In a single instant, all across the world, every man, woman, and child experienced the same thing. A young woman with wings of fire and a horn coming out of her forehead stood before a backdrop of hypnotically swirling rainbow colors and spoke directly to them. There was no room for misunderstanding. Language was irrelevant. Prejudice was forgotten. Other concerns were put out of mind. She had the world's attention.
"Do not be afraid. My name is Sunset Shimmer. I am not of this world, nor of this universe. Know that this is not a hallucination. It is not a message from a deity, a fiend, a rival nation, or your own. I appear before you to tell you of a change in the essential nature of the universe that will allow it and you to continue existing.
"Magic is real. It always has been, but until now, it actively hid from all attempts to discover it. I brought a different kind of magic, a more freely usable one, from my home into this universe. I abused it and was punished by the authorities and in the manner of my home. However, that did not fix the damage I had unknowingly caused in this world, damage that escalated until it threatened the stability of reality.
"I have since repaired this damage, working together with the magic of this universe and my friends from both here and my home. The final decision of how to implement this change was given to magic itself, and it chose a adjustment to the fundamental state of reality. Magic has always been real. It will now be much more accessible.
"Over the next few days, you will experience a few minor physical mutations. We have done everything we can to minimize them. Rest assured that they are, at worst, harmless. In addition to these mutations will come incredible abilities. Depending on your personal magic, you may gain incredible physical power, flight, telekinesis, or a wide variety of other possibilities. Indeed, the magic of humanity will likely take these abilities in directions even I have never seen before.
"I realize this is a big change. The alternatives were far worse. I ask you to embrace the new world. It's a lot like the old one, just with a little extra."
Some were too young to remember the message. Some were too busy, locked in combat, operating heavy machinery, or otherwise focused. For them, the memory waited until they were ready for it. The rest of humanity hesitated, processing what they just heard.
Magic swept across the world, gentle as a drifting leaf, unstoppable as time. One by one, people relaxed and went about their days once more, or returned to sleep.
The light faded. Twilight and Sunset drifted to earth, hand in hand.
Half-dazed, Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack gathered together at the statue's base. Rarity took in her friends. They certainly seemed to have returned to normal. She flipped her hair and smiled as she felt far less weight. "Well, that's that taken care of." She shook her head, only partly to clear the fuzz from her thoughts. "Really, this is far more excitement than I care for this early in the morning."
"Then Ah got bad news for ya." Applejack tapped her own forehead.
Rarity groaned. "It's still there? The dreadful thing forced its way out of my forehead earlier this morning. The pain was enough to wake me up, and the sheer ridiculousness of it just added insult to injury."
"That's funny," said Pinkie, laying on the statue's plinth, her head upside down. "I thought you liked gems."
"Gems?" Rarity brought a hand to her forehead. "I have a horn poking out of my skull, not a..." She trailed off as her hand felt something smooth, rounded, and definitely not conical.
"It's the same color as your eyes," Pinkie noted. "It goes really well with your ears, too."
"My ears?" Rarity waved her hands over the top of her head and didn't hit anything. "Well, at least they're where they should be." She felt them, confirming this and discovering a new wrinkle. "They're pointed." She sagged. "I must look like some alien from Space Trek."
Pinkie bobbed her head from side to side. "A little bit, yeah."
Applejack glared at Pinkie, then turned to Rarity and patted her on the shoulder. "Now don't you fret. Ah'm sure y' can make this work."
"Yes." Rarity drew herself up. "Yes, of course I can. Compared to horse ears and a horn, this should be all but effortless."
A thrilled cry drew their eyes upward. A rainbow streak was darting about the morning sky. Fluttershy waved at the trio from above and wafted down to them, giving them a better view of her wings. What had been flesh and blood were now a bow curve of yellow energy that winked out when she landed.
Rarity gave a lopsided grin. "I suppose it's a good thing I only adjusted a few of your tops."
Fluttershy nodded. "It's really quite fascinating. Rainbow Dash and I have feathers going down the backs of our necks." She turned and moved her hair aside, revealing a layer of downy fluff that matched her skin tone.
