about it she wouldn’t dwell on it for more than a few moments. Things had changed, she wasn’t that person anymore. After experiencing true friendship for the first time in her life, the void she felt inside her since long before becoming Princess Celestia’s prized pupil didn’t bother her as much; sometimes it was like it wasn’t even there anymore.

And then someone knocked on the door.

“I’ll get it!” Applejack said from the kitchen, leaving Sunset to practice with the Apple girl’s guitar in peace; she was making steady progress with it and could already play a couple of songs flawlessly.

She stopped playing and went downstairs as soon as she heard shouting.

“You people ain’t welcome in here, now turn around and leave us alone before I make you!” Applejack’s protests could probably be heard all over the neighborhood.

“Please, I just need to talk to her and I’ll leave, promise.” The voice of the person Applejack was arguing with sounded very familiar.

“Yer promises ain’t worth nothin’, now get out!”

“Who is it?” Sunset asked as she walked downstairs.

“Nobody, she’s just leavin’.”

“Sunset, please, I need your help!” The girl outside begged. Applejack stepped out of the way when Sunset Shimmer approached, revealing a blonde girl with ash skin and golden eyes – eye, singular; her lazy eye was closed, black and swollen.

“Derpy! It’s ok, Applejack, she’s a friend.”

“No, she ain’t! She’s still CA, ya can’t show mercy to any of ‘em or all the others will feel entitled to the same treatment. If yer gonna talk, then yer not doin’ it here!”

Sunset nodded and stepped out of the house. Applejack slammed it closed immediately afterwards. She then guided Derpy to a nearby bench, helping her once she realized the Canterlot Academy girl was limping.

“What happened to you? And why are you here?”

“Both have the same answer, actually. All hell broke loose in school, everyone has gone crazy, their leaders included. They turned Canterlot Academy into a team deathmatch!”

“What? Why? How did this happen?”

“No idea! I woke up and everything had already gone straight to hell on a muffin basket. I tried headbutting a couple of them to make them stop, but it’s kinda hard to when you have two people holding you back while a third is wailing on you. Whatever caused the outbreak, it happened before I woke up.”

“And when was that?”

“Um… Eleven-thirty? It’s Saturday, I wanted to sleep in!”

“Whatever it was, it didn’t affect you because you were sleeping. Anyone else?”

“Not that I know of. Far as I can tell, I’m the only student who hasn’t lost her mind.”

Sunset Shimmer rubbed her chin for a few seconds, deep in thought.

“I’m going back there!” She said, standing up. “Everything was fine when Celestia kicked me out; all the clique leaders were getting along and everyone else was being more or less nice to each other. I united this place, but someone ruined every--” She scowled and let out a quiet growl. “Adagio Dazzle! I bet she’s behind this.”

“So what, it’s just the two of us versus the school?”

“Make that three.” The sudden monotone voice coming from behind caused Sunset Shimmer to jump.

“Fucking hell, what’s up with you Pies and sneaking up on people?!” The pony girl shouted before realizing who it was. “Maud! You’re not a violent crazed lunatic either.”

She shook her head. “I left early to collect rocks for my geography project.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a medium-sized rock. “I found this magnesium-rich basalt. I named him Boulder.” She stuffed Boulder back in her pocket. “When I got back everyone was fighting. I tried getting their attention to make everyone calm down, but they ignored my words and tried to attack me. I ran and came looking for you; we worked together well last time we fought off a crowd together, so I was hoping we could do it again.”

“Three is better than two!” Derpy chimed in with a smile.

“But what about more than three?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“No! No way in Sam Hill!” Applejack, who stood in front of the open door, denied with her arms crossed while shaking her head.

“Applejack, please!” Sunset pleaded. “Innocents are getting hurt.”

“First, there are no innocents in that prison. Second, I’m so darn happy they are beatin’ the devil outta each other, I almost feel like drivin’ up there myself just to watch. And third, I’m done with that place, whatever happens in CA is none of my doggone business.”

“Is Pinkie there?” Maud asked, changing the subject.

“There ain’t no Pinkie here no more, she goes by Diane now. And why am I tellin’ you this? Family or not, yer still CA!”

“Hey, Maud.” Diane said, pushing Applejack aside so she could get out of the house.

They looked at each other for a moment, in complete silent and looking uninterested, but Maud still pulled her into a hug – even if they didn’t look like they were happy to see each other, they still felt that way.

“Mom, dad and our sisters are worried about you.” She said. “When are you coming back home?”

“I can’t come back. Not after what happened. I can’t face them, let alone look them in the eyes, they’re probably ashamed of having me as their daughter.”

“They are not, Pinkie. They miss you and want you to come back home. All they want is an explanation.”

“They won’t believe me. Nobody does.”

“I will. Tell me what happened and I’ll make them believe.” Diane sighed as Maud let go of her. “I just want our family to be united again.”

“I… I’d like that, too. I miss you and think about them every day.” Diane took a deep breath. “Ok, but first let’s end that riot in school, then we’ll talk.” She turned around to look at Applejack. “You’re coming with?”

Applejack turned around and went back inside. “Do what y’all want, but leave me outta this!” She slammed the door closed.

“Well, four is still better than two.” Derpy said.

“Silver lining.” Sunset complemented.

Together, the four girls marched towards Canterlot Academy.

“Dammit, this one is locked too!” Sunset Shimmer said once she failed to open the gate that led to the parking lot; they had tried the front gate first, but it was locked as well.

“Maybe I can break the lock with a good headbutt.” Derpy offered, already lowering her head and getting ready to charge.

“It’s solid metal, Derpy, the best you’re going to accomplish is a concussion!”

“Oh…”

The quartet was startled be the sound of a horn honking; they turned around and saw a red pickup truck parked behind them. The window was lowered and Applejack leaned out.

“Y’all need help with that?”

“Applejack? I thought you didn’t want to come.” Diane said.

“Yeah, and I still don’t wanna be here, but y’all do; we rejects are ‘sposed to have each other’s back. If I turned a blind eye when y’all need me, how does that make me any better than the people in there? Now move, I’m takin’ care of that gate!”

The four girls glanced at each other as Applejack maneuvered the truck so that it was facing the gate. They scrambled to move out of the way as the southern girl stomped on the accelerator.

“YEE-HAW!” Applejack shouted as her pickup smashed through the gate. The other four rushed inside, catching up with Applejack as she parked her truck right in the middle of the parking lot. She opened the door and jumped out, cracking her knuckles. “Where to?”

“First, we look for the leaders.” Sunset Shimmer instructed as she watched a vagrant chasing a prep around with a wooden ruler and a nerd fending off a jock with a slingshot. “Their lackeys will listen to them, so if we get them to listen to us we can put an end to this madness.”

“I saw Twilight go into the gym earlier.” Derpy said. “We can start there!”

The Equestrian nodded and the five girls ran straight to the gymnasium, avoiding fights when necessary but not afraid to get their hands dirty if someone got too close to their strike team.

The group saw a cloud of smoke coming out of the windows of the gym, but this time it wasn’t the building that was on fire; Twilight Sparkle and Moondancer had gathered a bunch of sports equipment, jerseys and even the costume of the school mascot, a yellow anthropomorphic horse with blue mane and tail, into a pile and set it on fire. They were holding hands and dancing around the bonfire and chanting in a language no one recognized.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Sunset asked with her hands on her hips.

“We are summoning Ug-Qualtoth!” Moondancer said, her voice filled with glee.

“If he accepts the most prized possessions of our enemies as tribute, he will bring forth justice and set them ablaze!” Twilight explained, equally gleeful. “No more bullying, no more thugs, no more violence, Canterlot Academy will be paradise!”

“Have you two gone mad? We had already solved this problem; everyone was on good terms until whatever caused this riot happened. Now put out that fire before it spreads!”

“No, you're the one who’s mad!” Twilight shot back. “As long as we’re all different people from different cliques with different likes and different goals we’ll all butt heads, disagree and fight. If we can’t compromise, then we will conquer! Come forth, Ug-Qualtoth!”

Sunset Shimmer huffed and stomped towards the fire extinguisher by the stairs, but Twilight blocked her path, holding a burning mop.

“Not another step! We want to spare you, given that you played a vital role in the downfall of our opposition and aided my ascension to power, but if you defy us and attempt to thwart our plans, we will not give you another chance.”

Now that she was closer, Sunset Shimmer could see that her normally purple eyes were now an ominous shade of bright green, glowing eerily.

“Wha’s up with your eyes?”

“Don’t deflect the subject! Will you join us or be purified by the flames of our savior?”

“You two are crazy. Out of my way!”

“Then so be it.” Twilight Sparkle swung her makeshift torch at her, but Sunset Shimmer managed to dodge.

“What the fuck!”

“I warned you.”

Twilight kept on attacking while Sunset Shimmer kept on dodging. Eventually the girl in leather grabbed the handle of the burning mop and, after a struggle, she managed to disarm her and throw the weapon back in the bonfire.

The president of the student council let out what could be described as a war cry before body-slamming Sunset to the ground. She straddled the former student and attempted to punch her, but her opponent managed to grab both her wrists and push her off. After getting up, Sunset Shimmer twisted Twilight’s arms behind her back.

"You’re not a fighter, Twilight, now quit it before you get hurt.”

“Never! This is the will of Ug-Qualtoth!”

Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes before striking the leader of the nerds in the back of the neck; Twilight Sparkle fell to the ground, disoriented and only semi-conscious.

“Twilight, no!” Moondancer shouted, unable to help her beloved because of Applejack, who was holding her in a full nelson.

Sunset crouched and tapped the defeated girl on the cheek. “So, will you drop this ‘Oogie-whatever’ talk now or do I have to knock you out for good?”

