"Mr. Doodle!" Trixie anxiously shuffles to the front of the classroom moments after the bell signifying the end of class rang. Her grouchy teacher slowly looks up from his belongings, which he has just finished packing up. "When you said the trigonometry exam was tomorrow, did you mean tomorrow tomorrow or-"
"The next time you walk into this classroom, you're going to take the exam."
Mr. Doodle's voice is deep and serious. He glares at Trixie with a familiarity that implies he's had this conversation before.
"B-but surely... ah, that's right!" Trixie suddenly beams happily and claps her hands together. "Trixie has... er, a show tomorrow! Yes, that's right. I completely forgot! I will be unable to attend class!"
Mr. Doodle sighs.
"Even if that counted as an excused absence, you'd still have to take the exam the next time you were in here." The tired teacher turns away from his anxious student and begins to walk towards the door. "You've known about this exam for weeks."
Without another word, he exits the classroom. The last of the few remaining students depart as well, leaving Trixie alone with her increasingly worried thoughts. Slowly, she brings a hand to her face and brushes a few loose hairs to the side.
She didn't study. At all.
With a deep sigh, she closes her eyes and sits back down at her desk. Trigonometry is her last class period of the day, so she's free to go home. Wait, did she have band practice this afternoon? No, they canceled today. To... study for their trig exam. Right.
"Well, it appears that Trixie will simply have to stuuuuuu. To studuuuu. To studdddd." She can't even say it. "...It appears that Trixie will simply have to head home and hope for the best."
After gathering her things, she slowly trudges out of the classroom and down the large, noise-filled halls of Canterlot High. On multiple occasions, she accidentally brushes up against some student or another. Everyone is in a rush to get home, apparently. She hears the word "exam" among the sea of voices a couple of times, which only causes her to further increase her pace.
When she finally makes it out the front doors of the school, she breathes a sigh of relief. The setting autumn sun bathes the campus in warm light, and a gentle breeze makes up for the warmer-than-usual temperature. After adjusting her lazily secured bag, she starts to head home. Her house isn't too far from the school, and she craves her couch right now. It's a good thing she lives in a world with a miraculously thriving economy, otherwise she wouldn't be able to afford a house on a failing high school magician's salary.
As she walks, her thoughts keep drifting away from her. No, not to the trig exam. Instead, she can't get her mind off of a new trick she's been practicing. It is, quite literally, all smoke and mirrors. It's extremely difficult to set up and even more difficult to pull off, but she's getting so close to getting it right. She hasn't had time to study for some cruddy exam!
Ugh, if only she didn't have to take it!
"Princess Twilight doesn't think it's such a good idea."
A nearby voice causes Trixie to perk up. She sneakily hides behind the school's infamous statue, which doubles as a portal to Equestria. Her striking white-and-blue hair is easily visible as she completely fails to peer around the corner stealthily, but she doesn't know that.
"She's not the only one. Things didn't go so well when I tried to mess with Equestrian magic, remember?"
"Sure, but aren't you curious?"
Not far from the statue, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle are having a lighthearted conversation as they both peer into what looks like an open journal of some kind. Trixie recognizes that journal, of course. Sunset walks around with it all the time. What are they talking about, though?
"Of course I am, but trying to send an identification spell through the portal to find your counterpart in this world just... doesn't seem wise. Assuming it even works in the first place, of course."
Sunset sighs.
"I know, I know. You're both right. I just wish I knew more about her. Where is she? Heck, who is she?! You and Princess Twilight met with pretty much no problems, so where is the other me?"
Right, Trixie remembers. The Twilight Sparkle she first met isn't from this world. She's a pony from Equestria. The Twilight going to Canterlot High now is originally from this world. Apparently they're trying to find the other Sunset Shimmer.
Trixie shrugs and begins to turn around before suddenly freezing as a thought shoots through her mind.
The other Twilight Sparkle? The other Sunset Shimmer?
"I trust the other me to know if a spell like that is dangerous or not. I mean, she's a princess! She's gotta be a whole lot smarter than me when it comes to-"
"Twilight Sparkle! Sunset Shimmer!" Trixie cuts the pair off as she "reveals" herself from behind the statue. The two girls look at her with bewilderment, especially as she points at them accusingly. "What is this I'm hearing about other selves?!"
"W-well, we were just discussing how we all seem to have counterparts in Equestria. Or, in my case, here."
"And what about the Great and Powerful Trixie's?!"
"I... huh?"
"You can use that book to speak to your other selves, can you not?!"
"N-no! This just lets me talk to Princess Twi-"
Trixie glares at Twilight as she cuts Sunset off.
"If you are to swap information with your smarter self, then it is only fair that you allow Trixie to do so as well!"
