Equestria Girls: Reimagined

by Candle Light

Chapter Twelve

Twilight was deep in it now.

On her many adventures, there had been times when she had felt completely defeated—the battle against Discord came to mind—but unlike back then, this time,, there was no mind control involved, no kidnapping situations, nothing that an above-average dose of magic wouldn’t have solved. Not that she had any magic here to begin with. All she had was her brains and her bonds of friendship, but apparently, as was quickly becoming clear to her, those might not be enough.

She was hiding out among the shelves of the second floor of the library. When she was younger, she would often hide out in Canerlot Library whenever she felt scared or overwhelmed, and though this place was nowhere near as vast or maze-like, she was pretty sure nobody would find her here. She needed time to think. To calm down. To put her head back together enough to work out counter-plan. But what would make her friends trust her now? What would make anybody in this school trust her? Find Celestia and have her tell them it wasn’t a planned effort? No, that would come off as desperate? Continue the campaign with only Rainbow Dash and Rarity by her side?

No. The Wondercolts were all of them together. Apart, she might as well give it up now. And the only way to get Applejack and Fluttershy back on her side was to tell them a truth they would never accept.

No matter how much she racked her brain, her mind kept coming back to one answer. Give up on the contest. Grab the crown, and run back through the portal. She had lost the battle, but she could still win the war.

All she needed to do was abandon those who needed her. Run back to Equestria with her figurative tail between her legs…

It was with a heavy heart that she made her way down the stairs, out the library, and through the corridors. All the while, thinking, pleading to herself, to come up with a better plan. Go talk to Applejack again! Make up a more convincing story Perhaps that could’ve work if she’d had more time, but the Fall Formal was tonight, and now that momentum was lost, winning back those votes would require a miracle.

Celestia would understand. Desperate times, and all that.

“Hey, Twilight!” Flash Sentry’s voice called as she walked across the entrance hall, and next moment, he had run up to her. “Good thing I found you. Man, Sunset just won’t give up, will she. But listen,” he seemed out of breath, but kept talking anyway, “don’t let it get to you. I’ve been talking to a lot of students, and there’s still many who believes in you.”

“Thanks… but she’s already gotten to me. To my friends. Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy; they think I’m a liar, and… I guess I am. I haven’t exactly been honest about where I come from, or what I’m doing here.”

“You’re not here to win the crown and unite the school?”

“Of course I am! But… I’m not from the mountains, and also… I have what might call an ulterior motive for doing this.”

“Oh, is that all?” Flash said, looking actually relieved. “Listen, nobody's asking you to to be the absolute paragon of justice; I think most of us understand that you got your own selfish desires, just like the rest of us. And I don’t think they necessarily cancel each other out.”

“Thanks, Flash. But…” she let out a sigh. “People think I’m a cheating crook now. How am I suppose to prove my innocence and win back people’s trust in just a few hour?”

“Twilight, you got it all backwards. You’ve got nothing to prove; you didn’t sabotage the gymnasium, so don’t act like you did. So you might have embellished the truth a little; we rallied behind you because we saw what was in your heart.”

Twilight stared into Flash’s eyes. His smile was like a balloon of warmth filling her up. He made it sound so easy. “Thank you, really. It means a lot. You’re right, I shouldn’t give up just yet… it’s just that, with my friends still fighting, I don’t know how to get my message of unity across. I sort of hinged my whole campaign on them…”

“Well, if the problem is they’re not sure if you’re legit, why not tell them the truth? Lay it all on the table.”

Tell them the truth… that she was a being from another world. Even by Equestria’s standards, that was crazy-talk. Could the solution really be that simple? After all, if they didn’t believe her, it could spell victory for Sunset Shimmer. The end of their world as they knew it.

Could she really trust her friends with the fate of the world?

She immediately let out a laugh. Of all the silly questions!

“I’ll do it,” she told him. “Could you do me a favor and round them up, tell them to meet me at the gymnasium?”

“Alright, Twi,” Applejack sighed. The five girls and Flash were once again gathered in the wrecked gym, and Twilight could see by just a glance that the rift between them had not yet mended. “Let’s give this another shot. The truth, this time.”

Twilight took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “I’m… not from this country,” she began. “I’m from a place called Equestria. It’s a place far, far away, but also very close by. And in this place, I’m not even a human… I’m… I’m a pony.”

“Hah, I knew it!” said Pinkie. Then her expression shifted, as if she was letting the words register. “I mean, WHAT?!”

“I come from a world where magic is real, and everywhere,” Twilight plunged on. “In Equestria, ponies are the most common inhabitants, but there are also griffins, dragons, deadly manticores and hydras. We are ruled by the Princesses Celestia and Luna, who raises the sun and moon each day. I am—was—Celestia’s personal student, before I became a Princess myself. I know how insane this must sound, but this world is a mirror to my own. All the students who go here have versions of themselves back in my world. And back home… you five are my best friends.”