“Uuuuuugh…” Twilight moaned in pain, trying to get back up. “Why did you do that?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

Twilight turned around, lying on her back and staring at the ceiling; the glowing green eyes were purple once again. “Why are we on the gym?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I think I hit her a little too hard.”

“I smell smoke. Is something burning?”

Applejack let go of Moondancer so she could run to the stairs and retrieve the fire extinguisher. The now free girl ran to Twilight’s side, kneeling next to her and holding her hand.

“Moondancer, why are we here?”

“You asked for my help to summon Ug-Qualtoth.”

Twilight giggled and patted Moondancer’s cheek. “Don’t be silly! He’s an Ogres & Oubliettes character, Ug-Qualtoth isn’t real.”

Sunset Shimmer got up, leaving the two nerdy girls alone. She joined Applejack, who had just finished putting out the bonfire.

“Somethin’ ain’t right.” Applejack said, wiping her sweaty brow. “Did ya see her eyes? It’s like she was possessed or somethin’! I know I said this school is the spawn of Satan, I just didn’t expect the people here to be actually dealin’ with Satan!”

“That wasn’t Satan.” Sunset Shimmer said. “I think… I think that was magic!”

“So, Trixie is behind this?”

“No, I’m not talking about party tricks or smoke and mirrors; I mean actual magic!”

Applejack crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Say what?”

“You know what, forget it! Nobody would understand anyway, let’s just focus on the mission.” She pointed her finger at Moondancer. “You! You weren’t mindfucked like Twilight was, where are the others?”

“Um… Rarity is holed up in her dorm, that’s all I know.”

“I’ll help them round up the others!” Derpy offered.

Sunset nodded. “Meet us in the main building when things become manageable.”

The four remaining girls then left the other three in the gymnasium and went straight to their next destination. Once again, they avoided fighting on their way there, but didn’t shy away from delivering a mean punch if someone got too close.

Once inside the preppies’ dorm, they found Rarity sitting by the fireplace with Sugarcoat and Suri Polomare, wearing a red velvet smoking jacket and drinking what Sunset thought was grape juice like last time, but the wine bottle Suri was holding gave away its true nature – she couldn’t judge the underage drinking after all the bottles of hard cider she had shared with Applejack. Or maybe she could, her current body was of a teen girl, but back in Equestria she was in her mid-twenties.

“And what gives you the right to come into my house uninvited?” Rarity asked before taking a sip of her wine – Sunset Shimmer noticed her eyes had the same eerie green glow Twilight’s eyes had.

“This again, huh? Well, the trust fund army is on the loose and you’re sitting here, getting drunk and not doing anything like a goddamn aristocrat.”

“That’s because this is none of my business, darling. If they want to act like savages and congregate with those paupers, that’s their choice. Mine is to wait here for them to be done turning the school into an anarchy, and once they’re too tired to oppose me, I shall seize the opportunity and bring back order. The principal will have no choice but to make me head girl, a position that should be mine by right!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Rares, now get your head out of your porcelain ass and tell your people to back down. People are getting hurt!”

“Like I said, that is none of my business. People get wounded every day and they eventually heal. But a golden opportunity like that presents itself once in a lifetime!” The leader of the preps downed the rest of her wine in a single gulp and threw the glass on the floor, the soft carpet preventing it from shattering. “Now leave! You dropouts are not welcome here.”

Sunset Shimmer crossed her arms. “We’re not leaving unless you help us fix this mess.”

“Hm. Shame!” Rarity grabbed one of the swords mounted on the wall and swung it around, nearly missing Applejack.

“Whoa Nelly!” The startled cowgirl said, taking a step back.

“This again, Rares? We’ve been over this.”

“You won because I yielded. This time you’re going down for real. So you either leave now in one piece or I’ll mail you back to the boonies in several tiny--”

Before Rarity could finish her threat, Applejack kicked the sword out of Rarity’s hands, sending it flying. She then turned the girl around and twisted her arms, causing the girl to hunch forward. She then planted her foot on Rarity’s back.

“OW OW OW STOP IT STOP IT STOP IIIIIIIIT!”

“Don’t ever point a weapon my way ever again, understand?!” Applejack shouted.

“YES YES PLEASE LET GO YOU’RE HURTING ME!”

Applejack let go of her wrists and pushed Rarity with her foot, leaving the designer on her knees with her face on the carpet. When she looked up, the green glow in her eyes had vanished.

“Again, huh?” Sunset Shimmer noted. “This gets weirder by the minute.”

“What does, darling?” Rarity asked, getting up and adjusting her smoking jacket. “Ouch! What happened to my shoulders? They hurt.”

“Explaining would take more time than we can afford. Just tell the other preps to stand down before somebody gets sent to the hospital, alright?”

“You three can go on ahead, I’ll explain the situation to her.” Maud said. “But on our way out. We’ll walk and talk.”

She gave her sister a reassuring pat on the back as the three girls leave.

“There’s smoke comin’ outta the library chimney.” Applejack mentioned while pointing at the cloud of smoke. “Either winter came by earlier than usual or that ain’t a good sign.”

Sunset’s eyes went wide. “If those bitches are doing what I think they’re doing…”

She ran ahead towards the library, Applejack and Diane Pie quickly following. She kicked the door open, only to be greeted by the sight of a pile of books burning in the fireplace. Spitfire tossed another book in the bonfire, this one with a big “451” on the cover.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU MORONS DOING?!” Sunset Shimmer yelled in disbelief.

Rainbow Dash, who was lying on the counter with a Daring Do book in hands, turned her head just enough to acknowledge her presence before focusing back on her book – she, too, had green glowing eyes.

“Any book that isn’t Daring Do is trash for eggheads.” She said as she flipped the page. “I’m doing this school a favor.”

“I don’t know, Dash, these Darling Dew books still sound pretty dorky to me.” Fleetfoot said.

“You shout your mouth!” The captain scolded her as she tossed a discarded book in her direction, striking the athlete in the face with its spine and getting an “Ouch!” out of her. “And it’s ‘Daring Do’, not ‘Darling Dew’, at least get it right.”

“Eh, I’m just here because I thought it was gonna be fun.” Spitfire tossed a book up in the air, this one with the number “1984” on the cover, and kicked it into the fireplace once it came back down. “Score!”

“I knew you were a real bitch when Applejack told me about what you did, but I was willing to let you explain yourself, apologize and make up for it. But you assaulted my sanctuary. The only place in this hell that gave me some semblance of peace and serenity. You made this personal and I’m gonna--”

Applejack stepped forward, placed her hand on Sunset Shimmer’s stomach and pushed her backwards; she lost her balance for a second, but managed to recompose herself before falling down.

“Nah, y’all go on ahead.” Applejack stretched her arms then cracked her knuckles and neck before punching the palm of her hand. “I got a loooooot of pent-up anger and frustration because of this one. Beatin’ her up is gonna be therapeutic!”

“You don’t want this fight, hick!” Fleetfoot warned as she walked closer to the trio, only stopping when she was standing face-to-face with Applejack. “We aren’t exactly the type of crowd you want to mess with, just ask your bacon-haired pal over there. Hey, firecrotch, remember when we beat you up so bad you--”

Before Fleetfoot could continue with her mocking, Applejack delivered a punch to her mouth so hard that she actually flew a couple of feet backwards before crashing down, unconscious. Spitfire actually took a step backwards, nearly tripping on some stray books and falling in the fire.

“You were sayin’?”

“Yeah, fuck that!” Spitfire quickly strafed around the trio and ran out the front door.

“Weak!” Rainbow Dash sat up and tossed the book over her shoulder. She then stood up and assumed a fighting stance.

Sunset Shimmer turned around and opened the front door, until she realized Diane wasn’t with her.

“You coming?” She asked.

Diane shook her head and crossed her arms. “I want to watch.”

She shrugged and closed the door. She winced when sounds of things breaking started to pour out of the library as soon as she let go of the doorknob. She closed her eyes and patted the door, grieving the loss of her special place. She then took a deep breath and rushed towards her former dorm.

The place was empty and quiet for the first time since she crossed the portal. She moved to the exit after looking around and not finding anybody, but as she walked past the closed door of her old dorm room, she heard muttering coming from inside. Sunset cautiously opened the door and found the room perfectly organized; the only thing out of place was the pink-haired girl sitting in the middle of the room, hugging her knees. Sunset couldn’t understand much of what she was mumbling, just disconnected sentences that made little to no sense.

“…why pretend we’re all the same when some of us shine brighter…”

“…it doesn’t matter who you hurt if you’re just proving you’re the best…”

“…me and you, you and me, why don’t we see who is better…”

“That was it.” A voice coming from behind made Sunset jump and she would have struck its source in the face if she hadn’t stopped herself in the last second.

“Jesus fucking Christ, don’t do that!” The pony girl reprimanded. “I almost sucker punched you!”

“What can I say? I have light footsteps.” Spitfire explained with a shrug. “It’s good for getting behind players of the other team without being noticed.”

“What are you even doing here? And what’s this ‘it’ you mentioned?”

“I followed you, duh! I was gonna sneak up on you and give you a poundcake, but my mind became clearer the further away from the main building I was, and so I realized I had no idea why I wanted to knock you out in the first place.”

Sunset Shimmer raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

“I’m serious! As for the ‘it’…” Spitfire pointed at Fluttershy. “Those things she’s saying. They are lyrics. The lyrics of a song that started playing on the wall speakers before everyone went nuts.”

“If she knows the lyrics, then she heard the song. Why isn’t she going nuts as well? She just looks… I don’t know, brainwashed?”

Spitfire shrugged. “Beats me!”

