//------------------------------// // School's In // Story: Equestria Girls: Love Is Magic // by onekface //------------------------------// Chapter 59: School’s In (CHS) Ah the beginning of school. A rather joyous occasion for a select few – and a miserable moment for those that detest such obligations. And for Sunset Shimmer… well… it was probably both. “Ugh…” The bacon head slammed her face on her locker groaning louder than ever before. She felt miserable and she wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe it was because it was the beginning of school and she actually secretly detest coming here. Or maybe it was the weather. It was rather gloomy this morning. Or perhaps she was feeling that time-of-month thing that human females go through? Or maybe it’s because she just found out that she has been endangering two worlds for the past year without even realizing it? Probably that last one. Just a hunch. Ugh… just thinking about it was already making her head spin. And can you blame her? Who would’ve thought that using the mirror would have such dire consequences? I mean come on! Breaking down the barriers and merging two worlds into one? Causing untold destruction and damage? Tearing the very fabric of reality like it was cheap tissue paper? Couldn’t Starswirl put some kind of warning label saying: ‘Hey everypony. Don’t use this portal too much because chances are… you’ll destroy two worlds in one go!’ But nope. Apparently that pony didn’t think ahead and left all of his greatest life’s work to collect dust under some silly basement! I don’t know why everypony call you the greatest wizard of your life, but a little heads up would’ve been nice! And Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were no help either. Granted that they’re both retired royalties, but come on! You two are flipping alicorns! What’s the point of having all that power and magic if you can’t even solve a problem that dangerous!? And now… she was faced with an ultimatum. Either resolve the situation quickly and peacefully without using the portal or… have it destroyed. That was Princess Luna’s royal decree. What a goblin! Oh yeah. Sure thing Princess. As you command. I’ll just hop over here and figure this out on my own. No need to come with me BTW. Shouldn’t be too hard! ARGHH!!!! If that pony wasn’t some royal twat she would’ve slammed a book right on her flank and tell her to shove that royal decree of hers up her… “Sunset Shimmer!” “Gah!” She jolted up from her locker. “What!? What happened? What’s going on?” “Class’ starting. That’s what’s going on.” Twilight replied pulling the girl up. “You do remember that this is the first day of school, right?” Oh right… school. Ugh… what’s the point? “What’s with you? You’ve been sighing like that since we left the house.” It’s nothing really. I just discovered the fact that I’ve been endangering you and every other living beings here for the last year. That and… things might change from here on out. “It’s… nothing.” She lied. “I’m just… really tired from my trip back from Equestria. Magic portals and all that.” “I know. You practically came back around past midnight.” Twilight recalled. “Did something happen while you were there?” “Just… uh… same old.” “O…k?” Twilight shrugged it off. “Speaking of magic. There’s actually something I want to discuss with you. I’ve been reading through Hoofbeard’s journal, and I’ve come across something that you might wanna…” “No.” Sunset raised her hand stopping her. “B… but this might be crucial to…” “Sorry Twilight. But right now, magic is the last thing I want to talk about.” She could barely stomach the fact that there was a doomsday weapon just sitting in front of the school. “Can we just save it for later? Besides, Principal Celestia said that we aren’t allowed to bring magic to school. Ever.” “I think we can throw that rule out the window with Neighsay here.” “Seriously Twilight. I don’t want to get in trouble.” “Oh please. We’ve done way worse than a simple spell here or there. And Rainbow Dash blew the courtyard to smithereens during the finals. How much trouble can you and I possibly get?” And once again, when you challenge the universe, the universe answers it in spades. The PA speaker rang to life with Celestia’s voice on the other line. “Will student Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle please report to the Principal’s office?” Sunset’s expression soured. “You were saying?” xxxxxxxxxx Ugh… being called to the big man’s office on the first day? Before class even starts? That has got to be a record. Sunset groaned again, pushing the door to the office. There were several teachers there who nodded at them before leaving, having been familiar to their presence in this place. She wasn’t quite sure if that was a good thing. “Ah Sunset. Twilight. Thank you for coming.” It was Vice-Principal Luna who ushered them in, closing the door behind them. The star haired lady looked surprisingly fresh despite having left the same time as they did. “Please have a seat.” “Sorry to call you two so suddenly, and on your first day.” Celestia unexpectedly apologized, which was rather new for