"Well shoot," said Applejack. "All Ah got is funny-lookin' fingernails." She held them up for all to see, showing how they had thickened and wrapped around the outside of her digits.
"And toenails!" Pinkie slid off of the statue and into a handstand to put hers on display.
Fluttershy leaned in to examine Applejack's fingers. "They're almost like tiny hooves."
Rarity shook her head again, blinking several times. "Clearly, I'm still rather disoriented from before. I'm not sure how I could've missed those."
Pinkie winked. "Hey, you can't spell 'subtle' without 'Pinkie' unless you spell it correctly."
"Of course." Rarity hid her smile behind a hand. "How silly of me."
Applejack shrugged. "So long as Ah can still count to twenty on 'em, Ah'm happy."
Meanwhile, Twilight and Sunset still hadn't quite gotten around to letting go of one another yet.
"You're sure you're okay?" said Sunset, her eyes darting back and forth between Twilight's ears and her head gem.
Twilight laughed. "Yes, yes! Besides, you're one to talk!"
"Huh?" Sunset looked behind her, noting the curtains of energy streaming out of her head and shoulders, flapping like banners and filled with the colors of her namesake. "Oh. How about that?" She grinned. "Your pony analogue is going to be so jealous when she hears I got mine first."
"Uh..."
Sunset turned back, taking in Twilight's blank expression. "Never mind." She bit her lip. "You're sure you're okay?"
"I just participated in one of the most incredible things I've ever heard of! This makes the Manehattan Project look like a couple of kids setting off firecrackers!" Twilight threw up her free hand. "I have become Magic, the transformer of worlds!"
Sunset smirked. "Yeah, that's what I was talking about. Are you okay after being possessed by the awareness of the cosmos?"
"Oh, right." Twilight took a deep breath, but her eyes still glittered and her smile didn't shift. "I think that bit at the end was a major growth experience for the both of us. Both me and magic."
"Magic and me." Sunset winked, making Twilight laugh again.
Sunset jolted, her hand finally leaving Twilight's. "Oh no." She leapt into the air, the cape of light at her shoulders spreading into fiery wings and keeping her there. "Oh no."
Twilight gaped up at her. "What is it?"
The others rushed to them, the same question on their lips. The rainbow contrail came down, resolving itself as Rainbow Dash, her wings of blue energy shifting from a swept-back angle to a bow curve as she slowed to a hover. "Everything okay?"
"No. It isn't." Sunset looked around, eyes wide, not focusing on anything the others could see. "We cut it too close. I can hold things together, but I need to go now." Her mouth worked wordlessly for a moment before she said, "Friday. Noon. The boutique." With that, she vanished in a flare of her own sunlight.
After a moment, Fluttershy said, "So, uh, this is going to happen to everyone on Earth, right?"
Sonata crept away from the school and the Rainbooms. She couldn't remember how she'd got here, but she didn't plan on staying any longer than necessary. An attempt to hum had confirmed that she still didn't have her magic, even if her teeth felt closer to what they should be. At least she wasn't in pain anymore, her body back in human form.
"And just where do you think you're going, Miss Dusk?" A man drifted down from the sky and landed in front of her, his eyes yellowed and uneven.
"I..." Sonata blinked. "I didn't really have a plan. That was pretty dumb, wasn't it?"
The man nodded. "Rather, yes. Now—"
"Whoa." Sonata staggered.
The man caught her. "Are you sure you're alright? It's possible your inner ears were altered when your outer ones shifted to those finlike structures."
Sonata shook her head. "I... My brain."
"Oh dear. How many fingers am I holding up?"
"No. It's working better. Like, a lot better." Sonata's jaw dropped as she looked up at the man. "Is this what it's like to be human?"
He guided her back on her feet, then stayed quiet for a few seconds longer. "I can't say for certain, since I don't know what it's like to be your species. However, I believe I can give you an opportunity to put that new, improved brain of yours to work. There's a big universe out there, and it just got a sizable upgrade. I could use an assistant as I investigate it, and I suspect my previous favorite is moving on to bigger and better things. What do you say?"
