Adventures at Canterlot High

by MLP Fangirl

A Portal Problem

Sunset Shimmer paced in front of the portal, visibly concerned.

"Come on, Twilight, where are you?"

"Sunset Shimmer!"

Sunset turned her head, and to her relief, Princess Twilight and her counterpart were running towards her.

She breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, good. You're here."

She ran up and met them halfway.

Princess Twilight huffed, out of breath from the running. "What - *huff* - seems to be - *huff* - the problem?"

"You said something was going on with the portal?" Twilight asked, panting slightly.

Sunset nodded, biting her lip, "Yes, and frankly, it's not good."

Having regained her breath, Princess Twilight straightened up, taking another deep breath, "What happened?"

"Well, " Sunset started as they began walking towards the portal. "I was sitting in front of the portal last night. And, suddenly, I felt weak and dizzy, like something had been pulled out of me. I noticed the portal glowing behind me. At first, I didn't know what had happened. But, while I was practicing on my guitar at home, I realized that I wasn't ponying up."

Both Twilights gasped.

Princess Twilight waved her hands rapidly, "Hold on a second. Are you telling me that the portal drained your magic?"

Sunset sighed, "That's the only solution I've come up with."

The Princess of Friendship bit her lip, "Okay, that's definitely not good."

"I told you, Twilight. Something's up with the portal." Equestrian Spike popped his head out from the princess's backpack.

A small gasp escaped Sunset Shimmer's mouth, "What happened?"

Princess Twilight shrugged, "I didn't really think it was a problem. The portal was rippling a lot more than usual. And, the color changed."

"Not to mention the dizzying journey here." Equestrian Spike held his head at the thought.

Twilight put a finger to her chin, "I don't know a lot about magic yet, but I definitely know when something's malfunctioning."

"Yes, but, why?" Princess Twilight bit her finger in thought.

Sunset Shimmer huffed, "Well, until further notice, I think we should stay away from the portal, just to be safe."

Princess Twilight crossed her arms, "That'd probably be best. When I get back to Equestria, I'm going to see if I can dig up any information about the mirror."

Sunset sighed, "Well, hopefully, you'll have a better chance of finding something than I did. Princess Celestia had forbidden me to do any research on it, but...well, you know what happened."

The Princess of Friendship placed a hand on Sunset's shoulder, "Sunset, that's all in the past. There's nothing you can do to change it. But, take solace in the fact that you're a much better person than you were back then. No offense."

Sunset chuckled, "None taken. Thanks, Princess."

The princess nodded.

Twilight clasped her hands together, "So, now what?"

Sunset shrugged, looking at her watch, "Well, it's quarter to nine now. The girls want to practice around noon for the party tomorrow."

Princess Twilight smiled, "That's fine. But, maybe we should try to avoid ponying up. Just until we get this whole situation sorted out."

Sunset smirked, "Try telling Rainbow Dash that."

The princess rolled her eyes, "Oh, right. Well, we'll explain to them what's going on."

Twilight stood off to the side, keeping quiet while the two magic experts talked.

Sunset noticed her absence and looked around for her.

She smiled, "Twilight, you're acting like you're the fifth wheel here. But, you're not. Come on, why don't we grab some breakfast at the cafe."

Twilight returned a smile, "That'd be nice. I'll just let my mom know, and then we can leave." She took out her phone and dialed her mother.

Princess Twilight, while waiting for her counterpart to finish, began to feel a sudden pull towards the portal. Something was trying to draw her over there.

Without warning, the princess grabbed her counterpart and Sunset Shimmer and dragged them far away from the portal.

Twilight nearly dropped her phone, "Whoa, hey. Princess Twilight, what did you - Mom? Oh, it's nothing. Anyway, see you later on. Love you." She hung up, stuck her phone in her pocket, then turned towards the princess.

"What was that?"

Sunset raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, Princess, what was that?"

Princess Twilight picked up her Spike, "Sorry, girls. But, something was trying to pull me towards the portal. I think it would be best for all of us to stay away from it for now."

Spike blinked, "But, Twilight, does that mean we can't go back home?"

Princess Twilight gasped, "Oh, Spike. You're right! With the portal acting up, there's no telling what will happen if we try to go through it."

Sunset put her hand to her mouth, "Oh no. What about your royal duties?"

The princess sighed, "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. The portal's acting up, and I don't want to risk anything happening to me and Spike."

Twilight lifted a finger, "I'm not saying it could happen, but if the portal's not working properly, is there a chance that it might close?"

Princess Twilight and Spike both gasped loudly.

"You might be right, Twilight. Anything could happen. I'm going to have to look into this. But, first...Sunset, do you have your book?"

"It's at my house."

"Then, let's go. I have to let the ponies in Equestria know what's going on."

Sunset nodded, "My house is just around the block. I'll meet you two at the Cafe."

With that, she ran off towards the direction of her house, leaving the two Twilights and their respective dogs.

