by G. M. Berrow
“Well, I did and I was about to get it before you swooped in and ruined everything! You shouldn’t just pick up things that don’t belong to you,” she growled. Whatever this other two-legged person had dropped must have been really important to be so mean to someone else.
“It really doesn’t belong to you, either,” Fluttershy squeaked.
“You really are pathetic, Fluttershy. It’s no wonder your best friends are all stray animals.”
Twilight couldn’t bear to listen to her friend be treated like this. It was just so mean!
“How dare you speak to her that way!” Twilight interjected as she stepped into view. A hush fell over the hall, and everyone else stopped to watch the scene unfold. Apparently, standing up to her was a big deal or something.
The bully spun around. A look of anger flashed across her big green eyes. “What did you say?!” she bellowed, hooves on her hips. Well, not hooves, but… whatever.
Now that Twilight got a better look, she could see the bully was very fashionable. Her short orange skirt and black leather jacket made her look tough and showed some attitude. The girl crossed her arms defensively and took a few slow steps closer to Twilight.
“I said”—Twilight stepped forward, too—“How dare you speak to her that way!”
“You must be new here,” the red-and-golden-haired two-leg sneered. Her eyes darted around at the small audience that had gathered to gawk at Twilight’s bold move. “I can speak to anyone any way I want!” she shouted before shoving Twilight out of the way and storming off down the corridor.
A dozen whispered conversations erupted in every direction. Surely, everyone was wondering who Twilight was and where she had come from.
Fluttershy smoothed down her light green skirt and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. “I can’t believe that you stood up to Sunset Shimmer! Nobody ever does,” she cooed, looking at Twilight as if she were some sort of hero, like the Mare Do Well of Ponyville. “Everyone is afraid of that girl.”
“Sunset Shimmer?!” Twilight shouted. Now that’s why the bully seemed so familiar. It was just the pony—er, girl, she was looking for. Twilight smiled. It wouldn’t be long before she and Spike would retrieve the crown and head straight back to Equestria. Totally easy!
“You’ve heard of her?” Fluttershy pushed a lock of her shiny pink hair behind her ear. It drew attention to her butterfly-shaped barrette. It looked exactly like the real Fluttershy’s cutie mark. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Did you just transfer to Canterlot High from another school?”
So that’s what this building was supposed to be! “Um, yes. Another… school,” Twilight replied. This sure was an odd-looking school, but that definitely made more sense than a castle. “My name’s Twilight,” she said with a smile.
“I’m Fluttershy,” Fluttershy whispered, barely audible. “And, oh my goodness, who’s this sweet little guy?” Fluttershy bent down to give Spike a pat on the head. Then she unzipped her bag and pulled out a treat. Spike wagged his tail and wolfed it down right away.
“That’s Spike! My… dog,” Twilight said.
“He’s so cute.” Fluttershy grinned at the pup. Spike looked up at Fluttershy appreciatively and tried to make a convincing bark sound. Twilight suppressed a laugh.
“So, Fluttershy, Sunset Shimmer said you picked something up. Something that belonged to her,” Twilight said. “It was a crown, wasn’t it?”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“Um, lucky guess?” Twilight offered. “Do you still have it?”
“No,” Fluttershy whispered. “But I know what happened to it.”
Searching for Celestia
“Oh, really?” Twilight said. She’d been listening patiently while Fluttershy recounted a lengthy story about how Canterlot’s animal shelter was in trouble. Fluttershy was doing all she could to help them by trying to recruit new volunteers before and after school. So far, not many students had signed up. It was a sweet story and all, but Twilight was in a hurry. This was a royal emergency!
“So you were passing out flyers before school this morning and the crown just hit you in the head?” Twilight asked. It must have come through the portal at the base of the statue out front.
“I have no idea how it got there,” Fluttershy explained, shaking her head. “But I didn’t want anything to happen to it, so I decided to give it to Principal Celestia.”
“She’s the ruler here?” Twilight asked. Finally she was making some progress.
