Chapter 1: Journey Into Another Dimension
The Mane 6, Spike, and Dusk went into the throne room where Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance were all waiting. The other princesses were wondering what was going on.
"And did you see what the intruder looked like?" Princess Celestia asked.
"I didn't get a good look at her," said Twilight.
"I did," Dusk said. "I was the one who spotted her stealing the crown. She was... light orange. Her mane was red and yellow. Which is also the color of the sun Cutie Mark on her flanks."
"Orange? Red and yellow mane and sun Cutie Mark?" Celestia asked. She then sighed and said, "I know who she is. Sunset Shimmer. A former student of mine. She began her studies with me not long before Twilight. But when she did not get what she wanted as quickly as she liked, she turned cruel and dishonest. I tried to help her, but she eventually decided to abandon her studies and pursue her own path. One that has sadly led to her stealing your crown."
Spike pulled out the counterfeit crown and said, "She replaced Twilight's with this one."
Celestia inspected the crown and said, "I suppose Sunset Shimmer thought you wouldn't notice right away that this was not yours. And by the time you did, it would be too late to go after your crown and Element of Harmony."
"But I don't understand," Twilight said. "Where did she go? Where did she take the crown?"
You'll soon know more about this place than even I do," said Princess Celestia. The Princesses led the Mane 6, Dusk, and Spike back into the room where the mirror is located.
"This is no ordinary mirror," Princess Luna explained. "It is a gateway to another world. A gateway that opens once every thirty moons."
Pinkie Pie placed her hoof on the mirror, saying, "Sparkly!"
Princess Luna used her magic to move Pinkie's hoof away from the mirror, saying, "It has always been kept in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. But when Princess Cadance took over the Crystal Empire, we sent it here for her to watch over."
Princess Celestia sighed and said, "I had always hoped that Sunset Shimmer would someday use it to return, to come back to Equestria seeking my guidance. Obviously, this is not what has happened."
"Spike," Dusk said. "Mind if I see that fake crown?" Spike then showed Dusk the crown. Dusk inspected it and said, "Hey, wait. There's a small plate on it. And it has writing on it. It says, 'Property of... Canterlot High School?'"
"Canterlot?" Rarity asked.
"High School?" Twilight asked. "What in Equestria is a High School?"
"I know what a High School is," said Dusk. "It's... let's just say it's a type of school. Preschool is a beginning school for toddlers. Then they move on to Elementary Schools, there it's kindergarten to eighth grade. Then they move on to high school. Ninth to twelfth grade. And it's their choice if they want to go to college after they graduate high school."
"How would you know about it?" Princess Celestia asked.
"I saw it on TV," said Dusk. "It's a human thing."
"Twilight, you must use the mirror to go into this other world and retrieve your crown," said Princess Cadance. "Without it, the other Elements of Harmony have no power and Equestria is left without one of its most important means of defense."
"Your crown does not belong in the place Sunset Shimmer now calls home," said Princess Luna. "And in her possession, your Element of Harmony will no doubt be used to bring harm to the inhabitants of this other realm. They will not have the power to defend themselves."
"You understand the importance of your task?" Princess Celestia asked.
Twilight's friends were a little shocked at the task. But Twilight replied with, "Of course."
"Good," Princess Celestia said. "Then you must go at once." That made Twilight sigh, and walked towards the mirror. But her path was blocked off by Rainbow Dash.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Rainbow Dash. "She's going, we're going with her." Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie went by her sides. From left to right it was Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and a squeeing Pinkie Pie. "Right, girls?"
"Oooh! I'm so 'nervicited'!" Pinkie announced.
"You do realize that's not a real word, right?" Applejack asked.
That made Twilight smile, knowing that her friends are gonna back her up. But that smile vanished when Princess Celestia said, "I'm afraid I can't let you go."
"What?! Why not?!" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Sending all of you could upset the balance of this alternate world, creating havoc that would make it impossible for Twilight to get the crown back from Sunset Shimmer," Princess Celestia explained. "This is something Princess Twilight must do alone."
"Time is of the essence," said Princess Luna. She then used her magic to show them a moon. "On the third day, when the moon reaches its peak in the night sky, the gateway will close. And once it does, it will be another thirty moons before you will be able to use it to return."