The Equestrian entered the room and approached the mumbling girl. Once she circled the girl she saw that her unfocused eyes that were staring off in the distance had the same eerie green glow as the clique leaders. She bent down and waved her hand in front of Fluttershy’s face, but got no response other than more mumbling.

“…we don’t have to be one and the same thing…”

“So, word on the streets is that you’re taking out the capos one by one. That true?”

Sunset Shimmer nodded as she left the girl alone in the room and closed the door, deciding to deal with whatever happened to her once the dangers had passed. “Those mindless drones beating the crap out of each other out there will only listen to their bosses, so if I can get them to calm down and talk some sense into their empty skulls, this chaos will be over.”

“How many are left?”

“Just Trixie.”

“Uh huh. Want some help?”

“What is this, trying to get on my good side? Don’t think I’ve forgiven you for what you did to those books.”

“Hey, don’t hate the player! Whatever made everybody go full-on psycho made me want to burn books, okay? Admittedly, it was kind of fun to set things on fire and I will not apologize for that, but I had no control over my actions.”

She glared at the soccer star for a few moments before sighing in defeat. “Fine, you can tag along. The only places I haven’t been to are the other dorm and the shop. The dorm is closer, let’s start there.” Spitfire nodded and they both left. Fluttershy didn’t acknowledge them at any moment.

Since the fighting was mostly contained to the surroundings of the main building, there weren’t any students to interfere with them on their way to the building across from the one they had just left.

The bigger dormitory had been turned upside down; couches had been flipped over, all sorts of things had been knocked down, all kinds of clothes were lying on the ground and some of the vagrants were spray painting the walls.

Right in the middle of the living room was a mattress – probably dragged from one of the bedrooms upstairs – and lying on top of it were two mostly undressed girls: a skirtless Trixie was straddling and passionately kissing a shirtless Starlight; the bottom girl was rubbing the naked thighs of her girlfriend while the top girl’s hands were slowly sliding behind her back, ready to get rid of the last piece of clothing between her and her prize – both of them.

“Oh, wow!” Spitifire said, not even trying to hide her naughty smirk. “Room for one more, ladies?”

Sunset Shimmer elbowed her in the stomach. “Focus!”

“Jeez, I was joking.”

Trixie eventually noticed they had an audience and disengaged her lips from her girlfriend’s, causing the latter to moan in displeasure.

“You like to watch?” The illusionist asked with a smirk; as expected, the green glowing eyes were there.

“Nah, I was just wondering what’s with the extreme PDA while your followers are literally wrecking the place.”

“We’re done playing by other people’s rules. Who cares if my parents kick me out of the house?” She nuzzled the girl below her while her hand snaked its way towards the waist of her skirt. “As long as I have my sweetheart by my side, nothing else matters. So we decided to do what feels right, even if we happen to put on a show for onlookers while we’re at it.”

“Oh, Trixie!” Starlight Glimmer moaned as she wrapped her arms around her and proceeded to kiss her neck.

“I’m happy for you and all, but the school is still in a state of anarchy, and if you don’t tell the other vagrants to back off then the other cliques will not back off, and things will stay a mess. So, can you stop humping each other’s leg for a few minutes before I pull you off her?”

Trixie growled and stood up, staring at Sunset Shimmer. “So that’s what this is all about, huh? You’re jealous because I have someone special and you don’t, so you’re trying to keep us apart, is that it?”

Sunset crossed her arms, thoroughly annoyed. “That is not what I said and I have no idea how you came to that conclusion!”

Trixie snapped her fingers and the two girls who were distracted by their own abstract art on the walls suddenly dropped everything they were doing and flanked the athlete.

Spitfire huffed. “I’ll handle Tweedledick and Tweededumbass, she’s all yours.”

Trixie swung first, but Sunset grabbed her forearm before she could land the blow.

“I just want to live in peace with the love of my life, why do you have to get in my way?”

“You’re not listening to reason, Trixie! I just want you to tell your gang to chill out, then you two can fuck to your heart’s content.”

“Liar! Just admit it, you’re jealous.” She tried to strike with the other arm, but Sunset Shimmer blocked that one as well. While she was distracted by her arms, Trixie kneed her in the crotch, causing her to let go of her arms.

“At least buy me dinner first…” She said between pained groans.

“You’re a girl, get over it!” Spitfire scolded as she grabbed one of the vagrants by the arm and tossed her towards the other one.

“It still hurts, you dolt!”

The girls traded blows for a while, no one losing ground but no one gaining an upper hand either. Starlight Glimmer, who was sitting on the mattress with the blanket wrapped around herself, finally had enough; she tossed the blanket aside, stood up and hugged Trixie from behind as she was getting ready to throw a punch.

“Starlight?”

“Please, Trixie, that’s enough!” She said with her face buried in the magician’s hair. “I don’t know what came over you, but you were so much more passionate than usual that I simply chose to ignore it, but I don’t want to see you getting hurt anymore. Sunset said she’s not trying to get between us and I believe her, so please, stop fighting.”

Trixie looked at her lover, then at her opponent and finally at her two associates and Spitfire, who was having fun and laughing while wiping the floor with them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I… I suppose you’re right. I don’t know what came over me, I--”

Trixie suddenly started wobbling and would have fallen down if Starlight wasn’t there to support her.

“Tr-Trixie, are you ok?”

Trixie rubbed her temples as she opened her eyes, now back to the usual pink. “I think so? Why are we here, anyway? And what happened to my skirt?”

Starlight turned to Sunset with a look of concern; the pony girl just shrugged.

“That’s been happening a lot today.” She explained. “I have no answers.”

Suddenly a voice came out of the speakers. A voice that resurfaced the feelings of anger in Sunset, for it was a voice she knew very well and hated very much.

“Attention, Sunny!” Adagio called through the speakers. “It has come to my attention that you are a raging bitch who are trying to ruin my fun. Please, come to the principal’s office so that I can fist you really hard. I’ll make it hurt, just the way you like!”

“For real? Huh, I didn’t think Sunny Flare was the type.” Starlight commented.

“It’s not Sunny Flare.” Sunset Shimmer explained. “That’s just the ridiculous nickname Adagio uses to annoy me. And now that I know where she is, I can finally punch her until I’m not annoyed anymore. Might take a while!” She pointed at Trixie. “Meanwhile, you go out there and make your goons fall in line. We’ve had enough fighting for today and it will be a miracle if people aren’t being taken to the hospital by the truckloads.”

“Uh, sure.” She replied.

She then pointed at Spitfire, who was kneeling next to the girls she had forced to sit on the floor with their backs turned to each other; she was tying together locks of hair from both of them into a single braid. “And you, you’re with me.”

“Aw, but I finally got them to stop struggling.” Spitfire jokingly whined.

“You offered to help, so until further notice that’s what you’re going to do!”

She clicked her tongue and got up. “Fine, just kill all the fun, why don’t you?”

The two of them left the (no longer) fancy dormitory and headed straight to the main building; some of the students were still fighting, but most of the chaos had died down. The inside was empty and the lights were off, so she didn’t notice Fleur de Lis sneaking up on her until she had already been shocked by the prefect’s stun gun. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground, barely conscious.

“I wanted to do that since the day you manhandled me.” She heard Fleur say, but her voiced sounded distant. “That was SO satisfying!”

The last thing she heard before losing consciousness was Spitfire shouting something at Fleur and two sets of footsteps running away from where they were.

When Sunset Shimmer woke up, she definitely felt like she had been knocked unconscious by a shock weapon. Her vision was a little blurry at first, but after taking a second to clear her head she could see that she was in the principal’s office. She tried to move her hands up to rub her eyes, but her arms wouldn’t obey; it took a couple of tries for her to realize her hands were tied behind the chair she was sitting on. Her grunts got the attention of another person in the room:

“Well well well, glad to see you’re back with the living, Sunny!”

The former unicorn looked to her left and saw Adagio Dazzle sitting on the other side of the room, still wearing the teal variation of the uniform she wore before disappearing from school. But her attention was soon caught by what the bully was sitting on, or rather, who.

Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were both on all-fours on the carpet and, just like Fluttershy, had unfocused green eyes that didn’t appear to be looking at anything in particular. They were side by side with Adagio sitting on their backs, using the adult women as her personal couch.

“Well, if anything, now I know what your kinks are.”

“Very droll, a comedian until the end.” Adagio raised an eyebrow. “Aria, can you turn her around? I don’t like people giving me side-glances.” The purple-haired girl who Sunset couldn’t see standing behind her kicked the chair, causing the girl to fall on the carpet facing Adagio. The ginger smiled. “Better!”

“I have many questions.” Sunset said. “The biggest one being ‘why isn’t my boot shoved so high up your ass that if you bump someone with your distended belly it will legally be considered a kick’, but I guess it will have to wait.”

Adagio showed one of her trademarked evil smirks. “You’re full of jokes, aren’t you, Sunny? Tell me, why should I humor you when I have every advantage possible?”

“Uh, because you are a villain and that’s what villains do?”

“A fair point! I would argue about the part where I’m a villain, but I see where you’re coming from. Unfortunately I’m on a time crunch here, so I’ll allow you to ask as many questions as you want until Sonata comes back with my tea. Sounds good to you?”

“Nothing that comes out of your filthy mouth sounds good to me, but I’ll do my best.”

Adagio stood up and snapped her fingers. Vice Principal Luna crawled a few feet ahead and turned to the side while Principal Celestia simply turned around on the spot. The orange-haired girl sat back down on Celestia’s back while resting her feet on Luna’s. “Ask away.”

“How do I know you’re going to answer truthfully?”

“Sweetheart, I already won! I have nothing to hide.”

