My guards didn't bother asking. They knew enough to know that I had a good reason to do what I did to that car. At some point with me, you stop asking questions, and they knew that. I walked back inside our house and went straight to bed. I wasn't hungry. I immediately slipped into a dreamless sleep, feeling that, somehow, I had gotten at least a little resolution on arguably the single biggest moment of my life.
We all woke up at six-thirty thanks to the cheap alarm clock I had bought. After a quick, but still rather filling breakfast, we hopped into my car to run a few errands before school started. First, we sold a few more diamonds at another shop, then donated that money to Fluttershy's animal charity. I figured that since I was ideally leaving sooner rather than later, I might as well make good on my promise to help out with that. We also picked up some hair dye for me and changed my hair color to blonde. Not sure how well the color scheme went with my skin color exactly, but I didn't look as much like the Antares of this world, that's for sure. With all of that settled, we pulled into Canterlot High's school parking lot at 7:45, just fifteen minutes before classes were set to start. I turned the car off, allowing the three of us to hop outside. Since it was new and larger than most of the other cars in the parking lot, it was already starting to turn a few heads.
"Ug, I'm not sure if I'll ever totally get used to that, Princess," Captain Blaze said, rubbing the side of his head. "It just feels... weird."
"Yeah, I guess it did at first," Lieutenant Rapids said, coming to the other side of us. "I've kinda gotten used to it, though."
Blaze glared at her. "That's because you were a pegasus."
"And hopefully will be again by tomorrow evening at the very, very latest," I said, locking the car and setting the alarm. "We have a general idea of where the Element is, so with any luck it won't take too much time to get ahold of it." I looked over to the school where the students had begin filing in and deeply exhaled. "My only worry is Sunset. I'd like to leave this place relatively undisturbed, and taking the Element back and arresting Sunset is going to be tricky."
Captain Blaze tilted his head. "We're arresting Sunset Shimmer?"
I nodded and began walking towards the school. "Of course. She came into Equestria and stole a very valuable defense weapon for some reason. Not only that, but she's a bully here. There's no way she's just taking it because she thinks it looks nice. So, we're going to take her back to Equestria to stand trial for her actions."
"Yeah, Princess Antares, because we totally have an arrest warrant for her, and it won't be seen as kidnapping at all," Rapids snarked.
"We could always try to explain to Principal Celestia and Mr. Antares that you're his male-turned-female counterpart form another dimension, a dimension where you're a pony," Captain Blaze mused. "I'm sure if we did that, they'd just give us the Element and Sunset, and we'd be back in Equestria before lunchtime."
I rolled my eyes as we entered the school. Truthfully, I didn't really have a concrete plan for how I'd get Sunset back to Equestria. The Element wouldn't be a problem. After all, it was just a thing that I could smuggle into my backpack easily enough. However, getting Sunset back to Equestria would be far trickier. Despite their general snarkiness, my soldiers were right that I didn't exactly have a warrant to bring Sunset back. I mean, it's not like Celestia asked me to either, but I certainly wasn't going to just leave her here to her own devices so she could pull something like this again in another three years, only with more knowledge of what we would do.
I had my work cut out for me, basically.
Before I could think more on that, I spotted Fluttershy standing by her locker, and walked up to her. She heard me coming apparently, because she turned her head in my direction as I approached, and a relieved smile crossed her face when she saw that it was just me. She shut her locker and gave me a little wave, which I returned.
"Hello, TD." She tilted her head. "You look different."
I smirked and ran a hand through my hair. "Yeah, I thought I'd try something new. Just felt like it, you know? Don't you ever just feel like doing something adventurous and then say 'yeah, I'll do that.'?"
Fluttershy looked down at the ground and kicked at it. "No," she mumbled.
Oh. Right. Fluttershy.
I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck. "Right. Uh... anyway, I found out that I won't be able to volunteer at the animal shelter this weekend..." Gosh, her look of disappointment hurt more than I thought it would. I was quick to remedy that. "But, I did donate three hundred dollars to make up for that."