Twilight walked towards the mirror, and slowly put her hoof into the mirror, but she pulled it back quickly. Twilight's friends were encouraging her. She looked back at Princess Celestia, who nodded. Then Twilight started walking through the mirror. Twilight's friends were worried. Especially Spike and Dusk. So they started running towards the mirror.
"SPIKE! DUSK! NO!!" shouted the rest of the Mane 6. But they went into the mirror. Having Twilight, Dusk, and Spike go spiraling through the portal, stretched out. Then, they blacked out.
Twilight was coming to, somewhere she had no idea where she was. Twilight groaned and looked around. She also heard a voice she knew all too well.
"Uh, Twilight?"
"Huh? Spike! You're not supposed to..." Twilight said, before she got a good look at Spike. "Spike? Are you a... dog?"
"I... think so," Spike said, getting a good look at himself. He then said, "But I have no idea what you are!"
Then Twilight looked at her hooves, only to find lavender skinned hands. Then she screamed. What she didn't know was Dusk was right behind her. And he was waking up. Dusk looked around.
"Where am I?" Dusk asked. He then saw Twilight and Spike. "Mom? Spike?" He then looked at his body and said, "Hey! I'm a human again!"
"Wait! This is what a human looks like?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah," said Dusk, "but this skin color is way off. It's more of a pinkish tannish skin tone." He then started getting on two legs, but he was a little off balance. "Guess it's gonna take time for me to get use to walking on two legs again."
Twilight looked at Spike, who responded with, "Well, he did say that humans were bipeds like dragons. So, you're gonna have to walk on two legs, Twi."
Twilight was a little nervous. She then tried standing on two legs, losing her balance like Dusk was. She wasn't use to walking on two legs.
"Now you know how I felt when I was first trying to walk as a pony," Dusk said. "The balance of a pony and the balance of a human are entirely different. Just take it one step at a time." He then looked at the building and said, "This... must be Canterlot High School. And... I believe that you might as well fit in while your here. You look like a high school student."
"Well, I hope that this school will accept me," said Twilight. "But, what do we have to expect in a school of humans?"
"From my experience from TV, classes are a lot more harder," said Dusk. "Biology, Algebra, and even having to study a foreign language."
"Wow," said Twilight. "Sounds tougher than the classes schoolhouse foals have to take. And what is this... TV you spoke of?"
"It's a human thing," said Dusk. "I don't think we'll have time to see any television on how much time we have."
"Good point," said Twilight, trying to keep her balance. "We have to... find... my crown.. and get... back... to Equestria. I don't... want to spend... the rest of my life... in a body like this."
"Look on the bright side," Spike said. "You don't have those pesky wings to worry about anymore."
Twilight looked at Spike angrily as they were climbing the steps to the school. The three of them then reached the door and Twilight tried using her magic to open the door. Too bad humans don't have magic, and she walked up and her face slammed onto the door.
"My magic! It isn't working!" Twilight proclaimed.
"Did I forget to mention that humans have no control of magic, nor horns or wings?" Dusk asked.
"You couldn't have told me sooner?" Twilight asked. She then felt her forehead for her horn, but nothing was there. "No horn? Seriously?"
"Let's just go in," said Spike, using a paw to push the door open. Then the three of them headed inside. Twilight, Spike, and Dusk headed over to a High School Trophy Case to see if there were any other artifacts stolen from Equestria, until Twilight saw her reflection in the glass.
Then the school bell went off, and a bunch of humans were walking around. Twilight and Dusk had to crawl. Dusk saw the other students of the high school. Then he saw two humans that caught his eyes.
"Whoa," said Dusk.
"What is it, Dusk?" Twilight asked.
"I think we're in another dimension, not another world," said Dusk.
"What makes you say that?" Twilight asked.
"Because I saw two humans with a high resemblance to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," Dusk said. Twilight looked at the students and saw a bunch of humans that did represent ponies from Ponyville.
"Freaky," said Twilight. Then they tried crawling out of the crowd, but Twilight got flipped over by and banging her head on an open locker door.
"Whoa. You okay?"
