The morning was not a pleasant thing. Waking up cold, hungry, and alone Nightshade pouted as she dug in her backpack. She had snacks but oddly it wasn’t as much as she thought. “I thought I had more?”
She picked up her pillow and blanket. Then she heard voices.
“Hurry Up, we are going to be late for breakfast!” Looking over the playground wall she saw a girl with orange skin and short purple hair. Following her was a girl with long red hair and yellowish skin, then a girl with white-gray skin and curly multishade hair. Oddly these three remind her of the Cutie Mark Crusaders from her world.
“Slow down Scootaloo! We left home early, we have plenty of time.” Sweetie Belle says as she hurried behind. “If my sister catches me getting sweaty…” She shivers. “I don’t want to hear her Proper Lady speech again.”
“Yeah, did your aunts forget to make you breakfast again Scoots?” Said Applebloom. “I got some spare apple fritters and sauce in my lunch bag.”
“I had cereal, it just waffles day!” The three were soon out of range for Nightshade to hear more.
“Breakfast… I need to follow them!” She grabs her back and hurries to follow the three. Interestingly enough they look to be about the same age as her.
As soon as she saw the building behind the statue she saw last night. Would she get in trouble by that other Luna? Her belly growled reminded her she needed to eat.
“Okay operation Breakfast.” Kicking into her adventurous behavior she made her way following the three Cutie Mark Crusaders into the school. She was shorter than most of the population of the hall. Soon blocked her view of the CMC so she was confused as to where to go.
Not knowing what to do she bumps into an older student. A blond-haired gray-skinned girl with messed up eyes.
“Oh, sorry.” Nightshade and Ditzy Do say at the same time.
Ditzy smiles “Not often people apologies to me. I’m so clumsy I often the one bumping into others. You look new are you lost?”
“I’m Nightshade, um… where’s breakfast.”
Ditzy smiles and points to the wall then blink and point down the hall. “Go down that hallway and it’s on the left. Big double doors.”
“Okay, Thanks!” Nightshade then hurried down the hall. Once in the cafeteria, she saw the line of students getting food. Slipping into the line she saw the waffles, but when she got to the meat dishes she turned green. “Meat?”
The green elderly woman looked over. “A vegetarian deary? Don’t worry Granny Smith got you covered.” She scooped a heaping scoop of caramelized apple toppings. “Sweet Apple Acres apples the best in the region.”
She smiled and then got to the cash registered. For a moment she saw a flicker of rainbow light cross the cashier woman’s eyes. “Don’t forget your milk, dear.”
Taking a milk carton she headed to a table where no one was sitting. She was puzzled as she watched the other children get breakfast. Either they had to hand over some green paper or hand over a card. So why didn’t she? Then she realized it part of the magic of the portal.
Starswirl made the portal to explore other universes, so it makes sense he included some mind manipulation to brush off any question of who and why he was there. The easiest way to find someone that shouldn’t belong would be cultural habits. Habits like paying for things. “Sneaky fool found a way to steal anything he needed in another world.” She has to wonder how often he went to another universe to get rich and then come back to Equestria. “Hmm… is that why we have such funny tech, were you using this portal for Equestria’s benefit Aunt Celestia?”
She thought about this as she ate. Once she ate she saw the mass of students start filtering out of the cafeteria. Not wanting to draw attention to herself she hurried up and followed the CMC again. They entered a room so did she, and got stopped by a woman with pink skin and moderate cerise with slightly lighter stripes.
“Do you belong to this homer... “ the rainbow effect crossed her eyes. “...oom? Of course, you do for a moment I forgot. Please forgive me for forgetting your name.”
“Um… Nightshade.”
“Okay, Nightshade go ahead and sit down. There over near Sweetie Bell.”
As she headed to the desk she passed a pink girl with a tiara on. “Oh, another looser. Go ahead and sit with your kind.”
For a moment she was angry thoughts of blasting this annoying girl filled her mind. She willed the magic, just to have nothing. Not even a spark. ‘Oh, right no horn.’ Then she smiled “Yes, Your Highness.” She made sure her voice was sarcastic as she smiled and headed to the seat.
A few of the students either chuckled or snorted none were expecting the new girl to even comment.
Sweetie Belle leans over “Don’t let her bother you. She means to everyone when she can get away with it.”
“Oh? So only that girl next to her likes her?”
Applebloom leans forward “Darn tootin’; She’s a bully through and through. Acts like she a Princess or something. Anyway, I’m Applebloom, that’s Sweetie Belle, and on the other side of Sweetie is Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo nods “Those two bullies are Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.”
Nightshade smiles if she could humiliate the bullies she would be seen as a hero. The whole class would then admire her.
“Okay, I think I understand now. So do you three want to be friends?”
The three crusaders look at each other then smiled at Nightshade. Nightshade for her part suddenly got a chill down her back and fought against the fear that she felt seeing those grinning faces.
“Don’t worry Nightshade, we got your back.”
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The four ran into the library. “Come on Nightshade, we need to show you our video!” Scootaloo says as she hurried to the computer.
Nightshade wasn’t so fast mostly because she spotted a lavender girl messing with the other Com...pu... whatever those things were. A girl that was acting very odd using her hand things like hooves. Her eyes widen it was Twilight Sparkle. She also spotted Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Diamond was messing with some rectangle objects and laughing.
“WHEN YOU A YOUNGER” the sudden music caught her attention and she saw the other three at the … thingy.