Sonata wiggled back and forth as she thought. "You'll be telling me what to do?"
"Only when you don't already know how to do it." After a moment, the man added, "Also, pardon my forwardness, but how old are you?"
"Well, I only really started keeping track when I came to this world, and I always lose count every century or so—"
The man gave a snaggletoothed grin. "Fantastic, you're not a legal minor. I can pay you full-time." He stuck out a hand. "Are you in?"
After only the briefest moment of hesitation, Sonata shook it. "Deal."
The Carousel Boutique was perhaps the only store in Canterlot that had three states: Open, Closed, and Inspired. At the moment, Rarity was experimenting with a fourth, Emergency Meeting. It was rather like Closed, but with much more drama to it. The Rainbooms were all present, as was Twilight Sparkle. Some paced, some lounged, some floated, but everyone was watching the clock.
At the stroke of noon, a light flared on the fitting dais where Fluttershy had stood less than a week ago. Sunset Shimmer materialized with normal hair, pointed ears, and a green jewel in her forehead. She looked around, sat on the edge of the dais, and took a deep breath. "Okay. We should be good."
The others gathered around her. "Sunset," said Rarity, "we need to talk."
Sunset nodded. "We do."
"The day the world changes, there's nothin' about it on TV, nothin' on the radio, nothin' online," said Applejack, tapping a finger with every medium. After a moment, she added, "Well, not the parts Ah'm willin' t' look, anyway."
"Nothing on the really out-there conspiracy forums either." Pinkie took in the looks she was getting. "What? Have you ever read any of those? They're a hoot!"
Applejack shook her head. "Ah'll take yer word for it. Anyway, next day, nothin' in th' papers. The Harmonism leak yesterday? All over 'em. But this? Nothin'. How in the name of applesauce did no one notice what we did on Tuesday?"
"It's worse than that," said Rarity. "They did notice. They just don't care. There are already EweTube videos on proper neck fluff care and how to polish larger fingernails."
"So why isn't anyone freaking out over this?" asked Dash.
Fluttershy nodded. "We did sort of rewrite physics,"
"Well, I wouldn't say 'rewrite,'" said Twilight. "We didn't actually change anything, we just added to it."
Pinkie frowned. "Still, it's like everyone knows about it but no one's talking about it and did you do what I think you did?" As Pinkie moved from one thought to another, she lunged and grabbed Sunset by the shoulders.
Sunset looked away and sighed. "I wanted to tell you all on Tuesday. If the world had been a bit more stable, I would have."
Dash scowled and hovered over Sunset, the better to loom over her. "Tell us what?"
"She repurposed the artificial memetic suppressor that kept anyone from thinking too much about Harmonism so they would just accept their new bodies as normal!" Pinkie grabbed wads of her hair and pulled. "wakeupsheeple87 was right!"
"Pinkie, that's ridiculous." Twilight waited for a moment, then glanced at Sunset. "Uh, Sunset? Why aren't you agreeing with me on how ridiculous that is?"
Sunset sighed. "It was the best option I had."
Silence and shocked stares reigned for a fair stretch. Rarity frowned as she broke the trend. "There are some unpleasant parallels to your actions at the Fall Formal here, Sunset."
"How do you even know it was your best option?" said Dash. Sunset glared at her. Dash put her hands on her hips, leaning in closer. "What, you gonna mind whammy us too? Make us all okay with this?"
Sunset shook her head. "I can't."
"Huh?" Dash blinked and backed away a bit.
"Pinkie's description wasn't too far off. I did use the same mechanism, and it's a very subtle suggestion effect, too subtle to be of any use once it's been interrupted, especially with the higher background magic. I could reactivate it, but you all already talk about the changes. You'd just plow through any mental block it could create. Hay, anyone who goes to Canterlot High would. That's part of why I had to leave in such a hurry; I had to reach back in time a little just to get this to work."
