//------------------------------// // Chapter Four // Story: Equestria Girls: Reimagined // by Candle Light //------------------------------// Equestria Girls: Reimagined Chapter Four by Candle light based on a story by Meghan McCarthy Even though she was prepared for it, Twlight couldn’t stop feeling incredibly strange, seeing everyone she knew running around in completely different bodies. She fished for the names to some of the more familiar people: Carrot Top, Cherry Berry, Derpy Hooves; even Apple Bloom, Applejack's little sister, was dashing through the corridors with her friends in tow. Neither Flash nor Celestia had recognized her though, which probably meant that Twilight herself didn’t have a version attending this school. While this made things easier, it also raised more questions: if she wasn’t Celestia’s student, then what was her role in this world? Was she home schooled, or was there another school in this town? How did the cosmic forces decide who would be represented where? Was it all random, or was it based on some magic algorithm Twilight couldn’t grasp? Just thinking about how it all connected made her head hurt. Not to mention, she was hungry. A fact her growling stomach made sure to alert to Spike. “We really need to find you some food,” he commented. “Food can wait. First, we need to find at least one of our friends. I do hope they all go to this school…” “Oh no, Twilight, I’m not about to let you tackle this on an empty stomach. I’ve seen you pull all-nighters without food. Not a pretty sight.” Images of Twilight pulling at her mane and yelling at bookshelves came to mind, and she blushed. “Point taken. But where do we find food? It’s not like the portal gave me a wallet to go with these clothes, and I don’t even know what these creatures eat.” Spike sniffed in the air. “Only one way to find out. Something smells good over that way!” And sure enough. Spike led them into a bigger room, filled with seats and tables, and on the far side, a lady was serving something onto plates from a trolley. The blended sounds of students chatting without any notion of indoor voice made it difficult to think straight, but the smell of food was intoxicating. “Is that Granny Smith?” Twilight pointed at the lunch lady, who did have the same colors as the elderly Apple Family mare, though her body was somewhat more… corpulent. Then she noticed that they—or, more likely, Spike—were drawing quite a few stares, and she added in a whisper, “You don’t have to answer.” Spike nodded, keeping close to her legs. Approaching the trolley and grabbing a tray, she was about to have a closer look at the pleasant-smelling goop that was todays lunch, when she caught a glimpse of the person behind her in line. She froze. “Fluttershy?” The yellow-skinned person with pink hair flinched. “D-do I know you?” Twilight chided herself. She hadn’t really thought up a plan for when she’d actually find one of her friends. “Uh, no…” she said, thinking fast, “I… I heard you’re good with animals and,” Spike helpfully propped up on Twilight’s leg, “I wanted you to meet my dog.” Fluttershy, thankfully, beamed when she saw the dog. “Oh my! He’s adorable!” She bent down to pet him, which Spike seemed to enjoy. “It’s not everyday people bring their dog to school. Just don’t bring him into class; the teachers will be really angry. I found that out the hard way…” “Excuse me, but you and that dog is holding up the line,” a dry voice came from behind. “Eeep!” Fluttershy let out. “I-I’m so sorry.” Twilight, sharing in the embarrassment, moved forward, letting the Granny Smith lookalike to pour whatever it was they were serving today. “Mind if I sit down with you?” she asked Fluttershy, when they both had their food. “I’m kinda new here, and you’re one of the first people I’ve talked to so far.” “Oh, sure, I don’t mind.” They sat, and Fluttershy’s attention immediately shifted to Spike. “Who told you I was good with animals?” “Uhh, I think Principal Celestia might have mentioned it,” Twilight spun. Swiftly moving on, she said, “So, I was just wondering, what breed of dog is he? His name is Spike, by the way.” “Spike, eh?” She patted him lovingly on the head. “Hmm, that’s a good question. A beagle, maybe? No, his head is too round-shaped… I’m not sure, to be honest. I could do some research when I get home…” “Oh no, you don’t need to do that.” Now, how to turn the conversation from Spike to the matter at hand? “I’m sure you’re busy with homework and stuff.” “Not particularly. Taking care of animals is sort of my thing. I don’t have much else going for me.” “That’s not true; you’re kind and gentle…” Fluttershy’s confused looks made her stop. “…I-I’m sure. Speaking of which, excuse me if I’m being blunt, but