Chapter 3
After donning her uniform, Twilight Sparkle followed Luna’s advice and spent the time before she had to be at the cafeteria acquainting herself with the layout of Canterlot Academy. The school handbook included a map of the campus, so she at least had a guide during her exploration. Canterlot Academy possessed a spacious campus that included a forest and extensive parade grounds, but Twilight would be spending most of her time in the nine buildings clustered on the property’s eastern end.
The manor house that had first drawn Twilight’s attention was identified as the Main Lecture Hall, and it had four wings arranged in a square around a courtyard. Lying west of it were two U-shaped buildings labeled the Men’s Dormitory and Women’s Dormitory, the latter of which held Twilight’s room. South of the previous three buildings was the Cafeteria & Kitchens, where Twilight was to report during the noon hour. (Provided noon had the same meaning here as in Equestria, she’d be able to use the bells that rang on the hour to know when she was meant to be there.) Directly north of the Main Lecture Hall was the Chapel and then—of more interest to Twilight—the Library; she didn’t have time to explore everything, but she knew she’d soon be returning there. West of the Chapel and the Library was the Supplemental Lecture Hall, shaped like a very blocky letter A.
While this was clearly the main cluster of buildings, built immediately next to each other, there were two other brick constructions a little farther away. The building situated farthest north was labeled as the Stables, but Twilight suspected it had some other meaning here in the World Across the Divide; she could think of no reason why a cheap boarding house would be on Canterlot Academy’s campus. To the west of the main campus was a sturdy-looking structure identified as the Armory. Twilight wasn’t sure what to make of Canterlot Academy. Clearly it was a school, but it also appeared to have a strong connection to the army in this world; were the students soldiers, or were the soldiers students? These questions would certainly benefit from additional research once she had a chance to visit the library—and, of course, once she figured out how to take notes. Attempts to write with both her mouth and her hands had been abysmal.
Twilight was curiously examining the targets lined up against an earth berm east of the Armory when the bells tolled out the noon hour. She quickly backtracked past the dormitories to get to the cafeteria, where a queue of other students had already formed. Not knowing what else to do, Twilight got in line and followed them in. In Twilight’s eyes, the cafeteria resembled a great hall; strong beams supported a high ceiling over a collection of chairs and tables, where many students sat eating their midday meals. One major deviation was the lack of a lord or lady at the head of the hall; however, there was a portrait of a lady hung on the wall in a venerable position, though Twilight couldn’t make out any details quite yet. There also wasn’t any food on the tables other than what the students had in front of them. Twilight’s line eventually led her to long counters at which other students were passing out plates of bread, stewed vegetables, and slices of meat; following everyone else’s example, she took one and a glass of water before heading out into the cafeteria.
The tables were rapidly filling up with students, but Twilight wasn’t certain of the rules dictating where she could or couldn’t eat her meal. What social status did she have here? Was there any position with different prestige if there was no head of the hall? Twilight walked down the center of the cafeteria to get a closer look at the portrait hung against the far wall. It depicted a woman standing triumphantly amid burning buildings; wrapped around her was a banner with bands of red, bright blue, and white. At the bottom of the canvas was printed Liberty, though Twilight was unsure whether that referred to the painted figure or the concept she personified. She hadn’t been able to glean much from the painting, but her journey closer had allowed her to spot Fluttershy sitting alone at a table at this end of the hall. She may be the same Fluttershy that Twilight had known for years, but she was a familiar face and the only one that Twilight had become acquainted with in any way, so she sat down next to her.
“Oh, it’s you!” Fluttershy said as she was startled slightly off her seat. “Twilight Sparkle?”
“That is right,” Twilight replied as she surveyed the food on her plate. “And you are Fluttershy.”
“That’s right!” Fluttershy said cheerily.
As she listened to Fluttershy, Twilight tried to secretly slip her meat to Spike through her satchel flap.