"You had to what!?" cried Twilight.
Sunset took a deep breath. "The body you see before you is a very small extension of what I've become. Most of me is occupied with keeping the universe from falling apart. I don't experience time in the same way you all do, not anymore."
Fluttershy gulped "And that's how you knew you had to do this?"
Sunset brought her thumbs and forefingers into a rectangle as the jewel on her forehead began to glow. "This is the most likely outcome if I hadn't done what I did."
A screen appeared in front of her. Brief snippets played on it, showing violent brawls, howling crowds, and general mass panic and bloodshed. It culminated in a mushroom cloud.
The screen vanished as Sunset let her arms and head droop. "No speech I could make would get humanity to accept a change this massive and this abrupt, not without help. It's one thing to see a demon; it's another for everyone in the world to transform all at once. People would panic. They'd lash out in fear, some of them with nuclear weapons. So I had to deliver the suggestion at the exact same time.
"I'm not going to keep the wool over everyone's eyes forever. I became this world's spirit of harmony to stop that kind of thing. It'll just be for a few months, long enough for this to become the new normal. It's still not going to be a seamless transition when people realize what's happened, but it'll be a lot smoother."
Applejack scowled. "This still don't seem right."
"But it is harmonious. It's not that people don't know that the change happened; they just don't think it's worth getting upset over it. And speaking from experience?" In an eyeblink, Sunset assumed the demonic form she'd taken last fall. "Harmony isn't always nice."
In another instant, she returned to the new normal and wrapped her arms around herself. "You guys need to understand, I've become something... alien. It's a struggle to remember human things, pony things, mortal things. How to disagree, how causality works, that people aren't always the best they can be." She looked up, tears in her eyes. "That's why I came back. I'm going to need you all more than ever, to keep my feet on the ground, to help me remember what it's like. I know this sounds bad, but I wouldn't have done it if there were literally any other option. I'm sorry, I really am. Please—"
Pinkie cut her off with a hug. "Silly Sunset. Of course we forgive you!" Everyone else soon followed her example.
"We'll be happy to help in whatever way we can," said Rarity, "but this is coming off as unsettling."
"An' we're gonna hold you to that 'few months' thing," said Applejack.
Sunset chuckled. "It may not even take that long. People may not consider magic a big deal, but they're already experimenting with it. I mean, more than thirty people have already devised gender-changing spells!" Seeing much more awkwardness than interest, she added, "Those aren't even supposed to be possible."
"Ohhh," said most of the Rainbooms.
Pinkie grinned and lidded her eyes. "Go on..."
Sunset cleared her throat. "Anyway, thanks. All of you. I'm new to this, but I'm a quick learner. You can trust me."
Apple Bloom's mouth worked silently for a few moments. "Sorry, Ah think Ah had somethin' crazy in mah ear. You want us t' what?"
"Oversee destiny," repeated Sunset, her hair at full incandescence.
The three girls before traded uneasy looks, shuffling from foot to foot in the approximation of Equestria's Astral Plane Sunset was using as the setting for the shared dream. Finally, Sweetie Belle said, "It's, uh, nice that you think we can."
"But speaking from experience, "said Scootaloo, "we can't even manage a bake sale, much less destiny."
"And this raises some disturbing questions about free will." Sweetie frowned at her friends' incredulous looks. "What? It does!"
Sunset smiled. "She has a point. But you won't be doing this consciously, and you won't be deciding every action that will ever be made. This is a more general, 'life's purpose' sort of destiny.
"Still, as is, it's all I can do to keep the universe's instability in check. I need help with some of the more stable aspects of magic so I can focus on getting the rest to a point where I don't constantly need to keep an eye on it." Sunset shrugged. "Honestly, I'd have handed off dream management to Vice Principal Luna by now if I didn't need it for these recruitment pitches."
"But why us?" asked Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodded.
"You three have an affinity for fate magic unlike anyone I've ever seen." Sunset paused for a moment. "Well, other than one woman who'd probably be leading a movement against magic itself if I hadn't kept everyone from blowing themselves up. Not really an option there."
