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1. Welcome To Canterlot4,857 words
2. This Is Your School5,446 words
3. Help Adagio3,497 words
4. Rich Kid Blues7,361 words
5. Love Makes The World Go Around8,936 words
6. The Big Game6,785 words
7. Go See The Principal5,232 words
8. Complete Mayhem [FINAL]11,827 words

1. Welcome To Canterlot

The first thing Sunset Shimmer realized was that she could feel her limbs attached to her body once again. The second was that she couldn’t breathe. She opened her eyes, and the third thing she realized was that she was underwater, lying face down at the bottom of whatever body of water she was in; had the portal transported her to the middle of the ocean? Trying not to panic and lose whatever air she managed to store in her lungs, Sunset prepared herself to swim to the surface, but the pressure around her body was so minimal that it didn’t take long for her to figure out that the body of water she was in was extremely shallow; all she had to do was get up, and so she did.

She was inside a water fountain she had never seen before, so wherever this place was, it wasn’t in Canterlot. In the middle of the fountain was the statue of a horse, standing proud on its hind legs, the brightness of the noon sun illuminating it like a spotlight. Sunset touched the surface of the platform the horse was standing on, and it didn’t feel like whatever stone the statue was made of; it felt like nothing was there, but at the same time it felt like she was sinking her hand in something warm that was neither solid, liquid, gas nor plasma.

…Wait, hand?

Once her vision wasn’t blurry anymore, Sunset could see that her hooves were gone, replaced by five thin and jointed fingers. Her forelegs were thinner, her hind legs were longer and bent backwards, her coat was replaced with skin of a similar shade of amber, her tail was missing, her muzzle was shorter, her ears were in a different place and, worst of all, her horn had completely vanished.

Sunset Shimmer began hyperventilating. She had countless plans to deal with whatever natives she would encounter once she crossed the portal in the mirror, but she didn’t even consider the possibility of the mirror morphing her into a whatever-was-that-creature-she-had-become. She tried casting a teleportation spell – maybe she had another body part capable of channeling magic; she closed her eyes and tried her hardest to cast it, but nothing happened. For the first time since she had become Princess Celestia’s student and star pupil, she felt powerless.

“No!” She said to herself before taking a deep breath. “I can’t let this get to me. I came here with a purpose. This is a minor setback at best!” She got up with some effort due to being unfamiliar with this new set of limbs. She also noticed the clothes she was wearing and groaned. “Wet clothes. Just great!” After a quick look around she saw a couple of unfamiliar, large buildings. The architecture was also completely alien to her.

“Hey, you!” Sunset heard someone shout. That’s when she noticed a creature of the same species she had become standing some feet away from the water fountain she was in. Judging by the voice and attire, Sunset assumed it was a female like herself.

That woman was definitely the pinkest creature she had ever seen; she had light pink skin – so light that it almost looked pure white, just like her mentor – and long hair with two different shades of light pink; even her eyes were pink. The only thing about her that wasn’t pink has her attire: she wore an open navy blue suit with a shield-shaped symbol on the left chest, a blue sweater vest over a white shirt, a red tie, a navy blue skirt, white knee high socks and black Mary Jane shoes. She also had a golden fleur-de-lis-shaped hair clip holding her hair away from her eyes.

“Get out of the fountain this very instant.” She demanded in a voice tone that suggested she was used to giving orders. Maybe she was some sort of authority figure? “Why aren’t you in class? And where is your uniform?”

Sunset Shimmer climbed out of the water fountain, hugging herself and shaking. The sky was clear and the sun was shining, but the breeze on her wet skin felt like a blizzard; this foreign body was definitely more sensitive than her original equine body. The woman approached her, grabbed her wrist and started dragging her along.

“Truancy, violating dress code and playing in the water fountain like a child.” She listed. “You’re coming with me, straight to the principal’s office.”