Twilight blinks before tilting her head in confusion.
"What?"
"Trixie needs to have a word with... T-Trixie."
"..."
"..."
A cold breeze briefly blows over the three. Sunset and Twilight exchange a glance as they have an entire, silent conversation with their eyes.
"She's not serious, is she?"
"It's Trixie we're talking about."
"Well, what should we do? Tell her to screw off?"
"No, we shouldn't be mean unnecessarily. She's probably just curious, right?"
"Would Princess Twilight even be okay with that?"
"..."
The pair looks back at Trixie with anxious smiles on their faces.
"L-let's ask Princess Twilight what she thinks, hm?"
Sunset turns away from Trixie and begins furiously writing in the book. Trixie walks closer to her and tries to peer over her shoulder, having just enough time to read the words "She's at the castle now, actually!"
Sunset groans. With half-lidded eyes, she practically shoves the journal into Trixie's chest, slightly winding her.
"I'm giving you ten minutes. And you'd better not break it!"
Trixie laughs a boisterous laugh.
"Trixie would never!"
With a mischievous smirk on her face making her less-than-stellar intentions completely obvious, Trixie begins writing with extreme passion and almost completely illegible handwriting.
"Greetings, Trixie! It is I, your taller and equally great and powerful human self!"
After a few moments, more writing starts to appear underneath Trixie's. It's just as illegible as her own writing, but she seems to have no problem deciphering it.
"Trixie doubts you are even remotely as great and powerful."
"Trixie's greatness and powerfulness are not to be questioned! You should be humbled that I am contacting you at all!"
"Trixie does not feel humbled in the slightest. In fact, this conversation is rather insulting. I am going to give Twilight the journal back now."
"No, wait! Trixie needs your help!"
"Trixie is listening."
"Trixie has it on good authority that our pony selves are smarter than our human selves. The humble and gracious Trixie, thus, requires a favor."
"Smarter?" The writing stops for a few seconds before appearing once more. "Indeed! Trixie is a genius!"
"Great! Then, would you be willing to swap places with Trixie tomorrow?"
"What?! Of course not! Trixie has a show tomorrow!"
"Well, Trixie has a trigonometry exam tomorrow that she is sure to fail! Surely you are more capable than I of performing well!"
Once more, the writing seems to hesitate before appearing again.
"Trixie is incredible at trixonometry. But that doesn't mean the show isn't still important!"
"Trixie can perform your show in your stead. Surely your audience would appreciate some fresh, new magic?"
"Perhaps Trixie's show has been getting a bit stale. Still, it'll take more than that!"
"Trixie can pay in peanut butter crackers."
"How many?"
"Ten packs."
"Twenty."
"Fifteen."
"Deal. Give Trixie a few minutes to get Starlight's help going behind Twilight's back."
With a smile on her face, Trixie closes the journal and hands it back to Sunset Shimmer.
"What were you talking about?" Sunset asks with a judgemental look on her face.
"None of your business. You can move along now."
"We were here first."
"And?"
"..."
Sunset and Twilight exchange another glance before sharing an exasperated sigh. Wordlessly, they walk away. Behind them, Trixie smirks and turns towards the statue, impatiently tapping her foot as she does so.
Trixie stumbles as she makes her way through the crowded hallway. This "trig" class is supposed to start in just a couple of minutes. The fact that she isn't used to these "feet" things means that she can barely get from point A to point B, and the large bag that the other Trixie forced onto her isn't making it any easier.
...Wait. Where is the class?
Trixie continues to trip and stumble over herself as she peers into every door she passes by. How is she supposed to know which one is hers? Ugh, darn that Trixie and her lack of clarity!
"Are you lost, Miss Lulamoon?"
Trixie turns around to face the woman that just addressed her, immediately gasping upon seeing her. She tilts her neck slightly to look up at the tall, well-dressed woman. A smile is draped across her magenta-gray face. Between the multicolored hair and familiar sun-shaped pin on her collar, Trixie immediately recognizes who this is.
"P-princess Celestia?!"
Celestia chuckles.
"That's 'Principal Celestia,' actually. I'm sure all that studying for your trigonometry exam wore you out, but I didn't think it was this bad."
As she speaks, her voice carries a sort of weight to it, which makes Trixie even more anxious. However, Trixie doesn't say anything. As far as she knows, Equestria's Celestia sounds like that too. She nervously gulps and tries to hide the cold sweat forming on her brow.
"R-right! T-Trixie is just... very tired!"
"Well, good thing you made it before the bell rang."
Celestia gently grabs Trixie by the shoulders and guides her through a door mere feet away just as the bell rings. Looking out at the sea of desks, Trixie realizes that she doesn't know where she is supposed to sit, either. Thankfully for her, she's the last one to arrive, and only one desk is still open. And hey, she only trips one time on her way to it!
