History, the parts that I was actually paying attention for at least, turned out to be somewhat interesting. I hadn't looked at much of a map of Equestria, but the landmasses of this world—as projected onto a drop-down screen during the lesson—were definitely quite similar to that of Earth. Not everything was one-to-one conversions, and there was a surprising number of horse puns out there. In addition to Amareica and Caneighda, there was a country I recognised from Equestria's world—Neighpon. Hawaii was instead called Mount Aris, although if this was a parallel, I wasn't aware of it. There was also an analogue for China called Xiaoma, and the landmasses of Australia and New Zealand were united under the name Motu Hoiho. Call me a pessimist, but I expected those were also puns.

They seemed to be in the middle of a unit on World War II, covering the Pacific theatre. Specifically, dealing with Neighpon's attempted invasion and occupation of Motu Hoiho. Apparently, the Australian landmass was never settled as a penal colony by this world's British equivalent, so it was more feasible for the Neighponese Imperial Navy to occupy the area. As it stood, All major shipping lanes through the area faced complete interdiction by their naval forces.

Mr. Noteworthy was explaining to the class that before Amareica could liberate the East Indies and cut Neighpon off from their ill-gotten oil, they needed a foothold in the area. By freeing Motu Hoiho from Neighponese occupation, not only would they have their staging area, the Amareican forces would also receive hundreds of volunteers who would later become the renowned Hoihoan First Infantry.

As fascinating as it all was—and I'm sure Twilight would love to read these notes if for nothing more than it being history from another world—my heart wasn't really in it. The overall miasma of negativity was a major point of distraction, but my attention kept drifting back to what Fluttershy had said. I don't think she'd intended for me to actually hear it—more of an internal dialogue slip-up—and the implication left my mind spinning.

Who did her refer to? Due to my limited exposure to the people and cliques of this world, I didn't exactly have a good frame of reference. If she meant Sunset Shimmer, it could be either a good or bad thing. If it is, Sunset, is that pre or post-magic friendship laser?

Come to think of it, immediately before that, I was casually fucking with her worldview. I wasn't intentionally playing playing mind games with her or anything. I mean, I may not be comporting myself as I would back in Equestria, but that's more because I don't have to hold back here like I do with Cheerilee's class. If Sunset played head games like that when she was a tyrant, I'm probably not gonna win any friends.

On the other hand, if it was the playful sort of 'Chill, dude, I'm just fucking with you,' head games, it might just hurt because it reminded her of someone whose trust she felt was broken. Would it be possible to play on that and draw out answers? Or would that be too manipulative?

"Miss Flicker," the teacher called out, snapping my attention back to the class. "I'm curious as to an outsider's perspective on the war." A fair thing to do. If I were a history teacher and I had a guest from another world, why not ask for their opinion? "What do you think Neighpon's biggest mistake in the Pacific theatre was?"

"Was a surprise attack on the Amareican Pacific Fleet stationed at Mount Aris what kicked off this theatre of war?" I asked, drawing on my memory of Mom's limited coverage of the Second War. When he nodded, a look of surprise clear on his face, I smiled awkwardly. "Ideally, I'd say that striking like that was their biggest mistake. They would have been better served enacting sabotage with small strike teams deployed from submersibles and laying naval mines around the Amareican ports first, rather than poking the bear right away like they did. Other than that, it sounds as though they overextended their fleets in taking Motu Hoiho. It didn't help that they gave the Hoihoan people reason to aid Amareica."

The classroom broke out in a buzz of chatter. It clearly wasn't the sort of response that any of them were expecting. Even Mr. Noteworthy seemed taken aback. Even Fluttershy was watching me with a look of worry. "A surprising amount of insight," he said with a smile. "Did they have such wars where you came from?"

I shook my head. "Aside from a border dispute with the griffons a few centuries back, which I'm convinced was spurred on by a famine in their lands, I'm not sure Equestria's been in a major military conflict in a long time," I said with a shrug that only got more weird looks. "Helps when your country is run by a literal demigoddess of the sun. With the moon demigoddess back in the picture, I can't imagine anyone outside an army run by a literal super villain or a cult attacking." Holding one finger up to my lips, I winked. "I could explain myself, but a filly's gotta keep some secrets, y'know?"