Sunset huffed. “How are you doing this? People’s eyes don’t glow for no reason. That’s magic, isn’t it?”

“What’s the point of asking questions if you’re going to answer them for me? You’re right, that’s magic. We’re not strong enough yet to mind control the entire school, but half a dozen teenagers and two especially gullible adults? E to the Z!”

“Then why is everyone fighting? Even the preps who prefer intimidation and blackmail and the nerds who are usually on the receiving end of violence are a part of it.”

“That’s not mind control, we just cast a spell that made them… Volatile.”

“Yeah, and that’s what I still don’t understand! How are you casting spells? There is no real magic in this world, I tried.”

Adagio laughed. “Oh, you poor dear, all the booksmarts but still so stupid. I thought you would at least suspect it by now, but it appears that I overestimated your mental capabilities.” She reached into her shirt and pulled out a necklace with a crimson red gem hanging from it. “We have our ways!”

“A magical artifact? How did you get one? Where did you get one?”

Aria facepalmed. “How can one person be so thick in the head?!”

Her poofy-haired companion sighed. “Sadly, I have to agree. There were clues all over the place, and you can’t even risk a guess?” She then smirked again before she started speaking in a language that wasn’t English. “[You came from a land that wasn’t this one, did you ever considered the possibility that you weren’t the first?]”

Her eyes widened. “That’s… That’s Old Ponish! Y-You’re from Equestria?!”

“Got any other explanation for that?” She pointed at the black and white photo on the wall, or more specifically at the three girls Sunset Shimmer had noticed before. “Or did you honestly think humans just had an incredibly long life span?”

“And how are you still alive? Only alicorns and incredibly healthy or lucky ponies live over a hundred years.”

Aria kicked the chair. “Who are you calling a pony?!”

“Well, aren’t you?”

Adagio shook her head. “Here’s a free hint: quite some time ago we were banished here by that old coot” she gagged “Starswirl the Bearded and his buddies.”

“113 years.” Aria corrected. “But who’s counting?”

“Banished by Starswirl, magic gemstones, mind control, disharmony spells…” She muttered the keywords to herself before coming to a realization. “You’re the Sirens of old!”

Adagio began clapping. “Bravo, Sunny! Bravo! I didn’t think you had it in you, but you actually got something right for a change. Well, except for the ‘of old’ part; we’re still in our prime.” She took a deep breath, causing her gem to glow. “Now more than ever!”

“Then why are you still here? You’ve been around this school for at least a century, don’t tell me you haven’t found the portal by now.”

“Of course we have, we’re not stupid! But why come back? I know Starswirl must be long dead by now, but the princesses are definitely still around. You think they would let us roam free and not do anything about it? But here, there is no one to stop us. Sure, there is no magic for us to feed on either, but humans are so easy to manipulate for our own benefits.

“So we decided to manipulate people into building Canterlot Academy, a school for teenage girls, the humans with the highest emotional fluctuations available; all we have to do is pop up every couple of years or so and give them a little push to get the ball rolling and they produce all the negative energy we could possibly want. Of course, negative energy is just a snack in comparison to the feast that is Equestrian magic, such is the reason why we built this school around the portal: it was only a matter of time until an Equestrian creature came along.

“When you crossed over I used my ‘influence’ over the principal to make her believe the blank paper she was looking at was a letter from the superintendent. You were just as easy to manipulate as a typical human, but you were stubborn. Even when I threw the entire soccer team against you, you bounced right back up. All that delicious magical energy flowing through your body and you refused to share. Refused to break!”

“My plan B was for Derpy to beat you senseless, causing you to become so bitter that you would crack and fall in line, but you somehow beat her and the odds and came out on top. Not only that, but you started going around fixing the relationships that kept this place the all-you-can-consume negative energy buffet that we worked so hard to create. I had to use plan C on you, and I have to commend you for that; we’ve been running this school from the shadows since the day it was founded, but you’re only the second person we had to use plan C on.”

“The first was that insufferable girl Pinkie Pie. No matter how hard we tried to keep people apart, she would interfere. Throwing parties, giving gifts, being nice to others, it was just disgusting. So after making her best friend follow through with the prank that got her in trouble and turn her back on her, we got her expelled. That did the trick!”

“So you’re the one who made the coach take pictures of her?”

Adagio chuckled. “Lockdown? Nah, he’s just naturally like that. All we did was spread the photos and manipulate Rainbow Dash into abandoning Pinkie. He may be a creep, but that served a purpose in the end.”

“So you manipulated Fluttershy into snitching, too?”

“Oh, we did more than that! We rewired Fluttershy’s brain and turned her into the perfect friend. While I gave you the grand tour, Aria and Sonata went to her room and hypnotized Fluttershy into becoming our sleeper agent.”

“It took quite a toll on the little magic we had.” Aria explained. “But with yours as a reward for our efforts, it was worth it!”

“Every now and again we would give her an order and she would blindly follow it without even knowing. Planting a bug in your jacket so we could spy on you, spreading the rumor that the jocks were planning on ruining Twilight Sparkle’s speech, telling the principal all the crap you did… Remember when I called her our pet? Well, I wasn’t talking about you and me.

“We told her to shadow you, do whatever you told her to do, get on your good side, do anything to keep you from casting her aside, and it worked like a charm! So when you proved yourself to be a tougher nut to crack than we expected, she became a vital instrument when it came to using plan C on you. And it worked, because you were just leaking negative and magical energy like a broken faucet!

“Sadly, those ‘friends’ of yours decided to step in and reignited your fighting spirit when they stood up for you when the prefects came to kick you out. But thankfully we absorbed enough of your magic to cast a few minor brainwash spells in them and turn the school into what you see right now. And double thankfully, some of them managed to resist and ran straight to you, saving us the effort of hunting you down. Now that you are here, all we have to do is break you one more time and we can drain all that magic you have left, until the final drop!”

“This time the old-fashioned way. My kind of way. And you most likely won’t survive the process of having your energy being ripped out of your body.” Aria said as she picked up a baseball bat that was leaning against the wall. “But once we’re done breaking you you’ll wish you were dead anyway, so everybody wins.” Aria raised the bat, preparing to strike, while Sunset closed her eyes, bracing herself. “Especially us!”

Just as Aria adjusted her grip to bring down the weapon on the tied up girl, there was a knock on the door.

“Time out!” Adagio commanded as she stood up. “Sonata brought my tea.”

“Seriously?” Aria complained.

With her life extended for a few more minutes, Sunset Shimmer started thinking, planning, imagining, trying to come up with a way to get out of the situation she found herself in, but with her hands quite literally tied behind her back, there was nothing she could do.

They were sure that Sonata was the person behind that door, hence why they were confused for a second when Rarity was the one in front of Adagio holding an empty tray.

“What the--”

Because of her momentary shock, Adagio didn’t react in time when Rarity swung the tray at her, hitting her in the face.

“We’re not servin’ tea today.” Applejack said as she entered the room, carrying a gagged and tied up Sonata on her shoulder before dropping her on the floor. “Only knuckle sandwiches.”

“What is the meaning of this? You were supposed to be under our spell!”

“Then I guess that spell wasn’t good for much if a mean punch to the face can snap someone out of it.” Rainbow Dash followed her in, sporting a black eye.

More girls started walking into the principal’s office, and soon the entrance was blocked by a line formed by Applejack, Diane Pie, Rarity, Trixie, Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Adagio glared at Sunset Shimmer.

“You’re behind this, aren’t you?”

She smirked. “I’m not the one who thought it was a good idea to announce to the whole school where you were holed up!”

She took a deep breath. “Not a problem. I can fix this.”

Adagio closed her eyes and began to sing. It was a simple melody without lyrics, but it was enough to affect the girls, who lost their will to fight and focused on the song. Realizing that the song was the hypnotic melody Sirens use to mind control people, Sunset Shimmer quickly swung her free legs around and kicked the ancient-creature-turned-human-girl on the back of the knee, causing her to lose balance and fall down, thus bringing her singing to a halt and breaking her rescue team free from the spell manipulating their minds.

Trixie and Rainbow Dash immediately rushed Aria together, ready to make her pay for deceiving and betraying them. The other girls circled Adagio while Twilight went after Sunset, untying her hands and setting her free. Angered by the fact that her plan was so quickly falling apart, Adagio screamed. Not a regular human scream, but an eldritch Siren scream that shattered windows and the glass of the trophy cabinet, forcing all non-Sirens to drop everything and cover their ears with their hands.

“ENOUGH!” She yelled. “After a century stuck in this cursed reality with no means for us to sate our hunger, we finally get one miserable pony to feed on and I’m not going to let a bunch of hormonal teenagers get in our way!”

Adagio took a deep breath, ready to scream so loud that their ears would bleed, but Sunset Shimmer immediately tackled her to the ground, reaching for what she believed to be the source of her Equestrian magic, the gemstone, but the Siren put up a fight. Aria tried to intervene, but the other girls wouldn’t let her.

Sunset Shimmer eventually managed to wrap her fingers around the magical artifact and pulled with all her might, managing to separate it from the necklace. Adagio tried to retrieve it, but Diane and Twilight immobilized her. The pony girl picked up Aria’s baseball bat, which she had let go of during the struggle, and placed the gemstone on the principal’s desk.

“The pendants!” She shouted. “Give me the pendants!”

Derpy grabbed the red stone hanging from the neck of the hogtied Sonata and tossed it to Sunset, who placed it right next to Adagio’s. Trixie did the same to Aria, whose arms were being held by Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Once she was in possession of the three pendants, Sunset Shimmer raised the baseball bat over her head.

“NO! DON’T DO IT! STOP!” Adagio pleaded, but it was too late.