That voice surprised Twilight. She looked up and saw a human version of Flash Sentry. He offered Twilight his hand. Twilight was unsure of the gesture, so she decided to put her left hand into the human Flash's hand, and he helped her back onto her feet. He then saw Dusk and Spike.
"Isn't he a little young to be going to this school?" human Flash asked.
"Oh, uh... Yeah, sorry about that," Twilight said. "He's... kinda my responsibility while my... parents are away." She gave off a nervous grin.
"Let me guess," said the human Flash. "The school he was supposed to go to wasn't taking in new students?"
"You have no idea," said Twilight, trying to hide the fact that she was a pony.
"Huh. Your little brother sure has a big resemblance to you, doesn't he?" the human Flash asked.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Twilight said nervously. "Of course he's my little brother. Why else would he be with me if he wasn't my little brother." She then laughed nervously and said, "Say, I need to... check the place out. I'll... talk to you later. C'mon, Dusk."
She then pulled Dusk and headed down the hall. Spike followed them. The human Flash was a little confused, but then he shrugged his shoulders, and then went back to looking in his locker.
Meanwhile, Twilight was pulling Dusk while walking down the hall. Dusk then pulled his hand away from Twilight, then he used his other hand to rub it.
"Sorry, Dusk," Twilight said. "But that was..."
"Weird seeing the guy you're dating as a human?" Dusk asked.
"Whaaaat?" Twilight asked, nervously. "Flash and I aren't... I mean that he and I aren't..." The smug looks on Dusk and Spike wasn't helping Twilight in her case. "Anyway, we need to focus on finding my crown before Sunset does whatever she wants to do with it." Twilight, Dusk, and Spike walked all over the school to see more human versions of ponies from Ponyville. Cheerilee teaching one class, DJ Pon-3, Photo Finish, even the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"I have to use the restroom," Dusk said.
"Okay, Dusk," Twilight said.
Dusk went into the boys room with Twilight following, but Dusk stopped her saying, "Sorry, but this is the boys room. The girls room is over there." He then pointed towards the girls bathroom. She then looked at her body.
"Uhh... how do I...?" Twilight asked.
"I don't know how girls do it," said Dusk. "But, I think they just pull down their skirt or pants, and underwear, and just sit on the toilet."
"Okay, Dusk," Twilight said. She then walked into the girls bathroom. Spike waited outside until both of them were done. While Twilight was in the girls bathroom, she got a good look at herself in the mirror. She then decided to go onto the toilet and do her business.
Later, Twilight and Dusk were walking through the halls of the school until someone talking caught their attention. Twilight tried using her ears to listen in, but she didn't know that her ears were on the sides of her head instead of on top. Dusk pointed it out, and then Twilight pulled on her human ears, and then listen in on the conversation.
"Oh, I'm really sorry. I-I just found it, and-and I thought I should give it to her. I didn't know you had dropped it."
"Well, I did! And I was about to get it before you swooped in and ruined everything! You shouldn't pick up things that don't belong to you."
Twilight, Dusk and Spike looked around a corner in the hall to see one girl picking on another girl. The butter yellow skinned girl with light pink hair then said in a hushed tone, "It... doesn't really belong to you, either."
The red and yellow haired girl slammed her hands over the lockers with the butter yellow skinned girl in between her hands, asking, "Excuse me?!"
"N-n-nothing..." the butter yellow skinned girl said, nervously, then sinking down.
Twilight and Dusk got angry while Spike just growled like any other dog would.
"That's what I thought," the red and yellow haired girl said. "It's as good as mine, and you know it. You really are pathetic. It's no wonder your best friends are all stray animals."
Twilight had had enough of that one girl treating the other girl like crud. She then stepped out of the corner and said to the first girl, angrily, "How dare you speak to her that way!"
The other girl then turned around, giving Twilight an angry look, asking, "What did you say?"
Twilight then walked towards the red and yellow haired girl, who did the same as Twilight. Twilight then said, "I said, 'How dare you speak to her that way!'"
The red and yellow haired girl gave a smug smirk and said, "You must be new here. I can speak to anyone any way I want." She then walked down the hallway, intimidating another boy, making him close the locker with him inside. Twilight watched as Sunset went around the corner, but Dusk and Spike came up to Twilight and the butter yellow skinned girl.