Really, I just didn't want to explain that I came from a world like this one. Still, that last bit had the desired reaction from the class. A low murmur erupted in the room once more, and Noteworthy had to speak up to silence the room and resume his lesson. That said, I noticed a girl with a fiery, swept-back hairstyle kept glancing at me. She was older than my current body—everyone in the class seemed to be—but she didn't seem to look down on me for it. What was it I saw in her eyes?

As the lesson went, I went back to taking notes, although my eyes kept drifting to the clock. Although sitting in with the class was telling me about this world, it wasn't helping me figure out this Anon-a-Miss thing. Sure, it was showing that the teens weren't at each other's throats in classes just yet, but given that they'd been taking it out on Sunset thus far... that probably wasn't a great metric.

Besides, it'd only be a matter of time until Anon-a-Miss did something that couldn't be taken back, if they hadn't already. Some genies can't be put back in the bottle, after all. There were things you could say about a person that couldn't be retracted, no matter how hard you might try. That would be a life irreparably changed.

About ten minutes after the redirect, the bell rang. It took only a moment for me to pack away my stuff and pick up my bag, and after that, I was following Fluttershy through the halls. Funny enough, I noticed the flame-haired girl following us. Although she could've been doing something suspicious, or she had something she wanted to ask, my brain insisted that she was probably also in Fluttershy's next class. Just because you're investigating a life-ruining rumour-mill doesn't mean they're all out to get you.

To my surprise, I found that she was leading me towards a room marked Women's Locker Room. I felt like I should've been more awkward about it, or that it should be weird. My previous human body had been male, and although I'd always been fluid about how I identified after being freed from my father's reign, I'd still been raised a man. So why then didn't it feel weird for her to lead me in? Had such a short time with ponies really altered my way of thinking that much, or had my choices over the years simply destroyed my shame?

"You're going to want to get changed," Fluttershy explained, as she led me off to one side of the locker room hat wasn't as occupied. All the while, more girls filtered in. "You, um, do have other clothes, right?"

I nodded, setting my bag down on a bench. "Ms. Luna took me to get some clothes earlier," I said, pulling out my new runners, shorts, a white tee, and the jacket. Next came the sport-bra and some underwear from the pack that happened to match; I dunno why, but the symmetry just felt right. I set my glasses down on top of the bag and started to strip.

Much to my surprise, she didn't immediately start getting changed. It almost looked like she was waiting for the others to finish and get out. "If you want, you can borrow my cloak and change beneath that," I offered, looking away from her as I looked away. Some people were body-shy after all, and if it made sense for anyone to be, she was definitely one. "Just put it back when you're done. It means a lot to me."

As her blurry form went over to my bag, I sensed someone come up behind me. It was a bit awkward having someone standing over me, like that, but she seemed to be curious, rather than any sort of malice. I chose to ignore her, and instead took off my bra. From the shake of the bench I was currently sitting on, she was probably taking off her shoes. I was reaching for the sports bra when they finally decided to speak up.

"Damn, girl," she said, letting out a low whistle. It wasn't a familiar voice, but it reminded me a lot of Rainbow Dash. She even had the same cocksure tone. "That's a nasty burn scar on your back."

I didn't respond right away. I was more interested in getting my top half covered. Once I was dressed as far as the white tee, I turned my head to regard her—it was blurry, but she was definitely that yellow girl with the fiery hair. "I was wondering where that went when I transformed," I said. Now that she actually mentioned it, I could feel that the skin along the back of my neck, shoulders, and back was somewhat tighter than elsewhere on my body. "Some prick didn't appreciate that I stopped him from bullying an acquaintance's little sister over having no parents. Poured my thermos of tea over my head." I pointed to my bag, where Fluttershy had re-placed my glasses after borrowing my cloak. "Nearly cost me my eyesight. Never did find out if he got a concussion when I knocked his teeth in after."

That got a laugh out of the girl. "You got fire, kid," she said with a nod. "A mind for war, too. I like that about you." Turning away, she started to pull off her shirt. "That Twilight girl was alright, but a bit of a pushover. Still amazed she was able to beat that deceitful bitch."

I took that as my cue to give her privacy, and turned back around to finish getting changed. So, even though she's regarded as a hero among the students, Twilight's not universally worshipped. It was interesting, but honestly not surprising. Nobody's perfect; not even her.

