Once Shining had stepped through the portal fully he began to experience a sensation unlike anything he had ever felt before! His whole body felt like it was being pulled and stretched while he spun helplessly around in a vortex of blinding light and flashing colors. He could feel his body changing, into what he didn't know and he wouldn't be able to find out. The prince closed his eyes, and at some point he must've passed out without knowing it since he came to later on an unfamiliar patch of grass.
Shining eventually opened his eyes. His body felt... different somehow. The prince still felt dazed and disoriented as his vision slowly returned to him. Stretching, he reached out his hooves. That was when he first realized something was wrong. What he saw in front of him were clearly not hooves! They looked like some kind of appendage but what exactly they were he had no idea. It kind of looked like a paw, but it didn't look like any sort of paw Shining had ever known.
Before the prince could reflect more clearly on this, he heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Oh, am I glad to see you!"
Shining blinked as he looked down. The voice belonged to Spike, he knew it for sure. But all he could see was a dog with the same colored fur as Spike's scales, and with hair the same color as Spike's spines. "Spike?" He asked, hoping beyond hope he wasn't seeing or hearing things.
"Yeah, it's me. Apparently, going through the mirror came with changes." The dog spoke in the same voice as Spike. Any doubts Shining had had were erased. This was clearly Spike, now in dog form for some strange reason.
Shining Armor nearly jumped back in surprise! "Spike?! What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be with Twilight?! I didn't tell you to follow me through the portal, did I?!"
"No, but I don't recall needing your permission to do things!" Spike protested with a humph. "I couldn't let you do this all by yourself! Just like Twilight, you have a tendency to get in over your head without realizing it. I know what I did was stupid and reckless, but I couldn't live with myself letting you go off alone on something like this. I have a feeling you're gonna need my help."
The prince wasn't so convinced. "Out of the question, Spike! I'm not dragging you into this! Twilight's already probably worried sick about you! Go back through the portal and let me handle this on my own."
However, Spike protested. "How are you gonna do that when you don't even seem to realize that you've changed? Just look at yourself if you don't believe me."
"What are you talking abou-" Shining began only to have his sentence cut off as he turned around and let out a gasp at what he saw staring back at him! A bipedal creature with those unusual paws greeted him. The creature had the same hairstyle and color, the same eye color and the entire body was the same white color as Shining's fur.
"Told you." Spike declared as the dragon turned dog tried not to grin.
Shining opened his mouth, preparing to scream. But nothing would come out. Even so he was freaked out! "That's me?! I don't believe it! It feels like I'm having an out of body experience. This... this can't be real! This has to be some kind of crazy dream or something."
Spike only sighed as he shook his head while walking over to Shining. "It's real alright. And from the looks of things it seems like everyone around here looks like you. I overheard one of them say something about 'humans', so I'm guessing that's what they call the dominant creatures around here."
"That explains the weird getup," Shining remarked as he looked down at himself, discovering that he now wore a dark purple shirt that had his cutie mark stitched onto the left side as a symbol, navy blue pants held up by a black, metallic belt, white shoes with purple colored heels and a white suit jacket with a matching black tie. "I haven't been this dressed up since my wedding." He moved a "paw" to his shirt, preparing to take it off.
Spike quickly intervened to stop it. "I don't think that's a very good idea. Just look around, no one else is uh... unclothed as it were. And you did once tell me the importance of blending in when going undercover."
The prince turned human reluctantly nodded and sighed. "I suppose you're right, Spike. For now at least, the clothes stay on. Far better if we don't attract attention to ourselves before I can get my crown back. Speaking of which," He turned his head, taking notice of a rather large brick building in front of him. "What exactly is that place? Is that Sunset Shimmer's base?"
"If it is it's the weirdest base I've ever seen. It doesn't look guarded at all, anyone can just come and go as they please." Spike explained.
Shining Armor nervously replied. "It can't be that simple, Spike," He ran a "paw" through his hair. "And what happened to my horn? And where are my wings?"
"Same thing happened to my fire breath and ability to send messages," Spike explained. "It looks like we're on our own for this one. Your hunch about a trap may have been more right than you thought, Sunset probably knew about all of this and was banking on that fact."
Shining just clenched a "paw" as he narrowed his eyes. "Well if she thinks a lack of magic is going to stop me she's sorely mistaken. Now that we have 'disguises' we just need to sneak into the base and find out where they're keeping my crown. Then we can come back with my friends and apprehend Sunset."
With Spike close by, Shining began his approach to the "base". But he hadn't gotten far when Spike stopped the prince turned human, taking notice of how Shining was moving. "It seems like you're supposed to be on two legs, not four. It's not a problem if I do it, but if you do it it'll definitely attract attention."
"So it's the inverse of how it is back in Equestria," Shining concluded as he reluctantly stood up. "This is gonna take some getting used to." Sure enough, he felt his legs wobble and wiggle. It took him a couple of minutes before he had regained his balance enough to feel comfortable taking a step forward.