"I can't believe you did that!" said the butter yellow skinned girl.
"I couldn't just stand there," Twilight replied.
"Well, it's just that nobody ever stands up to Sunset Shimmer," said the butter yellow skinned girl.
"Sunset Shimmer!?" Twilight asked, looking back down the hall to see Sunset turning the corner.
"You've heard of her?" the butter yellow skinned girl asked.
"Sort of..." Twilight said.
The girl inspected Twilight and said, "I don't think I've seen you around before. Did you just transfer to Canterlot High from another school?"
"Um... yes!" Twilight said, nervously. She then said, "Another... heh, school! My name's Twilight." She then pulled Dusk in and said, "And this is Dusk." Dusk smiled.
"I'm... Fluttershy," the girl said quietly. It wasn't enough for Twilight and Dusk to hear.
"Sorry, what was that?" Twilight asked.
"It's Fluttershy!" she replied, even more quiet.
"It sounds like you're saying Fluttershy," Twilight said, but the girl wasn't paying attention when she saw Spike while Twilight continued talking and said, "but how can that...?"
"Oh, my goodness!" said the girl, then she slid down towards Spike, nearly tripping Twilight. "Who's this sweet little guy?"
Twilight recovered and said, "That's Spike! My, uh... dog!"
"Oh, he's so cute!" said the human Fluttershy, giving Spike a dog treat. "Go on, eat up, little pup!"
Spike didn't know how to respond. So he took one bite out of the dog treat, and was amazed by it. He then ate the rest of the dog treat hole.
"Oh, wouldn't ya just give anything to know what they're really thinking?" asked the human Fluttershy.
"He usually just tells me," Twilight said, making Fluttershy confused.
"Oh, w-what do you mean?" Fluttershy asked while Spike was using a paw to tell Twilight to cut it out. When Fluttershy turned her head back towards Spike, he responded with actual dog bark.
"Oh, uh, nothing!" Twilight said before chuckling nervously. "Never mind. Sunset Shimmer said you picked something up. Something that belonged to her. It wasn't a crown, was it?"
"How did you know?" human Fluttershy asked, confusedly.
"Uh, lucky guess?" Twilight said, trying not to be suspicious. "Do you still have it?"
"Mm-mm," human Fluttershy responded, shaking her head.
"But you know what happened to it," said Twilight.
Fluttershy nodded and said, "Mm-hmm. This morning, I was passing out flyers for the animal shelter like I do every Wednesday." She then explained to Twilight and Dusk about the crown while she was trying to hand out flyers for the Canterlot Animal Shelter. "I have no idea how it got there. But I didn't want anything to happen to it, so I decided to give it to Principal Celestia."
"Principal Celestia? She's the ruler here?" Twilight asked.
"You could say that," human Fluttershy said. "Technically, I guess she and Vice Principal Luna do make the rules."
"Where is she now?" Twilight asked.
"Probably in her office," said human Fluttershy. Twilight and Spike headed in one directions, before Twilight and Spike came walking back to her.
"Where's the Principal's office?" Dusk asked. Fluttershy responded with pointing in the other direction. Twilight then started walking in the direction where the human Fluttershy was pointing.
"Third door on your left," human Fluttershy responded.
"Thank you!" Twilight said.
"Oh, wait!" human Fluttershy said, getting their attention. "You're not really supposed to have pets on school grounds. Might wanna tuck him into your backpack. That's what I do." She turned her back to show off her backpack and saw a white kitten, a red bird and Angel Bunny in her backpack. "They just get so lonely when I'm in school all day."
"Oh, okay! Thank you!" Twilight said. Then the school bell rang.
"Oh, no! I'm late for class!" the human Fluttershy said before using her backpack to scoop up the animals, and rush down the hall.
"That was pretty cool," Dusk said. "Let's get going." Twilight nodded and the three of them headed down the hall towards the Principal's office.
"What exactly is a principal?" Twilight asked.
"It's another word for headmaster or headmistress," said Dusk. "Or, in pony term, headstallion or headmare."
"Oh, that makes sense," said Twilight. "Since this is a school. Let's get going. We got a lot of things to do before the portal closes."