//------------------------------// // The Library/A Night in Sunset's // Story: Equestria Girls (New Timeline Version) // by Jongoji245 //------------------------------// It's near two PM when Twilight stumbled upon an unusual machine. Square in shape with a concave hole spanning two-thirds its height and length covered by a sheet of durable plastic. But it’s what is inside that is enticing her. From top to bottom are a variety of small snacks from bagged chips spiced with cheese powder to pretzel sticks. Twilight’s tummy rumbled once again, one apple wasn’t enough to satisfy her hunger. She approached the machine, her dark violet eyes scanning the food behind the glass. She noticed there is a small slit above the rows of lettered buttons. Spike shuffled out of her backpack, holding an Equestrian bit in his mouth. Twilight positioned her fingers just to hold the coin. She positions it straight at the slit and tried to push it in, but compared to Human coins, Equestrian coins are just slightly bigger than that of dollar coins. Her tummy continued to rumble. She needed more food. Taking a pointer from her world's Applejack, Twilight got on all fours, turned around, aimed her hind leg, and kicked the machine hard against her boot. Nothing happened. Twilight grunted in frustration as she aimed her leg once again before turning her head to find a pair of blue sneakers. Looking up, she saw Trixie looking down with an amused smirk on her face. “Excuse me.” - She says before walking past Twilight - “The Great and Powerful Trixie!” - One glance at the contents before spinning her hand around, revealing two-quarters pinched between her fingers - “Needs some peanut butter crackers.” Inserting the coins into the slot and pressing A6 down below, the corkscrew spun clockwise, guiding a small package containing crackers and a dip until fell down the chamber. Pushing through a flap, Trixie pulled out with her prize. “Voilà!” - Trixie walked away before turning her head around - “May the best girl win.” - She chuckled before peeling off the cover and enjoying her snack. “They're right.” - Twilight walked down the hall - “If I need to win votes, we need to do some research.” “Research…” - Spike whispered, looking around to see if anyone is around - “in a place such as this?” As soon as Twilight turned to the hall on the left, Trixie drew a sly glare before snapping her fingers. On command, Snips and Snails ran to her side. “Trixie commands you to follow her. Bring her something she can use against Twilight.” The two boys saluted. “You got it, Oh Great and Powerful Trixie.” Snips replied before they ran down the hall. “This is a school.” - She turned to find a pair of brown doors - “I have to believe it's got a…” - Twilight opened them, revealing a well-illuminated treasure trove of literature - “Library!” Just as Twilight was near the center of the library, Snips and Snails poked their heads behind the doors. “Got your phone?” Asked Snips Snails took out his phone, already set to record footage, “Got yours?” Snips took out his phone before they both snickered. With his relatively bulky body, Snips rolled on the carpet to a new hiding place while Snails, true to his name, crawled like an inchworm to a new hiding place as well. Twilight, for the first time, set her eyes on a desktop computer already turned on with the background displaying the insignia for the Canterlot Wondercolts. It's not to say that there aren't computers of similar form in Equestria proper, it's just that Twilight found them to be a distraction from her usual studies. And now with foreign appendages, it may be all the more difficult. She looked around before spotting this world’s Ms. Cheerilee taking books from the cart and placing them on the shelves by decimal by Dewey decimal. “So I just push the letters here, and then the words and moving pictures will come up here?” Cheerilee turned to see Twilight fidgeting with the computer, even lifting up the desktop before pushing the student’s arm back on the table. “That's right.” “Maybe this place does have magic.” Cheerilee rolled her eyes before pushing the cart, almost blowing Trixie's mooks as they scarper off to new hiding spots. Suddenly, the normal quietness of the library was disturbed by music blaring across the room, drawing the occupants attention to this world's Cutie Mark Crusaders happily dancing to the rock tune. The video was immediately put on pause, drawing the trio of freshman girls to Cheerilee. “Uh, girls, what are you doing?” “We're just seeing how many hits our new music video has gotten.” Said Sweetie Belle before resuming the video before being paused again. “No, just…” - Cheerilee was interrupted when the video played again before she pulled the speaker out - “No! The school computers are for research purposes only.” - She walks away with the speaker. “It's just as well, y'all.” - Apple Bloom scrolled down the screen - “Some of the comments about our song were really awful. "'Epic fail... Funniest thing I've ever seen'?!” Sweetie Belle thought of the opposite way, “Funniest thing they've ever seen, huh?” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo got the idea before they closed the window and began to run. “Uh, I don't know that that's what you should take from…” The Crusaders were already long gone before Twilight could finish. Now alone, she fidgeted with the desktop again, even pounding her knuckles on the keyboard. Hiding behind a table not far from the computer desk, Snips and Snails chuckled as they recorded her dilemma. Moving away from the tech, Twilight instead browsed along the bookshelves, collecting human history, science texts, and even religious commentary until she had more than she could physically carry and soon tripped onto the floor. With the occupants once again distracted, Cheerilee walked up and warned Twilight with a good shushing. Snips is able to capture Twilight holding a cover of one of the books with her mouth before Spike pointed her to stop. Twilight lifted the whole tower of books over again to the counter, where Cheerilee sat, looking at the newbie with half closed eyes. “Find everything you needed?” “Yes,” - Twilight panted heavily as she flopped her arms on the strained her - “all that I need to know about this world-” - Cheerilee tilted her neck so she could see Twilight behind the tower, raising an eyebrow - “for an upcoming exam…” she finished sheepishly. “May I see your library card?” Cheerilee asked. Twilight shuffled through her pockets, then dug inside her backpack, trying to find slip before finding nothing. “I’m brand new here… so…” Cheerilee sighed, another little trouble from the clumsy newcomer, but curled up a smile before handing out a small slip of paper. “Would you like to apply?” Twilight drew a large grin on her face before grabbing the pen and scribbling on the name, birthdate, address, phone number, email, and hobbies, Cheerilee had her mouth slightly agape at the virtually indistinguishable writing, looking ahead to the applicant slowly shifting her grin from an ecstatic to an uneasy one. Cheerilee took a deep breath before placing it on a scanner. “Please stand over there.” She asked, pointing to a small camera rig plugged into the computer. Twilight took a few steps to her left until her face was directly at the camera. “Behind the blue line.” Cheerilee added as she held the button. Twilight shuffled back with her hands held together below her waist, waiting for her picture to be taken. After a while from waiting, Twilight relaxes. “Smile!” Without a good moment's warning, Cheerilee pressed the button, exposing Twilight’s pupils to the sudden burst of light. She staggered back before bumping against a table, almost knocking Flash Sentry as she rolled over and flopped on the floor. She rubbed her head before her dilated eyes spotted three Flashes. “Are any of you… going to help me?” She asked while still dazed before the real Flash took her hand and pulled her up. Hiding behind the bookshelves, Snips and Snails giggled even more before they stopped recording and showed their mistress the fruits of their labor. Trixie peeked from the bookshelf, watching Twilight recover before she lifted up the books and staggered out of the door. From behind the shadows, two familiar hands dressed in long, cavernous sleeves reached out and gently held the magician’s shoulders. “You got her right where you want her.” Whispered Roma, adding more to Trixie’s delight as she drew her smile even more. Twilight didn't walk far from the library when her arms started to give. Spike attempted to grab one of the books on top of the tower, but his lack of thumbs kept him from lifting one completely. If there was magic in this world, she could carry them effortlessly. But this was not the case and she soon stood still as sweat dripped from her brow. “You know that carrying all these books at once isn’t safe.” Twilight shifted her eyeballs to the left before slowly turning her head to find Sunset Shimmer leaning on the locker just when Cosgrove, Chelsey, Zipper, and Diver grabbed an equal part of the tower, greatly reducing Twilight’s burden to just one book. “The school will be closing in five minutes.” Buzzed the PA system. Twilight was about to thank them before she gasped, “I hadn't even thought about where we- er I was gonna sleep tonight!” “You don’t even have an apartment?” Diver asked as she shuffled the weight of the books. “I… uh...” - Twilight tried to think of another reason to the natives, eying her companion for suggestions, but the dragon dog merely raised his shoulders - “My landlord hasn’t gotten the apartment ready.” The group of freshman looked at each other before