“Did you get everything sorted out with the headmistress?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yes, I did, though things are much different here than in … Sottsland,” Twilight said, remembering the false history designated for her by the transfer paperwork. “I know we have only just met, but I was hoping you could help me get acclimated.”
“Oh, of course,” Fluttershy said.
“Excellent, because I have signed up for the Combined Command program and I will need all the help I can get in order to win the Acclamation Crown,” Twilight said as she pulled a notebook out of her satchel.
Fluttershy’s fork fell to her plate as she choked in surprise.
“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s just, … that’s not what I expected you to ask,” Fluttershy apologized after a moment. “A-are you sure that trying for the Acclamation Crown is a good idea?”
“It will be difficult, I know, especially since I’m just starting out, and late at that, but I must try for it,” Twilight said.
“That's true, but it’s not what I meant,” Fluttershy said shakily. “Sunset Shimmer has won the crown the last four terms, and she’s determined to keep winning it until graduation. You may not be afraid of her, but most of us are.”
“Well, we will just have to change that, will we not?” Twilight said.
“It’s not just that,” Fluttershy continued. “Even if you managed to convince some of those she’s intimidated or persuaded to vote for her to support you instead, you’ll still be competing against the other Combined Command students. The only reason Sunset Shimmer has been able to win each term so easily is because the rest of the vote is split between the other five, and each has a preferred department that votes for them. Sunset Shimmer is the only person who’s been able to cross departmental lines and get students from multiple departments to vote for her. You’d have to pull off a similar feat to win, as well as get at least one of the departments to abandon their favored candidate and vote for you instead. Medical doesn’t have a Combined Command student that shows them favoritism, so you might be able to get them to follow you, but that won’t be enough to win.”
“I saw the department list briefly in the dean’s office,” Twilight said as she set her notebook down briefly to dig into her food. “What are these departments? What is their purpose?”
“The departments divide up the military majors. Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery are the directly combat-focused ones. Engineering, Medical, and Psionics provide more of a support role, though I suppose Psionics walks the line between support and combat—that’s mental powers, by the way,” Fluttershy said, and Twilight’s mind was drawn to magic. “We mostly keep to our own kinds here at Canterlot Academy, so getting students from different departments to work together isn’t an easy task.”
“Are there not any commonalities or crossover between the departments?” Twilight asked.
“Sure there are,” Fluttershy said. “I’m actually in both the Medical and Psionics Departments, but students like me are in the minority. The one thing all of us in every department have in common is knowing that Sunset Shimmer is going to run things until she graduates.”
“Well, not if I can help it!” Twilight said so passionately that it seemed to shock Fluttershy. “Oh, sorry. So, I need to convince everyone to vote for me?”
“By the end of the term, yes,” Fluttershy replied, looking a little subdued.
“And you are going to help me, right?”
“Oh my … I suppose I promised I would, didn’t I?” Fluttershy said nervously. “Okay, I-I’ll do my best. I don’t know that many other students, though. You might have better luck with someone on the school newspaper.”
“News … paper,” Twilight tried out the unfamiliar word. “You think I should talk to someone involved with the school … newspaper?”
“Oh, yes!” Fluttershy jumped on the opportunity to get out of her commitment, at least for the time being. “They should be meeting after lunch today. I can show you the way.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said as she worked to finish her meal. I’m making progress, but I really need to get better acquainted with the workings of this world before I make a fool of myself. Hopefully, whoever Fluttershy is bringing me to will be able to help.
***
“Are you sure about this plan, Twilight?” Spike asked later, cautiously peeking his head out of her bag as traveled through the empty hallways of the main lecture hall.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
The two of them were currently alone. Fluttershy had given Twilight directions to the school newspaper’s office, but to avoid making their shy acquaintance tardy for class, the duo was responsible for finding the room on their own. Even so, Spike remained mostly in her satchel, and they kept their voices down just in case someone appeared without warning.
“Hm, trying to win your Element back in some kind of competition. Do you even know how long a term is? We could get stuck in this world for centuries, like Star-Swirl, if the portal closes,” Spike voiced his concerns.
