Chapter 2: Running for Fall Formal Princess
Twilight, Spike and Dusk made it to the principal's office. But before going in, Dusk helped Twilight get Spike into the backpack that she was wearing. Twilight then knocked on the door.
"Come in," came the voice of Princess Celestia. Which Twilight and Dusk knew that it was just the princess's counterpart of this dimension. Twilight and Dusk then walked in. Twilight immediately bowed, but Dusk stopped her. Principal Celestia then asked, "How may I help you?" She wasn't even paying attention because she was looking in a file.
Spike peeked his head out of Twilight's backpack, and both of them gave each other a confused look. Twilight then set her backpack down and looked towards the principal.
"My name's Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said. "I-I'm new here, and... Well, I understand that Fluttershy found a crown this morning and gave it to you."
Principal Celestia looked up from the file she was looking at, and then she said, "Yes. I've had Vice Principal Luna put it somewhere for safekeeping. No idea how it ended up in the front lawn. Were you interested in running for Princess of the Fall Formal this year?"
"Uh, no. Not exactly. The truth is... Well, the truth is I... You see, the crown is actually..." Twilight tried explaining. But something caught her attention. "Princess of the Fall Formal?"
"It's Canterlot High's big Fall dance," Principal Celestia explained. She then noticed Dusk and asked, "Isn't he a little young to be coming here?"
"Oh, sorry," Twilight said. "Dusk wasn't able to get into the school he was about to sign up for. And... my parents are out of town... and I can't just leave him alone."
"I understand," said Principal Celestia. She then got a good look at Dusk, then back to Twilight, then back to Dusk. "Weird. He looks a lot like you. Genetics must work in a lot of different ways, doesn't it?"
"Uh... yeah..." Twilight said before chuckling nervously. "Anyway, about this... Fall Formal."
"Of course," said Principal Celestia. "Here at Canterlot High, the students select one of their peers to represent them. She receives her crown at the Fall Formal." She showed Twilight and Dusk the photos of the previous Fall Former Princesses. All of them were Sunset Shimmer.
Twilight hummed and said, "You asked me if I was interested in running for Princess. Can anyone run?"
"Yes," said Principal Celestia. "You just need to let the head of the Fall Formal planning committee know you'd like to be on the ballot. Was there anything else?"
"Um, nope! That was it!" said Twilight.
"Not even asking me to watch over this young man while you do whatever you gotta do?" Principal Celestia asked.
"Oh, uh..." Twilight said. "I... don't know. Dusk and I are... kinda..."
"I'll be fine," Dusk assured Twilight. "Do what you have to do."
"Okay, Dusk," said Twilight. "Behave yourself."
"Well, if you do need anything else, my door is always open," said Principal Celestia. Then she closed the door with her and Dusk in the office. Twilight then walked down the hall.
Spike poked his head out of Twilight's backpack and asked, "Twilight, why didn't ya just tell her the crown was yours and ask for it back?"
"Oh, I was going to, but imagine if one of them showed up in Equestria saying they came from a place filled with tall, fleshy, two-legged creatures with these?" Twilight asked Spike, getting the attention of a student just roaming the halls. "We'd think they were crazy!" Twilight noticed the student, and him slowly walking away from her and Spike.
"Hmm. You make a good point," said Spike. But then he thought of something. "Except for Dusk. Don't you remember? He said he came from a world similar to this world before he was reborn. What was his name before we changed it? Hankie? Hench?"
"Henry," Twilight said. "His name was Henry. Although, I find it weird that the short for his name was Hank. Only one letter from the short name comes close to Henry. But, let's get back on topic. Looks like if I want my crown back, I'll have to become Princess of the Canterlot High Fall Formal. So that's what I'm gonna do!" She raised her arms and smiled widely.
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Spike asked.
"I have no idea!" Twilight said, trying to keep her spirit up. Then the bell started ringing, and the students started roaming the halls.
Principal Celestia was teaching Dusk things that any kid his age would be able to learn. Mathematics, spelling, and science that a 1st grader would learn.
"Until you can get into an Elementary School, you can stay here and learn things here," said Principal Celestia. "It's not everything you'll be learning, but it's enough."
"Thank you," Dusk said. Just then, his stomach growled.
Principal Celestia smiled at him and asked, "Hungry, aren't we? Well, I might as well get you something to eat. What are you interested in?"
"Well... all I can say is I can't eat meat," Dusk said.
"Alright," said Principal Celestia. "I shall get you something to eat. My sister, and vice principal of the school, Luna, shall watch over you."
Then coming in through the door was a human that resembles Princess Luna a lot. She then said, "So, this is the one who came with the new student who arrived here this morning."
