//------------------------------// // The Alternate Land // Story: A Completely Normal School Board Meeting // by Mouse-Deer //------------------------------// Fancy Pants felt himself lurching through space while simultaneously never leaving his chair. The world was nothing but a dark void, a dizzying expanse that twisted, stretched him around and around until he was uncertain whether his head and his arms were separate appendages. He could hear screams, some distant, some seemingly from his own mouth. Despite flailing out his arms in every direction, he felt nothing to grasp onto; he felt no whooshing of air around him, just an endless plummet through and below himself. The Canterlot Board of Education was hurtling through nothing, and it was the strangest and worst feeling in—or really, outside of—existence. And then it was over. He landed back in his chair with a thud. Fancy glanced at his surroundings. The Board was still surrounding their old wooden table, however they were no longer in the meeting room; they were squeezed together in a windowless, musty storage closet. He glanced down at his body, making sure he had not left it behind in freefall. Hands? Check. Legs? Also check. The walls of the room were lined with boxes upon boxes of files, enclosing the table around to the point where one could really only stand up and sit down. Discord lazily floated above their table, relaxing with a pair of sunglasses on.  “Smooth ride, yes? I tried to get a loan of bits for an amusement park a few years back, but it turns out most ponies won’t lend money to a god of chaos. Then I turned the bank teller into a frog, and then they called in the military, and it was just a big mess all around. Ah well—their loss!” He lifted up the shades and scanned the members of the Board, a frown flashing across his face. “Hm. I didn’t think you would all still look human after crossing through. I knew I should have added more stretchy-wetchy to the portal—I might have overdone it on the wibbly-wobbly.” Fancy glanced over at Blueblood, whose face had turned significantly green. “Does anyone have a bucket . . .?”  Discord snapped his fingers and a trash can appeared in front of Blueblood’s face. He could barely mumble out a thank you before using it. The other members were not faring much better. Shining Armor was one step behind Blueblood, clutching his stomach while groaning in his chair. Filthy Rich had gripped the arms of his chair so tightly his knuckles were ghostly white. Granny Smith was relatively unfazed, actually. “I’ve taken a few tumbles out in the forest, but whoowee! That was better than the time that Spin-O-Matic went haywire at the county fair.” Shining managed to pull himself together and lean against the table. “Where are we . . .?” Discord smiled. “I have taken you . . . to another world!” Filthy loosened his grip on his chair handles and did a double take of the room. “This appears to be a storage closet.” “Oh, and alternate worlds can’t have storage closets?” Discord retorted. “I’ll have you know this isn’t just any storage closet. This is a closet deep within the Canterlot Archives, the greatest library institution of Equestria.” “I’m sorry, did you say Equestria?” asked Fancy Pants. “Yes, that is where we are,” Discord said. “I’m quite fond of the place. The locals have . . . grown on me, we’ll say.” Granny Smith rubbed her chin. “You’re tellin’ me that you brought us to . . . horse land?” The draconequus grinned devilishly. “Pony land, actually.” He snapped his fingers and, with a whoosh, a dark brown earth pony was pulled into the room. Discord floated him up into the air and placed him above the center of the table, slowly rotating him in a circle like a display piece. “I hope you don’t mind us interrupting your shift, mister janitor,” Discord said. The pony only looked at him with utter terror in his eyes. “What is that thing?” asked Blueblood. “Why, it’s barely like any horse I’ve seen!” Discord donned a circus outfit and a straw hat. “Come one and all, to see the miraculous, outrageous, and preposterous Equestrian! The lands of Equestria are inhabited by none other than these creatures, the dominant species of their land. Ponies hold a similar level of intelligence to humans—they’re smart enough to be the dominant society, yet still quite dumb—but they have slightly different societal norms. Vegetarianism is commonplace among ponies, and they are far more focused on friendship and rehabilitation instead of war and mistrust.”  “Excuse me,” said Fancy Pants, “are you suggesting these . . . ponies are part of a developed, intelligent society? Like that they are humans in a horse body?” Discord chuckled. “Yes indeed! But that’s not all! The Equestrian pony is separated into three distinct races: first, as you can see here, the Earth Pony!” He spun the dark brown pony around in the center once more. “No horn, no wings, but these hooves were made for walkin’! And trust me, these ponies know their way around the land. There’s no greener hoof than that of an earth pony!” He snapped his fingers, and a pair of wings sprouted out of the pony’s back. He let out a yelp somewhere between terrified and excited and attempted to flap the wings. “Up next is the pegasus! While the earth pony controls the land, the pegasus is the master of the sky! If you’re looking to travel fast or modify the weather, a pegasus is the go-to!” The wings shrunk back into nothing, but a horn appeared atop the pony’s head. “The final standard race is the unicorn! The horn at the top of their heads allows them to practice magic! Yes, the same magic that you witnessed Sunset use just not too long ago! However, there are many uses for magic. Unicorns run the government and are the inventors and scholars of this world, so without them, progress would slow to a halt!” Discord pulled off his uniform, but kept the pony floating above the table. “And finally, there is one more race.” He snapped his fingers, giving the pony both wings and a horn. “If one meets a set of certain criteria, they can be elevated to the status of alicorn. Only four ponies in Equestria hold this title, and they are royalty. Alicorns rule the country of Equestria as the heads of government. So, are we up to speed?” He snapped his fingers and removed the extra appendages from the pony, sending him flying out of the room. Shining Armor raised his hand. “I have several questions.” Discord huffed. “Too bad, you’ll figure it out. I’m not sure how stable it was to have brought you all through at once, and, although I would love to see how much chaos it could cause to keep you all here longer than I should, I’m currently barred from doing such a thing. So, we have to make our visit short.” “Why are we here? You’re saying that we’re in a whole new world, yet you stick us in a closet?” questioned Blueblood. “Well, there’s an old file case in here that I want to dig out. Let’s see,” he began magically flinging files off their stacks and throwing them across the room, the group shielding their faces and ducking away from his chaotic search. After a minute, he paused. “Here!” A cardboard box flew out from the bottom of the pile and landed at the center of their table with a thunk. Fancy Pants got a good look at the name on the front of the worn-down file holder. S. Shimmer. Discord opened up the top. “All the physical evidence of a girl named Sunset Shimmer existing in Equestria remains in this one box. Here, a birth certificate.” He began pulling out various forms and files, spreading them around to each member. “Physical characteristics. Proof of admission to the School for Gifted Unicorns. Letter of expulsion from the School of Gifted Unicorns too. Huh, I didn’t think they would have actually written that out. Bureaucracy, am I right?” The members crowded around the files on the table and began sorting through them. “Her birth description lists amber fur, with red and gold hair . . .” muttered Shining. “So did she look similar to how she looks now in this world?” Discord grinned. “I’m glad you asked.” He pulled out a faded photo and placed it on the table, each member pausing to take a look at it. It was a throne room in celebration. Despite the awe-inspiring size of the chamber, with its shiny marble floors and towering ornate pillars, the place was packed from front to back with ponies. Sunlight shined in through the stained glass windows, each holding a unique design and casting a rainbow of colors amidst the room. At the far back of the picture, near the throne room’s dais—which certainly commanded attention, doubling as a miniature fountain each step up—stood a small amber filly whose beaming smile could be seen from across the hall. However, the attention of each member’s eyes were drawn to the pony she was conversing with: a white alicorn who held a stature twice the size as those around her, even when leaning down to whisper in the filly’s ear. “Do you see Sunset in the back there?” asked Discord. “Ah, when the world was young,” he said wistfully. “I attended that party. And by attend, I mean I heard it from outside in the