1- The Girl from the Other World

Chapter 1: The Girl from the Other World

How dare you keep this magic from me?!

Sunset Shimmer’s world exploded in a disorienting array of color and light. Everything spun, then stretched, then expanded and contracted. She felt her body change, transform, as every cell within was bathed and infused with an arcane magic she could barely understand.

It’s selfish of you to keep me from my rightful place!

There was no sound, but her ears buzzed under the scrutiny of a violent, incomprehensible tempest. There was no pain, but there was a constant tingle along her body that made it itch, badly. She twisted and hurled, carried by an unknown force, and she had long forgotten which way was down.

We’ll never get past this because you aren’t seeing how great I deserve to be!

Time was meaningless to Sunset. She couldn’t know if it had been seconds or hours, but she was beginning to understand. It was a sort of tunnel, or more specifically, the magic around her was making it feel like so. Arcane power rushed past her in every direction, infusing and transforming her, feeling almost desperate to finish its work before the tunnel ended.

This is the biggest mistake you’ll make in your entire life.

And suddenly, she hit the ground.

Her world kept spinning as she reoriented herself, blinking away tears and white spots. She was glad to be touching the ground at long last, giving her reference for which way was down. The portal had made a number on her, and she was having trouble keeping herself from barfing. She had always had a bit of motion sickness, but she could easily counter it with a wave of her horn. It seemed that she’d need to recast it again, as soon as she didn’t feel her stomach turning in on itself.

She could feel grass underhoof, but it felt odd. A breeze caressed her, and it was way too cold. She shivered as she looked up, her vision a bit blurry, but she could look past it. The grass didn’t extend too long, trees decorating the place, a pond not too far away with a small bridge crossing it in the middle. She was in a park, it seemed. Past the trees, Sunset could see an array of rectangular buildings of the likes they built in Manehattan, with a hundred lights coming from the windows.

It was night, Sunset realized as she basked in the beauty of the landscape and above. Stars barely visible in the clear sky, the full moon shining brightly and bathing Sunset in its dim light as she tried to pull herself up.

Her forelegs felt weird, thinner, bending at odd angles, and her hoof was… it just felt weird. She looked down, and saw the reason. Her hooves had turned into hands, her arms, her legs, her torso… All of her had transformed.

“What… What am I?” She whispered as she looked at her hand, using the other to inspect her face. Smooth skin, tiny nuzzle, thick lips and… no horn. She gasped and reached her forehead with both hands. No horn! What kind of nightmare was this?!

She shuddered, the freezing wind biting at her skin. She instinctively hugged herself and looked down. Of course the cold felt more pressing, she was completely furless. It was difficult to tell in the dark, but she thought her body was longer and thinner, and there were two prominent bumps in what she assumed would be her chest. What exactly had she turned into?

“Are you ok?” A voice came from her left.

Sunset turned her head and looked up. It was a… something, with a body much like Sunset’s new one. From the voice alone, she assumed the creature was a girl, and she was fully clothed. No wonder, with this cold, Sunset thought. She pointedly noted that the newcomer was standing on her hind legs, much like a minotaur.

“Goodness, why are you naked?” the girl asked and immediately began unbuttoning her thick coat. To Sunset’s surprise, the girl was wearing more clothes underneath. Probably due to the lack of fur? The girl knelt down and wrapped Sunset with the coat. “Do you need me to call your parents? The police?”

The police? Sunset hadn’t considered. But of course, a civilization that could build a city like the one she could see in the distance would need a policing force. She briefly mulled about it. Would it be a good idea to go to the police? She shook her head and looked at the girl. “No, no. I’m fine, thanks,” she said, feeling her voice tremble. Dear Celestia, the cold was becoming too much, even with the coat around her!

“Are you sure?” The girl said, looking around. “You know this isn’t normal, right? You’re naked in the park in the middle of the night!”

“N-Naked?” Sunset asked with a trembling voice. It took her a moment, more than she’d ever be willing to admit, to remember the meaning of that word. After all, ponies normally only wore clothes in formal or special events. “It’s uh… A long story?”

The girl frowned. “Well, I’ve got time.”

Sunset huffed, her breath becoming myst in front of her for a second. “I don’t know if I should tell you, it’s kind of top secret…” And it was, wasn’t it? The only book that talked about the mirror had been in an obscure corner of the library, easy to miss. Shouldn’t more ponies know about it? She looked at the girl again, who had narrowed her eyes. Sunset rolled hers. “Ok, maybe not top secret, but not many know about it, that’s for sure. I didn’t, and I have read maybe half the royal archives.”

The girl only cocked her head.

Sunset hugged the coat tighter as a freezing breeze hit her. She turned to look at the mirror. It… wasn’t a mirror any longer, but a plate of shiny rock embedded in polished, cut stone. A raised horse sculpture sat atop, as if guarding it.

“I come from a different world,” Sunset said, and the tremble in her voice became a bit more erratic. She was far from home in more ways than one. Her stomach grumbled. “That there is the portal. As far as I’m concerned, only the princess and I know about it… and maybe two guards, but they don’t matter.”

The girl looked between the statue and Sunset. “Uh-huh. Say, your head hurts something fierce, by chance?”

Sunset frowned. “I’m not lying. See for yourself, just press your hoo-hand and you’ll see.”

The girl shrugged and stood up to do just that. She pressed her hand on the surface, and it went through, causing the very solid stone to part as if it were water. The girl yelped and stepped back, tripping and falling on her rump. “What the fuck?!”

The curse was foreign to Sunset, but it still made her smile victoriously. “I wouldn’t recommend you cross it right now, though. I caused a bit of a ruckus, and they might be waiting for me to return with my tail between my legs.”

Gaping, the girl turned to Sunset. “What? You… Who are you?”

Sunset’s grin faltered as she shivered again. “The name’s Sunset Shimmer, and I’m…” she became silent as she remembered the last thing she had done in Equestria. “I…” Her voice dropped as an ache started around her temples. “I think I’m a nopony now…”

She felt the girl’s hand on her shoulder and looked up. The girl gave her a kind smile and offered her a hand. “I’m Trixie Lulamoon,” she said as Sunset took her hand. “Are you sure you don’t need any help?”

Sunset let the girl lift her, making her stand on her two hind legs. They wobbled, but she could remain standing. “I… I might require some assistance.” Now that she was standing, the cold immediately began biting at her unprotected legs. She looked around and found a weird looking bag nearby. Apparently, the portal had also transformed her saddlebags into what she could only assume would be the version in this world that would better suit the creatures in it. She only knew it was hers because of her Cutie Mark adorning the center.

“I can pay you,” Sunset added, eyeing her bag. “I brought some money.”

Trixie looked at the bag and reached to it. She pulled once, but the bag didn’t move. “What…” She tried harder, and managed to lift it with her two arms. “What do you have here? Rocks?”

“Money,” Sunset replied, uncertain. Had the portal also transformed her money? If not, would it even be worth anything in this world? She was beginning to think she hadn’t thought things through when she jumped into the mirror.

Trixie huffed and puffed as she adjusted the bag behind her, using the straps to help carry it. “Well, anyway, let’s go. I think we can convince my mom to let you stay the night, at least.”

Sunset nodded. “Thanks.”

They began walking. Sunset had great difficulty keeping her balance. It wasn’t uncommon for ponies to go around on hind legs, but it put too much pressure on the spine, and most ponies only did it in certain circumstances. Now she was supposed to do it all the time? She wondered how long it’d take her to get used to it.

“So, uhh, Sunset, right?” Trixie said as she used a hand to help steady Sunset. “Say I believe the whole thing about the other world. Why were you naked?”

“Oh, we don’t normally wear clothes. Our fur is enough to keep us warm, most of the time.”

“Fur?”

Sunset gave Trixie a look. “Yeah, I’m not originally a… whatever you are. I’m a pony, a unicorn.” She looked forward. “I bet I’d have a better time balancing on two legs if I still had my tail.” She couldn’t see her, but Sunset knew Trixie was giving her a distrustful glare. She sighed. “Look, I know how you feel… Kind of. I didn’t know the existence of this world until this afternoon, either.”

“And why did you come?” Trixie asked.

Sunset opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it. She looked up at the dark sky, and could see one, maybe two stars. Why had she come, indeed? To search for whatever Celestia was keeping from her, of course. She had decided she’d unravel the mysteries of this world and show Celestia she was worthy of being her equal- nay, her better!

She didn’t feel superior now, what with barely braving the cold and her lower hooves -that looked like weird hands- hurting for walking bare on dirt, rocks, and asphalt.

She let out a long sigh. “I guess I just wanted to know what it’s like here,” she lied.

“Uh-huh…”

They kept walking for a while. Sunset was quickly getting used to walking on two legs, and that only made her feel the cold even more.

“Hey,” Sunset said. “Is this a particularly cold night, or it’s cold season?”

Trixie looked at her, up and down, then straight at her eyes. “It is a cold night, for it being Fall, but it’s also because it just rained a few hours ago. It also has to do with you being-”

“Yeah, yeah, naked,” Sunset cut her off, annoyed. “You made your point quite clear already.”

“Well, forgive me, but being naked outdoors is not only very stupid and dangerous, but I’m pretty sure it’s also illegal.”

Sunset considered this, and was glad it was Trixie who found her and not a police officer. Being raised in Canterlot, and being surrounded by the Royal Guard, Sunset knew a bit about the military and the police, and she knew they were distrusting fellows, always assuming the worst first. She didn’t want to find out if they were the same in this world, at least not firsthoof.

They had reached the city a while ago, and Sunset could finally take a better look at Trixie. The girl’s skin was a light shade of… blue? It was still hard to tell. Her mane was a silvery hue of soft blue with a single darker tuft running across, and it was long enough to reach her rump. The few moments she looked back, Sunset could see that her eyes were a deep violet, like amethysts.

Trixie was wearing what looked like a purple turtleneck sweater, blue pants of a fabric Sunset had never seen before, and heeled purple boots. Sunset had never seen heels so high on any kind of shoes.

“So, what are you?” Sunset asked. “You don’t look like anything I’ve seen before.”

“Hm? Ah, right,” Trixie said. “We’re humans. I guess there aren’t any in your world?”

Sunset shook her head. “No.”

“You said you’re a… pony, is it?” She then giggled.

“What’s so funny about it?!” Sunset snapped.

Trixie covered her mouth with a hand. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just… It sounds so cute!”

Sunset blushed as she frowned. “It’s not cute! I’ll have you know I’m the most powerful unicorn in Equestria!”

“Equestria!” Trixie howled, clutching her sides as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “Oh, dear! Please, please tell me you named all your cities with horse puns!” When Sunset didn’t reply, she laughed even louder.

“I swear to Celestia, Trixie,” Sunset said with gritted teeth. She would have already walked away with her money, but under the circumstances, she reckoned she’d need the help of a native if she wanted to discover this world’s secret fast.

“Celestia?” Trixie asked as she tried to calm down. “That your god?”

Sunset cocked her head. “God? No, no, Celestia is the ruler of our land. She’s immortal, so many worship her, but she’s certainly not a god.”

“But you swear by her name,” Trixie countered. “That means you worship her, too.”

That felt like a stab in the heart, and Sunset fell silent. Of course, there was a time where she had worshipped the princess. But now, after everything they had lived together, after all that had been happening for the past weeks…

Trixie noticed Sunset’s silence, and finally managed to stop giggling. “Hey, you ok?”

“No, I’m not ok,” Sunset admitted. “I just… I just need a good night’s sleep, is all.”

“Well, fortunately, we’re already here,” Trixie said, and used an arm to show Sunset a tall red building, six stories high. It was a little run down, but Sunset had seen worse, even in Canterlot.

They entered the building and climbed only one set of stairs. The walls were half a washed out shade of green and half a dirty yellow. The steps were a dark wood, mahogany, perhaps, but incredibly run down. Sunset had been to Manehattan once, during the Summer Sun Celebration. Of course, they had stayed at the royal chambers in the town hall, and Sunset hadn’t spared a glance at the rest of the city.

She now wished she had. She wanted so badly to compare the differences and similarities.

“Well, we’re here,” Trixie announced in a low voice and with a huff. Sunset reckoned it was because of her bag. Was it really that heavy in this world, or Trixie was too weak?

They stopped in front of a light brown door. The frame had seen a better time, but the door looked cleaner, new, maybe. Trixie fumbled with her keys, only three, of different sizes, attached to a keychain in the form of a blue moon and a magic wand with a star. Sunset raised an eyebrow. That looked suspiciously similar to a Cutie Mark.

Trixie unlocked the door and slowly opened up.

“Trixie?!” A voice suddenly called from inside, and Trixie tensed up. “Trixie, is that you?” Steps sounded from within, getting closer at an incredible speed.

Trixie barely had time to react when the door was swung open, the keys still lodged in the knob, revealing an older looking human. The voice placed her as female. Her skin was a slightly dark orange shade. Her eyes were a nice deep green, and her mane was a pretty shade of yellow with a lighter tuft running through the length, reaching only her shoulders.

She was also staring down at Trixie with the intensity of a wild cockatrice.

“Do you have any idea what time it is, young lady?!” She yelled. “I was worried sick!”

Trixie was just a couple inches shorter than Sunset, but she seemed even smaller under the scolding. Sunset could only stare.

“Mom! I-I can explain!” Trixie pleaded, then quickly turned to Sunset. “Look, she needs help!” Trixie’s mom glared at Sunset, and the fury immediately evaporated, but the stern authority remained. “I found her in the park, naked and alone,” Trixie explained. “And… Well, it’s going to be difficult to believe, but if you let us in, I can tell you all about it! She just needs a place to stay the night!”

If looks could kill, Trixie would have been dead twice. Her mom’s temper seemed to boil at that, but somehow she kept it at bay. “Come in,” she said, leading the girls inside.

The apartment looked very clean and organized. It was small, but everything seemed to fit perfectly. Immediately upon entering, Sunset could see a dining table, and a bit further there was a living room with two couches and a big black box that sat somewhat ceremously on a black shelf. To her right, an open door let Sunset see a kitchen, and between the living and dining rooms appeared a hallway that could only lead to the bedrooms and bathroom.

“What’s your name?” Trixie’s mom asked Sunset as she led them to the dining table.

“Sunset Shimmer, ma’am,” Sunset replied. She hadn’t thought about how would Trixie’s family react, but she certainly didn’t consider her mother would be so incredibly angry.

“I’m Dandy Lion, you can call me Dandy,” Trixie’s mom said. She then disappeared into the kitchen, but kept talking. “Trixie, start explaining!”

Trixie swallowed, but did just that. It wasn’t a particularly long story, but it was enough to allow for Dandy Lion to bring some mugs with raising steam. Sunset awkwardly accepted hers, fumbling with the mug and barely managing not to spill its contents, and was absolutely delighted to find it was hot cocoa.

“And you expect me to believe this other world nonsense?” Dandy asked as Trixie finished her story.

“Well, yes?” Trixie replied sheepishly. “Mom, I’m not stupid, and you know I never make ridiculous excuses. Why would I suddenly tell you such a story if it wasn’t the honest truth?”

That made Dandy pause, but she still didn’t relent, and instead leaned back and crossed her arms. Trixie sighed and, with effort, placed Sunset’s bag on the table.

“You said this is money, right?” Trixie asked Sunset. “From your world?”

Sunset had been so focused on enjoying her cocoa that she had barely missed the question. “Ah, yes.”

Trixie opened the bag, and immediately her mouth fell agape. “What is it?” Dandy demanded, and Trixie just spun the bag, opening it as much as she could, to let her mom see. The effect was immediate, and very similar to Trixie’s.

“This… This is gold?” Dandy said as she reached for a single golden coin.

Sunset narrowed her eyes. She had never seen anypony react this way to gold. “Yes, it is,” she answered frankly. “Bits are coined mostly with pure gold mixed with an alloy of silver and copper for strength and durability. But they’re, like, 90 percent gold.”

Dandy Lion inspected the coin, which was as wide as two of her fingers. On one side there was a number 1 flanked by quills, upon which were the words “Harmonia Nos Sustinet” -whatever that meant- and a big “BIT” written underneath. On the other side of the coin there was a picture of two winged unicorns circling a sun and moon; above, the words “Equestrian Royal Bank”, and below, the caption “987 TPE”.

“There are gems, too!” Trixie exclaimed as she produced a ruby as large as half the palm of her hand. It shone under the light of the dining room’s light bulb.

Based on their reactions, Sunset assumed they’d be willing to do anything to please her. On the other hoof, perhaps she shouldn’t have let them know just how much she had.

Dandy leaned back again. “Alright… This is what we’ll do.” Both Trixie and Sunset looked at her, and she sighed defeatedly. “Sunset, you can stay the night. No matter what, I can’t let a teen girl like you run around the city after dark, much less naked.” She lifted the coin in front of her and stared at it for five whole seconds before speaking again. “I have a friend that knows about these things. She’ll tell me how much this little coin here is worth. Depending on that, Sunset, we can talk seriously about your situation. After all, you are still a minor.”

“Alri- Wait, a minor?”