do you usually sit alone?” “Most of the time,” she replied, and let out a small sigh. “It’s only when someone wants my advice on animal care that they come sit with me sometimes. I don’t have many friends…” “I’m your friend, aren’t I? Th-that’s to say, I’m sure we’ll be good friends.” She saw Spike roll his eyes. “I-I hope so,” she replied, a slight blush coming on. “What did you say your name was?” “Right! It’s Twilight Sparkle. So tell me,” she quickly moved the conversation forward, “what’s the school like?” “It’s okay. There aren’t many bullies, but I guess that’s because people here tend to just stick to their own group. We used to have all sorts of school activities, but now it’s pretty much just the rock concerts… oh, and the Fall Formal. Sunset Shimmer wins every year anyway, so I don’t see the point… have you met Sunset Shimmer yet?” “Yeah, we’ve run into each other. But don’t you worry, once I become the Princess of the Fall Formal, I’ll do everything I can to bring back the school spirit!” Fluttershy spat out pieces of he fruit salad she was eating. “You’re running for the… no no no, that’s a terrible idea!” “Why’s that?” “Sunset Shimmer wants to be Princess of the Fall Formal, and when Sunset wants something, she gets it! And she always gets back at those who stand in her way. This one girl reported her for cheating on a test, but then she was the one who got a low score! She never leaves any proof behind, but everybody knows: if you cross Sunset Shimmer, you’re in for it.” “So nobody stands up to her?” “Some do. Most people are just happy to stay out of trouble, though.” “Well, taking care of trouble happens to be my specialty. Celestia told me I needed to ask the Fall Formal Planning Committee to put me on the ballot; do you know where I can find them?” “They should be in the gymnasium, setting up the stage. But are you sure you know what you’re doing? Didn’t you say you were new here? Do you know anyone in the big seven? “What’s the big seven?” “It’s what we call the seven major clubs that almost every student is a part of. There’s the fashion club, the drama club, technology club, cooking club, eco club—that’s where I am—the athlete club and the music club.” “Oh. Yeah, I met someone from the music club. It’s okay, I’ll just improvise; saved the world a number of times… my world, as in, made my life better…?” she trailed off with a sheepish laugh. “Anywho, I’ll see you around.” “Uhm,” Fluttershy said, “aren’t you gonna eat?” *** The meal was short and awkward, but it did give her the opportunity to talk some more with Fluttershy, and thus learn a few more things about the school. Chief of which: there was indeed a library! She made a mental note to check it out later. Fluttershy also mentioned something about ‘free use of school computers’, if you wanted to ‘look stuff up’. Was it like a register of all the books kept in the library? Just thinking about learning more about the world was nearly enough make her forget about her mission. But there would be time later. First thing’s first. “This should be the gymnasium,” Twilight said, reading the sign that said, quite unambiguously, ‘gymnasium’. “I wonder if the school’s got mandatory gym training.” “Maybe that’s why everyone looked so fit,” Spike commented. “I’m no expert, but I didn’t see a single person that looked overweight. Except maybe Granny Smith…” When she opened the door, however, it was hard to picture the hall as having anything to do with sports, what with the big stage, the tables, and streamers everywhere. Her heart leaped; streamers? “Pi-Pinkie Pie?” she called. Yup. A moment later, she heard the unmistakable high-pitched voice from behind the stage. ”Just a sec!” And indeed in just a second, she emerged, holding a balloon. “Sorry; this baby almost got away from me. What can I do for you?” This version of Pinkie Pie was, well, exactly the same, save for the clothes she wore: a blue shirt and pink dress. And just like Twilight, her cutie mark was printed onto her dress. In fact, now that she thought about it, didn’t a lot of the students have a symbol of some sort attached to their clothing? It was like these beings did have cutie marks, but they manifested as a separate item, rather than— “Sooo, did you come to stare at me?” Pinkie Pie interrupted her thought process. “If so, go ahead! They say I’m a sight to look at; maybe it’s because I’ve always got streamers in my hair.” “Oh! So sorry; I’m actually here to sign up for the Fall Formal competition. Fluttershy said I’d find the committee planner here.” Pinkie Pie’s smile faded ever so slightly. “Fluttershy, huh. Let me give you a word of warning: she may look all shy and meek, but underneath it all is the cold heart of a real