"Indeed, Luna," said Principal Celestia. "His name is Dusk Shine. You watch over him while I go get him something to eat."
"Of course, sister," said Vice Principal Luna. "I shall watch over the young one while you are getting him some food." Principal Celestia nodded and walked out. Vice Principal Luna looked over at Dusk to see what he's doing. "Doing some school work from a younger grade, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Dusk said. "Have to do something while I'm here."
"I have seen that new student," Vice Principal Luna said. "Twilight Sparkle, was it?" She then tilted her head. "Funny. The two of you have quite the resemblance, don't you?"
"Yeah," said Dusk. "Something about... genies? No that's not it. Gentles. No."
"Genetics?" Vice Principal Luna guessed.
"Yeah," said Dusk.
"Yes, of course," said Vice Principal Luna. "But, it is a rare occasion for that to happen. My sister and I once came across a woman that looks like my sister. That was a long time ago."
"Like what? 10 to 15 years?" Dusk asked.
"Not exactly," said Vice Principal Luna. "It was even longer than that. That is all I can tell you."
In the school cafeteria, Twilight met up with the human Fluttershy for lunch. They were picking out their lunches as they were talking.
"I know we've just met, but I was wondering if you might be able to help me with something," Twilight said to Fluttershy.
"Of course!" Fluttershy said.
Twilight picked up a bowl of fruit salad with Fluttershy getting the same thing. Twilight then said, "I've decided to run for Princess of the Fall Formal, and..."
That made Fluttershy gasp and spill her fruit salad onto Twilight's shirt. Fluttershy was shocked and nervous about both things. Her spilling her fruit salad, and for Twilight wanting to run for Fall Former Princess. She then grabbed a bunch of napkins and said, "Oh! Oh, gosh! Sorry. It's just, oh, running for Fall Formal Princess is a really bad idea."
Twilight and Fluttershy made it to the end of the lunch line, who the lunch lady, the human version of Granny Smith, gave them an apple each. Then Twilight asked, "Why?"
"Sunset Shimmer wants to be Fall Formal Princess, and when she wants something, she gets it!" Fluttershy explained. "She'll make life awful for anyone who stands in her way. Just ask the girl who ran against her for Princess of the Spring Fling."
"I have to try!" Twilight said as she and Fluttershy were walking down the cafeteria.
"Oh, I don't think you understand," Fluttershy said to Twilight. "You'd have to convince everyone here to vote for you instead of her..." She then pointed out to the other students, sitting in groups. "The Athletes. The Fashionistas. The Dramas. The Eco Kids. The Techies. The Rockers." Fluttershy pointed out the groups as they were passing by.
"Why is everypony...?" Twilight said before Spike popped out of her backpack and smacked Twilight's head, then went back into the backpack. "Uh... everybody separated this way?" She then thought to herself. "Right. Dusk said that humans refer themselves as bodies instead of ponies. Luckily, I have a son that was born human before he died and ended up in Equestria."
"Maybe it was different at your old school, but at CHS, everybody sticks to their own kind," Fluttershy pointed out as she was sitting down at a table. "One thing that they do have in common is that they know Sunset Shimmer is gonna rule the school until we graduate." Twilight sat at the same table on the other side so the two were face to face.
"Not if I can help it!" Twilight said, raising a fist. She then chewed on the apple. But she didn't pick it up with her hand. Fluttershy was confused by what Twilight was doing. Twilight then grabbed the apple from her mouth and said, "So, uh, where would I find the head of the party planning committee?"
Twilight, Spike, and Dusk, who Twilight picked up from the Principal's office, went into the school gym. Twilight was on a mission to find the head of the party planning committee.
"Fluttershy said she'd probably be in here," Twilight said.
"Party planning committee?" Dusk asked. "Wait a minute. If there's a human version of every pony in Equestria... I think I know who the head of the committee is."
"Who do you think it is?" Twilight asked.
"Who do you think would be able to throw a party this big?" Dusk asked.
"Incoming!"
Twilight, Dusk and Spike ducked and covered as rolls of streamers came falling down from above. They soon recovered and looked at the girl who gave the warning, and saw her throwing confetti everywhere. The girl was pink skinned with darker pink hair that looks like cotton candy. She was wearing a white shirt with purple outlines and a pink heart, a small blue vest with short sleeves, a pink skirt with two blue balloons and a single yellow balloon, and tall blue shoes. She then peeled off one of the blue balloons from her skirt, and started blowing into it, making it inflate.
"Hi, my name's Twilight Sparkle and..." Twilight introduced herself before getting a good look at the girl. "Pinkie Pie?"