“Well, yes,” Dandy said, surprised. “You look no older than Trixie.” Sunset cocked her head, and Dandy cleared her throat. “Uhm… How old are you, dear?”

“I’m thirteen.”

Trixie jumped a little, then slumped down on her seat.

Dandy nodded. “Well, I don’t know about your… ‘world’, but here, you are still five years from being legally an adult. This whole situation is very unorthodox, you must realize, and we can’t afford to do things wrong.”

Sunset had to agree on that regard. No matter what rules, laws, or social expectations she was accustomed to, this world was sure to be different in many more ways than she could even fathom. The sensible thing to do right now was to listen to the natives. Especially if said native was the owner of the house she’d be staying at.

“Sure thing, ma’am,” Sunset replied. “I, uh… I hope my money is worth enough for you to help me out!”

With another sigh, Dandy took the coin to a pocket in her pants and stood up. “Trixie, put that gem back to the bag and show Sunset to the guest room. Hmm. I don’t think we have clothes for her, so please lend her some of yours.”

Trixie reluctantly threw the gem into the bag and stood up. “Sure thing, mom. Come, Sunset, this way,” she said as she closed the bag and hauled it onto her back.

Just as Sunset had suspected, the hallway gave way to four closed doors, two in each side. The walls, like the rest of the house, were painted white, which contrasted nicely with the soft blue tiles on the floor and the dark brown doors. Trixie opened the first one to the left.

“We normally don’t have visitors,” Trixie said as Sunset walked past her, and set the bag on the bed. “But the bed is comfortable… I think.” She huffed and massaged her shoulders. “Anyway, I’ll bring you a pajama set, be right back.” And with that, she got out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Sunset looked around the room. It was pretty small. Then again, the apartment had already seemed too small to her. She considered this as she scanned the white walls, over the empty blue shelf and past the beige wooden wardrobe. Cramped in the farthest corner was a tall, narrow mirror, and Sunset walked up to it.

She could see her reflection, and for the first time, her new appearance. It made sense now, that these humans could live in such small places; walking on two legs made the bodies grow upward, thus they needed less space than ponies. She felt stupid for realizing that only now.

Shaking her head, Sunset took off the coat Trixie had given her and let it drop to the ground.

She gasped and immediately stepped closer to the mirror.

Her udders were on her chest! That was the bumps she saw earlier! What kind of creature had udders on the chest?! She brought her hands to them. They were soft, and they felt exactly the same as if she touched any other part of her body. They were… small? big? She could easily cup them in each hand. Her teats tingled, but otherwise felt quite a bit normal.

This was insane. Why would they need them up there? She made a face as she decided to read about it as soon as possible.

Her head shape and face had also changed. Her eyes were way smaller, like practically the rest of her facial features. Her muzzle, even, had become a tiny bump between her eyes and it kind of reminded her of a slide. Her lips were no longer flat, but thick and a light pink in color, and upon touching them she realized they were also very soft. Her teeth were also different, and arrayed in a very different way. Her ears no longer jutted out from her mane, but rather sat at the sides of her head, small and round.

And speaking of mane, it still had her gorgeous fiery red and yellow pattern, and it felt every bit as soft and silky as she remembered. Her eyes still shone with that beautiful green hue she loved, but it was a bit more difficult to tell with them being their current size. She had noticed both Trixie and her mom had similar proportions to their faces, but only when looking at herself in the mirror did it really dawn on her just how much she had changed.

Her skin was weird, too. It was the same shade of bright yellowish orange as her coat as a pony, and that was really odd. Pony skin was usually a grayish pink with a hint of the coat’s color, and it was a bit rough. This human skin, however, was vibrant like her previous coat, and it was soft to the touch.

She straightened up and placed a hand on her left shoulder. “This is the shoulder…” she said as she moved it in wide circles. “Apparently, being so far from the chest and jutting out to the sides gives great mobility.” She then caressed down to the next joint. “I can feel this is my elbow, but it’s too separated from the shoulder, the humerus is too long.” Next, she slid her fingers down to the next joint, next to the hand, and paused.

“This doesn’t feel like a knee,” she said, moving her hand this way and the other. “So this is where the hand starts…” She inspected her new joint and hand thoroughly with the other. She knew what hands were, and she knew the five appendages were called fingers, but she knew nothing else about them.

She sighed defeatedly and looked back at the mirror, passing her hands on every part of her body she inspected. “What the…” Her barrel was smaller in proportion. And it had a hole in the middle! She carefully dug a finger inside. “Whoa, this is my belly button? It’s so deep!” She moved her finger a bit, and found it to be ticklish, so she decided to move on.

She turned to the side, and found that her barrel was way flatter than as a pony, but it still made a slight curve towards the crotch. Her thighs were farther down, and they felt soft, like the rest of her skin, but firm. She supposed that was normal for thighs in any world.

And... What were those bumps on her rump? As she touched them, she realized they were her buttocks. “They’re huge!” she exclaimed in awe. Why did humans need butts so big?! She turned a bit more, showing her back to the mirror and looking back as much as she could. She used both hands to touch her butt, to see how it behaved in her reflection.

That’s when Trixie entered the room again.

They looked at each other for several seconds, and Sunset noticed how Trixie’s face became a slight shade of red.

Sunset straightened up, and that served as a clue for Trixie to react. The girl cleared her throat and closed the door behind her. “Here’s your pajamas,” Trixie said, obviously trying not to look at Sunset, and put the clothes upon the blue blanket of the bed.

“Thanks,” Sunset said. What a curious reaction, she thought. Was nudity really that big of a deal for humans? She walked up to the clothes, and grabbed the smallest one. It was… What was it? Purple, soft, with three holes. Some kind of pants? Then again, it was incredibly tiny. “What is this?”

Trixie, who had been fidgeting, jumped a little. “Oh, uh… You don’t know what panties are?”

“No, how am I supposed to wear them?”

“That, uh… you don’t…”

Sunset huffed, dropping the ‘panties’, and turned fully to Trixie, who pointedly looked down, her face still red. “I’m from a world where everypony’s naked most of the time. And when we do dress, it’s usually to cover the torso and legs, and only dresses cover the hind legs. Yeah I’ve seen some ponies wear pants, but they’re mostly decorative,” she explained, getting more frustrated as seconds passed. “So no, I don’t know what a panties is and I don’t know how to put it on!”

By the time Sunset had finished talking, Trixie had made a step back and hunched over. “I-I’m sorry. It’s just… weird…”

Sunset snorted and passed a hand through her face, noting it was less uncomfortable than doing it with a hoof. She turned to her bag and opened it, quickly producing the ruby Trixie had grabbed earlier.

Judging by Dandy’s reaction to the gold, Sunset could safely assume that her money was worth a lot more in this world, and if that was true for the gold, who was to say gemstones weren’t equally valuable? Sure, they weren’t worth large sums of bits in Equestria, mainly because they could be grown, and most ponies preferred to use them as decoration rather than currency. But, maybe, humans didn’t have access to many gemstones. Maybe, they were worth a lot more.

Sunset had brought only a small bunch, and this ruby was one of the biggest ones. If she was correct, she could potentially buy her own house just with it. The ruby represented an edge, and only through some studying would Sunset know how sharp it was.

And yet, she decided to give it to Trixie.

“What?” Trixie asked, eyeing the ruby.

Sunset noted Trixie’s look wasn’t one out of greed. No, Trixie could not see the potential worth of the gem; she just thought it was really pretty. “I’m paying you,” Sunset replied, extending her foreleg towards Trixie. “Look, I’m going to be asking a lot of questions you might find stupid or common knowledge, and I will be requiring your assistance for things I’m sure children can do by themselves. So I’m paying for your services upfront. I’m pretty sure this ruby is enough for that.”

Hesitantly, Trixie took the ruby and looked at it. It was quite beautiful. She looked back at Sunset and smiled. “Alright, I’ll help you.” She then gave another look at Sunset’s body, and her blush returned. “A-Anyway,” she said as she took the ruby into a pocket on her pants. “You want to put the panties like they were pants. They are called undergarments because they are under the rest of the clothes.”

Sunset nodded and grabbed the panties again, then lifted a leg to try to put them on… and she lost her balance. She managed to recover before falling, but in order to do so, she had to stomp her leg onto the panties, snatching them from her hands and onto the floor.

It had been quite a long time since Sunset last felt so humiliated.

“Uhm, try sitting on the bed, then put the panties on up to your knees,” Trixie explained. “Then stand up and pull them up all the way.”

“Knees?” Sunset asked, then touched the big joints in her legs. They were her knees! Why on Equestria were they in her hind legs?! She shook her head, deciding to study anatomy first thing in the morning, then proceeded to do as Trixie told her.

The panties were tight, but not uncomfortable. They hugged her hips nicely, and for some strange reason she felt… more protected? What an odd feeling.

The next few minutes were awkward. Sunset fumbled with the clothes, unable to properly coordinate her fingers and hands with her legs and the rest of her body. Trixie explained as best as she could, and Sunset finally managed to don the blue pants and the blue shirt.

“Well, it looks like you’re done,” Trixie said happily. “Let’s go to sleep, and tomorrow I can tell you all about our world and stuff.”

“Sure,” Sunset said as she lifted her bag -it was quite heavy- and put it beside the bed.

Trixie hesitated. “Uhm… G-Good night.”

Sunset nodded. “Night.”

With that, Trixie somehow turned off the light and left the room.

Less than a minute later, Sunset found herself wrapped with the cozy blanket and staring at the ceiling. The pillow was comfortable, but it wasn’t nearly as soft as she was used to, and the mattress was no better.

Was this really the best course of action? Sunset felt her stomach rumble as she considered that maybe she had been too hasty. Maybe she should have tried to best Celestia by becoming more powerful, instead of jumping head first into the unknown, literally.

Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, after all.

2- Monkey see, Monkey do

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Chapter 2: Monkey see, monkey do

”Bravo! Wonderful!” Topaz Shine cheered at the top of his lungs. The insufferable idiot. He did not have the right to be happy after failing so miserably.

Sure, Sunset had just made a tiny seed grow into a gargantuan vine tree that pierced the ceiling, some windows, and even a few walls. She had been required to mix a tenfold potentiated growth spell with a much more complex transmogrification spell. Truly a feat not many unicorns could pull off, not even those senior snobs!

“Thank you, thank you! It was nothing!” Sunset replied nonchalantly.

She made her best to walk to the exit with a graceful gait and her head up high. A teacher exclaimed, in awe, how she needn’t hear her grade as she knew full well she had passed. And, yes, that was true. Sunset had come prepared to not only ace her mid-term, but to set a bar so high no pony could better her in at least a hundred years!

It had also completely drained her magic reserves, and she was struggling not to wobble down the stairs. She at least wanted to get back to the castle before passing out.

~~~~~~~~

Sunset woke up in the dark, looking directly at the wall. How odd, her bed was in the center of her chambers, not against the wall like some peasant.

Then she remembered crossing the portal and being taken in. She sat up and took a look around. Yes, the room was tiny, and all the furniture seemed cramped up against each other. The window was covered by a thick blue curtain that was pressed against the wardrobe. How could humans live like this?

She lifted her hands in front of her and moved her fingers. She could move them individually, she could bend them and press them together, but she felt groggy and uncoordinated. How long would it be before she mastered these new appendages?

Her stomach grumbled. At least some things were still the same, she supposed. She got off the bed and out of the room.

Everything was plunged in darkness. It wasn’t uncommon for Sunset, as she was used to waking up every day way before Celestia raised the sun, like clockwork. Before her tutelage with the princess, she had not been a morning pony by any means, but she had forced herself to take on the habit for the sake of impressing her mentor.

She stopped. “Wait, if Celestia isn’t here, who raises the sun?” she whispered to herself. “Or maybe it’s the same sun? Or the sun here is connected to that in Equestria?” So many questions! Another groan from her stomach forced her to ignore them for now and get some food.

The kitchen was very similar to what she was used to, so that was also a good thing, she supposed. Not that she’d ever been near the royal kitchens, but if she was to live in this world for a while, she’d eventually need to use it, right?

She could see not much more, as the room was even darker than the rest of the house. There had been light last night, but where? She could see no candlesticks or lamps anywhere. Then, how…?

With a groan, she decided to ask Trixie later.

She spotted a bowl with what looked like a variety of fruits. Bananas, apples, pears… Well, these should be safe to eat, right? Not only for her new body, but as a guest. She was used to early snacks before breakfast, as the royal staff usually woke up about an hour after her.

A yellow apple looked especially inviting, so Sunset decided to have that one. She stared at it and readied her magic… Except she could not feel her magic reserves. Oh… right… No horn meant no magic.

No magic.

No magic!

What was she going to do without her magic? Her power? The source of her pride?! Magic was the foundation of her very society, and she was at the epitome of society! She was the most powerful unicorn since Starswirl the Bearded! Student to Princess Celestia herself! She was the rightful successor of the throne!

And now, she couldn’t lift one stupid apple.

She put her hands to her face and took a deep, sharp breath. “Alright, alright, alright. Calm down, Shimmer. You got this. You got this.” The portal had clearly stripped her of her magic. But why? Did it mean that humans couldn’t harness it? Or was it their entire world that lacked magic? Was the disappearance of her magic a sort of way to protect the balance of the world, or was it just the whim of whomever that had created the portal?

Finally, Sunset released her breath in a huff. A world such as this one was worth studying. It was baffling that any world could survive without magic to cradle it, or at least that was the most accepted theory in ‘The Fundamentals of Magicks, by Starbright Powder’.

Ah, yes. Thinking about her studies had always calmed her down. Sunset could feel a bit more relaxed.

She had willingly jumped into the portal, knowing full well that it was a completely unknown field of study. But Celestia had showed her the mirror for a reason, right? Sunset had every right to study it, nay, it was her duty to bring back her findings! This way, Celestia would be forced to acknowledge Sunset’s worth!

Confident, that was Sunset’s way. With a firm nod, she grabbed the apple and bit it. It was a very similar flavor to what she was used to, if a bit less sweet. It wasn’t bad, per se, but a little disappointing. However, that did not dampen Sunset’s mood, she would not let it!

Now, where to get information at this hour, in a place like this?

She scanned the place. It was difficult to see in this darkness, where were those sources of light? She looked up, and saw light bulbs on the ceiling. Ah hah! Humans had electric power! Of course, without magic, they’d need a mundane way to light up their homes. She began inspecting the walls, and quickly found a switch, now that she knew what to look for.

She pressed it, and the room was immediately bathed in white light.

“Ah, much better.”

With that, Sunset had an easier time finding the bookshelf placed in a corner of the living room. She quickly spotted a huge 10 tome-long encyclopedia. Now this is what she was looking for! She grabbed the first book and searched the index, quickly finding the tome for Anatomy.

With a satisfied grin, Sunset made her way to the dining room and sat down at the table. She opened the book and began reading.

~~~~~~~~

The book was very thorough about anatomy, to the point of disclosing information of the likes that were still being researched in Equestria, and that had caught Sunset’s attention. She had, however, managed to focus on the themes that talked about her body parts and their locations. After that, she had spent the better part of an hour memorizing them. She didn’t want anyone to mock her for saying her knees should be in her arms.

The sound of a door opening distracted Sunset, and she looked up to find Dandy Lion in the hallway. Her mane- no, her hair was frazzled and it pointed in all directions, her pajamas consisted on a long gray shirt that reached her knees and light purple pants. She, however, looked pretty well rested.

“Good morning, Sunset,” Dandy said, eyeing the book. “You woke up pretty early.”

It was then when Sunset noticed the house was better illuminated. The sun had come out at some point.

Sunset nodded. “I always wake up before sunrise,” she admitted. “I hope you don’t mind me reading your books,” she said, then looked at what little remained of her apple. “Or that I ate one of your apples.”

“Nonsense, dear. Food is to be eaten,” Dandy said, then grabbed a few napkins and began wiping the table. “Just, next time, use a plate.”

“Sorry.”

Dandy seemed content with the apology, and finished cleaning Sunset’s mess. “I’m going to prepare breakfast. Do you like eggs?”

Sunset couldn’t help but smile. Her stomach had just started demanding a proper meal. “Absolutely!”

“Well then, just wait a few minutes,” and with that, Dandy entered the kitchen.

Sunset decided to go back to her reading. She was fascinated by just how much knowledge there was. Apparently, humans had made up for their lack of magic with science, and that was simply fascinating. If there was one single setback of magic, Sunset would say it was that it prompted ponies to be lazy with their studies, and science in Equestria still had a long ways to go.

This book explained all the different parts in the human body, from the external to the internal. Muscles, bones, organs, even types of blood! Who knew there were different types? Was it a human thing or ponies also shared that trait? How could she know? The encyclopedia only stated facts, not theories, and didn’t even refer to studies or the likes. It seemed that Sunset would have a harder time gathering knowledge than she thought.

At some point, Dandy returned with two plates and offered one to Sunset. Reluctantly, Sunset set the book aside and took a look at her food. It looked… odd. Yellow, with some brown here and there, and black tiny dots everywhere.

“Scrambled eggs with cheese and pepper,” Dandy explained, having noticed Sunset’s expression.

