00 - Otherworldly Differences
It was a beautiful summer day in Canterlot High. All of the classrooms had a specific blissful aura as warm wind blew in from the open windows, ventilating out the doors and through the halls. The entire school seemed to radiate that specific blue color that made the world that little bit extra special. It was rare to have one of these days on Earth. To Sunset Shimmer, it reminded her of Equestria. The weather during the summer months was always like this, thanks to the Pegasus who controlled the weather. Unfortunately, humans hadn’t quite figured that out yet. They didn’t have the luxury of controlling the weather.
But, whenever the stars aligned, even if it was once or twice a year, Sunset enjoyed it thoroughly. Everybody enjoyed it thoroughly. Today, Sunset dropped her usual leather jacket, instead wearing a simple gray shirt with a specific sun graphic design on the front. It was funny how in a world full of humans, they still managed to find their Cutiemarks with fancy designs on clothing.
Sunset grabbed her binder out of her locker for third hour. With a flick of the hand, she closed the door and turned to walk away.
Instead, she came nose-to-nose with a prismatic human.
“Gah!” She yelled taking a few steps back. She wasn’t used to seeing Rainbow this tall. She always wore big boots. Today, she wore simple white sneakers, bringing her a good few inches closer to the floor. Sunset hadn’t realized how much difference a few inches can make to the world around her, for everybody seemed to tower over her.
Sunset stared at the blue-skinned girl as she stared back, an unreadable expression on her face. Sunset raised an eyebrow. It kind of looked like Rainbow had a frog in her mouth with the way she was making her face.
“Can I- help you?” Sunset asked.
“Hey, Sunset.” Rainbow finally said. Sunset felt unusually creeped out by her presence. She loved being in the company of her friends… usually. But something felt off about the way Rainbow pierced into her with her eyes. “Are you good to talk?”
Sunset looked over Rainbow’s shoulder and towards the clock in the hallway. It was slightly hard to see due to the swarming of the students, but class didn’t start for another five minutes. It took her less than one to get to class from their current position. Sunset looked around, then shrugged.
“Alright.” She said. “Shoot.”
“Okay, cool.” Rainbow leaned against the locker, flicking her hair. “You know- just had a few questions for you. Just wondering.”
“Wondering… what?” Sunset asked. “Because if you want me to do your homework, I won’t. I’ll help, but I won’t do it for you.”
“No-no.” Rainbow shook her head, though she did look a little dissapointed. “I mean- it’s personal. About Equestria.” Of course. Her old home. To be fair, humans like Rainbow probably would be interested in an entire alternate dimension with doubles of everybody they had ever known, including themselves.
“Oh, of course.” Sunset nodded. “I’m happy to talk about it!”
“Really?”
“Really! It’s like we’re comparing notes, or something. This world is so different from mine that- well, it’s really interesting to see the differences! So- shoot. What do you want to know?”
Rainbow cleared her throat.
“On a scale of one-to-ten, how much did you enjoy getting boned by a stallion?”
…
It seemed the world went quiet. Of course, the school students were still buzzing busily in the halls without a care in the world, but to Sunset, the entire world focused on the Rainbow standing in front of her.
She wasn’t being serious. She was joking with her. Right? Rainbow loved to prank people! But- Sunset knew Rainbow’s pranking face well. It was a biting of the lip, a twinge of the eye, and an expectation for a reaction. It was Rainbow’s way of trying to look normal while screwing with someone. Unfortunately, none of the usual tell tale signs were showing. This wasn’t Rainbow trying to act normal… this was Rainbow acting normal.
Sunset said the only thing she could say.
“What?”
“I said-”
“No-” Sunset raised a hand. “I- I don’t think I understand… What?”
“Did you ever get boned by a Stallion?”
“No!” Sunset yelled, perhaps a bit too loud. One student walking the hall gave her a weird look. She lowered her voice. “I had never once had… sex. Not in Equestria, and not on Earth!” Rainbow looked slightly dissapointed.
“So- have you ever noticed a stallion?” Rainbow asked. Sunset wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground- or melt into the locker. This was- quite possibly- one of the weirdest conversations she had ever had. Even weirder than when she had to learn to fit in with humans when she first got banished here.
“Y-Yes.” Sunset said quietly. “But it wasn’t weird, or anything! Just- back then, ponies were the only species I knew! It’s not like as a human I still notice them!”
“You don’t?” Rainbow asked. “Wait- are you telling me you’re not attracted to ponies here?”
“No!”
“Not even the horses?”
“Rainbow!” Sunset felt heat rising to her cheeks. “As a human, I like humans! As a pony, I like ponies. It’s not that hard to understand!”
“Huh.” Rainbow scratched her head. Sunset glanced to the clock. Only two minutes had passed. She felt a shiver run up her spine for anything Rainbow had left to say. And boy, did she have something to say, judging by the intense thinking look she currently adorned. “Are the stallion’s packing?”
“Ugh.” Sunset put her face firmly into her hands. She could practically feel the heat radiating off of her. “No. Stallions on Equestria are more comparable to humans than stallions here.” She muffled through her hands. “Stallions on Earth are absolute monsters compared to ponies on Equestria.”
“So you’ve looked.”
“And- ending conversation there.” Sunset turned briskly around. “Goodbye, Rainbow, and let’s pretend this conversation never took place!”
“But- wait! I have so many more questions!” Unfortunately for her, Rainbow started following her. “Do ponies go into heat?”
