The fun, romance and silliness of life at Canterlot High
Canterlot High is a pretty great school to go to, thanks in no small part to the students there. However, as with any school, it has more than its fair share of odd, unexpected and just downright crazy moments. But, let it never be said that the boys and girls there can't handle some craziness in their lives. Fun, romance, excitement, the suspicious lack of any regular classes, Canterlot High has it all.
Besides, for all the ups and downs the place has, it's not as if they have a pair of nigh-immortal magical beings from another universe watching them all, right?
Celestia, as per usual, tried to maintain her famous air of regal calm and composure, but in a place such as this, even she was having a hard time with it. Discord's realm was awash with every single nonsense thing one could imagine, to the point where the idea of there being "laws of physics" had apparently just never occurred to the place. In the midst of all of it, the idea that his house itself would just be a simple cottage seemed, in all honesty, the strangest thing of all here. However, the Princess of the sun was here for a reason, and after taking a few calming breaths, she trotted right up to the front door, raising her hoof to give a gentle knock upon it. But it would appear as though her presence was already known, for before her hoof made contact, the door opened, revealing the smiling face of Discord beyond.
"Celestia! What a delight to see you here! And to think, I honestly thought you'd have trouble getting here!"
Celestia, in spite of the continuing oddness of her surroundings, offered a genuine smile to her colleague for the afternoon.
"Discord, thank you again for inviting me."
The spirit of chaos waved her off.
"Oh pish-posh! Think nothing of it! What's the point of being old friends if we can't take a moment to catch up every once in a while?"
Celestia giggled slightly, then watched as her Draconequus friend stepped aside.
"Welcome!" he greeted.
The Princess gave a slight bow of her head in that polite way of hers, but as she took her first step into her friend's home, her eyes widened. Despite the quaint and cosy exterior, the interior of the cottage was as wild and crazy as Discord himself, with a great many oddities and bizarre randomness happening every single moment. At a glance, it was the spitting image of Fluttershy's home, albeit filled to the brim with things that the animal lover wouldn't ever have herself. Discord, waltzing right on in, chose a chair for himself and sat upon the top of it. Not in the chair, I repeat, but on top. Celestia blinked, then smiled again.
"Well, I see my expectations have been met and surpassed."
Discord, clicking his fingers to summon a tray of tea, chuckled heartily.
"I aim to please, Celestia."
Taking a seat herself, the mare accepted one of the offered cups, and while Discord struggled to keep his currently-floating tea actually in its cup, Celestia merely sipped hers calmly.
"So, I trust you've been keeping well? I must admit, your invitation was somewhat unexpected."
Discord smiled back to her.
"Oh, I've been wonderful, Tia! Why, only yesterday I decided to see what it would be like to have a T-Rex for a pet!"
He shuddered.
"It...didn't quite work out for me."
Celestia giggled again.
"Oh my! But, then again, pets are a great responsibility."
Discord raised his cup
"One I fully intend to avoid for the time being."
With that, he took a hearty slurp, downing his tea in one fell swoop. Celestia, by contrast, was continuing to sip hers, bit by bit, in a far slower pace, allowing her to take in the bizarre home of her friend.
"If I may ask, what do you do when you're all alone here? I imagine a Lord of Chaos can keep himself rather occupied?"
Discord's chest puffed up with pride.
"Oh, indeed! Why, there's so many things to do! For instance..."
He snapped his fingers, conjuring a baseball into his claws, before promptly throwing it upwards, right into the upside-down volcano that resided on his ceiling, which Celestia only now realised was there. Discord then raised three fingers, counting down. Three, two, one. Then, the volcano erupted a barrage, not of lava, but of confetti, eliciting a guffaw from the Draconequus.
"Haha! Gets me every time!"
Celestia nodded, maintaining her smile.
"Quite! I would imagine Pinkie would appreciate that also."
Discord tapped his chin, pondering that,
"Oh! Good point!"
He snapped his fingers again, bringing forth a paper pad, and after transforming one of his own fingers into a pen, he started to scribble on it.
"Not to self...invite Pinkie."
Another snap, and both the paper and pen-finger disappeared. With "normality" resumed, Discord again gulped some more tea.
"Oh, it truly is nice to have someone else around to visit. Fluttershy's was wonderful, but I felt it was high time I brought over the pony I've known longest."
Celestia raised her cup slightly.
"And I appreciate it."
Discord sighed, finally slipping into his chair properly, reclining against its back and looking more than comfortable.
"Oh, the things we could do and talk about, Tia. The things we could see!"
Celestia nodded, taking another sip before commenting on that.
"Indeed. Your realm has quite the collection of strange and wonderful sights I noticed."
But Discord rolled his eyes.
"Believe me, we don't need to go out there for something entertaining! Why..."
He looked down to the floor.
"...we can find our fun right here!"
At first, Celestia was unsure of what Discord was talking about, but then, as he caused his chair to hover slightly closer to her, he looked down to the floor again. Celestia too looked down there, and paid attention for the first time to the swirling purple vortex that lay there. Like everything else here, she'd tried to take it in stride, never commenting on it, but now it appeared as though Discord had some plan in mind for it. With a snap of his fingers, the chaos-spirit caused the vortex to convulse, shifting and twirling until, to Celestia's surprise, she started to see images in it. Places she knew, like Canterlot, but which somehow looked different to how she remembered.
"What is this?" she reasonably asked.
Discord smirked.
"Oh, it is a wondrous thing, my friend. With a mere snap, this little pool can grant us sights of both this world..."
His smirk deepened.
"...and others."
Celestia looked to him with confusion, prompting Discord to snap once more. Now, the vortex changed again, and the image that appeared was something that caused a grimace on Celestia's face. It was an all-too familiar sight, her land, Equestria, but under the complete control of Discord. It was far too much like their ancient conflict for her liking, but then she noticed, to her shock, that she saw herself within the image. And not only her, but Luna as well, dressed utterly ridiculously and being chased around by a victorious-looking Discord. As for the Discord beside her, he was rather tickled by the sight.
"Why hello there, King Discord!" he declared with a wave.
The one in the other world had apparently heard him, and stopped to look upwards, through the vortex, with a somewhat uninterested look.
"Oh, hello there, much-less-interesting Discord."
The present Discord frowned, giving a quick "hmph" before giving another snap, causing the image to disappear.
"Well, I know somebody who's getting unfriended today!"
Celestia, who was understandably taken aback by all this, looked to her tea-partner.
"And...you can gaze upon any reality? Any world?"
Discord regained his earlier smile.
"Oh, certainly!"
He grinned mischievously.
"Shall we entertain ourselves by...taking a peek here and there?"
Celestia looked to him, aghast and looking more than a little indignant.
"Discord! Are you suggesting that we use your chaotic powers to spy on the private lives of those from other worlds for our own amusement?!"
Discord gave a quick shrug, trying to look as innocent as possible, and as he did this, Celestia pondered the proposal, before finally looking to him with a slight smirk of her own.
"...What exactly did you have in mind?"
Chuckling, Discord gave a slight bow to her, before promptly raising is hand.
"Let's check out the menu, shall we?"
Another snap, and this time the image changed to one that was wholly unfamiliar to Celestia's eyes. It appeared to be a school of some sort, but the beings going in and out of it were not ponies by any stretch of the imagination. They looked like upright-walking apes, all fully clothed and looking about as odd as anything Celestia had ever seen. But, before she had a chance to ask about all of this, she noticed one of them in particular. A female by the looks of it, who bore a hairstyle that was quite familiar to the immortal Princess.
"...Sunset Shimmer?"
Realisation came to her, and a smile returned to her lips.
"Ah, yes...this is the world beyond the mirror. The one Twilight has often spoken to me about. I have never seen it with my own eyes before."
She looked to the image with softness and warmth, seeing Sunset smiling at her school.
"I am glad my old student is happy there."
Then, the moment was interrupted when, to Celestia's slight annoyance, Discord began to snicker under his breath, covering his mouth but still letting the sounds of his laughter leak through. Celestia, looking to him, raised an eyebrow.
"Something funny?"
But Discord merely shook his head, bringing out a fake halo atop his head as he spoke.
"Oh, don't mind me. Just silly Discord being silly."
Celestia knew he was up to something, but said nothing, instead watching as the Draconequus began to look to the vortex himself.
"I was just enjoying the sight of all those eager young students getting ready to start the new school day. Like Sunset..."
He pointed to the girl in the image.
"...and Twilight..."
Likewise, he now pointed to what Celestia too noticed was a purple-haired young lady, just in time for her to not notice Discord smirking as he finished speaking.
"...and Spike."
Celestia looked on, ready to see an excited puppy enter the vision she was seeing. Instead, and to her great confusion, a young male human came. From what little Celestia knew of humans, he appeared to be several years younger than Twilight or Sunset, and bore distinct purple skin and a somewhat messy-looking green head of hair, clearly marking him as Spike. But still, the fact that he was not canine right now is what truly took her off-guard.
"But...Twilight told me the Spike of that realm was..."
Then, ever so slowly, Celestia was once more struck with a bout of realisation. Closing her eyes, she sighed, then re-opened them with a slight nod of her head.
"...This is not the world on the other side of the mirror, is it, Discord?"
Discord, stroking his beard, considered that.
"Weeeeeeeell...yes and no. It is...just not the one you've been told of."
Again, Celestia nodded.
"An alternate human reality. One different from the one Twilight spoke of."
Then, a new thought came to her, and her shoulders slumped slightly.
"That...is not my Sunset Shimmer, is it?"
Discord shook his head.
"No. In fact, that world has no connection to ours whatsoever. No portals connecting us, no students who are secretly from Equestria...and no magic."
Celestia mused on that notion.
"A human realm...completely divorced from any Equestrian influence. Fascinating."
Discord scratched his head.
"Well, aside from the fact that we're watching it of course."
That notion suddenly reminded Celestia of what the two of them were doing, and she tapped her own chin.
"I suppose...it would be interesting, seeing what differences there are."
Discord nodded in agreement.
"Oh, certainly! And who knows? Just because there's no magic there doesn't mean there can't still be fun for them...right? You know how crazy High School can get!"
Celestia's face was, as usual, hard to read, but Discord eagerly watched her as she thought the whole matter over. With grace and care, she once more picked up her tea-cup, giving it a quick sip as she left her Draconequus friend waiting. She took silent amusement in drawing the moment out, but at long last, she looked to her colleague with a knowing smile.
"Okay, new school, new people, new everything. I...I can handle this."
Spike's nervousness was clear, as he gently tugged on the hem of his sweater-vest, giving a loud gulping sound as he did so. Whatever else you could say about Canterlot High, there was no question that it was busy. Boys and girls from all the differing years were rushing in and out of those doors, smiling, chatting and just otherwise looking like they fit right at home here. Spike, by contrast, stuck out like a sore thumb, standing right in front of the place, in-between the great horse statue and the front doors, as if paralysed to do anything else. First day jitters were nothing new here, but this kid looked too terrified to taken even a single step forward.
"...I...I can't handle this!"
He'd have probably just spun around and run right then and there, had it not been for the sudden and unexpected hug he now received from someone behind him.
"Surprise huggies!"
"GAH!!!"
Though immensely taken aback by this, the youth soon looked over his shoulder, only to find the sweetly-smiling face of Twilight looking back to him. Though far calmer than he was a moment ago, Spike still let out a deep and exhausted-sounding sigh.