Sunset grabbed her fork -even the cutlery was the same as in Equestria- and stabbed the eggs. It was a clumsy affair, as she had wrapped all her hand around the fork and had to make a wide arc with her arm in order to lead the food into her mouth.

“Oh wow,” she said as she savored the food. It was delicious! But it looked like sickly vomit! This food had no right being this tasty! She took another bite and she was in The Plains.

Dandy giggled. Sunset realized she was making a very undignified expression, and blushed. She noticed Dandy was holding her fork in a very different way, and it allowed for short and precise movements.

Sunset tried to copy her, dropping her fork a few times, but eventually managed to steady her hand. She would need to practice a lot to get it right, but she would master it!

Before Sunset could finish her food, Dandy was already taking her empty plate to the kitchen. “Please take yours into the sink when you finish,” she said, then went to the bathroom. Almost immediately after, Sunset heard the sound of a shower.

By the time Sunset finished eating and taking her plate to the sink, Dandy was already out the shower. That was quick, Sunset thought as she sat back down at the dining table and opened the tome.

Some twenty minutes later, Dandy returned, this time with blue pants, a green blouse, and black shoes. Her hair was also combed, and it shone beautifully with the light. She produced the coin she had taken from Sunset the night before and held it high.

“I’m going to see my friend now, see how much this is worth,” she told Sunset. “When I return, you and me are going to talk.” And with that, she left the house.

Sunset couldn’t help but feel angry at being talked like that. Who did she think she was?! Sure, this was Dandy’s house, but Sunset was Princess Celestia’s pupil! She was to become Equestria’s next ruler!

But… of course, Dandy didn’t know any of that, and Sunset had to admit that none of that mattered this side of the mirror.

With a defeated sigh, she returned to her reading.

There was something she had seen in those pictures of the human body that had been bothering Sunset, and she decided she wanted to occupy her mind in knowledge right now. Now, where was it?

“Ah, here,” she said as she read the title of the section. ‘Body development’.

Sunset had already learned that human females were called woman, or women, in plural. She already knew they grew breasts - not udders or teats, she’d have to remember that-, and since she was going to spend the next thirty moons in this world, she wanted to know what to expect.

“‘Despite sexual differences, both boys and girls start developing body hair’,” she read. Body hair? Like fur? But Dandy certainly didn’t have any fur Sunset could see. “Ah, here’s why,” she said as she noted the picture. Now this was odd. Hair in just some specific places? Why? Did she have any of it?

Sunset stood up and undressed. Immediately after, she noticed the cold air, but ignored it.

She didn’t have a mirror, but according to the encyclopedia’s information, she should be able to spot it without the need of one. Her arms were completely bare. She wondered, when it started growing, how that would look like. Next she checked her legs. Nope, no hair here either. In her armpits? Yeah, there were just a couple of very tiny hairs starting to grow there. They made for a rough surface, but they were almost unnoticeable. She couldn’t quite see them though.

Finally, Sunset looked at her crotch. This was the part that, for some reason, had been most difficult for her to accept had changed. It was smaller, less prominent, and resembled a slit dividing two small dunes. Were it not for the book, she’d have absolutely no clue from where would she urinate. And, right above it, there was a small patch of barely visible bright red hairs just starting to grow. She passed two fingers through, and noticed a rougher tact than that in her armpits.

She scratched her head. Why would humans grow hair in just some parts of their bodies? Why not either be completely hairy or completely hairless? She returned to the book, but it unfortunately offered no answers to those questions.

In that moment, another door opened, and out came Trixie, groggily making her way through the hall. She was wearing a slightly oversized set of blue pajamas, and her hair, much like her mother’s, was an absolute mess.

Trixie halted and her eyes widened when she saw Sunset.

“What are you doing?” Trixie hissed, her face heating up. “If mom sees you she’ll scold you!”

Sunset frowned. “I’m reading. Why would she scold me for that?”

“Not that! You’re naked, again!” Trixie said, then noticed the clothes on the floor. “Look, you’re not supposed to get naked, like ever, unless you’re going to take a shower. Now hurry and get dressed before mom wakes up!”

“Oh, don’t worry, Trixie,” Sunset said dismissively. “Dandy already left. Besides, In Equestria we never wear clothes except for formal events. I’m comfortable like this.”

Trixie opened her mouth, but then forced it shut. She leaned from side to side for a while, then, defeatedly, walked up to the kitchen. Sunset raised an eyebrow. Trixie was clearly uncomfortable, and she clearly wanted to argue more, but she had decided to back off. Quite quickly, at that.

“Pushover,” Sunset muttered to herself. She leaned over to the book, and shivered as a breeze met her. She eyed her clothes on the floor. She was getting rather cold. With a huff and a roll of her eyes, Sunset decided to get dressed once more. “Stupid furless body.”

Once done dressing, Sunset sat back down and began reading again. Trixie appeared from the kitchen with a plate of scrambled eggs. Dandy must have prepared enough. Sunset eyed Trixie, and noticed she was looking her over with a faint smile. When Trixie realized Sunset was looking at her, she immediately turned to her food.

Sunset rolled her eyes.

“So,” Trixie said, lazily moving her food with the fork. “How did you, uhm, sleep last night?”

“Just fine,” Sunset replied without looking up.

“Mom was pretty livid last night. Good thing you bribed her, right?” Trixie giggled, then got a bite of her breakfast. “Where did you get that money from, anyway?”

Sunset stiffened her jaw. “It’s my savings.”

Trixie muttered something with a tone that sounded like awe. If only she didn’t have her mouth full. She swallowed and licked her lips. “You have quite a lot! Well, I think. Mom gives me ten bucks a week, but that’s barely anything! How many things can you buy with one of those coins?”

Taking a deep, sharp breath, Sunset finally looked at Trixie. “Many things. Now, Trixie, I’m really trying to learn about this new body of mine. You may not remember, but I used to be a pony. I lost appendages and gained new ones, and everything is in different places. I would really appreciate if you let me read in peace. I will ask you when there’s something the book doesn’t explain well, or when I need assistance.” She didn’t wait for a reply, and turned back to her book.

Sunset was pleased that Trixie didn’t say anything further, and the only sound that came from her was that of the fork touching the plate.

A few minutes later, Sunset felt the very familiar need to go to the bathroom. She supposed it was as good as any moment to study how it worked. She looked up to Trixie, who had very clearly lost her good mood. Huh. “Hey, Trixie. Where’s the bathroom?”

Trixie jumped up and sharply looked at Sunset. Her smile returned. “Oh! First door to the right. Right in front of your room!”

Sunset nodded appreciatively and walked there. She was getting better at walking, she noticed.

She entered the bathroom and stopped. It was even smaller than her room! She turned on the light and closed the door behind her. The sink was right in front of her. Immediately to her right was… a cup? She studied it. It was white with a pink fluffy lid covering it. This was the toilet? She opened the lid. It certainly looked like one, but why did it have the shape of a cup? How on Equestria was she supposed to squat on it?

“Wait…” It was too tall and too small for squatting. Was she supposed to sit on it? Like a chair? She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Carefully, she sat, looking toward the wall. This was incredibly uncomfortable. She cocked her head and stood up again. “Wait a- ohh,” she hit her fists together as she realized it. The toilets she was used to were rectangular in shape, so she was used to looking towards the protruding piece of porcelain. This one, however, had a shape resembling a droplet. Maybe she was supposed to sit facing away.

She put her theory to a test and sat down the other way. Yes, this was how it was supposed to be! It still wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was good enough. She looked down. “Oh, right.” She facepalmed, feeling completely stupid, then pulled her pants and panties down to her knees.

As she started letting it out, she took a good look at the rest of the room. Right in front of her, there was what she supposed would be the shower. It was incredibly narrow. Too narrow. It looked like it would only fit one human comfortably, let alone a whole group!

She decided to look around some more. There was a box upon the sink with a mirror on its door. Again, very similar to what she was used to. The rest of the bathroom was all tiles, blue at the walls and light gray on the floor. Pretty monochromatic, this house.

Finally, Sunset finished, and looked back at the tank. There was only one lever.

“Huh.” She pulled the lever, and the toilet began flushing. Sunset yelped. Where was the cleaning lever? She looked one way, then the other, and found nothing of the sort. To her right, on the wall, there she saw a roll of toilet paper. “Seriously? The peasant way?” She groaned and pulled some off the roll. She fumbled a bit, but managed to cut a good chunk.

What happened next could only be described as a gross mess in which too much toilet paper was wasted. Sunset did not feel proud that day, and she spent the next ten minutes clumsily washing her hands.

When she finally got out of the bathroom, she heard voices coming from the living room. Is Dandy back already? she thought, but these voices sounded odd. Curious, Sunset walked there to investigate, and found Trixie lounging on one of the couches, staring at the box Sunset had spotted earlier.

The voices were coming from the box.

Sunset got in a better position to see. The box was displaying images and sound! “What is this?!” She said as she got close to the screen and placed her hand on it. “How is it working? Where’s the projector?” She turned and saw no projector. Back to the screen, she noticed that she wasn’t covering the image with her body. “Is it inside the box? But it’s too small for that. And I don’t hear the sound of the projector!”

“Sunset, move!” Trixie said. “I’m trying to watch the T.V.!”

Sunset looked back at Trixie, dumbfounded. Not only science, but technology too? In how many more things were these humans more advanced than ponies? Was magic the only thing in which they were inferior? Sunset wouldn’t have any of that! She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “I want to know how this thing works.”

Trixie frowned, annoyed. Why was she annoyed? She could simply rewind the thing! “Well, read those encyclopedias or ask mom. I don’t know. I just want to watch my cartoons!”

Sunset huffed, deciding to do just that. Trixie wasn’t being the big help Sunset originally thought! She had completely wasted that ruby, hadn’t she? Out of all the humans that potentially lived in this world, Sunset just had to hire an uninterested kid that knew nothing of-

One of the animated cartoon humans on the T.V. shot lightning from his hand.

“What was that?!” Sunset exclaimed. “How did he do that?!”

She heard Trixie click her tongue. “He was born in the Raifu family, duh”

“The what now?”

Trixie straightened up, and began explaining the show’s plot and all the characters’ abilities with a lot less annoyance, Sunset noticed. Unfortunately, the show had been interrupted by some weird short videos that Trixie told her to ignore, but fortunately so, they also gave time for Trixie to go into detail.

It was clear to Sunset that this ‘Elementians’ show was pure fiction, but what was it based on? Had humans once harnessed magic and they were inventing stories out of those experiences, or were they completely made up? So many questions!

During the following hour, Sunset forgot about the encyclopedias, and instead watched these ‘cartoons’, as Trixie had called them.

~~~~~~~~

They heard the front door open, and Sunset turned just in time to see Dandy close the door behind her. She had a troubled expression on her face. Dandy eyed the T.V., then looked at Trixie. “What do you think you’re doing, Trixie?”

Trixie frowned in confusion and cocked her head. “I’m… watching ‘Elementians’ with Sunset?”

Dandy walked up to them and snatched the remote. “You are grounded, missy!” She said as she turned off the T.V.

“What?! Why?!”

“Do you really not know?” Dandy asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking down on Trixie. “You know you shouldn’t be out so late at night! I told you there would be consequences if you did it again!”

Trixie gaped. “But mooooom!”

“But nothing! To your room, now!”

Trixie heated up, but said nothing as she rushed towards her room. Sunset could only stare at the whole exchange. She had never been grounded before, and in that moment, she was glad she hadn’t.

Dandy sighed as she massaged the bridge of her nose with two fingers. “Sunset, I need to talk with you.”

“Oh, uh… Sure.” Sunset shifted in her seat. She had completely forgotten about that.

Dandy sat down on the couch right in front of Sunset and looked at her in a way that reminded her a lot of her own mom. “Tell me, Sunset, why did you come to this world?”

Sunset felt a chill run down her spine. “So you believe me?”

“I suppose,” Dandy admitted. “Your money is certainly real, or at least, as real as it can get. You see, my friend is a numismatist. She studies all forms of money in the world, and I know she is pretty thorough in her studies. Your coin, Sunset, is obviously not from this world, but the metal that conforms it is very real. Now, if it were only that single coin, I would still have my doubts, but you have a whole bag of them.”

She shook her head. “Then there’s the whole thing of you appearing out of nowhere with nothing but that bag. Another friend of mine, you see, is a police officer, so I asked her to look in as many places as possible if she could find a girl with your characteristics. And so far, there is nothing about you.” She looked directly at Sunset. “So, either you are lying about your name and everything, but somehow got your hands on a small fortune…”

“Or I’m telling the truth,” Sunset finished the idea, nodding. “I suppose it is hard to believe. I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t read it myself in the royal archives.”

Dandy blinked at that.

“So, how much is my money worth this side of the portal?” Sunset asked.

“I guess you deserve to know,” Dandy replied. She then reached for her brown purse and pulled out a stack of green rectangular papers. “She bought your coin for fifteen hundred dollars,” she said as she placed the stack on the small coffee table in between them. “You may not understand as of yet, but that is quite a large amount of money.”

Sunset pressed her lips together. Dollars? So that was the name of human money. And each of her Bits was worth fifteen hundred of them. Dandy was right, Sunset wasn’t sure whether that was a lot or not. Every kingdom allied to Equestria used Bits as currency, so she had no experience in exchange rates!

“So, as I was coming home,” Dandy continued. “I was thinking on an arrangement you and I can make.” Sunset perked up at that. “I cannot simply kick you out, it would be irresponsible, knowing you have no one else in the world, quite literally. So, if you are to stay here, you will give me one coin every month. That should cover the rent of your room, the use of energy power, hot water, food, clothes, and other things you might need.”

“Every… month?” Sunset asked. “Like, every moon cycle?”

Dandy cocked her head. “Uh… similar, but not quite the same… Months here are equivalent to 30 days… more or less. Half the months have a different amount of days. But a moon cycle here is… I think it’s 27 days.”

“Huh,” Sunset pondered. Moon cycles in Equestria were completely different! More like these ‘months’ Dandy was speaking of. This was going to be a nightmare to remember. She leaned back and looked at the stack of paper money. One Bit per moon? That was a ridiculous offer! If that was all it took, then Sunset could potentially buy the whole building and still have enough to spare!

Then again, if Sunset did something as stupid as spend all her money so fast, she’d end up broke, and she’d have to find a, ugh, job.

“However,” Dandy added. “I’d like for you to give me two more coins now, then we start with the one coin per month deal. This is because we need to buy you clothes, and have you examined at the doctor, and also in case of emergencies.”

Sunset blinked. “I… I suppose that’s fair,” she said. Three Bits now, then one Bit every moon for everything Dandy offered? She would have feared some kind of bad business was going on, were it not for the fact that she wasn’t in Equestria any longer.

“But that is not all,” Dandy said. “You may be paying rent and services, but this is still my house, and you are still a minor. I will try to give you as much freedom as possible, but I am the authority here. You will have a curfew, just like Trixie, and I will have the right to ground you should you deserve it.”

Sunset groaned internally. The last time she was treated like this was three years ago, right before she moved to the palace with Celestia! For three years she had been able to do as she pleased so long as she didn’t neglect her studies, but then again, why would she do that? And now she was back to being treated like a child!

“Oh, ponyfeathers,” Sunset muttered defeatedly. “Fine, it’s a deal.” She couldn’t do much anyway. Something inside Sunset was telling her that this was the best course of action, and her gut was always right!

Dandy nodded to herself. “Now, I’ve been wondering. Your money is called… Bits?”

“Yeah,” Sunset replied with a half-pout. “That’s because money is a part of Equestria’s economy. And every coin is a smaller part; they are bits of a bigger power. So, they were called Bits.”

“That is pretty interesting,” Dandy noted. “What are all the face values you have?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Why do you want to know?”

“My friend asked. She was really interested.”

“Eh, I suppose that’s fair enough,” Sunset replied. “We have four different coins. 1, 2, 5, and 10 Bits. That’s enough for most things, although it can be tiring when buying really expensive things. The Royal Equestrian Bank, as far as I know, is trying to figure out a way to make this easier.”

Dandy nodded. “Well, that’s what our paper money is,” she said. “I don’t know nearly as much as my friend, but we used to deal with gold coins, like you. It got a bit out of hand, so now we have these dollars.”

Sunset supposed she could look into it and bring that knowledge back to Equestria.

“So, what was the carved picture behind the coin?” Dandy asked.

“Uh… it was the one Bit coin, right?” She asked, and when Dandy nodded, she hummed and looked up. “It was… the royal sisters. Supposedly, they were rulers before Celestia. Some say one of them is Celestia, but the only books on them are foal tales. I don’t even know why Celestia insists on having that symbol everywhere.”

Dandy hummed. “And the quills? Do they mean anything?”

“Yeah. They mean knowledge. It’s important to study and better oneself.”

“And the other coins?”

Sunset had studied about them, but the information escaped her. She decided to go to her room to snatch the remaining three coins and show them to Dandy.

“The two Bits coin, as you can see,” Sunset said, letting Dandy inspect the coin. “replaces the quills with horns. They represent us unicorns. We are kind of a minority in terms of numbers, so we are in a less valuable coin. Behind you can see three faces.”

Dandy turned the coin, and sure enough, there was a picture of three weird looking pony faces, all wearing different sorts of hats.

“The founders of Equestria,” Sunset explained, pointing at each face. “Chancellor Puddinghead, Princess Platinum, and Commander Hurricane.” She then grabbed the five Bits coin and gave it to Dandy. “The horns are wings now, representing Pegasi. On the back there are six faces. Those are The Pillars of Old Equestria. Heroes that protected Equestria well over a thousand years ago.”

In order to fit them all into the coin, the faces were really small, and Dandy could barely notice the ‘pony’ form in them.

“Then, we have the ten Bits coin,” Sunset said as she gave that last coin to Dandy. “Wings are replaced with horseshoes, representing Earth Ponies. On the back, there’s the symbol of Unified Equestria.”

Upon turning the coin, Dandy could see a picture that looked like four circles within each other, parted in the middle by a rising triangle that ended in a star. Behind the circles were two spread wings and two more that wrapped them from below.

Dandy gave the last coin back to Sunset. “I suppose that’s enough for now. I will be taking these two,” she said, taking the other two coins into her purse, “as the payment we agreed on. If I can only sell them for their worth in metal, I’m pretty they will have the same value.”

She leaned back and observed Sunset for a moment. “You know, I think I should just ask… Why did you come to this world? Such a young girl like you shouldn’t go anywhere alone.”

“Well, I…” Sunset stopped herself before she blurted the same lie she had told Trixie. But, could she really tell Dandy that she had attacked the ruler of her world, then jumped into the mirror just to know what was the secret that was being kept from her?

Then again… That had been bothering Sunset for a while. Princess Celestia was the wisest pony in the world, and she knew all the ponies close to her. She knew Sunset, sometimes even more than Sunset herself. She had to have known how Sunset would react to being kept from important information, hadn’t she? Would this really be some kind of test?

Of course! That made all the sense in the world! Celestia wanted Sunset to prove her worth on her own, without any guidance! She had been tricked into jumping head first to the unknown and solve whatever mysteries that lurked beyond!

Oh, that wicked alicorn.

Sunset smiled. “I was tasked to study this world and bring back my findings. And from what I’ve seen so far, there’s technology and science here of the likes that are beyond imagination in Equestria!”

Oddly, instead of simply agreeing, Dandy frowned. “You were tasked? By whom? And why alone?”

“Oh, right. You don’t know.” Sunset giggled. “Princess Celestia is the ruler of Equestria. She’s immortal, powerful, and wise. And I am her personal pupil! If there was anypony that could unravel this world’s mysteries, it’s me!”

“But… alone?”

Sunset nodded. “If I’m to become Equestria’s next ruler, I have to learn how to adapt and survive anywhere. This experience will put all my skills to the test!” She felt a sense of pride she thought she had lost; she was motivated! “I have to learn as much as I can, and I only have 30 moons to do so!”

For the longest time, Dandy only stared back at Sunset. Finally, she sighed heavily. “Well, I suppose I can’t blame your princess for not knowing that this is a dangerous world for a thirteen year old to be on her own. Good thing Trixie found you and not…” She pressed her lips together. “Anyway, if you want to learn, why don’t you go to school?”

“School?” For some reason, Sunset felt insulted. “Well, I was about to graduate from Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Hmmm. I suppose it can be a good way for me to know how humans interact with each other.”

Dandy nodded, then her smile vanished. “The only problem is that you have no documents whatsoever…”

Sunset cocked her head. “Documents?”

“You know, birth certificate, school grades… Anything that proves you are a normal girl and won’t raise suspicions?”

“Oh,” Well, that was going to be inconvenient.

Dandy placed a hand to her mouth. “I’ll see what I can do about that. Meanwhile, do try to learn as much as you can -you can ask Trixie for help- so you’re not lost when you are enrolled.”

Sunset nodded. “I can definitely do that.”

“I just hope it’s not too late, or you’ll have to wait a whole year,” Dandy said, then stood up. “I have to go to work now. Please don’t go out; it’s dangerous for someone your age alone. You can read the rest of the books I have, although some are pretty old.”

“Alright!”

Dandy smiled. “I’ll be back at ten. If you’re hungry, you can have the leftovers of yesterday’s food. Ask Trixie for help in heating it up.” She hesitated. “Trixie has my number. If something happens, call me.”

“Sure,” Sunset replied. She wondered what was this number she referred to, but decided to ask Trixie later.

After some more hesitating and instructions, Dandy left.

Sunset grabbed the same tome she had been reading and opened it.

3- Social Bathing

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Chapter 3: Social Bathing

”Have you ever wondered why there are less unicorns than pegasi or earth ponies?”

Sunset cocked her head, looking up at Celestia. Even laying side to side, the alicorn dwarfed most other ponies. “Uhm, it has to do with our lower life expectancy,” she replied, reciting what she had learned at school the week before. “Our lower birth rate, and our predisposition to disease.”

Princess Celestia’s smile didn’t falter. She listened to Sunset patiently, and when the little unicorn was done, she closed her eyes and gently shook her head. “But why do those things affect unicorns more than the others? In fact, let me ask you another question. Have you ever wondered why there aren’t any more alicorns out there that we know of?”

Now that was a question Sunset had never truly considered. Not because she hadn’t thought about it, but because it was so obvious! “Well,” she said. “Because you are unique! You’re the most powerful pony in all of Equestria! You move the sun and the moon, and you’re immortal!”

“And why do those things relate to the lack of alicorns?”

Sunset frowned. Was she supposed to have learned this at school, or was Celestia testing her in some other way? The teachers had certainly been utterly factly about this, probably because they loathed the idea of living less than mudponies.

“Uhm… Because…” Why was Celestia unique? Why were unicorns lower in number? What did these things had to do with anything? They had been reading ‘Gem Enchanting’ just a moment ago!

Celestia only looked at Sunset. She was waiting for an answer, but Sunset didn’t know it! Or… did she? Celestia never really asked questions she knew couldn’t be answered. That’s how wise she was! Sunset had to know! She thought about the facts once more, and could only see one thing relating everything.

“Unicorns are stronger than pegasi and mu- uh, earth ponies, and alicorns, as the embodiment of all three races, far surpass us all. So… we are less because… there must be a balance.”

When Celestia nodded, Sunset felt her heart skip a beat and her cheeks heat up. “That is called Harmony.”