“Yes.”
“Without wearing clothes, how do you hide your assets?”
“Tail.”
“Did you have periods?”
“No.”
“What was puberty like?”
“Fast. Please- I’m done.” Sunset opened and closed the door to her classroom, leaving an unsatisfied Rainbow in the hallway. Suddenly, the bell rang. She cursed herself for taking so long, and ran off to her classroom, now tardy.
Sunset was still recovering from the onslaught of questions she had just received. She sat down at her desk, listening to the wood shop teacher talk about the project as she felt the blood in her cheeks slowly evaporate. A few deep breaths later, and she felt a little more closer to normal than usual.
With a wave of the hand, the wood shop teacher dismissed the class. She got up, grabbed her project, grabbed a piece of wood, and began sanding at a nearby table. The wood shop itself was large, with student sprawled across the plant, working hard at each station. She took a breath as the smell of pine resonated. Once again, a powerful gust of wind from outside blew that all-too-familiar scent of perfect summer air into the shop.
Then, she felt her face, realizing she had forgotten safety glasses. Her eyes went big as she began standing up.
“Lookin’ for these?” A familiar southern drawl asked her. A pair of safety glasses entered her vision. Sunset looked up, meeting the gaze of her friend, Applejack. She smiled, taking them with a silent ‘thank you.’
“So, partner.” Applejack sat across from her. “What did you choose fer’ your project?”
“A simple box.” Sunset replied, still sanding, now with glasses on. “I’m working on the lid right now. I already bought the hinges. Hopefully Mr. Pine won’t mind me using metal hinges.”
“Aw, I’m sure he won’t mind.” Applejack waved. “Does he expect you to use wood hinges, or summit?”
“I kinda thought so, yeah.” She nodded. “But- I dunno. It seems easier to just do this.”
“I agree.” Applejack fell into silence, the two working on their respective processes. It seemed Applejack was working on something similar, but more along the lines of a barrel rather than a box. She was currently working on carving a logo onto the side. A logo of three apples. Like her pony world’s Cutiemark. Once again, it was weird how humans had a tendency to do that.
“Hey, Sunset?” Applejack finally asked, breaking the silence.
“Yeah?”
“I jus’ had a few questions.” She said, looking up from her barrel. “About Equestria, if that’s alright with you.”
Sunset had heard of coincidences before. It was honestly something native to the human world. In Equestria, the world worked on a system of fate. Humans believed Fate to be (mostly) a feature of storytelling. Something an old wizard would tell to a young adventurer. In Equestria, fate was a scientifically proven force. Similar to something like- kinetic energy.
Perhaps a little had slipped through the portal, because this being the second person to ask about Equestria today, when nobody had asked practically ever before was a little too close to home. Sunset only eyed Applejack for a second.
Despite being… strange, Sunset still liked talking about her world. Preferably not about sex.
“Sure, that’s alright.” Sunset said, returning to her sanding. “What do you want to know?” She asked, holding her breath.
“I was jus’ wonderin’ if the- you know- Apple family were doin’ well in Equestria.”
Sunset could feel her fears melt away. Of course. The family girl was wondering about the family mare.
“They’re doing fine, last I checked.” Sunset started. “I think they were the number one producer in Equestria!”
“Really now?” She asked.
“Really.” Sunset said with a smile. “Imagine meeting the president. On his desk was an apple. An apple made by the Apples. That’s how wide-spread they are, in Equestria. You know about Cutiemarks, right?”
“Kinda.” Applejack admitted. “It’s like the special talent a pony finds, right?”
“Pretty much. Everypony has a Cutiemark. Like an image, or a logo. Like a fingerprint to that pony. The Apple’s Cutiemarks are usually, well- apples!” She said with a shrug. “You know- it’s funny. Your pony counterpart has a Cutiemark of apples. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, Twi’ told me.” Applejack agreed, still carving with a knife.
“You do realize that her Cutiemark was of three apples, right?”
“Right.”
“Applejack, what are you carving right now?”
“Three apples. Why-? Oh.” Applejack took away her knife, leaning back in her chair and getting a full image of what she was currently carving. “Uhh- how similar?”
“Exactly.”
“Wow.” Applejack breathed. “That’s creepy.”
“Humans do that a lot.” Sunset shrugged. “It’s like they choose an image to represent themselves, and just roll with it. Like how Rarity likes gems. She always has that logo of three gems on her skirt. Or how Pinkie has that one skirt with the three balloons.”
“That’s creepy, dude.” Applejack said. “Man, I don’t rightly know if I want to continue.”
“What? Why not!” Sunset said, looking up from her sanding. “But yours is coming out so good!”
“Is it?” Applejack asked. Sunset nodded. She continued. “I would say that just about everypony in Equestria has tried at least one apple.”
“Everypony?” Applejack asked. “How much is ‘Everypony?’”
“Well- less than humans, that’s for damn sure.” Sunset laughed. It seemed the wood shop teacher, who was halfway across the class, shot a warning glare at Sunset. She decided that swearing in proximity was not a good idea.
“Humans are at seven billion. How are the ponies doing?”
“You have to understand how insane seven billion is.” Sunset said. “That's a thousand million per billion. A metric shi-” She looked at the wood shop teacher. “A metric crap-ton.”
Sunset leaned back in her chair, forgetting about the sanding for a moment.