Sunset Shimmer smashed all three red stones with a single swing. Their destruction caused all the energy stored in the artifacts to be unleashed all at once, the magical discharge sending her flying straight into the bookshelf; when she fell back on the ground, all of its content followed suit and she was soon half-buried under a pile of books.

The golden, cyan and violet energy that escaped the gemstones formed a massive energy dome around the entire school grounds, purging all the traces of magical energy the three Sirens had spread around Canterlot Academy before vanishing; suddenly the few students who were still fighting stopped, and the three people who were still under the influence of mind control magic regained their consciousness.

The girls helped the principal, the vice principal and the somehow still conscious Sunset Shimmer stand up. Once Celestia adjusted her clothes and took a good look around the room, she spoke:

“Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk, you are all expelled.”

While the clique leaders escorted the three ancient Equestrians out of the premises, the three former students stayed behind at the request of Principal Celestia herself. While she and the vice principal weren’t in control of their actions, they were conscious and aware of what was happening, and they demanded an explanation. While Diane and Applejack weren’t able to provide much information, Sunset Shimmer did her best to explain about Equestria and its denizens, but left out the part about the principal having a counterpart that ruled over the land and could move the sun and the moon.

“I know all of this sounds ridiculous and I won’t blame you if you send me to an asylum, but that’s the truth. And fair warning, if you do call them to take me away I’ll be long gone before they even arrive!”

“A teenage girl whose scream could shatter windows used my sister and I as her personal chair for an hour without any of us objecting to it.” The taller woman said. “Having an open mind is the least I can do.”

“And that is why I ask you to not punish anybody involved in the acts of violence and vandalism that took place today. Nobody was in total control of their actions.”

The principal nodded. “The authorities haven’t been contacted, so as long as no one was seriously injured, I believe we can… Sweep this incident under the rug.” She looked at the vice principal. “Correct?”

“I guess.” Luna replied.

“Speakin’ of sweepin’ things under the rug.” Applejack spoke up. “Now that I’ve got yer attention and there ain’t no hocus pocus messin’ with yer heads, I’d like to talk about a certain coach who happened to own several lewd pictures of at least one underage girl.”

Both principal and vice principal cringed. “Yes, I… I’ve been aware of the situation for quite some time, but I believe this magic spell those three cast on us prevented us from acting.”

“I will call the cops on that filthy beast as soon as we’re done here!” Vice Principal Luna promised. “I highly doubt Miss Pie was his first victim, so I do hope your testimony combined with whatever proof the authorities can dig up on him will get more girls to step forward and talk.”

“Besides, I know someone who holds a pretty respectable rank in law enforcement.” Principal Celestia added. “I will personally make sure she will not have a minute’s rest until we have every incriminating testimony and evidence we can find to make sure he’s locked away for good.”

Since the moment they met, Sunset Shimmer had never seen Diane smile, but that changed on that day. Her neutral expression morphed into an expression of pure glee. The pinkette shook her head, causing her hair to defy the laws of physics; the cascade of pink hair turned into something akin to cotton candy and her bangs curled around themselves, turning into some kind of hook made of pink hair.

“I guess Mr. Lockdown…” She shoved her hand into the mass of curly hair and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. She wore them and crossed her arms. “…is getting locked up!”

All the students of Canterlot Academy turned around to look at the main building when they heard someone inside the school scream:

“YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“Oops! Sorry.” Diane apologized as she tucked the sunglasses back in her cotton candy hair.

“Hey, the creep who ruined yer life is finally goin’ to rot in hell.” Applejack said as she wrapped her arm around her. “Of course you’d be happy, Diane!”

“Actually, AJ…” She smiled at her friend. “…If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to be called Pinkie Pie again!”

Applejack smiled and hugged her. “Sure thing, Pinkie!”

“Now, I’d like to discuss one more thing, the reason why I asked the three of you specifically to stay back.” Principal Celestia interrupted the sweet moment. “All three of you were expelled for unfair reasons.” She looked at the southern girl. “Yes, even you, Applejack.”

“I ain’t gonna apologize ‘cause he deserved it!”

“Of course not. The one who owes you three an apology is me. Even if my actions were not my own, it is still my responsibility as the principal of Canterlot Academy to treat all students fairly, and I failed. I offer my deepest apologies and the chance to begin anew. If you girls would like to attend school again, I will gladly offer a full scholarship to all of you, as thanks for what you did for us today.”

“Yer pullin’ my leg!” A dumbfounded Applejack said, but the principal shook her head.

“Not at all! I will pay for your education myself. That is, if you want to come back. After the way we treated all of you, I will understand if you refuse.”

Applejack looked at Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie, who were looking back at her, waiting for her response.

“Aw, shucks! Now that those snakes are outta the picture, I reckon things won’t be so bad this time around. Alright, I’m in!”

“Out of the three of us, AJ is the one who hated this place the most!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “If she’s in, then so am I!”

All four pairs of eyes then focused on the Equestrian.

“After all the trouble three magical creatures from another dimension caused this place, are you sure it’s wise to let a fourth troublemaker stay?” Sunset asked.

“Troublemaker?” Principal Celestia chuckled. “I’ll admit, you were a little rough around the edges when you first arrived, but you matured so much since then. Mere minutes ago you saved the school just to help out your friends. Sunset Shimmer, you are many things: a genius, a hard worker, a hero, but ‘troublemaker’ is not on that list.”

Sunset Shimmer smiled. “Well, I suppose it’s a good idea to keep an Equestrian around in case more decide to cross over.”

Celestia clapped. “Then it’s decided! Starting next semester, Applejack and Pinkie Pie will be official freshmen of Canterlot Academy. Again! And I’m sorry to say it, Sunset Shimmer, but you'll have to go through sophomore year one more time. I know it was out of your hands, but were unable to meet the attendance quota after you were unfairly expelled, so unfortunately you'll be held back a year. I wish I could help in some way, but this is out of my reach, even as a principal.”

“It’s ok, really.” She waved her hand dismissively. “No matter how many books I read, there’s still much about your world that I have yet to fully understand. It’s better to learn here with my friends than out there by myself, right? I don’t mind spending an extra year with them.”

“Excuse me, Principal Celestia?”

The five people in the room looked at the doorway where a multicolor-haired girl stood, looking at the ground and scratching the back of her head.

“Yes, Rainbow Dash, how can I help you?”

The captain of the soccer team walked in, standing a couple of feet away from the group. “I, uh… I’d like to make a request.”

“What kind of request?”

Rainbow took a deep breath, and then slammed her hands on the principal’s desk. “I want you to send me back to freshman year with them!”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And why would you want that?”

She turned her head to face Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “I… I was the worst friend one could possibly be. I always boast about being loyal to all of those I care about, but when they needed me the most I turned my back on them. I want to start over and do it right this time!”

“Don’t beat yourself over it, Rainbow Dash.” Sunset Shimmer said as she placed her hand on the athlete’s shoulder. “It was the Sirens’ fault, they were manipulating you.”

“I know, but that doesn’t make me feel better about it! Even if I wasn’t all me, it was still technically me. I don’t want to just tell them that I can be a better friend and expect them to take my word for it, I want to show them.”

“Well, if you truly want to be a freshman again that badly, then I guess I could look into it, but…”

“But?”

“I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but freshmen aren’t allowed to hold the rank of captain. If you refuse to go to junior year then you’ll have to start over, and I know how much that position means to you. Besides, what about your parents? Would they even be ok with this?”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip, then looked at her two friends. She took a deep breath and smiled.

“Principal Celestia, when I had to choose between my friends and sports, I made the wrong decision and they had to pay for it. This time I’ll do it right!” She wrapped her arms around Pinkie Pie and Applejack. “Besides, I’m awesome! As soon as I’m a sophomore again, that rank of captain is as good as mine one more time. And don’t worry about my parents, I can guarantee they will understand as soon as I talk to them!”

“You know what this calls for?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Oh, please! Say it! I’ve been dyin’ to hear ya say that again!” Applejack said.

“Do it, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash said.

Pinkie Pie inhaled deeply before shouting:

“A PARTY!”

It took over an hour for the four girls to sweep up all the confetti that materialized in the office out of thin air.

Once Sunset Shimmer carried the last of the confetti bags into the dumpster outside the school, she returned to the cafeteria for lunch. Her friends were all standing by the door. When she was close enough to the group they all moved out of the way, revealing a girl who was in her default position of trying her best to hide behind her pink bangs.

Sunset Shimmer thought about what Adagio Dazzle told her, especially the part about rewiring Fluttershy’s brain; was she even the same person she was hanging out with throughout the year? Did she even remember the time they spent together? Did she even remember Sunset’s name? Or even her own?

“Flutter--”

Before she could finish calling her name, the shy girl ran towards her and hugged Sunset Shimmer, buried her face in her chest and began to sob.

“I’m so, so, so, so, so, so sorry, Sunset!”

Sunset Shimmer hugged her friend back; that answered all her questions.

Winter. A thick blanket of snow covered everything. Canterlot Academy was calm, peaceful; since the defeat of the Sirens one and a half year prior, all the girls in school were getting along swimmingly. It didn’t matter if they were freshmen or seniors, prefects, jocks, preps or nerds, everyone treated each other with respect.

Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were now sophomores while Twilight, Trixie and the others were halfway done with senior year. Ever since the supernatural beings from another dimension were dealt with and the deviant coach had been arrested, nothing eventful ever happened in CA again. That is, until that one fateful afternoon.

The portal to Equestria stayed open for three days every thirty moons, or once every (roughly) two and a half years, and that winter morning marked the first of the three. As soon as classes were over for the day and the front gates were unlocked, three hooded figures pushed aside Derpy, the prefect who opened the gate, and ran inside. She blew on her whistle, alerting the other prefects, and gave chase.