~~~~~~~~

Sunset closed the anatomy tome, satisfied. She had read it completely, and now knew quite a lot about the human body. She’d need to re-read it again when she was to prepare the paper she’d present to Celestia upon her return, though. Still, there was something that bothered her; for some reason, she felt that the book was holding information from her.

It was normal, she supposed. Books would disclose subjects only pertaining to their contents, especially encyclopedias. But these didn’t even have references to other books she could read to learn more!

Leaning back on the chair, Sunset looked up at the ceiling. Well, at least she had 30 whole moons to prepare this project instead of the one week timeframe her school usually gave. It even seemed unfair in Sunset’s favor!

Hah! Easiest grades ever!

She stretched her arms to her sides. How long had it been since Dandy left? Probably a couple hours. She looked around, and found no one. Then again, who did she expect to see? Trixie was in her room, grounded.

Sunset was free to do as she pleased, except go out. She so wanted to investigate the streets, but she feared she’d get lost and it would be impossible to return. Big cities barely had any appropriate landmarks. She supposed she could ask Dandy to give her a tour some other day.

Standing up, Sunset took the tome back to the shelf. Now that she knew about this new body of hers, what could she tackle next? The encyclopedia had a variety of themes she found would be interesting: History, geography… There were some about mathematics and… informatic? What was that?

She reached for the tome, but stopped as she heard a voice. She turned back, but found no one there. The voice was soft and it seemed to come from another room. Was it Trixie? Sunset waited for a moment, noticing that Trixie seemed to be having a conversation. Who was she talking to? Were there more humans in this apartment? If so, Sunset needed to meet all of them.

“... so unfair!” Sunset heard Trixie say. Her voice was still muffled, but as Sunset got closer to her room, she could easily pinpoint the words. “Yes, I know. But you know why I do it. I’ve told you twice already.”

Silence.

“Now don’t you look at me like that!” Trixie said angrily.

More silence.

“No, no… you’re right. I’m sorry…”

Who was she talking to? Nopony seemed to be replying. How then? Sunset shook her head. The only way to know something, was to investigate and ask the right questions! Assumptions were for theories before experimenting!

With that in mind, Sunset knocked on the door.

There was the sound of hurried shifting before the door opened. “Uhm… yes?”

“Who are you talking with?” Sunset asked, trying to look past Trixie. So far, she saw no one. “If there are more humans, I think I should meet them.”

To her surprise, Trixie heated up and looked down. “Uh, well… There’s… uhm…” She looked back, then at Sunset. Ultimately, she decided to open the door.

Sunset stepped in.

There were clothes of all kinds scattered everywhere, magazines were hastily stocked in a fragile pile on a corner, and various book-looking objects surrounded another of those T.V.s. The walls were decorated with posters of various cartoons, but Sunset only recognized the one they had watched in the morning.

The bed was a mess, and there were more clothes upon it. One thing that stood out to Sunset was that everything was a different shade of blue or purple.

“I was talking with Mr. Squibbles,” Trixie admitted in a low voice, failing to avoid her cheeks from becoming a bright red. She pointed, and Sunset followed the direction.

She had completely missed a cage placed on a wardrobe, as it was half covered with a blanket and some more magazines. Sunset walked closer and saw it was a rodent’s cage. And right beside the wheel, there was a small ball of brown and gray fur.

The little hamster looked up at Sunset, moved its snout, then looked away.

“You were talking with your hamster?” Sunset asked.

Trixie hunched over herself. “Uhm… well…”

Sunset sighed. “Well, I guess it’s my fault for assuming.” Hadn’t she just thought against assuming things? She looked at Trixie, and finally noticed the huge blush on her face. “Why are you so… flustered?”

“Well… this, uhm, this isn’t normal, is it?” Trixie replied, avoiding to look directly at Sunset. “D-Don’t you think it’s weird?”

“Why would it be weird?” Sunset asked, and Trixie finally looked at her with widened eyes. “Pets may not be as smart, and they may not be able to talk, but they are intelligent. They can understand you.”

Trixie blinked and gaped for several seconds. “You… really think that?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I know so.”

Tears began forming in the corners of Trixie’s eyes. “Thank you.”

“What for?” Sunset asked. What was it with this girl?

“For, uhm, you know… cheering me up?”

Sunset frowned in confusion. “Well, if learning something cheers you up, then you’re on the right path.” She looked around the room once more. “So, there aren’t any more humans I should be meeting?”

“... No…”

Now that had been an odd way to reply. Then again, Trixie was an odd one. Sunset turned to her. “I think you should know I’ll be living with you guys for a while.”

Trixie’s brows raised in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah. Turns out my money is worth a lot of your money, so I’ll be paying for rent and stuff,” Sunset replied, then let out a heavy sigh. “I’m kind of glad. Celestia had me study home economics, and it’s such a drag… It’s better to let somepony else take care of it.”

“Uh… sure…”

Sunset nodded to herself. Besides, one bit a moon was such a great deal, she had to remind herself that it wasn’t a scam!

She looked at Trixie again, noticing she was still in her pajamas, and Sunset remembered she, too, had slothed all day. Well, might as well, she thought.

“Say, Trixie,” Sunset said, and Trixie immediately looked up at her. “I really want to take a shower, and I need you to join me.”

Trixie stopped in her tracks, and her whole face turned beet red. “W-W-W-WHAT?!”

“Join me in the shower,” she repeated. Sunset had already understood humans had some sort of nudity taboo, but she hadn’t considered… “Wait, you’re telling me you guys don’t do social bathing?”

“Wh- N-No!” Trixie stammered. “You ponies do?!”

“Well, yeah!” Sunset replied, indignant. “I may prefer to be on my own, but even I can’t avoid social bathing!”

Trixie gaped. “T-Tha- B-But…”

“Trixie,” Sunset said more forcefully. “You humans may not partake in this, but I need to take a shower, and not only do I not have my magic, but I also don’t know how to clean this body. Besides, I remember paying you for your assistance!”

“Assis- But this is different!”

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake, Trixie! Isn’t it humiliating enough that I have to ask for help in such a basic thing?! You agreed to it! Besides, I don’t see what the problem is! According to the encyclopedia, I literally have nothing you’ve never seen before!”

By this point, Trixie had stepped back all the way until she hit a wall, then had hunched over. She looked up at Sunset, her face still red, and, finally, nodded defeatedly. “F-fine, I’ll help you!”

Sunset puffed, exasperated.

“But I’ll be wearing a swimsuit.”

That made Sunset groan loudly. “Why must you make this so complicated?! How am I supposed to wash you if you’re wearing clothes?!”

“W-Wash me?!”

“Well, duh!” Sunset replied. “How else am I supposed to learn how to do it?”

Somehow, Trixie seemed to glow an even brighter red. “But I, you, but… I-I can teach you how to do it by yourself! No need to do it to me!”

“This is unbelievable!” Sunset said as she threw her arms above her head. She facepalmed and breathed in heavily. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. But you better teach me properly. I don’t want you missing important details because of that stupid taboo of yours!”