meanie.” Upon hearing that, Twilight’s heart did a double take. “You two aren’t friends?” “Not likely. She called me annoying! Can you believe that? I was just trying to cheer her up, and she was like ‘that’s a bit annoying, actually’. Oh well; if she wants to be a sad betty, who am I to tell her she can’t?” There were so many things wrong with those words, it sent Twilight’s head reeling. The Pinkie she knew would never say that about Fluttershy. Was it simply because, despite it all, these people were really that different? Or could it be that… “She’s staring again,” Pinkie remarked, talking to Spike now. “You think there is something wrong with her eyes. Like for me, sometimes they get all dried up, and it hurts to blink.” Spike had the good sense to reply with a dog bark. “Yeah, good point.” Twilight snapped out of it. “Say, just curious, but does anybody by the name of Applejack go to this school?” “Sure does; now that's a friend! And if I’m not mistaken…” the door suddenly opened to the gymnasium, and through it came… “...there she is right now!” “Somebody order a dozen cases of frizzy apple cider?” Applejack of this world was wearing a white, plain shirt, blue tattered jeans and the biggest brown boots Twilight had ever seen, which carried her apple cutie mark pattern. “Oh! Oh! Me-me-me!” Pinkie called, waving her arm. Applejack snickered, and put the cases down on the floor. A second person followed; Applejack’s big brother, Big Macintosh. Alright, so Pinkie and Applejack are friends, but Pinkie and Fluttershy are not. Further studies are required. “So you’re the new girl?” Applejack asked Twilight. “The one who brought her dog to school?” Twilight made an awkward laugh. “Yeah, that’s me; I’m Twilight Sparkle. It’s my first day; is it not allowed?” “Not sure there’s a rule against it, but Ah’ve sure never seen anyone do it. ‘Cept maybe Fluttershy, but she’s a bit of a weirdo. You a friend of Fluttershy’s?” “We’ve met,” she replied, keeping it vague. So I guess Applejack isn’t friends with her, either? “Didn’t you say something about the Fall Formal before?” Pinkie asked. “Like, you wanted to sign up?” “Actually, yes, I would,” Twilight said. “Now that’s cause for celebration!” Applejack said. She snatched a bottle of cider and took a gulp. “That Sunset Shimmer’s been bossing us around for too long, and Ah know Ah’m not the the only one thinkin’ it. What’s yer game plan?” “Uhm, I kind of haven’t figured one out yet…” “Well you’d better get to it! Don’t wanna be a negative nelly or nuthin’, but you’ve only got three days, and Sunset’s already got the school around her fingers.” “I know, I’ll figure something out.” As long as I can figure out where to start. Actually, a thought struck her as she shifted her gaze between the two friends, I already know where to start. “So, uh, if I wanted to appeal to the athletes, who’d I talk to.” “Ugh, that’d be Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said, confirming her suspicions. “She’s the captain of like every sport in the school, not a humble bone in her body. Good luck winning her over.” Phew, looks like all five of them goes to this school after all.“ Alright… then, what about the fashionistas?” “Rarity, I think. Don’t know much about her, but I hear she’s pretty stuck-up. Guess I shouldn’t judge a horse by its color; it’s not like we've ever hung out.” So, Pinkie and Applejack, friends. Applejack and Rainbow, enemies. Applejack and Rarity, never met. Twilight made a flow chart of it in her head, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Sure, this was another world, and the relationships she knew in her world wouldn’t necessarily apply here, but she and her friends weren’t just any group of friends, they were the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. If this really was a ‘Mirror World’, as Sunset had called it, she found it hard to believe that something as important as the Elements wouldn’t be represented. Or was it because this was a Mirror World that the Elements didn’t play the same role? What was it Sunset had said about magic in this world? A color of a different horse? Oh, ha ha. But more than that, she knew these people. A few minutes of conversation was enough to tell her that they were—in essence—the same as her friends back home. That a group of friends as close as them would become enemies was unthinkable. If she could figure out the circumstances behind the bad blood, maybe she would gain a clue as to how to win the school over. Plus, it was a matter of personal pride. She took the clipboard and the pen, and scribbled down her name. When Pinkie took it back, she looked at it and chuckled. “Wow, you have really bad mouth writing. It’s like you’ve never held a pen