"Geez, sis! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Twilight, giggling slightly, adjusted her glasses before finally speaking to him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. But I just couldn't help it! I mean..."
Again, she smiled, lunging forward and embracing the boy in another hug, pressing her cheek against his.
"...my baby brother is finally here! At Canterlot High!"
Though Spike enjoyed a good hug from his sister as much as anyone, the exasperated look on his face made it obvious to anyone that this was, at best, a nice distraction from the stress he was feeling.
"Twily, I know you're trying to make me feel better, but..."
Twilight didn't need to hear him finish, for as she let go of him, she regarded him with a softer and warmer smile than before.
"I know going to a new place can be tough. Trust me, I felt the same way when I came over from Crystal Prep myself. But I promise you..."
She gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"...your time here will be wonderful."
Spike wanted to believe her, and at the very least he was able to give her a smile of his own, but again, as he looked to all the other students, he sighed.
"Crystal Prep wasn't the nicest place, sure, but...things here seem so...all over the place!"
A chuckle caused the two siblings to turn, wherein they saw the smirking face of Sunset Shimmer.
"Trust me, kid, you don't know the half of it!"
The two smiled back to her, Twilight especially so, and as Sunset finally reached them, she looked to the spectacled girl with particular interest.
"So, think your brother can handle it?" she asked with a hand on her hip.
Twilight placed a finger to her chin, pondering that.
"Hmmm, I don't know. He might need some help."
Spike, who already knew these girls well, recognised that they were deliberately being coy about this, and so eyed them suspiciously.
"Okay...what have you done?"
Giving another chuckle, Sunset stepped over to him, giving him a playful ruffle of his hair.
"Oh, not much, but we figured it'd be good for you to meet up with some other kids your age here, so we made and...arrangement."
Spike, growing justifiably nervous, and after readjusting his ruffled hair, raised an eyebrow.
"What sort of arrangement?"
Giggling, Twilight merrily clasped her hands together.
"Well, Applejack, Rainbow and Rarity all have little sisters here, and they have this special club for other students their age."
Here, Sunset raised a finger.
"Ah, I think you mean their special association, Twilight."
Hearing her, Twilight gave a knowing smirk.
"Oh yes, how silly of me. Their 'totally serious' association for the young students here. And it just so happens they're reaching out to some other newcomers here. So, I decided you might do well meeting up with them."
The boy, folding his arms after hearing all this, grimaced briefly, then slumped his shoulders in mild defeat.
"Well...I guess it couldn't hurt to meet up with some other kids. Might be fun...maybe."
Chuckling again, Sunset gave him a playful punch on the side of his arm.
"That's the spirit! A bit of a half-hearted spirit, but spirit all the same!"
Spike frowned to her, but said nothing as he instead watched his sister looking to the redhead with more than a little adoration.
"Thanks for suggesting it to me, Sunset."
Sunset, in turn, smiled lovingly right back to her, reaching forward and taking Twilight's hands into her own.
"Hey, I was happy to help."
Twilight blushed, especially when Sunset suddenly leaned forward and gave her a tender kiss upon the cheek, leading to both girls giggling like love-struck idiots shortly afterwards.
Staring down into the swirling vortex, Celestia and Discord had suddenly been struck with nothing short of utter shock. As the loving scene of those two girls played out before their eyes, they both slowly blinked, as if completely bewildered by what had just transpired. Slowly however, Discord was the first to get himself back to his senses, and soon gave a sly side-look to his royal companion, who continued to look on with surprise over this alternate incarnation of her two students.
"Well...that was...quite something," she finally remarked.
Tittering, Discord took a quick sip of his tea before adding his own comment.
"My dear Celestia, you wouldn't, by any chance, be opposed to such a union...would you?"
Celestia frowned back to him, but rather than play his game, she merely smiled, sipping her own tea and speaking back in that calm and regal tone she was famous for.
"On the contrary. I am quite pleased the two girls have found somebody special in their lives. I hope they're very happy with one another."
Her words were genuine, and while Discord was somewhat annoyed at being unable to get under her skin in this particular instance, he nevertheless nodded in agreement.
"Oh, certainly! Nothing sweeter than young love, after all!"
Leaning closer to her, he took on a more "Discordy" look of mischievousness.
"Although...I do hope this acceptance of yours doesn't have anything to do with those piles of romantic fanfics you write?"
Slowly, Celestia looked over to him, narrowing her eyes so her gaze was as sharp as a dagger.
"You...saw...nothing."
Spike, naturally, was feeling more than his fair share of awkwardness. After all, as much as he liked Sunset, seeing your older sister kissing her girlfriend out in public would cause anyone to want to look away, and the blush he bore as he tried to focus on anything else made that feeling clear. But after a while, he recomposed himself, looking back to the two with the slightest of snarky looks.
"So...finished?"
Sunset, still looking to Twilight with amorousness, chortled.
"For now."
Spike rolled his eyes, but then smiled again as he regarded the school.
"You know...this might not be so bad. I mean, if you like this place, Twily, then...maybe I can do good here too."
Twilight gave the widest smile yet, moving over and embracing her brother one more time, and this time, Spike actually hugged back. Sunset smiled too, looking on at the embracing siblings, and as the latter two parted, Twilight spoke to the younger with genuine confidence.
"Trust me, little brother...Canterlot High will be like no place you've ever been."
Spike opened his mouth, ready to thank her for her words of encouragement, only to be stopped when, just then, there was a loud crashing sound. Everyone around, including the three of them, turned to see what appeared to be a young lady falling out from a window on the upper levels of the school, plummeting right down into the bushes below. Spike, of course, was horrified by this, and so immediately began to rush forward. However, and to his immense confusion, he was kept from this by a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Sunset, looking on with, strangely enough, amusement. Spike was confused, as anyone would be, but then began to hear a new voice.
"Gah! You pesky little squirrel!"
Turning again, the boy looked on to see the fallen girl, who apparently had the poofiest-looking pink hair he'd ever seen in his life, suddenly get up from the bushes and, after brushing off some stray bits of broken glass from her skirt, looked up and shook her fist angrily.
"YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE LAST OF ME!!!"
Looking upwards, Spike saw that there was indeed a small squirrel on he edge of the broken window, who squeaked loudly before ducking back into the room. The pink-haired girl screamed loudly then, to Spike's further shock, dived forward, smashing through a window on the ground floor, most likely in pursuit of the critter. And all while, all the other students just went about their business like nothing had happened. Spike, blinking slowly, gradually turned back to Twilight and Sunset, who responded to this with simultaneous shrugs of their shoulders. After taking a moment to take in all of this, Spike sighed, adjusted his sweater-vest slightly, then looked to his sister.
"Well, if nothing else...you're right about this place being different."
Discord, looking on with wide eyes at what had happened, slowly developed into a look of pure joy, rubbing his paws together with great enthusiasm.
As was perfectly apparent to anyone, Rainbow Dash was not a creature that was quick to rise when the dawn's first light crept through her curtains. And creep it did, slowly trailing along her bedroom floor and up her bed until it landed just perfectly across the one eye that was poking out from under her pillow. Of course, as someone who did not appreciate being woken in this way, she opened her eye with a deep and hateful frown. As she slowly pulled the pillow from off her messed-up hair, she threw it at her curtain, as if hoping that would knock out the sun or something. Instead, it had the undesired effect of actually knocking back her curtains further, opening them wide and allowing the sun's rays in fully. With a full blast of sunlight straight into her face, Rainbow clasped her hands over her eyes.
"ARGH!!!"
She writhed back and forth over her bed, like some sun-hating vampire, complete with a hissing sound. But alas, she calmed down soon after, splaying her arms across her bed and just mumbling incoherently to herself.
"Why...why is 'waking up' even a thing?"
Several minutes passed, but eventually, she turned her still-groggy head, looking straight at the clock on the table beside her bed. There, she squinted her eyes at the numbers on display.
"Huh...eight-thirty."
She closed her eyes again, allowing several moments by. But then, her eyes shot open again, and she grabbed hold of her clock and held it to her face as she sat bolt upright.
"SCHOOL STARTS AT NINE!!!"
With that, she threw her clock across her room, though it safely landed in a pile of unsorted clothes she'd dumped on the floor at an earlier point. Throwing off her covers, she leapt out of bed, swiftly grabbing hold of her school bag before yanking on the door of her room. Now out in the hallway, she ran as though she were participating in some sort of life-or-death movie chase scene, complete with her leaping onto the rail of the staircase, sliding down to the ground floor. She darted around corner after corner, until she eventually reached the kitchen. There, she saw her parents, Windy and Bow, who had just sat down to the table for breakfast. Bow was in the middle of reading the local newspaper, while Rainbow's Mother was just about ready to take a first bite out of a slice of toast. When the latter saw her clearly-distressed daughter, she spoke in her usual upbeat way.
"So...bad night?"
Rainbow didn't answer, instead scouring the immediate vicinity. Soon, she caught sight of what she'd been looking for, a box of cereal that had already been placed out for her. Without saying a word, she rushed over to it, taking hold of it and, after opening her mouth wide, dumped an entire bowl's worth straight in. Of course, her parents were rather taken aback by this behaviour, but became even more so when they next saw her cast the box aside, grabbing onto a close-by carton of milk and just downing that thing too.
"Rainbow?!" Bow asked.
With her cheeks as puffed up as a hamster, Rainbow mumbled her answer.
"They can mix in my stomach!"
Again, she rushed past, heading straight for the front door. With great speed, she kicked off her slippers, grabbed hold of her sneakers and promptly rammed her feet right into them, and it was at this point that Window poked her head out of the kitchen door to see her do it.
"Sweetie?"
But Rainbow waved her off.
"Not time! Late for school!"
She again picked up her bag, opening the front door with her free hand, before soon charging outside, slamming said door behind her. Now she was out, the cool and crisp morning giving her a brief moment of shivering, which she was able to push herself past with impressive speed. After a quick glance, she realised that the bus had already probably come and gone, and so groaned aloud at this.
"Okay...running will do me good anyway."
And run she did, barrelling past her family's front yard and out onto the street, turning the corner and heading down the often-trod path in the direction of Canterlot High. Rainbow was confident she'd get there in time. After all, she'd think, she was the school's top athlete. And besides, it wasn't that big of a distance between her home and school. Unfortunately, fate had a different idea in mind for her, for as soon as she'd travelled far enough, she came to a grinding halt, realising that there was some maintenance work going on in the road ahead, and that it was so widespread that even the sidewalks were blocked off. Reasonably, she slapped her forehead in frustration.
"Ugh! Fine! I'll go this way then!"
Running across the road, she found a different route to take, this one far longer. But she was still sure she'd make it in time. She ignored many of the funny looks she got from the people she'd pass, focusing only on her goal. Eventually, she came upon a not-ripped-up road, and managed to again get a good pace in. But then, as was so often the case, she was halted a second time, this time by the simple fact that there was a crossing ahead, and the green light to let her cross hadn't shown up yet.
"Seriously?!" she grumbled.
At this point, she recognised that there was an old woman by the crossing. One of Applejack's relatives from the looks of it. Standing beside her, Rainbow, in spite of her clear stress, managed to at least get some small-talk out.
"So...nice day, right?"
The old woman, whom Rainbow now recognised as Golden Delicious, smiled back to her.