“If you count every sentient creature in Equestria.” She started counting on her fingers. “Ponies, Changelings, Griffons, Diamond Dogs, Dragons, Hippogriffs, Kirin… probably more that I’m forgetting… well- the population count was still under a million, last census.”
“Under a million?” Applejack exclaimed. “That’s weird. Does everybody-pony know everypony?”
“Kinda.” Sunset leaned forwards, starting her sanding again. “You know the phrase ‘it’s a small world?’ Well- Equestria is physically smaller than Earth. Like- less gravity smaller. There’s less room to live, and that means everything is closer together geographically. It’s not uncommon to travel the entirety of Equestria and meet a pony you knew from collage, you know?”
“So- can the Apples feed everypony?”
“Yup.” Sunset smiled. “That’s one big advantage. Less population, less world hunger. Humans struggle with that. Even now, in the twenty-first century. In Equestria, besides times during wars and things, Everypony gets food. We probably have a surplus. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Apples actually are the ones providing the entire world’s worth of apples.”
“That’s- actually really cool.” Applejack said. “So- if the population’s so small… what about jobs? Are there more dream jobs in the world?”
“Yeah!” Sunset laughed. “If you don’t want to do a job, then who’s making you, right? If some pony wants to become famous, why not?”
“Well- then everypony wants to become famous. How do you stop that.”
“And- gotcha!” Sunset exclaimed. “You walked right into another difference between ponies and humans!” She now had both her hands on the table, standing up.
“What?”
“Ponies were evolved as prey. Like- actually prey. Ponies evolved running away from predators. That’s why we’re so fast! That’s why our eyes are so large, and why we have such a large field of view, and swiveling ears! On the other hand, humans were evolved as predators. Two small eyes facing forwards. Teeth for biting into meat.”
“What does that have to do with becoming famous?”
“Because ponies are naturally more cautious!” She said with a huge, ear-splitting smile. “We, compared to humans, are more careful around other ponies! We’re big apologizers, you’ve probably noticed that. We were evolved to make sure our herd was safe, while humans were evolved to care for themselves! No offense.” Applejack just looked more confused than hurt. “Ponies are significantly less okay with going in front of big audiences and things. Ponies hate going on stage. Humans, on the other hand, love being the center of attention. Humans are all things ‘hey, look at what I can do!’”
“Oh. Ah’m kinda getting it now.”
“Right?” Sunset said, practically vibrating. “Isn’t it so interesting?”
“Actually- yeah. That is pretty cool.” Applejack nodded. “So- ponies more commonly are satisfied living normal, quiet lives while humans are more satisfied being rock stars, or youtubers, or whatever.”
“Yeah!” Sunset nodded again. “The pop stars and singers we have as ponies are the exception, not the rule.”
Then, the bell rang. Both of them jumped a bit, looking at the time. Unannounced to them, they had been sanding and carving the entire hour. How time flies. With a quick scurry of throwing their projects into their respective lockers, they departed with a little wave.
The way today was going, it was unusual that there were no questions during fourth hour. Well- maybe it wasn’t that weird, due to fourth being math, and having exactly zero of her friends present in that class. She still had people she talked to, but they were closer to associates, or people she could talk to, rather than actual friends.
By the time she sat down at the lunch table, she had almost completely forgotten about the fiasco with Rainbow until she saw her again. Sunset gave Rainbow a quick, sharp glance in order to say ‘forget it.’ Rainbow seemed to take the message as, strangely enough, a little red came into her cheeks as she pretended she was deeply interested in the salad she was eating.
It was a little halfway into lunch when Sunset realized she was being watched.
By the girl directly across the table from her.
Fluttershy hadn’t even touched her food. She hadn’t added to the group conversation, and she hadn’t taken her eyes off of Sunset’s food yet. She watched as Sunset raised a hot dog, bit into it, and placed it back down. It was actually… unusually forward for Fluttershy. Sunset would’ve expected her to be sneaking a peek while she pretended to do something else, but… Fluttershy stared. Hard.
It started to get creepy. It started to remind Sunset of a horror movie, with the quiet girl staring through the TV or something. Especially when Fluttershy’s hair descended in front of her face like that. Sunset cleared her throat.
“Can I- help you?” She asked. Although Sunset was getting creeped out, it seemed Sunset wasn’t the one getting actually scared.
With a yelp, Fluttershy jumped so hard her knees hit the bottom of the table. The other group members barely stopped their conversation, used to the antics of their shy friend. Fluttershy rapidly adjusted her hair, shrinking back, and with a barely audible tone of voice…
“Um. Hi.” She said, perhaps one of the first things she had said today.
“Hi…” Sunset took another bite of her hot dog… and noticed Fluttershy was- yet again- staring directly at the food. “Is there something wrong with my hot dog?”
“Oh!” Fluttershy said, shaking her head. “No, of course not. It’s just-” She looked over to her group mates, then the Crusaders who sat on the other side of the table, lowering her voice. “It’s just that it’s meat.”
…
“Are you vegan?” Sunset asked, looking at Fluttershy’s plate. “’Cause if it disturbs you-”
“No-no.” Fluttershy said. “I’m not. It’s just that- um- you used to be a pony.”
“Yes. I did.”
“And- Um- Isn’t this not… right? Don’t you feel bad?”
“No, not at all.” Sunset took another bite. “Meat tastes good. At first, I thought it kind of tasted like burnt hayfries, but it grows on you after a while. Might be my taste buds being different.”