before.” Twilight’s cheeks went red and she laughed awkwardly; she had grabbed the pen with her mouth without thinking. Pinkie’s reaction was one thing, but Applejack was kind of looking at her as though she had tried to shove an apple up her nose. “Well, uh, anyway, thanks for the info, Applejack. I’ll do my very best.” “Sure thing,” Applejack said, but then raised an eyebrow. “Hey, who’d you know my name is Applejack? I never told you.” “Oh, you didn’t?” Pinkie Pie gasped. “I know! She’s psychic!” “If ya say so,” Applejack said. “Anyway, if there’s anything Ah can do to help, just give me a call. Here, let me give you my number.” *** Twilight, walking down the corridor, looked at the piece of paper with Applejack’s ‘number’ on it. Who could she ask to learn what it meant? It seemed like something everyone in this world already knew about, so she had to be careful how she phrased the question. She had a feeling this sort of thing was going to happen a lot in the future, so she decided it might be best to nip the problem in the bud before it got out of hand. Next stop, the library. Though nowhere near the size of the one found at Canterlot Castle, it made her smile ear to ear all the same. It didn’t matter where she traveled, in Equestria or off-world, as long as there was a library, she would feel right at home. “Now to find a book that will tell you the basics of this place,” Spike commented. “Though that might be a tall order. Imagine if there was a book in Equestria introducing the basic concepts of earth ponies and pegasi.” “Maybe there’s a children’s section,” Twilight suggested. “Let’s have look around.” “Excuse me!” a voice called. It took Twilight a moment to realize it was meant for her. “Is that a dog?” “Uh, yes?” “In a library?!” The woman seemed outraged. Upon closer inspection, this woman looked like Cheerilee. So she was a librarian too in this world. As the former Ponyville librarian herself, Twilight didn’t know how to feel about that. “Get that mutt out of here this instant, or I’ll ban you from the library for a month!” Not one to take threats of library banishment lightly, Twilight simply nodded, picked up Spike and backed away, out the door. When Cheerilee was out of ear shot, Spike said, “At least she didn’t hear me talk. That would’ve been real bad.” “Yeah… sorry Spike, you’ll have to sit this one out.” “That’s okay. I’ll find someplace to hide; I’ll be able to smell you when you leave.” “Do I really smell that bad?” Twilight asked, sniffing her arm. “I haven’t exactly had the chance to shower.” “You smell fine, it’s just that my nose is extremely sensitive. It’s a bit annoying, actually.” ‘It’s a bit annoying, actually’… That’s what Fluttershy had said to Pinkie. She felt a flush of sadness, but also determination; she needed to get to the bottom of this, fast. “Thanks, Spike.” Cheerilee kept her eyes on Twilight as she reentered the library. Since she had already made it awkward, she figured, what’s there to lose? “Excuse me. I’m sorry about before, but I was just wondering if you could help me with something.” “Sure,” Cheerilee replied, her irritation replaced by a more professional tone. “That’s what I’m here for. What do you need?” “Can you tell me what this number means?” She took a quick glance. “It looks like a phone number. Did you want to know who it belongs to?” “No, I know who gave it to me, just…” here goes, “…what’s a phone number?” Cheerilee stared at her blankly for about five seconds. “Are you… oh, I see now, you must be one of those students who just moved into the city from the countryside. You’ve never seen a cell phone in your life?” “Sorry.” The librarian drew a short breath, then pulled out a rectangular, flat item from her pocket. “I know it doesn’t look like it, but this here is a communications device. I’m assuming you’ve at least seen a regular phone before, but this one is small enough to keep in your pocket.” Twilight didn’t even care that Cheerilee was talking to her as though she was a toddler; she was absolutely enthralled by the concept. “It can do all sorts of other things as well; take pictures, record video, look up things on the internet… which is like a sort of an information hub,” she added, seeing the look on Twilight’s face. “You visit these pages, which is really just accessing other computers from all around the world, connected through a gigantic, world-spanning electronic network.” “And you can find any information on there?” “Almost anything, yes, but be warned, there are plenty of pages on the net that are… less than informative. If you’ve never used it before, I would advice caution. Want me to teach you how to use a computer?” Twilight nodded eagerly. “Then come this way.” Out of all the things