garden. I wasn’t technically invited.” Blueblood, now recovered from the tumultuous trip, walked over to Discord and snatched the picture out of his hands. He held the picture up close to his face and squinted his eyes. “That horse next to her . . .” Discord smirked devilishly. “Yes, the big one—the alicorn? Does she look familiar to you, Blueblood?” Blueblood tossed the picture back onto the table and glared at the draconequus. “Now I know for certain that this is fake. You’re making a mockery of us.” The other members crowded around the picture and examined the alicorn closely. “What is it, Blueblood?” asked Filthy Rich. “What do you see?” Discord snickered. “Yes, Blueblood, please tell us,” he pulled out a magnifying glass and hovered it over the alicorn. “Who does this Princess look like, to you?” Blueblood’s eye twitched. “My aunt,” he growled. “It looks like you took my aunt and turned her into a horse.” “Hey, I see it,” said Shining. “She’s got that look like she knows something you don’t. It’s uncanny.” Discord couldn’t hold back his snickering and opened up into a full laugh. “Oh, alright, alright, I’ll explain. Do you remember when I mentioned this was a parallel world? Well, it’s parallel in every sense. Including its inhabitants. In this world, your aunt, the principal of Canterlot High School, is Princess Celestia, ruler of the Kingdom of Equestria. Or, Princessdom of Equestria. This picture here is in her throne room at the capital city of Canterlot. We’re only a few blocks away, actually.” Blueblood sat back down in his chair and sneered. “I’ve had enough of this. You disrupt our meeting, insult us, play with us like we’re creatures in a dollhouse, and then have the audacity to make a mockery of my family’s name because I’m the only one willing to call you out on your insanity. Why, it’s ridiculous!” He threw his arms up in the air in exasperation. “But, Blueblood,” Discord said sadly, sidling up to the president, “This is a compliment, if anything. You know, if she’s a Princess, you’re royalty by relation.” He snapped his fingers and a crown appeared on Blueblood’s head. However, the man grabbed it and threw it off to the side, letting it clatter onto the floor. “I’m not playing into your game anymore, Discord. Leave me alone—I need to think.” Blueblood turned his head away from Discord, and moved his chair over to the corner of the room. He slouched over in his chair and closed his eyes, seemingly losing himself in thought. “Oh dear,” said Discord. “It looks like I’ve finally broken him. Well, nothing we can do about it now.” He turned back to the other members. “Questions?” “I’ve got one,” said Fancy Pants. “What’s the celebration in this photo?” “Princess Celestia is not only ruler of the country, she also is a headmare of the School for Gifted Unicorns. Some even just call it Celestia’s School, or Magic School. This is celebrating her acceptance of a new personal student.” Granny Smith furrowed her brow. “So you’re telling me that in this world, Miss Celestia is a pony who runs the whole country and a whole school?” “She’s immortal, too,” Discord added. “I think I’ll go join Blueblood over there,” said Filthy Rich. Discord frowned. “Hold on, I promise I can explain. The Princess is mainly focused on running Equestria, and is really only a part of Magic School in name. However, she does occasionally take on a promising new student to train advanced magic techniques to, which is what this picture is showing.” Filthy Rich sighed. “Alright, I can see that. Somehow.” “So she’s taken Sunset as her student, right?” said Shining. “That’s why the princess is chatting with a small girl—er, filly.” “Right on, Mr. Armor!” exclaimed Discord. “Sunset Shimmer’s story on this side of the mirror features quite the rise and fall.” He flew back over to the files and began throwing picture after picture onto the table. “Accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns at a young age, she immediately stood out by completing coursework several grades ahead of her. It was inevitable that she would attract the attention of Princess Celestia. “Soon enough,” he continued, “she was the Princess’s personal student, studying away and learning new depths to magic that few ever received the chance to. However, some issues quickly arose. She absorbed herself in the work, refusing to make friends—all her time spent at social gatherings with the noble elite had sharpened her interpersonal manipulation skills, but had hindered her ability to emotionally connect with anypony. “Of