a change. Sunset preferred this Celestia over her princess counterpart in the other world. “But we have an emergency that needs your immediate attention.” An emergency? Hopefully it was school and not magic related. “Did something happen?” Twilight asked taking her seat. “Nothing of immediate danger.” Celestia clarified much to their relief. Thank goodness. “As some of you already know. CHS has been receiving an unprecedented boom in its popularity thanks to our recent increase in test scores. You two in particular, holding some of the highest GPA out of all our students.” Twilight seemed immensely proud of that. “However… we recently discovered that several of our new students are holding us down… immensely.” Not surprising. Not everyone here can be a total nerd or a genius like Twi or Micro Chips. In fact the two of them are actually neck in neck of becoming valedictorian. “Uh… ok? So what does that have to do with us?” Sunset said. “The Board of Education is keeping a close eye over our school.” Luna added. “Which means: If our GPA dips any further, they’ll be pulling more of our funds to other ‘Important’ areas.” “Normally we’d have Doodle oversee such matters. Taking care of unruly teens has been his forte. However. Considering the nature of these… new students, I was hoping to have you and the Rainbooms handle it. For our sake.” The Principal pleaded in that last phrase. “In return, we’ll put in a generous participation bonus in your overall scores.” “So… it’s like a tutoring thing?” Again Twilight inquired suspiciously. Though the addition of her scores was definitely a big hook for her to sink in. “Pfft. No problem. Sunset and I are good with people. It’ll just be like babysitting.” “Not… exactly.” Celestia pressed the buzzer on the intercom as she mumbled. “Bring them in.” They all whipped their heads towards the door just as it opened. And when they saw the three girls walk in, Sunset immediately knew why they were called. Oh for the love of Celestia. xxxxxxxxxx Fluttershy was… troubled today. No, not the kind of trouble you could get in school – or the kind of magical trouble she had to deal with every other week. In fact, you could say those kinds of trouble have a habit of following her. It was kind of the consequence of having friends. The Rainbooms were having a decent respite to themselves. After everything that has happened, some peace and quiet felt rather relaxing for a change. Thankfully these shadowy monster attacks have not really affected her or her family directly. And the home that Sunset moved into has become somewhat of a roost for everyone to feel safe under. But as the first day of class rolled in, she expected everything to be as normal as it can be. But alas, it seemed like the universe decided to throw her a curve ball instead. Just as she opened her locker, her eyes suddenly shifted downward when she noted a particular object that was out of place. No, her backup gym clothes were still there, her emergency animal food for her animal friends was left untouched, and all of her books were not tampered with. Even that spare rope she got from Applejack was still hanging there. But deep inside her locker, lodged between last year’s book report and history text, was an object that did not belong there. An object that stood out like a polar bear in the desert. It was an envelope… or to be more precise, a letter… or to be even more precise… it was a LOVE-letter. Yes, a love letter. There was certainly no mistaking it. Even a girl as introvert as her knew exactly what it was. With those decorative hearts and the smell of a very distinct cologne under its surface, it was practically oozing love. Fluttershy was left stunned as a leaf. She closed her locker shaking her head thinking that it was some kind of hallucination or a trick of the light. Maybe Pinkie Pie put something in the pancake this morning and it was messing with her brain. With a deep breath she opened her locker again, expecting it to just vanish like it was never there. But sadly, the object remained. Sitting still as a rock, waiting patiently for the recipient to open and read its content. Fluttershy repeated the process twice over. Closing her locker, blinking three times before opening again, expecting the result to change. But it did not. The letter persisted. One might even hear the faintest of whispers in one’s ear, saying: Read me. Finally acknowledging its existence, the girl reached for the object, holding it carefully between her hands. It definitely wasn’t a prank. And if it was, it was a carefully crafted one. Not even Pinkie or rainbow would be this devoted to a trap. No. Whoever delivered this letter was genuine and they made sure that there would be no errors. It had her name written in cursive right on the back, and her favorite symbol of three butterflies flying freely pressed beside it. Heck even the color coding of the envelope itself was dedicated in her image. No one was that careful. Fluttershy wasn’t really sure how to feel. On one side, she found it strange that wasn’t panicking yet. On the other side, this little letter was making her feel all warm and fuzzy. Firstly