-----

"Twilight, darling? Are you in here?" Rarity looked around the castle, trying to locate the Princess of Friendship.

She trotted into the throne room but found it to be empty.

The white unicorn huffed, "Now, where in Equestria could she be?"

With a hunch, Rarity headed towards Twilight's room.

She peaked her head through the door but found the room to be empty as well.

She sighed, about to leave, when she heard a faint buzzing.

She opened the door fully, trying to locate the source.

It didn't take long to find it.

On Twilight's bed, a book with a sun emblazoned on the cover glowed and vibrated.

"Oh my." Rarity took the book in her magic and opened it up to a page.

To whomever reads this, Spike and I are in the human world. Don't worry, nothing world-shattering is going on. Well, not yet anyway. Something is going on with the portal. We're not exactly sure what, but it would be best if nothing passed through it for the time being. So, for now, we're stuck here. I need you to try to dig up any information you can regarding the Mirror. If need be, ask Princess Celestia to give you access to the Royal Archives. You may explain what is going on if you feel it will help. I know you can do it. Twilight.

Rarity gasped, "Good heavens! I must alert the girls at once." Without a second thought, she ran out of the bedroom, dragging the book along with her.

-----

"What do you mean we can't pony up?!" Rainbow Dash gawked, unable to believe what she was hearing.

Princess Twilight shrugged, "I'm sorry, Rainbow. But, with the portal somehow draining magic, it'd be best to avoid using it. Sunset wasn't even ponied up when it happened."

Rainbow slouched against her seat, crossing her arms, "No fair. I'm going to be deprived of my awesome wings for who knows how long."

Sunset patted her shoulder, "It's not going to be forever. Just until we figure out what's going on."

Rarity huffed, "And, just when I thought this was going to be a relaxing visit."

Applejack nudged the princess, who was seated next to her on the couch, "It seems that trouble always follows ya, Princess."

The princess chuckled flatly, "That does seem like the case, doesn't it?"

Twilight adjusted her glasses, "If you want, you can continue staying with me until this all blows over."

Her Equestrian counterpart smiled, nodding, "Thanks, Twilight. I don't know how long we're going to stay here. But, I appreciate you opening up your house for us."

Fluttershy raised her hand, "So, do you have any idea what the problem could be?"

Princess Twilight shrugged, "Not yet, no. I've asked my pony friends to get some information for me. And, hopefully, I'll be able to do some research in this world. Those computer things are really useful; I might be able to get some things from there."

Pinkie grinned, "You can borrow my laptop anytime you want! Oh, I can teach you to play some of my favorite online games!"

Sunset chuckled, "You can do your research on the school computers. While we're in class, you can get busy digging up some information."

Princess Twilight nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

Rainbow crossed her arms, "So, how exactly are we supposed to play our music without ponying up?"

The princess shrugged, "We're going to have to hold back a little. We can make it sound good, just not so good that it activates our magic."

Rainbow Dash gawked, "Hold back my awesomeness? I'm not sure I know how to do that."

Everyone simultaneously rolled their eyes.

The bell on the front door rung, indicating someone else had entered the sweet shoppe.

Rarity saw who had just entered and smiled, "Oh, look who's heading this way."

Princess Twilight turned her head to see who Rarity was referring to, and immediately, she averted her gaze, while a blush slowly formed on her face.

Applejack snickered, waving a hand in the air, "Hiya, Flash."

The blue-haired guitar player turned his head towards the voice that called his name. His gaze soon rested upon eight familiar girls, one standing out amongst the rest.

"Twilight?"

Twilight turned her head, but soon realized that he wasn't talking about her.

The Twilight he was talking about, however, was trying her best to keep the blood from flowing to her cheeks. But, once her eyes met Flash's blue ones, her attempt to do so was quickly useless.

"Oh, hi, Flash, " She gave a shy wave.

A wide smile spread across Flash's face, "I didn't know you were visiting." He walked over to where the girls were congregated.

"Well, I - " She was cut off by Rarity not-so-subtly shoving her off of the couch, forcing her to stand.

Before she could protest, Rarity pushed Princess Twilight towards the blue-haired boy, causing them to collide with each other.

Flash wound up catching her before either of them could fall.

The girls behind her giggled as Princess Twilight's ears burned. She and Flash awkwardly met each other's eyes and hastily pulled apart from each other, to avoid any further humiliation.

Flash rubbed the back of his neck, "So, uh, what are you doing back here? Not that I don't want you here, but usually you show up when there's a big event going on. Oh, are you here for the party tomorrow?"

Princess Twilight cleared her throat, "Well, yeah, sort of. Turns out there's more to this casual visit than I thought. I can't really go into any details, seeing as how I know next to nothing myself." She chuckled sheepishly. "But, the least I can tell you is that I'll be around for a little while. Most likely longer than usual."

Flash grinned, "Really? That's great!"

He felt the disapproving glares from the girls behind Princess Twilight.