“It is just one plan,” Twilight said. “We still need to consider all the options. Luna said she was taking the Element of Sorcery to a fort, and I doubt I’d be able to get it out without either magic or a better understanding of this world. When I get the chance, I intend to research this Fort Krahn as well as the next time the portal will close; however, I need to pursue every path available, and this is the one open to me right now.”
“If you say so,” Spike said uncertainly.
“I am worried about returning to our own world, too, Spike,” Twilight assured him. “I wish we could pop back to make sure everything is fine, but if we do, there is no guarantee that Sunset Shimmer will not get ahold of the Element of Sorcery while we are gone. We have no idea what she might be able to do with it in this world or where she might take it. No, we have to stay here until we retrieve the Element.”
At some point in the conversation, they’d arrived at the office of the school newspaper. It was like most rooms in the lecture halls, hidden behind a door with a glazed window and with a plaque next to it. Most plaques just had a three-digit number, but this one said CANTERLOT CLARION. Twilight opened the door to reveal a desk-filled room where students sat tapping on devices like the one Luna had used in her office. A student with gray skin and white hair rose from her desk near the entrance when she saw Twilight enter and approached the sorceress.
“Can I help you?” she asked with a skeptically raised eyebrow. “There are no open positions at the moment. Unless you’re here to submit a complaint?”
“No, nothing of the sort, I just wanted to speak to … Pinkamena?” Twilight blurted out in surprise upon spotting a girl with pink skin and a crazy pink head of hair.
“That’s me! Pinkamena Diane Pie! Though, you can just call me Pinkie or Pinkie Pie; everybody does,” the pink student said as she skipped over to Twilight. “I don’t think we’ve met before, have we? How did you know my name? Are you psychic?”
“Um, no, I do not believe so,” Twilight said as Pinkamena eyed her intensely. “Is that … something that is possible?”
“Eh, not unless the Psionics Department has had a secret breakthrough,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “I thought I’d already met all the news students this term, but we haven’t been properly introduced. Pinkie Pie, Artillery Department.”
“I am Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun … Combined Command,” Twilight said as Pinkie grasped her hand and vigorously shook it until she’d finished her introduction.
“Wow, another Combined Command student!” Pinkie squealed, and the student who’d confronted Twilight on her entry walked away to let them be. “And you came here to speak to me! I don’t know how you found out about me, but I appreciate the chance of an exclusive scoop!”
“Oh … sure,” Twilight said, not sure exactly what was happening as Pinkie Pie pulled her by the hand through the newspaper headquarters.
“I bet you’re fired up for the end-of-term festivities already!” Pinkie said as she released Twilight long enough to grab a chair and set it up next to her desk before plopping the bewildered Twilight into it. “The election, the crown, the parade, the dance, and all of it on the night of the next lunar conjunction! It’s going to be a magical time!”
“Yes, I am sure it will be,” Twilight said as she regained her bearings. If this Pinkamena was right, then Twilight had until the end of the term before the moons aligned again and the portal closed. Trying to win her Element back would be cutting things close; she’d need to have some alternative plans in place.
“So, you wanted to talk to me. What do you have to say?” Pinkie asked in rapt anticipation as her hands hovered over the keys on the device on her desk.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the students of Canterlot Academy. As a new student, I want to get to know everyp-body so I can be an effective Combined Command student,” Twilight said.
“Well, lucky for you, I know everybody at Canterlot Academy,” Pinkie said proudly before deflating slightly. “Buuuuuut, I really should keep working. You can learn a lot by just looking through the paper’s archives and reading my articles, and you can tell me your story at the same time so I can write it up. It’s a win-win! Aaaaaand, maybe we can talk more later about specific students.”
“Oh, well, okay,” Twilight said as Pinkie pulled her through the office again to where past editions of the Canterlot Clarion were stored in cabinets.