"Oh, yes indeed! Why, it reminds me of the time that my sister and I..."
Rainbow grimaced, realising that she'd accidentally triggered the woman's "tell life story to any passing stranger" instinct, and so again groaned. Thankfully though, it was at that moment when the green light showed up, causing a smile on Rainbow's face as she once more sped off to the other side. However, no sooner had she reached the mid-point of the road when Golden's voice spoke up to her again.
"Oh, don't mind me, girl. I'll get there eventually."
Rainbow stopped, turning to see that Golden, in a clear sign of her age, was struggling to move all that quickly. In fact, in the span of a full ten seconds, she'd only managed to get a single step forward. Rainbow, turning to the other side, which almost beckoned to her at this point, winced at the thought of just leaving Golden there, a thought which was all the more prevalent when the roar of angry engines alerted her to just how many cars and trucks were just raring to charge across the line as soon as they no longer had a red light to deal with. With morality winning over her more selfish impulses, Rainbow frowned angrily at the sky.
"Oh come on!"
She ran right back to Golden and, in a move that clearly surprised the older lady, picked her up, using an almost Applejack-level of strength to lift her over her head, where she kept her as she again ran for the other side. And not a moment too soon, for as soon as she reached that other sidewalk, the lights changed, and the collected traffic immediately bolted across. Panting, Rainbow set Golden down, and the latter gave her a thankful pinch on the cheek.
"Such a sweet girl!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, gotta go!"
With her usual speed, she continued on her rushed run to school, and finally, the building in question was in sight. But as thankful as Rainbow was for this, she knew she lad little time to spare. Raising her wrist, she saw that the seconds were ticking away, and she had only a couple of minutes. All she had to do was get to the steps of the school's front entrance, and she'd be okay. So she ran, faster than she had so far, and the sweat began to pour down her brow ferociously with her greater efforts. She drew closer and closer and closer, and finally, after leaping forward in the manner of an Olympic jumper, she practically flew past the great horse statue of the school, landing and stretching out her hand to touch the bottom rung of the steps. Now there, she grinned wildly, cheering to herself with glee.
"Yes! Ha! Who has two thumbs and isn't gonna be late for school?"
She pointed her thumbs at herself.
"This girl!"
She cackled happily, allowing herself a moment or two to just lay there on the steps and catch her breath. However, in the peace of this moment, it soon became apparent to her that the expected bell of the start of the school day wasn't actually ringing right now, and she looked to the doors of the school with confusion.
"Huh...maybe it's busted?"
"Rainbow?"
Turning, Rainbow smiled again as she saw that it was none other than Fluttershy, who now walked towards her speedy friend with a look of surprise.
"Hey there, Fluttershy! I tell ya, I really dodged a bullet this morning!"
Fluttershy, being a fairly intelligent girl, looked from Rainbow, to the school and then to her friend's rather dishevelled state, and was able to put two and two together. Clearing her throat, Fluttershy took a step closer, looking her friend right in the eye.
"Rainbow? You...you do know it's a Saturday...right?"
Rainbow blinked, her expression utterly blank as her brain began to slowly process this new information. And as that revelation and the effort she'd put in to get here all piled up in her mind, she slowly collapsed down onto the steps, looking completely distraught.
"I hate mornings. I really...really hate mornings."
She sighed deeply, trying to look at least somewhat okay.
"So, my dear Princess, what tomfoolery do we have to entertain us now?" Discord asked.
He chortled grimly.
"Something as delicious as seeing Rainbow drive herself nuts over nothing, I hope?"
Sipping her tea in a refined manner, Celestia shook her head.
"No, Discord. We have something far calmer than that."
Glancing down to the vortex, the Princess grew a small smile.
"It appears as though two of the girls are having a nice hike through the local forest."
Discord folded his arms, sulking slightly.
"Hmph! I hope they're a fun pair at least!"
Celestia looked to him.
"I believe it is Applejack and Rarity."
In response, Discord slapped his forehead.
"Argh! Wonderful! A day of hearing about apples and fashion! Oh joy!"
Celestia arched an eyebrow at Discord's sarcastic words.
"Having spent as much time with them as you have, I'd have hoped you'd realise by now that there was far more to them than that."
A snort from the draconequus.
"All I can say is that if I hear one word about farming or dresses from them, I'm snapping my fingers and knocking myself out."
His white companion shook her head, glancing again to the vortex.
"Well then, let's see what they get up to."
Taking in a deep lungful of cold air, Applejack sighed heartily.
"Ah! Get a load o' that, Rarity! A girl can breathe out here!"
The forest was, in these early morning hours, as cold and as misty as one would expect, with the sun just barely starting to rise over the horizon. It was a quiet and peaceful place, with only the sounds of birds chirping in the trees to hear. In short, it was exactly the kind of place that brought a smile to the face of a girl like Applejack. Though standing proud atop a large rock, her hands upon her hips, Applejack soon found that her earlier remark had gone unanswered, and so, as her smile faded, she looked over her shoulder.
"...Rarity?"
As she'd suspected, her friend was not within sight, but this was soon to change, as Rarity herself soon emerged from behind a nearby tree, having apparently only just caught up with her more active travelling companion. Though the girl was clad in a thick and stunning-looking coat, it apparently wasn't thick enough to keep her warm, as shown by the way Rarity was holding onto herself.
"Applejack, darling? Remind me again why I agreed to come out here at this ungodly hour?"
Applejack smirked in a knowing way.
"Because this is fun, Rarity! Two friends, out in the wild, nothin' but us an' the cold!"
A swift shiver ran through Rarity, and even her teeth were chattering at this point.
"Yes...well...one can certainly agree with the cold part of that statement!"
Applejack rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, girl, ya need to come out ta places like this more often! It does ya good!"
Rarity frowned right back to her.
"I prefer the comforts and warmth of my studio, thank you very much!"
Jumping down off her rock, Applejack walked over to her friend, patting her on the shoulder.
"Tell ya what. Ah promise ya that, if we make it jus' one more mile, we can go back an' ya can take us ta that frilly café place ya like so much! Ya know, the one that always serves those really tiny cakes?"
Hearing that, Rarity's face lit up.
"Oh! You mean that?"
Raising one hand, Applejack used her other hand to make a "cross" gesture over her chest.
"Cross mah heart!"
Smiling widely now, Rarity nodded.
"In that case...let us continue!"
But as eager as she was to get this little trek though the wood over and done with, Rarity was, sadly, still not able to really keep up with her more active friend as the latter continued onwards. Let it never be said though that Rarity wasn't willing to give it a go, and as she tried her best to keep up a better pace, she was at least able to keep Applejack in view as they continued through the forest. After turning one particularly large tree, Rarity soon noticed that Applejack had actually stopped, but that sense of relief was short-lived, as it turned out that the reason for this was that they had come to the edge of a river ford. Rarity, standing next to her friend, watched the cold water flow freely by them both, before looking to Applejack.
"Well...I guess that's the end, yes?"
But Applejack, turning to her, merely smirked, and began to stomp through the ford, send splash after splash in her wake with every step. Rarity, as befitting of her, groaned, seeing Applejack stop right in the middle of the ford as she looked back to her.
"Come on now, Rarity. Just this little ole ford an' we're done!"
Rarity wasn't thrilled at the prospect of wading through ice-cold water, especially given that her high heels weren't really meant for it. Applejack had no problem of course, having come with boots for the day, and she watched as her fashion-loving colleague knelt down to unbuckle her shoes.
"I paid good money for these, and I am not getting them wet!"
Applejack rolled her eyes, then looked again to Rarity as she carefully dipped a toe in the water. Of course, it was cold, sending a shiver right through her. But Rarity, seeing the end in front of her, didn't let this stop her, and so took a full step into the ford. Her pupils, shrinking down to pinpoints, showed just how much that iciness was getting to her, and her slow steps weren't really helping. After a time, Applejack sighed, walking right over to her.
"Applejack?" Rarity began.
Without a word, Applejack knelt down, taking one arm and wrapping it around Rarity's waist. Then, to the latter's utter shock, Applejack stood up, hoisting her off the ground and starting to carry her over her shoulder.
"Applejack?!"
But Applejack was unbothered, as shown by her look of amusement.
"Quit yer hollerin' Rarity. It's either this, or goin' through the water."
Rarity's cheeks puffed up as she continued to feel undignified over this, and she even started to pout and whine in that particular pouty and whiny voice of hers.
"Unhand me you brute!"
Applejack simply chuckled, allowing her friend to just carry on talking.
"One does not treat a lady in this fashion! Release me this instant!"
Then, after a few more steps, Applejack began to notice something. A slight but clear change in the tone Rarity was speaking in.
"Oh, whatever am I to do? This crude girl is simply whisking me away!"
To that, Applejack stopped, right in the middle of the ford, her face a confused one. Then, she glanced over her shoulder.
"Um...Rarity? Are y'all...enjoyin' this?"
There was silence for a long time, and then, Rarity could be seen folding her arms, letting out a quick "hmph" sound.
"I will neither conform nor deny such an uncouth accusation!"
Slowly, Applejack's lips turned into a knowing smirk, and Rarity soon found herself surprised yet again. For with a quick flurry of action, Applejack completely changed the position she was holding her friend in, and now, it was more akin to that of a bride being carried by a groom on their wedding day.
"So...is this more comfortable?"
Rarity was clearly taken aback, and her cheeks betrayed her by showing a very clear blush. But, continuing to pout, she again folded her arms and looked away, unwilling to look her friend in the eye. She knew exactly what Applejack was doing right now, but she wouldn't give her the satisfaction of winning by admitting enjoyment.
"Well...it's a far better position than the last one."
Applejack shook her head, then continued onwards. Before long, the two made their way to the furthest edge of the ford, wherein Applejack gently set her friend down, giving her a few moments to get her high heels back on. Rarity, having finally put herself back into some sort of presentable image, brushed her skirt down a little, then looked up to see Applejack was wearing a rightfully-smug look about her. Frowning, Rarity let out another huff, then stepped forward and poked her finger into Applejacks' chest.
"I hope you know, I wouldn't let just anybody carry me like that?"
Taking hold of the rim of her hat, Applejack tipped it to her.
"Ah know, Ma'am. Still...ah hope ya liked it."
Though still indigent, Rarity soon noticed something. A small smudge on Applejack's cheek. When she got it, Rarity didn't know, but someone like her couldn't let such a blemish go without action. Raising her hand to her mouth, she licked her thumb, then reached forward and wiped the smudge off her companion's face. Applejack, upon having had this done to her, soon took on a blush of her own, much to Rarity's delight.
"I believe that makes us even, yes?"
Shaking herself out of her feeling of shock, Applejack laughed heartily.
"Eyup...ah reckon it does."
Celestia, having seen every single moment between the two during their time through the woods, clasped her hooves together, looking utterly enamoured with what had happened.
"Oh, I could watch something like that all day!"
Turning, she soon noticed that Discord, in stark contrast to how she had felt about the whole matter, was less enthused, poking a finger into his open mouth and mimicking the motions of gagging from disgust. Frowning, Celestia shook her head.
"Honestly, Discord, you need to learn to have more of a romantic soul to you."
Discord waved her off.
"If I'd have known that this was what we were going to see, I'd have chosen the Dimension of Ceaseless Explosions for us to watch."
He chortled.
"That place really knows how to do things...with a bang!"
