Suset Shimmer stood at the gym entryway flocked by two freshman boys. She looked around at the various decorations as though they were just pieces of garbage Pinkie just tossed around. She began to walk around the room.
"There should be fewer balloons and more streamers!" she demanded, using her magic to pop a group of balloons all at once.
"Yeah! Streamers." repeated the short one with blue skin and orange hair.
"And fewer balloons!" parroted the taller boy with orange skin and blue-green hair. Sunset walked towards a table holding a case of cider. She picked a bottle up and made a face of disgust.
"Fizzy apple cider? Ugh! This is my coronation, not a hoedown."
Twilight was becoming more irritated and angry with each comment. How dare Sunset dismiss these girls' hard work? Apparently Applejack felt the same way as her face became red with anger. "Hey!" she called, gaining Sunset's attention. "Ya'll can't just barge in here and treat us like yer slaves or somethin'."
"Is that so?" Sunset retorted as she walked up to AJ. "You country folk really aren't that bright. Must be why the other students say such awful things about you." she said dismissively as she pushed AJ's hat down to cover her face. Steam seemed to shoot out of AJ's ears. Twilight decided she'd had enough of this.
"You can't treat them that way!"
Sunset turned and narrowed her eyes at Twilight. "What is she doing here?" She asked icily. From the looks of it, Sunset had heard the student's talk and and realized who Twilight was.
"That doesn't matter! What matters is that you have no right to boss them around like that!" Sunset just turned smug and replied, "Oh yes I do, you see...I'm running unopposed."
Twilight remembered her conversation with Fluttershy and her comment about how Sunset usually ran unopposed by scaring the other students and threatening those who did run. This just made Twilight even more angry.
"She right." Pinkie Pie chimed in, startling both of them She pulled out the ballot for fall formal princess, revealing Sunset's name to be the only one on there. "Since Sunset Shimmer is the only one on the ballot, which means she's automatically going to become fall formal princess. Which means whatever she says goes." Twilight couldn't believe it.
"Are you kidding me?! I mean no offense....but it's just a stupid school contest."
"Who cares?" Sunset said smugly. "What matters is that I'm going to be princess which means you all have to do whatever I say. So ha! I. Win!"
Twilight doubted she had been this furious before in her entire life. Magic boiled to life from her clenched fists. It wasn't the fact that if she joined the party committee she would have to take orders from Sunset. She could handle her, as she had her previous bullies. What infuriated her most what Sunset thinking she could do anything she wants because everyone else was too scared. She couldn't just stand by and watch Sunset dismiss Pinkie Pie's and Applejack's hard work and treat them like pack mules, especially after they had been so nice to her.
There will be times, Twilight, when life offers you the chance to take action and make a difference. Twilight suddenly heard her late grandmother's words echo in her head. If you have the the chance to do something, do it. In that moment, Twilight knew what she had to do.
"Pinkie, hand me the sign up sheet."
"Which one?" Pinkie asked, a clipboard in each hand.
"The Princess Ballot!" As soon as she declared those words, everyone in the room gasped, with Pinkie's being especially loud as Twilight took the ballot form from her.
"Woah now sugarcube, let's not do anything crazy." Applejack tried to reason with Twilight.
"Listen to her Twilight Sparkle. You do not want to do this!" Sunset threatened, glaring at Twilight as though mentally trying to set her on fire.
But Twilight payed them no heed as she signed her name on the line right below Sunset's. Twilight Sparkle was now a candidate for Fall Formal princess.
After that was a moment of complete silence as everyone just realized what Twilight had done. Finally Sunset broke it as she threatened Twilight again, her voice full of venom:
"Trust me when I say this Twilight Sparkle. You Will REGRET THIS!" Then she promptly stormed out of the gym in anger, her lackeys following cautiously following behind her. After another moment of silence as they digested Sunset's words, Applejack finally broke the silence:
"Well sugarcube, I don't know if that was the smartest choice to make. But it sure as heck took a lot of guts to do that in front of her."
"Yeah about that..." Twilight said nervously,"I don't suppose it's too late to sign up for the party planning committee?"
Pinkie shook her head as she put the sign up sheets back in her hair."Sorry, but you can't run for princess and be on the committee. A candidate would have a chance to get her hands on the votes and stuff."
"oh" Twilight sighed, "Crud" There goes my chance of getting a look at the crown.
Applejack spoke up, "Well if you wanted ta be on the committee so badly, then why'd ya do it?"
"Well...I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. It isn't right for Sunset, or anybody for that matter, to treat people like that."
"Well I thought what you did was Amazing!" Pinkie pie exclaimed while wrapping Twilight in a warm hug. After a second of shock, Twilight found the hug to be comforting. "Nobody ever stood up to Sunset before, especially for US!"
Suddenly Pinkie broke the hug as a thoughtful look crossed her face,"But then again you did make Sunny really really mad, and bad things usually happen to people who make Sunset mad, and I've never seen Sunset that mad before. Not to mention you only have until Friday to convince everybody to vote for you instead of her." Twilight's eyes widened in fear before she groaned in exasperation.
"Gee, thanks Pinkie." Twilight said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Way to make me feel better."
Twilight gathered up her dog, getting ready to leave. "Anyway, I'd better get home. I have a lot of research to do tonight. Like Pinkie so eloquently explained, I only have a few days to run a campaign and somehow convince everyone to vote for the new girl."
"Aw shoot! Don't sweat it sugarcube. We'll help in any way we can. Besides," Applejack gestured between Pinkie and herself" ya already got two votes right here. And we'll be happy to convince anyone we can to vote for ya too."
"Thank girls, but I usually do things on my own." Twilight felt comforted by these girls' offer to help, even though she probably didn't need it. She was just exiting the gym when she heard Pinkie Pie exclaim:
"But helping each other is what friends do!" Twilight once again felt a twitch of discomfort at the word "friends". She then made her way home, determined not to let anything like friends distract her from her mission.
"How was your first day at Canterlot High sweetie?" Her mother asked at dinner. Twilight Velvet looked like an older Twilight Sparkle, though with a different color scheme of light grey skin, light blue eyes and purple and white stripped hair. Though middle aged, her young face often made people mistake the two Twilights for sisters instead of mother and daughter, which flattered Velvet and annoyed Twilight to no end. Twilight decided not to mention suddenly running for princess or running into Sunset Shimmer, lest they get worried or involved.
"Oh..it was fine." she replied vaguely before stuffing her mouth with spaghetti. Her parent glanced at each other before her father spoke up.
"Did you meet any nice people?" Night Light was just a few years older than his wife, with yellow eyes, blue skin and dark blue hair which was starting to show some grey.
"Uh...yeah. I talked to a few nice girls..."
"Thats great!" her mother exclaimed. "Your finally making friends! When can I meet them?"
"Um...maybe later, y'know..when I'm all settled in." Twilight quickly finished her meal and used her magic to put her dishes away. "Now if you'll excuse me I've got a... big project for school to work on."
"Already?" Her father questioned with a raised eyebrow."But you just got there."
"Well, they already started it when I arrived, so gotta make up for lost time!" Twilight quickly escaped to her room to get started on her campaign.
Velvet and Night looked at each other. They didn't have to say anything to know something was going on with their daughter.