“This isn’t good.” Sunset thought. She looked around, trying to come up with a plan or an escape route, but her unfamiliarity with the surroundings weren’t doing her any favors. “Oh, to Tartarus with it!”

Sunset Shimmer body-slammed the girl, who yelped and let go of the Equestrian’s wrist as she fell to the ground, before awkwardly running away with her newly acquired legs.

“Stop right there!” she shouted as she got up and gave chase. Despite learning how her new limbs worked on the fly, Sunset was a surprisingly decent runner, managing to outrun the pink woman chasing her. The pinkette reached into her pocket, pulled out a whistle and started blowing on it, which alerted three other females dressed exactly like her. The (former) pony knew she wouldn’t be able to outrun all four of them forever, so when she turned a corner and saw an opportunity, despite the side of her brain responsible for common sense screaming at her not to do it, she threw herself in a trash bin large enough and empty enough for her to fit inside. She closed her eyes, praying to whatever goddess that watched over this world to not let her be found.

Apparently it worked, because the four women chasing after ran past her hideout. “I guess they didn’t think somepony with a shred of dignity left would sink as low as I just did.” She thought as she emerged from the trash bin. “Oh, dammit!” She huffed as she shook her foot, trying to get rid of the banana peel hanging on the collar of her boot. “Double dammit!” She mentally cursed as the peel she was trying to get rid of went the wrong way and slipped inside her boot.

Too distracted by the garbage that had taken up residence inside her footwear, she felt a chill go down her spine as a hand grabbed her left shoulder. She turned her head to see a woman much taller than herself looking down at her with a serious expression on her face. That woman had grayish blue skin, cyan eyes similar to her own and a very long wavy hair with two shades of blue.

“If you’re trying to be stealthy, don’t leave a trail leading straight to you.” She said in an intimidating voice tone. Sunset looked down and wanted to facepalm when she saw the small pools of water and wet footprints she left behind as she ran.

“Oh, Vice Principal Luna, thank goodness.” The pink girl from before thanked as she came to a halt in front of them. She was soon followed by the other three. “My deepest apologies for you having to get involved.” She bowed slightly in front of the adult woman before shooting Sunset Shimmer a nasty glare. “This troublemaker seems to be skilled at running away.”

“That’s quite alright, Miss Fleur de Lis.” Luna assured her. “I’ll take it from here, you can all return to your duties.”

The young woman named Fleur quickly bowed one more time before turning around and walking away, followed by her three apparent subordinates.

Sunset Shimmer thought about running one more time, but she could feel that this woman’s grip was much stronger than Fleur’s and she was less likely to lower her guard. She sighed in defeat and allowed Vice Principal Luna to escort her to the principal’s office.

She was in a school, and that’s about all she could gather. She sat uncomfortably on a chair in the principal’s office, looking around at the decorations in the room: a couple of paintings on the walls, a few trophies on display, a large black and white photo of a group of students in front of the main building, filing cabinets, a full bookcase…

The principal was typing away on her computer. She was a woman slightly taller than Vice Principal Luna with violet eyes, light pink skin – although not as light as Fleur’s – and hair just as long and wavy as the vice principal’s, but it stood out much more, given that it was comprised of four different colors: pink, blue, green and aquamarine.

The reason the girl was fidgeting and looking around was not the situation she found herself in, but the person sitting right in front of her: her hair, her posture, articulation, voice, everything about this woman sans her species was identical to her mentor back in Equestria; even the name plate on her desk read “Principal Celestia”. A million different thoughts were rushing through her head, trying to come up with an explanation for that. Had Princess Celestia crossed the mirror portal as well? Was she here to bring her back to Equestria? No, that wasn’t possible, that woman had clearly been in this world since long before her arrival – dozens of students exited the classrooms and were now freely roaming the vicinity as Vice Principal Luna escorted her to the office, so somebody definitely would have noticed two soaking wet women showing up out of nowhere on the same day.

Sunset Shimmer’s heart skipped a beat when the woman looked away from her computer and to the girl sitting on the other side of her desk. It felt like her gaze was piercing her soul.