"Okay, we got that down without trouble," Spike commented to Shining. "But uh, I noticed that this place apparently has a thing against dogs, or other animals for that matter." He gestured to a sign near the front doors that said "No Pets Allowed: Exceptions Granted For Service Animals Only"
Shining stopped, perplexed by this sudden development. But as quickly as the problem presented itself to him he was able to develop an effective solution. "I've got some kind of heavy sack on my back, almost like a saddle bag," He told Spike. "Just hide in there. I promise, I'll let you out as soon as the coast is clear."
Spike reluctantly obeyed even though the sack felt very cramped and was very dark. "What kind of strange world did we stumble into?" He wondered aloud.
Shining used his "paw" to shush Spike. "Don't talk, you'll give us both away! Just make normal dog noises. If I ask a question, woof once for yes and twice for no. Got it?"
"Yes!" Spike replied before realizing his mistake. "I mean 'Woof'!"
Aside from that little "complication" Shining Armor found it very easy to enter the building. His "paw" grasped the handle on one of the many doors and pulled on it. The door swung open quite easily, and the human walked it through with little trouble.
The inside of the building was incredible! A tiled floor, solid brick walls, colors that looked bright and welcoming despite their faded tone. It was strangely familiar to the prince. "This reminds me of my old high school in Canterlot," He said to Spike, while making it look like he was talking to himself in case anyone were to ask. "Never thought I'd return to such a place. Finding my crown in a place like this is going to be a little tougher than I thought, this place is massive. Where do I even begin to look?"
As if in answer to Shining's question, a familiar voice could be heard just around a corner. "What do you mean you don't have it?! Don't you know what happens to people who lie to me?!"
Shining had to resist the urge to gasp as he quickly rushed to the voice's location! Peeking around a corner, he noticed a strangely familiar looking girl about his size. She had light amber colored skin and hair in locks of red and yellowish-green. She had a dark black jacket and matching boots with pink on the heels, an orange colored skirt with yellow and pink stripes and a pink shirt that had a sun surrounded by red and yellow rays stitched onto it. Most telling of all though and the thing that gave away this girl's presence, was a familiar pair of moderate cyan eyes that were locking onto a target with coldness and rage.
Sunset Shimmer was threatening a very familiar looking guy with dark gray (bordering on charcoal black) skin, light gold eyes that were shrinking from Sunset's gaze, a light cyanish gray hair in the style of a mohawk and a black shirt that had a symbol of a lightning bolt emerging from a cloud. "Your last chance, tell me where it is! I know you know." She threatened the boy.
The boy shuddered and answered in the same voice that Thunderlane always had. "I'm telling you, I don't have it. I gave it to the principal. I-I'm sorry, Sunset. I didn't know it was yours."
Sunset just glared further at Thunderlane as she approached him and grabbed him by the neck, raising a fist. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to take things that don't belong to you?!" She scolded. "Maybe I haven't made myself clear, Thunderlane. The principal doesn't run things around here, I do. You report lost items to me, I decide when or if they get returned."
Unwilling to stand idly by and let Sunset continue her shake down of Thunderlane, Shining Armor stepped forward as he cleared his throat. "Back off, Sunset! He doesn't have what you're looking for. If you touch him again you'll answer to me."
Sunset spun around, ready to give whoever had dared to talk back to her more than just a piece of her mind. But when she got a good look at the one who had spoken to her she froze. The eyes, the shirt, the hair. She knew at once who this person was, and a malicious grin formed on her face. "So he chose to follow me here after all. Or maybe Princess Celestia sent him here. Doesn't matter either way. It's time he learned who he's messing with." "Oh, I'm sorry," She sarcastically replied to Shining. "Obviously you're not from here. So allow me to clue you in on how things work, newbie."
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say, Sunset Shimmer," Shining retorted with a shake of his head. "I was going to ask you what you've done with my crown, but it looks like you don't have it anymore. But I'm gonna be nice and give you one chance to do the right thing. Talk to this 'principal' of yours and let them know I need my crown back, and we can both end this without anyone having to get hurt."
Sunset just laughed and dismissed Shining without a care in the world. "Sorry, pal," Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and malicious intent. "If the principal has it then it's out of my hands. You want that crown so badly? Go ask the old windbag yourself! Or better yet, take this free piece of advice: Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong. This is my domain, not yours! No one gets in my way unless they want to enter a world of pain." Then she walked away after lessening her grip on Thunderlane.
Thunderlane was at Shining's side in an instant. "I... I can't believe it! You just stood up to Sunset Shimmer like it was no big deal. No one's ever been able to do that, not even Principal Celestia!"
"This 'Principal Celestia' of yours," Shining immediately inquired. "Is she the intended leader of this place?"
Thunderlane blinked in confusion. "Uh... I don't know if 'leader' is the word you're looking for. This is Canterlot High, Principal Celestia is simply the one students report to if they have any problems. I'm guessing you're not used to a school like this, especially not with clothes like that."