As I finished putting on my shoes and tying them, I paused to listen to the chatter in the background. "Did you see what Anon-a-Miss posted about Lyra Heartstrings?" someone whispered. "Apparently she and Bon Bon are dating! I didn't even know they were gay!"

"From what I heard, that's why she's not at school," another whispered. "I heard her parents saw the post and weren't all that happy, and have all but locked her in her room."

Then a third spoke up. "Don't you feel grossed out knowing she's in here with us?" She sounded serious, and immediately the mood in the room dropped. "Isn't it perverted for her to change in the same room as us?"

"How dare you!"

Oh shit, I thought as I put my glasses on. Packing my clothes away into my bag, I gave Fluttershy a sidelong glance. This shit 's going to get nasty real quick. Do I say something? Is it even my place? Biting my lip, I pulled my hair into a loose ponytail.

Before I could come to a decision, I felt the anger in the room surge as someone stood up and yelled, "Hey! Knock it off, you guys!" My head snapped around at the sound of Rainbow Dash's voice. Sure enough, there was Rainbow's human counterpart—With hair like that, it couldn't be anyone else!—standing between a pale girl with indigo and pink curls, and what looked to be the counterparts of the flower sisters I'd seen around Ponyville. "This is exactly what she wants. She wants us at each other's throats... for things to go back to the way they were before, when we all just stuck to our own cliques and were easy to control!"

The girl that had called the other a pervert for being gay looked cowed by Rainbow's declaration. "You're right, Rainbow." Turning to Bon Bon, she said, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I even said that... I think this is Anon-a-Miss thing is getting to me. She's targeting just about everyone now, and I'm almost scared to think what she'll say about me."

With a nod, Rainbow smacked her bandaged fist into her other palm. "Damn right, girls," she said, looking around the changing room. "We're not gonna let her break us apart. We're Canterlot strong!"

A chorus of "Canterlot strong!" erupted throughout the locker room. It left me feeling uneasy, not because of what was said, but because of what wasn't said. Bringing attention to her fist, which she'd recently used to assault Sunset, combined with that statement gave me a bad vibe. It told me that she might beat the shit out of anyone she found to be aiding Anon-a-Miss. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if people were sending in shit once it expanded past their little circle of friends. No one person could have their fingers in that many pies and go unnoticed.

It should've been relieving for them to feel unified, but the emotion behind it was anger and hate... History told me how well unity born from hate ended up. Someone was going to get really hurt if this was the only way to bring them together, and the only saving grace for Sunset was that she wasn't here to be lynched if someone feeling vindictive threw together a mob over the rumours.

~ 22 ~

The gymnasium was surprisingly big, and it looked like there was a track in the ceiling for some sort of suspended divider. Not too far away, there was a door from which flowed several male students in similar athletics-appropriate clothes. I followed alongside Flutters as students from both locker rooms formed several rows in front of a tall blue-grey man. The man was definitely older, with short greying black hair and a well-kept moustache, but he was built like a tank.

"Good morning students!" he called out in a voice that seemed better suited to giving heated seminars up on a stage, rather than leading a group of teenagers in phys-ed. "Are you ready to get moving?" A less-than-enthused murmur broke out among the students, but he just smiled before bringing up a hand to his ear—as though it could make it bigger—and leaned forward. "I can't hear you!"

A unified "Yes Coach Iron Will!" erupted around me, although the shy girl beside me whispered it instead.

"Excellent!" He pulled a stopwatch from a pocket and held it up. "You all know the drill by now. Run three laps around the perimeter of the gym to warm up. The first two to complete their laps will be picking teams for today's game!"

"What're we playing today, Coach?" asked a blue-haired guy whose skin-tone was probably closest I'd seen to human since I'd gotten here. "It's not soccer again, is it? Rainbow and Spitfire always stack their teams."

Iron will just shook his head. "No, Mr. Sentry," he said, stuffing one hand into the pocket of his track jacket. "Today? It's kickball!" That got an excited murmur rising up from the teens around me. "Now pick a spot to start your laps and get moving!"

Doing as the phys-ed instructor said, I found a spot in the gym, marked it with an invisible line, and started a casual jog to get my blood pumping. Although I got the impression this body might've been built for running, and the temptation might've crossed my mind, I didn't know enough about the game or the students to be a good team leader. I'd probably end up just picking Rainbow or the flame-haired girl, since they seemed like the most athletic and then let them pick for me.