As Twilight paged through the archives—and thankfully beginning to understand the concept of a newspaper—Pinkie bombarded her with questions about herself, which she did her best to answer unsuspiciously. When Twilight had arrived at the office, she’d expected to be the one asking the questions, not the one getting grilled; not to mention, she was finding it hard to answer many of Pinkie’s questions with her limited knowledge of this world. She needed some excuse to get out and return once she’d had the chance to do more research, but she couldn’t think of a good excuse when she was the one who’d come here seeking information in the first place. Luckily, a distraction arrived to draw Pinkie’s attention away before Twilight's interview incriminated her as not being of this world.
“Pinkie Pie!” an angry voice yelled from the entrance of the office, and everyone looked up from their work, including Pinkie, who jumped to stand on her chair to see over the cabinet blocking the view.
The sound of pounding footsteps approached as the yeller swiftly walked around to confront Pinkie Pie. The girl on the warpath had orange skin, yellow hair, fire in her eyes, and was undeniably Applejack. Her uniform was different than those Twilight had seen before, with red trousers instead of a skirt, like the male students, tucked into calf-high boots from which dried mud was flaking off and a longer jacket with extra pockets. Her cap’s chinstrap encircled her neck and hung down behind her. The girl who’d tried to stop Twilight at the door followed behind, looking flustered, but gave up and returned to her post when Applejack honed in on Pinkie. Clutched tightly in Applejack’s hand was an issue of the Canterlot Clarion, and she raised it up accusatorially as she approached her target.
“Let me guess; you liked my article so much you had to come straight from field practice in order to tell me?” Pinkie taunted.
“What’s this garbage you published about infantry students spending too much time on their civilian studies?” Applejack demanded as she thrust the paper at Pinkie Pie.
“Numbers don’t lie, Applejack,” Pinkie said with a satisfied shrug, which only enraged Applejack more. “Students in the Infantry Department, on average, spend less time in military courses than students in any other department.”
“Because we spend more time on resupply and maintenance, which isn’t counted as a course, something I noticed you conveniently left out in your article!” Applejack yelled as she threw the paper at Pinkie. “I don’t know why I bother, other than that I can’t stand dishonesty. It’s too much to expect fairness and honesty from a paper run entirely by artillery students!”
“Our editor isn’t,” Pinkie pointed out as she caught the paper and set it to the side. “He’s Combined Command.”
“Oh, sure,” Applejack replied, her voice dripping contemptuously. “Like I would trust Marcel de Jeanne to be impartial. It's no secret that he prefers the Artillery Department over all others. No Combined Command student is without favorites, except maybe Sunset Shimmer.”
“Aaaaand Twilight Sparkle,” Pinkamena said dramatically as she gestured with both hands toward Twilight.
“You’re a Combined Command student?” Applejack asked, having only just noticed Twilight’s presence.
“Yes, I am new,” Twilight said as she stood and extended her hand to shake Applejack’s, “I am Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun … Combined Command.”
Applejack breathed deeply in through her nose and slowly out through her mouth to calm down before clamping Twilight’s forearm in a strong grip and shaking it.
“Sorry about that. Jacqueline du Gala, Infantry Department. Everyone calls me Applejack.
“Nice to meet you,” Twilight said, though like meeting her other friends’ alternate universe versions, what she really meant was ‘strange to meet you.’
“So, you’re a Combined Command student, then?” Applejack asked, and Twilight nodded. “You met the others yet?”
“Not yet; today is my first day here,” Twilight Sparkle admitted. “Actually, I did briefly run into Sunset Shimmer.”
“Word of advice: watch yourself around her. If she’s acting pleasant toward you, that’s even worse than when she’s being wicked, because it means she’s planning to stab you in the back,” Applejack said gravely. “I hate to admit it, but she may be even worse than Rainbow Dash in that regard.”
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, her interest piqued as to what could make Applejack distrust this world’s version of her friend.
“Oh, you’ll see her around for sure,” Pinkie Pie re-entered the conversation. “She’s a cavalry student, and the head of the equestrian and fencing teams. She likes to strut her stuff whenever she gets a chance.”
