Later, during lunch, Twilight met with Fluttershy again at the cafeteria just as the two were getting themselves some food.
"I know we've just met, but I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something." Twilight asked Fluttershy.
"Of course." Fluttershy answered politely as she took a small bowl of fruit from the stand.
Twilight decided to take one herself. "I've decided to run for Princess of the Fall Formal and--"
Fluttershy gasped in horror hearing what Twilight just said accidentally dropping and spilling her fruit salad on the latter. Fluttershy covered her mouth seeing Twilight's clothes stained in what was going to be her fruit salad. "Oh, gosh." Fluttershy looked around before grabbing a stack of napkins off the stand and tried to clean up the mess on Twilight's clothes. "Sorry, it's just--Oh...running for Fall Formal Princess right now is a really bad idea."
"Why?" Twilight asked her confused.
"Word is is that Sunset Shimmer wants to be Fall Formal Princess." Fluttershy answered discarding the used napkins. "And after what had happened earlier today, I don't think you should take the risk." Fluttershy placed her lunch tray on the counter where the lunchlady, who was this world's version of Granny Smith, placed an apple onto the tray along with Twilight's. "She might make your life awful if you stand in her way. I don't even want to imagine what she would do if the girl who was Princess of the Spring Fling ran against her."
"I have to try!" Twilight reasoned with Fluttershy as they left and went to go sit down at one of the tables.
"I don't think you understand. You'd have to convince everyone here to vote for you instead of her." Fluttershy said to Twilight as they walked past several groups of students. Each represented the kind of students that Fluttershy was referring to. "The athletes; the fashionistas; the dramas; the eco-kids; the techies; the rockers."
Twilight seemed confused about the purpose of the groups, since in Equestria, all ponies lived together equally. As they walked, the aforementioned groups passed by them at their own tables. However, what she seem to notice more was the absence of one particular student she had in her mind.
"Where's Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight asked.
"Well, she's usually not seen eating in here. Nobody really knows anything about Sunset Shimmer ever since she first arrived here last year." Fluttershy explained to Twilight about Sunset Shimmer's history at Canterlot High. "But if she really is like what we've seen, she might rule this school until we graduate." Fluttershy soon took a bite out of her fruit salad.
"Not if I can help it!" Twilight declared as she bit into the apple with only her mouth and not her hands, causing Fluttershy to look at her strangely. Twilight noticed the look on Fluttershy's face and moved her hand up to put the apple onto it. "So, uh, heh, where would I find the head of the Party Planning Committee?" Twilight soon asked leaving an embarrassed smile on her face.
Fluttershy informed Twilight where she could find the head of the Party Planning Committee and she went to the gym after lunch.
"Fluttershy said she'd probably be in here." Twilight said to Spike, who was out of her backpack and followed along as they both entered the gym.
The gym was all decked out for the Fall Formal as there were balloons floating on top of the ceiling, banners hanging from above, speakers on each corner of the gym, a stand for the DJ, a snack table with a punch bowl and a photo stand. As Twilight and Spike surveyed the room, they couldn't help but feel something was rather familiar about how all these party decorations were laid out when all of a sudden.
"INCOMING!!" Pinkie's voice shouted from above as streamers rained down onto both Twilight and Spike, hitting and covering them.
Twilight and Spike got out from underneath the streamers and found this world's version of Pinkie Pie, who then peeled off one of her cutie mark's balloons on her skirt and with a big huff, blew into and inflated the balloon.
"Hi. My name is Twilight Sparkle and--" Twilight introduced herself to Pinkie Pie, who turned around to face her with the balloon still in her hand, causing Twilight to duck to avoid getting hit by it. Twilight soon recognized who the head of the Party Planning Committee was and under her breathe said. "Pinkie Pie?"
Pinkie Pie seem to hear Twilight call her by her name, catching her offguard as the balloon she was holding deflated into her face, to Twilight's dismay. Then, suddenly from behind, Pinkie grabbed Twilight by the arms and turned her around to face her.
"Are you psychic?!" Pinkie Pie gasped and asked Twilight in concern.
"Uh, no. I don't think so. Unless, of course, that's something you can do here." Twilight answered making sure not to give away her identity.
Pinkie let go of Twilight, dropping her to the ground buying her explanation. "Not usually." Pinkie then went back to setting up the decorations around the gym as she inflated another balloon.
"Fluttershy said this is where I find the head of the Fall Formal Planning Comittee." Twilight explained to Pinkie her reason for being here.
However, Pinkie's eyes dilated in horror hearing what Twilight just said, causing her to stop inflating the balloon she was inflating and unwittingly allowing the air from inside the balloon to cartoonishly inflate her head like a balloon before she turned back to Twilight.