“Does- um- flowers and things taste different as a pony?” Fluttershy asked. “Because they don’t taste very good over here…” She looked down.
“Yeah, they do.” Sunset nodded. “Flowers taste like garbage over here. Back in Equestria, flowers and hayfries were practically the meat equivalent. We used it on everything. Daffodil soup, mushroom sandwich… I do miss the flavor. It tastes nothing like- salad does over here.”
“It could be because- um- we put chemicals on our flowers, right?”
“Naw, I don’t think so.”
Suddenly, it hit Sunset. Like a bag of flowers. Made of concrete.
This was her third friend to ask her about Equestria today.
But- but it came up so naturally, she hadn’t even noticed it! For Rainbow, it was blunter than a baseball bat to the teeth. With Applejack, at least they were already talking about things before Equestria came up. But it still came up!
In all the time she spent existing as a human, never once in her human life had she been asked so many questions about Equestria! And in the same day!
“Um- are you okay?” Fluttershy asked. It occurred to Sunset that she was staring with such a jaw-dropping expression, she had actually dropped her hot dog onto her plate. She snapped out of it, looking towards the rest of her friend group. She suspiciously eyed both Pinkie and Rarity. Perhaps they were next. She had to be diligent!
“Fine.” Sunset growled, leaning forwards and covering her face from the rest of her friends, specially Pinkie and Rarity. “Listen- I don’t know what you guys are planning, but I don’t like it.” She seethed between teeth. It seemed Fluttershy had almost evaporated into her seat at this point, leaning so far back. “Whatever happens, I’m getting to the bottom of this, and you can’t stop me!”
The bell rang, and Sunset violently stood up, throwing her tray away in the garbage and marching towards her locker. She had to be careful around Pinkie. Pinkie was tricky, and could very easily sway Sunset into a conversation without her realizing it, the sly fox.
Now- just to figure out how she was going to do it.
“How do ponies stay healthy?”
All the subtlety of a baseball bat to the teeth.
Although, to be fair, it had quite literally taken Pinkie the entire school day to ask a question. It was now after-school hours, and Sunset was sitting in a booth of Sugarcube Corner, tasting an experimental cupcake made from- she didn’t know. It could honestly be made from the dust off the shelves, and she wouldn’t mind. As long as it tasted good.
Unfortunately, the dusty cupcakes found themselves spewed across the table as Sunset gagged as Pinkie asked the question. Now, free from the administrators, teachers, and principals of the school, Sunset could properly display her dismay and confusion.
“What the fuck?” She shouted. “You’re the fourth person to ask me about fucking ponies!What do you want to know? What is so important that I have to be bugged every fucking- fucking time?” Pinkie, for her, had shrunk back a few steps, a slightly perturbed expression on her features. It seemed she had not expected that outcome.
“Oh.” Pinkie said. “Well- I- guess I’ll go make some more cupcakes…”
Immediately, Sunset felt like an asshole. Watching Pinkie slink away with straightened hair… making the party human feel like that never felt good. Sunset sighed, realizing her mistake.
“Pinkie, wait.” She said. Pinkie stopped by the door leading to the kitchen. “I-I’m sorry. I really am.” Sunset sighed. “It’s just- I’m going crazy over here, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, Sunset.” Pinkie giggled lightly. “You are ridiculous, you know that?”
“Yeah- I think it’s just one great big coincidence. You see- in Equestria, we don’t have coincidences really. In Equestria, everything happens for a reason. It’s scientific Fate.”
“So you think this is all part of a bigger scheme?” Pinkie asked.
“Something like that, yeah.” Sunset said sheepishly, drumming the table with her fingers.
“Hey, Sunset.” Pinkie said. Sunset looked up. “I’m not mad at you for yelling like that, okay?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I just feel like a bit of a prick.”
“Tell you what, you can apologize by eating some more cupcakes. Does that sound fair?”
“Sure.”
“Darling, if you don’t hold still, I’ll never finish this ensemble in time for prom!”
“Rarity!” Sunset groaned, currently feeling as the air in her lungs was forcibly expelled. “I- really don’t think- you measured me right!” She was standing in the studio on a raised platform, her arms out to either side in a t-pose.
“Puh-lease!” Rarity said, rolling her eyes as she pulled a piece of fabric tight around her midsection. “I wouldn’t make a simple mistake like that. Really, I wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, whatever you- say-” Sunset squeaked out as the last bit of air left. Rarity took a look at the fabric in her hands, then at a paper full of measurements, then at the ruler she was using. Finally, she took one glance at Sunset, watching as her usually orange face went a dark shade of blue.
“Oh, I think I’m using Imperial measurements…” Rarity said. She let go of Sunset, letting the fabric fall to the ground. Sunset also fell to the ground, gasping for air as she fully melted down. Sunset let the warm carpet seep into her face as she felt the oxygenated blood returning to her brain, what felt like old blood running away.
“Dammit.” Sunset breathed out after a moment. Her left leg was still raised onto the platform, the rest of her body splayed on the floor.
“Oh, come off it.” Rarity said as she dug through a drawer. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Eahshy…” Sunset tried to counter, but could only get the first few syllables out before sounding like she was dying. Sunset slowly sat up, leaning against the raised platform. Rarity seemed to be doing some converting on a separate piece of paper, using her phone as a calculator to find the right metric numbers. Sunset sat breathing, watching as she typed away.