course, Celestia saw how lonely Sunset was becoming, and tried to get her to stop and make friends. But this only increased the pressure Sunset felt to succeed, believing that she was failing the Princess. They became colder and more distant, so Sunset continued to push for more and more magical advancement while shunning any personal development until her fears had become true. Celestia told her to change, or to stop being her student. I think you can guess which she chose.” “And how’d she get to our world, then?” asked Shining. “A dangerous leap through a magical portal, motivated by an inability to face the consequences of her actions. Combine that with a poorly thought out plan for world domination, and you can see how we got off easy with just a small crater in the front of the high school. Here, take a look at some of the pictures from the file. It can explain her story better than I.” Shining, Filthy, and Fancy all crowded over the table and started picking up various pictures, looking to see gradual signs of distance between Sunset and Princess Celestia. They found themselves first sorting through all of the pictures and trying to place them in chronological order. A few minutes into their work, Granny Smith hobbled over to Discord, pulling him to the side. “I’ve got a question for you, mister,” said Granny. Discord floated down to her and met her at eye level. “Why, I’m all ears, Mrs. Smith,” he sprouted a few ears from his head for good measure. Granny took a seat at the chair farthest from the other members. “It’s about this whole ‘parallel world’ business. Can’t say I understand it, but . . . does everyone have a copy like Celestia here?” “Indeed, Granny,” he said. “Can I call you Granny? I feel like we’re beyond formality now.” “Sure,” Granny snorted. “So, I’ve got a copy of myself somewhere, then?” “Yes,” said Discord. “And there are copies of Blueblood, Filthy, Shining, and Fancy out there as well.” “How similar are we? ‘Cause, if Miss Celestia is a principal in one life and a princess in another, well, that seems like they’ve lived completely different lives.” A slight frown crossed the older woman’s face. “Celestia is an . . . odd case,” Discord responded. “Most people live very similar lives on both sides of the mirror.” Granny sighed, her brow furrowed in thought. “What am I like?” she asked hesitantly. “If you know, o’ course.” Discord pointed at her chest and smirked. “Well, you’re like you. An old farmpony that helps out around town. I think it sounds like quite a drab life, but to each their own.” Granny hesitated again. “And . . . my family?” “Nothing different, as far as I’m aware.” “Oh,” she muttered silently. “It’s just, I had thought that, maybe . . . if Celestia can be a princess, then my family can be something different, too.” “How do you mean?” he asked. “Forgive me if this is ignorant, but farming culture appears to be about the same to me in both worlds.” Granny met Discord’s gaze, and for once it looked as if she was finally starting to show the wear of age. “I don’t mean it in a farmin’ sense. I’m thinking personally.” Discord caught a slight tremble of her lip crack through her straight face. “Did this Granny Smith learn the same values I did? Did she make the same decisions?” She sighed quietly. “Did she lose the same folks?” Discord’s eyes widened a touch before he settled back to his normal smile. “Miss Smith,” he said quietly, “There are some events that are nearly impossible to avoid. In any universe. Often, the beginning of a pony’s life . . . and the end are always the same.” He placed his paw on her shoulder. “For what it’s worth . . . you have my condolences.” Granny smiled slightly, the wrinkles across her face masking any signs of vulnerability she had shown. “No, it’s okay, I know you didn’t mean nothing by it. It’s . . . a load off my mind, if anything. If it all happened over here too, than maybe it means there was nothin’ I could’ve done.” “You’re far stronger than you’ve been given credit for, Granny,” said Discord. He glanced around the room. Filthy, Shining, and Fancy were engaged in conversation over another picture, and Blueblood was still sitting in his chair, lost in thought. “I’ll go see what they’re looking at now,” said Discord, patting her on the shoulder. “Let me know if you have any more questions.” Granny nodded silently, focusing her attention back to some of the files scattered on the table. Discord slinked over to the men mid-conversation. “ . . . I’m not sure I get it,” said Filthy Rich. “What do you mean? It’s