“So, Miss Sunset Shimmer, was it?” She nodded – regardless of this woman’s connection to the Princess back in Equestria, at least she didn’t know her. “You say you are a transfer student, correct?” Sunset Shimmer nodded once more; Sunset knew it was a terrible excuse, but she had to think fast and, because of her nervousness, that was the first idea that came to mind. “Well, then something here doesn’t add up because I just checked and re-checked every relevant document I received in the last three months and your name wasn’t even as much as mentioned in any of them.”

The pony girl was growing anxious. She was a stranger in this new world, and she had nothing. No documents, no money, no food or shelter, no change of clothes – she figured that they were a big deal in this society, given that every single person she came across was fully clothed – so tricking someone into letting her into this school was the only option besides becoming a beggar on the streets. Or worse!

“I-I-It was a last minute th-thing, m-maybe the documents haven’t been delivered yet.” She mentally kicked herself. She was a decent liar, but the uncanny similarities between Princess Celestia and Principal Celestia were putting her off. That stuttering could very well cost her everything.

“Alright, for the sake of argument, let’s say all of this is true.” Principal Celestia placed her elbows on the desk and leaned forward; the large gap between them is what gave Sunset Shimmer a sense of comfort, like she was safe as long as she was out of reach, but closing that gap was making her more and more anxious and uneasy. “You somehow snuck into campus despite the front gate being locked, and instead of coming straight to my office you decided to head to the water fountain, which is on the opposite side of the main building from the main gate, went for a swim in it, and when a prefect volunteered to guide you here, you assaulted her and fled?”

“Um, I… I…”

“Think, dummy! Think! THINK!”

“I… Got lost and panicked?”

The look on Principal Celestia’s face said everything. Sunset flinched when she got up from her chair, but the taller woman just walked towards the black and white photo, staring at it with her hands behind her back.

“Miss Shimmer.” She began. “Canterlot Academy is hailed as one of the best schools in the country. Since its inauguration nearly one hundred years ago we’ve accepted the brightest and most talented students coming from all kinds of backgrounds. From trailer parks to luxurious mansions, we never turned down a single person who proved their worth, and they all had successful lives after graduating.” She turned around, staring deep into Sunset’s eyes. “But you, you break into our school, assault one of my prefects, cause a ruckus running around campus, don’t have a single document in your possession, tell the most far-fetched lie I’ve ever heard in my career as principal to my face and yet you expect me to just enroll you with a smile on my face, no questions asked?”

“…Kinda?”

The principal’s facial expression showed that she was not amused. She looked at the grandfather clock on the wall across from her desk. 12:05 PM, lunchtime.

“The front gate opens at 3:30 PM. You will stay here until then. After that, you will leave school grounds and not come back until you have undeniable proof of the claims you made here today. Understood?” Sunset Shimmer nodded sheepishly. Principal Celestia nodded back before returning to her desk, grabbing a pen, ripping a page out of a notepad and writing something on it before handing it to the girl. “Here. Go to the cafeteria and deliver this to the cook. She’ll give you something to eat.”

Sunset looked at the paper, relieved that the written language in this world was identical to Equestria’s. The paper was a message from Celestia, granting her permission to join the students for lunch. “Um, thank you, ma’am.”

“And you’ll come straight back here as soon as you’re finished, understood?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

Sunset Shimmer got up and left the office. She showed the note to Vice Principal Luna, who sighed before guiding her to the cafeteria. The woman then stood by the doorway, watching her to make sure she wouldn’t try anything funny.

The former mare picked a small burger, a bowl of fruit salad, a single apple and a glass of water, then sat by herself on an empty desk on the other end of the cafeteria without paying attention to the other students. The defeated expression she had on her face morphed into a mixture of angry, determined and pensive; she had until 3:30 PM to come up with a plan that would trick the principal into enrolling her, and that’s exactly what she did as she finished her meal under the ever-watchful gaze of the vice principal. She ate as slowly as she possibly could without looking suspicious, managing to stall until 12:35 PM. The plan she had come up with was a dice toss with the odds stacked against her, but it was her only option. Taking a deep, breath she got up and followed Vice Principal Luna back to Principal Celestia’s office.