Fluttershy quietly gasped and smiled. "You did? Oh thank you, TD! That's going to help us so much!" She leaned in and gave me a quick hug. "I'm very grateful that you did that, and so are my animal friends. Even three hundred dollars is enough to buy food for many of them."
"Glad I could help," I said, patting her on the back. "Now, I have to go talk to Principal Celestia for a few minutes, so I'll see you at lunch maybe?"
Fluttershy nodded happily. "Lunchtime it is."
"Cool. Well, then, good luck with--"
I would have finished the sentence, but I was backing away, and as such, I didn't see where I was going. As a result, I collided with someone walking down the hall who also hadn't been paying attention. I stumbled, but managed to keep my balance. I turned to see who I had run into and was met with...
Pink.
That kind of pink only comes from one pony. Or in this instance, person, I guess.
This world's equivalent of Pinkie Pie stared at me with wide eyes, her hand over her mouth. I noticed Blaze and Rapids inching towards us in case things got nasty, but I waved them down. Pinkie Pie blinked once, leaned in, and, of all things, sniffed me.
"You're the new kid."
I blinked. "Uh..."
Pinkie nodded and began circling me as she rubbed her chin. "Yep. You're the new one. The one who stood up to Sunset Shimmer, even. You're not from around here. Not even close. You dyed your hair to avoid something."
"Whoa, wait a second," I said, raising my hands defensively. "What are you talking about?"
Pinkie Pie stopped in front of me, and before I could say anything else, her pensive look popped into that large grin that I associated with her. Her voice even had that little "Pinkie Squeak" in it.
"Well, I assumed you were the new one because I talk to everyone, and I mean everyone around here, and everyone knows that Sunset Shimmer has been fuming all day because someone stood up to her, and everyone said that it was a new kid who went around with two bodyguards, or whatever. Since I didn't recognize you, I assumed you were the new kid! The kids here know you're from Canada, which is a place I've never heard of, so it must be really far away from here! Also, when I got your description, your hair color was different, so I thought that since it's a new color, and you stood up to Sunset, you might be trying to avoid attention by not looking like the kid who stood up to Sunset!"
"That..." I glanced back to my soldiers, both of whom shrugged at me. "Actually makes sense." I nodded. "Yeah, I'm the new kid who stood up to Sunset. My name is TD. And yeah, I'm from Canada. Just got here yesterday."
"Well, I hope you can catch up with what we've already learned this year!" Pinkie said. "I mean, I'd hate to fall behind in Ms. Harshwhinny's class!"
"Me too," I said with complete honesty.
A piercing sound of a school bell ringing snapped the two of us out of our conversation, causing Pinkie to gasp.
"Oh no! Speaking of Ms. Harshwhinny!"
With that, she zoomed away so quickly, I was pretty sure I saw a little cloud of pink in her outline for a few moments before it faded away, leaving me staring at an empty hallway.
Honestly, it didn't really surprise me. I had been in Equestria long enough to get a grasp of Pinkie's behavior. I chuckled and turned to Fluttershy, expecting her to have the same amused feeling that I did.
I did not expect her to be glaring.
I tilted my head and gave her a questioning look. "Uh, Flutters? You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I guess." She huffed and rolled her eyes. "I just don't like being around Pinkie Pie."
"Uh..." I raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Aren't you two friends? I heard you and a few other girls were inseparable."
"We were." Fluttershy sighed and leaned against her locker. "It was me, Pinkie, and three other girls named Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack."
Okay, good to know. There didn't seem to be a Twilight in this universe.
"Did something happen?" I asked.
"Yeah. They just got mean, for whatever reason. Rainbow didn't show up to a bake sale when she said she would, Rarity and Applejack just said that they didn't want to hang out anymore, and Pinkie said that I sent a text saying that she annoyed me, when I didn't do anything like that! She just got so angry that I haven't spoken to her since. I've heard that they're not hanging around each other either. None of us can stand the other four."
Huh. That didn't sound like any of them at all. I mean, it was an alternate universe and all, but really...