“I guess you could say that.” Fluttershy shrugged. “Technically, I guess she and Vice Principal Luna do make the rules. Principal Celestia’s office is the third door on the left, if you want to talk to her.” Fluttershy pointed down the long hallway.
“Thank you!” Twilight replied, turning to leave. Spike followed dutifully.
“Oh, wait!” Fluttershy called out behind her. “You’re not really supposed to have pets on school grounds. Might want to tuck him into your backpack. That’s what I do.” Fluttershy unzipped her bag to reveal a fuzzy bunny, a little bird, and a kitten all cuddling one another. Twilight smirked. Same old Fluttershy!
Twilight hated to do it—but it was better to hide Spike in her bag than to risk drawing even more attention to herself. Twilight unzipped the backpack and bent down to Spike.
He was pouting. She just shrugged helplessly. He sighed. “Backpack it is…” he conceded as he jumped in.
As soon as Twilight entered Principal Celestia’s office, she could tell she was on the right path. She’d always found comfort in Celestia’s guidance back in Equestria. This version—with her flowing pastel locks of blue, lavender, and green—seemed no different. She sat behind a desk, wearing a honey-colored blazer, and was busy writing something. As usual, she seemed calm and put together. The perfect teacher. And now Twilight was a student again.
“How may I help you?” said Principal Celestia, gesturing for Twilight to make herself comfortable. Twilight was careful to set her bag down gently so as not to hurt Spike. She unzipped it a little so he could see.
“Um, uh…” Twilight stammered. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle. I’m new here and—”
Principal Celestia raised her eyebrows at Twilight inquisitively. It was probably better to just cut to the chase. Twilight continued. “I understand that Fluttershy found a crown this morning and gave it you.”
“Yes. Vice Principal Luna put it somewhere for safekeeping,” Principal Celestia said, and smiled. “Why? Were you interested in running for princess of the Fall Formal this year?”
“Princess of the Fall Formal?” Twilight asked. She was about to tell Principal Celestia that the crown was actually hers, but this was intriguing. It seemed that they had princesses in this realm, too. And from the looks of things back in the hallway, it was possible that Sunset Shimmer was currently reigning.
“It’s Canterlot High’s big fall dance!” Celestia explained. She motioned to a poster on the wall advertising the event. Pictures of blue balloons and mugs of fizzy cider adorned the edges, along with all the details of the event. It looked just like the Grand Galloping Gala.
“We had something like it at my old… school,” Twilight said, nodding.
“And was there a princess?” Celestia asked, her eyes warm.
“Yes, but she wasn’t exactly a student.” Twilight giggled. It was amusing to be explaining to this Celestia that there was a princess back in her Canterlot as well. Twilight, of course, left out the fact that it was a pony version of the principal herself.
Celestia nodded. “Here at Canterlot High, the students select one of their peers to represent them. She receives her crown at the Fall Formal.”
Twilight was starting to get an idea. “Can anyone run for princess?”
“Yes, you just need to let the head of the Fall Formal Planning Committee know you’d like to be on the ballot,” Principal Celestia said, but she seemed to sense that Twilight had lots of unspoken questions. “W
as there anything else?”
“Um, no. That was it,” Twilight lied. What was she supposed to say? Hi, I’m actually a pony princess from another realm. Can I have the crown back right now, please and thank you?
Princess Celestia smiled. “Well, if you need anything else, my door is always open.”
Outside in the hallway, Spike popped his head out of the bag. “Twilight, what are you doing?! Why didn’t you just tell her the crown was yours and ask for it back?”
“What if she didn’t believe me?” Twilight said.
She knew it was the right choice not to mention the crown or Equestria to Principal Celestia. Based on her earlier interactions with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Sunset Shimmer, it was clear that nobody here recognized her at all. And one thing was for sure—she would think anypony that came to Ponyville saying he or she was from a place filled with talking animals that walked on two legs was crazy.
“Looks like if I want my crown back, I’ll have to become princess of the Canterlot High Fall Formal.” Twilight lifted her chin decidedly. “So that’s what I’m going to do.”