Derpy, Starlight Glimmer, Moondancer and a transfer student named Coco Pommel, the four prefects of Canterlot Academy, gave chase. The three invaders narrowly missed Apple Bloom and two other freshmen – one of them being Rarity’s little sister and the other being a new member of the soccer team who absolutely idolized Rainbow Dash – and Pommel stayed behind to make sure they were fine.

Sunset Shimmer and the others, who were hanging out by the fountain were shoved aside as the three people in hoodies jumped in; the first two slid on the ice and went straight into the portal, disappearing inside the pedestal underneath the horse statue. The third figure decided to stay a second longer, so she turned around and removed her hoodie, freeing her purple twintails with green highlights.

“Aria!” Sunset called, immediately recognizing the person who had just assaulted her.

Aria Blaze simply smirked at her and flipped the group off with both hands before sliding into the portal after her companions.

“What in the hay just happened?” Applejack asked, wearing an unusual orange variation of the uniform – apparently one of the only two girls in school choosing to do so.

“The Sirens just went back to Equestria.” Sunset Shimmer explained. “That can’t be good. Like, at all!”

“But they don’t have powers anymore!” Pinkie pointed out, wearing the same orange outfit as Applejack. “They’re harmless, right?”

“Maybe here.” Sunset continued. “But their true forms are still Sirens. Who knows what kind of damage they can cause once back to normal, with or without powers? Besides, in Equestria they have the means to get their gems back. If they do just that and decide to come back for revenge, then…”

She climbed into the fountain and almost lost her balance when she stepped on the ice, but managed to not fall on her butt.

“Don’t tell me you’re going after them!” Trixie, once again wearing her old leather jacket, protested. “You said it yourself, the other side of the portal is in the castle of the ruler of the land. A pony like that must have guards, right? Can’t they handle them?”

“They wouldn’t expect an attack from the inside. That is, assuming those three are even spotted. They could just sneak out of the castle and regain their powers in secret. Besides…” Sunset Shimmer sighed and looked at the portal.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. The Princess and I weren’t exactly on the best of terms when we parted ways, and I at least owe her an apology.” She smiled at her friends. “I was having second thoughts about it but hey, now I have the perfect excuse!”

“But… You’re coming back, right?” Rainbow Dash asked anxiously.

Sunset Shimmer’s smile faltered for a second, but never vanished. “I had a lot of fun in the last two and a half years. Well, maybe not as much on the first, but I learned a lot during that time.”

“So you’re not coming back, then…” Twilight Sparkle half asked, half affirmed.

“The portal stays open for exactly three days. I have 56 hours and 20 minutes. Depending on how things go, maybe we’ll see each other again soon.”

“Just… Take care of yourself, ok?” Fluttershy said. “Those three are sneaky, you never know what they are capable of.”

“I’ll be careful, I promise!” And with a two-finger salute, the amber-skinned girl with teal eyes and red and yellow hair wearing a blue skirt and a sleeveless leather jacket over her blue sweater vest with the Canterlot Academy emblem on the chest dove into the portal after the three hooligans and disappeared.

“Now what?” Derpy asked.

“Now we wait.” Rarity answered.

And wait they did, but their friend from another world never came back. They couldn’t blame her, after all she was finally back home after two and a half years away. She once mentioned how she never stopped feeling like she didn’t belong and, no matter how useful they were, fingers could never replace the practicality of a magical horn that could levitate anything.

On the night of the third day, less than an hour before midnight when the portal would finally close for the next (roughly) two and half years, while the prefect Derpy patrolled the area around the fountain for students who were violating curfew, a shimmer coming from the fountain got her attention.

Resting on the ice was a brown book with the red and yellow sun symbol that Sunset Shimmer was obsessed with on the cover. The first few pages contained an apology and an explanation: turns out time worked differently between dimensions while the portal was closed, so nearly twenty years had passed in Equestria in the period she spent in the human world – it wasn’t consistent because while the Sirens claimed they were thrown in the human world a little over 100 years ago, 1000 had passed in Equestria since their banishment.

She explained that the tome was enchanted, and that it was connected to a similar book she owned; whatever was written in one also appeared in the other, that way they could stay in touch. She confessed that the book was also a little magical experiment, to see if by keeping two items with a magical connection in each word, she could anchor her world’s timeline so that time would pass at the same pace in both dimensions.

Sunset told her human friends that she had joined forces with a new princess and her friends who also happened to be their own counterparts – although she didn’t reveal whose counterpart the princess was – in order to hunt down the Sirens and bring them to justice before they could cause any more damage than they already did a millennium prior.

She ended the letter by saying that she and the Princess had a long talk and she was forgiven for the things she said and did before running away to their world, and that even though she was still spending a lot of time with their counterparts, they would never be able to replace… Well, themselves!

One thing she was going to write but eventually decided against it was that, when she first crossed the portal, she planned on doing similar things to what the Sirens had done; she was going to tear friendships apart in order to manipulate them separately, then once she had gained their loyalty she would use them to invade Equestria, topple the Princess and take her place as the supreme ruler of the land, which she believed to be her birthright – an ironic twist of fate that she would help bring down the people who were doing exactly what she wanted to do.

But once she started making friends and helping people who helped her in return, she eventually figured out that what she wanted wasn’t power or the crown, but just unconditional love, love the Princess herself had already given her but she was too short-sighted to realize.

The pettiness, the ego, the vanity, the greed, all of it gone thanks to a bunch of weird-looking bipedal creatures that finally helped her understand how magic real friendship truly is.

Author's Note

[Outtake]

“By the way, the tattoo on my arm is still there. I shaved off most of the hair on my upper left foreleg just to make sure, and there it was! I made front page of the local newspaper because of it, now everypony thinks cutie marks can show up on other parts of the body and they’re shaving off their own coats to look for more. Well, after I was put into quarantine to make sure I wasn’t infected with some new variation of cutie pox, that is.
“And only after writing that down I realize that none of this info I just shared means anything to you girls and I apologize for any confusion caused. Still, it’s funny seeing hairless ponies strutting around like it’s the newest fashion fad, a very ‘emperor’s new clothes’ situation.”

1. Welcome To Canterlot

The first thing Sunset Shimmer realized was that she could feel her limbs attached to her body once again. The second was that she couldn’t breathe. She opened her eyes, and the third thing she realized was that she was underwater, lying face down at the bottom of whatever body of water she was in; had the portal transported her to the middle of the ocean? Trying not to panic and lose whatever air she managed to store in her lungs, Sunset prepared herself to swim to the surface, but the pressure around her body was so minimal that it didn’t take long for her to figure out that the body of water she was in was extremely shallow; all she had to do was get up, and so she did.

She was inside a water fountain she had never seen before, so wherever this place was, it wasn’t in Canterlot. In the middle of the fountain was the statue of a horse, standing proud on its hind legs, the brightness of the noon sun illuminating it like a spotlight. Sunset touched the surface of the platform the horse was standing on, and it didn’t feel like whatever stone the statue was made of; it felt like nothing was there, but at the same time it felt like she was sinking her hand in something warm that was neither solid, liquid, gas nor plasma.

…Wait, hand?

Once her vision wasn’t blurry anymore, Sunset could see that her hooves were gone, replaced by five thin and jointed fingers. Her forelegs were thinner, her hind legs were longer and bent backwards, her coat was replaced with skin of a similar shade of amber, her tail was missing, her muzzle was shorter, her ears were in a different place and, worst of all, her horn had completely vanished.

Sunset Shimmer began hyperventilating. She had countless plans to deal with whatever natives she would encounter once she crossed the portal in the mirror, but she didn’t even consider the possibility of the mirror morphing her into a whatever-was-that-creature-she-had-become. She tried casting a teleportation spell – maybe she had another body part capable of channeling magic; she closed her eyes and tried her hardest to cast it, but nothing happened. For the first time since she had become Princess Celestia’s student and star pupil, she felt powerless.

“No!” She said to herself before taking a deep breath. “I can’t let this get to me. I came here with a purpose. This is a minor setback at best!” She got up with some effort due to being unfamiliar with this new set of limbs. She also noticed the clothes she was wearing and groaned. “Wet clothes. Just great!” After a quick look around she saw a couple of unfamiliar, large buildings. The architecture was also completely alien to her.

“Hey, you!” Sunset heard someone shout. That’s when she noticed a creature of the same species she had become standing some feet away from the water fountain she was in. Judging by the voice and attire, Sunset assumed it was a female like herself.

That woman was definitely the pinkest creature she had ever seen; she had light pink skin – so light that it almost looked pure white, just like her mentor – and long hair with two different shades of light pink; even her eyes were pink. The only thing about her that wasn’t pink has her attire: she wore an open navy blue suit with a shield-shaped symbol on the left chest, a blue sweater vest over a white shirt, a red tie, a navy blue skirt, white knee high socks and black Mary Jane shoes. She also had a golden fleur-de-lis-shaped hair clip holding her hair away from her eyes.

“Get out of the fountain this very instant.” She demanded in a voice tone that suggested she was used to giving orders. Maybe she was some sort of authority figure? “Why aren’t you in class? And where is your uniform?”

Sunset Shimmer climbed out of the water fountain, hugging herself and shaking. The sky was clear and the sun was shining, but the breeze on her wet skin felt like a blizzard; this foreign body was definitely more sensitive than her original equine body. The woman approached her, grabbed her wrist and started dragging her along.

“Truancy, violating dress code and playing in the water fountain like a child.” She listed. “You’re coming with me, straight to the principal’s office.”