she was thrilled, then she was shocked, then she was confused… and now… she was curious. She questioned herself if she should open the letter. No. She had class to attend. And reading the contents will only distract her. Thankfully calmer heads prevailed and she decided to restrain herself despite her curiosity. Maybe lunch period she’ll have time to read it in private. Or at least that’s what she thought when she turned away from her locker only to come face to face with the purple haired fashionista whose jaw hung wide open, eyes shooting upward unblinking while a single finger shaking madly at the object Fluttershy had on hand. Oh horse dung… “IS THAT A…” Rarity never got to finish when Fluttershy tackled her down with the strength of a Minotaur, gagging her friend and tying her up with such speed that even Applejack would be impressed. A few students shot a passing glance wondering what all the commotion was all about. But by the time they snapped their heads in their direction, the two girls were gone. … … … The soft-spoken member of the Rainbooms would later storm into the janitor’s office, panting heavily while holding the fashionista like a hog garnering the attention of owner. “Oh! Hey there Fluttershy.” Leo, the school janitor greeted, not even remotely fazed by the sight. “How you doing today?” “I’m fine, thank you for asking.” She answered back as sweetly as ever, like she was just greeting the man in a natural conversation and not kidnapping a friend in broad daylight. “I take it you gave the animals at the shelter their breakfast?” “Already done. Though Angel did look a little cranky. He doesn’t seem to like the carrots I gave him.” “Yeah they switched over to a new supplier.” Leo shrugged. “It’s supposed to be cheaper. The folks at the top have been cutting our budget over and over. I’ll have to ask Principal Celestia to change it back if they start hurting the animals.” “Thank you sir.” Fluttershy nodded back. “Oh. I’m sorry to have to ask this Mr. Leo. But may we borrow your office for a moment?” “Absolutely. Go right ahead.” He said with such glee before picking up his toolkit, completely ignoring Rarity’s wiggling body and muffled screams. “I gotta head over to the hallway. The head honcho’s got me putting up lockers for some new students. Here are the keys. Don’t forget to lock up on your way out.” “We will, sir.” “Good girl.” He stopped by the door to mention one other thing. “Oh and there’s some tea and cookies left over by the table. Help yourself.” When the door closed up Fluttershy let out a long winded sigh, but not before Rarity wiggled off. “Pfa!” The fashionsita gasped, finally slipping the gag out of her mouth. “Well… that’s not going to traumatize me in the slightest. Fluttershy darling. I know this is rather sudden. But can you be a dear and PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!?” “Sorry Rarity.” The pinkette complied, gently putting her prisoner down by the couch, undoing the rope. “I panicked and I didn’t want you freaking out.” “I was more freaked out by how you reacted. But… I suppose that was a natural thing to do. Still…… it’s a love letter!” She let out a girlish squeal, as her expression did a complete 180. “I can’t believe it. I’ve only heard of such things before but seeing something so farfetched in person? I have to say I’m shocked.” You and me both. “Do you know who it’s from?” Fluttershy scanned the envelope but only saw her name on it. “It doesn’t say.” That only served to make Rarity squeal even louder. “Eeep! So it’s a secret admirer? How adorable. Some might think that having a stalker is a creepy. But to me, having someone follow you around is absolutely sweet.” “It is?” It sounds more like a murder just waiting to happen. “Absolutely!” The fashion gal said with regal. “It’s the epitome of obsession. There’s no greater admiration than someone stalking you from the shadow, knowing your every detail.” Does that include Pinkie Pie? Because if memory serves, she does that to everyone. Even complete strangers. Even the police were amazed by her intel gathering techniques. “Well? Aren’t you gonna open it?” “I… I’m not really sure if I should.” “Oh but Fluttershy darling. You must! If someone left you a letter in your locker so early in the morning, it must mean he has something to say.” More like you just want to know what’s written inside. Your face was practically screaming it. Still… Fluttershy would be lying if she said she wasn’t remotely interested. Finally submitting to temptation, she opened the envelope with a satisfying pop and read the letter within. You are the apple of my eye You are the sun in my sky I see you walk on by Yet I cannot speak to you even if I try “Oh goodness.” Rarity swooned over her seat. “Poetry. A classic surefire winner. How very… romantic.” “I don’t get it.” “It’s a rhyme darling!” She explained annoyingly. “It’s poetry so it’s open to interpretation. But it’s very direct. It means this person always looking at you but doesn’t have the courage to talk to you. A silent admirer from afar. What a lovely piece. A classic maneuver. Though… granted, it doesn’t exactly tell