When she opened the door, Celestia was sitting at her desk, staring at what appeared to be a letter. When she noticed Sunset Shimmer had returned, she had an apologetic look on her face.

“So, uh…” The Principal started. “It seems that I owe you an apology, huh?”

“Excuse me?” Sunset inquired, genuinely confused.

She pointed at the letter she had in hands. “I just got this letter from the superintendent. It appears that your documentation was misplaced and ended up never being sent here. They are working on fixing that but, until then…” She put the letter down and got up from her chair. “…you are an official Canterlot Academy student. Please forgive me for the way I treated you. You worked so hard to earn your place in our school, and for bureaucratic reasons I almost kicked you out unfairly.” She shifted her gaze to the vice principal. “Luna, would you kindly fetch our newest student her uniform?”

Luna nodded and left the room. Celestia once again addressed Sunset Shimmer, who still looked very confused. “Here in Canterlot Academy we follow a very strict dress code policy that requires you to wear our uniform at all times while within school grounds, so if you want to attend classes, you will need one. Since this was, as you put it, a last minute thing, we haven’t had the time to order new sets. But don’t worry, as soon as they arrive we will send them to you immediately.”

The vice principal came back carrying a white shopping bag with the same logo she saw on the prefect’s uniform earlier on it. Now that Sunset could take a better look at it she could see that it was indeed a shield; it was separated in four parts by a horizontal and a vertical line – the top left piece had a yellow horseshoe turned sideways to look like a C against a blue background, the top right piece had a blue pegasus wing against a yellow background, the bottom left piece had a blue unicorn horn against a yellow background and the bottom right corner had a yellow silhouette of a horse’s head against a blue background. She was about to take the bag when the vice principal pulled it out of her reach.

“We have rules about fighting on school grounds, so I don’t want to hear about you assaulting others again. Am I clear?” Sunset Shimmer nodded once and Luna handed her the bag. She took it and left the office before anyone changed their minds. “And don’t think I forgot about your ‘hideout’. Go take a shower!”

The pony girl still couldn’t believe her luck. Princess Celestia had a counterpart in this world, maybe she also had one and she just took her place? Maybe her body didn’t cross the portal with her, and only her consciousness was transferred to this girl’s body while the original is in suspended animation somewhere outside reality? Maybe--

“So you’re the newcomer everyone seems to be talking about, huh?” Sunset turned around to look at who was speaking to her; leaning against the wall outside Principal Celestia’s office with her arms closed was a girl with light yellow skin, magenta eyes and very long and curly orange hair with yellow streaks, which she kept away from her face with a spiky headband. She wore a teal sweater vest over a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, a teal skirt, white thigh high socks and black shoes. “You don’t look like you’ll survive the year.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” The Equestrian asked with a raised eyebrow.

The poofy-haired girl shrugged as she approached Sunset with a wide smile on her face. “You can usually grasp the character of a newcomer with a single glance. Their clothes, their posture, speech pattern… Those little details can tell a lot about someone.” She chuckled. “Your clothes are damp, you smell like garbage and you walk around like you don’t use your legs on a daily basis. What are we dealing with here? Couch potato? Videogame addict?”

Sunset’s expression grew angrier the more the unknown girl talked, making her chuckle. “You talk like someone who is begging to lose a tooth or two.”

“Oh relax, featherweight, I’m just teasing you a little bit.” She said as she wrapped her arm around Sunset’s shoulder and proceeded to lead her on. “Come with me. Principal Celestia asked me to show you around and we only have a couple of minutes left before the first bell rings. Oh, the name is Adagio, by the way. Adagio Dazzle! What about you?”

“Shimmer. Sunset Shimmer.”