“Hm?” Rarity made a noise, redoing a measurement. “Sunset, by chance, how tall are you without the boots?”
“Uh- I haven’t checked.” Sunset shrugged. “It’s been a while, honestly. I might’ve been told during gym class, but- eh?”
“Interesting.” Rarity said, re-re-redoing her measurements. “Honestly, I thought you were taller. I got so used to you with those boots on that- well?”
“How tall am I?”
“One-hundred and sixty centimeters.” Rarity said, scratching her head. “For one who used to rule the school, I’m surprised you got past the height jokes.”
“Height jokes? Sunset asked. “How tall is that in imperial? Because, outside of measuring in Equestrian, that’s all I’m used to.”
“Err- five foot three.” Rarity said.
“Really?”
“Really.”
The two fell back into silence as Rarity kept tapping away at the calculator. Finally, she spoke up again.
“How tall did you think I was?” Sunset asked.
“Well, I’m five foot eight. I thought you were at least five foot eleven.”
“Three inches taller than you?” Sunset asked. “That’s eight inches taller than what I actually am. I don’t think they make high heels eight inches tall. That’s closer to stilts than fashion.”
“It’s just a funny misunderstanding, I guess. I wonder if ponies through the portal are any shorter than humans.”
“Well- maybe?” Sunset shrugged. “I’ve never met my double on this side. Neither has Twilight. And we’re both pretty short. But- I don’t know, that’s a pretty small sample size to make such conclusions.”
“If you think about it, ponies are smaller and have less mass, although I’ve never seen one in person. Could the portal just- create new mass to tack on? That’s not quite what we learned about thermodynamics. Maybe it can’t and so pony-humans are more… party-sized.”
“Sheesh. Don’t let Pinkie hear that.” Sunset laughed. “She might try and- I don’t know what she’d try and do, but it wouldn’t be good.”
“You know, I do wonder whether it work the other way, too.”
“Humans to ponies? Of course it does.”
“No, darling. I mean- whether human-ponies would come out taller.”
“I- actually don’t know.” Sunset laughed again. “If so, let’s hope Principal Celestia never goes through. Princess Celestia is the tallest pony I’ve ever met. If Principal Celestia goes through…”
“Oh dear.” Rarity laughed. “She might accidentally stomp on some poor pony.”
“Call that party-sized.”
Rarity wrote down one last measurement, then stood up again.
“Alright, darling, I think it’s time for round two.”
“Is this really it? Ooh, I’m so excited!”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Did we all gather enough information from Sunset to- you know- fit in? I think I got enough information.”
“What would that be, Dash?”
“I asked about- actually, you know what, it’s not important.”
“I feel bad for tricking Sunset like this. I mean- she exploded on me, and then she felt guilty about it.”
“She exploded on you? Why?”
“I guess on Equestria, they believe in a system of fate or something.”
“Oh yeah, she told me ‘bout that, too.”
“Oh, dear. Did we just fundamentally insult someone’s religion by accident?”
“Ah’ think so…”
“Oof, that sucks.”
…
“So, who’s going in first?”
“Me!”
“Not before me, Pinks!”
“Hey, move out of the way!”
Today was a normal summer day. That blissful summer air that swam through the school yesterday was all replaced by closed windows, shut blinds, and the sound of the air conditioning ringing through the school. It was no longer an Equestrian day, but rather a normal boring summer day.
Sunset pulled a binder out of her locker, closing it… and then finding a quite peculiar sight.
It was Rainbow Dash. And she was doing something most peculiar. Reading a sheet of paper. Or, at least gripping it like a banshee until her knuckles turned white, and comparing it with a nearby clock. Sunset raised an eyebrow, and remembered the embarrassing conversation they had yesterday. She pushed those thoughts aside, and approached Rainbow.
“Hey, uhh- you okay?” Sunset asked. Rainbow, somewhat clumsily, turned around.
“Huh? Never been better!” She said with a wide smile. Sunset noticed Rainbow’s posture was slightly leaning forwards, her feet pointing in two separate directions. Rainbow slowly moved her eyes to Sunset’s hair, then back down to her eyes. “Oh, hey, you’re Sunset Shimmer!”
“What?”
“Listen… friend. I need help.” She held up the schedule to Sunset. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“What?” She repeated, taking a look at the schedule. It was Rainbow’s hand writing all right. Big words at the top said so. ‘Schedule by Rainbow Dash, for Rainbow Dash.’ Sunset raised her eyebrow, reading the first few lines. “You- don’t know where Mr. Doodle’s classroom is?”
“Nope.” Rainbow responded bluntly. Sunset shook her head.
“It’s down the hall, first left, and Classroom 411.” She pointed. “Are you feeling alright, Dash?”
“Never better.” She responded with a huge grin. “I can’t wait to see that stupid donkey!” She said, walking away in less than a straight line. Sunset was suddenly concerned that her best friend had just come to school absolutely hammered… but she hadn’t smelled any alcohol on her breath. Maybe just way too stoned.
Sunset tried her best to ignore the feeling that something was terribly wrong with her friends… also, had Rainbow seemed a little shorter than usual?
Applejack looked like a lost dog. She kept fumbling with her fingers while she looked idly around the shop. Sunset meagerly sat at their usual wood shop table, looking suspiciously across from the room. Finally, Sunset sighed, standing up and walking towards her.
