The Human Lifestyle
Prologue
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Twilight waved as the train to Manehatten left, taking Rarity and Applejack off to handle the friendship problem the map had summoned them for.
Once it was out of sight, however, her whole body sagged, her ears splaying back.
She wished the map had chosen her, too. She wanted so desperately for something to do.
Turning, she slowly plodded her way back towards her castle. What was she going to do now? She hadn’t been joking when she told Spike she’d read everything in the library. In fact, during the time it had taken Applejack and Rarity to get ready to leave, Twilight had even resorted to delving into Spike’s comic book collection. She’d finished it all several minutes before the two mares had returned. She’d been worried Spike’s jaw had become dislocated with how it had hung open like it did.
Thinking of this reminded her of that time Spike bought that enchanted comic book that pulled them all into the story of the Power Ponies.
She sighed. If only she could just hope into another world like that. At least then she’d have something to do. But where would she be able to just find something to send her to... another... world...?
The lavender Alicorn stopped, straightening up, her eyes widening, before they began to shine. Of course! That’s what she could do!
With a new goal in mind, Twilight shot down the road at speeds that would put Rainbow Dash to shame. Hurrying into her castle, Twilight went back into the castle library, where the portal to the alternate world resided.
Glancing around, she looked for any books she might want to take with her. Holding a hoof to her chin, she shrugged and decided there’d be plenty of new books for her to read in the other world.
Moving towards the portal, she was about to entered it, when she remembered Spike. He’d gone off after the train left to speak with Big Macintosh about something, so he had no idea she was going on a sudden trip.
True, she didn’t plan to be over in Sunset’s world long, maybe a couple hours, then she’d come right back.
Still, last thing she needed was Spike coming back to the castle, find her nowhere around and panic. Last time that happened, back when they still lived in the Golden Oaks Library, he hadn’t left her side for days after.
She inwardly chuckled, remembering how amusing it had been with him insisting he slept in bed with her, like back when he’d been a little hatchling, and how he tried to act cool about it, when, if anything, it was just adorable to have him curled up next to her.
It really reminded her how she was very much like Spike’s mother, even if she’d been a filly at the time she got him.
Lighting her horn, she pulled over a sheet of paper and a quill and wrote down a quick message:
Spike, I’ve gone to Canterlot High to see Sunset and the others. Will be back in a few hours.
Don’t eat any of the gemstones in the pantry. I’ve counted them all and measured the shape and sizes, so I will know if you do.
Twilight
Giving the letter a few quick once-overs, Twilight nodded, happy with it, before levitating it over to the desk she’d been sitting at.
With her letter written, Twilight moved over to the portal. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, passing through the portal.
The moment she’d completely vanished through the spiraling gate, however, the portal flashed, the journal dropping off from its resting place and falling onto a tower of books, causing the tower to tumble down into a big pile.
The force of the falling tower caused a small draft, pushing the letter Twilight had addressed to Spike to fly into the air. It drifted until being whisked out a window due to a sudden breeze.
The letter floated through the air, before settling face down in a small mud puddle.
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“I can’t believe how high Twilight and Sunset’s score were on that test!” Rainbow Dash groaned as the seven girls walked out of the school and down the steps towards where the portal to Equestria stood. “They both made it look easy!”
Sunset couldn’t help feeling a little saddened by the lack of the Wondercolts statue that had once stood over the portal. Even the unintentional compliment Dash had given her didn’t help that. It had been a comforting reminder of Equestria to her, as if the horse had been a guardian watching over the portal.
“By the way, Twilight,” Fluttershy spoke up, “I love the new ponytail.”
The glasses wearing girl blushed slightly. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I think it does suit me more.”
No longer was she wearing her Crystal Prep uniform anymore. Now, she was wearing a yellow shirt underneath a purple vest, purple shorts, white socks and black buckle shoes.
“So, anybody got any plans for the weekend?” Applejack asked as they neared the statue.
“Not really,” the Equestrian admitted, folding her arms behind her head. “Unless anyone has any ideas, it’s going to be pretty boring, really.”
“My parents and I are still trying to handle everything with Principal Cinch,” Twilight said dejectedly, her good mood quickly fading.
“How well is that going, exactly, darling?” Rarity asked with a look of concern.
Twilight hugged herself, looking down. “Cinch isn’t letting it go. She keeps insisting that I was acting out on my own. When they confronted her about threatening my place at Everton, she called me a flat out lying. And Shining Armour’s so sure Crystal Prep’s never done anything wrong, he’s siding with her. Frankly, after what I did, I can’t say I blame them.”
At once, Sunset frowned, putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Twilight, that wasn’t your fault. She’s the one who made you use the magic when you had no idea what it would do.”
“Yeah and it’s not like she can argue against the recordings once the police hear them anyway,” Pinkie chirped.
The other six girls blinked, before slowly turning to look at the bubbly girl with worried looks.
“Um, when you say recordings...” Rainbow Dash asked nervously.
“Yeah. Cinch’ll be shocked when she finds out Dean Cadance slipped a recording bug into the office a few days before she threatened Twi’s chances at Everton if she didn’t go along with the games even when she didn’t want to,” the poofy harried teen said, reaching into her pocket, pulling out a cupcake with rainbow frosting and taking a bite out of it.
It was several moments before she noticed all the girls staring at her with dumb-founded expressions.
“What... what recording bug?” Twilight asked, shaking her head.
“And how would you know Dean Cadance planted one in the first place?” Rainbow asked, confused skepticism clear in her expression.
Pinkie gave her an odd look. “Uh, the day we both went to Crystal Prep to spy on them, silly,” she said, waving a hand. “Duh.”
“Wait.” Dash blinked, her eyes widening. “When could you possibly have seen that?”
“As we were floating up in the air with those balloons I inflated after you said you wanted a better view, I could see Dean Cadance through the window of Principal Cinch’s office and saw her hiding it inside one of the many trophies she keeps in there.”
Dash opened her mouth to respond, closed it, opened it again, then smacked herself in the face. “Why do I bother asking anymore?”
“Well, odd as it was to hear this from Pinkie of all people,” Sunset said, turning back to smile at Twilight, “if Dean Cadance has actual recordings of Cinch threatening you, that doesn’t bode well for her.”
“Yeah,” Applejack grinned, folding her arms. “Ah’d like t’ see how she explains her own voices threaten Twi future just t’ win a game.”
Twilight’s body eased and she smiled around at all her friends.
They all turned to leave, when a sound all but one of the group of seven recognized registered in their ears, along with a loud cry that all of them knew, even the newest member, though it shocked her to hear it.
Whirling around, they all saw a girl with lavender skin, where a light-blue blouse, a purple skirt with a marking quite similar to the barrette in their newest friend’s hair, white socks and black buckle shoes.
However, as said friend pushed herself up, all seven gasped, six for a whole different reason than one of them.
It was indeed the same Princess Twilight Sparkle in human form six of them had come to know as their friend... but she was far younger than before.
She was maybe six, seven-years-old at the most, her hair having a tiny ponytail at the back.
As the little girl looked up, she smiled. “Hi, girls. How’re—?”
Her words cut off when she saw a lavender girl who looked very familiar to her.
There was silence for several long moments.
So much for a boring weekend, Sunset thought.