Flash cleared his throat, "Uh...I mean, wow. Sorry. I hope you'll be able to get home."

She crossed her arms, "Me, too."

Flash coughed, "Well, it's nice seeing you again, Twilight. I'm gonna go."

Princess Twilight nodded, smiling, "Nice to see you, too, Flash. Bye."

Flash gave a thumbs up then walked to the counter, but not before shooting another glance at Princess Twilight.

Princess Twilight sighed contently before she heard snickering behind her.

Rainbow grinned, "Sing it with me. 'Flash and Twilight sitting in a tree,'"

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Pinkie finished, giggling slightly.

Princess Twilight's face burned, "Girls! Not so loud!"

"So, what? You know you want to."

Princess Twilight groaned, "Shouldn't we be practicing for tomorrow?"

Rarity stood up, "But, of course, dear. Although, you have to admit, you adore the idea of you and Flash."

The princess rolled her eyes, "I'm ready to leave when you are."

Slowly but surely, the girls finished the beverages and headed towards the school to practice.

----

The Rainboom's music echoed throughout the empty halls of Canterlot High.

The band had requested weekend practice to prepare for the party, so Principal Celestia opened up the school and allowed them to rehearse.

As they practiced, Princess Twilight and Sunset Shimmer kept a close eye on Rainbow Dash, looking for any signs of a pony up.

As they neared the end of the song, Rainbow Dash held a guitar solo.

As Dash played solo, Princess Twilight could make out the pony ears trying to form on her. Wasting no time, she nodded to Sunset who gave a nod in return.

Sunset unplugged Rainbow's guitar amp, causing the guitar's sound to get increasingly lower.

Rainbow Dash stopped playing, gawking at Sunset who was still holding the chord.

"What's the deal, Shimmer?"

Sunset dropped the chord and crossed her arms, "You were about to pony up."

Princess Twilight raised an eyebrow, "You were supposed to hold back."

Rainbow groaned, "I don't know if I can. My awesomeness can't be hidden."

Applejack rolled her eyes, "Very humble, R.D."

Princess Twilight sighed, "Rainbow, do you want the portal to drain your magic?"

Twilight, who had been sitting against the wall, spoke up, "I know you've had your magic drained before. No thanks to me, but..."

Her Spike laid his head on her lap. She smiled and rubbed his head.

Rainbow huffed, crossing her arms, "Ugh, fine. But, if I pony up tomorrow, don't blame me."

Rarity raised an eyebrow, "And, just who do you want us to blame?"

Rainbow mumbled something incoherently.

Princess Twilight let out another sigh, "I'm going to do some research. Do you think one of you girls could accompany me? I'm not a hundred percent sure on how to operate the computers."

"I'll help you, Princess." Her human counterpart stood up, picking up both Spikes.

She walked over to Princess Twilight and handed her her Spike, who was asleep.

Princess Twilight smiled, "Thanks, Twilight. You girls can continue practicing. Just try not to go overboard."

With that being said, the two Twilights exited the music room and headed to the library.

Author's Note:

Another chapter for you. I'm out of school now, so I should have plenty of time to write. Look forward to more chapters soon.

The portal's acting up. What's causing it? Stay tuned to find out.

Oh, and don't worry. That's about the most Flash and Twilight you'll see.

Comments

[Gingerquill]

Where'd you find the pic for this story? I don't remember seeing it in the films...

[BenRG]

It seems like a polarity issue more than anything else. It's sucking magic out of the local environment (and the people). Maybe its power requirements are increasing for some reason? If that's the case, maybe it's because of the magic passing through to the Human world. It's changed the balance of energies at the two event horizons and altered how the magic of the portal maintains its stability.

7309426
It's at the end of the DVD version of Friendship Games - It's the last picture in the end credits sequence.

[BigLurker]

7309449 My theory is more towards overuse. It's only be opened every 30 moons; opening it whenever may be taxing it's supply of magic or using it faster than it can recharge on it's own, so the portal is pulling extra magic to compensate. On the Equestrian side that may not be an issue, but on the side with minimal magic...

Either way, nice chapter.

[OmniFox]

You do realize that those two can't work out on this.

[HB_DS2013]

Well, so much for the portal opening every two and a half years. No wonder it's a bad time to be ponying up. Is it also wrong for me to ship Rainbow Dash with flying?

[Ghrathryn]

It's probably a combination of the fact the portal only aligns and has enough charge to open three days out of every 810 (2 years, 4 months or 30 moons) normally so it being open three times in a single year (in the movies alone) is draining and the fact that the enchantment was sucked out without being disabled properly by a device that seems to simply absorb magical energies. If it was just the former, it'd probably just lock down ala when it was drained in Friendship Games, but with Sci-Twi's device mucking with it, it might have gained an ability to feed and is trying to use that to balance the energy it burns maintaining an interdimensional link.

[Superbowl]

Thanks for being rational and true to source material with Flash. Fuck the haters!