Sunset walked to her side. “You can stay at my home.” - She eyeballs Spike before scratching his chin and walking forward - “Let’s go.” They began their journey to the parking lot, reaching a red Portia. With Zipper just applying for a learners permit, Sunset is the only one of age to drive it. And since a typical car can carry four people only, a bike rig was attached to the bunk of the car in case of guest riders. “Zipper, it's your turn.” Said Chelsey. Unhooking the bike, Zipper put on a helmet, mounted the vehicle and peddled towards their destination before Sunset entered the driver's seat, Twilight taking the passenger seat, Cosgrove sitting in the back sandwiched between Chelsey and Diver. An uncomfortable ride, but still generous for the guest. The flame-haired girl turned the ignition key, but before she placed the vehicle in drive, she noticed something on the dash board. Sunset turned her head to the right, “You're still unbuckled.” “Huh?” Twilight turned to the driver, seeing a tan band wrapped around her chest and waist before turning around to see the others buckled up. Spike turned to find a silver latch. Climbing up Twilight, the dog grabbed the latch with his teeth before pulling the belt down and clicking it on the other end. Placing the car in drive, and a few turns later, and they were out of school grounds. Twilight looked out the window as the scenery changed from an area of suburban houses to a more crowded, but spectacular setting. There were shopping malls, tall apartments, museums, and food centers, one of which Twilight easily recognized as Sugarcube Corner. She hasn't been to Manehattan in her world, but this could be close. Soon they caught up with Zipper. “It's so amazing!” Twilight turned her head back and forth “All these buildings, so many choices.” Sunset shifts her head a little, flipping her eyes for a split second before focusing on the road. “I guess it is amazing to an out-of-towner.” Twilight lowered her excitement before asking, “Pinkie Pie mentioned that you had a group called the…” “Maximals!” Spike barked in rhythm to the syllables of the word. “Maximals.” - Twilight got their attention as Cosgrove, Chelsey, and Diver leaned towards their guest - “I thought you said that you didn't belong to a group?” “But our own.” - Cosgrove added - “You see, we were close friends over the past twelve years, and some of those years were the toughest in our lives, Garble and his gang, the Diamond Dogs, all because…” - the teenaged boy stretched out his hand, leading Twilight to look behind at the others. Twilight turned back to Sunset, “What would they call you?” Sunset shifted her eyes before answering, “Coral snake.” With Sunset’s hair color, Twilight knew what she meant, “Red behind black you're okay, Jack. Red on yellow, you're a dead fellow.” “And in time,” - Sunset fidgeted her shirt, pulling out a necklace with a small charm of an abstract Pony head, though at first glance it looked pretty feline - “we formed the Maximals, so that no one would be hurt.” “But it looks like they fear you, why?” Twilight's question was met with silence before Cosgrove shuffled around. “There is some truth to this. My parents are among the best cops in the city.” - The Hipparion's duplicate lowered his head - “But my dad… tends to be a little ruthless.” Twilight became saddened by this fact as Sunset turned the car at a right corner, leading them to another suburban area, albeit with much more trees that easily blotted out the bright circle once it began to reach to mountains. “But not everyone is that cold.” - Added Chelsey - “The Apples like us and Dapplewood does volunteer at the animal shelter with Fluttershy on some weekends.” “Rarity still thinks of us as brutes.” Diver crossed her arms, looking out the window. Spike raised his head upon hearing Rarity’s name, wagging his tail as he hoped to see her. “Dapplewood?” - Twilight twisted her body as much as her buckled body could - “Who is Dapplewood?” Sunset pulled over in front of a blue house, shifting the knob to set the car in park before pulling up the parking brake. Zipper caught up to them as the other four Maximals exited the vehicle. Twilight opens the door, shifting her upper body before the seatbelt snapped her back to place. She looked down at the buckle before fidgeting with it as the Alicorn tried to get out. Her finger pressed the red button, releasing her as she flopped on the dried asphalt. She rubs the dust off her skirt and watches the group grab her books and hook the bike before turning to a boy, around nine years old, sitting in the shade by the front door as he bit off chunk after chunk of a Nutella covered celery stick. Cosgrove walked up to the boy, “You're home pretty early, bro.” “‘Bro?’” Twilight had known of her Cosgrove since he arrived in Ponyville, yet she did not know he