That was a good place to stop and let it sink in. Did she go too far? Judging from the open mouths and big stares, she might have.

“By granny’s apple sauce,” said Applejack. “You’re not lying anymore…!”

“Uhm, in case you missed it, she just said she’s a pony from another world,” Rarity remarked.

“Yeah, but, there’s this look in your eye when you’re telling a lie; she had it before, but now she doesn’t. Either she’s one heck of a good liar, or…” she faltered, unsure of how to finish that sentence.

If only Spike was here, Twilight thought. Seeing a talking dog might’ve helped drive the point home. That wasn’t to say she was out of ideas. “I knew about your cupcakes, Pinkie, because I’ve been to many of your parties. I knew Fluttershy back home likes bananas, which is why I had you make a batch banana cupcakes.”

“I do like bananas,” Fluttershy said, eyes full of disbelief.

“And if I’m not entirely mistaken, Rainbow Dash is a big fan of Applejack’s cider.”

“W-well yeah, but isn’t everyone?”

“And speaking of Applejack, I know you have family in Manehattan: your Aunt and Uncle Orange, as well as your cousin Babs Seed.”

“It’s true!” Applejack said.

“I mean, she could have looked that up online,” said Rarity.

“Is it true you have a cat called Opalescence?” Twilight asked.

“Well, yes! But I never mentioned…”

“And your sister, Sweetie Belle, she’s not the best cook, is she.”

“The worst! But how…?”

“I know all this, because in my world, you five are the greatest friend a person could have. In fact, we aren’t just any group of friends; we are the chosen bearers of Equestria’s most powerful magic: the Elements of Harmony, which is fueled by the magic of our friendship itself. That’s why I chose you, out of everyone at this school. I couldn’t stand seeing the people I love so dearly never knowing what they might mean to each another.”

The group, still dumbfounded, looked at each other, then at Twilight. She swallowed, barely breathing. “So… what you’re saying is,” Flash Sentry asked, “you’re from a parallel world, where the six of you are some kind of magical super hero team?”

“Uh-huh…”

“Twilight…” said Rainbow Dash. “That is just… so awesome!” Her whole face beamed. “Tell me, what’s pony me like?”

“W-well, you’re a pegasus, the fastest flier in Equestria…”

“Do I still have mah farm?” Applejack took over.

“Yeah. You’re a hard-working earth pony with a heart of gold.”

“Oh, oh, what about me?” Pinkie Pie said. “Wait, don’t say anything; I have a toothless alligator called Jummy! No, Jimmy! Wait, that doesn’t sound right…”

“So you believe me?” asked Twilight. “You’ll… accept who I am?”

“It’s a doozy, Ah won’t deny,” said Applejack, but her smile was mirrored on all of their faces. “But Ah reckon Rainbow Dash was right all along. You’re the best thing that's ever happened to our school, and if you’re saying you’re a pony princess from another world, that’s fine by me. What matter is that your heart is in the right place, and well… sorry Ah was givin’ ya such a hard time before.”

“A-and I-I’m sorry about what I said about you and Spike…” said Fluttershy.

“It’s totally fine. It's clear to me now I should have been honest from the start.”

“So there’s a whole other world out there?” Flash Sentry spoke, grinning. “Not gonna lie, you’ve pretty much made most of my childhood fantasies come true.”

“Tell me about it,” said Rainbow Dash. “How did you get here? Can we go to this world?”

“The portal is at the base of the horse statue outside, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like regular humans can pass through it.”

“Bummer,” said Pinkie Pie. “I would’ve loved to meet a pony version of myself. Could you imagine there being two of me? Someone should write a story about that!”

“Not to sound ungrateful or anything,” said Flash, “but what brings you here in the first place?”

“Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight told them simply. “Just like me, she was a student under Princess Celestia. She was considered one of the greatest magic users of our time, but ambition turned her greedy and dishonest, and that created a rift between her and the Princess. She’s actually the one who created the pathway between our dimensions, and she’s been using it to hide out in this world, biding her time.

“Well, that time has come. The Fall Formal crown is more than just a fancy jewel: it's a magic artifact that she stole from Equestria, the catalyst for the Elements of Harmony. Even I’m not sure how she plans to use it, but my guess is, she want to conquer this whole world and rule over it with an iron hoof.”

“I’ll believe that,” Flash said. “It’ll be just like what she’s doing to the school, but on a global scale. Sounds just like her.”