us who the sender is.” “Wait. There’s more.” Fluttershy added, scanning what looked like an ordinary section of the letter. “It says he wants to meet up with me… today.” Rarity’s face beamed like the sun. “Omigosh! A secret romantic rendezvous? Today!? On the first day of school!? Where!?” “At the school’s animal shelter, behind the auditorium.” Rarity went giddy all over. “Oooh! How exciting. This is exactly the kind of spice our lives needed! Pure innocent romance. None of that complicated love Applejack and Pinkie Pie are going through.” “What was that?” “Nothing!” She lied. “I’m just muttering nonsense darling. Ignore me. It’s just the excitement getting to me. And here I thought this semester will just be plain boring?” “So… what should I do?” “Well… that’s up to you.” She answered like it was a matter of fact. “This is an invite after all. It would be disheartening not to accept.” “B… but what if it’s a creepy person? Or someone scary?” “Fluttershy, darling. Come now.” The fashionista cooed. “Do you really think a strange and scary person would go through such length to write down this loving letter for you?” “Yes.” “Well you’re wrong.” Rarity snatched the letter and placed it carefully on the table. “And we can discern the writer’s intentions with all the details on this paper.” “We can?” “Attention to details is my specialty, darling.” She quickly pulled out her working glasses from her purse and began analyzing both the envelope and the letter in haste. She scanned every nook and cranny, every swing of the pen, every letter, every word, leaving little untouched. “Well from what I can see here. Whoever wrote this letter went through painstaking efforts to ensure its perfection. There are no visible fingerprints or markings to identify the writer. The penmanship is accurate and all within the lines. Meaning this is someone who values margins with no margins for errors. He even had the envelope put in your favorite color. I can say for certain that the person who put this together went through everything at least four times before putting it in your locker.” “Uh huh…” Fluttershy nodded. “That’s… great? But I don’t think this is the right time. Maybe I shouldn’t go.” “NO!” Rarity boomed slamming both hands on the table. “Are you mad? This person went through such length and mustered up courage to finally speak to you. It would be unbecoming to leave this person hanging when he brought his hopes up.” “So… what should I do?” “Meet with the fellow. If you’re interested, perhaps something can come out of it. And if not, well you need to let that person know… but gently.” She handed the letter back soothingly. “You have until the end of school to prepare. And if it’s too nerve wrecking for you, I will be more than happy to accompany you to the rendezvous.” “Really?” “Of course. As your friend it is my obligation to support you in these trying times.” Or maybe because she was a snooty snail who has difficulties respecting people’s personal boundaries. xxxxxxxxxx Twilight has been to a lot of strange situations before. Magical portals, monsters and at one point she got turned into a unicorn while traveling through the magical land of Equestria. But out of all of that, she had to admit that the situation they were in came in close 3rd. She expected one magical mayhem but looking out for three former magical creatures for one semester was not something she saw coming. At first she was inclined to reject the offer, but Principal Celestia was cunning and made a proposition of adding a big extra-credit participation bonus for their cooperation. It was gosh dang offer she couldn’t refuse. Anything to get an edge over Micro Chips’. The two of them were neck in neck on becoming valedictorian during graduation. So this was going to give her that boost she so desperately needed. Still… it’ll have to work out somehow. Her friends will have to be brought over and they’re not gonna like it one bit. The school’s reputation (And funding) were on the line here. Regardless, it was done and the Sirens were officially their responsibility. They’ll just have to make do with the situation they’re given. Besides, it doesn’t seem like a lot of work if they all put their heads into it. Sonata didn’t seem like a bad girl. In fact her bubbly personality and airheaded demeanor kind of reminds her of Pinkie in a lot of ways. She was just mixed in with some sour apples. She had a carefree and friendly personality, which will undoubtedly win her a lot of friends at school. If Sunset can do it then so can they. Aria seemed like a lukewarm gal too. She had the personality of an ice-cold queen with the attitude to back it up. Her words can bite harder than most and she looked like she’ll scratch your face off the moment you get too close. So… respecting her personal space will be vital to a healthy relationship. But it seems like she’s got a soft spot for Sonata. The only real problem here would be the leader of the Sirens herself, Adagio Dazzle. She was…… a complicated person. While at first glance, you’d think she was just another one of those pampered princesses. But buried beneath that layer of cold