“This isn’t good.” Sunset thought. She looked around, trying to come up with a plan or an escape route, but her unfamiliarity with the surroundings weren’t doing her any favors. “Oh, to Tartarus with it!”

Sunset Shimmer body-slammed the girl, who yelped and let go of the Equestrian’s wrist as she fell to the ground, before awkwardly running away with her newly acquired legs.

“Stop right there!” she shouted as she got up and gave chase. Despite learning how her new limbs worked on the fly, Sunset was a surprisingly decent runner, managing to outrun the pink woman chasing her. The pinkette reached into her pocket, pulled out a whistle and started blowing on it, which alerted three other females dressed exactly like her. The (former) pony knew she wouldn’t be able to outrun all four of them forever, so when she turned a corner and saw an opportunity, despite the side of her brain responsible for common sense screaming at her not to do it, she threw herself in a trash bin large enough and empty enough for her to fit inside. She closed her eyes, praying to whatever goddess that watched over this world to not let her be found.

Apparently it worked, because the four women chasing after ran past her hideout. “I guess they didn’t think somepony with a shred of dignity left would sink as low as I just did.” She thought as she emerged from the trash bin. “Oh, dammit!” She huffed as she shook her foot, trying to get rid of the banana peel hanging on the collar of her boot. “Double dammit!” She mentally cursed as the peel she was trying to get rid of went the wrong way and slipped inside her boot.

Too distracted by the garbage that had taken up residence inside her footwear, she felt a chill go down her spine as a hand grabbed her left shoulder. She turned her head to see a woman much taller than herself looking down at her with a serious expression on her face. That woman had grayish blue skin, cyan eyes similar to her own and a very long wavy hair with two shades of blue.

“If you’re trying to be stealthy, don’t leave a trail leading straight to you.” She said in an intimidating voice tone. Sunset looked down and wanted to facepalm when she saw the small pools of water and wet footprints she left behind as she ran.

“Oh, Vice Principal Luna, thank goodness.” The pink girl from before thanked as she came to a halt in front of them. She was soon followed by the other three. “My deepest apologies for you having to get involved.” She bowed slightly in front of the adult woman before shooting Sunset Shimmer a nasty glare. “This troublemaker seems to be skilled at running away.”

“That’s quite alright, Miss Fleur de Lis.” Luna assured her. “I’ll take it from here, you can all return to your duties.”

The young woman named Fleur quickly bowed one more time before turning around and walking away, followed by her three apparent subordinates.

Sunset Shimmer thought about running one more time, but she could feel that this woman’s grip was much stronger than Fleur’s and she was less likely to lower her guard. She sighed in defeat and allowed Vice Principal Luna to escort her to the principal’s office.

She was in a school, and that’s about all she could gather. She sat uncomfortably on a chair in the principal’s office, looking around at the decorations in the room: a couple of paintings on the walls, a few trophies on display, a large black and white photo of a group of students in front of the main building, filing cabinets, a full bookcase…

The principal was typing away on her computer. She was a woman slightly taller than Vice Principal Luna with violet eyes, light pink skin – although not as light as Fleur’s – and hair just as long and wavy as the vice principal’s, but it stood out much more, given that it was comprised of four different colors: pink, blue, green and aquamarine.

The reason the girl was fidgeting and looking around was not the situation she found herself in, but the person sitting right in front of her: her hair, her posture, articulation, voice, everything about this woman sans her species was identical to her mentor back in Equestria; even the name plate on her desk read “Principal Celestia”. A million different thoughts were rushing through her head, trying to come up with an explanation for that. Had Princess Celestia crossed the mirror portal as well? Was she here to bring her back to Equestria? No, that wasn’t possible, that woman had clearly been in this world since long before her arrival – dozens of students exited the classrooms and were now freely roaming the vicinity as Vice Principal Luna escorted her to the office, so somebody definitely would have noticed two soaking wet women showing up out of nowhere on the same day.

Sunset Shimmer’s heart skipped a beat when the woman looked away from her computer and to the girl sitting on the other side of her desk. It felt like her gaze was piercing her soul.

“So, Miss Sunset Shimmer, was it?” She nodded – regardless of this woman’s connection to the Princess back in Equestria, at least she didn’t know her. “You say you are a transfer student, correct?” Sunset Shimmer nodded once more; Sunset knew it was a terrible excuse, but she had to think fast and, because of her nervousness, that was the first idea that came to mind. “Well, then something here doesn’t add up because I just checked and re-checked every relevant document I received in the last three months and your name wasn’t even as much as mentioned in any of them.”

The pony girl was growing anxious. She was a stranger in this new world, and she had nothing. No documents, no money, no food or shelter, no change of clothes – she figured that they were a big deal in this society, given that every single person she came across was fully clothed – so tricking someone into letting her into this school was the only option besides becoming a beggar on the streets. Or worse!

“I-I-It was a last minute th-thing, m-maybe the documents haven’t been delivered yet.” She mentally kicked herself. She was a decent liar, but the uncanny similarities between Princess Celestia and Principal Celestia were putting her off. That stuttering could very well cost her everything.

“Alright, for the sake of argument, let’s say all of this is true.” Principal Celestia placed her elbows on the desk and leaned forward; the large gap between them is what gave Sunset Shimmer a sense of comfort, like she was safe as long as she was out of reach, but closing that gap was making her more and more anxious and uneasy. “You somehow snuck into campus despite the front gate being locked, and instead of coming straight to my office you decided to head to the water fountain, which is on the opposite side of the main building from the main gate, went for a swim in it, and when a prefect volunteered to guide you here, you assaulted her and fled?”

“Um, I… I…”

“Think, dummy! Think! THINK!”

“I… Got lost and panicked?”

The look on Principal Celestia’s face said everything. Sunset flinched when she got up from her chair, but the taller woman just walked towards the black and white photo, staring at it with her hands behind her back.

“Miss Shimmer.” She began. “Canterlot Academy is hailed as one of the best schools in the country. Since its inauguration nearly one hundred years ago we’ve accepted the brightest and most talented students coming from all kinds of backgrounds. From trailer parks to luxurious mansions, we never turned down a single person who proved their worth, and they all had successful lives after graduating.” She turned around, staring deep into Sunset’s eyes. “But you, you break into our school, assault one of my prefects, cause a ruckus running around campus, don’t have a single document in your possession, tell the most far-fetched lie I’ve ever heard in my career as principal to my face and yet you expect me to just enroll you with a smile on my face, no questions asked?”

“…Kinda?”

The principal’s facial expression showed that she was not amused. She looked at the grandfather clock on the wall across from her desk. 12:05 PM, lunchtime.

“The front gate opens at 3:30 PM. You will stay here until then. After that, you will leave school grounds and not come back until you have undeniable proof of the claims you made here today. Understood?” Sunset Shimmer nodded sheepishly. Principal Celestia nodded back before returning to her desk, grabbing a pen, ripping a page out of a notepad and writing something on it before handing it to the girl. “Here. Go to the cafeteria and deliver this to the cook. She’ll give you something to eat.”

Sunset looked at the paper, relieved that the written language in this world was identical to Equestria’s. The paper was a message from Celestia, granting her permission to join the students for lunch. “Um, thank you, ma’am.”

“And you’ll come straight back here as soon as you’re finished, understood?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

Sunset Shimmer got up and left the office. She showed the note to Vice Principal Luna, who sighed before guiding her to the cafeteria. The woman then stood by the doorway, watching her to make sure she wouldn’t try anything funny.

The former mare picked a small burger, a bowl of fruit salad, a single apple and a glass of water, then sat by herself on an empty desk on the other end of the cafeteria without paying attention to the other students. The defeated expression she had on her face morphed into a mixture of angry, determined and pensive; she had until 3:30 PM to come up with a plan that would trick the principal into enrolling her, and that’s exactly what she did as she finished her meal under the ever-watchful gaze of the vice principal. She ate as slowly as she possibly could without looking suspicious, managing to stall until 12:35 PM. The plan she had come up with was a dice toss with the odds stacked against her, but it was her only option. Taking a deep, breath she got up and followed Vice Principal Luna back to Principal Celestia’s office.

When she opened the door, Celestia was sitting at her desk, staring at what appeared to be a letter. When she noticed Sunset Shimmer had returned, she had an apologetic look on her face.

“So, uh…” The Principal started. “It seems that I owe you an apology, huh?”

“Excuse me?” Sunset inquired, genuinely confused.

She pointed at the letter she had in hands. “I just got this letter from the superintendent. It appears that your documentation was misplaced and ended up never being sent here. They are working on fixing that but, until then…” She put the letter down and got up from her chair. “…you are an official Canterlot Academy student. Please forgive me for the way I treated you. You worked so hard to earn your place in our school, and for bureaucratic reasons I almost kicked you out unfairly.” She shifted her gaze to the vice principal. “Luna, would you kindly fetch our newest student her uniform?”

Luna nodded and left the room. Celestia once again addressed Sunset Shimmer, who still looked very confused. “Here in Canterlot Academy we follow a very strict dress code policy that requires you to wear our uniform at all times while within school grounds, so if you want to attend classes, you will need one. Since this was, as you put it, a last minute thing, we haven’t had the time to order new sets. But don’t worry, as soon as they arrive we will send them to you immediately.”

The vice principal came back carrying a white shopping bag with the same logo she saw on the prefect’s uniform earlier on it. Now that Sunset could take a better look at it she could see that it was indeed a shield; it was separated in four parts by a horizontal and a vertical line – the top left piece had a yellow horseshoe turned sideways to look like a C against a blue background, the top right piece had a blue pegasus wing against a yellow background, the bottom left piece had a blue unicorn horn against a yellow background and the bottom right corner had a yellow silhouette of a horse’s head against a blue background. She was about to take the bag when the vice principal pulled it out of her reach.