Applejack seemed to notice her almost immediately. It was like she was acting like a toddler who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Her face lit up with what appeared to be relief.
“You're Sunset Shimmer! Boy howdy, am ah’ glad to see you!” Applejack said. A nearby student almost ran into her with his project, turning around and shooting her a questioning gaze.
“AJ, where’s your project?” Sunset asked.
“Huh? Project?” Applejack asked, looking around, suddenly noticing how almost every student had something they were working with. “Oh- uhh- it’s- err- getting… stained?”
“Stained.” Sunset said. Applejack put on an ear-splitting smile that seemed almost too wide to be possible. Sunset nearly groaned. “Just- come sit with me.”
“Hey, actually-” Applejack started. “Ah’ wus’ wonderin’ if ya’ll could help me with something.” She started. Sunset noticed that, much like Rainbow, Sunset was standing quite weirdly. Her legs, like Rainbow, weren’t pointing straight. Her spine seemed weirdly hunched, and she didn’t quite know what to do with her hands.
Neither her pockets, apparently, as she began digging through them. Literally, digging through them. For a moment, it looked like she was about to pull her pants down, but eventually, she pulled out what appeared to be a piece of notebook paper.
“Here, can you read this to me? Ah’ need to know what’s happening next hour.” Sunset took the note. Indeed, it was titled ‘Class Schedule, Applejack.’ in Applejack’s writing. Sunset suddenly felt a huge wave of deja vu.
“Err- You gotta go to Ms. Zecora’s Biology class. Did you- not remember that?”
“Thanks, Sunset Shimmer!” She said. Sunset felt weirdly put off when Applejack uses her full name.
“Uhh- you’re welcome?”
This day was getting weird. Also- was Applejack shorter?
“Meat!”
“Oh my gosh, you’re eating meat!”
“Wha- urhg!” Rarity made an unladylike gagging sound. It looked like Fluttershy had fainted no less than a minute ago, and Rainbow was still eating like nothing was wrong.
“How can you eat that, Dash?” Applejack demanded, slapping her hand onto the table. “That jus’ ain’t right!”
“What?” Rainbow said through a mouthful of hamburger. “It’s good!”
“Jus- eat some salad, or something!” Applejack exclaimed, standing up from the table and marching away. Rarity was still busy trying not to gag, and Fluttershy was still passed out. Sunset stared, a hamburger halfway into her mouth, at her friend’s sudden shift in demeanor.
Sunset turned to look at the Crusaders.
“Don’t look at us, we didn’t do nothin’!” Applebloom exclaimed, putting her hands up.
“Rarity was like this yesterday night. I thought she was drunk.” Sweetie shrugged.
“I’ve never watched somebody face-plant so majestically…” Scootaloo sighed, head on her hand. Sunset looked back at her remaining friends.
“These are- quite possibly- the best cupcakes I’ve ever had.” Sunset said, melting into her chair. “These- These things are other-worldly!” It felt like a million calories had evaporated down her tongue in one foul sweep. No way in hell were these things healthy, but she just couldn’t get enough of them.
“Yup!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’m sorry they’re so cold. I had to bring them from… home.” She, compared to the rest of her friends, seemed to be a little less than tipsy. Probably the most normal one so far.
“Naw- it’s alright.” Sunset leaned forwards, wiping away the excess frosting on a nearby napkin. “Look- Pinkie, I’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday.” She said. “I was just- I dunno- tired, or frusterated. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I can’t be mad at you if I hadn’t ever realized it had happened!”
“What?” Sunset asked. “But- I thought it was pretty bad.”
“Meh.” Pinkie shrugged. “I forgive you.”
“Well- thanks, Pinkie.” Sunset laughed, then slowly leaned forwards again. “By the way- did you notice Rainbow Dash today?” Pinkie seemed to lean right back in.
“...No, why?”
“Dude, I think she wears like- raisers or something usually.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Because today, I swear, she was a good few inches shorter than she usually is.”
…
“Oh.” Pinkie said, suddenly sweating. “Haha? Yeah, those darn foa-kids with their raisers!” She put on a huge, wide grin that seemed to bend physics. “I- can’t imagine Dash wearing heels! M-Maybe you saw wrong?”
“Saw wrong?” Sunset sighed. “Yeah, maybe. Hey, I gotta get out of here. I gotta meet with Rarity still today, so…”
“Oh, of course.” Pinkie said, standing up. “Come, give Pinkie a hug!” She said with her arms extended.
“A hug? I mean- alright!” Sunset stood up, too. Unfortunately for Pinkie, Sunset stopped before initiating said hug. “Pinkie…” She said, looking her up and down. “Are you shorter?”
“NO.”
“Pinkie, what the fuck is going on today?” She said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to swear, but it seems like everybody around me is loosing their minds today!”
“I-If I tell you, promise you won’t be mad?”
“Of course not. Why would I be mad?”
“Pinkie promise?”
“Ugh. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Now, spill it!”
Pinkie walked close, leaning over Sunset’s shoulders, and whispered an entire novel in the time span of about five seconds. Then, she retreated, with a soft sorry smile on her face. Sunset stood for a few seconds longer, before…
“Pinkie, what the fuck did you guys do?”
It was a simple test… a test worth testing because no way in Tartarus would her friends be that stupid.