Just look at those two move!

Still, I was somewhat interested in this body's capabilities, so I decided to kick it up a notch after a few seconds. I'd never been much for running back in my old life, since running full-tilt through the woods sounded like a good way to get myself crippled and then beaten by him for being useless. Similarly, as a pony, I'd never really seen the need. I had my books, I had my magic, and I had fishing. Why would I run for fun?

Turns out, I was pretty damn good at it. The pounding of my feet on the wood-laminate flooring, and the thunder of my heart in my chest... it was intoxicating. It made something deep down inside me feel alive. With every step, I wanted to see how much faster I could get. With every second, my smile grew.

I could feel eyes on me as I shot past the casual joggers and the disinterested runners. Even Fluttershy was watching me with a strange look as I started to catch up with the head of the pack. I could swear even a few of the students were whispering now. But I didn't care. I was experiencing a euphoria unlike anything I'd ever felt before.

"Don't let those fillies get you down." The words seemed to be coming from deep in my heart, playing back more in my head than in my ears. Still, it was a voice that I could swear I'd heard before. "They're just jealous that your times have improved so much thanks to your hard work."

Tears welled in my eyes, and a pang of sadness lanced through my chest. I could almost recognise the voice, but a name wouldn't come, even as I heard my own filly voice reply. "But Mommy, running's all I'm good at, and it's not even my special talent..." I just kept running. Despite the sorrowful feeling, a part of me felt happy. "Why would they be jealous of me?"

"Because it isn't your special talent, sweetie," came the voice of 'Mommy' in response. "This is all you."

It took me a few moments to realise that the other students had all finished their laps, and that I was the only one still going. Some were watching me with concern, but most of the athletes seemed surprised with me as I slowed my pace down to a jog before finally coming to a stop at my imaginary starting line. I decided to make my way over to the stage at the one end of the gymnasium and haul myself up to sit and catch my breath.

Much to my surprise, although Fluttershy was making her way over—probably out of concern since I'd clearly been crying while running—she wasn't alone. Rainbow was coming alongside her. Wonder what they want. I'd taken off my glasses and was in the middle of wiping my eyes dry on my jacket's sleeve when they got there.

"You alright there, kid?" Rainbow asked, looking me up and down. Funny enough, her eyes lingered on my right ankle and knee for some reason. "You didn't hurt yourself trying to keep up with the rest of us, did you?"

I shook my head before putting my glasses back on. An odd feeling washed over me, as I answered, "Nah, I was just... remembering my Mom." It was a total lie; the truth was that I had no idea what had come over me, or what those voices were. So why didn't it feel like I was lying? "It's been a long time since I got to run like that, and it reminded me of something she said once." I didn't know where the words were coming from, but I just let them happen. "I'm fine. Just gimme a minute to catch my breath and I'll be good to go."

"If you're hurt, don't be afraid to tell us," Fluttershy said in a soft voice. She looked as though she wanted to put her hand atop the one I had sitting on the edge of the stage, but I could feel the internal conflict that stopped her. "Don't push yourself too hard."

I nodded, and watched them as they went off. The fuck was that about?

Once my heart stopped pounding, I hopped down and listened as Rainbow Dash and Spitfire—the fiery girl from the locker room—started picking out their teams. First, the pair went through names that sounded like they belonged on the Wonderbolts. Soarin', Fleetfoot, Misty Fly, Rapidfire... Those four were definitely on the roster, I thought, remembering all the times a certain pegasus brought them up at card nights as teens broke off from the crowd to gather in groups around the two team-leaders. A turquoise girl with amber hair—God, she looks like she's got a chip on her shoulder—by the name of Lightning Dust was also snatched up by Spitfire. Flash Sentry was next on Rainbow's.

On and on they went, until it was just me and Fluttershy. I somehow didn't imagine I'd end up on the same team as her, and I understood why she would be last pick. It wasn't a popularity thing, but I could tell that Spitfire and this Rainbow were super competitive, so they'd want to give their teams an edge. Then you had me, who was a complete unknown and didn't know the rules of the game. Rainbow of course chose her friend, leaving me to join Spitfire.