“Alright, then. Mind if I call you Sunny?”

“I do, in fact.”

“Great. Let’s go then, Sunny!”

Sunny growled.

“And why did you bring me back to the cafeteria?” The ex-pony asked her guide. “I’m well-acquainted with the place already.”

“Well, if you’re gonna be one of us then you need to learn how things work around here. And pay attention, because I’m not giving you the tour twice.” Adagio explained. “If you ask about CA outside of the front gate, everyone will shower us with praise. Not that we haven’t earned, this school has what you’d call a merit system, so you’re not getting in unless you give a good reason as to why you should even be here.” She flashed Sunset another wide smile. “But you already knew that. After all, you’re in here with us, are you not?”

“Right…” Sunset said as she scanned the people in the cafeteria. “An awful lot of girls in here, huh?”

Adagio raised an eyebrow, then burst into laughter.

“Oh, honey, you sure are a special one!” The redhead said as she slapped Sunset’s back once and wiped a tear from her eye with her index finger. “Do you know anything about Canterlot Academy?”

“It was a last minute thing…” She muttered.

“So I was told. Let me explain to you what everybody who read the flyer knows about: Canterlot Academy is a girls-only boarding school.” She poked Sunset on the forehead. “Got that in there? Girls. Only. Boarding. School.” She poked her again after uttering each word.

“Yes, I get it, knock it off.” Sunset complained as she pushed Adagio’s hand away from her forehead.

“Just making sure. Anyway, where was I? Right, the students! As I was saying, from the outside, this seems like high school heaven, where everybody gets along and people burst into song at random times, but that’s just what they want you to think. Forget what they told you about every graduate becoming a rich CEO who gets even richer by sitting on their asses all day, it’s all bullshit.

“The truth is, only a handful of people here will get to know what the high life tastes like. It’s all about having money or the right connections. Usually both. If you don’t fit into any of the aforementioned categories, then the best you’re gonna get is assistant vice janitor!

“So yeah, backstabbing is CA’s official greeting, so don’t get too comfortable around others. You never know who you can trust around these parts.”

“That includes you too, then?”

Adagio laughed again. “So you’re not as slow as I thought you were! You’re right, you can’t trust me either, just like how I can’t trust you. But that’s what makes it fun, it keeps you guessing! It’s also good training for adult life; if you’re not on your toes 24/7 you’re gonna die.”

“Delightful.”

“I’m not gonna ask you to trust me, I’m just giving you fair warning that any schmuck with a working brain should know by now.” Adagio directed her attention back to the cafeteria. “But these poor sods just can’t accept that’s how reality works, so they assorted themselves in their little cliques.”

“Color coded for convenience, huh?” Sunset crossed her arms as she looked around. “This will be interesting!”

She pointed at a table where everybody wore green sweater vests and skirts. “Over there you have the nerds. The only language they speak is Ogres & Oubliettes, so if your definition of ‘fun’ is playing pretend like a bunch of toddlers, you’ll fit right in.”

“Pass.”

The next was a table where blue was the dominant color, but none of them were wearing the standard uniform, instead opting for jerseys, letterman jackets, track pants and shorts; despite their unique looks, all of them still had CA’s crest or the C-shaped horseshoe on their clothes somewhere. “Over there we have the jocks. If lots of physical contact with people of the same gender turns you on, they’re your crowd.”

Sunset considered it for a moment, but eventually decided that it wasn’t worth the concussions.

“Next down the list are the preppies.” Adagio said as she pointed to a group wearing argyle vests and tartan skirts, alternating between light blue and dark blue. “The girls with wallets filled with daddy’s money with about as much personality as the bills they carry. The best you’re getting out of them is cash for favors.” She eyed her companion up and down. “Not like you have any chance of actually becoming one of them anyway.”

Sunset Shimmer groaned. “I should have packed some bits before coming.” She thought. “Then I’d at least have something heavy to smack her in the face with.”