"So, uh... did you try talking to any of them about it? Have any of you tried that? I mean, take Pinkie for example. She says she got a text, but you didn't send it. Seems suspicious, don't you think? Tell her that, and I think you'd be surprised by the results. And if she got a text like that from you that you never sent, isn't it reasonable to suspect that maybe, just maybe, the texts from Applejack and Rarity were faked, too? I mean, was there any warning from them about not wanting to hang out?"
Fluttershy withdrew her head into her mane and looked at the floor. "None at all, which is why it hurt so much. One day we were all at the Cake's Sweetshop, the next I'm getting those texts from them."
"Uh-huh. So, we have texts you never sent that Pinkie got, and texts that you received that were out of place for Applejack and Rarity to have sent. So..." I spun my hand.
"Someone faked them?"
I shrugged. "Could be. Regardless, I think you five need to just talk things out. Trust me: friendships like the ones I know you five had are not something that you can just throw away. You will spend the rest of your life wishing that you had it back if you do."
"Maybe," Fluttershy muttered.
"There's no 'maybe' about it, Fluttershy," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Trust me: there are friends that I'd give almost anything to hang out with one more time, but that's never going to happen. Well, you want things to go back to the way it was for you guys, right? Well, you five can make that happen. Just talk it out a little bit. And even if there is something that was wrong between the five of you and it wasn't someone trying to sabotage you, then talking about it will help you fix the problem. If nothing else, it doesn't hurt to give it a shot. For your friendship. For your friends."
Fluttershy raised her head and smiled at me. "I guess you're right. Maybe... maybe I could talk to Pinkie Pie at lunch, or something?"
"Couldn't hurt." I took a deep breath and motioned down the hall. "Until then, I have to go talk to Principal Celestia, and you need to get to class. I'll see you later, alright?"
"See you later."
With one more small hug, we went our separate ways. I felt hopeful that they'd all resolve whatever it was that had gotten between them. If they were the equivalents of the Equestrian Mane Six, then they'd be valuable allies. But even beyond that, their friendship is just too strong to break apart like that.
And if someone was trying to break them up, I had a sneaking suspicion of who that would be.
"Well, TD, I'm impressed," Captain Blaze said. "You taught a friendship lesson. Turning into Twilight Sparkle, are we?"
I rolled my eyes as we walked down the hallway to the principal's office. "It's just what's obvious, dude. They can't let something like miscommunication break up what they had going there. Besides, they could be a big help with our mission, especially if we need to come back at some point in the future."
We reached the door to the principal's office, and I opened it up. Maybe I should have knocked, but, eh, as an Equestrian princess, I was kind of used to going anywhere I wanted. Force of habit.
And there she was.
This world's Celestia.
Shudder.
Principal Celestia looked up from some paperwork when she heard her door open, and frowned at the three of us.
"Er... can I help you three?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact," I said, walking in and closing the door behind the three of us. "I've heard tell that one of your students turned something into you that belongs to a family member of mine. A tiara?"
Celestia grimaced, capped her pen, and steepled her fingers, staring at us in a way that made me wonder if she wasn't trying to decide if I was real.
"Ah. So you're the Canadian. TD, is it?"
I nodded. "My reputation proceeds me."
"It truly does." Celestia leaned down, and I heard the sound of a desk drawer opening up. When she straightened up again, she held my prize right in her hand. The Element. "Is this the crown you claim belongs to a family member?"
"Indeed."
"Which family member?"
"My sister. She's about ten years younger than I am."
"And her name?"
"Tulip."
Yeah, I was ready for that, Celestia. Try to trip me up, will you?
"I see." Celestia put the Element back down on her desk. "I'm having a hard time believing that this crown belongs to you. You see, during our Fall Formal, we have a queen elected, and she is given a crown to wear. Each year our student council goes out and buys one for that very purpose." She picked up the Element. "This year, they chose this one."
Ah, right. The fake Element Sunset left. I forgot.
"So are you saying that they purchased it from your sister?"