He paused, waiting for his tea partner to laugh at his joke. When she did not, he grunted, gulping another cup of his own tea.
Fluttershy's smile was as sweet as ever, and she merrily walked down on of the halls of the school, carefully carrying a pile of books ready to be delivered to one of the classrooms. Many of her fellow students smiled back to her, waving in greeting as she passed them. It was just one of those things about her, that nobody was ever anything but happy whenever she was around, and she, in turn, was glad to have that effect on them. Time came however when she finally arrived at the classroom she was heading for, but she found, to her slight surprise, that the door was already unlocked. It was a small thing, but not really anything to worry about. What she did worry about though was the sight that greeted her on the other side as she opened it.
"...Pinkie?!"
Her friend was indeed within the classroom, and more than that, she was at the centre of a scene of utter devastation. Desks were flipped up, books and papers were strewn all over the place, windows were shattered, and even a few panels of the ceiling had broken and fallen to the floor. At the centre of it all was Pinkie, sitting down cross-legged on the one chair that was actually standing upright, arms folded, and looking very grumpy.
"Hey, Fluttershy."
Now, if anyone else were to have walked into a sight like this, they would most likely have run away screaming, or become so worried that they would comically back away slowly, closing the door behind them. But not Fluttershy, oh no. Instead, she took a deep breath, releasing an extended sigh, before entering the room in earnest. Closing the door, she carefully set her books down on the side for the moment, before slowly walking up to her friend. She knew Pinkie, and more importantly, she knew what this devastation must have meant. And as she finally reached her, she was sure to say it.
"So...still having problems with Mr Squirrel?"
Pinkie looked utterly incensed at the mention of the animal's name.
"He evaded me yet again! No matter how hard I try, no matter what I throw at him, he still manages to get the better of me!"
Fluttershy, who had her hands clasped together in front of her skirt, nodded patiently, before then gesturing to all the broken furniture around them.
"Yes...and I see you've thrown quite a bit at him."
Pinkie's hand balled into a fist, and she shook it at the sky angrily.
"This blood feud between my family and that squirrel has gone on for generations, Fluttershy! And I must see it through to the end!"
"Wait...how old is that squirrel?" Discord pondered.
"It's probably for the best if we don't find out," Celestia answered.
Fluttershy was a gentle soul, and though she clearly took some issue with everything that had apparently happened in here, her displeasure was never once reflected in her voice.
"Pinkie...I won't claim to understand how upset you are...but if I'm being perfectly honest with you, I think the time has finally come for you and the squirrel to come to terms."
Pinkie's eyes burst wide open, and she leapt out of her chair, astounded that her friend would say such a thing.
"But...but...but...but our war?!"
Gently, Fluttershy raised her hand and placed a single finger upon Pinkie's lips, silencing her.
"No buts, Pinkie. This has gone on long enough."
She turned, looking out of the very-much-broken window.
"Do you know how much trouble you've already gotten in with Vice-Principal Luna over this?"
Pinkie rolled her eyes.
"Pfft! She's just angry that I dented her car during one of our fights."
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.
"Pinkie...you split it in half."
Her friend faltered here for a bit, then shrugged her shoulders.
"I got her a new one, didn't I?"
Fluttershy's face remained utterly stoic.
"Yes...and then you ended up putting that one into a giant furnace. I wouldn't have minded so much except you weren't even fighting the squirrel that time! You just saw it sitting on the thing earlier that day and just decided then and there to melt it afterwards!"
Pinkie's eyes narrowed.
"All things touched by that beast must be purged!"
Another long and massively exasperated sigh on Fluttershy's part, after which she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"...Okay."
Here, she did not say anything to Pinkie, but instead walked over to one of the shattered window. She peered out of it for a bit, focusing on one spot outside in particular, then placed her thumb and forefinger into her mouth and let loose a loud whistle. Nothing happened for a minute, and then, out of nowhere, the squirrel in question merrily hopped onto the windowsill.
Celestia eyed Discord suspiciously.
"I thought you said that world didn't have magic?"
The draconequus snorted.
"Ha! This is Fluttershy we're talking about! Like she even needs it to get animals to come to her!"
"Hmmm, good point."
Unfortunately, while Fluttershy was more than happy to have that little squirrel ere, Pinkie suddenly gained a very literal fire in her eyes, leaping to her feet and pointing her finger furiously at her long-time enemy.
"MONSTER!!!"
The squirrel too gained a look of rage and violence, baring it's teeth and squeaking in an un-squirrelly aggressive way. The two readied themselves, preparing to leap at one another and continue their dangerous feud. But before they had the chance, Fluttershy raised both hands towards them, in a manner not dissimilar from a traffic warden halting a two-way road.
"Enough!"
The two stopped in their tracks, looking to their mutual friend, who took in another deep breath before starting to speak calmly.
"Now then...I think this has gone on long enough. Putting aside the fact that there's never a reason to keep fighting when the cause has been forgotten, this school simply cannot continue to endure all the destruction you two keep inflicting on it!"
Pinkie seemed almost amused by that.
"What? Come on, Fluttershy! We're not doing that much damage to the place!"
At the moment she spoke, one of the ceiling lights, which had been hanging on for dear life during all this, suddenly fell down, shattering into a thousand pieces upon the floor. All three looked to it, their faces utterly emotionless, with Pinkie ultimately turning to look to Fluttershy once more.
"...Continue."
Putting on one of her trademark smiles, the kind that would melt the heart of even the most stone-faced of enemies, Fluttershy looked down to her furry friend.
"Now then, Mr Squirrel. Would you please be willing to make peace with Pinkie? I'm sure you're very tired of having to fight her and her family for as long as you have."
The squirrel looked down like a child who's just been scolded by their Mother, complete with him clasping his claws behind his back. Next, Fluttershy looked to Pinkie.
"And Pinkie, what has this fight really brought you? Aside from years of non-stop anger and bitterness?"
Pinkie too pouted and looked away, leaving all parties refusing to look to one another. But, either through sheer force of will or through her unrivalled sense of "please be nice to one another", Fluttershy's words eventually managed to seep into their hearts and minds, and they slowly looked to one another. Fluttershy smiled as they did this, but she said nothing as, after a long minute of silence, Pinkie sighed, walking over and getting down to one knee before her old foe.
"So...truce?"
The squirrel hesitated, as though suspecting a trap, but after glancing to Fluttershy, and the angelic smile that came with it, he relented, giving a few tiny nods before stretching out his claw. Pinkie smiled too, taking hold of the claw and giving it a little shake. Fluttershy clapped her hands together happily.
"Oh, I'm so happy the two of you could get this sorted out!"
Pinkie giggled.
"Yep! I mean, yeah, who wants to spend their whole life fighting a squirrel just because that squirrel stole your great-great-great-Grandfather's walnuts?"
The squirrel, hearing that, squeaked a few times to Fluttershy, who nodded once or twice before looking to Pinkie.
"Um, Mr Squirrel says your Grandfather stole his nuts."
Pinkie blinked, then forced a smile and a laugh to the little creature.
"You know...probably best not to debate who did what to who. Wouldn't want to upset our dear and beloved friend Fluttershy, would we?"
The Squirrel, agreeing to that, gave an equally forced grin of its own, and the two gave another show of shaking hands, much to Fluttershy's relief.
"Well, here's to peace. It may have taken a while, and the school's infrastructure may never recover, but at least it's all over now."
Pinkie, placing her hands on her hips, gave a hearty nod.
"Yes indeed! Peace between Pie and Squirrel!"
A pause, and when she at last spoke again, it was with grim determination.
"Besides, now that this fight is over, I can focus all my efforts onto the thing that truly matters to me!"
Fluttershy looked to her, tilting her head slightly.
"Oh? What's that?"
Pinkie balled her hand into a fist.
"Fulfilling my family's feud with that one really annoying pigeon!"
As if on cue, a pigeon suddenly landed on one of the branches of a tree just outside one of the broken windows, leading to all three of those within the classroom to turn simultaneously towards it. Pinkie, glaring furiously, rushed to the window, shaking her aforementioned fist at the bird.
"You hear me, bird?! It's not over yet!"
The bird, cooing innocently, merely invoked further rage from the girl.
"Don't give me that! You know what you did!"
Taking yet another deep breath, Fluttershy merely turned around, walking back to the classroom door.
"One problem at a time, Fluttershy...one problem at a time."
Blinking slowly, Discord leaned over to Celestia.
"Just when you think you've got a handle on this world, suddenly something like that happens!"
Celestia smirked back to him.
"Yes...and I imagine you're enjoying it quite a bit."
"Hear ye, hear ye! Ah call this meetin' o' the Canterlot High Youth Association open!"
Apple Bloom banged her gavel, which was really just a commandeered squeaky toy, onto her desk, starting the meeting. She was, at the moment, surrounded by many of her peers from her class. There was Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo of course, but there was also her cousin, Babs, as well as one-time-but-not-anymore bullies Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. A few of the boys from her class were there too, and after surveying all of those in attendance, Apple Bloom gave a hearty smile.
"Alrighty then! Before we get started, does anyone have any business from the last meetin'?"
Celestia was practically fawning over this sight.
"Oh, that is simply precious!"
Discord rolled his eyes.
"Ugh! Skip!"
He was then nudged in the side by his royal companion, earring an expected grunt on his part.
"Okay! Fine! We'll keep watching! But it had better get interesting!"
Diamond, naturally, was the first to want to talk.
"Yes, there is some business to talk about!"
Scootaloo slapped her forehead.
"Okay, here we go."
Diamond, ignoring her, said what was on her mind.
"As you all know, my Father is planning a nice yacht vacation for him, me and my Mother, and I brought this up at the last meeting."
"...So?" Babs enquired.
Diamond frowned to her.
"So...nobody went 'oooh' or 'aaah' like they were supposed to. Clearly my announcement warranted more awe than that!"
They all stared at her for a time, and ultimately, Apple Bloom sighed with exasperation.
"So...does anyone have anythin' important ta talk about?"
Diamond sat back in her chair, huffing indignantly while Silver patted her on the shoulder. Apple Bloom, looking around, saw that there was nothing else that anyone wanted to talk about, and so gave a firm nod.
"Alright...then we'll move onto the big announcement fer this week's meetin'..."
She smiled, gesturing to the other side of the room.
"...that we have three new members comin' in today!"
All eyes turned to see that there was indeed three more youngsters there, all sitting quietly together. The first was Spike, who nervously waved to the group.
"Um...hi."
Still smiling, Apple Bloom pointed to him.
"Why don't ya introduce yerself ta us?"
Realising he was now the centre of attention, the boy gulped, then got out of his chair and, after adjusting his collar, cleared his throat before speaking.
"Well...er...my name is Spike, and I'm glad to be here. I'm new here at this school and I look forward to doing well here."
The others nodded to him, then Silver gained a look of curiosity to her.
"Wait...aren't you Twilight's brother?"
Realising that he was already known, at least through his sister, Spike nodded. Upon realising this, Babs gave a chortle.
"Hey, looks like the Youth Association has its own egghead now."
Spike frowned to her, earning him a softer look from the girl.
"Er, no offence."
But Spike eased off fairly quickly.
"No, it's fine. Honestly, Twilight was always the brains of the two of us, but I like to think I'd have still done well if I'd have gone into Crystal Prep."
Upon hearing the name of this almost-school, the group shuddered.