The rules, as it turned out, were pretty simple. One team would field a number of players in a layout similar to baseball, and have someone rolling a ball—a soccer ball in this particular case—toward the kicker up for the other team. The kicker would kick the ball their hardest, and book it for the first base. If someone was on base, they'd have to head for the next, trying not to get tagged with the ball. If the ball was caught before hitting the ground, it was considered out, and if it hit above a certain point on the wall, it was treated as a home run. Three strikes rule applied, and you had three outs per team per inning, just like baseball.

For the first while, I was left observing. I watched how people kicked, and how not to kick. A toe shot was powerful, but wild. It seemed really common for those to get caught. Side-foot shots weren't as powerful, but were often more precise. Even the speed at which you kicked the ball mattered and impacted how far and fast it could go. I'd even noticed the occasional player looking to Spitfire, and she was able to wordlessly communicate what sort of kick to go with.

Both teams had different strategies. Although Dash's team tended to aim for the home run zone on the back wall, Spitfire's team aimed to load up the bases before sending up a pinch hitter. If Dash's team had players on first or second, priority was placed on preventing those players from reaching third, and a few innings I found myself being an outfielder. Somehow, Dash's team managed to keep up, despite relying a more luck-based strategy.

By the final inning, it was my turn at bat. Somehow, Rainbow's team was up one, and all bases were loaded. I couldn't decide which type of shot would be best. Toeing it had a good chance of getting caught, but if it hit the back wall—even if it wasn't the home run zone—might give the players on second and third base a chance to tie it or take home. Alternatively, I could bunt, or I could even try channelling my inner earth-pony in hopes of sending the ball into low orbit. I looked to Spitfire on third. She tapped the toe of her right foot against her left heel, and nodded toward my right.

Power-shot to the right it is.

My gaze drifted to Rainbow Dash, who squared up to pitch. The ball left her hand and rolled toward me. I stepped forward, reeled back and... thunk!

Everybody in the gymnasium let out a cry of sympathetic pain as Flash Sentry, the first baseman for Rainbow's team, dropped to the floor, clutching his face. There might've even been a bit of blood. Even as Coach Iron Will called out a foul ball and one of Rainbow's players helped Flash off the floor, I gave a sheepish look and buried my face in my palm. It might've been to hide the smile, though.

Okay! I'm more than willing to admit that I took a little pleasure in that. I mean, he was a massive doofus who not was willing to date Sunset Shimmer during her bitch-queen phase, but also fell head over heels in love Twilight! Minor soccer-ball induced brain trauma could only improve him at that point, right? She's a princess from another world, dude! Way outta your league. Keep your amorousness inside your own dimension.

Once Fluttershy helped Flash out the main gymnasium door—presumably off to a school infirmary—and someone took over for him, we resumed the game. This time, I wouldn't fuck up. This time, when Rainbow pitched the ball, and my foot collided with it, it went spinning through the air, hitting the far wall near the roof. Even as my teammates ran from their bases, I couldn't keep my eyes off the ball. After it ricocheted off the wall, it got stuck in the rafters.

"I, uh, I guess that's game!" Coach Iron Will shouted, giving an uneasy look from me to the ball now stuck in the rafters—a ball that probably wasn't going to be easy to get back. "Spitfire's team wins by three."

All of a sudden, I was surrounded by the team, and reminded that most of them were taller than me... and heavier than me. It was all I could do not to scream when several hands seized me and hoisted me into the air. I should've been freaking the fuck out at all this non-consensual touching. So why wasn't I?

Appreciation... For now, at least, the thrill of victory had overpowered the underlying hate throughout the school. Even if it was just a friendly game, they were genuinely happy. This was nothing like the unity I'd seen in the locker room. Was there some way I could create this on a school-wide scale?

~ 22 ~

I was never more thankful for my time on the boat from Nova Scotia to Gibraltar than I was when it came to the showers at CHS. Although they were individual stalls, they weren't of the full privacy variety. If you were tall enough, which I technically wasn't, you could make conversation with your neighbours, and all that separated you from the outside was a translucent plastic door. Worse, you still needed to to walk through wrapped in a towel, if you were even concerned about privacy.

Some girls evidently didn't feel the need. That was why I was thankful for my time on the ship. It wasn't a big cargo ship, but there were enough people on board that several were coming on or off shift, and there was only the one communal shower. Even if I'd still had any sort of preferences or libido at that point, sharing close quarters like that taught me to respect my neighbour, mind my own business, and that we were all only human.