“But why would she need to win the Fall Formal?” Fluttershy asked. “If she already stole it…”

“It’s her way of throwing down the gauntlet, one former student of Celestia’s to another. By beating me, she wants to prove that the Princess’ ideals are wrong. All to satisfy her broken pride…”

“But we’re not gonna let her, are we,” said Rainbow Dash. “I see what you’re doing: we’ll beat her at her own game, not only saving the world, but crushing her ego in the process! So how do we do this? Got any more brilliant plans up your sleeve?”

“We’re gonna have to redo the decorations, won’t we,” Pinkie said with a sigh, gazing out over the wreckage. Ripped streamers, broken tables, big soda stained, ruined equipment; putting everything back together was going to be a project. “If only there was some kind of party cannon that could decorate everything super fast!”

“I’m sorry,” said Twilight, “but I’m all out of brilliant plans. All I can think of right now is to try and fix the mess with our own hands, and then do our best to keep appealing to the students. I don’t know if that’ll be enough, but if nothing else, we'll show them that the Wondercolts' spirit can’t be broken so easily.”

“Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best,” Applejack said. “So what’re we waiting for? We got some cleaning to do!”

“Whoa, you still haven’t given up on being Princess?” Twilight, tying a knot on a trash bag, recognized the boy from the cafeteria, one of the people who had laughed the hardest at her embarrassing stories.

“No, I have not,” Twilight replied simply. “You’re free to believe what you want about me, but it’s my duty to make sure everything happens according to schedule.”

“Dude, you could’ve just waited until tomorrow, and the staff would’ve taken care of it.”

“Perhaps, but it’s not their fault the gymnasium ended up like this.”

“So you admit you trashed the place!”

“No. But it’s still my responsibility.”

“But… why would you wreck the place, and then… huh.” He left without saying another word, scratching his head.

“Alright, y’all, How about a cider break!” Applejack suggested.

“Heck yeah!” Rainbow Dash cheered. It had been about half an hour since they started, and there was still much to be done.

“You go have a break,” Twilight said. “I’m just gonna get these stains off the floor.”

“Yeah, let’s not take too long; there won’t be much time left for campaigning,” Flash said.

“I must admit I am worried?” Rarity said out loud, taking a sip. “I can’t shake the feeling Sunset’s still got the… oh, isn’t that Spike?”

The group turned to the dog as he ran up to Twilight, wagging his tail. She chuckled, and picked him up. “It’s okay, Spike, they know. You can talk now.”

His expression changed instantly. “Wait, so we’re not doing the whole incognito thing anymore?”

“Things kinda took a dark turn, and… well, long story short, I’ve decided I’m done with the secrets.

“Works for me. There you have it!” He turned to the others, whose mouths hung open again. “The name’s Spike. And where I’m from, I’m not even a dog.” He hopped down from Twilight’s arms. “I’m a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon!”

“Oh my gosh, he can talk!” Fluttershy squeed, the goofiest grin on her face as she squatted down. “This is so amazing! What are you thinking right now!”

“That, uh, you’re really up in my face?”

Blushing slightly, she backed away. “Sorry, it’s just, I’ve never seen a talking animal before. Do all animals in Equestria talk?”

“Y’know, that’s a good question. I mean, some do, but it’s kinda weird which ones do and which—”

“Excuse me,” a voice came from the entrance, and Spike quickly stopped talking. Scribble Dee from the technology club was standing by the door. “My classmate said you were gonna fix this up all by yourselves.”

“That’s right,” Twilight told her. “I’m so sorry things ended up this way, especially after what you did for us yesterday, but don’t worry, we’ll get it all cleaned up in an hour or two. The Fall Formal will happen tonight, just as planned.”

The girl just smiled. “Yeah, I figured this was just another one of Sunny’s petty schemes.” She walked through the door. “No way you would destroy the place, then put yourself through all this; that’s like the worst PR move I’ve ever seen. I’m helping you out.”

“Ya mean it?” Applejack said. “Thanks a bunch, miss Scribble Dee.”

For some reason, that made Spike perk up. “Just glad to help,” Scribble said. “Where do I start?”

With an eighth person, the load lightened noticeably. And it didn’t stop there; ten minutes in, Scribble made a few phone calls, which led to some of her technology club buddies coming to help. Now that they were a crowd of twelve, people were stopping by the door to see what the hubbub was about, and a few of them deciding to join in as well. Twilight didn’t want to count her blessings just yet, but maybe, just maybe, this meant there was still a chance.

Spike let out a small ‘woof!’ to grab Twilight’s attention. He made a sideways gesture with his head, a sign for her to follow him. Twilight excused herself to the bathroom, but really found an empty closet where they could talk.

“That girl!” Spike said. “It’s been bothering me since I got back, like I was sure I’d met her before, but that’s gotta be her!”

“Slow down Spike. It’s gotta be who?

“Oh, right, guess I should actually tell you what I found out when I was back in Equestria.”