Apple Bloom tapped her foot as she thought. "So this'll all be happenin' in th' backs of our heads?"
Sunset nodded. "Think of it like a program that a computer runs without telling the user. You won't be consciously aware of it, but you'll be doing the universe and me a huge favor. I promise you won't even notice."
The Crusaders went into a huddle. Sunset could've easily listened in. The body she was using to speak with them was more a formality than anything. But that would defeat the purpose of asking them to help rather than just foisting her problems on them.
After a few minutes, the three girls came to a decision and faced her again. Apple Bloom nodded. "We'll do it."
"Great! Then—" Sunset's words died in her throat as the three girls rose into the air, shining like beacons. Her smile sagged into a look of open-mouthed shock.
Another body identical to her own manifested next to her and put its hand on its chin. "Gee, Sunset. Maybe the three girls with an unprecedented affinity for fate magic have a special talent for it!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Sunset," said a third instance of her, standing at her other side with hands on hips. "What are the odds of that happening?"
By this time, the Crusaders had returned to the vaguely defined ground, light still shining from their hips and through their outfits. Apple Bloom rubbed her head. "You say somethin', Sunset?"
Sunset dismissed her dopplegangers. "Just talking to myself. Bad habit of mine." She took a deep breath. "I have good news and bad news."
Scootaloo gulped as she got to her feet. "What's the bad news?"
Sunset forced a nervous rictus on her face. "Turns out you three are going to remember this."
Apple Bloom scratched her head. "Why's that bad?"
"Among other reasons, because I told your sisters you wouldn't, and they may just kill me when they find out."
"Well, what's the good news?" said Sweetie Belle.
Sunset felt her face relax as her smile became much more natural. "I clearly picked the best people for the job." A bit of dreamshaping put the girls' cutie marks—icons, Sunset reminded herself—on their clothing. She took a quick peek at the girls' magic as they screamed with glee. No indication of alicorn magic; hay, not even Celestia and Luna showed signs of it. Unless the hypothetical Princess of Destiny was supposed to be distributed across three bodies, but that was even more improbable than a trio of metadestinies.
"Note to self," Sunset muttered, "prioritize making the Astral Plane presentable."
According to the school district's calendar, the following Monday was the next-to-last day of spring break. But Crystal Prep Academy held itself to a higher standard, and eleven days was already pushing Abacus Cinch's patience for lollygagging. As such, while some institutions were still closed that day, Crystal Prep had resumed business as usual, including a meeting in the principal's office.
Cinch struck a sheaf of papers against the edge of her desk, set them aside, and looked over her tented fingers. "Do you know why I called you here today, Miss Sparkle?"
Twilight tore her thoughts away from the principal's crystalline complexion, a magical phenotype she'd never seen before. "My transfer request?"
"Indeed. I must say, you have me perplexed. You are, by far, Crystal Prep's star student. The only class where you do not excel is physical education." Cinch glanced at one of the papers and permitted her mouth to twist a bit upwards. "It seems you have gone on record as saying that it shouldn't be considered a course."
"This is a place of education, Principal Cinch, not a fitness club."
The twist developed into a full smirk. "Strong bodies are as important as strong minds, Miss Sparkle. Indeed, it is strength that came to mind when I saw your request. Strength and weakness. Putting aside whatever reasons you may have for wanting to leave Crystal Prep, why, out of all of the schools you could have chosen, did you pick Canterlot High?"
Twilight frowned. "Why do you ask, ma'am?"
"Genuine curiosity," said Cinch. "This is so sudden, so unexpected, that I find myself wondering if you know something I do not."
"Well..." Twilight took a deep breath. "All of the schools we compete against have an area of focus. Cloudsdale's is athletics, Hoofington's is academics, Ravnica's is student culture, and Crystal Prep tries to optimize the three."