"You talked to Fluttershy?!" Pinkie exclaimed in terror letting the inflated air out through her mouth blowing into both Twilight and Spike as her head deflated back to normal. "Did any of her animals attack you when you asked?! Or worse, she let you come here and secretly sent her animals to ambush us while we're talking!!"
Twilight was appalled by what Pinkie just asked her and was understandably confused by her sudden paranoia.
"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked back.
Instead of answering, Pinkie checked outside the gym and then the entire gym itself to see if her believes were true.
"Well, it looks like you manage to get away safe and sound, which is a relief." Pinkie said calming down and moving back to Twilight wanting to ask her as the head of the Party Planning Committee. "Need to get your name on the ballet, huh? Dance is the day after tomorrow."
"I'm brand new here." Twilight told Pinkie.
"Oooh!" Pinkie gushed interested before taking a closer look at Twilight. "I thought you didn't look familiar." Pinkie then zoomed over to Twilight and checked all over her body, literally to get a better look at her. "Though, now that I'm really looking at you." Pinkie then stepped back and her face expressed of having figured everything out. "Do you have a twin sister who lives in the city? Has a pet dog named Spike, who looks just like that one?"
As Pinkie asked Twilight her question, Spike was playing with a balloon on the floor.
"Uh...maybe...?" Twilight answered hoping it would convince Pinkie.
"Thought so. Anyhoo..." Pinkie said accepting Twilight's answer before pulling out both a clipboard and a pen out of her hair. "...just need to fill this out and you are officially up for the coveted Princess of the Fall Formal crown."
Pinkie then offered Twilight the pen for her to sign her name onto the clipboard. Twilight then reluctantly her mouth to take the pen, but realized how weird it made her look in front of Pinkie, who didn't seem to change her demeanor despite it. Twilight then took the pen out of her mouth with her hand and tried her best to write her name down. Pinkie turned the clipboard around for her to see Twilight's name.
"Wow! You have really bad handwriting. It's like you never held a pen before." Pinkie remarked in surprise about Twilight's attempt at handwriting.
Twilight nervously laughed in response. "Is it?"
Just then, the gym doors opened.
"Somebody order a dozen cases of Fizzy Apple Cider?" Applejack's voice called out where a silhouette of someone was by the gym doors carrying one of the cases of cider.
"Oh! Oh! Me! Me, me, me!" Pinkie cheered.
The person carrying the case went over to a table set up for the dance and placed the case down as it soon showed said person to be this world's version of Applejack, who took her hat off and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Twilight's eyes rose at seeing another version of her friends here in this world.
"Can you bring in the rest?" Applejack asked someone, who turned out to be this world's version of her brother, Big Mac.
"Yep." Big Mac replied carrying a couple of cases of cider stacked together into the gym.
Pinkie bounced up and down in utter joy at seeing her cider for the Fall Formal to arrive. Applejack took one of cases from on top of the stack Big Mac was carrying when she saw Twilight looking at her.
"Hey, I know you." Applejack said to Twilight recognizing her.
"You do?" Twilight asked in surprise.
"Sure. You're the new girl who was found sleeping outside the school grounds with her dog." Applejack stated placing the case she was carrying down onto another nearby table and pulled out one of the bottles of cider from the case. She soon bit off the bottle's cap and started drinking.
"Twilight Sparkle is gonna run against Sunset Shimmer, who I hear is also wanting to run for Princess of the Fall Formal." Pinkie informed Applejack.
Applejack suddenly almost spat out the cider she was drinking and choked up a bit.
"Sunset Shimmer? As in Sunset "I Spend All Day At The Library Reading Books" Shimmer?" Applejack soon asked shocked and surprised from hearing this bit of news. "She's running for Princess of the Fall Formal?"
"Yes, but you also mention she spends her time at the library reading." Twilight asked interested in seeing if she could get any more information about Sunset from Applejack. "What else can you tell me about her?"
"Not much, other than the fact that she spends her time studying like it were super important." Applejack said. "And she hardly ever talks to anyone other than the teachers. So, we don't really mind. Though, I'm glad she's nothing like Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight repeated what Applejack said.
"Yeah. She plays on every team in Canterlot High." Pinkie explained while bouncing on an overinflated balloon.
"She's also said to kick soccer balls at you 'just for kicks'. Can't you believe that?" Applejack said revealing another rumor about one of Twilight's friends.
"Thanks for the advice, Applejack. But this is something I really need to do." Twilight thanked Applejack.
"Eh, suit yourself." Applejack said almost shrugging it off before realizing what Twilight said. "Hey. How'd you know my name was Applejack?"
"Um...I, uh... *nervously laughs* Didn't you say?" Twilight nervously responded.
"Nope." Big Mac replied back with a counterargument while still taking more cases of cider into the gym from outside.
"Well, uh, it was sure nice meeting you both. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around." Twilight greeted both Pinkie Pie and Applejack goodbye while making a run for it.