Her heart-rate sped up. “Lay it on me.”

“You see, we looked through a bunch of Sunset’s old diaries, and it turns out she’s originally from a traveling pony caravan called Sleipnir, which from her descriptions weren’t exactly the happiest bunch. Her parents would argue a whole lot, and they were super strict about their religion. Anyway, she had one friend she could always turn to, an earth pony by the name of Scribble Dee.”

“Oh, now it makes sense,” Twilight said. “The way she looked at her, I had a feeling there had to be something there.”

“It's a pretty big something. Let’s just say she played a big role in why Sunset decided to leave the caravan. As in, huge-falling-out-differences-in-life-perspective kind of roll. We’re not exactly sure what the argument was about, the journals wouldn't go into details, but we think it had something to do with Sunset’s ambitions, and that she was causing trouble for the group somehow.”

“Well, it’s not much to go in, but it’s better than nothing,” Twilight said. “Good work, Spike.”

“Oh, but the story’s not done yet. I would’ve been back sooner, but then we found another journals, hidden away in the library, next to the copy of Equestrian History. From that, we learned that years after she left the group, Sunset and Scribble Dee talked it out! During the times before her big falling out with Celestia, she spoke really highly of Scribble Dee, referring to her as ‘her only friend.’”

“…but then Sunset disappeared through the portal, and she never saw her again!” Twilight finished. “She never had a chance; her only contact with Equestria was her quick bouts into the library.”

“I don’t get it: if she could teleport inside the Crystal Castle, why couldn’t she have done the same in Canterlot, go back to the caravan and have a chat with her?”

“Canterlot’s spells are older and more powerful than those in the Crystal Empire,” Twilight explained. “And it’s home to the Arch Mages of the Arcanum; she never would have made it out of there unnoticed, and I think she knows it.”

“Right, uh, obviously.”

“Maybe we can use this, Spike. Appeal to her better self.”

“Do you really think that’ll work on Sunset?”

“If it worked on Discord, it can work on anybody. Friendship problems are kind of my bread and butter. It’s worth a shot, if nothing else. Come on, we’d better get back to the cleaning.”

Little did Twilight know that, once she left the closet, another surprise awaited her.

“Anybody wants a cupcake?” Pinkie Pie called out to a crowd nearly double the size as when she had left. “We got cookies too!” A few of the drama club members were spiffying up the stage, and some of the athletes were making a sport out of tossing rolled up streamers into the trash bags. And even as she watched, more people were coming to join them.

“Hey, there she is!” someone called, drawing a dozen eyes her way. They all cheered at her. Actually cheered. “Don’t worry, diaper girl, we got your back!”

“So… you don’t think I staged the whole thing?” Twilight asked, dumbfounded.

“Duh. We’re not stupid. We recognize a classic Sunset Shimmer Shaming when we see one.”

“Heck yeah!” one girl agreed. “I mean, I guess I was a bit confused at first, but when I heard you people were gonna fix this by yourselves, I was like, this girl’s legit!”

“To be honest, I don’t even care if this is a trick,” a third students said. “It’s still a fact that you want take down Sunset Shimmer, is it not?”

“Yeah, of course.”

The guy smiled, then held up a pair of clip-on horse ears. “Then you certainly have my vote,” he said, putting them on.

“Mine too.”

“Mine too!”

More and more people were milling into the room, either to see what was going on, or to help out themselves. And a whole lot of them were wearing the Wondercolts’ accessories. Twilight couldn’t believe what she was seeing; this was turning out exactly like the set-up Sunset had accused Twilight of fabricating, but no one seemed to think twice about it.

“It seems there was nothing to worry about after all,” said Rarity, walking up to her.

It was enough to make her eyes water. “I thought I’d lost them…”

“It’s like Ah told ya,” Applejack said, joining them, “there’s a heck of a difference between a liar and someone who puts her heart in it. Sunset tried to drag you through the mud with her words, but you showed them otherwise with your actions.”

“If you ask me,” Rainbow Dash joined in, “I think you got most of them hook, line and sinker back when we did the song.”

“It’s what we’ve all been waiting for,” said Flash. “A chance to fight back against Sunset. And it’s all because they believe in you, Twilight.”

Twilight shook her head, drying her tears. “It’s because they believed in us. I would have been completely stuck without your help.”

“Isn’t that what parallel dimension best friends are for,” Rainbow Dash snickered.

That’s when she spotted Sunset Shimmer in the corner of her eye. She was standing outside the window, looking right at Twilight. A difficult look to decipher, but it didn’t seem like a happy one. Noticing Twilight was looking back, she turned and wandered off.

Twilight had no idea what it might be, but she was certain Sunset Shimmer had at least one more attack ready for her.