had a brother. Maybe he still resides in the Circus. She watched as the boy waved his arms around, illustrating a fuzzy wall. “Mould, huh?” Chelsey asked, which the boy answered with a nod before lifting his new wave sunglasses, exposing his gray-purple eyes to Twilight. Sunset looked at Twilight as the boy walked to the stranger. “Dapplewood, this is Twilight Sparkle.” “Hi!” Twilight stretched her hand, receiving a handshake from him. Dapplewood’s eyes widened before looking down to see Spike pawing at his jeans before backing away as if afraid. “Spike is in good health, right?” - Diver asked, pointing at the dog - “No dander, rabies, loose hair?” Spike huffed in frustration before Twilight lifted up the small dog. “Not that I know of.” “You see, being born without a larynx, Dapplewood has difficulty breathing through his mouth.” - Sunset addressed - “We want to make sure any mammalian pets have been clean.” Twilight had an uneasy look before Spike nodded, “Spike is as clean as clean can be.” Twilight placed the dog back on the ground. Assured, Dapplewood stepped forward before scratching Spike on the ears, adding to his pleasure as he thumped his leg on the grass. “So,” - Sunset turned to Twilight - “were you able to sign up for being Princess?” “Yeah, Applejack, Pinkie and Roma Candle-” “Waitwait” - Zipper shuffled around - “youmetwithRomaCandle?” Having been with his Sleipnir counterpart whenever he would visit for some time, Twilight understood what he said. “Yes, and she was with two others. But, now that I think about them…” She hissed through her teeth “Is it a bad thing to not like them?” “You have good instincts for a newcomer.” - Chelsey placed a hand on her hip - “Did she tell you why?” “Well, she said that you guys had no vision.” Twilight answered, squinting her eyes as she was confused by what she said. Cosgrove curled his upper lip before pounding the backside of the car, “That bitch! Sounds like she is up to her old tricks again.” “What old tricks?” “Let's just say” - Diver leaned on Chelsey - “if we weren't quick enough, one of us would have been killed the past summer.” Twilights eyes shrank as Spike whimpered, “That's… awful!” “It was…” - Cosgrove placed his hands on his brother's shoulders - “Someday, we'll tell you.” They carried the books inside the house. In one room, there was one corner dedicated to technology; an all in one desktop computer attached to a desktop hard drive and a Dell Inspiron plugged to the wall. This layout reminded Twilight of her Sunset's laboratory under the Ponyville Library. “In the meantime,” - Sunset took off her jacket and hung it using a closet clothes rack - “Roma would say that she knows everything when really she knows nothing.” “So be careful, will you?” Cosgrove asked as he stood by the doorway about to leave. “Okay, I will.” Waving Sunset goodbye, Cosgrove joined the others as they walked back to their family homes. Twilight took the first book she saw: the State History of Colorado and began to read. Even on this particular subject, the book told a lot about the history of this world, and how much bigger it is. From the Declaration of Independence, the Louisiana Purchase, Westward Expansion, the Bone Wars between Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope, the Great Depression and both World Wars all filled Twilight's mind with questions. A couple hours seemed like four minutes when Sunset just finished her homework and got off her bed. “Hope you like veggie orecchiette,” - Sunset stretched her legs - “because that's tonight's dinner.” Twilight smiled, happy that there is no meat eating tonight. Sunset left the room, keeping the door open. Twilight closed the book and looked around the room. Her eyes did spot a yearbook before pulling it out. Skimming through the pages, she then spotted a group photo with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Another flip of the page showed Sunset, Flash Sentry and Crescendo. While on ground level, Spike’s eyes shrank before backing away slowly with his tail between his legs, “...Twilight…?” He whispered. After closing the year book, her eyes spotted something most odd. It was a family portrait containing a much younger Sunset along with two middle-aged adults and a younger woman near her thirties. Taking a closer look at the picture, the Unicorn could tell that the elders are Lion Tamer and Loopty Hoop. “But this doesn't make-” Suddenly, Twilight felt something on her feet. Sunset placed a mixture of lettuce, broccoli and crushed nuts on a frying pan with a boiling pot of water next to her when she heard Twilight’s scream. Turning off the burners, Sunset jogged to her room to find Twilight standing on her bed, Spike behind her legs. “You own a Komodo dragon!?” Shouted Twilight as she pointed to the floor. A massive red lizard with red stripes was looking