Sunset opened the door to the Carousel Botique. Without waiting for an invitation, she walked to the back room, past the front desk and displays of dresses and suits on plastic people. She idly grabbed a plush pillow from a chair, and found Rarity using a needle (quite shakily) to sow on a piece of frill onto a dress.
“Hey, Rares, catch.” Sunset said simply. Rarity turned around, leaning too far to one side for a moment. Sunset threw the pillow, and then…
It bounced off Rarity. Rarity didn’t even try to catch it as the pillow flopped to the floor. Rarity looked down at the pillow, then back up at Sunset.
“Oh, dearie me.” She said with a forced smile. Her legs were crossed quite awkwardly as she stood. “I hadn’t realized you were-”
“Didn’t catch the pillow, huh?” Sunset interrupted. It was like Rarity shrunk back a little bit. “What, you feel like you’re missing something?”As if to confirm her fears, Rarity rubbed the top of her forehead.
“N-No, not at all!” Rarity said quickly. “Why, I just feel a little tired after school, that’s all!”
“You feel like you’re missing a horn?” Sunset said bluntly. “Feel like you miss walking on all fours?”
“How did you-”
“Pinkie already told me.” Sunset said with a sigh. “I don’t know what you guys were thinking, trading places like that but- this is stupid. Real stupid.” Sunset approached Rarity, putting her hands on her shoulders. “Really stupid.”
“But I- Err-” Rarity sputtered. “It’s just meant to be a little vacation, that’s all!”
“A vacation.” Sunset sighed, letting go of Rarity and backing up until she sat down on a nearby love sofa. “Well- I guess as long as you guys aren’t- I dunno- forcibly doing this, I guess it’s fine? I just don’t like hopping between dimensions willy-nilly. Especially five from each side- ten at a time.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” Rarity said. “But being practically superheroes in Equestria is so bothersome! I just-”
“Just want some alone time?” Sunset finished. Rarity nodded. “I can relate. Humans love being in the spotlight. I’m sure my friends are enjoying themselves in Equestria.”
“I- I hope so, too.” Rarity said awkwardly.
Sunset stared in a brief moment of awkward silence. She was staring at Rarity, but it wasn’t her Rarity. She knew about doubles, and she knew that one day she would probably meet her own double, but staring at somebody who had exactly zero past experiences with her despite Sunset knowing her was a very, very strange feeling.
“So.” Sunset said, breaking the short silence. “You just came over from the pony world. You’re fresh onto the pan. What are some things that you find strange?”
“Err-” Rarity turned around, looking around the shop. “The fact that nothing this world’s Rarity owns fits me.”
“Heh.” Sunset laughed. “Human-ponies are smaller due to- I dunno, thermodynamics or something. Good thing we’re in a clothing store, right?”
“Indeed.” Rarity looked down. “And I can’t quite figure out what these- flesh mounds are.”
“Woah.” Sunset’s cheeks suddenly turned a bright shade of red as Rarity did something that- well, Sunset could’ve only dreamed of. “R-Rarity, stop it!”
“What? What’s the matter?”
“Put that back on!”
“Alright!” Rarity re-clothed herself. “I don’t see the problem.”
“Rarity- ugh- you know humans wear clothes, right? They wear clothes because being nude is very, very inappropriate. Like, imagine having sex in public. That kind of inappropriate.”
“Oh… Oh dear.” If Rarity were any other color than white, she would’ve become said white.
“Rarity…” Sunset asked cautiously. “What have you done?”
“I- I may have to apologize to some colts at the school… No wonder they reacted like that…”
“Oh my fucking god.” Sunset face-palmed. “Wait- don’t Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack live with their parents? They are so going to notice their daughters aren’t quite human!”
“Well- let’s hope they are- wait.” Rarity turned around suddenly. “I’m sorry, dear, did you happen to mention… Applejack’s parents?”
“Yeah!” Sunset said. “Oh, especially Applejack’s parent’s. Those Apples are such a tight-knit family…”
“Sunset, Applejack’s parents are dead in my world.”
…
“Oh, fuck.”
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Short, Funny, and Sweet. Great job! I feel like this needs posted on a Sunset Shimmer Fimfiction Fridays.
You know strictly going by this story's premise I expected this story to be longer. Why did you make it so short?
11415376
Well- the idea that the human and ponies switch worlds was entirely a last minute addition. I wanted a reason why the girls were asking so many damn questions to Sunset. Sunset was getting suspicous, and it had no pay off, especially when I made her shout at Pinkie. Well, I decided it would be better if Sunset's suspicons were proven true, and the humans / ponies did actually switch worlds for fun. This story was just meant to be like a Q and A for Sunset on human / pony differences. I might add on more, but right now It's complete.
11415379
On one hand, this seems like a spoiler...on the other hand, thinking about it got me to open the story and start reading.
Why were they Shorter and acting weird?
It was a nice read and a concept I haven't seen very much at the end.
11415466
As a way to differentiate between ponies turned human. Ponies have less mass than humans, so when they turn into a human their mass is less than normal, so shorter human. They were acting weird because human pony swapped places, and ponies don’t know how to act like humans.
11415489
Thanks
ah, goddamn it, you cliffhanger'd us
i need to know what happens next!
This needs more chapters
11415376
THAT'S NOT...*ahem* That's definitely at least average size.
If it's summer why are they in school?
0-0
I'd really like to see a chapter 2 on this, ngl
11415655
FACTS
We need a chapter 2
11415834
I was thinking more towards the end of the school year. Like when Prom usually happens, that's why I mentioned Prom. I knew writing it didn't make much sense, so whoops lol.