"'Student culture'. Certainly one way to describe Principal Mizzet's zoo of a school." Cinch shook her head. "Still, I cannot disagree with your assessment. However, Canterlot's focus has always seemed to be sentimentality more than anything. It has certainly done them no favors in the Friendship Games."
Twilight gulped. "With all due respect, ma'am, your thinking is understandable, but outmoded."
Cinch raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"I believe..." Twilight took a deep breath. "I believe Canterlot's strength is magic."
"Magic. Hmm." Cinch adjusted her glasses. "I admit, the world has certainly changed of late, but I leave such matters to those whose job it is to worry about them. My job is to run a school, Miss Sparkle, and I am proud to say it is a very prestigious one. Crystal Prep's reputation extends to its alumni. Colleges look very favorably upon those who excel here." She sneered. "They look far less favorably on students who abandon these halls for some soft, publicly-funded daycare.
"You present an interesting case, Miss Sparkle, but I am afraid that your own thinking is understandable, but misguided. This transfer would strangle your future in its crib, if you'll pardon the rather grim metaphor. Instead, you could continue to reap the benefits of Crystal Prep and help the place where you truly belong include magic in the long list of things we excel at." Cinch give what was probably meant to be a warm smile. It was the expressive equivalent of a decade-old hard candy found under a car seat, once pleasant, now probably poisonous.
Twilight looked at the floor. "I see."
"I'm only looking out for your best interests, Twilight," said Cinch.
"I appreciate the thought, ma'am." Twilight took a deep breath, looked in her principal's eyes, and flared her magic for a moment.
Cinch frowned at the glimmer in Twilight's head jewel. "What did you just—" She stiffened and went silent as she felt an arm rest on her shoulders.
"Hello, Abacus!"
Cinch looked to the side. It was exactly who she thought it was. She gritted her teeth. "Hello, John. What are you doing here?"
"So harsh!" Mr. Discord leaned in close. "Don't you remember the nights when we would fall asleep in one another's arms?"
"I recall passing out as the two of us tried to choke each other to death."
Mr. Discord grinned. "Such good times!"
Twilight's jaw hung open. "You two were..."
"Married, briefly, yes." Mr. Discord rested his chin on a palm and sighed. "We were both young and foolish at the time."
"And now," said Cinch, "you are no longer young. Why are you here, John?"
Mr. Discord reclined on the air above the desk, hands behind his head. "Well, Twilight thought she could use some adult advocacy, someone in her corner, as it were. Dean Cadence would present an obvious conflict of interest, you being her boss and all."
Cinch crossed her arms. "You work for the school she wants to join."
He smirked. "You work for the school she currently attends. I'd say it balances out."
She rolled her eyes. "I suppose it doesn't matter. The correct choice here is clear."
In a blink, Mr. Discord was hovering an inch from Cinch's face. "I'm afraid you don't understand the situation, Abacus. You can pour out as many honeyed words as you want, but Twilight will be transferring to Canterlot High."
She scoffed. "Fine. I had thought she was more intelligent than this, but if she wants to ruin her future on some youthful flight of fancy, who am I to stop her?"
Mr. Discord smirked. "You seemed to have recovered from yours nicely." His expression flattened. "Oh, and before I forget, let's agree to let this play out on its own, hmm?"
Cinch raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you could possibly mean."
"No idea of how you might use your influence in the scholastic world to sabotage any chances Twilight might have out of spite?" Mr. Discord gave a harsh, humorless laugh. "No, of course not. You were such an eager student when I taught you how to cover your tracks."
Cinch shot up onto her feet. "If all you have to offer are baseless accusations, I think we're done here."
Mr. Discord chuckled. "Oh, they are far from baseless. For example, I can tell the school board just how you got to your current position."
Cinch harrumphed. "Hard work, diligence, and a reputation for professionalism and results."
"Yes, that and a few dollars will get you a cup of coffee. You know what I mean, Abacus. I was there. Remember Principal Sombra?" Mr. Discord waved a hand lazily, calling up an image of a scowling man with sideburns that could take out an eye. "Smoked a lot, no sense of humor, all the warmth of a polar ice cap?"