“Then we have the vagrants.” She said, referring to a group of girls wearing black vests and skirts as well as leather jackets. “The name says it all: as soon as classes are over they just roam around the town doing absolutely nothing productive; future homeless prostitutes in training, if you want my honest opinion. If you want to hang out with them, you already look the part; they’re not very picky.”

Sunset looked down; she didn’t notice before, but she came out of the portal wearing a leather jacket. “What about the dress code, though? I highly doubt that leather jackets are considered school uniform.”

Adagio shrugged and shook her head. “The rules dictate that we have to wear the school’s shirt, shoes, vest and skirt, but it doesn’t mention anything about jackets; it’s a loophole they are more than happy to exploit. The prefects are trying to change that, but no one with power cares enough to bother trying to fix it.”

She looked around one more time and nodded. “Well, that about covers it. ‘Like-minded individuals working together towards a common goal’, some would say. Or that’s what they think until they end up with a proverbial knife between buried deep in their spine.”

“Wait, that’s it?” Sunset inquired. “What about the dark green vests? You didn’t mention them.”

“Eh, don’t bother with those.” Adagio said, dismissively. “Those are the outcasts; they don’t really fit into any of the cliques, so they just sort of… exist. They’re the background characters of this school, to be honest.”

The bell rang; it startled Sunset, making her jump.

“Oh, whoops! There’s the first bell.” Adagio explained as some students started leaving the cafeteria. She followed suit, dragging Sunset Shimmer by the wrist. “C’mon, let’s go. We only have 30 minutes until second period starts. I want to get this shit over with before then, otherwise we’ll have to pick this back up after classes are over and I have plans this afternoon.”

“Alright, just stop dragging me around like a pet and I’ll go.”

“What about yours, though?”

“Hm?” Adagio turned her head to look at her, unsure of what Sunset meant.

“Your vest. It’s not the same as the outcasts, but also doesn’t match any of the cliques. What gang do you represent?”

Adagio showed another one of her trademarked wide smiles. “Honey, I am well above the petty politics going on in this dump. My sights are on the bigger picture, you know what I’m saying?”

“Oh, so you’re a member of the ‘holier-than-thou-with-delusions-of-grandeur’ club, then. Alright, I get it!”

Adagio covered her mouth with a hand to stifle a giggle. “Ok, enough chit-chat, we’re burning daylight here. Let’s hurry along, Sunny.”

Sunset Shimmer followed Adagio Dazzle around campus, learning about the relevant locations: north of the main building was the front gate, and between the two were the dormitories; the good dormitory on the left, which was bigger, cleaner and overall better than the dormitory on the right.

“That’s the punishment-dormitory where the troublemakers and below-averages get to live.” Adagio explained. “And given that you suck at first impressions, let me be the first to welcome you into our humble abode.”

“So, which one are you, troublemaker or below average?” Sunset inquired.

“You’ll figure that out on your own.”

To the left of the main building was the parking lot, and to the right was the library. To the south was the water fountain/portal. To the left of the fountain and behind the parking lot was the shop – for shop class, not shopping – and to the right of the fountain was the private dormitory belonging to the preppies. Further south was the sports ground, and between the two were located the gymnasium to the right and the swimming pool to the left; there was an underground passageway connecting the two where the locker room was located. Connected to the field and located between the preps’ dorm and the pool was an abandoned observatory that students weren’t allowed to go in.

“Monkey-on-a-stick, look at the time!” Adagio said, looking down at her wrist watch. “Lucky you, this is your first day so you get to skip class.” Adagio rushed towards the main building. “You should know your way around campus by now. First class tomorrow starts 9:30 AM. And remember what I told you, trust is for the weak!”

Not long after Adagio entered the main building through a side door, Sunset heard the second bell ringing. She turned around and made her way towards the library; if she wanted her plan to succeed, then she would need to learn as much about these hairless apes and how to live among them as she possibly could.

Author's Note:

A new chapter every friday.

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