up at her, flipping his tongue as he detected Twilight's more intense body temperature. “Nile monitor actually.” - donning a pair of work gloves, Sunset picks up the reptile so it would be at Twilight's height - “I had Cosgrove lend Schnookums until he eats the mice.” Schnookums’ tongue flicked once more before Sunset took him out of the room and patted him away. “Dinner should be ready soon.” Sunset walked back into the kitchen, filling the house with steam as she quickly finished the recipe. Opening a window, the steam left the house as the fire-haired girl placed a plate of the recipe in front of Twilight before setting her plate on her designated spot. But dexterity was still an issue as Twilight fiddled her fingers on the fork. She lifted the fork and moved it over the plate before dropping it on the table. Twilight tried again, holding the utensil tighter as she stabbed the vegetable-pasta mixture. “Ha, ha!” Twilight chuckled victoriously before biting down on the piece of aluminum, raking off the food before swallowing it. She looked ahead to find a similar family portrait. “Does Lion Tamer and Loopty Hoop live with you?” Sunset stopped chewing for a moment before swallowing. “Mmhm. They’ve adopted me after…” Twilight noticed her host tightening her grip on her fork before looking at the portrait again. For the first time, Pony or Human, in any way, Twilight had a visual sighting of Night Dancer herself. “I am so sorry.” - Twilight lowered her fork - “She must have really loved you.” “She was…” - Sunset sniffled - “a very caring mother. Much better than Hydia.” Twilight rose her head up, remembering the dangerous Hecate in her world, “Hydia was your mother?” Sunset looked away, unintentionally showing part of a scar on her left clavicle. “Another reason why we formed the Maximals, I promised them, for all the time they helped me, that I would make it up to them.” A long moment of silence before the front door opened and closed. Walking up the stairs, this world's Lion Tamer and Loopty Hoop appeared before them. “Oh,”- Loopty Hoop gasped - “I didn't know we were expecting guests.” Sunset took a deep breath as Twilight stood up. “Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle.” The Alicorn grabs Lion Tamer’s hand and shook it rapidly before shaking his wife’s hand. “She will be staying until her apartment arrangements are made.” Sunset added, trying to hide her sadness. The masters of the house looked at their guest, uncertain of this last minute guest before they smiled. “Well, Ms. Sparkle, you are most welcome in our home.” Having eaten their fill, the elders went to bed. A half hour later, the two girls went to bed as well. Sunset offered Twilight and Spike her bed while she snuggled into a sleeping bag. Schnookums crawled over to his borrower, lying on top of her as she got comfy. An hour into the night, Twilight woke up and turned to her companion. “It's interesting because they look like they are friends.” “They do look like our friends.” Spike scratched his ears “But I thought we'd figured that out already.” “No, I mean…” Twilight reached down and grabbed the yearbook “they look like they are friends with each other. But it doesn't seem like they're friends now. Pinkie and Rarity with the Maximals…” Spike looked up, “Not so much.” “I just can't help but get the feeling that someone else is involved. Trixie or Roma Candle had something to do with it.” As Twilight and Spike continued their conversation, Sunset fluttered her eyes open. “I wouldn't put it past them. But maybe they want your crown 'cause they're planning on doing something even worse! If you're gonna stop them, you have to focus on making friends here. Can't worry about why they-” “Twilight?” The Alicorn woman and dragon dog looked to find Sunset sitting up, her eyes just peeking above the mattress “Who are you talking to?” Twilight looked to her pal before answering, “Myself” - she deepened her voice before adding - “I can do a deep boy voice very well.” Sunset stared at the two for a while before curling into her sleeping bag. “This has been one weird day.” She muttered to herself before drifting into sleep. Spike walked in a little circle before lying down. “Even if they” - he paused to yawn - “do remind you of your Ponyville friends.” Spike fell asleep on Twilight’s lap, given a rub on his head by her. She lied back down, resting her head on a pillow. If she closes her eyes now, time would fly fast and she must act accordingly. “You're right, Spike.” - Twilight's vision started to blur - “Eyes on... the... prize…” and with that, she fell asleep, her first night in this world. Back at Discord's dimension, the playing field had some favor to Discord, some of his pieces have moved along with some of Screwball's. No piece has been taken out yet. “Only a matter of time.” Screwball chuckled.