After all, she’d already become a princess back in Equestria, right? How hard could it be? Except she only had a few days. Twilight looked to Spike. He seemed skeptical of this plan, but it was the only one she had.
Now if only she knew how to accomplish it.
A Lunchroom Divided
It didn’t seem possible, but the Canterlot High cafeteria was even more crowded than the hallways. The massive room was packed. Tons of chattering students sat at the long white tables that were lined up in the center of the room. Everyone was just hanging out and seemed to be having a great time.
Various school flags and posters hung high up on the walls, above the tall windows. Some of the signs said GO, CHS! and some had swirly gold writing that read WONDERCOLTS. The energy of the room reminded Twilight of a party in the big barn at Sweet Apple Acres, but a lot shinier. And a lot noisier.
Twilight watched the scene with mild curiosity while standing in the lunch line behind her new (and only) friend at school. It was still a little awkward using her “hands,” so balancing her lunch tray was no small task. She followed close behind Fluttershy, hoping to blend in. It was working so far.
Fluttershy handed her tray to the lunch lady, who scooped a big glob of unidentified orange food onto her plate. When Twilight handed hers over, she nearly dropped it because the lunch lady looked so much like Applejack’s grandmother Granny Smith. Chances were that it was Granny Smith, which made Twilight wonder whom else she might run into from back home.
But she wasn’t here to socialize. Twilight was here on a mission.
“Fluttershy? I’ve decided to run for princess of the Fall Formal, and I was wondering if you might be able to help—”
At this, Fluttershy’s jaw dropped and so did her fruit cup. Juice splattered everywhere, including all over Twilight’s purple skirt. Fluttershy scrambled to look for a napkin. Luckily, Granny Smith tossed her a dishrag.
“Oh, gosh. Sorry!” she whimpered. “It’s just that running for Fall Formal princess is a really, really, really bad idea.”
“Why?” asked Twilight, trying to dab some juice off her skirt.
“You seem really nice, and I really appreciate you standing up for me earlier.…” Fluttershy seemed hesitant to break the news. She looked around the cafeteria and lowered her voice. “But Sunset Shimmer wants to be Fall Formal princess. And when she wants something, she gets it.”
The two girls took their trays to one of the long tables and sat down. “She’ll make life miserable for anyone who stands in her way!” Fluttershy said. She took a tiny bite of the orange glop on her plate and made a face. It must have tasted pretty awful.
“Well, I have to try,” said Twilight, determined.
Twilight appreciated Fluttershy’s concern, but Fluttershy didn’t really know what was at stake here for Equestria. There was no way she could have, seeing as she knew nothing about the pony world and its inhabitants.
“But you’d have to persuade all the groups to vote for you instead of her,” explained Fluttershy. She motioned to the other tables, each one filled with a different category of students. Twilight soon learned that there were a bunch of different cliques at Canterlot High School. On one side of the cafeteria sat a table of athletes all tossing a ball to one another. Rainbow Dash was among them. Nearby, the fashionistas were all reading magazines and applying brightly colored makeup. And next to them was the table Fluttershy called the “dramas”—they all seemed to be reading lines from some sort of play. The other side of the cafeteria had even more groups, including the eco kids, the techies, and the rockers!
Twilight stared at the rocker table, specifically at the blue-haired boy who’d helped her in the hallway. He was strumming a red electric guitar and looking out the window dreamily. He looked kind of cute. For a weird two-legged animal, Twilight thought, smirking.
“Why is everypony—I mean, everybody separated this way?” Twilight pondered aloud.
Fluttershy sighed. “At CHS, everybody sticks to their own kind. The only thing they have in common is that they know Sunset Shimmer is going to rule this school until we graduate.”
“Not if I can help it!” Twilight said. She leaned down to her tray and bit into an apple just as she would have back home in Ponyville. She didn’t even realize she was still trying to eat like a pony until Fluttershy made a weird face. She was going to have to be more careful not to act like her old self from now on. Twilight wanted to impress the population of Canterlot High, not scare them!
Twilight removed the apple from her teeth and gave an embarrassed chuckle. “So, um, where would I find the head of the Party Planning Committee?”