Trixie, finally, just nodded.

~~~~~~~~

Sunset stood outside the shower, inspecting it. It was so small! She supposed it was due to the apartment being generally small, but this was ridiculous! Even if humans bathed alone, they were prone to hitting everything in such a small space if they weren’t careful, right? And if it looked so dauntingly claustrophobic just for Sunset alone, how would it feel once Trixie joined?

But… there was nothing she could do about it. She needed help, as much as she loathed to admit it. Besides, it was a good opportunity to get to know Trixie a bit more. Not that Sunset particularly cared for the girl, but she felt like she owed her, and Sunset Shimmer did not owe anything to anypony!

Now… where was the boiler? Sunset looked around the bathroom. Its size certainly gave no space for a boiler. “Huh, maybe apartments are different,” she said to herself. She was used to the castle’s bathrooms that pumped the water directly from the hot springs at the summit of the mountain. And even before that, all of Canterlot’s houses had boilers inside the bathroom where the heat could easily be controlled. Schools though, they had massive boilers right outside the communal bathrooms in order to avoid students getting hurt.

Were apartments built after a similar idea?

Shaking her head, Sunset decided to investigate later. And so she opened the faucet nearest to her. “Uhm, is this one the hot water?” Damn, she had forgotten to ask! Water was already falling, and some freezing cold droplets sprayed on her face. She yelped and stepped back.

Well, she’d better leave that to Trixie and observe how she’d do it.

And so, she began undressing.

She thought her body would immediately start feeling cold, but it wasn’t the case. In fact, she felt a bit of heat. Looking up, she noticed steam rising from the shower. Ah hah! She had opened the right faucet! She couldn’t help but feeling proud at getting it right on her first try!

Once she was naked, she folded the clothes and placed them on the toilet.

That’s when Trixie entered the bathroom. As she had said, she was wearing a one piece purple swimsuit with two yellow lines crossing her belly. Her flowing silvery hair reached below her waist. Now that must be a nightmare to take care of, Sunset thought.

Trixie had barely glanced at Sunset and already she was heating up. Were all humans like that?

Sunset placed her hands on her hips. “Well, let’s get to it. The sooner we start, the sooner it’ll be over.”

Looking away, Trixie nodded. She then leaned in to the shower and put her hand under the stream of water. Only one minute later she turned back and gestured Sunset to go inside. She made a point not to look when Sunset walked past her and into the shower.

“You know, I really don’t understand what’s so bad about this,” Sunset said as the water hit her, and it was so pleasantly warm! “I’d understand if you or me were a different gender, but…” She scooted over to let Trixie step in and close the weird blurry door.

“It’s just how it is…” Trixie replied, still looking away from Sunset. “I-I mean, there are communal showers at school so we can wash after swimming or doing sports. But they are separated to be used individually, and everyone at least gets in their underwear before coming out to the lockers…”

Sunset blinked as Trixie turned completely away from her. Somehow, she looked smaller now.

“No one wants others to see them naked. Why would they?”

“Why don’t they?” Sunset found herself asking. The water was hitting her back, preventing Trixie from getting wet. “I don’t get it. You’re all girls, right? You and me are girls. Why would there be a taboo like that?”

Trixie reached for a small bottle from a corner shelf and looked at it. “It may be different from where you come from, Sunset. But it’s just how it is here.”

Sunset made a face and crossed her arms. What kind of reason was that? Just the way it is? For all their advanced knowledge, they sure seemed pretty stupid. But what was Sunset to do? Force them to her own customs?

She sighed. “Look, just teach me how to do this. I won’t ask you to do it again if you’re that uncomfortable.”

Trixie nodded and turned back to Sunset. “Thanks,” she said with a small smile. “Uhm, I don’t know how you did it before-”

“Coat first. Shampoo, rinsing, brushing, conditioner, rinsing, brushing. Then mane. “Shampoo, brushing, rinsing, conditioner, brushing, rinsing, brushing again.”

“That… That’s a lot of brushing.”

Sunset shrugged. “It’s worth it, though. Mine are the softest and most brilliant coat and mane in Equestria… Only after the princess’ herself, of course.”

“Well…” Trixie cleared her throat. “If you want to do all that again, I suppose you can. But the normal process is… Well, first get your hair wet.”

“Done that.”

“Oh, right, uhm…” Trixie’s blush returned at that, then handed the bottle to Sunset. “Put some on your hand. Not much, just about, uhm, the size of a coin. You’ll want to use your fingers to massage your scalp with the shampoo. Then rinse up.”

Sunset fumbled with the bottle, but managed to get it open. Then, she poured some on her hand. Or, that’s what she had intended, at least. She had pressed the bottle so much, a huge amount of pink shampoo poured from it. She yelped, and Trixie snatched the bottle from her.

Sunset felt her cheeks flush. Oh, this was going to be even more humiliating than she thought, wasn’t it? She shook her head. Well, might as well ridicule herself just this once. She put the shampoo on her head and moved her hands, feeling her fingers move across. It was… odd.

It certainly didn’t feel like a massage.

Right then, Trixie stepped closer, her face beet red again. “H-Here, let me help you and show you how it’s done.” When Sunset lowered her arms, Trixie gestured her to turn around, so she did. “It’s not your hands, but the fingers you have to move,” she said, then began massaging Sunset’s scalp.

“Oh, ohhh.” Now that felt quite nice. Sunset focused on the feelings and tried to remember. She’d have to do it herself from then on, after all.

“So,” Trixie said as she tried not to tangle her fingers with Sunset’s incredibly voluminous hair. “Why do you?”

“Hm?”

Trixie cleared her throat. “Why do you do the, uhm…”

“Social bathing?”

“Yeah.”

Sunset closed her eyes as she remembered when Princess Celestia had told her about it. “Aside from needing help sometimes, It’s a good way to know your peers,” she said. “Bathing forges and strengthens bonds, because when you wash another, you care about them. It is about socializing, about being part of a group. And as much as I dislike the idea, I can’t deny the importance of groups.”

Trixie stopped her ministrations and leaned back. “You, uhm, you can rinse up now.”

Sunset shoved her head right into the stream’s path, letting the shampoo wash off. This felt nice, better than when she was a pony. Why? She passed a hand through her face and opened her eyes, turning back to Trixie. “What now?”

“Now, more shampoo,” Trixie said, already pouring some to her hand. “Here.” Awkwardly, Trixie placed the shampoo onto Sunset’s hand.

Now this was humiliating.

“You will want to spread it to the rest of your hair, like this,” Trixie said, mimicking the motions with her own hair. Sunset fully turned to face Trixie in order to properly do what Trixie did. This part was easy!

Trixie stopped her movements when Sunset seemed to be doing it right. “So, you never mock each other when you’re bathing?”

Stopping for just a moment, Sunset considered. “I’ve seen some fillies mocking each other, then again, they were always at it, not only during bathing. I’m so glad I stopped going with them.”

“Your classmates?”

“Yeah,” Sunset replied. “Bunch of rich idiots that think they’ve got it figured out just because daddy or mommy buy them everything. Can you believe they tried to turn me into their lackey? Hah! As if!”

Trixie blinked a couple of times. “Did they bully you when you refused?”

“Bully me?” Sunset said, then laughed. “Hah! Oh, Trixie, you’re so funny! Bully me, she says! Haha!” When she managed to calm down, she saw Trixie frowning at her. “Even if I weren’t Princess Celestia’s protege, I am still the most powerful unicorn in Equestria! Had they ever tried anything against me, I would just need a quick spell and their furs would fall off.”

Trixie smiled weakly. “It must be nice,” she whispered.

“What?”

“I said it’s nice,” Trixie said louder, then gestured Sunset to rinse up again.

It had taken too long for Sunset to spread the shampoo in her hair. She sighed as the water stream hit her head again. These hands, however, seemed to be way better for cleaning, as they could separate and go through the hair strands way easier than hooves. When she opened her eyes, she found Trixie blushing. Again.

“Now what? More shampoo?”

Trixie shook her head, then turned to the corner shelf and grabbed a bar of soap and a loofah. “Next is your, uhm… Your body.” She spread some soap on the loofah and handed it to Sunset. Then, she mimicked the movements in her own body for Sunset to imitate.

Sunset noticed that the lower they went, the redder Trixie got. She had to admit she was impressed. With so much blood pumping to the girl’s head, Trixie should’ve passed out by now.

Finally, after much fumbling and almost tripping several times when trying to wash her legs and feet, Sunset was finishing her shower, rinsing up her body. This had certainly been an interesting experience so far, and not exactly a bad one. Of course, water streams felt way better on her fur -especially her back-, but the versatility of her hands and fingers allowed for much softer massages. All in all, probably an even trade, she reasoned.

The shower’s door opened, and Sunset turned to see Trixie stepping out.

“Wait,” she called.” Where are you going?”

Trixie looked everywhere but to Sunset. “Well, you already finished. You can use the towels to-”

“Now don’t give me that!” Sunset said. “At least let me return the favor and wash your hair!”

More blushing. Sunset found it oddly amusing that Trixie heated up so easily and by seemingly everything. “W-Why?”

Sunset snatched the shampoo bottle. “Because it doesn’t seem fair to me, and I am nothing if not fair.”

Trixie hesitated, then sighed defeatedly before getting back in and closing the door. “But just my hair, ok?”

“Sure thing,” Sunset agreed, then poured some shampoo into her hand. This time, she had managed to only get a handful. When Trixie turned her back to Sunset, she placed her hands on the girl’s head. “Now, you tell me how I do it.”

Trixie nodded. “Uhm, you can use the whole hands to spread the shampoo, but try to use the fingers so you get used to it.” Sunset did as told, trying to give Trixie the same massage she had given her. “Ouch! Not so hard!”

“Sorry.”

It took some time, but Sunset finally managed to get washing Trixie’s hair without the girl correcting her. She had to admit, Trixie’s hair was really soft and silky, letting her fingers go through as if it was water. It even rivaled her own. But it was so much longer!

“Your hair is beautiful,” Sunset found herself saying. How could she not? Her fingers felt soft just by touching the silvery blue hair. “You must take care of it just as much as I do.”

Trixie seemed to tense up at that, but it was so fast Sunset thought she imagined it.

“Uhm… thanks. Yours is beautiful too.”

Sunset nodded to herself. She didn’t need to be told that, but it was always good to hear somepony else say it. Ah, but Trixie’s hair really was mesmerizing. Wet hair normally couldn’t compare to its dry and brushed form, but Trixie’s somehow made up for it with its softness. Sunset couldn’t quite remember when was the last time she had been so enthralled by hair that wasn’t hers or Princess Celestia’s.

“You’ll have to show me how to brush,” Sunset said. “And you absolutely must let me brush your hair.”

She could practically feel Trixie blush harder. “Uhm… I-I suppose that’s ok.”

~~~~~~~~

Shower finished and body clumsily dried, Sunset found herself wrapped in two towels. One around her body and another one wrapped around her hair. At least this part of the after-bathing process seemed to be the same as in Equestria.

Trixie had insisted she’d go ahead and get dressed while she finished the shower. Not that Sunset particularly complained. The shower was quite small. Besides, Sunset supposed Trixie had already blushed quite enough already.

On her bed, Sunset found some more clothes. “Trixie must’ve brought them before joining me,” she said. There were pink panties, a blue t-shirt with white long sleeves, and brown short pants. Not exactly what Sunset expected Trixie to wear, for some reason, but she wasn’t one to complain.

She tossed the towel from her body and quickly got dressed. She fumbled with the t-shirt, but she managed to put it on without disrupting the towel on her head too much. When she was done, she exited her bedroom. She couldn’t hear the shower anymore.

“You almost done?” Sunset asked.

“Yeah,” Trixie replied, her voice echoing inside the bathroom. “Wait in my mom’s room. I’ll go when I’m dressed.”

“Sure,” Sunset said and went to the last room she had yet to see. This one was really organized. The walls were a soft shade of orange, and the furniture in general was brown in color. There was a huge mirror placed on top of an even bigger wardrobe, upon which were dozens of toiletries of all colors and sizes.

After a while, Trixie entered the room, dressed with blue pants and a purple t-shirt with a yellow neck. A towel was also wrapped around her hair. She was holding a brush.

“Uhm, you should take the towel off now,” Trixie said.

Sunset nodded and did so, her hair falling free. She looked into the mirror and froze. “Whoa, I look like a manticore!” Her hair was everywhere!

“What?”

“My hair never does this! Ah! I believe it’s because I didn’t brush it at all. I’ll have to bring a brush into the shower next time!” She said as she sat down on the bed.

Trixie sat down next to Sunset, then reached out and grabbed a strand of Sunset’s hair. “Well, it’s still moist enough. We can fix it right now.” She grabbed her brush and passed it through Sunset’s hair. “I don’t know how you do it, but I always count to sixty brushes before moving to the next part.”

“With a hair as long as yours, that must take an eternity to do,” Sunset noted, watching Trixie work through the mirror.

“Only about twenty minutes,” Trixie admitted.

And it was around that same time that Trixie took to brush the entirety of Sunset’s hair. It looked good, Sunset admitted, better than she had expected. Somehow, Trixie had managed to return Sunset’s hair to its natural shape and weight, something even the maids had trouble managing!

“It looks really nice. Thanks, Trixie.”

Trixie blushed again, and handed the brush to Sunset. “Your turn.”

Sunset grabbed the brush and waited for Trixie to unwrap the towel from her head. She grabbed Trixie’s hair. It was so silky! Yes, it was still moist, but it truly felt like holding the softest of fabrics.

“How on Equestria did you manage this?” Sunset asked as she began brushing. She attempted to be careful not to pull Trixie’s hair, but she didn’t need to as the brush simply passed through the hair as if it was water.

“Manage what?”

“This!” Sunset insisted. “Your hair! You’re the second pon- uh.. second one I meet that has such silky, soft hair.”

Trixie lowered her head a little. “Well, I spend a lot of time taking care of it.”

“Well, kudos to you, Trixie,” Sunset said, finding that she enjoyed just passing her fingers through Trixie’s unbelievably soft hair. “So, you always come to your mom’s room after you bathe?”

“No, I always do it in my room.”

Sunset cocked her head. “Then why did you tell me to come here?”

Trixie looked away. “I needed to get dressed.”

Ah, again with the nudity taboo. Sunset supposed she could stop insisting on the matter. It wasn’t so difficult, as she quickly found herself enjoying just brushing Trixie’s fabulous silver mane.

4- Crimson Awakening

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Chapter 4: Crimson Awakening

”Honestly, Sunset, I think we make, like, the best team,” Dawnshine said.

Sunset rolled her eyes, exasperated. She had been forced to team up with the airhead for a research project. Dawnshine was a complete idiot who lacked the knowledge and discipline for anything other than gossip. Fearful at what this waste of space would do to her grade, Sunset had offered to do all the work.

And she was now regretting it, as Dawnshine was now trying to be recognized as her equal.

“Our names are even related, like, the yin-yin stuff or whatever.”

“It’s Yin-yang,” Sunset said through her teeth. “And your analogy is lacking all effects of comparison between our personalities and skills. Why, I loath wasting time like you do, and I know you’re as smart as a retarded Diamond Dog. So, no, Dawnshine, we’re not related in any way whatsoever, and we do not make any kind of team. I did everything while you just asked your mommy for a new frilly dress.”

Dawnshine gaped at that, offended. “Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you just said that! And here I was going to invite you to my birthday party!”

“Oh, please, by all means don’t,” Sunset replied as she levitated a book from her saddlebags. “I can think of better things to do, like throwing myself from the castle’s highest tower face first.”

“Ugh! You’re just unbelievable!” Dawnshine yelled before trotting away.