The balloon deflated, blowing air into the human Pinkie Pie's face. She then grabbed Twilight, gasped, and asked, "Are you psychic?!"
"Uh, no," Twilight said, nervously. "I don't think so. Unless of course that's something you can do here."
"Eh, not usually," Pinkie Pie said. She then pulled out a yellow balloon.
"Fluttershy said this is where I'd find the head of the Fall Formal planning committee," Twilight explained.
"Fluttershy, huh?" Pinkie Pie asked, tying up the balloon and turning towards Twilight. "Don't let the whole 'shy' thing fool you. She can be a real meanie."
"You two aren't friends?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie then got into Twilight's face and asked, "Waited a bit to get your name on the ballot, huh? Dance is day after tomorrow."
"I'm brand new here," Twilight explained.
"Oooh! I thought you didn't look familiar," Pinkie said, examining Twilight. "Though, now that I'm really lookin' at you... Do you have a twin sister who lives in the city, has a pet dog named Spike that looks just like that one?" As Pinkie was asking and examining Twilight, Spike was acting like any other dog would, and tried to tear apart a balloon.
"Uh, maybe?" Twilight asked, nervously.
"Thought so," Pinkie said. She then held out a clipboard, saying, "Anyhoo, just need to fill this out and you are officially up for the coveted Princess of the Fall Formal crown." She then pulled out a pen from her hair and held it out for Twilight. Twilight then took the pen with her mouth. She then looked down at Dusk, who pointed at his hand, telling Twilight to take the pen in her hand. She did, but she didn't know how to write with her hand. She tried her best to write her name, but she didn't know how to write with her hand. When she finished, Pinkie took a look at it and said, "Wow! You have really bad handwriting. It's like you've never held a pen before."
Twilight laughed nervously and asked, "Is it?"
Just then, the doors to the gym opened up and a girl with a southern accent called out, "Somebody order a dozen cases of fizzy apple cider?"
"Oh! Oh! Me, me-me-me, me, yeah, ha-ha, me!" Pinkie answered. The girl who called out earlier was the human version of Applejack.
"Can you bring in the rest?" Applejack asked. Just then, a human version of Big Mac came in. But his skin was of a normal human instead of candy colored.
"Eeyup," said the human Big Mac.
Dusk pulled Twilight's hand, and she leaned down. Dusk whispered into Twilight's ear, "The skin color of Big Mac, that's the usual skin tone you would find on the humans from my world."
"Good to know," Twilight whispered back.
"Hey, I know you," said Applejack, getting Twilight's attention.
"You do?" Twilight asked.
"Sure. You're the new girl who gave Sunset Shimmer the what for today," said Applejack, before taking a drink from one of the bottles of apple cider.
"Twilight Sparkle here is gonna run against Sunset Shimmer for Princess of the Fall Formal," Pinkie said, making Applejack do a spit take.
Applejack then faced Twilight about that and said, "I'd think twice about that. Oh, sure, she'll probably approach you all friendly like..." She then used two balloons. One red heart shape balloon with Sunset's face, and one yellow with Twilight's face. Then she starts impersonating Sunset Shimmer. "I sure am lookin' forward to some friendly competition." Then she started impersonating Twilight. "That's so good to hear." Applejack then turned the red balloon, which had a thumb tack was taped to the back as Applejack said in her normal voice, "But then, here comes the backstabbin'." She then popped the yellow balloon. "About the only girl in this school you can trust less than Sunset Shimmer is Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked, confused. Behind her, Dusk and Spike, Pinkie Pie was bouncing around on an unusually large, inflated, yellow balloon.
"She's the captain of, like, every team at Canterlot High," Pinkie said as she was bouncing on it. But then it popped from the pressure she was giving onto the balloon.
"She's also the captain of sayin' she's gonna do somethin' for ya, and then turnin' around and not even botherin' to show up," Applejack complained.
Twilight walked up to her and said, "Thanks for the advice, Applejack, but this is something I really need to do."
"Huh, suit yourself," said Applejack. Then she realized something that Twilight said. "Hey, how'd you know my name is Applejack?"
Dusk and Spike face palmed/pawed at that realization.
"Um, I uh..." Twilight said, before laughing nervously. "Didn't you say?"
"Nnnope," Big Mac answered while Pinkie was taking a drink from the fizzy apple cider.
"Well, it sure was nice meeting you both," Twilight said as she, Dusk and Spike were about to leave. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around." They headed out of the gym, leaving Applejack confused.
Pinkie leaned towards Applejack and said, "That one's tryin' to hide a secret, but I am totally on to her." She then told Applejack in a whispering voice, "She's psychic!"