"Huh? What's wrong with my clothes?" Shining asked as he looked at them in greater detail. "They're all I have at the moment."
Thunderlane just sighed. "Well I'm afraid those clothes are a dead giveaway about where you come from: That's the kind of attire that only students of Crystal Prep wear. Crystal Prep is a prestigious high school from upstate that's always been a thorn in Canterlot High's side. It's also got a pretty shady reputation because of who runs the place, they say all kinds of suspicious activities go on there, all under Cinch's watchful eye," And he added. "I'm guessing you had enough of that and decided to switch schools. After all, there aren't any upcoming contests that Crystal Prep would need to send spies over to here for."
The undercover prince decided to play into this Thunderlane's assumptions. If nothing else it would provide a good cover story for as long as he was here. "Yes..." He quickly replied. "That's why I need to talk to your Principal Celestia as soon as possible. There are some things I could really use her help with."
Thunderlane's directions proved very helpful, and Shining Armor soon found himself knocking on the door of the "Principal's Office".
"Come in." Called the familiar voice of Celestia from the other side, though Shining had to steady himself and remember that it would not be Princess Celestia he'd be speaking to. Like seemingly everyone else here, the person he was about to speak to would be both similar to and different from the pony he knew in Equestria.
Entering into the office, Shining soon found himself looking at a woman who seemed to have abnormally large legs. But her face was the same lovely white color as the princess with whom she unknowingly shared a name. She had the same eye color, hair color and hair style (though her hair did not flow). "May I help you?" Principal Celestia asked without looking up from her desk.
Shining happened to glance around the room, and it was at that moment that his eyes fell upon a gleaming, glass case! Inside of said case rested his crown which had remained untarnished. "Thunderlane must've found it before Sunset Shimmer did! Or at least, this world's Thunderlane did!" He thought to himself, and then he cleared his throat. "My name is Shining Armor. I am... not from these parts."
Principal Celestia replied in an unconcerned tone of voice. "Yes, I know. You're a transfer student. Judging from the outfit I can safely assume it's Crystal Prep that you are transferring from. Quite odd considering I received no advanced notice of this intent."
"I don't plan to stay for long, ma'am," Shining declared. "You know that crown in that display case over there? Well, it's very important to where I come from. And I think there's been a bit of a mix-up. It's a long story, I really don't have time to tell you all the details. But I need that crown."
Principal Celestia finally looked up as she set the papers she had been working on aside. "I'm sorry, I can't just give you the crown. If you really want it, you're going to have to win it," And she explained. "We give away that crown to whoever wins the Fall Formal, an annual tradition of ours. Though in the past couple of years we've had only one winner: Sunset Shimmer. In fact, she's won every dance and every contest she's entered, almost always unopposed." It was possible to look behind her, and see several framed pictures of Sunset Shimmer wearing similar crowns.
Strangely enough, as the pictures progressed from left to right, Sunset herself seemed to slowly go from shocked and perhaps even genuinely surprised at having won to adopting the kind of attitude and presence with which she now carried herself.
"Look, if the crown is really that important to you, I can easily bring back the actual thing. It was left behind in... the place where I came from, and I was sent here to retrieve the swapped replica you're now displaying," Shining Armor pleaded. "It'll be like it never even happened."
But Principal Celestia refused to budge. "You're not going to change my mind. If the crown is as important to you as you say it is, then you'll have to win it back in the Fall Formal. We're actually hosting it in approximately three days' time, but there's still time for you to sign up if you wish to take part in it."
Reluctantly realizing that there was no other option available, Shining gave his consent. "If that's what'll take, ma'am, I shall run. Where do I go to sign up?"
"The gymnasium," Principal Celestia instructed. "I'll send word to the student body letting them know there'll be another contender for Fall Formal Princess, or in your case I suppose it'll be Fall Formal Prince. Best of luck to you. Now, unless you have something else you need my help with, please leave. I'll get to work on the paperwork for your transfer as soon as possible, but it'll take a long time to process."
Spike poked his head out from the bag when Shining Armor left the principal's office, he had heard everything. "So, what? You're actually planning to run for Fall Formal Princess/Prince? And against Sunset Shimmer?"
"It seems that's the only way. They won't let me have the crown, and I doubt I can just steal it back." Shining told Spike.
"And how exactly do you plan on winning this Fall Formal?" Spike questioned Shining.
Shining immediately confessed. "I have no idea!"
"You mean you're just making this all up as you go along?!" Spike exclaimed with worry!
"Hey, if you've got a better idea, I'd sure like to hear it. Time isn't on our side," Shining Armor immediately replied. "We don't even know when or if the portal will open back up again if we miss the current timetable."
The dragon turned dog couldn't argue with that, but he still nervously commented. "I sure hope this all works out. I feel like we're in way over our heads, I mean it this time!"