“Yeah, to the exclusion of anything else,” Applejack said with furrowed brow. Clearly, there’s a history here. Might I find out more in the newspapers, or should I ask directly? A bit strange to pry into something personal when I’ve just met her, but the situation is desperate.
“Pinkie, just keep your articles honest, if you can,” Applejack demanded, having returned to the original reason for her visit while Twilight had been contemplating her next move. “See you around, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Yes,” Twilight said feebly as Applejack stalked out of the office.
“All righty then, let’s get back to the interview,” Pinkie said.
“Actually, I think I had better get going,” Twilight said. “Thank you for your help, though, Pinkamena. I will be sure to tell Fluttershy that her advice to come speak to you was good.”
“Fluttershy, huh?” Pinkie Pie said, her eyes narrowing. “You should watch out for that one. Don’t let her fool you with that ‘shy’ act of hers. She’s always plotting something.”
“You two are not friends?” Twilight asked in surprise. First Applejack and Rainbow Dash, now Fluttershy and Pinkamena? And Pinkamena and Applejack didn’t seem to get along, either.
“Oh, far from it,” Pinkie Pie said. “I’d steer clear of her if I were you.”
“Okay, well, thanks for the advice,” Twilight said as she left.
She made her way through the office and out into the hallway, shaken from meeting two more of her friends and learning that in this world, they apparently didn’t much care for each other at all.
***
After leaving the offices of the Canterlot Clarion, Twilight headed back to her dormitory room. Luna had said her course list and materials would be there by the afternoon, and she needed to peruse them and prepare for her first day of classes tomorrow. As she stepped off the stairs at the second floor, Sunset Shimmer was standing in the corridor before her, arms folded.
“I should have recognized you before, ‘princess,’” Sunset said mockingly. “Did Celestia send you, alone and unprepared, into this world to retrieve the Element of Sorcery?”
“Why do you even want it?” Twilight asked. “I am the only one who can use my Element.”
“It should have been mine!” Sunset yelled as she jabbed her fingers at her chest. “I was Celestia’s apprentice before you, and I was a far faster learner. When I returned to Equus, I studied everything that transpired in the sixteen years that I missed; imagine how shocked I was to find that Celestia had not only taken another apprentice, but she’d already entrusted them with the most powerful magical relics in Equestria and her future crown. That all should have been mine, but Celestia was frightened of my growing power, so she forced me to flee. Well, I may not be able to face her in her own world, but I can make this one mine with your Element. Imagine what I could do as the only person capable of using sorcery.”
“You intend to use the Element of Sorcery … for that?” Twilight asked, still confused as to how Sunset intended to pull off her plan in a world that Twilight was pretty sure had no sorcery.
“You still don’t understand what the Elements of Harmony are, do you?” Sunset Shimmer sneered. “I can’t believe Celestia could think you worthy to take my place. I’ll give you a hint then, since you’re so clueless: how do you think the White Procession works their sorcery in Equus? Granted, different universes and different worlds aren’t entirely comparable, but the principle is the same.”
Twilight Sparkle remained silent. Sunset Shimmer had discovered something about the Elements of Harmony that she never had, but she couldn’t guess what it could be. It was also possible that she was bluffing or trying to confuse Twilight; she had to be careful not to fall into that trap.
“You have two options: either give up and return to your world or submit to me, or you can keep trying to get your Element back and I’ll have to stop you. Rest assured, I’ll do whatever it takes to see my plans accomplished,” Sunset Shimmer said.
“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Spike growled as he poked his head out of Twilight’s satchel.
“Spike, right?” Sunset responded, only surprised for a second. “So, Celestia didn’t send you alone after all. Surprising, but it makes no difference. I’d keep your little pooch silent if I were you. If anyone discovers you’re from a different world, your fate will be an unpleasant one. Best to just give up now before that happens and save yourself. Honestly, I’m surprised you’ve gotten this far. But you’re in over your head, princess—you don’t know the first thing about this world.”
Leaving that hanging in the air, Sunset stalked past Twilight and down the stairs.