bitter hatred… and another dozen layers of terrifying ambition, lies a sweet girl who just wants to… “Hmph!” No… nope. Can’t see it. She tried. She really tried. But just giving one quick look at that puffy haired witch, and you know that it was in your best interest to stay at least twenty steps away from her. Adagio was a person who valued herself above all. She doesn’t do anything unless there was something in it for her. If you want something from her, you’d better be ready to sell the clothes off your back and maybe even your soul. She’s the kind of girl that reminded her of those super tough prisoners in cop movies. Turn your back on her for one second and you’ll get shanked by a rusty nail before you know it. And… it seems like she has a personal grudge against her too. Twilight can feel the Siren Leader glaring holes on her back. She looked about ready to pounce the moment they were alone. Or maybe that was just her imagination playing tricks on her. “Nope. She’s definitely got something against you. I can feel her mood just by standing here. And I’m not even in the material world!” Did she… do something to offend her or something? Was she still ticked off about the cup that she broke to save her sister? “Is that…?” “No way…” “It can’t be…” Twilight was brought out of her train of thoughts when she realized some loud whispers were being directed at them. The students passing by the hallway took one glance and immediately shrunk back to their corners in both fear and confusion. No surprise there. Adagio and her sisters did cause quite a stir when they last came to CHS. In fact they almost had the entire school under their influence through magic. Actually… now that she thought about it. She and Sunset were kinda on the same boat too. If what folks here say was correct, Sunset turned everyone into mindless zombies to invade Equestria. It was only due to the actions of her magical counterpart that she reformed the way she did. And of course there was her. The nerdy girl who unleashed a magical terror that nearly destroyed both worlds. Ugh… with that kind of track record, they may as well start a World Domination Club. Only those with extremely high ambition are allowed membership. “Oooh! Sweet name. I like it.” Shush you. “I call dibs as overlord!” “Alright. We’re here.” Sunset announced as they arrived at what looked like a fresh line of lockers. “These are your lockers for the rest of the semester. The combinations you put on the dial will be your own. Any questions?” “Oh! I do!” Sonata raised her hand up like a student would to a teacher. “What are the lunch programs in this school like? Do we get to choose between an all bread meals or are we sticking to that balanced diet stuff like they show on TV?” Uh… good question. Though not really something they were knowledgeable of. “We’ll uh look into it.” Sunset groaned. “First period will be starting soon. Shouldn’t be too hard. We’ll tell the others about this whole thing over lunch. Aria and Sonata. You two are with me. Adagio, you’re with Twilight in this room for super-advance physics.” WHAT!? Are you saying that I have to watch over this dangerous person for a whole hour!? By myself? “Our first period is History with Professor Doodle.” “Oh great.” Aria said in a shallow exaggeration. “History. As if living through one lifetime wasn’t enough already.” No! Sunset wait! Please don’t leave me alone with her! She’ll kill me! But sadly Twilight’s silent plea fell on deaf ears, and now she was left to fend for herself like a rabbit facing down what looked equivalent to a tiger. She held up her books using them like some kind of shield but to little avail. Adagio’s scowl fell even lower, and her eyes sharpened like daggers trying to carve into her soul. And suspiciously enough the hallway they were in suddenly became deathly quiet. All the students that were there just a second ago vanished as if they were frightened away by the arrival of the Sirens. Not that she could blame them. Adagio did give a rather frightening visage even on her happy moments. “Ahehehe…” She let out a terrified chuckle. “So… I guess this means we’re uh… locker buddies now.” The Siren didn’t respond. Instead gave a snort before rolling her eyes and walking off to the classroom. “Yup. It’s official. That girl definitely hates your gut.” “Thanks for the astute observation Captain Obvious.” “I prefer Admiral Obvious.” xxxxxxxxxx “Uh oh…” Applejack jolted from her locker when she heard Pinkie muttered what looked like a warning sign. “I’m getting a tingling feeling.” That wasn’t a good sign. Pinkie was a lot of things, and most folk wouldn’t normally believe in superstition. But as one of the few folks who knows Pinkie Pie her whole life, Applejack knew that it was in her best interest to listen. The girl somehow had these unexplainable powers WAY before magic was ever introduced to the world. She was somewhat of a fortune teller, with her whole body being the medium. And a tingling feeling meant something bad was about to happen. “Ya think something bad is about to happen?” “Dunno. It’s never tingly like this before.” The bubbly gal shrugged back. “Normally