After all, this was the only plan Twilight had. So she was sticking to it. Not even the horrified expression on Fluttershy’s face could stop her.
Fluttershy had refused to come along, but luckily, it had been easy enough for Twilight and Spike to find the gymnasium from Fluttershy’s directions. After they’d wandered through several halls that were lined with “lockers” and doors to classrooms, Twilight saw it. The piles of boxes outside the door labeled DANCE DECORATIONS hinted that they had found what—or whom, rather—they were looking for.
“Incoming!” shrieked a voice from across the Canterlot High gymnasium. Twilight and Spike ducked to narrowly avoid being hit in the head with a bright pink streamer that soared through the air. Streamers of sunshine yellow and sky blue soon followed, soaring through the rafters like some sort of party attack.
When it was all over, a girl with bright pink hair and a smile from ear to ear popped up. “Sorry about that. You really gotta chuck ’em if you want to get ’em up there!” She giggled. Judging by her wild mane of curly pink hair, her bubbly demeanor, and the picture of three balloons on her bright pink party skirt, Twilight had a pretty good idea of who this girl might be.
“Hi. My name’s Twilight Sparkle and…” Twilight said, hoping to run through this introduction quickly. She was starting to get worried. The clock was ticking away.
“Oooh. Pretty name,” the girl cooed. “I’m Pinkie Pie!”
“Somehow, I knew that,” Twilight joked.
“Really? Are you psychic?!” Pinkie started to blow up a shiny blue balloon, then stopped suddenly. She eyed Twilight with suspicion. “Who is going to win Canterlot Idol? No, no. Don’t tell me! But seriously, can you predict the future?!” It all spilled out faster than a kicked-over mug of apple cider.
“Uhh… I don’t think so,” Twilight said, unsure. Was that something they could do in this realm? “Fluttershy said this is where I’d find the head of the Fall Formal Planning Committee. I’m going to guess that’s you.”
Pinkie’s face turned a little bit sour. “Fluttershy, huh? Don’t let that whole shy thing fool you. She can be a real meanie.”
Of all the things she’d seen and heard so far, this was the most surprising. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy not get
ting along? Never in a million years would Twilight have expected that. “You two aren’t friends?” she asked.
Pinkie let go of the balloon in her hand. It shot off, releasing its air in a pitiful loop before landing on the ground. “Not anymore,” Pinkie sighed. She skipped over to a pile of decorations in the corner and grabbed a neon-pink clipboard.
“Anyhoo, just need to fill this out and you are officially up for the coveted princess of the Fall Formal crown!” Pinkie said. “Even if you did wait a bit to get your name on the ballot. The dance is the day after tomorrow!”
Twilight awkwardly scrawled her name on the sheet, trying her best to use her “hand” things to write. Man, she missed her horn. Back in Ponyville, drafting up letters and spells was a total cinch. She secretly hoped no one would notice how bad her writing looked.
“Wow. You have really bad handwriting. It’s like you never held a pen before.” Pinkie Pie giggled at the idea. Well, so much for that, thought Twilight.
“Someone order a dozen cases of fizzy apple cider?” A blond girl wearing a brown cowgirl hat and boots walked into the gym, and a tall boy in a red shirt was trailing behind her. He was carrying a bunch of crates.
“Me! Me! Me!” Pinkie said, bouncing up and down. “Thanks, Applejack! Thanks, Big Mac!”
“Eeeeyup,” said the boy version of Big Mac, before going out to grab more crates.
Applejack suddenly noticed Twilight’s presence. “Hey! You’re the new girl who gave Sunset Shimmer the what for in the hall today.” Twilight wasn’t sure if this was going to turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing.
Pinkie started to help Applejack unload bottles of cider, licking her lips at the sugary beverage.
“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” she said. “I’m going to run against Sunset Shimmer for princess of the Fall Formal.”
“Who-ee, Sugarcube! I’d think twice about that. Watch out for the backstabbin’.” Applejack shook her head then added, “ ’Bout the only girl at this school you can trust less than Sunset Shimmer is Rainbow Dash.”