Sunset placed the book on the table, sitting at her favorite spot in the school’s garden. She breathed in the sweet scent of flowers and relished the warm air before opening ‘Three Dimensional Spell Casting’, volume four.

~~~~~~~~

It had been seven days since Sunset arrived to the human world, and so far, it hadn’t been that bad.

Sure, being magicless sucked a lot, but in exchange, she could experiment having hands. It wasn’t really a fair trade, Sunset thought, but this was supposed to be a test of some kind. It could not be easy in any way! And Sunset was going to excel and prove to Celestia she was rightful to the throne!

In the last week, Sunset had read half the encyclopedia. It was so interesting! These humans were so advanced in science it was almost unfair. She had yet to start reading about technology and finally learn how that cursed television worked, but so far she was impressed. It was so incredible, she was sure she could bring this knowledge back to Equestria and start a second golden age! Oh, her future was so bright!

And Sunset had thirty whole moons to gather all this information! This was going to be a breeze!

Sunset had decided not to go outside until she was completely prepared to face whatever these humans had. She was curious, sure, but she didn’t want to be seen as a hicksville idiot, her pride would not allow for such humiliation! It was also maddening that all windows in the apartment only had views to more buildings.

Dandy had promised she’d take both Sunset and Trixie to the mall on Sunday, though. Dandy had explained it could not be sooner because she had her own business to take care of, and she could only take days off every other week.

That confused Sunset. How could owning a business leave so little time to do anything? Princess Celestia always found time for recreation, and not only was she the ruler of Equestria, but also administered her own school! She’d have to ask Dandy to let her see her business some other time.

Trixie, on her part, had to go to school during the week. Sunset had been fascinated by the complex school structure humans had. Equestria's educational system only had two levels: Elementary School and University. Whilst these humans had like five different levels, and some above University! Sunset wondered if that helped with the technological development.

There were just so many things going on, Sunset had to write them down. And so, she was now sitting at the dining table, dressed in very comfortable pajamas, and writing her thoughts on the notebook Trixie had given her.

“Morning,” Trixie said as she approached from the hallway. When she took a look at Sunset, she only narrowed her eyes and cocked her head. “Uhm… are you writing with your mouth?”

Sunset looked at her. “Yeah,” she said, balancing the pen with her teeth and tongue. “I tried using my hands, but I just can’t get it right, and it ends up as horrible scribbling. And since I don’t have my magic, the next logical option is my mouth.”

Trixie blinked, frowned, then blinked again. “Logical.”

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“No, no, it’s just… You can write with your mouth?”

Sunset rolled her eyes and pushed her notebook towards Trixie. “Unicorns can learn how to write using magic, but we all learn how to mouthwrite. Take a look.”

Trixie leaned in, and her eyes widened in surprise. “Whoa! It’s so pretty!” She grabbed the notebook and began reading.

With a satisfied grin, Sunset leaned back. She felt her lower back ache, but paid it no mind. She had been feeling like this for a couple of days now; she probably had been sleeping in a weird position. Maybe she’d need to learn how to sleep as a human? She certainly hoped not. Trixie had already been too weirded out with Social Bathing, only Celestia knows how she would react if Sunset asked her to sleep with her.

“Can you show me how you do it?” Trixie asked, setting the notebook back on the table.

Sunset shrugged. “Sure, why not?” She leaned over, placed both fists at the sides of the notebook, and began writing. She needed to note Dandy’s schedule, anyway.

Trixie stifled a giggle.

“Must you laugh at everything I do?” Sunset growled, looking up at Trixie.

“I’m sorry!” Trixie said, covering her mouth as if it was any better. “It’s just… you look so cute!”

Sunset felt a cold chill run down her spine. “Cute?!” She spat the pen. “I am not cute!” She stood up, slamming her palms on the table. “I’ll let you know I-” She froze.

Trixie stepped back at the sudden outburst, then slowly leaned over. “Sunset? What’s wrong?”

Sunset began trembling. What is this?! She thought frantically. Did I just… But that’s impossible! H-How?! This couldn’t be! This had to be the most humiliating thing that could ever happen to her! And to top it all, Trixie had been a witness! Sunset’s life was ruined! Ruined!

“Sunset? You look pale.”

She had just peed herself!

But why? Was it something she had drunk or eaten? Oh, Celestia, it was getting worse!

“Sun-”

“Gottausethebathroombye!” Sunset said and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Her heart was hammering inside her chest. Why? Why?! She pulled her pants and panties down just as she sat on the toilet. How could she ever get out now?! How could the future ruler of Equestria live with such a shame as this one?!

She held her head with both hands, looking down. Before she could think more about that, she glanced at her panties, trying to gauge the damage.

Her once pink panties were now tainted an aggressive deep red.

Sunset screamed.

“What is this?!” She yelled after a while, finally being able to find her voice. “I’m bleeding! I’m bleeding! Oh, Faust Almighty, I’m bleeding!” Her breath quickened, and cold sweat ran down her face.

Why was this happening?! Was it because she wasn’t a human? Was the human world rejecting her very existence? But why allow her to cross and give her a human body just to punish her? Was this that, in fact? Was this punishment for disobeying Celestia? For aiming to claim the throne for herself?

She could feel more blood leaking.

“Oh, Faust, oh Faust,” she repeated, out of breath. Tears streaming down her face. “Oh Faust Almighty, don’t let me die! I haven’t fulfilled my destiny! I’m too young!”

“Sunset!”

Only when Trixie grabbed her by the shoulders and yelled did Sunset notice the girl had entered the bathroom. She could feel her heart beating furiously inside her chest, her lower back kept aching, tears and sweat ran down her face and her ragged breathing barely let her get any air.

“Sunset,” Trixie repeated in a much lower voice. “Calm down.”

“Ca-” Sunset choked on the word. “Calm down?! How can you ask me to calm down?! Are you stupid?! I’m bleeding from my vagina! Why are you not calling a doctor?!”

“Sunset,” Trixie said, unnervingly calm. Why was she so calm?! “What color is my barrette?”

Sunset opened her mouth to retort, then registered the question. “What?! What kind of question is that in a moment like this?! What kind of imbecile are you?!”

“What,” Trixie repeated sternly, punctuating each word insistently. “Color. Is. My. Barrette?”

Why did she insist? Sunset blinked several times. What did the barrette have to do with anything? Besides, Trixie didn’t wear any, did she? Sunset looked up to Trixie’s hair. Oh, that silver, silky hair. Sunset was going to miss brushing it. She would never have admitted it to her classmates, but one of her guilty pleasures was brushing the maids’ manes when they bathed with her. Sunset regretted never asking Celestia to let her brush her mane. That flowing misty mane had to feel wonderful.

Sunset blinked once more, trying to get rid of the tears. But where was Trixie’s barrette? Sunset could not find it anywhere. She looked down, only to find Trixie smiling knowingly.

“You witch!” Sunset yelled. “You tricked me!”

Trixie nodded. “Yes. You had to stop panicking so you can listen to me.” Trixie leaned back just a little. “This is perfectly normal. All girls go through this.”

Sunset gaped. “W-What?”

“Trust me, no one likes it one bit,” Trixie said as she stood up. “But it’s just how it is, so we gotta suck it up and learn how to live with it. Or so my mom says.” She turned to the door. “I’ll bring you another pair of panties.” Then she left, leaving the door open.

“This is normal?” Sunset whispered to herself. “This madness...?”

Only a few seconds passed, but Sunset felt like it had been longer. What was taking Trixie so long? Oh, she was calling a doctor, wasn’t she? All that barrette nonsense was a deviation!

Trixie, however, returned quickly. “When you think is ok, you can change your panties,” she said, putting the new ones on the sink’s edge. “You’ll also have to wear a pad.” She opened the cabinet above the sink and produced a small square plastic bag. “I’ll tell you how to wear them. There’s a trick to them.”

“Trixie?” Sunset asked, noticing her voice had lost all energy. She felt tired and the cold sweat was not helping. “Please tell me you can explain this to me…”

Trixie made a troubled face, looking down at the bag she had taken, then took a deep breath. And she explained everything she knew.

It was horrifying.

Sunset had thought mares had it rough back in Equestria, having to lock themselves up for one to two weeks a year in order to protect themselves and others from the terrible heat. But this? This was Tartarus! Pain and gross bodily functions, and having to put up with it for a week per month? In what plane of existence was this fair, or even remotely logical?

It was so much… It was too much…

Sunset leaned over on herself, reaching to hug her knees, and felt tears already running down her cheeks. “I wanna go home,” she admitted. “I shouldn’t have come here… I should’ve stayed… I should’ve been a better student…” She closed her eyes as the pain in her heart far surpassed that of her body. “I wanna go back home!”

Her emotions thrown into disarray, Sunset could not keep talking any longer, so she cried. She didn’t care that Trixie was still there, she couldn’t care, not anymore. She didn’t know how long she was there, weeping, but when she finally found the strength to sit up straight again, she was strangely relieved to find that Trixie was still there.

Trixie’s sole presence was enough for Sunset to regain her composure.

“So, what now?” Sunset asked, hearing the quivering of her voice.

“What do you mean?”

Sunset removed her bottoms completely. “You talk like you’ve been through this already,” she said, and Trixie only nodded. “How do you cope with it?”

“Well,” Trixie said, reaching inside the cabinet again, then taking a small box. “If you are in pain, you can take one of these.” She opened the box and took what looked like a silver sheet. She pressed on one of its bumps, then showed the white thing to Sunset.

“Is that a medicine pellet?” Sunset asked, glaring at the white cylindrical thing. “I thought you could only find those in hospitals.”

Trixie put the pill on Sunset’s hand. “This is just Ibuprofen, it’s the most basic painkiller there is. But it should be enough to help you feel better.” She took the box back to the cabinet. “I’ll bring you a glass of water to help you swallow it.”

Once again, Trixie left the bathroom. Why was she leaving so much? She should be assisting Sunset! Why the insistence on leaving her alone?

Sunset shook her head. These thoughts were coming out of nowhere, and Trixie had said emotional unbalance was normal. But Sunset was better than this, she would not let a foreign event control her! She put the pill safely on the sink’s edge, then cleaned herself. She then grabbed the panties Trixie had brought. Trixie had already shown her how to ‘hook’ the pad to the panties, and how to put them on.

It was more complicated than Sunset expected, but she managed.

When she was done putting on the pajama pants, Trixie returned. “How’s the pain?”

Sunset moved her legs this way or the other. The pad was uncomfortable. “I can tolerate it,” she said, placing a hand on her lower back. “But it’s throbbing and really annoying.”

Trixie nodded and offered the glass to Sunset. “Here, take the pill. You should feel better in twenty minutes or so.”

With a nod, Sunset took the pill and quickly gulped it down with the water. It left a nauseating taste in her mouth. “Ugh, do I have to take this every time?”

“Not really,” Trixie said, taking the now empty glass. “If you take too many, or too fast, it can be deadly. You can also choose not to take any… But I don’t know if you’d really want that.” She looked Sunset up and down and offered her a small smile. “Are you feeling better?”

Sunset huffed. “Better? I once ignited my room by accident. I burnt my mane and tail, and I caused a loss of thousands of bits in furniture, clothes, and other objects. And this is the worst I have ever felt in my life. So, no, I do not feel better.”

Trixie looked away, pouting. “I was just trying to help,” she muttered. “Well, I’ll be in my room. If you need anything you can call me.” With that, she turned to leave.

“Wait,” Sunset found herself saying.

Slowly, Trixie turned back to Sunset. “Yes?”

It had been an impulse, like cowering after hearing a loud noise. Trixie was looking at her, but Sunset hadn’t yet realized why had she called her. She thought of the situation, of the pain and the humiliation. She felt chills running down her entire body and the mere thought of going through it alone was terrifying and…

Sunset shivered as she realized… She didn’t want to be alone.

“Can I…” Sunset gulped. Never in her entire life had she asked for something so trivial. She had, in fact, insisted on being left alone, on being allowed to practice on her own, to grow without peers. But now? The sole idea of enduring a situation such as this one was already too much, and Sunset wasn’t sure she would be able to retain her sanity were she to do it all alone. So she turned her hands into tight fists and stiffened her jaw.

“Can I… Be with you?” There! She had said it! She prepared herself to be laughed at, or pitied, or-

“Sure!” Trixie replied with a broad smile.

Relief washed over Sunset as she followed Trixie to her room. Her legs were shaky and the pain seemed to be hugging her entire torso, but at least she wouldn’t be alone.

Trixie’s bed was softer than her own, if a lot messier, like the rest of her room. Clothes and magazines and a variety of other objects were scattered all around the room, and yet, Sunset found it oddly comfortable. Not that she would ever admit it.

“What’s that?” Sunset asked as Trixie reached a sort of black box beneath the television. The box began humming and a few lights turned on. Sunset gasped.

“Playing video games helps me when I’m in those days,” Trixie said as she sat down next to Sunset, holding a weird object with her hands. “Here, try it out!”

Sunset grabbed the object just as the television began showing some imagines. There were depictions of humans with strange clothes running and talking and… doing magic! Sunset leaned over. “They can do magic?”

Trixie’s smile widened. “Yeah. Look, your character is the blue haired girl. You, uhm… you can play the tutorial so you know how to play, then you just pay attention to the story.”

“Tutorial?” What a strange word. Fortunately, she soon began playing, and the instructions were clear enough. Press a certain button to do a specific action. Sunset could do that. She just had to memorize the controller -now that she knew the object’s name-, but it was no difficult task!

The difficult part was moving her fingers fast or precisely enough to hit the buttons correctly.

Her character kept dying in the very first fight, but for some strange reason, it didn’t frustrate her. This video game was so much fun! Trixie was insisting she followed the storyline, but Sunset kept exploring the first level again and again, admiring the technology that made this possible.

Interactive movies now? Just how far had humans gone in terms of technology? Sunset wondered how would ponies react if she were to bring all of this to Equestria. She would start a technological revolution far greater than any other Equestria has ever seen!

They spent the following hours playing, passing the controller to one another. And Sunset had managed to forget, at least for a while, her own physical and emotional pains.

5- Market Castle

View Online

Chapter 5: Market Castle

Eight nodes. That’s the novice way.

“You must make sure the gemstone is completely engulfed by your aura,” Miss Clockwise said, levitating a shiny sapphire in front of her for all the class to see. “Otherwise, the vectors might break, and your spell will fail.”

There was a murmur around the classroom as Miss Clockwise wrote the warning on the board. Not because of what she had just said, but because she could write, hold the gemstone and still look straight to them with no apparent effort. Sunset rolled her eyes at their ineptitude.

“Now, you try it out. Remember to visualize in your minds before casting the enclosing cage.”

Sunset looked up to the ceiling and sighed. Why had Princess Celestia insisted that Sunset take this particular class? Enchanting was her specialty! She suspected she was even better than the teacher herself!

There were several clinks all around her as most of her classmates dropped their gemstones. They couldn’t even sustain an eight-nodes enclosing cage!

“Sunset Shimmer,” Miss Clockwise called her. “Why aren’t you doing anything?”

Sunset resisted the urge to retort. She only gave the teacher a deadpan, then levitated her ruby. With the most bored expression she could muster, she created thirty-two nodes around the gemstone at even distances from each other. The vectors came next, and she could already hear the gasps from those who were sensible enough to notice her grandeur.

It was no easy task. She had to split her concentration into so many parts in order to calculate the spatial distortion and the mana input into each node to form the vectors, and doing so while also deliberately mustering an even expression was maybe a tad too much for her.

Maybe.

“That is…”

But Sunset did not let Miss Clockwise praise her yet. Once her enclosing cage was solidly constructed, Sunset fed the nodes with a simple light-producing spell and a two-fold potentiated blue spell. Then, once the ruby had turned a shiny blue, Sunset slid in a much more complex environmental auto-regenerating energy spell.

With a satisfied nod, Sunset set the blue ruby down, letting her aura dissipate with grace. That third spell would make her enchantments run for about a week before running out. She felt very proud of herself, so much so that she almost smiled.

“Sunset Shimmer, this is incredible!” Miss Clockwise said. “Three spells into a thirty-two nodes enclosing cage is-”

“An easy task for me,” Sunset interrupted her, still wearing her bored frown. “Maybe I should be in advanced enchanting, hm?”

Then she allowed herself to smile.

~~~~~~~~

“What is this?!” Sunset exclaimed as she approached the weird-looking carriage. It was shorter but longer, and it was a smooth metallic dark gray. The wheels didn’t seem to be made of wood, either. There were so many things she could not recognize of this carriage, but the most impressive fact was the lack of horsepower.

“It’s a car,” Dandy said, and her voice sounded oddly uncomfortable.

The man inside gave Sunset an odd look as she approached him. “How does it move? What kind of technology is this? I haven’t read the whole encyclopedia yet so I don’t know anything about this car.” She mused for a moment. Maybe it worked similarly to a train? Then again, if the front part was the engine, it was so small and quite possibly so complex she got an itch to dismantle the thing.

Dandy placed a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Sunset, dear, stop bothering him and get in. You can read about it later.”

Sunset pouted, but the expression on the man’s face told her that he was not going to be able to answer her questions. Peasant.

She complied and followed Trixie inside. The interior had an odd design as well, but it was so much more comfortable! She supposed she could wait, after all, Dandy was taking them to the “Mall”, and Sunset had been wanting to know what it was. Trixie seemed eager to go as well.

As she looked out the window, Sunset took a good look at her surroundings. Every street they passed had dozens of cars of different colors, none of which were being pulled. Some were smaller and some were huge. People walked this way or the other, and Sunset felt like she was in Manehattan again. Was Manehattan the most technologically advanced city in Equestria? That couldn’t be true!

Something that caught Sunset’s attention was that all the buildings seemed to share a rectangular shape, like boxes stacked next to each other, but vertically. Was it for a practical reason or just aesthetics? If it was the latter, then Sunset did not understand it.

Finally, after some twenty minutes, they arrived, and Sunset could not believe what she was seeing.

This building looked like a castle, but miniature!

Its design was nothing like the rest of the buildings. There were a lot of angles and shapes, making it look like some sort of fortress, but then, people walked in and out of it like it was no one’s business. There was a garden-like area at the side where more people gathered to form queues in front of booths.

The building was, by Sunset’s estimation, at least five stories high, and it covered so much ground! It was probably just as big as Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and that was only the second biggest building in Canterlot right after the castle itself!

“I think we all should grab something to eat first,” Dandy said right after they got out of the car. “What do you girls-”

“Burgers!” Trixie said. “I can’t stand vegan anymore!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at that. “Vegan?”

Dandy sighed. “Well, I suppose it’s ok for you.” She then turned to Sunset. “I’m pretty sure we’ll find something for you.”

“For me?” Sunset asked. What were they talking about? She cocked her head.

“Yes. You know, vegan food?”

Sunset narrowed her eyes. “What is that vegan you’re talking about? I feel like I’m being left out of a joke.”

Dandy and Trixie shared a look that made Sunset feel more uncomfortable.

“Well, you’re a horse,” Trixie said.

“Pony.”

“Whatever. You eat fruit and veggies and grass, right?”

Sunset huffed, offended, and crossed her arms. “Excuse me? You think I would just eat from the ground? I’m not some low-class hicksville peasant, you know? The maids use only the highest quality ingredients for every meal and I will be very angry if you so much as imply I eat grass again.”

Trixie blinked, then gave her mother a desperate look.

Dandy stepped closer to Sunset and calmly placed a hand on her shoulder. “What Trixie meant to say is that we’ve been eating meat-free food because we thought it’d be against your, uhm… culture.”

Now that got Sunset’s attention, and she sharply looked up at Dandy. “Meat?” She looked at Trixie, then at Dandy again. “You guys eat meat?”

“Yes,” Dandy replied. “I’m surprised the encyclopedia hasn’t mentioned that yet, with how much you’ve been reading it.” She cleared her throat. “In any case, we won’t force our diet on you, so don’t worry.”

Sunset looked down. Humans ate meat. She wasn’t sure why it was so shocking to her. Minotaurs and Gryphons and many other creatures were carnivorous, and there were some ponies that enjoyed eating fish every once in a while, but she had never paid them any mind.

And now she was one of them.

The thought was making her feel nauseous. Sure, Dandy said she could still have her previous diet, but she was still bothered by the fact she was supposed to eat meat. The logical part of her mind was arguing that a balanced diet was important, and these humans, as far as she was concerned now, needed meat for that.

But then, the memory of Miss Genny, the only gryphon in Celestia’s school, eating fish every other day at the cafeteria became vivid in Sunset’s mind and she could see and smell the flesh and listen to the chewing sounds and she thought she was about to vomit.

“Sunset?”

But that was pony Sunset Shimmer. That was her past self. She was now a human and humans ate meat! Should she try at least once? Trixie did mention the word ‘burger’. Maybe it was something similar to Hayburgers.

“Hey, Sunset!”

Sure, Sunset had never been a fan of the unhealthy things, but if they were the human counterpart of the popular meal, maybe they were at least half as good, and if that was the case, there was a high chance she could like it.

“Sunset!” Trixie yelled.

“Stop screaming in my ear!” Sunset yelled back, making Trixie step backward. Then she noticed they had gotten to a huge open area with lots and lots of tables, like a cafeteria, and all around there were booths of what she could only guess was different kinds of food. “Huh.”

“Do you want me to help you pick something?” Trixie asked in a much lower voice.

Sunset blinked and turned around slowly. Trying to make out the different booths. There weren’t many people around, so it was easy to read some names, though that did nothing to tell her the kind of food they’d sell. After turning twice on her heels, Sunset noticed Dandy was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Dandy?”

“Oh, uhm,” Trixie fidgeted. “Mom went to the bathroom. She said to order already.”

Sunset hummed. “You’re getting a burger, right?”

“Y-yes.”

“Is it tasty?”

Trixie smiled. “Yes. It’s my favorite food!”

Sunset looked at Trixie for the longest time, then scratched her head. “I… I want to try a burger too.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Sunset replied as she looked away. “I at least want to know. If I don’t like it then I’ll just get something else.”

Trixie beamed. “Oh, I bet you’ll love burgers!” She said as she grabbed Sunset by the hand and pulled her towards a booth that had only a huge crown as a logo. “They’re super tasty and you can have them however you like! I always ask for extra pickles. Mom can’t stand them but I just love them!”

Sunset listened to Trixie ramble for the whole ten minutes they stood in line. It was interesting how she could be sort of a doormat one moment and the most talkative person the next one. Most of the time Trixie kept to herself, then she’d decide to start conversations with Sunset out of nowhere.

