//------------------------------//
// Mean, Green, Toned and Lean 
// Story: The Feel of Live Steel 
// by Mockingbirb 
//------------------------------//

On her long, spindly human hindlegs, Princess Twilight towered over Sunset Shimmer. Sunset had also taken a human form upon entering this world, but knelt on the hallway floor, begging for mercy.

Twilight seethed, "You GAVE AWAY my crown? One of the most powerful magical artifacts in two worlds, and you just GAVE IT AWAY to your school principal?"

"Please," whispered Sunset, "not so loud. SHE might hear."

Twilight scoffed, "SHE? Who is SHE?"

Sunset pointed down the hall. 

A girl of middling height--no, kind of short--walked along the hall towards Twilight and Sunset. Her greenish hair was kind of messy. Her freckled face seemed never to have met the contents of a makeup case. Her sweater looked old and baggy.

Her pants did fit better than her sweater did. Really, the pants fit very well.

But what really drew attention was the girl inside the pants. To start with, she was at least as well-toned as Rainbow Dash. What you could see of her looked quite the athlete. 

But Rainbow Dash always seemed like somepony ready for fun and games. Rainbow moved with the unselfconscious grace of a friendly athletic pony who was always up for a hoofball game, or for zooming into the sky to clear some unwanted clouds.

This messy-haired human girl? She moved like a cat, but not some pampered Purrsian like Opalesence. The human girl moved like a large, sleek jungle cat that's always ready to kill.

The other humans weren't looking at her just because she was toned (and if you ignored her ugly sweater, maybe even kind of hot.) They always kept at least half of their attention on her for another reason. 

Each and every human in the hallway feared this mousy-looking girl might slay them where they stood.

Twilight whispered, "Who IS that girl?" 

"Her name is Wallflower Blush. And if you value your face and your hide, you won't ever do anything to make her angry at you. You're safer if she never notices you at all."

Wallflower strolled up to the two Equestrians. She looked curiously at Twilight Sparkle. "I don't recognize you. Who are you?"

Sunset trembled slightly, as she said, "This is Twilight Sparkle. She's nop--no one of any importance, your grace."

Wallflower's hands moved closer to her own hips, and all the hallway's humans seemed to hold their breath. Did their fear have any connection with the long, thin objects that hung from the belts of most of this place's inhabitants, Twilight wondered? 

"Please!" Sunset said, "She's nothing. Not worth your time."

"Is that true?" Wallflower asked Twilight. "Are you not worth my time? Because I've just given you a bit of my time right now. I hope you didn't waste it." Wallflower smiled wickedly. "Because if someone takes what's mine, I tend to hold them responsible." Her left hand moved slightly closer to the handle at her right hip.

Twilight suddenly understood. The objects hanging at the humans' hips were scabbards, hiding swords. The weapons had been redesigned, to be gripped and wielded by creatures with spindly limbs and spidery not-hooves. Wallflower was implicitly threatening Twilight with a potentially lethal weapon!

Twilight giggled nervously. "I do not presume to tell your grace how to spend her attention. Your purse is yours to command, not mine. You spend it as YOU will."

Wallflower laughed. "You're funny. I like you." She slapped Twilight on the shoulder, so hard that Twilight staggered and almost fell. "See ya around." The frightening human strolled farther along the hall, and turned the corner.

"Smooth talker," Sunset whispered.

"Thank Celestia for those cheesy historical novels I used to read," Twilight remarked. "And those role-playing games with Luna. Is there someplace more private, where you and I could go to talk? I think it's urgent."

***

In a secluded corner of an adjoining park, Twilight said, "Even after all my practice confronting terrifying monsters and villains in Equestria, I was so scared. I came THIS close to offering to help her with her math homework. And then where would I be?"

"You'd be on her schedule every day. And maybe every night. Once you cave in to a bully like that, there's no telling where it will stop. Or if it will ever stop."

"I agree," Twilight replied. "But what about my crown? Why did you steal it? What did you want it for?" Twilight shivered. "I hope you weren't going to give it to HER, were you? Because that could turn more horrible than...well, pretty bad."

Sunset shook her head emphatically. "I would NEVER. If I have anything to do with it, she's never going to find out anything about that crown's powers. The reason I stole it was, I was desperate. I was willing to do ANYTHING."

Twilight guessed, "You wanted to use it against her?"

"Right in one," Sunset said. "But can you really blame me?"

Twilight snorted. "Yes, I can blame you some. When you went all the way back to Equestria, instead of stealing an artifact you didn't know how to use, you could have asked for help."

Sunset sighed. "I've never been any good at that. I always feel I should accomplish everything on my own. The only reason I'm even talking to you about this is, I feel I owe you. First, because I stole your crown. Which I now understand was wrong, and a stupid mistake. But also, because I should let you know what you're up against. You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me, and I have to help you however I can."

"Thank you. For the help, I mean. I think I'm going to need it."

Sunset shook Twilight's hand. "I really will do what I can. And we here in this world need your help too."