Applejack was confused by Twilight's behavior, as well as her knowing her name without telling her.
"That one's trying to hide a secret, but I am totally onto her." Pinkie Pie came up and told Applejack before whispering to her. "She's psychic!"
"Uh-huh. If you say so." Applejack merely said to Pinkie not taking her words seriously.
Just then, the gym doors opened, where Sunset Shimmer stepped in. As she was walking toward Pinkie Pie and Applejack, she took a look at what the Fall Formal would be and needless to say, she wasn't that much of a fan of what she saw.
"Excuse me, which one of you is the head of the Party Planning Committee?" Sunset asked the girls in front of her.
"That would be me." Pinkie answered Sunset's question.
"Well, wouldn't ya know? Sunset Shimmer really is running for Fall Formal." Applejack said out of surprise. Hearing that line from Applejack caught Sunset's attention.
"And what do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm not fit to be Princess of the Fall Formal?" Sunset turned to Applejack and questioned her.
"What? N-No, it's not like that, at all." Applejack said caught off guard by Sunset's sudden outburst. "It's just that, running for Princess of the Fall Formal doesn't seem like your style. I mean, you're usually by yourself."
"Maybe not before, but this is something very important to me right now. Something that country folk like you won't understand." Sunset talked back at Applejack shoving her hat into her face.
The top of Applejack's hat popped open showing Applejack's eyes dumbfounded by what just happened between her and Sunset Shimmer. What had gotten into that girl, she thought to herself. Was this who Sunset truly was underneath her workaholic attitude. Whatever it was, Applejack grew mighty ticked off by how Sunset acted towards her as she now wanted Twilight to win.
"Anyways, I would like to run for Princess of the Fall Formal." Sunset said to Pinkie, whom presented her with the clipboard. Before Sunset could sign, however, she noticed Twilight's poor handwriting. "Uh, what's this squiggly line here?"
"Oh, that's Twilight Sparkle's signature. She was just here earlier and she signed up to also become Princess of the Fall Formal." Pinkie explained.
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE?! But...how did--" Sunset exclaimed reacting to what Pinkie Pie said before remembering the girl she crossed paths with earlier today and more specifically, when she compared the Fall Formal to the Grand Galloping Gala. From that, Sunset finally pieced together who that girl really was as she was now determined to find and confront Twilight with a threatening look on her face. "Where is this Twilight Sparkle?" Sunset turned back to Pinkie Pie and Applejack, only to discover that they were giving her an odd look by her behavior and so, she shifted to a polite tone to lower their suspicion. "Uh, I'm looking forward to the competition."
Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked at each other, now confused by what was going on with Sunset Shimmer.
Twilight was roaming through the hallways when she came upon an area that was dimly lit, giving off a creepy feel as one of the lockers suddenly opened a bit. On the top right, what seemed to be a security camera was set up on the corner that appeared to look out of order.
"Can't believe I didn't recognize you earlier." Sunset said from behind Twilight leaning on a locker before stepping over to her. "Shoulda known the great Queen Celestia would send her own prized pupil here after my crown. And her little dog, too."
"It's MY crown!" Twilight corrected Sunset, though the latter didn't seem intimidated.
"Whatever. And don''t bother introducing yourself. I know all about you and your friends back in Equestria." Sunset said brushing off Twilight's words. "As well as the Elements of Harmony."
"If you already know that, then how did you know about my coronation?" Twilight asked somewhat curious whilst still keeping her guard up against Sunset. "You went to an awful lot of trouble to switch it with the one that belongs here."
"You are familiar with how the Crystal Mirror works, right?" Sunset asked Twilight, to which she saw that the latter was confused by what she meant. "Really? Ugh, the mirror that you came to this world through!" Twilight then got the message, seeing which mirror Sunset was referring to now.
Unbeknownst to them, the security camera from on the upper right corner of the wall at the end of the dark hallway was actually still active as it automatically turned itself on and focused its lens on both Twilight and Sunset's conversation.
"If you must know, the Crystal Mirror isn't only known to go through worlds, it was originally used by Celestia herself to show her personal students to see their inner selves, myself included." Sunset explained before cutting to the security camera's POV, which showed that it was now watching them from on the left wall of the deadend hallway, as if it had moved itself there. "But the mirror instead showed me something else. Something that convinced me Celestia isn't the oh-so benevolent ruler we all thought she was and is planning to destroy the kingdom she claims to protect."
Twilight couldn't believe the words that came out of Sunset's mouth. How could she say that about Queen Celestia herself, she thought to herself, as if Celestia were some sort of monster. At that instant, Twilight felt the need to defend her mentor.
"How dare you speak about your former teacher like that!" Twilight talked back at Sunset. "You're the one who's cruel and dishonest! That's what Celestia told me!"