Twilight had seen thus far, this ‘computer’ was by far the most incredible. It was all just projections on a screen, but it was like a whole imaginary world in there. Cheerilee answered every one of Twilight’s questions—albeit somewhat impatiently—and soon, she was comfortable enough to move on to the main course: the internet. She was shown a few basic pages—a ‘search engine’ for entering key words, a site containing user-created videos, a database on the books available in the library—before finally leaving her alone. She felt like a kid in a toy store. I could spend hours in here! And she did. She stumbled over one particular site filled with articles on all sorts of topics, and from there she hopped from one topic to the other, absorbing knowledge about the mundane and the important. A few things in particular stood out; first, these creatures were called humans, and were evolved from apes. Second, while magic existed as a concept, it wasn’t considered real for most people. Third, this world did, in fact, have a similar history to Equestria. Not that every detail was identical, but there were general plot threads, so to speak, that were more or less the same. Wouldn’t that suggest there is no freedom here? That human lives are preordained by some higher energies to force this world into aligning with Equestria? Great many things were different, though; not just historical points, but things like government structure to forms of entertainment. Like the world had taken different paths to arrive at similar states at specific points in time. Was there a sentience guiding the realm? And why is this little high school the equivalent of the capital city in my world…? “Hey there, Twilight.” When she looked up, she saw Flash Sentry, the guy she had literally ran into before. “Oh, hey there.” “Wasn’t this your first day?” he asked. “Already hitting the library, huh. Aren’t you ambitious.” “I mean, this is a school, why not take the opportunity to learn, right?” “Hey, I ain’t judging. Just surprised to find someone still here after classes have all ended.” “Wait, they have? What time is it?” She checked the clock on the wall. “Four-twenty?! Then I’ve been here for… two and a half hours!” “Wait, didn’t you go to class?” “No, I, uh, didn’t have to, seeing as it was my first day,” Twilight made up on the spot. “Today was more of an introduction. So, what brings you here?” “Well, you know… kinda embarrassing to admit to a model student like you, but I flunked the history test last week, so now I gotta retake it. I’ll admit, I'm not the brightest students around, but my folks are not gonna be happy if I drop out because I couldn’t handle one stupid subject. Anyway, I’m just about done for today, so I’m heading home. What about you?” “I should too,” she replied. She’d been cooped up in there long enough; Spike was probably worried. Also, she had wanted to talk some more with Flash ever since their first meeting. He didn’t seem to mind that she fell into steps next to him; on the contrary, he beamed at her. “So, you nervous about starting here?” he asked. “What school did you go to before?” “I’m kind of from out of town,” she told him. Yeah, that’s as good a story as any. “It’s a small village, I doubt you’ve ever heard of it.” “Probably not. So you must find this little suburb like, insane.” “It’s somewhat overwhelming,” she felt she could say without stretching the truth too much. “So—Flash, was it?—I kind of had a feeling you were trying to warn me about something before. Was it Sunset Shimmer?” Flash’s face fell. “Oh no, you met her?” “Just briefly,” she lied, “but I’ve heard a lot about her from other people. Everyone seems to be afraid of her.” “She’s a real troublemaker, alright. Probably the biggest bully around; I’m glad she didn’t do anything to you. Wouldn’t surprise me if she’s got her eyes on you now… I’d stay on the down low, if I were you.” “Thanks, but that’s not going to be an option. After hearing about all the terrible things she’s done, I’ve decided to run against her for Princess of the Fall Formal.” They had reached the lockers, and Flash was about to open his when he froze, and gave her a shocked expression. “You serious?” “Absolutely. And yes, I know I don’t have much time, but I’ve gotta try. It’s… well, it’s personal.” “I don’t know what happened between you two, but you’ve got a tough road ahead. As far as she’s concerned, this school belongs to her, and she’ll resort to anything to keep it that way. I should know. I used to date her.” This caught her genuinely off guard. “You? Date her? But you’re so nice! A good person!” “A little too nice, maybe. Dense, too; took me five months to figure out she was only going out with me to exploit my ‘popularity’.” He