To that extent, I was only marginally uncomfortable taking my quick shower with everything else going on around me. I'd have loved to have had more time, but I had to give others an opportunity to have their own post gym-class showers. That means just my hair, soap and rinse. I could enjoy the warmth of the shower and use my coat shampoo—er... I guess it was now body-wash—later.

That discomfort went up a bit when the person who stepped into the stall next to mine began to chat me up. "Hey, Emerald?" It was human Rainbow Dash. Of course it's her; next thing you know, I'm gonna be seeing Rarity's counterpart in the next class. "What's with the marks on your hips? I'm pretty sure everyone at least saw parts of them in class when your shirt shifted, and all the girls definitely saw them, but..."

I glanced down at myself at an angle, and for the first time—since I was actually paying attention this time—I noticed that she was right. Just as they had been on my flanks as a pony, my cutie mark was there on my hips, peeking out through the suds. "Just so we're clear, you mean the thing that looks like a bent question mark with a slash through it?" When she mumbled a 'Yeah,' I just hummed in thought. Hadn't Twilight or Sunset told them about cutie marks?

"Hard to explain briefly, and I'm not exactly comfortable chatting while I bathe," I said. "It's a cutie mark. Magically manifests on a pony's flanks when they discover their 'special talent'. Aunt Twilight's mark was a magenta starburst accompanied by five white stars and overlaid over a sixth. Might've manifested differently on her when she came through the portal."

After I was sure my shampoo had sat a sufficient amount of time, I leaned forward into the stream of water and let the heat soak into my scalp. "Was that all you wanted to ask?" I asked, beginning to rinse down the rest of the lather. "I'm supposed to shadow Miss Fluttershy while I'm here, and I don't want to keep her waiting."

I nearly screamed when a rainbow-haired head popped over the divider between our two stalls so that she could look me in the eye. "More of a warning," she said. The girl was holding herself up with her hands, so I could just see the cuts and bruises on her knuckles. "There's a girl here who's from your world... Sunset Shimmer." Her eyes had a hard look in them, and I could feel that righteous hatred that had riled up the girls once more. "She might try to get in your head, make you think she's your friend, but she's bad news. If you see her, walk the other way."

Shutting off the water, I reached for my towel. "You mean to warn me about Anon-a-Miss, do you?" I made direct eye-contact with her while I rubbed the moisture out of my hair and patted myself dry. "I'm well aware of what everyone believes." I had to bite my lip to ground myself, as I felt my own anger beginning to feed off hers. In little more than a harsh whisper "I'll probably be looking into a few things on behalf of my Aunt; if our kinsman is responsible, you have my word that she will be dealt with."

Wringing the towel dry and then wrapping it around myself, I gave her a dour look, and said, "However, if I find otherwise, I'm going to have a mess on my hooves defusing this powder-keg of a school before bunch of hormonal angry monkeys tries to lynch her."

The muscles in her bruised hand tensed, and she forced herself to look away, lowering her mouth behind the partition. I did my best to keep a sneer off my face as I said this next part. "I've seen what happens to those backed into corners when they think they have nothing left to lose. If it comes down to it, can I count on you and the other four to help prevent that?"

She didn't have an answer as I stepped out of the stall and made my way over to the locker I'd stashed my bag in. I wasted no time changing into my initial set of clothes. My skin was still feeling somewhat chilled in the locker room—Maybe my shower was too hot, so now everything feels cold?—so I threw my cloak on over top and waited in the hallway for my guide. For good measure, I threw my hood over my head for some extra warmth.

It took a few more minutes for her to meet me out there, and although she didn't say anything, I could tell something was up the minute that she stepped out. More than a few students had given me glances when passing me by. Some were confused, others curious, but more and more, I saw students looking at their phones and then looking at me with pity. Fluttershy didn't let slip though. It would be mean to say Fluttershy was in a state of perpetual fear, but she seemed genuinely scared and angry about something.

Through the halls we went, passing several different classrooms in varying states of emptying or refilling. Eventually, we reached a classroom marked Band Class, and she started to move for the door. A girl met us at the door, however... one that I recognised. For fuck's sake; are you kidding me? I was joking!