"Uh-huh. If you say so," Applejack said, not believing Pinkie's antics. Then the sound of doors slamming open startled the two of them. From the open doors, there were Sunset Shimmer, and human versions of Snips and Snails right behind her.
"This looks terrible!" Sunset complained. "There should be more streamers near the stage and fewer balloons." Sunset popped a balloon in front of Pinkie.
"Yeah, streamers!" Snips said, holding out some streamers.
Then Snails came in, trying to squeeze a balloon, saying, "And fewer balloons!" He then fell over.
Sunset then checked the apple cider and said, "Fizzy apple cider? Ugh! This is my coronation, not a hoedown." She held it up, by two fingers.
"Well, now, it ain't necessarily gonna be your coronation this time around," Applejack said.
"Is that so?" Sunset confronted. "You country folk really aren't that bright. Must be why the other students say such awful things about you." She said that as she covered Applejack's face with the stetson she was wearing.
Just then, the top of Applejack's hat opened up, her face was burning red, and she growled.
"Obviously it's gonna be my coronation," Sunset said. "I'm running unopposed."
"Not this time," Pinkie Pie said. She then held up the clipboard. "The new girl just signed up!"
"What?!" Sunset asked, taking the clipboard out of Pinkie's hand, and read it.
"I know. Her handwriting is really bad," Pinkie said.
Sunset looked up from the clipboard and angrily asked herself, "Where is this Twilight Sparkle?" She saw Applejack and Pinkie Pie looking confused at Sunset's antics. Sunset laughed and said to Applejack and Pinkie Pie, "I'm looking forward to meeting the competition!" She, Snips and Snails started heading out of the gym, leaving Applejack and Pinkie Pie confused.
Twilight and Dusk were walking down the halls of the school. Then they ended up in a dimmed hallway. Dusk got a little worried and held onto Twilight's hand.
"It's okay, Dusk," Twilight said. "It's going to be okay."
"Can't believe I didn't recognize you earlier," came the voice of Sunset Shimmer from behind Twilight. Twilight and Dusk turned around and saw Sunset leaning on the lockers. Spike poked his head out of Twilight's backpack. Sunset then walked towards Twilight and said, "Shoulda known Princess Celestia would send her prized pupil here after my crown, along with her little dog, and a little boy, too."
"It's my crown!" Twilight retaliated.
"Whatever," Sunset said, waving a hand. "This is just a minor setback for me. You don't know the first thing about this place, and I already rule it."
"If that's so, why do you even need my crown?" Twilight asked. "You went to an awful lot of trouble to switch it with the one that belongs here."
"Pop quiz: what happens when you bring an Element of Harmony into an alternate world?" Sunset asked. That made Twilight think about it, not finding any answer. "You don't know? Seriously?" Sunset laughed at Twilight. "And you're supposed to be Princess Celestia's star student? Then again, what were the chances she'd find somepony as bright as me to take under her wing after I decided to leave Equestria? Bit embarrassing that you were the best she could do." She waved her hand towards Twilight's back, but Spike popped his head out of Twilight's backpack, and tried biting Sunset's hand while growling. "Oh, and I'd keep an eye on your mutt. Hate for him to be... taken away from you."
"Is that a threat?" Spike asked angrily.
"Oh, of course not," said Sunset. She then looked at Dusk, who hid behind Twilight. "And I would also have this little one under a more careful watch. You might not want him to get lost in this place, would you?"
"Stay away from Dusk!" Spike nearly shouted, before barking.
"But I'd cut down on the chatter if I were you," Sunset said to Spike. "Don't want everyone to know you three don't belong here, now would you? You wanna be a princess here? Please. You don't know the first thing about fitting in." Sunset walked away from the three of them, leaving them in the dark hall.
Sunset Shimmer walked down the halls, heading towards the gym. When she came towards the doors, she saw Snips and Snails walking out, all covered in streamers. Sunset then pulled the streamers off of Snips and Snails, making them spin like tops.
"I want you to follow her," Sunset said as Snips and Snails were recovering from their spin. "Bring me something I can use just like I did with that last girl who thought she could challenge me."
"You got it, Sunset Shimmer," Snips said as he and Snails were saluting her.
"When the crown and its power are mine, Twilight Sparkle will be sorry she ever set hoof into this world," Sunset monologued. "Not that she would've been much safer if she'd stayed in Equestria."
"Yeah, in Equestria," Snips said, as he didn't know what she was talking about.
"What are you still doing here?! Go!" Sunset commanded. Then they ran off. "And bring me that boy that's with Twilight constantly! Get him when he's alone!"
Snips and Snails then started running off, following Sunset Shimmer's orders.