What an odd girl.

The queue wasn’t long, and before Sunset realized, Trixie had already pulled her to the counter. “I’ll have a double cheeseburger with extra pickles,” Trixie said. “Small fries and small soda.”

The person behind the counter, a boy that looked like he’d rather hit himself than be there, hastened to take the order.

“What will you have, Sunset?”

Sunset scanned the menu that hung from the ceiling. Even back in Equestria, she had never been to one of these places and had no idea what any of the ridiculous dish names meant. She grimaced. “Whatever the smallest one is.”

Trixie paused, then ordered something that sounded too childish to be a real dish name. It took a while, but they were finally seated at one of the tables with their orders. Sunset was curious about these food trays they were given, but she was distracted by the meal in front of her.

“You got a burger too?” Dandy asked. She had arrived a few minutes ago and had gotten herself a sandwich from another booth.

“I want to try them out,” Sunset replied. She looked at the wrapped-up semi-ball in front of her and felt her stomach turn. Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea. To her left, Trixie had already unwrapped hers and was eating like her life depended on it.

With still slightly uncoordinated hand, Sunset unwrapped the paper and uncovered the greasy food. The paper underneath was already becoming transparent. For a moment, Sunset felt more repulsed by the thought of eating so much fat than meat. She pursed her lips as she lifted the burger.

“Well… I guess there’s a first time for everything,” she whispered. Before she could cowardly back away, she gave a big bite. She almost regretted it as soon as the grease’s taste filled her mouth. This was precisely the reason why she had decided to never eat hayburgers again! She could already feel herself going fat and having to run to burn all those calories and…

And…

What was this flavor?

Soon after the taste of grease washed her mouth, she was greeted by the unusual but not at all bad mix of mustard and ketchup. She had even gotten a pickle and it was as delicious as they were back home. But above all, there was a novel flavor.

She had no idea what to compare it to. She had never eaten anything like it. This meat, it was hard to come up with a description of its taste. But more impressive was the fact that she was not retching. Sure, the thought of knowing she was eating a dead animal was still nauseating, but it wasn’t as horrible as she had first thought.

Not with the help of the rest of the ingredients.

Sunset would not say it was delicious, or even tasty, but it certainly was bearable. Perhaps she could get used to eating meat. She just hoped her next meal would be less greasy.

“So?!” Trixie asked, startling Sunset. She had already devoured her burger and was now enjoying her fries. “Did you like it?!”

Sunset looked back at her own burger. It didn’t look appetizing in the slightest, and yet she didn’t feel disgusted.

She just shrugged. “It’s ok, I guess.”

After they finished their food, Dandy ushered the girls along. Sunset looked around. She had been distracted when she entered this Mall, so she wanted to pay attention to everything.

They walked through what, architecturally speaking, should be a hallway, although it was so wide it felt like a street. Stores lined to the sides and there were booths of various merchandise in the middle. This Mall was like a market fused with a shopping street and then put inside a building.

It was mind-blowing.

At some point, Dandy led them into one of the stores. It was full of clothes and mannequins and women of all ages.

“A tailor parlor?” Sunset asked as she looked around. But there were just too many clothes, and of so many different kinds!

“No tailors in here,” Dandy said. “Just clothes. We’ll first get you some undergarments.”

Sunset barely listened to Dandy. She was accustomed to having a large amount of dresses for formal events and such, but this store was just insane. There were just so many clothes and they all were so cramped together. And there were so many humans! How was Sunset supposed to know where to even go?

But Dandy seamlessly led her to a specific section. Sunset noticed a whole row full of panties of all colors and, she guessed, sizes.

“Pick seven,” Dandy said. “One for each day of the week. Then seven pairs of socks. Choose the colors you like best. I wouldn’t recommend white for the panties, though. Not at least for your first year.”

Sunset cocked an eyebrow at that, but Dandy wasn’t looking at her, and instead to a pair of socks. Maybe she was planning to buy some for herself. Sunset shrugged and did as asked. She picked some panties that seemed to be the same size Trixie had been lending her. However, she decided to exclude the pink ones. She wasn’t a fan of that color.

She did the same with socks.

“Done,” she said to Dandy, who was inspecting a weird piece of clothing that looked like two bowls tied together.

Dandy smiled. “Alright, then. Now we’ll need to get you some brassieres.”

Sunset blinked. “Uhm… I thought we were buying clothes?”

“We are,” Dandy replied, slowly. “Oh, right. You don’t have them over in your world, do you?”

“Sure we do,” Sunset replied. “I just don’t understand why you want me to get braziers, you already have electric lights. And what does that have to do with clothes anyway?”

They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds.

“Brassiere,” Dandy said. “Not brazier.” She then showed Sunset the weird-looking clothing. “This is a brassiere, or bra, if you will. It’s another piece of undergarment us girls wear.”

Sunset cocked her head. “Really?” Dandy nodded. “Then why have Trixie not lent me some?”

Dandy chuckled nervously. “Well, Trixie doesn’t need them yet. But you do.”

“Why?”

Dandy sighed. “Well, you already read about anatomy. You know girls grow breasts.”

“That’s right,” Sunset said. “That’s actually interesting. Why do they grow despite not being pregnant? The anatomy section said they actually grow a bit more during pregnancy, but it failed to say why they grow at all.”

“Uh, yeah.” Dandy cleared her throat. “I don’t think I can answer that question. But that’s not important right now. You see, breasts can get in the way in day to day life, so we use bras to hold them in place. And you already have them quite large for a girl your age. I can only imagine how big they’ll get as time passes… But I digress.” She gave Sunset the one she’d been holding. “You’ll have to try them before buying them.”

Sunset grabbed it. “Alright…” She looked at the brassiere and realized she had no clue of how she should put it on. Well, might as well learn now. She lifted her shirt.

“Wait!” Dandy hissed, placing a hand on Sunset’s arms. “You, uh… Ok, look, let’s go to a changing booth, alright?”

Oh, of course. The nudity taboo again. Sunset rolled her eyes and followed Dandy to a booth. She stepped inside the extremely small little square and turned to Dandy. “Wait, how do I put this on?”

Dandy paused, then seemed to stifle a groan. “Ok…” She entered the booth, making it even more claustrophobic, and closed the curtain behind her. “I’ll teach you. First, take off your shirt.”

Sunset did as told. She was pleased with herself at how fast she did so. She had stopped being clumsy with clothes! Or at least she had thought so. Turned out this brassiere was a new level of complex. It was so weird and counterintuitive… Sunset felt like a foal, completely incapable of doing something that was supposed to be normal.

She’d have to practice a lot at home.

Finally, after trying out what seemed like an endless supply of bras, she finally got only seven.

“Well, now let’s choose your everyday clothes,” Dandy said as they got out of the booth.

“Just grab whatever,” Sunset said, exhausted. “I don’t care about fashion.”

Dandy clicked her tongue. “You say that now, but trust me, you need to at least look good. Now, let’s get some shirts.”

Sunset groaned. Why did choosing clothes have to be such an annoying affair in either world? At least back in Equestria Sunset had royal tailors that crafted the best dresses just for her, and she’d have to wear them just once. Here, in the human world, she had to wear things anyone could get in the same store, and she’d have to wear them all the time.

This, Sunset decided, was another con of this world.

By the time they finished, she was completely spent. Dandy had tried to explain the different kinds of sizes of clothes and other stuff, but Sunset had barely paid any attention. She just wanted it over with and return to exploring this Mall.

As she waited in the queue next to Dandy, Trixie stepped closer, holding a purple shirt with a yellow round neck and a picture on the chest Sunset didn’t recognize.

“Mom!” Trixie said chirpily. “Can I get this one? It’s really cute.”

Dandy looked back at Trixie. “Sorry, honey. We came to buy Sunset clothes. Maybe next time.”

“But mooooom!”

“Don’t throw a tantrum,” Dandy warned calmly.

“But you’re buying a lot for Sunset!”

“It’s her money,” Dandy replied. “Technically speaking, she’s the one buying.”

Sunset watched the exchange with curiosity. Why did Trixie want more clothes? She had more than enough. How else had she been lending so many clothes to Sunset? It made no sense.

Ultimately, Trixie desisted and returned the shirt where she had found it. She had also developed a small pout.

What a baby.

They went out, finally, carrying a few bags, and Sunset looked around at the other stores. She cocked her head. All nearby stores sold clothes. Why? She could understand maybe two, but every other store nearby?! What was wrong with these humans?!

After a few minutes of walking, the stores began showing different things. One in particular seemed to be selling technological gadgets. Sunset walked up to it to see. She recognized speakers, but the rest of the objects were alien to her. She was about to get inside to look more when something caught her attention.

On the store right next to this one, there was a huge poster of Elementials, the cartoon she watched with Trixie every morning.

“What is this?” She asked. The store had several other posters of different other cartoons she could not recognize.

“Oh!” Trixie exclaimed excitedly as she stepped next to Sunset. “That’s the Elemetials video game! I thought it’d come out next month!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “There is a video game about Elementials? I thought it was a cartoon.”

“Well, yes. But it’s so popular that some company decided to make a game. And by the looks of the trailer, it looks pretty good!” Trixie turned to Dandy. “Mom!”

“No way, Trixie,” Dandy said immediately. “I already got one for your birthday.”

Trixie groaned, although it sounded more like a whimper to Sunset. Sunset turned to look at the poster again. “Is it similar to the other games you have in your room?”

“Not quite,” Trixie replied after a pause. “It’s a fighting game.”

“Aren’t all your games about fighting?”

“No, they are different genres,” Trixie said as she crossed her arms. “I don’t have fighting games.”

Sunset cocked her head. “I don’t understand. You fight a lot in Timeless Tirek.”

“But that’s an RPG,” Trixie said. “You level up and there are a lot of NPCs to talk with. Elementials is a fighting game. You don’t level up or walk around, you just fight.”

“Come on, girls,” Dandy said. “Let’s get going.”

Trixie sighed and turned around.

“Wait,” Sunset said. “I want to buy this video game.”

Dandy raised an eyebrow. “It costs fifty dollars. It’s pretty expensive.”

Sunset crossed her arms. “Well, it’s my money.”

“That you gave me for rent, services, and clothes. Not for video games.”

“Then, what if I give you another coin every two months?” Sunset offered. “I also have to study how economics works in this world. What better way to do so than spending money on stuff?”

Dandy gave Sunset a tired look. “One extra coin every three months,” she said. “I’ll give you 500 every month. I don’t want you having too much money and getting into trouble.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Fine. Let’s hurry and buy this game,” she said to Trixie and entered the store.

Dandy had said the game was expensive, but the total of buying her clothes had been a lot more than fifty dollars. Sunset didn’t like not knowing the value of money, and she wasn’t sure using it to buy video games was a bright idea.

But she really wanted it.

6- Trottoir

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Chapter 6: Trottoir

Princess Celestia rose to the skies and lifted the sun to bathe the world in its light. Ponies cheered and some even set off fireworks.

The Summer Sun Celebration never ceased to amaze Sunset. When she was a filly, it was just the visuals, but as the princess’ personal student, Sunset now understood it more clearly and was left in even more awe. Raising the sun after lowering the moon required such a huge amount of arcane power, it was almost illogical that one single pony, alicorn or not, could produce it.

And yet, Celestia had been doing it for almost a thousand years.

During this festivity, Sunset was always left humbled. No matter how talented she was and how destined she was to one day occupy the throne, she wasn’t sure she would ever be powerful enough to move either the sun or the moon, let alone both. It was a feeling Sunset only ever experienced in the two minutes it took Celestia to perform the feat.

And every time, Sunset only grew more determined to do just that. She would study and train so much and so hard, she would eventually learn to do everything Celestia could, and then she would be recognized as her equal.

That was Sunset’s destiny.

~~~~~~~~

Sunset moved her shoulders in circles, trying to find a middle point where the brassiere would not be the most uncomfortable contraption she had ever worn.

She was starting to think it had originally been invented as a torture device.

At least she had finally been allowed outside. After their trip to the mall the day before, Dandy had deemed it appropriate for Sunset to start exploring the city. The only condition was that she’d take Trixie with her to avoid getting lost.

Dandy had also told Sunset to make sure Trixie respected her curfew. Sunset didn’t like feeling like a foalsitter, but she decided to take advantage of the opportunity to study human society up-close.

Her brand new clothes weren’t as uncomfortable as they had been when she tried them out at the store. Maybe it had been due to the stress, or maybe because Dandy had washed them. Either way, she was glad to have stopped being lent something. She despised being pitied.

“So, uhm, where do you want to go first?” Trixie asked.

Sunset looked at her. Trixie had been acting weird since coming back from the mall, more so than usual. More distant, perhaps? It was difficult to tell. Sunset had never been good at reading others.

“Well, you know the neighborhood,” Sunset said. “I want to study economics firsthoof, so let’s go to several stores.” She had also been given five hundred dollars by trading another coin with Dandy. She didn’t know if it was much, but she supposed it was a good number to start with.

Trixie shrugged and began walking.

Sunset raised her eyebrows.

Had Trixie always seemed so uninterested? She had known the girl for barely more than a week, but that was certainly strange behavior.

Before they could even reach the first corner, Sunset spotted a car parked nearby. She immediately went over to inspect it. The encyclopedia was very thorough about how these internal combustion engines worked, and Sunset had been blown away. They were pretty much just like trains, but with a smaller motor and a different fuel.

This gasoline seemed like a huge breakthrough in human technology.

She poked one of the wheels with a finger. It was hard, but with a bit of pressure, she could actually feel the material giving in. What was it made from?

“You shouldn’t do that,” Trixie said as she looked this way and the other. “The owner of the car might think we’re trying to steal it.”

“Really?” Sunset asked. “Is the crime rate high in this world?”

Trixie looked at the car. She was quite clearly avoiding looking directly at Sunset. “I guess.”

Sunset frowned. “Alright…” She stood up. “What are these wheels made out of?”

“Rubber.”

“Really?” Sunset scratched her chin. “Why would humans use rubber for something like wheels?”

Trixie shrugged and continued down the street.

What had gotten into Trixie? That aloof attitude annoyed Sunset. Nopony had ever been in her presence and not either envied her or praised her. Sure, no one knew her on this side of the mirror, but the indifference still made her angry.

As they walked, Sunset quickly forgot her anger as she found more and more cars parked here and there and even more passed her by. It seemed that this world was not content with just surpassing Equestria technologically, they also wanted to rub it in Sunset’s face.

She wasn’t sure whether she felt insulted or amazed. Perhaps a bit of both.

After a while, they reached a building that was strikingly different from the rest. For starters, there was a really big space from the entrance to the street, and there were two cars parked there. “What is this place?” Sunset asked.

“It’s a convenience store,” Trixie replied.

“Convenient,” Sunset said.

Trixie snorted and went inside.

Sunset followed her. The place had all kinds of products. So many and so varied, and Sunset didn’t know half of them!

She had never been to such a place as this one; she wasn’t even sure they existed in Equestria. After all, Sunset had been too young when she became Celestia’s student, and then became too busy to bother.

For the following minutes, Sunset inspected everything she could, reading their names and their prices, having Trixie explain what they were, then comparing them. Good thing Sunset had brought her notebook, and she was clumsily annotating everything.

There were so many things that didn’t exist in Equestria, and some that were still novelties.

Soda, for one, was something Sunset had heard in passing conversations but dismissed as just a poor imitation of cider. Here, however, there were rows and rows of bottles of different kinds of sodas.

“Is soda any good?” Sunset asked as she finished writing prices.

Trixie, who had been absentmindedly replying to whatever Sunset asked, finally seemed to grow interested. “Yeah, it’s pretty good. Mom doesn’t let me have it because she says it’s too sugary, though.”

Sunset cocked her head. That was quite the sudden change of attitude on Trixie. Maybe she was just in a bad mood? Normally, Sunset wouldn’t have cared, but despite Trixie being a very ordinary and clueless child, she still knew a lot more about this side of the mirror than Sunset. Maybe it would be a good idea to be on her good side for now.

“Why don’t you buy one when she isn’t around?” Sunset asked.

“I only get ten dollars a week,” Trixie replied. “I have to save them up to buy my games.”

Sunset hummed, then opened the crystal door and grabbed two bottles. She was surprised to find that they were not glass. What was this material? She let the door shut behind her and gave one to Trixie.

“Here, for your troubles.”

Trixie grabbed the soda as if it were some kind of treasure. Her smile was broad and toothy. “Thanks!”

~~~~~~~~

The soda was, indeed, incredibly delicious. In Equestria, she had only tasted cider once, and she had thought it was tasty, but this beverage was incredible! Why would anyone say it was a poor imitation? The flavor was so different!

Trixie seemed to be enjoying it way more than Sunset. She was practically skipping as they walked. Whatever had been bothering her had been forgotten, it seemed.

“So, gold is not really that valuable,” Sunset said. “It’s still pretty common in mines, and also really easy to grow in farms. That’s why we use it for pretty much everything.”

“Wait. You grow gold in farms?”

“Yes,” Sunset replied. “There’s a gold farm right next to the castle. That’s where most of the gold for coins is grown.”