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Put this on your tracking tab. You will be properly satisfied (at least I hope so) soon.
Man I imagine there is a whole lot of extremely confused comforting of a crying mare going on.
Yikes, pony Applejack seeing human Applejack's parents alive is going to be an emotional rollercoaster.
I liked this story, it touches on a bunch of different aspects that add to the magic behind the mirror portal.
On another note, my biggest concern is what happens to immortals. Principal Celestia is probably not even in her 40s but Princess Celestia is thousand(s) of years old.
Sweetie knowing about wine and its effects on Rarity at age 10 or however old she is the most realistic part of this
Man, now I just want a story focused on applejack getting to know the doubles of her dead parents.
That shit would make for such an interesting fic. Such drama and trauma.
11416239
An early draft of this story had Rarity asking Sunset that exact question lol. Sunset explained that age is a gamble through the portal, seeing as Sunset was older as a pony, and younger as a human. I cut it because I couldn't come up with a good explanation on why the humans were aged different.
I kind if really want to know what Rarity did, in excruciating detail. And what the other girls are doing at home because you just know Pinkie doesn't live with the cakes in the human world...
Overall, this is a good short story with a fucked up ending.
11415376
Thermodynamics or something...
11416130
Yay!
thx
11416337
Relativity, simply put, time flows slightly faster in Equestria than on earth. So, for example, say 20 years in Equestria would be equal to say, 16 years on earth.
I do enjoy a bit of interdimensional shenanigans. This was a bit rough around the edges—some awkward phrasing and headcanon I personally found dubious at times—but it had a good bit of fun with the premise. Thank you for it.
I think I’ve read a story before about what happened at the end of the story. Where those characters meet and what it was like. It’s almost like someone wrote a sequel to this story on accident. I wish I remembered what it was called.
I like these kinds of slice of life stories that show the interactions between characters as well as shenanigans.
Wish the ending was less abrupt though
sequel?
11416337
I think FoME addressed that in one of the Oversaturated World stories. According to that particular headcanon, the portal more or less logarithmically shifts Equestrians' age toward late adolescence, hence the slightly more mature CMC and middle-aged princessipals. Now, as for why the portal would work like that, I dunno, blame Starswirl.
This, is a beautiful clusterfuck of nonsense, and I loved every second of it.
Ffs human Rarity, how could you have forgotten to tell your counterpart such a crucial detail.
Applejack? But aren't her parents-
Oh no.
Here it comes...
Aaaaannnd there it is.
...
Oh fuck, indeed.
All in all, a quite enjoyable read. I will be sure to revisit this every now and again.
Not bad.
Honestly you feel so stupid for not expecting it. It was part of the story and fate and stuff.
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She has no idea whether to expect fate to play a part or not, because while fate exists in Equestria, she has no idea whether fate exists on earth. Fate in equestria is as prominent as magic is in the air. Dunno, might just be stupid headcannon, but it made sense in my head.
I really really don't think this is the word you wanted here...
nodded. She
subtlety
hope
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Fixed.
Girls, maybe next time, tell someone before you plan a cross dimension vacation.
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It does make sense but the execution...
She spent a whole day of quickly pickingnup hints, being on the ball and being paranoid to... what? Dumping out her brain and needing what should seem obvious spelled out the next day? As a one shot it gets a pass but it is jarring character change. As written she should be expecting something after all that weirdness.
That's when I knew this story was gonna be good.
I really hope you write a sequel. I want to see how the "switching places" thing pans out.
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I decided to make a sequel lol. I’m already 6k words into the second draft. It’s basically the mane six minus Twilight going on vacation, and realizing their human counterparts aren’t exactly the same as they are. Example: human Applejack had a better life growing up with her parents than pony Applejack. Human Rainbow is bi while pony Rainbow isn’t. Etc. don’t worry, itll come soon enough… I hope.
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Take your time. I’m not rushing you.
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So why not Sci Twi? Or are we going by she's a unicorn, and there's no way to explain why the princess is one again?
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Nawh, this is before the discovery of sci twi. I might’ve slipped up and wrote something that suggests it isn’t, but twilight didn’t want to go because she has princess duties and really can’t afford to Willy nilly take vacations to the human world unless it’s for an emergency like the other movies. I dunno I might’ve messed up the timeline in my head.
The closest thing to a sequel https://www.fimfiction.net/story/478726/apples-in-the-mirror
Why? You want someone to test it out for you?
Not sure I believe that.
The presence of Manehattan suggests a much larger population.
Cities historically have the highest population density, and a megacity like Manhattan suggests several million at least.
All of you girls are kinda of small to be honest.
I can!
Don't horses have boobs? I mean, yes they are located by their privates, but they should still be recognizable.
Especially since milking cows are a cannon thing in Equestria.
Congratulations Rarity. You're reinforcing your reputation with little boys. And with your doppelganger's reputation to boot!
Well, that's going to be tramatic. Also, how did that never come up in conversation?
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I’m gonna be honest, I don’t give horse boobs that much thought.
11424887
Neither did I, until I started using this site.
11424887
Fully understandable…
(They have 2-4 teats. [never cared enough to get actual number] All located in the back end. Stallions do NOT have nipples. It is considered a sign of illness for them to be swollen; outside actual nursing but never equivalent of a humans.)