“What you think you three are doing.” Nightshade looks on as Cheerilee turned off the volume and picked up a part of the thing.
“Um… Miss Cheerilee. Should Diamond Tiara be messing with that over there?” Nightshade points to Diamond Tiara.
“Diamond Tiara, no using smartphones in school.” Cheerilee now having a new target headed over to the bullies.
All this happened and it seems that Twilight Sparkle was oblivious. Shaking her head she looks to the CMC. “Um… don’t we have a science class?”
“Oh yeah. Mr. Time Turner, you like him. He teaching us how to make a baking soda volcano.” Sweetie Belle smiles.
Scootaloo grins. “I got something special for ours.”
Later
“It’s not our fault!” The four freshmen were in Celestia’s office.
“It not your fault that your baking soda volcano exploded? There were fireworks in it.” Celestia sighs looking at the four children. At least it wasn’t tree sap this time. The Janitor Discord complained for a month about cleaning up that mess.
“They were just cherry poppers! I didn’t know they would catch the paper mache on fire.” Scootaloo states as she looked down at her feet.
“Ah, still can’t figure out how it got up and flew across the room like that.” Applebloom didn’t notice Nightshade biting her lower lip.
The fact Nightshade didn’t know how she cast the levitation spell either didn’t help.
“I’m going to have to contact your guardians.” Celestia looked at the royal purple girl. “Speaking about Guardians I can’t seem to find your files…”
“Nightshade au… ah, Principal Celestia.”
None of the four freshmen seem to notice the moment of shock on Celestia’s face. As soon as it was there it was gone and she nods. “Anyway, I would need them to come here so I can get the contact information. I can’t have four girls covered in vinegar and baking soda roaming the halls.”
“I… live nearby, Just outside.” Nope, not a lie the portal was just outside.
“Okay, given I know Scootaloo would have to head home on her own as well.”
The four kids nodded and left the office.
Celestia reached over and pressed the call button on her phone to Luna’s. “Hello, Principal Celestia.”
“This is private stuff sister. I just saw the Crusaders, they got a new member it seems. That very girl you mentioned last night, the one that royal purple. Yeah, she does look like an adult version of Nightshade. What really surprising… is she is named Nightshade.”
Celestia held the phone away from her as a loud “WHAT!” came from the phone. She didn’t even have it on the loudspeaker.
“Now Luna. Settle down it just chances, look we visit your daughter this weekend.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Nightshade no more than two now, just… why did her 14-year-old double have to show up at our school.”
“Take the rest of the day off Luna, I got things covered.”
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That night
CMC treehouse was build in the branches of an old Appletree. The four girls were pouting “It not fair, Granny Smith grounding me for this.”
“Yeah, at least you didn’t get yelled at for ruling your outfit. Rarity was whining about how the Viniger was damaging the color… come on.”
Applebloom shook her head “Can you believe Applejack said I shouldn’t be hanging around you two? Said your sister a bad influence.”
“Rarity said that about Rainbow Dash.”
“No way, Rainbow awesome, your sisters are just jealous.”
Nightshade just sat there listening. “Um… Your sisters don’t like each other?”
“I wish Rainbow was my sister. But she just my Big Sister, it not an official thing it’s a program to pair older girls with younger girls who need” Scootaloo makes air quotes motions “Someone responsible to look up too. So she can’t be a bad influence or she get kicked out of the program.”
“Things were easier when they were friends.”
“They were friends but aren’t? Why they broke up?”
“Oh they were doing some get together thing, but they got the wrong times or something,” Scootaloo adds.
“Hold on… so your sisters never double-checked to see if they had the right information?”
The three Crusaders looked at each other than to Nightshade and altogether “Nope”.
“Your sisters are so stupid.”
“APPLE BLOOM! I said ya can say goodbye to ya friends. Then ya groundin’ begins. Get ya butt back here. The rest of ya get on home, it gettin’ late!”
“Coming Granny!” Applebloom hugs her friends in a group hug. “See you three at school.”
After the goodbyes, Nightshade pretends to head home only to come around and sneak back into the clubhouse. “Stupid Twilight, and stupid Sunset Shimmer. If those two haven’t lost the crown to this other mommy I will be ruling Equestria by now.” She made her blanket bed and laid down to sleep.
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At the manor of Celestia and Luna.
Luna opened the safe behind a picture of a moonlit glade and removed a folder. Walking over to her desk she sat down and opened it. A sob escaped her as she saw her wedding picture.
There she was in the simple wedding dress, and besides her dressed in a police uniform was Shadow Striker. The next article in the folder was the ultrasound of her baby girl.
It was what came after that she broke down. A news article about a car crash, she was the driver. She survived, her still unborn baby survived. The passenger didn’t, Shadow Striker was
the passenger. The truck that hit them came at an angle crashing into the passenger side door.
Then she picked up the birth certificate, born by emergency C-section. Baby girl, named Nightshade. Under the birth certificate was an adoption paper.
“I figure you would be looking at those.”
Luna looked up wiping her eyes seeing Celestia. “I called, Buttercream said we can visit anytime.”
“Of course she’s your friend. Her and Peppermint Heart take good care of her, and their daughter.”
“I can’t understand it, Celestia. How could a girl have such similar features, and have the same name?”
Celestia came over and pulls her sister into a hug. “It’s just chance, Luna. There no such thing as time travel or magic, the only thing it could be is just random chance.”
For some reason, a janitor cleaning up the science room started laughing for no reason. He just felt like laughing as if he heard the best joke in the world.