adorable!” Shining exclaimed, pointing at the photo. Fancy hemmed. “I don’t know if I would go as far as to describe it like that, but I am glad you enjoy it.” Discord teleported behind them, the three jumping in surprise. “Gentlemen!” he exclaimed. “What’s so interesting about this photo here?” The two men glanced warily at one another. “Take a look.” Filthy brought it up to Discord’s snout. The photo was taken several years after Sunset’s appointment as student, a far more secluded moment taken in Celestia’s study. Celestia and Sunset were resting on the floor in a study session, the alicorn watching Sunset with a proud smile as the filly practically dug her muzzle into an old textbook. Gone was the look of bug-eyed admiration for her mentor, replaced with a hunger for knowledge that few would ever hold at that age. It was obvious to all three men that this was one of the happier memories between teacher and student. “I was just telling them that Sunset’s got the exact same look on her face my sister gets anytime she gets wrapped up in a textbook,” Shining said. “Like the rest of the world doesn’t exist until she absorbs that knowledge.” “Ah, yes,” Discord said, “I can fathom a few reasons why that is, but we’ll get to that later. Have you all gotten a good look at the photos?” “I saw one that interested me,” Fancy Pants said, picking up one from the pile. A few years into the future, Sunset now beyond a filly, but not a mare. The castle was once again hosting an event, with Sunset and Celestia greeting every attendee in a long line. The picture was taken at just the point where, when Celestia was focused on conversing with a noble, Sunset gave a disappointed glance to her side. “What event is this?” Fancy asked. “Ah, the Grand Galloping Gala,” Discord said with disdain. “What a bore. Why, I think it could use a little chaos next year.” He snapped his fingers and a bright orange tuxedo and top hat appeared on his form. “Be honest with me: does this suit make me look orderly?” “It needs to be tailored to you a little more,” said Filthy. “Oh, I know,” the draconequus said with a chuckle. “Why does Sunset look so miffed in this pic?” asked Shining, bringing attention back to the picture. “This is one of the few galas Celestia attends each year. The princess ends up spending nearly the whole night greeting guests. My bet is that Sunset wanted some time alone with her, but that was an impossible outcome. How sad,” he said, “but stupid of her to think otherwise. This was when things started to fall apart.” Filthy picked up a different picture from the table. “It looks like things got worse very quickly,” he said, showing the group another picture—the last in the file. Sunset and Celestia stood next together in the throne room, but gone was any emotion from either’s muzzles. Both had a blank smile on, and were spaced apart just enough to suggest that they were on friendly terms, but not much more beyond that. “It doesn’t look that much worse than the last picture,” said Shining. “I don’t see what’s wrong.” Filthy chuckled slightly. “You’d have to be in business to understand. In a business setting—or, a royalty setting, for this case—etiquette is the most important thing. Even when people are angry, they will still be formal with one another as to not give the impression something is wrong. One time my daughter and I got into an argument right before I had a house party, and she acted like Sunset is here. Sunset is being formal to the point of extremity. She appears friendly to an outsider, but Celestia can tell that something is very wrong.” Granny Smith stepped out of her chair and hobbled over, glancing at the picture. “I’ll second that,” she said. “Look at Celestia’s eyes. The wrinkles on the edges are turned down slightly. She’s worried. I’d bet it’s not long before one of them gives in and admits there’s a problem.” “Right again, Granny,” said Discord. “This was taken a month before Sunset’s expulsion from the School for Gifted Unicorns. Hopefully you all can see that, although Sunset has made many mistakes, her actions at Canterlot High were closer to that of a petty child than an intentional delinquent. She’s a bright kid, and deserves a second chance.” The other members glanced at him blankly. “Oh, come on,” he groaned. Suddenly, Blueblood jumped out of his seat. “I’ve got it!” he yelled. “You’re a tricky fellow, but I know what you did!” He jabbed a finger at the draconequus. Discord held up his arms. “Well excuse me! I’d like to know what I did before you start poking people!” Blueblood’s