"Ugh! You'd have gone there?! Good thing we rescued you then!" Scootaloo remarked with a smirk.
Attention soon turned to the second of the new arrivals, a boy more-or-less the same age as Spike, who actually looked more nervous to be there than the former. After being looked at by Spike, the other lad gained his courage, standing up himself before starting to speak.
"I...um...my name is Terramar. I have a sister here too. Silverstream?"
Hearing that, Sweetie Belle smiled and clapped her hands together.
"Ooooh! No pressure, but she's pretty fun to be around. Are you like her?"
Terramar laughed a little bit, shaking his head.
"No, she was always the more fun one. Actually, she was the one who said I should come here to this club. I've never really been that good at...you know...putting myself out there."
Spike looked to him with a knowing smile.
"Preaching to the choir, buddy."
Terramar smiled back to him, and Apple Bloom was rather pleased to see this.
"See? Y'all are makin' friends already!"
It couldn't be denied that the newcomers were having a fun time so far, but it soon became clear from the look on her face that, for Diamond, something had suddenly sparked in her mind.
"Wait...you say Silverstream is your sister?"
Terramar turned to her.
"Er...yes?"
Diamond looked to him with intense focus.
"So...that means you're also related to that Queen from Europe or whatever? Novy?"
Terramar cleared his throat.
"Novo. And yeah, she's my Aunt."
Now, most of the kids were understandably awed by the fact that they had literal royalty in their midst, but Diamond had certain other feelings at the moment, and soon a sly smile crept onto her lips. Before anyone could say anything, she grabbed her chair and screeched it along the floor, planting it right next to the boy's. Naturally, Terramar was a little taken aback by this, but was far more so when Diamond started leaning closer to him, seeming more than a little flirtatious in her tone.
"So...you're a Prince, right?"
The hapless boy darted his eyes about in a worried manner before shrugging his shoulders.
"I...guess?"
Diamond's smile widened.
"You know...that yacht my family and I are going on has enough room for one more...if you're interested?"
Terramar, lost for words, fumbled a bit, but he was thankfully saved from Diamond's advances by the timely arrival of Sweetie Belle, who grabbed onto her "friend's" ear, pulling her away.
"Oh no you don't!"
"Owowowowowowowowow!" Diamond mumbled.
The other kids laughed of course, but it was soon remembered that there was still the matter of the third recent arrival, and this time, it was a girl, with bright blue curls, who had been sitting quietly through all of this. But, she soon gained the attention of the leader of the Association.
"An' y'all?"
The girl timidly stood up, looking to all in the room, before finally announcing herself.
"Oh, my name is Cozy. Cozy glow."
Celestia tensed up, staring quietly at the girl after she'd declared her name, all while Discord winced and looked away.
"Ooooh...awkward."
But Celestia sighed shortly afterwards.
"No...it's fine. This girl is not her Equestrian counterpart. She has done no wrong."
She perked up slightly.
"Besides, that world has no magic, so it's not like she even could do those things that our Cozy did!"
Nodding, she seemed to be a bit more accepting of the matter.
"I'm sure this girl is nothing but a sweet innocent!"
Discord nodded, albeit slower.
"...Uh-huh."
"So, Cozy, tell us about yerself," Apple Bloom asked.
But before the other girl had the chance to actually do so, there was an interruption in the form of her phone starting to ring. She looked down to the pocket on the side of her skirt, then looked to the others, reasonably embarrassed by this.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I thought I switched it off!"
Scootaloo waved her off.
"Hey, it's fine."
Cozy took her phone out, looking to the name on the screen, at which point her eyes widened slightly, and she giggled nervously.
"Um...could I just...one moment?"
Apple Bloom nodded, giving consent for her to step outside for a bit, which Cozy did. All others watched as she left their club-room, closing the door afterwards, at which point Spike then looked back to Apple Bloom.
"So, not to sound rude, but, us three don't really know all of you, so..."
Hearing that, Apple Bloom slapped her forehead.
"Oh! Right! How silly of me!"
She turned, gesturing to her other friends.
"Well, to start with, y'all know Sweetie and Scoots of course."
Spike and Terramar gave a little wave to them, and the two girls in question waved back, leading to Apple Bloom then pointing to the next few girls.
"Over there is mah cousin, Babs, an' Diamond an' Silver."
"Hey," Babs said with a nod, while Diamond and Silver just gave a casual glance in their direction. Finally, Apple Bloom pointed to the other three boys, who had thus far said nothing in this meeting.
"An' those three are..."
Sadly, she was interrupted by Diamond.
"Ugh! I'll finish this one!"
She ignored the irritated look Apple Bloom gave her and instead pointed to the first, Tender Taps.
"That's dancing boy..."
Tender blushed slightly while Diamond pointed to Rumble.
"...grumpy boy..."
Rumble folded his arms and frowned to that, and Diamond finally gave her last point to Button Mash.
"...and game boy!"
The final boy laughed.
"I get it!"
The whole room collectively rolled their eyes at his reaction, and Apple Bloom, while a little miffed at Diamond's hijacking of her introductions, nevertheless smiled for the two remaining new members of her Association.
"Well, ah hope y'all an' Cozy have fun here at Canterlot High. We have fer years now!"
However, Spike soon started to look confused.
"Wait...shouldn't you have graduated by now then?"
That just earned him a few laughs from the girls.
"Oh Spike! Don't worry, you'll spend years in this year!" Sweetie Belle explained.
The two new boys blinked slowly, prompting Scootaloo to lean in closer.
"Trust me, you'll get used to it."
They very much doubted that, but stayed quiet and just gave a polite smile. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom looked to their clubhouse door, looking a little worried.
"Huh, ah wonder how Cozy's gettin' on?"
Stepping down from her desk, she walked over to the door, opening it up to reveal Cozy on the other side, who was just finishing her phone conversation.
"...and then dump him in the river."
Apple Bloom, having not caught that, instead cleared her throat, causing Cozy to snap her head towards her.
"I DON'T HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH THE MOB!!!"
Apple Bloom paused here.
"Er...what?"
But Cozy soon recovered.
"Oh! Er...I was just...talking with my Mom. You know, likes to call and see how I'm doing."
Apple Bloom smiled.
"Neat. So, y'all wanna come back in?"
Cozy nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh, yes please! I can't wait to make all kinds of friends here!"
Apple Bloom gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Then welcome ta the Association, friend!"
Seeing all of that, Celestia took a deep breath, then slowly sighed.
"So, my chaotic friend, who are we gazing upon this time?"
Discord, taking a moment to find amusement in the overly-refined way Celestia was sipping her tea, gave a dry chortle before once more turning his eyes to the vortex. He studied classroom after classroom within the layout of Canterlot High, before stopping at one in particular, where a pair of rather familiar-looking students were. They were sitting opposite one another, and appeared to be in the middle of a discussion of some sort. But what truly caught Discord's eye in this is who they appeared to be.
"Well, if my guess is right, I do believe that's your student's students Gallus and Smolder down there."
That piqued Celestia's interested, and as she too looked down, she could not deny that there was indeed a great deal of resemblance between the aforementioned youngsters and the two humans that now appeared to her in the vortex, at least in terms of their colouring. Nodding slowly, the Princess again turned to her companion.
"What are they up to?"
Discord shrugged his shoulders.
"Dunno. Looks like a debate or something."
Hearing that, Celestia smiled, looking down to the two youths with clear approval.
"Ah, now that's what I like to hear! A pair of fresh and eager minds, discussing and debating the great questions of life! A fierce back-and-forth on matters of intellect and philosophy! Clearly this school has been fostering these youths well."
Discord arched an eyebrow to her, letting her continue to speak.
"Pray tell, what exactly are they debating?"
Looking down to the vortex, the two immortals at last started to listen in on the conversation below.
"Smolder, you're crazy!" Gallus declared.
The girl opposite him chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.
"Hey, I stand by what I said, and there's nothing you can do that's gonna convince me otherwise."
Balling his hand into a fist, Gallus slammed the desk between them, looking to his friend with fury.
"What you're saying is nothing short of madness!"
But Smolder simply smirked, leaning in closer and looking her classmate right in the eye.
"Oh yeah?"
Gallus nodded frantically.
"Yeah! How can you possibly say that Dino Catastrophe is a better game than Zombie Evil?!"
Celestia, blinking very slowly, soon let out a long and tired-sounding sigh, then took another calming sip of her tea.
"You know...sometimes I set my hopes too high."
Discord, smiling triumphantly, snapped his fingers and conjured a kazoo out of nowhere, bringing it to his lips and blowing it.
"Let it be known across the land! Celestia finally gained some self-awareness!"
Celestia rolled her eyes, looking instead to the vortex.
"Smolder, everyone and their Grandma knows that Dino Catastrophe is nothing more than a clone of Zombie Evil! I mean come on! It's just a rip-off, plan and simple!" Gallus declared.
Smolder snorted.
"Hey, I don't care how similar they are, Dino Catastrophe is just plain better!"
Gallus frowned angrily at her.
"The only real difference between them is that your games has dinosaurs and mine has zombies!"
Smolder smirked.
"Yeah, and that makes all the difference. Because as everyone knows, dinosaurs were, are, and always will be objectively better than zombies!"
"Hmmm...the girl makes a fine point."
Celestia, upon hearing Discord's voice, turned to see him now dressed in a fancy outfit reminiscent of that of a university Professor, complete with a pair of glasses and a pipe. Taking said pipe into his mouth, the draconequus blew bubbles out of it, adjusting his glasses before finally speaking, albeit in an obviously fake "smart guy" tone.
"Dinosaurs are indeed better than zombies. I see she's got a good head on her."
Celestia, as expected, sighed again.
"So...this is how my day is going to go."
"Smolder, let's be totally real here. There's nothing about dinosaurs that would make them better enemies than zombies. I mean, zombies are...you know...zombies. They're the walking dead for crying out loud!"
Smolder frowned.
"First of all, copyright, so be careful. Secondly, the fact that they're walking dead is exactly the problem! You see a zombie coming and they're just shuffling along at the pace of a snail."
She tittered a little.
"Oh no! This falling-apart dead person is very slowly coming towards me! Whatever will I do! Oh, I know! I'll just walk at a slightly faster pace! Problem solved!"
Gallus fumed at her sarcasm, but didn't say anything, instead watching as Smolder continued.
"Now a dinosaur? Those things don't have that problem. They're fast and vicious predators! Zombies ain't got nothing on them!"
"Pfft! The game's still a rip-off! I mean, dark tone, closed paces, terrible controls, it's basically just a reskin and everyone knows it!" Gallus countered.
Smolder arched an eyebrow.
"Hey, I thought you said you liked that game?"
The boy nodded.
"I do! But let's face it, turning a corner is hard as heck with those games."
In spite of herself, Smolder afforded herself a quick chortle.
"Yeah, no argument there."
She turned, looking out of the nearby window.
"It was pretty awesome that Mayor Dazzle lifted the violent game ban, otherwise we'd have never seen those two on the shelves again!"
Celestia nearly choked on her tea.
"Mayor who now?!"
Discord waved her off.
"Oh, I'm sure it's never gonna come up again."
He stifled a laugh behind her back.
But the truce between the students was short-lived, as the two glared at one another shortly afterwards.
"Okay, maybe we can agree on that much, but there's still no excusing the fact that you actually like other terrible games!" Gallus remarked.