"She called me WHAT?!" Sunset shouted back outraged by what she heard. "I can't believe this! She hasn't even changed a bit since I fled!"
"Fled? But Celestia said that you left." Twilight corrected Sunset.
"Is that what she's been telling you? No! I escaped and fled here." Sunset then corrected Twilight, revealing her side of the story as it flashed back to the night that Sunset first arrived in this world (read "A Vision in the Crystal Mirror" to know more). Sunset was on the ground and had a face of determination and as she was about to leave, the mirror displayed another vision, this time of when Twilight moved to Ponyville when Nightmare Moon was about to return. It was at that moment that Sunset realized that these vision were the key to her protecting her new home. "I realized that I could still save this world from what Celestia might do to it, but I needed to know how. That was when I saw that the mirror showed me the way and since then, I had come back to it every night, learning more about you and your friends through the visions. Sure, I had to adjust to new things, like clothes, a place to stay and such, but I never forgot my mission." It then showed a montage of Sunset coming back to the statue and gathered information about the Mane 6, specifically their strengths and weaknesses. She showed to have also adapted to her new surroundings while living in this world as she soon learned about walking on two legs, acquiring and wearing clothes, getting her own apartment, how to act like a human in public and most of all, learn just about there is to know about this world and essentially finding a way to prevent the dark future from happening, explaining her constant studying. "But when I saw that Celestia wanted to make you a princess, I knew that I couldn't let that happen. And the mirror seemed to agree with me." Sunset was then shown prepared to steal Twilight's crown and Element of Harmony as she was in front of the statue, where the portal was now open and soon entered into it, starting the entire events of this story. "And that is why I can't let you have it."
"But the Elements of Harmony can't work without my crown." Twilight tried at least to reason with Sunset. "Without them, Equestria will have nothing to protect itself."
"From Celestia." Sunset said. "You and your friends were her own personal weapons and you didn't even realize it. Your welcome, by the way." Twilight expressed disgust over Sunset's views on her former mentor. "Tell you what? Why don't you and I make a deal? Leave now and never come back and I promise I won't return to Equestria and the crown will be in my protection."
Twilight knew she couldn't just leave the crown here with Sunset Shimmer. Celestia and everypony else back in Equestria was depending on her and she couldn't let them down no matter how resourceful Sunset's intentions seem. After a moment, Twilight then gave Sunset the answer she would naturally say in this situation.
"No deal." Twilight refused Sunset's offer, to which the latter reacted with an annoyed expression before fading back to her threatening face.
"Fine. But don't expect it to be easy. Unlike last time, singing some song about being 'a true, true friend' won't make you Princess of the Fall Formal. You don't even know the first thing about fitting in here." With that, Sunset then walked away turning her back at and leaving Twilight and Spike alone as the dimly lights went out with the security camera still at the right corner at the end, despite the different angle from earlier.
Some time later, Sunset was thinking about how to prevent Twilight from succeeding. She knew she wouldn't give up that easily and she needed to find a way to convince people to vote for her instead of Twilight. She soon heard something coming from her right and turn to see what it was. To her surprise, it was both Snips and Snails having somehow having gotten themselves covered and stuck together in bubble gum. Sunset figured these boys would have to do as she pulled out some scissors and snipped the long band of gum that was keeping the two together. The two boys fell to the ground as a result of being separated from the gum.
"Uh, thanks?" Snips thanked Sunset a tad surprised at her random act of kindness as he and Snails got themselves back up on their feet, though this was merely her trying to earn their favor.
"Uh-huh, anyways, I would like to ask if you two would do me a little favor for me." Sunset then asked the duo.
"Uh, sure. What is it?" Snails asked.
"I want you both to follow the new girl, Twilight Sparkle." Sunset instructed them. "Bring me something I can use against her so that I can win the Fall Formal."
"You got it, Sunset Shimmer." Snips responded as he and Snails saluted to Sunset, who turned her back toward the duo.
"When the crown is back in my protection, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Queen Celestia will both be sorry they ever set hoof in my world." Sunset said to herself. "Not that Celestia would've minded her own business back in Equestria."
She then heard Snips and Snails' laughter from behind, shocked that they still there.
"Yeah. In Equestria." Snips said amused by what Sunset just said.
Sunset then turned to them.
"What are you still doing here?! Go!" Sunset demanded to Snips and Snails who do as they were told before bumping into each other and then finally heading off.
It cut to a close-up of what appeared to be camera lens that had Sunset reflected on the front before zooming out to reveal it was the security camera from earlier, now on a different wall. The difference here is that it now had robotic, almost spider-like legs. (thing the spider bots from Conker's Bad Fur Day) It then turned the other direction and crawled away unnoticed by neither Sunset, Snips, Snails nor anyone else for that matter.