Cinch raised an eyebrow. "Are you actually trying to blackmail me out of my star student?"
Mr. Discord shot back a foot, hand to his chest. "What? Of course not!" He grinned. "I'm successfully blackmailing you out of your star student. Very important distinction."
She sneered at him. "You were there. You said it yourself. You'd implicate yourself if you went through with this."
He chuckled. "Last week, you'd have been correct. But it's like Twilight told you; your thinking is outmoded. In case you haven't noticed, Abacus, I have received the power of a god. You, on the other hand, have gotten a coat of polish. I think I can survive the destruction of my career better than you can yours. And besides, Cadence will temporarily fill in your position after the scandal, and she'll be ecstatic to see Twilight transfer out of your little sociopath factory. She may even pull a few strings of her own in support of the girl."
Cinch glowered at him. "And if she were dismissed from Crystal Prep before this alleged incident came to light?"
Twilight held back a gasp. Mr. Discord shook his head. "You really don't know what you're working against, Abacus. I can put the implicating evidence in front of every member of the school board in a literal blink of an eye."
Cinch grit her teeth and clenched her fists, shaking with fury. Twilight thought she heard the faint sound of wind chimes. Finally, the principal took a deep breath and said, "I don't see why we're even discussing this. Miss Sparkle's parents have the final say here, not I. Now get out of my office, the both of you."
"As you wish." Mr. Discord snapped his fingers, and Cinch was alone.
Early Wednesday morning, Sunset manifested at the steps of Canterlot High with as little flair and flare as she could manage. She knew she should avoid making this a habit, but today felt like a special occasion. Today would be the first day of school since she and her friends had changed the world. She wanted to be able to see as much of it as she can.
Most of the teachers drove in, but a few were more creative. A few of the coaches flew. Mr. Magnet, the drama teacher, had bodysurfed in on a wave of his own making, looking like the human seapony from that one Whinny movie. Sunset had no idea where Dr. Turner had emerged from, just that he'd faded into existence with an odd grinding noise and winked at her as he went in.
Then the students started arriving, and the fun really began. Some had taken the bus. Most of the athletes had raced them. Rainbow Dash had done it backwards.
A veritable flock of other winged teenagers descended on the place. Fluttershy had gathered an entourage of songbirds along the way. Ditzy Doo flickered in and out of visibility as she wobbled in and out of conventional four-dimensional space time.
The ground level was just as impressive. Trixie and her friends were heralded by continual firework displays. Pinkie Pie and Vinyl Scratch arrived in what Sunset could only describe as a piece of mobile partillery, with Octavia tearing apart her reinforced passenger seat in her white-knuckle grip. The Geology Club tunneled up through the school's front lawn using their incredibly muscular arms.
"If those boys think they aren't fixing that, they have another thing coming."
"Gah!" Sunset jumped away from Principal Celestia, who just smiled at her. "How long have you been there?"
"Not long, but you were rather entranced." Celestia looked at the congregating student body, waving as they went past. "It's quite a spectacle, isn't it?"
Sunset nodded. "It is." She smiled. "I think I did a pretty good job."
Celestia made a show of stroking her chin, emphasizing her larger nails. "I suppose." She gave a smile of her own. "In all seriousness, we all owe you an incredible debt of gratitude, Sunset. And I have to say, I'm surprised to see you here."
Sunset shrugged. "It's complicated, but the short version is that I don't want to repeat the mistakes of the past, including the ones I didn't make. That means keeping myself involved."
Celestia nodded and patted her on the back. "I'd say we're in good hands."
Sunset smiled at the principal, then tensed as every hair on her body stood up at once. A burst of heliotrope energy and warped spacetime a few inches from her face resolved itself into a lightly singed Twilight Sparkle, who fell into her arms. "It worked! It worked!" Twilight paused, looked up, and smiled. "Hi, Sunset."
"Hi." Sunset's smile widened until it felt like her head might fall off. She turned back to Celestia. "You know what, ma'am? I think you're right."