"Oh yeah? like what?" Smolder asked.
An I've-already-won-this-argument type of smirk crept onto Gallus' face.
"Well, for one thing, there's those cute little animal games you like so much. Like Catch-Em-All?"
Smolder's eyes widened, and she nervously looked around herself.
"Where...where did you hear that?!"
Gallus snorted, folding his arms and leaning back into his chair, clearly happy that the discussion had gone more in his favour now.
"Oh, I may have heard a rumour or two."
His smirked widened.
"The legendarily tough Smolder, playing games where you catch adorable little animals. Oh, how embarrassing!"
Slowly, Smolder narrowed her eyes.
"S...so what if I like stuff with cute animals in it! Besides, I catch them so they can fight one another, remember?"
Raising his hands, Gallus assumed a more defensive posture.
"Okay, okay, calm down, I'm just messing with you."
He took on a more mischievous look.
"Besides...you look so cute when you're flustered like that."
Immediately, Smolder's cheeks started to blush, much to Gallus' amusement. Unfortunately for the lad, this moment of having one over her did not last long, and soon she looked to him in the same way one would when looking at a person who had just stolen the last cookie on the plate. Pure rage. Gallus, perhaps sensing some oncoming conflict, swallowed loudly.
"Yes, well...um...you know, maybe we should check in with our friends and..."
He didn't get the chance to finish, for Smolder, after pushing up the sleeve on her right side, promptly slammed her elbow down. Gallus, seeing the determined look she had, as well as the snarl she was forming, sighed, realising what was happening.
"Really? Here? Now?"
Smolder nodded.
"Yep! You asked for this, Gallus!"
Rolling his eyes, Gallus unleashed an exasperated groan, then got himself in a proper sitting position. Realising that there was little he could do to dissuade her, he too took up a proper arm-wrestling stance, clasping her hand into his own. They glared at one another, just waiting for the right moment. Then, it happened, and both of them put their all into this contest of literal arms. Unfortunately, though Gallus's spirit was willing, his body was not, and it only took one forceful motion on the part of the much stronger Smolder to send him sprawling, off the desk and right onto the floor. As the boy recovered, his friend stood over him, smiling triumphantly.
"Not so cocky now, eh?"
But Gallus was not done yet, and he silently smiled while Smolder couldn't see his face. Before the girl could react, her fallen foe gave a sweeping kick along the ground, which collided with the backs of her legs. After yelping out slightly, Smolder tumbled, but contrary to where Gallus would have wanted her to fall, she instead toppled onto him. Naturally, such a collision was uncomfortable for both parties, and as they struggled to regain themselves, their mood was not exactly improved by the experience.
"Argh! Get off me!" Gallus yelled.
"Hey! I wouldn't be on you if you hadn't...hadn't..."
Smolder's words trailed off, and soon, Gallus understood why. Their current position was, from the outside, rather unfortunate, as Smolder, with her hands on the floor on either side of the boy's head, was right over him. They stared at one another, both blushing immensely, yet never saying a word. However, to the even greater embarrassment of the two, they soon found that their solitude was now interrupted by the sudden creaking of the door of the classroom they'd been using. Beyond stood their friends, who had clearly arrived to come and find them. As Sandbar, Silverstream, Yona and Ocellus stared blankly at the two, the pair on the floor immediately got off one another, standing up and brushing themselves off, with Gallus trying desperately to explain what had happened.
"Er...we...that is...what happened was..."
"It's not what it looks like!" Smolder summarized.
While the three girls in the doorway all blushed and smirked in equal measure, Sandbar simply folded his arms and looked to the two with interest.
"Well it looks like you two had another argument about video games, got into some kind of a fight, and then accidentally fell on top of one another."
The two blinked, glancing to one another quickly before again turning to Sandbar, with Gallus clearing his throat.
"In that case...it's exactly what it looks like."
Sandbar's eyebrow raised.
"Really? Because we can just as easily assume the other thing, if you like."
Gallus frowned to that.
"No, thank you."
Sandbar smiled.
"Alrighty then."
"Ha! I like that kid!" Discord remarked.
Celestia too smiled.
"Yes, I imagine you'd do much the same in his position."
"Is it normal for humans to spy on each other in a creepy way from behind some inconspicuous bushes?"
Celestia arched an eyebrow as she considered her chaotic companion.
"...No...I would say it's as inappropriate for them as it is for us."
Discord nodded seriously.
"In that case...I'd say our dear Twilight has a somewhat worrisome situation."
Celestia's ears perked up, and she again looked to the vortex. Sure enough, there was indeed someone watching from behind a bush on the other side of the road from where Twilight and Sunset were. The young lovers were currently eating a small snack together at a local cafe, completely unaware of the fact that they were being watched. The assailant in question? A girl who appeared to be about their age, with a largely pink hairstyle that was tied back in a ponytail. What's more, she was not alone, as a similarly-aged girl with silvery pigtails was sitting beside her, looking completely bored out of her skull.
"Well...that's rather...interesting."
Discord chuckled at the Princess' remark.
"Indeed...so let's keep watching.
Sour gripped her binoculars tighter and tighter as she continued to spy on the as-yet unaware couple on the other side of the road from her. Her teeth gritted and she panted heavily, her words bathed in venom.
"Stupid Sunset! Stealing my Twily! Nobody takes Sour Sweet's stuff and gets away with it!"
Sugarcoat rolled her eyes to her friend's words, giving her a quick tap on the head to get her attention.
"You know, for Twilight to have been stolen from you, she would have first needed to have actually been yours. And i don't know if you remember, Sour, but you and her were never together."
But Sour waved her off.
"Pfft! Details!"
She hadn't even looked up from her binoculars to say that, instead continuing to focus on her "stolen love" from her hiding place.
"Besides, you and I are on a sacred mission, Sugarcoat. The honor of Crystal Prep is at stake! Those lowly Canterlot High heathens took one of us! That is a crime that cannot be allowed to go unpunished!"
Sugarcoat blinked at her slowly.
"This situation is gonna end very badly for you, isn't it?"
Sour ignored her, as she so often did, adjusting the lenses on her tool of choice before again looking to Twilight. She was laughing, clearly enjoying her lunch date with Sunset, which only served to stoke the fires of Sour's passions.
"Oh, my fair and innocent Twily! Look how you've let that red-haired temptress lead you astray! Don't you know you belong with us? With me? Know you not how I long to smell your hair at night as you sleep?"
For the first time today, Sugarcoat started to look worried.
"It occurs to me that you're probably one of those people who's going to have to pay a lot for therapy bills one day."
Putting her binoculars down, Sour clenched her hand into a fist, shaking it with rage at Sunset's general direction.
"I swear to you, Sunset Shimmer. One day, you shall rue the day you crossed Sour Sweet! You and your children, and your children's children, you shall all weep and despair with the unholy vengeance I shall inflict upon you all for your theft of my beloved."
Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Sugarcoat just shrugged her shoulders.
"Yep, restraining orders all around with this one. Freedom was nice while it lasted."
Sour, ignoring the sage counsel of her friend, started to cackle maniacally.
"Let the world know that Sour Sweet shall never give upon this quest! Twilight Sparkle..."
She leapt up, standing tall and screaming to all the world.
"...SHALL BE MINE!!!"
As one would expect in a situation such as this, this bellow caused all eyes in the immediate area to turn in her direction, particularly those of Sunset and Twilight. There was a deathly silence that followed, as Sour finally began to let the moment sink in, realising that she had outed herself. Sugarcoat, for her part, had simply resigned to covering her eyes with her palm, the embarrassment of the moment simply too great for mere words to express. Sour, on her side of things, had stayed in that one defiant pose for almost a full minute before finally starting to move again. Raising a balled fist to her mouth, she cleared her throat, brushed her self off a little, then reached down and grabbed Sugarcoat. The other girl was unable to react before her friend hoisted her up so that she too was standing up, now in full view of everyone.
"See, Sugarcoat? I told you this wasn't the way to the grocery store!"
Sugarcoat eyed her classmate with the biggest death-glare in the history of death-glares, though Sour was unconcerned with it as she continued with her act.
"Well, we two silly girls had better just get to where we were going...which was the grocery store...and nowhere else."
That "top tier acting" apparently did the trick, as many of the bystanders simply elected to ignore them and walk off. But Twilight and Sunset just continued to stare at them for a bit, prompting a nervous grin on Sour's part. The Crystal Prep student, rather than continue to dig this hole for herself, instead took hold of Sugarcoat and began dragging her away, all while the latter continue to stare daggers at her. When the two were finally gone, Sunset blinked a couple of times as she turned to Twilight.
"No offence, Twilight, but...your old friends are kinda weird."
Giggling, Twilight looked back to her girlfriend.
"You have no idea."
Pondering this rather unexpected predicament, Discord turned to Celestia.
"You know...your students could probably do with a few more perception points going their way."
But Celestia was unconcerned, merely sipping her tea.
"Hey, don't forget, those two aren't my Sunset and Twilight."
Discord, taken aback by that, soon developed into one of his characteristic smirks.
"Oh my, just look at all the little moments of fun they're having down there!" Discord remarked with a gleeful smile.
His eyes darted over many of the images before him as he and Celestia continued to stare into the vortex.
"The Crusaders having a little moment of cooking with their new friend Cozy, and being utterly nonchalant about her having suspiciously good skills with knives. Twilight continuing to be unaware of her having a rather obsessive ex-classmate following her and Sunset around. Rarity and Applejack continuing to be, ugh, sweet with one another. It's just good stuff all around."
Celestia too smiled, taking another sip of her tea as she again regarded the vortex herself.
"Indeed. It has been quite an experience thus far. I must confess, I hadn't considered this to be as fun as it turned out to be when I first started."
Discord smiled back to her.
"You see? Didn't I say spying on the people would be fun?"
Celestia frowned to that, much to Discord's annoyance.
"Okay, fine, I'll downplay the whole 'spying' angle!"
A nod from the alicorn, and she soon sighed, looking down to the images of all these alternate versions of those she knew.
"I'm sure Luna would enjoy this also."
"Not as much as you, sister."
Immediately, both Celestia and Discord snapped around, seeing the rather stoic face of none other than Princess Luna staring back at them. Celestia was delighted to see her younger sibling, while Discord was rather more irritated by the notion.
"And just who gave you permission to come to my home, little Miss Moon? I recall asking only Celestia to come here!"
Luna frowned at him.
"Well, given how long you've been keeping her, I decided it was high time to come along myself to convince her to get back home."
Celestia giggled slightly.
"Oh, Luna, you needn't be so worried. A single evening with Discord is hardly going to turn Equestria inside out."
Luna raised an eyebrow.
"Sister...you've been here for three months!"
Silence passed, and Discord suddenly started to look very worried, like a schoolchild who'd been caught breaking one of the classroom windows. Celestia, her own face becoming utterly blank, looked to her sister in the vain hope that maybe she was joking about that remark. When it became clear that she was not jesting, her expression became one of irritation, and she slowly turned to her host.
"...Discord?"
Scratching the side of his face, the Draconequus sort of mumbled to himself.
"Hm? Oh, er, I may have sort of changed the flow of time in here to be a bit, well...different to what it is out back in Equestria."
He shrugged his shoulders.
"I mean, no harm done, right? Luna's been perfectly fine ruling without you, and hey, you just said you had fun here, right?"