Between the flawless porcelain skin and the indigo curls, there was no mistaking Rarity. I was kinda surprised that her skirt matched her hair, but I think I was more surprised that she was there to meet us. "Fluttershy, darling!" she called out upon seeing my guide. "There you are!" Her drifted over to me, looking me up and down. I was almost wondering if she was gonna comment on my attire—surely she'd know her own handiwork—but instead she said simply, "I know you're not the Emerald Flicker I knew, dear, but nonetheless it's good to see you again."

"But Rarity, why meet us out here?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes glancing to the door. "Isn't class about to start soon?"

The young fashionista nodded, not taking her eyes off of me. "It's actually in regards to our guest here," she explained. I noticed that she had a smartphone, not unlike Sunset's clutched in her hand. "I ran into Ms. Luna in the hallway just now, and she asked me to relay a message since we'd be meeting in this class. She asked me to tell you to meet with her at the start of lunch. It seemed pretty important."

That actually got my interest. Had something come up in regards to Sunset's phone that they were required to act on? Mentally, I shook my head. They wouldn't need to read me in on that. Maybe it had to do with explaining why the staff at the school had actually allowed the situation to deteriorate as far as it had. It had escalated to vandalism of school property and students being outed as gay. Or were they under orders from the school board to give 'Sunset' enough rope to metaphorically hang herself?

Again, my eyes drifted to the phone clutched in her hand. "Any idea what it's about?" I asked.

The two girls shared an uncomfortable look. With a sigh, Rarity held up her phone. "I imagine it might have to do with this." I gently took it and looked at what was on the screen.
Posted by:
Anon-a-Miss twenty minutes ago.
OMG, you guys! Look who the grim reaper dragged in! It's Emerald Flicker! You all have been so happy to share each other's secrets with me, so I'm sure you've got some juicy deets on our dead girl's otherworldly clone. Someone has to have seen or heard something.
Lightning Dust: This girl can't be more than 13, but I swear to god, she's ****ing got tattoos on her hips!
Hoops: She broke down crying while running in the gym. She kept running with tears streamin' from her eyes, but she was smilin, too. It was kinda creepy.

Beneath that, I saw that somebody—the name slot was oddly blank—had managed to take some video from the end of the kickball game and appended it to a comment. Someone off to the side where the out of play students had gathered had evidently been watching with their phone, either hoping to catch me pulling a Charlie Brown or something equally embarrassing. Regardless, from this angle, I could see the shock and terror on Flash Sentry's face as the ball slammed into his nose.

"Ouch." I glanced to Fluttershy, showing her the video. "Did I break his nose?" Flutters looked ill, but shook her head. "Good. Didn't mean to even hit him, and as funny as it might've seemed at the time, I'd've felt guilty." I realised that I was smiling. It was hard not to, since this thread wasn't exactly the sort of thing you could easily schedule. Without even knowing it, they'd played and lost the first hand of the game. That said, I couldn't exactly explain why to the others yet. "Nothing too bad here though. Given the way the walls seem to have ears, though, I'm sure they'll have something eventually."

Rarity's discomforted look hadn't abated, and she reached over. Her well-manicured finger tapped the screen just below the comment with the video. A woman by the name of Cookie Crumbles—Isn't that Rarity and Sweetie Belle's Mom?—had left a message tagging Rarity asking if this was real... and then a follow up message tagging one Emerald Breeze asking if she had any idea what was going on at the school. I guess she's on the PTA and has been keeping an eye on the account.

"Oh fuck me sideways," I murmured, pinching the bridge of my nose with my free hand. Handing the phone back to Rarity, I slumped against the wall. Yep, that would definitely warrant a meeting with the boss ladies. "Should've seen that one coming."

Author's Note

Motu is the Maori word for island, and Hoiho is the maori word for horse.
Xiaoma is chinese for Pony, written with the characters for small and horse.

Coach Iron Will looks like Omniman in my head.

Several threads and hooks have been set. Just what happened to this world's Emerald, and how did it differ from the dream that Anon had? What will happen if she ends up meeting said Dead Girl's mother?

For that matter, how will Anon deal with the way ~~Seven~~Fate~~s~~ keeps throwing Twilight's friends at her? What sort of demonstration will she make in Band Class? How will she catch out that pesky Anon a Miss once and for all? But surely, it can't be as simple as just following the plot from the comic. What sort of twists have I in store for you?

Find out on the next episode of "Dead Meme Z."