grabbed his bag from the locker, and they resumed walking. “Not to toot my own horn too hard, but a lot of people do come to our band performances; about the only school event we have left, aside from the Fall Formal. Anyway, it’s not something I’m proud of… but on the plus side, she’s left me and my band buddies alone.” Stepping outside, the sun was considerably lower now, and people were leaving the school building left and right. All passing the statue in the center of the grounds, none the wiser that it was actually a portal to another dimension. Someone was even leaning against it. Interesting; so these humans can’t pass through it… maybe it needs to sense Equestrian magic for it to work. “So yeah, anyway,” Flash continued, “you’ve got my vote. Now we just need to figure out a way to convince the people who aren’t protected by a past relationship status.” “Yeah, that might… wait, did you say ‘we’?” “Of course! I’ll be backing you up in any way I can. You wanna bring the school back together, don’t you? That’s what I’ve been trying to do all year. You’re just the opportunity I’ve been waiting for… uh, not that I see you as just an opportunity, I mean you’re swell and all, I just meant…” Twilight just chuckled. “It’s okay, I understand, and I’m grateful for your support.” Flash smiled and blushed. He really was kind of cute. “Anyway, I’ll give you my number,” he said. “Can I type it into your phone?” “I… don’t exactly have one,” Twilight admitted. “B-but I’ll get one soon,” she added. Looks like I’m gonna need one sooner or later. “Alright, hang on.” He pulled out a pen and a notebook from his backpack, tore out a piece of it and scribbled the number down. “Maybe I’ll be the first in your contact list.” She took the piece of paper, and put it into her pocket. “Where do you live? My house is over that way.” He pointed across the road. “Oh, uh, not there, I’m afraid,” she said, the thought only now occurring to her. I don’t have a place to stay! “It’s kind of far from here…” “Oh, okay. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” “Yeah, absolutely. See you tomorrow.” He left her standing there. So, now what? She had to find some place to stay, preferably close to school. Her eyes were drawn to the statue of the horse. It’s already endured three trips through it; maybe two more wouldn’t hurt? But the idea immediately made her feel ashamed; she would not risk the collapse of two entire worlds just because she wanted to sleep in a comfortable bed. “Yup, definitely a nice guy.” Spike’s sudden voice behind her made her jump. “Oh! There you are.” He jumped into her arms, so they could speak to each other quietly. “Sorry I took so long; I lost track of time, and—” “It’s okay, I knew you would. Believe it or not, I got to hang out with Fluttershy for a bit; she’s got an animal shelter real close to school. It was like a spa treatment, I’m telling ya. Though she kept talking to me the whole time. That girl’s got some serious abandonment issues.” Sad to hear, but not surprising. “Did she say anything about the rest of our friends?” “Not much. She seems to like Rainbow Dash well enough, but it doesn’t look like they’re friends, more of an ‘admire from afar’ kind of deal. You’d think she was crushing on her or something.” “Better than being enemies, that’s for sure. So we have team Pinkie-Applajack, and Rainbow-Fluttershy; one way, at last. I wonder how Rarity fits into this.” “I hope we get to meet her soon,” Spike said with enthusiasm. “Sure wouldn’t mind her giving me a scratch behind the old ear.” “For now, though,” Twilight looked around, the ground steadily emptying of people, “we gotta find a place to spend the night. Maybe Miss Cheerilee will let me sleep in the library?” “Sure, and I’ll just find a nice locker or something.” “You’re right, sorry. I don’t wanna risk going back through the portal… guess we’ll have to find someplace outside to—” “Howdy, Twilight!” Applejack approached them, smiling broadly. “Heading home?” “Y-yeah, just about to—” But Spike smacked her on the arm, then nicked his head towards her. Hint hint. Oh! “Actually, not really; thing is, I haven’t found a place to stay in this town yet.” “You started school without a place to bunk?” Applejack asked. “I though the faculty was supposed to handle that sorta thing.” “Well, you know, things got delayed,” she said, hoping the awkward laugh was as much of a get-out-of-awkward-situations-free card as she hoped. “So now I’m kinda stuck, and…” “Say no more! You and your pooch are welcome to stay at my farm tonight.” “You mean it?” Twilight beamed. “Oh, thank you!” “You’re the one taking on Sunset Shimmer. Can’t have you living on the streets, can we? Come on, it’s just a short bus ride away.”