It would have been completely understandable for Celestia to simply rage at her chaotic companion, but instead, the Princess sighed, setting down her tea and gracefully standing tall.
"Discord, I appreciate you wanting to set some time aside for me this afternoon...even if it was a rather longer afternoon than I realised...but I simply must return to my duties now."
Discord folded his arms, huffing indignantly.
"Okay, okay, you can go. Luna just had to come along and spoil things, didn't she?"
The moon Princess smirked to him.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, it was nice being the tallest alicorn in Equestria for a while, but, all good things must come to an end, so, here I am."
Celestia cast her a sideways glance after that, but soon giggled, letting the annoyance of the previous revelation wash away.
"Well, it's been nice, Discord, but I will be returning to Canterlot now. Do enjoy your vortex without me, won't you?"
Discord rolled his eyes, waving the two off. After exiting through his front door, he could hear them start to talk about all that had happened in Equestria during her absence, as well as everything Celestia had seen since arriving at Discord's home, but after a time, their voices faded away to nothing, and he knew that they were gone. Now alone, Discord's eyes drifted down to the vortex, and he suddenly lost whatever interest he had before in watching the antics of all those humans, however weird they might have been.
"Ugh, just not as fun without her."
He snapped his fingers, and the images faded from the vortex, giving him a chance to hop onto the nearby sofa and give himself a stretch.
"Well, it probably wouldn't have been all that interesting anyway..."
He paused, then re-opened his eyes with a look of curiosity.
"Do you ever get the feeling that our lives are just some sort of entertainment for an all-seeing trickster deity who laughs at our every misfortune?"
"...No, cousin, ah can safely say that ah've never felt that."
The other girl shrugged. "Meh, guess it's just me then."
Applejack shook her head slightly, keeping her smile all the way. "Yer an odd one, but ah wouldn't trade ya fer the world."
Pinkie beamed at those words. "Dawwwww! I love you too, AJ!" she replied, grabbling her cousin and hugging her tightly.
Now, most would probably be winded by such a cuddly attack, but Applejack, who had likely grown used to this sort of thing by now, took it in stride, getting one hand free from the embrace and patting Pinkie on the head just before the latter let her go. "Sorry Apple Bloom an' Big Mac weren't able ta make it out here today."
But Pinkie seemed unconcerned with that. "Pfft! It's no biggie! I know they've got other stuff on today."
Applejack, leaning further into her chair in their corner of the café, let out a sigh. "Yeah, it's just, ya got ta such lengths ta set up all these little family get-togethers, an'..."
The party-lover simply smiled to her, patting her on the shoulder. "Think of it this way. When they are available, I'll just hug them twice as hard!"
Applejack chuckled. "Eyup, ah can see it." After taking a sip of the juice she'd ordered for herself some minutes prior, she arched an eyebrow at her companion for the evening. "So, how's things?"
Pinkie smiled widely, as she was known to do. "Oh, it's great. Now that me and Mr Squirrel have called a truce, we've managed to pool our resources and outflank that pigeon! Oh, that little birdy won't know what hit him!"
Applejack blinked a few times before taking another sip of her drink. "Well, that's...nice?"
Pinkie then scooted a bit closer to her. "And you? How's things with you and your sweetheart?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows very noticeably.
In response, Applejack tipped her hat. "Now Pinkie, as Rarity would say, a lady don't kiss an' tell."
Pinkie gasped, grabbing her cousin by the front of her shirt and bringing their faces mere millimeters from one another. "There's kissing now?! Oh, now you have to tell me!"
Unfortunately for her, Applejack was determined to keep her lips zipped on the matter, scooting herself just a little bit away from her. "Sorry, Pinkie. But yer gonna have ta wait fer all that."
Retreating slightly, Pinkie folded her arms and pouted. "Hmph! You're no fun!" Then, her smile returned, carrying more than a hint of mischievousness about it. "Although, I suppose this does give me a chance to speculate in those romance novels I like to write."
Applejack looked to her with incredulity. "Ya mean yer fanfics?"
Pinkie giggled, rubbing her hands together in a manner not unlike a supervillain. "Oh, trust me, I write them about everybody I know!" She leaned in closer, bringing her voice to a whisper. "How do you feel about Miss Cheerilee and Mr Cranky as a couple?"
Applejack shivered. "Ah think we need ta keep this conversation away from romance now."
Pinkie, in sharp contrast to the more reserved way Applejack had been drinking her juice, took her glass and gulped it down in one go, letting out a contented sigh afterwards. "Ah! Well then, I suppose we'd better talk about all the other stuff we're gonna do later. I hear there's a new movie out this week."
Applejack looked to her. "A comedy?"
Pinkie gasped. "How'd you know?!"
"Heh, just a guess really," Applejack replied with a knowing smirk. "Sounds fun. But first we gotta go an' watch Rainbow set that record o' hers. Said she was gonna finish the racetrack faster than ever today, right?"
Pinkie looked utterly giddy at the prospect. "Oh yeah! Think she'll do it?"
Applejack shrugged. "Knowin' her? Oh yeah. That girls so stubborn the track'll probably grow shorter just from her sheer determination to get to the end of it faster." Taking a moment to think on that remark, she looked again to her cousin. "Though reality-warpin' is more yer are o' expertise."
Crossing one leg over the other, Pinkie leaned back into her chair with a look of pride upon her face. "Guilty, as charged." The two shared a laugh again after that, and after finishing both of their snacks, a big cream pie for Pinkie and an expected apple pie for Applejack, the former glanced over to the side, to where Mrs Cake was currently wiping down the counter. Then, in a similar move to earlier, she whispered again. "You didn't hear this from me, but I suspect Mr and Mrs Cake might be getting a happy surprise soon."
Applejack's eyes widened, looking quickly to the woman in question before again turning to Pinkie. "Ya reckon?"
Pinkie nodded firmly. "Oh yeah. I've got a sense about these things, and there's definitely a bun in the oven." A pause, then she amended her own words. "Well, besides the actual buns they've got in ovens around here."
Applejack smiled warmly, taking her empty glass and raising it to a non-existent audience. "Well, ah wish em luck then. It'll be quite the party if that happens."
Pinkie clapped. "Ooh! A party?!"
Applejack nodded. "Well, there will be if the famous Pinkie Pie has anythin' ta say about it."
Pinkie balled her hand into a fist and punched the air. "You're darned right there will be!" Getting herself up from her chair, with Applejack following shortly afterwards, the girl made her way to the front entrance of the café, giving Mrs Cake a quick wave before leaving. And once outside and giving herself a quick stretch, Pinkie turned and looked to Applejack triumphantly. "Now then, let's get over to that movie theater. And you didn't hear this from me, but I've got one doozy of a dessert waiting for you when we get back to my place afterwards!"
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Pinkie, where do ya even fit all those desserts in ya all the time?!"
Pinkie smirked to her. "Hey, with all the stuff I do, how could I not need all that sugar?!"
Applejack considered that, then shrugged. "Eh, good point."
"Twilight?" Sunset asked while gently knocking on the door of her girlfriend's room. After waiting a few moments, she sighed, knocking again. "Twilight, I know you're in there. If you're too engrossed in your research to be able to make proper human sounds, tap once on your desk." Putting her hear to the door, it wasn't long before that aforementioned tap could be heard, leading to an eye-roll on Sunset's part. Knowing Twilight well by now, Sunset opened the door, and on the other side was a sight that, to anyone else, would have been a worrying experience. A setup not unlike that of a stereotypical mad scientist from a thousand black-and-white movies, with beeping lights, glowing tubes and all manner of other things. For Sunset though, this was all old hat, and as he entered she looked on at Twilight, garbed in her white lab-coat and her face barely an inch from the scribbles she was making in her notes. Approaching her from behind, Sunset folded her arms. "So, dare I ask what miraculous discoveries or inventions you've been making this time?"
Finally acknowledging her partner's presence, Twilight looked to her, a wide and somewhat manic smile plastered all over her face. "Sunset! You wouldn't believe it! Did you know that the possibility exists that there's a parallels reality where Equines have gained the ability to verbally communicate and form complex, monarchist societies?!"
Blinking slowly, Sunset soon smirked. "Okay, now I know you've been working too much."
Twilight adjusted her glasses, looking a bit disappointed that Sunset wasn't as wowed about the revelation as she was, but then took on a look of realisation as she glanced over to her clock. "Oh dear, I got a bit too involved in my work again, didn't I?"
Sunset shrugged. "Just a bit."
Taking her glasses off slightly, Twilight rubbed her eyes for what had to be the first time in ages. "How long have I been in here?"
Sunset gestured to the door behind her. "Long enough for Spike to get worried. He figured I'd have better luck getting you to come out and eat something than he would."
Twilight, upon hearing that, giggled nervously. "My brother means well, but I really am working on important stuff here, Sunset. I'll come and eat, but I just need to finish my current notes." Seeing the disapproving look the other girl gave her, Twilight raised a finger. "One minute, that's all I'm asking!"
Realising that it was about as good as she could hope for, Sunset sighed, relenting. "Fine. But I'll be timing you, okay?"
Twilight smiled, clasping her hands together in thanks before zipping around and getting back to her furious scribbling. This gave Sunset time to glance around, her expression a mix of both curiosity and incredulity over the unfathomable science stuff around her. "You know, I really hope you're not doing anything illegal in here, Twilight. You know, crimes against nature sorts of stuff?"
Twilight waved her off, never taking her eyes off her notes. "Not at all. There's plenty of stuff I do here that's perfectly acceptable."
Sunset arched an eyebrow. "By your standards, or others?"
Twilight stayed silent for a bit, then answered quietly. "Oh, here and there."
Sunset shook her head to that. "Such as...?"
Leaning back into her chair, Twilight tapped her chin as she considered that. "Well, they probably wouldn't approve of that artificially-grown human I made. But hey, it's not hurting anyone, right?"
As before, Sunset blinked slowly, but rather than reply to that out-of-nowhere declaration, she turned around to look into the one corner of the room she hadn't actually paid attention to yet. As she'd suspected, there was indeed a large, person-sized tube filled with a bright green liquid. Inside the object, suspended and asleep, was what appeared to be a human male, roughly their age. After staring at him for a while, Sunset eventually turned back to Twilight, her voice about as calm as one could muster under the circumstances. "Okay, first of all, the minute is up. And second of all..." She then pointed to Twilight's creation behind her. "WHAT?!?!"
Getting up from her chair, Twilight shrugged. "Well, since most modern fields of human genetics don't really seem that interested in the possibility of actually going ahead and creating a complete lifeform, I figured it might be worth a go myself."
Sunset took a deep breath, keeping herself as restrained in her tone as she could. "Twilight, there's probably good reason why they don't do that."
Twilight scratched the back of her head as she glanced over to the boy in the tube. "Oh, yes, I suppose morality is probably a bit of a concern in this matter."
"Ya think?!" Sunset countered.
Frowning, Twilight walked past her. "Okay, if it makes you feel any better, I'll introduce you." She ignored the clearly-troubled look Sunset had on her face, then went over to a massive metal lever besides the enormous tube. Pulling on it, she stepped back to watch as the green liquid inside began to drain out, giving a better look to the boy within, who could now be seen sporting a short, blue haircut. Once all the liquid was gone, the tube opened, letting out the usual amount of steam for a situation like this.