it’d be like a swish and swirl. But this time it’s like there’s a party in my tummy.” And she could hear it too. There was a loud rumbling, followed by a burp. “Oh. Never mind. That was just my breakfast. I might’ve put in a little too much cream in that last batch.” “Well… let’s just hope our luck holds.” AJ groaned, picking out her geography textbook. “I’m keeping my geode close in hand just in case. With that Neighsay being around, you’ll never know what to expect. We have to be on our guard. For all we know he could be trying something big like Hoity Toity.” “Yes sir, Applejack, sir! You can count on me.” Pinkie gave a semi-serious salute before pulling out her creep kit from her locker. “Don’t you worry one bit. With my night-vision goggles, spy cameras and security drones set up. There’s no way that guy will slip through me.” “Uh… I just meant we should be careful.” “Oh!” She bobbed her head in realization. “Yeah. Totally. That too. But I wouldn’t worry too much. I mean he did say that he wasn’t here to hurt any of us. So I think we can relax a bit. I mean this is our final semester. So you gonna learn how to chill.” “You’re really gonna take the word of someone who worked with Hoity Toity? A guy who tried brainwash people in Canterlot?” “Oh please. World conquering evil are like a dime a dozen here. I mean come on. We’re friends with two of them and we stopped like a whole bunch of them. And of course there’s Rarity, who dreams of turning the whole world into a fashion heaven. Hey did you know that you look like my pet alligator with these goggles? You look green with envy.” “Uh what now?” Applejack lost track of the conversation almost instantly. “Gummy. My alligator, dummy. You know? The one who tried to turn Winona into a chew toy back in the house?” “Wait… what?” “Nothing!” She quickly bounced away, still wearing her spy gear like it weigh next to nothing. And Pinkie would come to regret it a few seconds later when she entered the classroom and crashed onto someone. “Goh!” “Well this feels familiar.” A sweet voice chuckled sparking the two girls. “Flash!” Pinkie cheered removing her goggles, a quick and rather awkward smile on her face. “Happy back to school day. Unless of course you’re Rainbow Dash then I would say: Boo! Back to school day.” “Hi Pinkie.” The blue rocker boy laughed off her antics already used to her quacked up behavior. “What are you doing here? I figured you guys would be with the others.” Applejack threw in a smug look. “Just because we’re friends doesn’t make us joined to the hip. Pinkie and I got Home Ec. Figured we’d get ourselves an easy subject seeing as Pinkie and me are pretty much culinary masters. It’ll make my report card look nice on the sideline. The better question is: Why are YOU here? Didn’t think you’d take Home-Ec as your extracurricular class.” He brushed his neck shyly before answering. “Yeah. Not my first option. It’s pretty much the only class they had available. They wouldn’t let me take music a third time. And you know I’m not the best in sports. So I thought of getting myself some cooking lessons.” “Don’t you have like a butler for that kind of thing?” “Shhhh!” He hushed her. “Don’t say that out loud. And as a matter of fact… I do. My butler does make the best cakes around town. Uh… no offense Pinkie.” “None taken.” The bubbly gal shrugged it off. “If the guy can make a berry blasted butter biscuit on a bun with five and a half layers of chocolate, he’s a champ. I’d do anything to taste it again.” “I’ll be sure to let him know.” “Wait…” Applejack noted. “You went over his place before?” Pinkie’s face froze for a second there, as if she got caught with her hand stuck in the cookie jar. “Oh… uh. Yeah. It was just a casual visit thing. Long time ago. Aheh…” Thankfully she would be saved by bell, almost literally for that fact as school began in earnest. Soon enough, students from all around began funneling into their respective classrooms leaving the hallway deserted. As expected, there were hardly any students who came into Home-Ec. Roughly half the seats here were pretty much empty. Students who took Home-Ec the first time often find it troublesome and skip over to other subjects that align to their interest. Even AJ would agree to head over woodshop if she could, but sadly that place was booked full before she could even get a slot in. Eh… oh well. At least this subject would net her an easy A+. She’d say that even Granny Smith would be impressed. “Alright ya young’ins. Shut your pie holes down and get your hineys in them stooly wobbly thingies!” “Granny Smith!?” Applejack nearly fell off her chair when her grandma walked in front of the class with an authoritarian voice. “That’s my name, Sugar Cube. Don’t wear it out.” She let out a scrapping toothy laugh. “Welcome to Home-Ec kiddos. It’s the class where you’ll get to know everything there is to know about the kitchen. When I’m through with you, you’ll know the back end of a microwave and the front edge of a spanner.” “Wait wait wait.” The cowgirl panted, obviously confused like the others. “You’re… teaching Home-Ec?” “You bet your bacon I am. At least until Ms. Baguette comes back from the hospital. That lady made the mistake of taking home the cafeteria leftover meatloaf.” The class collectively gasped in horror. “Yup. I bet that gal is regretting her life’s choices. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was writhing in pain right about now. But don’t you worry, little biscuit. I won’t be playing favorites around here. So you can rest your…” Her words immediately froze up when she spotted a certain blue boy sitting next to her granddaughter. “Ooooh…” Her expression then twisted into a mischievous minx, and Applejack did not like it one bit. (Equestria) (Canterlot library) (Hall of mirrors) Sunburst never liked danger. In fact, you might even say that he was downright allergic to any manner of life-threatening situations. But when things get tough, he knows that it’s better to face the matter head on than to skirt around it. At least… that’s what his mother used to tell him back when he was a foal. He stood before the portal to Ezaquatel with a determined look in his eyes. Starswirl’s warning left many of the ponies here rather worried, himself included. Whatever he saw on the other side of this mirror was enough to get the old wizard to use all of his magic. And that was the kind of danger Equestria didn’t need at the moment. Not when Princess Twilight and her newly formed Council of Friendship are out on a world tour. So before the problem comes to them, he was going to scout ahead and see what the threat was all about. “Ugh… you know Sunburst. When you came to me to ask a favor, I was expecting something more in the field of magic. Not manual labor!” Trixie busted through the door, hovering some gear with her magic. “Sorry Trixie. But you’re the only one I know who can have all of this done in secret.” The orange pony apologized, checking the equipment she brought in. “Is this everything I asked for?” “Climbing gear, running gear, surplus climbing gear, lamp, energy drinks, notepads for taking notes and extra notepads for taking extra notes, and… an apple pie. Courtesy from yours truly.” She gave him a friendly tap. “Everything you need for a long trip down the road. You’re lucky I had plenty of these in my trailer.” “The pie or climbing gear?” “Yes.” She grinned mischievously before turning mellow. “Are you sure you this is what you really want to do?” “We don’t have much of a choice.” He reasoned. “We can’t afford to wait for Starswirl. It could take days or even weeks to recover from magical exhaustion. And by the time he wakes up, it might be too late. That’s why I have to get in there and retrace his steps and find out what happened to him.” “But isn’t that dangerous? Don’t get me wrong.” Trixie defended. “I’m all about saving the world from imminent danger. But are you sure you don’t want to tell Starlight about this? I mean… she’ll be more than happy to follow you if you ask her.” “She’ll never allow it.” The young pony said knowingly. “Besides, the school of Friendship will be starting soon. And as the new Headmare she needs to be here to make sure everything runs smoothly.” “And shouldn’t you be helping out? As her Vice-headmare?” “I already filed in an extra two day leave.” He explained. “I said I needed extra time to do some research. Which technically isn’t a lie.” “Right~. You just forgot to mention the dangers on said research.” The orange pony let out a rather awkward laugh in response. “Well… I can’t stop you. But in the off chance that you stumble upon something dangerous on the other side, The Great and Powerful Trixie comes with the tools!” She quickly brought in a small sack of foggy crystal balls that were familiar. “Smoke bombs?” “The common tool for every great magician.” The blue mare explained. “Very handy when trying to escape from a giant monster that wants to eat you. That or an angry mob.” He gladly accepted. Though he didn’t want to meet with any monsters. One should anticipate for the worst. “Thanks Trixie. I owe you a big one for this.” Sunburst pulled her for a hug which she blushed at. “Oh please. You’ll be doing me plenty of favors when you come back.” She added with a short whiff before frowning. “You are coming back… right?” “Definitely. That’s a promise.” And with that last goodbye, the orange unicorn turned to face the mirror portal. It sensed his presence and hummed to life, drawing a powerful swirling vortex on its reflection. One could already sense the power and magic resonating on the other side. “Well… here goes nothing.” With a brave face, the pony set his hoof inside and allowed the portal to take him. His body, his equipment, and everything he carried with him followed suit. His vision went blurry a few seconds later as lights and unknown shapes whirled around like a torrent. It went on like this for a few seconds before the portal spat him out on the other side, his tools scattering everywhere. … “Ow…” Sunburst collected himself, holding up his glasses to rub the sore spot on his nose. “That’s… gonna take some getting-used-to.” Thankfully his vision focused a second later making sense of the world around him. But what he saw next… made his mane stand on ends.