“It’s okay, Twilight, she’s just trying to intimidate you,” Spike said, trying to comfort his friend.
“No, Spike, she is right. I really do not know anything about this world,” Twilight said glumly before straightening up. “Which is why I need to fix that.”
***
After locating her dorm room, Twilight walked in and immediately noticed, deposited nicely organized on her desk, the course list and class materials in the form of books, notepaper, pens, ink, and pencils. Also, another set of uniforms had been placed on her bed, likely for field practice like the alternate uniform she’d seen Applejack wearing. She had classes tomorrow, and Luna had recommended she go over her materials to get caught up in the afternoon—but she had something else she needed to do first. Twilight Sparkle needed to know more about this world and how it worked before she could look at her coursework, and for that, she headed to the campus building she’d been itching to explore all afternoon.
Canterlot Academy’s library had a sizeable footprint and looked to have expanded over time, judging by the range of weathering on different parts of the building’s exterior. The center of the library was octagonal with wings stretching off in the four cardinal directions. Twilight was a bit surprised to see smoke rising from a chimney at the central point of the library, but maybe that was just for heating. She entered through the northwestern entrance to the central part of the building and was greeted by a heartwarming sight. The library was nearly cathedral-like in its construction; but unlike Equestria’s cathedrals, where the walls were lined with statues and stained-glass windows of saints, here they were lined with books numbering in the thousands. They stretched up in vast rows to the ceiling high above—higher than anyone could possibly reach, even with the ladders that lined the lowest stacks, or the stacks directly above a balcony that ran around the library’s interior about a third of the way up. Rails hung suspended in the air near the higher stacks, and Twilight could see some manner of machine gliding along them, at times reaching out to grab or place a book. In the center of the library was a towering pillar of machinery that stretched up to the ceiling and to which all the rails were connected, the faint clink of metal striking against metal emanating across the library.
“Excuse me,” Twilight said as she approached a desk near the central pillar with a placard that said “Librarian: Mme. Cheerilee Augustin” on it. “Can you help me find some books?”
“You’re new, aren’t you?” the woman behind the desk, who bore a stunning likeness to the Ponieville Convent’s Sister Cheerilee, rightly guessed. “The library system will help you find what you need. Take this and come back if you have any additional questions.”
Twilight Sparkle took the pamphlet offered her and walked over to a chair to sit down and read it. Apparently, the contraption at the library’s center had some means of finding books for her and fetching those out of reach of the ladders. Twilight decided to give it a try before approaching Cheerilee again (who didn’t seem like she wanted to be disturbed unnecessarily) and approached one of the booths labeled “Search” against the library’s core. Thin wooden cards were available in the booth; following the instructions in the pamphlet and those posted on the booth's walls, she punched holes in a card to represent the subjects she wanted to search. When she was done, she slid it into a slot in the central machine, and it was pulled through. The sound of tapping and clicking sounded from within as the library system consulted its indices and produced a book list. A sheet of paper fell from a chute in front of Twilight; on it, she found a list of books and their locations printed with uniform characters.
Still following the pamphlet, she walked over to another booth labeled “Retrieval” and, consulting the printed sheet she’d just received from the library system, she used a different punch card to enter the locations of any books that sounded promising. This card was taken by the library system as well, and while it worked, she walked off to find the books on the list that were within reach of the ladders. She brought the stack back to where she’d entered her punch card, and by then, the others had been retrieved and dropped off by the library’s mechanisms.
Twilight was fascinated by the machine and intensely curious as to how it might work. Nothing but magic could explain it to her, but she didn’t sense anything coming from the library system other than heat from the engines that ran it. Perhaps there was a book that could explain I to her somewhere in this vast collection, but that would have to wait. At the moment, she had plenty to read about the academy and this world’s history and culture, so she wouldn’t make a fool of herself in her classes. She carried the high stack of books over to a table and put them in order before beginning her research. Sunset Shimmer was right, Twilight didn’t know anything about this world—but she soon would.