The girls watched, then stepped back as the boy opened his eyes, taking a single step out of the tube. He took a moment to look at the two of them, then smiled. "Hello. My name is Flash Sentry. Thank you for making me, well, alive."
Twilight smiled back. "You are very welcome, Flash." She smirked over to Sunset. "See? He's happy about this."
Sunset gave herself a facepalm, then breathed in and out very loudly before finally speaking to her girlfriend. "Twilight...I think now would be a good time to go downstairs and get that lunch I came here to get you for. We can discuss this matter later."
Twilight, who had taken to giving her glasses a quick wipe, gave her a nod. "Alright, I suppose lunch does sound good right about now."
Sunset watched her turn to leave, then grabbed her by the arm to stop her. "Before we go..." She glanced back to Flash, who of course kept that smile of his, before allowing her eyes to drift down slightly. Instantly, a blush crept onto her cheeks and she averted her gaze, looking instead to Twilight. "Can we...just give him some pants first?!"
Twilight thought on that, similarly looking back to Flash, then returned her attention to Sunset, maintaining that same smirk from earlier. "Sure...after lunch."
While Spike was usually considered more of a bookworm than an athlete, even he had to conceded that today was a good time to be out and about. Standing alongside his classmates, in the large sports field adjacent to CHS, he was decked out in the usual gym uniform of the school, simple shorts and shirt. The sun was shining brightly today, and that, coupled with a nice and cool breeze, left this a very pleasant time. Looking to his left and right, Spike looked to his fellow youths, all of whom were looking some combination of either eager to get on with their activities or utterly bored with the whole scenario. For his part, after twiddling his thumbs a bit, he finally broke the silence. "So...what's the gym coach like?"
Scootaloo, who had been standing next to him in the line, leaned over to him. "He's okay, but he's getting a bit old these days. Can't really keep up like he used to, you know?"
Sweetie Belle, who was on the other side of Spike, added her voice to the matter. "But I hear he finally retired. We're getting someone new today."
That caught everyone's interest, and Cozy, who was standing right on the far end of the line-up, rubbed her hands together wickedly. "Interesting...maybe we can convince them that the old teacher just let us play games all hour."
Terramar glanced over to her. "Hm?"
Cozy cleared her throat with a forced cough, putting on her sweeter demeanor. "Um, I was just saying how nice it is to meet somebody new!"
Babs, looking over to Spike herself, smirked a little. "Think you got it in you to go head-to-head with me in a rope-climbing session, Spike?"
The boy in question looked around before answering her. "It's an outdoor session, Babs."
But the girl simply shrugged. "Meh, in or out, I'll cream ya at anything we're told to do."
Spike chuckled. "We'll see. I was no slouch at my old school."
"Ooooh! A challenge!" Silver remarked.
"Pfft! I give him maybe a minute before Babs outdoes him," Diamond added.
Almost as soon as she'd finished saying that, they all heard a slight hissing sound, causing them to turn to see that it was Tender, who was mouthing something while pointing off in another direction. In unison they looked to said direction, and it was here that they all saw an unfamiliar face. A woman, decked out in the usual garb of the gym teacher, namely a maroon or burgundy-ish tracksuit. Her expression was pretty stern, but the real eye-catcher about her was the distinct mohawk-esque hairstyle she wore. Without a word, all the kids could tell that this was the aforementioned new teacher they were getting, and also got the distinct impression that fun and games were not on the menu for today, causing them to stand upright, as if on a military parade. The new woman, finally reaching them, clasped her hands behind her back before pacing up and down the row of children. "As you have no doubt figure out, I am your new gym coach. My name is Tempest Shadow, and I want it known that there will be no silliness on my watch, understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" the kids all said together, not really sure what prompted them to do so.
After giving a firm nod, Tempest whipped out a clipboard, her finger trailing down the list of names before her. "Spike Sparkle?"
"Present," Spike answered.
"Apple Bloom?"
"Present."
"Sweetie Belle?"
"Present."
"Scootaloo?"
"Present."
And on and on she went until she'd received confirmation about the presence of all the children that were supposed to be here. So, setting her board on the ground for a moment, she eyed them carefully before speaking up again. "Now, your previous teacher was having you do simple exercises. Light jogging and such. That was the plan for today as well, but..." A slight smirk came to her. "You'll be pleased to know that I've arranged a more...advanced regimen for you." Waiting a moment to hear the collective gulp from the class, Tempest looked to them dead-on. "Behind you, you will find some standard exercise equipment."
The children all turned, and were quite surprised to find a whole plethora of very heavy-looking weights and other such gym items there, with Diamond especially feeling the need to comment on it all. "Um...how did we not notice that there?"
However, when the quasi-aristocrat girl turned back around, it was to see Tempest having approached her, their faces now and inch from one another, with the latter smiling insidiously. "I see we have our first contestant."
Diamond's face turned practically white. "But...but...but...!"
Standing upright again, Tempest pointed to the weights. "We'll start with ten lift-ups. Silver, you can be her spotter." The two girls sighed, walking over to the weights, all while Tempest looked up at the sun, shielding her eyes from it's light briefly before, apparently, deciding that today was just a touch too warm for her, prompting her to slide off her outer jacket. This revealed her white vest underneath, as well as the momentously ripped arms and torso she was sporting, which she took a moment to flex while she was at it. "Keep at your exercises, kids. And one day, you too can look like this."
Spike, folding his arms, nodded to that. "Huh, not a bad inspirational pep talk, I guess."
Then, feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned to see Apple Bloom, who was looking quite amused all of a sudden. "Ah don' think it's inspiration the boys are feelin' right now."
To that, Spike turned to see where she was looking, and sure enough, his friend had been right on the money, as all of the boys in the line-up had responded to that flexing from their teacher with fierce blushes. Chuckling briefly, Spike turned again, looking past Apple Bloom and giving her a nod in that direction. "I can say the same for all of them."
Apple Bloom looked behind her, and found that Spike too was correct, as all the remaining girls had become just as flustered by the sight of Tempest as the boys were, leading to a shrug on her part. "Well, somethin ta be said fer the athletic types, ah guess."
Meanwhile, Diamond was struggling to even lift a single weight, and was panting heavily. "How...many...is...that...Silver?"
But Silver, unfortunately, had herself become too intrigued with the sight of Tempest to really pay attention to her friend. "Uh...yeah, you keep doing that, Diamond. You'll get there."
Looking to that whole situation, Diamond groaned. "I'm...gonna be here all day, aren't I?"
Few things brought Twilight as much joy as working on some super-secret project that would, in all likelihood, be considered a crime against both nature and the general rules of the universe. But, did she ever let a thing like wariness of the unknown or fear of what dangers may be unleashed stop her? No, no she did not. So, alone in her lab, she tinkered away with yet more of her ambitious yet highly suspect creations. In this case, something that, at first glance, would have been perceived as little more than a pair of bright green goggles, albeit ones with all the usual trappings of mad science, like blinking lights and antenna that gave off slightly theremin-sounding noises. Twilight, for her part, had her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth as she gave the device her full attention, sparks flying with every adjustment she gave it. But, as with all such projects, she soon came to an end, and eventually she held the goggles aloft before speaking in a tone of triumph. "At last! At long last! My greatest creation has been finished! They said I was mad! That it couldn't be done! Well, who's laughing now? Well, probably Pinkie somewhere, but that's a given."
Unbeknown to Twilight, a mostly all-powerful spirit of chaos was reclining on his sofa, sipping a tea cup and throwing away the tea with its usual explosion, his expression one of pure amusement. "Ah, it really has been a delight watching these alternate takes go about their lives. So many differences between them and the goody two-shoes ponies I've come to know." He glanced to the side, wherein a picture frame on the wall bearing a yellow pegasus mare was smiling at him, before giving her a wink. "Aside from you, Fluttershy my dear. You're wonderful and sweet no matter what universe you're from." With a snap of his fingers, he conjured an apple, but one that was constantly screaming at him as soon as he brought it to his mouth to eat it. Disappointed by this conjuration, Discord simply threw it over his shoulder, snickering to himself as he again regarded the viewing portal in front of him. "Oh, dear Celestia. You have been so missing out on all of this. But, I suppose I get all this wonderful entertainment to myself at the very least." He rubbed his claws together. "And of course, weird and blasphemous science is always a hoot!"
Making sure the strap was adjusted to the right size, Twilight slipped the goggles onto her head and, after taking a few breaths, switched it on. "Okay, let's see if this actually works." The screen part of the goggles glowed brightly, signalling their activation, and as Twilight's eyes squinted within, she began to look around her room. "Okay...everything seems normal so far." Reaching to the side of the device, the girl took hold of one knob in particular, then twisted it slightly. Immediately, her face lit up with joy, and she clenched her hands into fists and shook them excitedly. "It...it worked! I can finally see them! Not just speculation and hypothesis, but real, actual other realities!"
Discord smirked. "Oh? Taking a peek at other dimensions and spying on them, Twily dear? How very inconsiderate of you." Then, after a moment of glancing around, he scratched the side of his cheek. "Then again, who am I to judge?"
Stepping forward, Twilight stretched out her hand, as if to touch something, only to sigh when clasping it yielded nothing. "I thought so. I can look, but no touching." As before, she adjusted the setting on her device, and after a flicker of the panel, she took on her same look of curiosity from a few moments ago. "Fascinating! A world where humanity never evolved. Oh my, so many dodos!" Another flick of the switch and a new world again was revealed to her. "Ah, a world where that one became president. Huh, who'd have guessed that'd be how things turned out?" She shrugged, then flipped the switch again.
Discord leaned forward, his devious grin betraying the excitement he was feeling from this. "So nice to see tiny minds like hers explode with the realisation of just how much is out there." He chuckled. "Why, if Twilight here knew just how much was out there..."
Twilight flipped and flipped and flipped, looking upon countless worlds, each bizarre and strange to her eyes, yet all the while utterly engrossing and almost hypnotic to look upon. Her head turned in every direction as these new sights came to her, and eventually, after one final flip, she looked to what had been right behind her. "Well...now he's an interesting specimen."
Discord's grin widened, anticipation over what she had apparently seen growing in him with every moment. "Well then, don't leave me hanging! Who do you see?"
Twilight's face broke into a smile. "Oh! This one can hear me! Hello there!"
Slowly, Discord blinked, and his own smile soon faded afterwards. "Um...pardon?"
Twilight reached to the side and grabbed her notebook, eagerly jotting down notes. "This is incredible! Actual two-way dialogue between realities! I could get a paper published on this!" She again looked up. "Tell me, Mr Goat...dragon...thingy. What's life like in that world of yours?"
In response to this, Discord backed away from the portal immediately, snapping his fingers and shutting it, ceasing the unexpected conversation. After almost a full minute of panting from the sheer surprise of what had just transpired in front of him, he calmed down, at least slightly. "Well...okay...not exactly how I thought this whole thing was going to go." He cleared his throat. But, I've cut off the portal now. Probably best I step back now. Wouldn't want things going too far, would we?"
But, barely had he spoken those words when, to his terror, the portal reopened, and the smiling face of Twilight was seen for a second time on the other side. "Sorry, connection cut out there for a moment. But, we're back on now." Again, she got up her notepad. "So, about those questions..."
Staring at her for the longest time, Discord eventually facepalmed. "Why...why don't I ever listen to Celestia?"