“We have rules about fighting on school grounds, so I don’t want to hear about you assaulting others again. Am I clear?” Sunset Shimmer nodded once and Luna handed her the bag. She took it and left the office before anyone changed their minds. “And don’t think I forgot about your ‘hideout’. Go take a shower!”

The pony girl still couldn’t believe her luck. Princess Celestia had a counterpart in this world, maybe she also had one and she just took her place? Maybe her body didn’t cross the portal with her, and only her consciousness was transferred to this girl’s body while the original is in suspended animation somewhere outside reality? Maybe--

“So you’re the newcomer everyone seems to be talking about, huh?” Sunset turned around to look at who was speaking to her; leaning against the wall outside Principal Celestia’s office with her arms closed was a girl with light yellow skin, magenta eyes and very long and curly orange hair with yellow streaks, which she kept away from her face with a spiky headband. She wore a teal sweater vest over a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, a teal skirt, white thigh high socks and black shoes. “You don’t look like you’ll survive the year.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” The Equestrian asked with a raised eyebrow.

The poofy-haired girl shrugged as she approached Sunset with a wide smile on her face. “You can usually grasp the character of a newcomer with a single glance. Their clothes, their posture, speech pattern… Those little details can tell a lot about someone.” She chuckled. “Your clothes are damp, you smell like garbage and you walk around like you don’t use your legs on a daily basis. What are we dealing with here? Couch potato? Videogame addict?”

Sunset’s expression grew angrier the more the unknown girl talked, making her chuckle. “You talk like someone who is begging to lose a tooth or two.”

“Oh relax, featherweight, I’m just teasing you a little bit.” She said as she wrapped her arm around Sunset’s shoulder and proceeded to lead her on. “Come with me. Principal Celestia asked me to show you around and we only have a couple of minutes left before the first bell rings. Oh, the name is Adagio, by the way. Adagio Dazzle! What about you?”

“Shimmer. Sunset Shimmer.”

“Alright, then. Mind if I call you Sunny?”

“I do, in fact.”

“Great. Let’s go then, Sunny!”

Sunny growled.

“And why did you bring me back to the cafeteria?” The ex-pony asked her guide. “I’m well-acquainted with the place already.”

“Well, if you’re gonna be one of us then you need to learn how things work around here. And pay attention, because I’m not giving you the tour twice.” Adagio explained. “If you ask about CA outside of the front gate, everyone will shower us with praise. Not that we haven’t earned, this school has what you’d call a merit system, so you’re not getting in unless you give a good reason as to why you should even be here.” She flashed Sunset another wide smile. “But you already knew that. After all, you’re in here with us, are you not?”

“Right…” Sunset said as she scanned the people in the cafeteria. “An awful lot of girls in here, huh?”

Adagio raised an eyebrow, then burst into laughter.

“Oh, honey, you sure are a special one!” The redhead said as she slapped Sunset’s back once and wiped a tear from her eye with her index finger. “Do you know anything about Canterlot Academy?”

“It was a last minute thing…” She muttered.

“So I was told. Let me explain to you what everybody who read the flyer knows about: Canterlot Academy is a girls-only boarding school.” She poked Sunset on the forehead. “Got that in there? Girls. Only. Boarding. School.” She poked her again after uttering each word.

“Yes, I get it, knock it off.” Sunset complained as she pushed Adagio’s hand away from her forehead.

“Just making sure. Anyway, where was I? Right, the students! As I was saying, from the outside, this seems like high school heaven, where everybody gets along and people burst into song at random times, but that’s just what they want you to think. Forget what they told you about every graduate becoming a rich CEO who gets even richer by sitting on their asses all day, it’s all bullshit.

“The truth is, only a handful of people here will get to know what the high life tastes like. It’s all about having money or the right connections. Usually both. If you don’t fit into any of the aforementioned categories, then the best you’re gonna get is assistant vice janitor!

“So yeah, backstabbing is CA’s official greeting, so don’t get too comfortable around others. You never know who you can trust around these parts.”

“That includes you too, then?”

Adagio laughed again. “So you’re not as slow as I thought you were! You’re right, you can’t trust me either, just like how I can’t trust you. But that’s what makes it fun, it keeps you guessing! It’s also good training for adult life; if you’re not on your toes 24/7 you’re gonna die.”

“Delightful.”

“I’m not gonna ask you to trust me, I’m just giving you fair warning that any schmuck with a working brain should know by now.” Adagio directed her attention back to the cafeteria. “But these poor sods just can’t accept that’s how reality works, so they assorted themselves in their little cliques.”

“Color coded for convenience, huh?” Sunset crossed her arms as she looked around. “This will be interesting!”

She pointed at a table where everybody wore green sweater vests and skirts. “Over there you have the nerds. The only language they speak is Ogres & Oubliettes, so if your definition of ‘fun’ is playing pretend like a bunch of toddlers, you’ll fit right in.”

“Pass.”

The next was a table where blue was the dominant color, but none of them were wearing the standard uniform, instead opting for jerseys, letterman jackets, track pants and shorts; despite their unique looks, all of them still had CA’s crest or the C-shaped horseshoe on their clothes somewhere. “Over there we have the jocks. If lots of physical contact with people of the same gender turns you on, they’re your crowd.”

Sunset considered it for a moment, but eventually decided that it wasn’t worth the concussions.

“Next down the list are the preppies.” Adagio said as she pointed to a group wearing argyle vests and tartan skirts, alternating between light blue and dark blue. “The girls with wallets filled with daddy’s money with about as much personality as the bills they carry. The best you’re getting out of them is cash for favors.” She eyed her companion up and down. “Not like you have any chance of actually becoming one of them anyway.”

Sunset Shimmer groaned. “I should have packed some bits before coming.” She thought. “Then I’d at least have something heavy to smack her in the face with.”

“Then we have the vagrants.” She said, referring to a group of girls wearing black vests and skirts as well as leather jackets. “The name says it all: as soon as classes are over they just roam around the town doing absolutely nothing productive; future homeless prostitutes in training, if you want my honest opinion. If you want to hang out with them, you already look the part; they’re not very picky.”

Sunset looked down; she didn’t notice before, but she came out of the portal wearing a leather jacket. “What about the dress code, though? I highly doubt that leather jackets are considered school uniform.”

Adagio shrugged and shook her head. “The rules dictate that we have to wear the school’s shirt, shoes, vest and skirt, but it doesn’t mention anything about jackets; it’s a loophole they are more than happy to exploit. The prefects are trying to change that, but no one with power cares enough to bother trying to fix it.”

She looked around one more time and nodded. “Well, that about covers it. ‘Like-minded individuals working together towards a common goal’, some would say. Or that’s what they think until they end up with a proverbial knife between buried deep in their spine.”

“Wait, that’s it?” Sunset inquired. “What about the dark green vests? You didn’t mention them.”

“Eh, don’t bother with those.” Adagio said, dismissively. “Those are the outcasts; they don’t really fit into any of the cliques, so they just sort of… exist. They’re the background characters of this school, to be honest.”

The bell rang; it startled Sunset, making her jump.

“Oh, whoops! There’s the first bell.” Adagio explained as some students started leaving the cafeteria. She followed suit, dragging Sunset Shimmer by the wrist. “C’mon, let’s go. We only have 30 minutes until second period starts. I want to get this shit over with before then, otherwise we’ll have to pick this back up after classes are over and I have plans this afternoon.”

“Alright, just stop dragging me around like a pet and I’ll go.”

“What about yours, though?”

“Hm?” Adagio turned her head to look at her, unsure of what Sunset meant.

“Your vest. It’s not the same as the outcasts, but also doesn’t match any of the cliques. What gang do you represent?”

Adagio showed another one of her trademarked wide smiles. “Honey, I am well above the petty politics going on in this dump. My sights are on the bigger picture, you know what I’m saying?”

“Oh, so you’re a member of the ‘holier-than-thou-with-delusions-of-grandeur’ club, then. Alright, I get it!”

Adagio covered her mouth with a hand to stifle a giggle. “Ok, enough chit-chat, we’re burning daylight here. Let’s hurry along, Sunny.”

Sunset Shimmer followed Adagio Dazzle around campus, learning about the relevant locations: north of the main building was the front gate, and between the two were the dormitories; the good dormitory on the left, which was bigger, cleaner and overall better than the dormitory on the right.

“That’s the punishment-dormitory where the troublemakers and below-averages get to live.” Adagio explained. “And given that you suck at first impressions, let me be the first to welcome you into our humble abode.”

“So, which one are you, troublemaker or below average?” Sunset inquired.

“You’ll figure that out on your own.”

To the left of the main building was the parking lot, and to the right was the library. To the south was the water fountain/portal. To the left of the fountain and behind the parking lot was the shop – for shop class, not shopping – and to the right of the fountain was the private dormitory belonging to the preppies. Further south was the sports ground, and between the two were located the gymnasium to the right and the swimming pool to the left; there was an underground passageway connecting the two where the locker room was located. Connected to the field and located between the preps’ dorm and the pool was an abandoned observatory that students weren’t allowed to go in.

“Monkey-on-a-stick, look at the time!” Adagio said, looking down at her wrist watch. “Lucky you, this is your first day so you get to skip class.” Adagio rushed towards the main building. “You should know your way around campus by now. First class tomorrow starts 9:30 AM. And remember what I told you, trust is for the weak!”

Not long after Adagio entered the main building through a side door, Sunset heard the second bell ringing. She turned around and made her way towards the library; if she wanted her plan to succeed, then she would need to learn as much about these hairless apes and how to live among them as she possibly could.

Author's Note

A new chapter every friday.