I grimaced and crossed my arms. "I'm friends with one Miss Fluttershy who goes to this school. She informed me that she found the crown lying on the ground outside and turned it in to you, believing it to be the Fall Formal crown. I was walking around the campus with my sister, who was wearing it, and when we got home, she realized she had lost it. I think, given that Fluttershy just found that one lying around, this crown belongs to me. I can't say what happened to yours."
"An interesting story, Mr. TD," Celestia said, leaning forward a little. "However, I know that to not be the case. The crown we purchased for the Fall Formal was stolen from the student council office the night before Ms. Fluttershy turned this crown in to me. I don't know what the thieves wanted with a five dollar crown, but apparently they somehow neglected to take it with them. Or maybe they were pulling a prank and threw it outside for fun. In any case, this is the crown we purchased for the Fall Formal, and I'm beginning to question your interest in it."
Man, I'd grab it and run through the portal now if I didn't also want to get Sunset.
I huffed and sat down in a chair in front of her desk. "My interest in it derives from the fact that it belongs to me, Principal Celestia, and I wish to have it back. I can pay you for it, if you wish, though I do see it in poor taste to have to pay for something already mine, but if we must do it that way then so be it."
"Mr. TD, this game has gone on long enough, and I'd suggest you get to class." Celestia snatched the Element off of the desk and put it back in her drawer. The right side. Seemed to be the middle one. "I have difficulty believing that you, a student who has not even been here two days, needs to have this crown and that it belongs to you when I can account for where it was at all times. I was with my students when they bought it from the thrift shop two blocks down. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment right now."
The door opened at that moment, and who should walk in but...
Principal Celestia smiled and stood up from her desk. "Hello, Mr. Antares. It's lovely to see you again."
I turned around and, sure enough, a twenty something version of me dressed in a black suit with a red tie stood behind me. I could see Blaze and Rapids grinning like madponies out of the corner of my eye. Glad they found it so amusing.
"Hello, Principal Celestia," Mr. Antares said. He looked down at me with a frown. "I wasn't aware that you were meeting with a student."
"Mr. Antares, this is TD," Celestia said, motioning to me. "Him and the two behind him are new students from Canada. They were just leaving."
"Ah, so you're the Canadian that everyone in my class has been gossiping about, huh?" He chuckled and slapped me on the back. "I hope you and Sunset are going to get along, yeah?"
"Uh..." I cleared my throat. "Yeah, yeah I hope so."
"Excellent." He shook my hand before doing the same to Blaze and Rapids. "Well, maybe I'll see you in my history class later today? I'll be teaching about the history of the country that I was born in! Very interesting stuff, if you ask me."
Oh good grief.
I gave him a weak grin before standing up. "Yeah, sounds... interesting. I guess we'll get our class schedules and see if we get you."
"Very good." He gave us a two-fingered salute. "Nice meeting you three."
"Same with you."
I maybe left the room a little too quickly, but I had to get out of there. I had done and seen some weird things in my time as a princess, but meeting an older, alternate dimension doppelganger of myself? That definitely made the top three on the list of strangest things I'd seen.
Blaze and Rapids, for their part, had the courtesy to wait until we were in another hallway before they burst out laughing at poor, disturbed Princess Antares. Well, I'm glad they found it so funny.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," I groused. "Get it in now."
"As you command, Princess Antares," Captain Blaze giggled. "You should have seen your face!"
I groaned and facepalmed. "I'm sure it was something. But really, let's focus on how we're going to get both the Element and Sunset back into Equestria, okay? I'm just going to--"
"TD!"
Er... I've never heard that voice so loud.
I turned around to see Fluttershy zooming towards us, her expression a mix of elation, disbelief, and a hint of confusion.
"Yes, Fluttershy?" I asked, taking a few uneasy steps backwards.
"You... animal shelter... money!"
Ah.
I stopped backing up and smirked. "So yeah, I lied. I didn't donate three hundred dollars. I take it you just found out how many zeroes actually came after the three?"
"Three... million... dollars!"
Since it was Fluttershy, I totally didn't expect her to give me a tackle hug, though I will say that it hurt when I hit the ground.