mouth turned up into a broad grin. “When we walked in, you were smoking out of a pipe by the window. I bet that you stuffed that with hallucinogens, and let it cloud up the room. You’re not affected because you breathed clean air out of that crack. We’re not in Equestria right now, or whatever you said. You’re not real. We’re in our chairs, tripping our minds off, while you run around telling us to spare this girl.” He poked Discord’s chest again. “Well bud, I’ve got news for you: it’s not going to happen. Ever.” The other members looked on in shock after Blueblood ended his outburst with another poke. Discord grabbed the president’s arm with his claw, holding him in place. He met Blueblood’s manic grin with one twice the size. “Not real?” he growled. “I’m not many things: not normal, not human, not kind to twerps like you—but I am one thing. I am very much real.” Blueblood felt the grip around his arm tighten. “Let go of me!” Discord leaned down, his teeth bared directly in Blueblood’s face. “Why don’t I show you how real this is?” Discord said. And with a snap, he launched them through the building into the air above. Blueblood screamed at the top of his lungs as they flew higher and higher into the atmosphere. His legs flailed wildly about, and he grasped onto Discord’s arms with his free hand, praying for life. The force exerted on his face from flying up so fast tussled up his hair and made it hard to breathe. He choked in a breath before he could barely find the strength to push out another scream. Unlike the sensation of falling inward on Blueblood’s way to Equestria, this genuinely felt like he was dangling in the air. Discord stopped at the point where the sky had lost its bright blue and was entering the black open space. “Look down,” Discord said. Blueblood opened his mouth, “Don’t speak. There’s not enough air up here for you to breathe long anyway.” Blueblood gently turned his head down, and saw a grand planet spinning beneath him. The continents were of different shape from earth, the oceans chasms never seen before in his mind. He turned back to Discord, the tears in the corners of his eyes finally dripping off into space below. “That landmass down there is Equestria,” Discord hissed. “And your aunt, whether you like it or not, rules over it completely.” Blueblood choked out a cry, feeling himself getting more and more lightheaded.  “And do you know what else she does? Every morning, she lights her horn and raises the Sun. This world is geocentric, you see. The ponies rely on her to get up each day and bring about life, growth, and activity.” He turned Blueblood toward the Sun, letting the rays wash over them. Basking in it’s glow felt so familiar to him, yet completely different to how it felt on Earth. Discord smirked. “And can you guess what she does to the Sun at the end of each day, when it’s time for ponies to go to bed?” Blueblood choked out a cry for help. “She drops it.” Discord released his claw from Blueblood’s arm, letting him plummet to the ground below. No matter how loud the president screamed, he could still hear Discord’s maddening cackles. Despite how high up he was, he felt the ground was approaching faster, as if someone was pushing him down, accelerating him toward a brutal demise. He let out one final cry and squinted his eyes shut, bracing for impact. He landed back in his seat with a soft pomph. Discord flew down and landed on the table. “Hahaha!” he giggled. “You should have seen the look on your face!” Blueblood hopped out of his seat and laid down on the floor, panting as he clutched the ground. He glanced up at the other members, who were looking at him confusedly. “He—he’s evil!” he exclaimed. “We need to run!” The others only watched in worry as Discord continued to laugh. “He just tried to kill me!” Blueblood said. “I just fell from the sky!” Discord settled down, a slight grin appearing on his face. “Um, sonny,” said Granny. “You fell asleep. In that chair there.” Blueblood turned back to Discord, eyes wide. “W-what? When?” Discord calmed himself down. “Right after you said you were hallucinating. I figured, ‘well, if he wants things to not be real so badly, then I’ll give him a fun dream!’ and here we are.” The president stood up and dusted himself off, the vertigo of falling and fear already flown out of his body. “Th-that wasn’t funny! It was terrifying!” “Oh yes, what a nightmare,” said Discord, eliciting another fit of giggles. He calmed down and turned to face the president. “I am sorry, Blueblood. It was wrong of me to do such a thing, or so I have been told. But,” he said before Blueblood could interject, “We need to get on the same page somehow.” Discord pulled out a book and opened up to a page in the center. At the top of the page was: Discord and Blueblood Reconciliation! Yay! “I’ll promise to be completely truthful, and not harm you in any way, if you actively listen to my arguments,” said Discord. “I have one goal here, and that is to help Sunset. Really.” Blueblood walked over to the book and stared at the title. “. . . fine,” he grumbled. “I will believe your intentions. I will even believe that you’re not tricking us, mainly because I don’t want to go through that again. But that doesn’t mean I have to follow your rules.” He slammed the book shut. “If you want to win us over, then you need logic and reason, not hyperactive insanity.” Discord frowned. “Ah, well. I suppose that’s fair enough.” He snapped his fingers, the book vanishing into thin air. “We have to go back now. My portal is starting to unwind.” They scrambled back to their chairs and buckled their seatbelts. With the snap of his fingers, the group was catapulted through the void. Knowing what to expect this time, they all were prepared for the lurch. It was slightly less turbulent than last time; Discord must have improved his composition slightly. They landed in the Canterlot High School meeting room with a thud. Fancy unbuckled his seatbelt, followed by the rest of the members. The evening sun had nearly set completely, only a small sliver of light left over the horizon. Discord had left the window open, and the room was far colder than the damp Canterlot Archives. Filthy Rich jumped up and shut it quickly. Discord looked at the table, which was still scattered with files and photos. He placed his claw on his forehead. “Oh, I forgot to put the files back! There I go, stealing from the government again!” The Board simply sat in their chairs, watching him with judgmental gazes. “Well?” Discord asked. “Would anyone like to admit that I had something good to say? Maybe Sunset should be allowed in school after all? I know Blueblood’s out, but anybody?” They all glanced around the table at one another, but found no one willing to speak up. Discord deflated, landing back in his chair. “Alright, then,” he said. “It seems I can’t do this as well as I thought.” “No, you can’t,” said Blueblood coldly. “You don’t have us convinced.” Discord hopped back up. “Let’s hold a vote,” he said. “Sure,” the president responded. “All in favor—” “Wait!” the draconequus exclaimed, reaching out to stop them from raising their hands. “I would like to speak first.” Blueblood leaned back in his chair. “Go ahead.” “It seems apparent that you’re all tough nuts to crack. I will abstain from this vote. If every one of you votes to expel Sunset, I will not object. You can deliver your verdict, and this will be over. But if one of you, just one, votes that she should stay, then we will continue. Is everyone clear?” Everyone around the table nodded. “Just one thing, though. I want this to be an anonymous vote.” He snapped his finger, and a pen and paper appeared in front of each member. On the slip of paper were two words: EXPEL and ENROLL. “If you wish to still expel Sunset, circle EXPEL. If not, circle ENROLL. Don’t look at one another’s papers, okay?” “Hold on,” said Blueblood, “how do we know you haven’t rigged this? You could swap the notes around, or something.” Discord sighed. “I want you to trust me. But, I will let you read off the slips, President Blueblood. You can check for anything you would like.” “Fine,” said Blueblood. “Let’s do this quickly.” The group turned to focus on the slips. In what seemed like no time at all, all the slips had been folded and handed to Blueblood. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll get started.” He unfolded the first. “Expel.” Second. “Expel.” Third. “Expel.” Fourth. “Expel.” And with one left, he unfolded the piece of paper. “. . . Enroll?!” Blueblood choked. “Boo-yah!” Discord exclaimed. “I knew I got one!” The President of the Board jumped out of his seat, a malicious glare crossing his features. “Alright, who was it?” growled Blueblood. “You better have a good explanation for this.” The members glanced around the table at one another, none willing to open their mouths and admit they were responsible. “It was certainly not me," said Fancy. “I know better than to write that," said Filthy. “I'm still unconvinced," added Shining. All eyes turned to the last member of the table. She smiled. “It was me.”