Once she has gotten situated, she notices how uncomfortably quiet the class is. A few hushed whispers are the only sounds as everyone looks to the front of the class, where Mr. Doodle is noticeably absent. However, Principal Celestia is ruffling through a few papers on the teacher's desk, apparently having some trouble with something. After a short while, she clears her throat and smiles.
"Mr. Doodle is out sick today, so I'll be administering in his stead. You have until the end of the period. If you finish early, you can quietly put your exam on my desk and head home for the day." The smile never leaving her face, she closes her eyes and claps her hands together. "You may begin."
Trixie flips the packet resting on her desk face-up. She reaches for a nearby pencil, but she immediately drops it. Confound these "fingers!" With some difficulty, she leans down to pick it up, only to drop it a second time. Then again. And again.
After several minutes of sheer embarrassment, she manages to write her name on the exam. With a satisfied grunt, she begins to read the first question. She's gonna crush this.
...
What's a cosine?
Trixie sighs as she hears the bell ring. The few students remaining in the classroom approach Celestia's desk and place their exams onto an unkempt pile. After hesitating for a moment, Trixie does the same. Celestia smiles at her, and Trixie smiles right back.
"So? How did it go?"
"Splendidly. The Great and Studious Trixie is an expert at trigobobetry."
"Hmhm. Are you certain?"
"Er... yes?"
Celestia continues to smile at Trixie, but there is a hint of mischievousness in her eyes.
"Well, that's nice. You're free to go."
"G-good!"
Unsure of why she's so nervous, Trixie shuffles out of the classroom. She did great on the exam, she's sure of it. Now she just has to get home to those sweet sweet crackers.
As she reaches the main entrance, however, she notices that Celestia has caught up with her. Celestia chuckles as she opens the door for her.
"I'm going to head home, too. Care to walk with me?"
"W-well, Trixie wouldn't want to intrude."
"Nonsense. It's a short walk."
Celestia practically forces Trixie out the door, and she's not sure how she's going to slip into the statue unseen. The two slowly walk side-by-side for a moment before Trixie clears her throat.
"O-oh, Trixie forgot something in her locker! You should go on ahe-"
"What do you mean? Your bag is right there."
Celestia motions to the bag on Trixie's back.
"Er... right. I just... right."
Why is she making Trixie so nervous? She isn't even her Celestia!
Unable to muster the courage to say any more, Trixie continues to walk alongside the smiling principal with wide eyes. However, to her surprise, Celestia comes to a stop in front of the magical statue.
"Here we are."
"Here we... are?"
"This is your stop, isn't it?"
Trixie blinks as she slowly turns towards Celestia. She's still smiling, but the warmth from before is gone. The smile is cold. Empty.
Knowing.
"Uhh..."
"We can't have ponies or people going back and forth all willy-nilly. There are emergencies, of course, but I think we both know that cheating on an exam isn't an emergency."
"You knew?!"
"Yes, and she's not the only one."
Celestia's voice responds to Trixie, but it doesn't come from Principal Celestia. Instead, it comes from the base of the statue, which is now shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. After a moment, two figures emerge from it. The first figure is a second Celestia, almost completely identical to the one standing in front of Trixie. Meanwhile, this newly arrived Celestia is dragging the second arrival by the collar.
Oh dear.
"Let Trixie go!"
Trixie suddenly freezes as she locks eyes with Trixie. Trixie and Trixie both fall silent, immediately understanding that they've been caught.
The two Celestias cross their arms and exchange a humored glance.
"How did you know?"
"The writing doesn't just disappear from Sunset's journal, you know. She saw your whole conversation, and she was sure to inform both of us about your little plan." Both Trixies go red in the face and look at the ground in shame. "Now, I think it's about time everyone went back to their original homes."
To pony Trixie's surprise, the Celestia she had spent the past couple of hours with steps towards the statue, while the one that was dragging the human Trixie through said statue steps away from it.
"W-wait. You swapped places too?"
"I wouldn't be a very good principal if I let anything happen to my students on school grounds. And since this statue is technically still on school grounds, I... accompanied her. Same with your princess."
Princess Celestia, in a similar motion to her human counterpart, grabs pony Trixie by the collar.
"Let's get going. I'm sure Twilight has more than a few choice words for you."
"We should get going as well. I'm just dying to see what you got on your 'trigobobetry' exam."
The two Trixies exchange looks of horror as pony Trixie is dragged back through the portal.
This might have been a bad idea.
"She did what on my stage?!"
"She doesn't know basic division?!"
Author's Note
As always, I appreciate any and all feedback!