Trixie whistled. “That’s neat. I wish we could grow gold, too. Ten bucks a week isn’t enough for anything, you know?”

“I guess not.”

“And your pony money? What you brought is a lot?”

“Not really. It’s just what I could carry at the moment,” Sunset said. It wasn’t technically a lie. It’s just what little she could fit in her saddlebags after Celestia had expelled her from her tutelage. Well, seemingly expelled. “I actually have about twenty times as much.”

Trixie gasped. “Whoa, you’re rich.”

Sunset shrugged. “Being the princess’ personal student came with a lot of perks. Everything was provided for free, and then I also had a generous stipend. I had no reason to buy much, so I got my hooves on a small fortune after three years of letting it pile up.”

“Can’t you go and bring it all back?” Trixie asked. “You could buy your own castle with all that money!”

That gave Sunset pause. She suddenly felt colder, so she hugged her clothes closer to her.

“You ok?”

Sunset breathed in.

“Yeah…” She replied. “And no, I can’t go back for now. The portal is closed.”

“Closed?” Trixie asked. “And when will it open again?”

“In thirty moons.”

Trixie blinked. “So in a month.”

Sunset facehoofed… Facepalmed. “Each moon is equivalent to a month, more or less.”

“A moon is a month? Then, that’s… uhh…”

Why could no one do such a simple math problem quickly? Sunset suppressed a defeated sigh. “That’s two and a half years.”

“Whoa, that long?” Trixie asked. “And won’t you miss your family?”

“Not really,” Sunset replied with a shrug. “I don’t know about this world, but it’s pretty common in Equestria to move out as soon as you get your Cutie Mark. I got mine almost four years ago and immediately moved to the royal castle to be Princess Celestia’s prized pupil.”

Ah, how she loved boasting about it.

“What’s a Cutie Mark?”

Then again, it was pretty much useless in this world.

Sunset did sigh this time. “A Cutie Mark is a symbol everypony gets when they discover their talent or destiny,” she explained. “Did you see the red and yellow sun in my bag? That’s mine. It represents my natural talent in magic and my destiny as the next ruler of Equestria.”

Trixie hummed.

“Actually, can you show me your keychain?” Sunset asked. Trixie gave her an odd look but complied. “As I thought. This looks like a Cutie Mark indeed,” Sunset said as she inspected the drawing of a blue moon and a wand with a star.

Trixie blinked. “That’s just a drawing I did last year,” she said. “Mom said it looked good so she had it made into a keychain.”

Sunset considered this. Humans had no magic, or at least Trixie claimed they didn’t. Why, then, would she have drawn a Cutie Mark? Why would Dandy have deemed it necessary to preserve it? Maybe there was more to this world and Sunset was barely touching the surface.

“Maybe I’m just overthinking it,” she said, then gave the keychain back to Trixie. “I’m kind of tired. Where can we sit to rest for a while?”

Trixie tucked the keychain into a pocket. “We’re pretty near the High School where I found you last week.”

Sunset nodded and followed Trixie.

What if humans did have Cutie Marks, but weren’t aware of it? Could this world have a kind of magic so different than that of Equestria that humans weren’t even aware of it? That shattered everything Sunset knew about magic! Then again, this was a different world. There was no reason to think that the same logic she was accustomed to would apply.

They reached the place where the portal was located. It had been too dark and Sunset had been too disoriented to notice the building that rose about three stories high. Trixie had called it a High School, one of the educational levels Equestria didn’t have. The portal sat in front of the building, almost to the sidewalk.

She walked there to see it up close. Why was the portal to Equestria in such a place? Anyone could stumble into it and end up in the royal castle.

One would think it’d be at least guarded.

“I can’t believe this is a portal to another world,” Trixie said as they approached the statue. She hesitantly placed her hand on the surface. Her hand did not go through this time. “I guess it really is closed.”

Sunset sat down on the grass, facing the portal. She crossed her legs below her, just like she’d seen Trixie do when they played games in her room. In Equestria, the portal was in a mirror kept hidden in the royal palace, but in the human world, it was in a statue, sitting in the open at a place where anyone could accidentally cross it.

It made no sense.

And why was there a horse?

A few days back, Sunset had begun reading the encyclopedia tome that talked about flora and fauna. Turned out humans were the only fully sentient species in this world, and all others were considered simple mindless animals. That included horses and, by extension, ponies.

Was that why the portal had transformed her body? Had she gotten to this world in her original form, would she have retained her intelligence and be seen as a freak, or would she have become a regular pony and forever lost her sentience?

Either thought terrified her.

“So, when are you gonna start school?” Trixie asked as she sat next to Sunset. She had long since finished her soda, so she had been playing with the bottle, hitting it with every surface she found.

Sunset leaned over and rested her head on her hand. “Dandy says she’ll get everything ready in a week.”

“But how are you gonna get documents?”

“I don’t know. Dandy’s been secretive about it. The only thing she’ll tell me is that they’ll be ready within a week and I’ll be able to start school at Garden Grove.”

Trixie’s breath caught in her throat, and she coughed for a bit. “Garden Grove?! That’s where I go!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I suppose Dandy wants to prevent the hassle of having us go to different schools. She must already know the teachers and administrative staff, so I believe it might be easier to enroll me than in a place she does not know.”

“S-so, we’ll go to the same school…” Trixie said, but her voice was so low Sunset almost missed it. “I see…”

“You’ll have to take me around the building so I know the general layout,” Sunset said. “I’d also like a report on the teachers’ personalities.”

“Their personalities? Why?”

Sunset huffed. “How else am I to know how to act in front of them?”

Trixie scratched her head. “I mean, just be you. All teachers care about is your grades.”

“Your gra- Ha!” Sunset laughed.

“What’s so funny?!” Trixie asked with a frown.

“You mean to tell me you’re serious? Oh, Celestia, you’re hilarious, Trixie!” Sunset took a deep breath, then began to explain. “It’s not about grades, it’s about attitude. If a teacher likes you, it’ll be more likely that they’ll turn a blind eye every now and then, regardless of your grades.”

Sunset noticed Trixie was still giving her a look. “Look, if it’s all the same to you, then just give me the report and that’s it.”

Trixie looked away and sighed. “Sure…”

Sunset leaned back and lied down on the grass. She wondered how much different a human school would be from an Equestrian one. What sort of knowledge would they teach if they needed so many different levels and years?

She almost couldn’t wait.

7- Garden Grove Junior High

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Chapter 7: Garden Grove Junior High

Sunset wheezed and coughed as she fell to the floor. Maids, guards, and dozens of other ponies hurried this way and the other aimlessly. She could barely hear the screams under the sound of her thundering heart. What had she done?

She felt something envelop her, and soon, the heat, the terrible heat, disappeared from her body. She huffed raggedly and looked up.

Madame Stern Feather, headmistress of the royal palace’s maids, glared at her. The disapproval on her gaze was enough to quell any excuse Sunset might have thought of. It probably was better this way; Sunset had screwed up big time, and every single pony knew it. She hugged the blanket around herself.

“Princess Celestia will arrive shortly,” Madame Stern said, looking away from Sunset and directly to the room that was still burning. “You will accept her punishment, and you will not get away this time. I have had enough of your recklessness.”

Sunset was going to retort, she wanted to, but the smoke still filled her lungs and she could only cough.

“The princess expressly told you not to practice these spells indoors. What were you thinking?!”

Sunset coughed some more. She had been so sure she could control her magic, that her barriers would make it safe enough for anything.

“You could have killed yourself!”

She almost had. The spell had exploded and caused a fire. Sunset could almost feel where her mane and tail had stopped burning, and her entire coat was covered with black patches.

“Princess Celestia will be disappointed. I hope you are satisfied.”

Somehow, disappointing the princess did not worry Sunset as much as the idea of having failed. She had wanted to impress Celestia, but now she risked being expelled. Sunset laid down and looked at the ceiling and the smoke covering it.

Maybe she should have placed an extra barrier.

~~~~~~~~

“Alright, everyone. Settle down,” the teacher said as she placed a stack of documents upon a small desk. “Good morning. I trust you all did your weekend homework.”

There were a few grunts and nervous giggles here and there. That seemed to be a constant for students in any universe. Sunset shook her head.

“But before we get started, I’ve got some news!” The teacher exclaimed chirpily. “We have a new transfer student today!” She looked toward Sunset, who stood by the door. “Sunset, please come in.”

Sunset walked in. From outside, she had taken a glance, but now she could completely see the classroom. It was very similar to that of Elementary School back in Equestria. Small desks lined in columns and rows, all facing toward the blackboard.

When Sunset reached the center of the front of the room and faced the rest of the students, the teacher casually sat on her own desk and offered her a smile. “Can you introduce yourself to the class?”

Looking up, Sunset briefly studied the faces of those who would be her classmates for the next years. Most looked at her with curiosity. She supposed, even in human society, a transfer student was not common. She quickly spotted Trixie, who was sitting at the far end of the classroom. Trixie gave her an odd glare, then looked down at her desk.

“The name’s Sunset Shimmer,” Sunset said with half a smile. Storms, was it difficult to act like she was looking forward to this. “I just moved here from Vanhoover, so I don’t know anyone.”

At first, Dandy had wanted Sunset and Trixie to tell the story of them knowing each other because their parents were friends. But Sunset had declined. She wanted to be a completely new element, to start as someone a hundred percent foreign. And according to Trixie, no one from the school was from or had family members living in Vanhoover, and the city was pretty far away.

So that became her story.

“You heard her, everyone,” the teacher said. “Be kind to her, and help her adjust. Sunset, there’s an empty seat next to Trixie.” Sunset began to walk to where the teacher pointed. “But boy did you come at a fun time. We have a surprise test today!”

The whole class groaned. Some at the front pleaded and begged, but the teacher only grabbed her stack of paper and began handing them out.

Sunset sat down and accepted hers. And for the first time in her life, she felt nervous. She had read and studied Trixie’s textbooks as much as she could, but she only had a couple of days, and had barely grazed them. She had to trust her memory and that this surprise test was not very difficult.

“Alright, class,” the teacher said as she returned to her desk. “You can begin.”

Sunset grabbed a pencil from her bag, that she had bought the day before, and flipped the test sheets.

She was, indeed, surprised. The test was of math problems and conundrums. The whole three sheets. And they were so easy, so incredibly, outstandingly easy, that she had time to carefully write so that her handwriting would not be totally hideous.

She smiled and hummed. If this was the level of a human Middle School, then she had nothing to be afraid of. This was going to be a breeze!

~~~~~~~~

“How old are you?” Asked the pale yellow-skinned girl of deep brown hair. Her name was Sunflower Dust.

“Thirteen,” Sunset replied.

As soon as the surprise test was over, the teacher had deemed it appropriate to give the students the last fifteen minutes of class to get to know Sunset while she graded some of the tests.

“You’re from Vanhoover, right?” Zephyr Skies, the slightly overweight blue-skinned boy, asked. “They say it’s super cold there. Is it true?”

Sunset nodded. She couldn’t know for sure, but Dandy had told her as much about the city as she knew. It was Sunset’s job to try not to give too many details, lest the lie be discovered. “Yeah, but you get used to it.”

“Why did you transfer?” Another girl asked. This one had yet to introduce herself.

Sunset shrugged. “Mom said we needed a change of scenery. Her best friend lives in this city, so we came here.” It wasn’t the most original story, but they seemed to buy it anyway, which suited Sunset just fine. She hadn’t really finished rehearsing the rest of it.

Sunset spent the rest of the class time answering questions and trying, for the first time in ages, to be likable to them. She already had noticed the boys found her attractive, or so she thought, so she needed to make an extra effort with the girls. So far, the novelty of being a new student was what kept them interested. Sunset would have to exploit that for as long as it lasted, and then she’d have to come up with different strategies.

The next class was Physical Education, or P.E. as Trixie called it. Sunset was baffled that humans needed to be taught to keep a healthy body. Or was it just a cultural thing? She supposed she could just study how it all worked.

They reached the locker room. Sunset looked around. She had never been inside one of these places. They were exclusive of professional sports back in Equestria. Sunset read the numbers of the lockers until she reached 202, the one assigned to her. She put her bag on a nearby bench and opened it, taking out her sports uniform.

Trixie had made a list of all the things Sunset would need after the class. She had bought whatever Trixie had suggested and practiced how to use the products at home. She began putting everything into her locker.

“What do you think, Sunset?”

Sunset blinked and turned. Who had talked? Several of the girls were already in the process of changing to their gym clothes. “What?”

Sunflower, one of the girls that had seemed more interested in her, held two small objects, one in each hand. They looked like rings made out of cloth. One was red, the other was black. Sunset remembered seeing those in Trixie’s room, but she had never seen Trixie do anything with them. What were they for?

“Red or black?” Sunflower asked.

“Uh… red,” Sunset replied.

Choosing one, even though Sunset didn’t know what for, seemed to be the correct move. Sunflower put the black ring thingy down and used the red one to tie her hair into a ponytail. So that’s what those things are for, Sunset thought. Back in Equestria, most mares and fillies would just use a clip, and only those dexterous enough or unicorns would tie their manes or tails with a string.

Those cloth rings looked a lot easier to use. They seemed like another thing Sunset could profit from upon her return.

Once she had placed her possessions inside her locker, Sunset began changing. She had to be fast or she’d arrive late for class, and that would be unforgivable on her first day. Fortunately, she had been practicing for weeks! She had even managed to watch Trixie change clothes, then she timed her and practiced so much that she had managed to beat that time!

“Whoa.”

Sunset turned to see Sunflower staring at her. The girl immediately averted her eyes and returned to changing. What? Sunset shrugged and continued changing.

They entered the gymnasium as soon as they finished donning their sports uniforms. Sunset noticed most of the boys were already there, talking to each other. It seemed that the boys were even faster at changing clothes. Why would that be? She’d have to ask Trixie later.

“Good morning, guys!” a voice echoed throughout the gym. A tall, muscular man marched towards the group. He had deep green hair and his skin was a lighter shade of green. “Let’s start with stretching. Follow my lead.”

Sunset supposed this was the teacher, since everyone began copying his movements. She did so too, although a bit less gracefully. Looking around, Sunset noticed she wasn’t that off with her movements, as half her classmates were as uncoordinated as her or worse. She sighed in relief.

“Alright, that’s enough!” The teacher said. “Ten laps around the gym. I want you jogging, not walking!”

Everyone began to do just that. Sunset followed their lead. This jogging was a lot like trotting. Was the difference because humans were biped?

She soon realized that walking didn’t translate well to jogging, and felt like she was doing something wrong. Were her feet supposed to go to the sides? Most of the boys were in front of her, so she decided to try to copy their techniques. She straightened her back instead of leaning forward. That alone improved her pace a lot, and her feet stopped going everywhere.

Ten laps later, the teacher blew his whistle. “Very good! Now make teams, it’s dodgeball day!”

Sunset stood and looked around. She was in really bad shape, it seemed, to be out of breath after such exercise. Had she really neglected physical activity that much while at the castle or was it a result of her human body?

“Wait, what is dodgeball?” As she asked the question, Sunset noticed most of the girls were just catching up to her. Half of them seemed to be about to faint. What had happened to them? Sunset just realized she had stayed in front of them, following the boys.

Sunflower especially looked like she had run an Iron Pony marathon. Sunset went to the girl and helped her sit down at the bleachers. She didn’t really care if the girl blacked out or not, but she figured she could squeeze some information about human customs out of her if she befriended her.

“Thanks,” Sunflower said as she accepted Sunset’s hand.

“You’re really out of shape,” Sunset said. She had thought she was bad, but these girls looked like they lived their lives walking to the fridge and back. Well, at least she didn’t feel bad for feeling winded any longer.

“Yeah... “ Sunflower replied. “At least the teacher lets us play after the boys.”

So the boys played first. They did look in better shape. Sunset supposed she could take this moment to study how they played so she wouldn’t be regarded as a complete recluse. She had to be seen as moderately physical if she wanted to avoid any of the unwanted tags that came from being so naturally smart.

As Sunflower recovered her breath, Sunset observed the game. It looked simple enough. Grab the ball, hit someone from the other team, then either dodge it or catch it. She could do that.

By the time the boys’ match ended, the girls had recovered enough to play. They were divided into two teams by the teacher and the first team to throw the ball was decided with a coin toss. As fortune had it, Sunset, who was at the center of her team, got to be the very first one to throw the ball.

She felt everyone’s eyes on her. This game was relatively permissive when throwing, as hitting someone depended as much on the one throwing as on the one dodging. If she did a good enough job, even if she didn’t manage to take someone out, she wouldn’t be thought of as incompetent. The only thing she had to do was aim somewhat accurately and throw with as much force as she could muster.

The latter would be easier than the former. She still wasn’t completely used to her human body. She wasn’t confident her aim would be as good as anyone else’s, so she had to compensate with sheer brute force.

As the teacher blew his whistle, the girls on the other team prepared for the throw. Sunset looked at them. To her surprise, Trixie was right in front of her on the first row, and she looked like she’d rather be anywhere else. They looked at each other’s eyes, and Trixie immediately looked down. Was she giving Sunset a chance to at least hit someone?

She was close, and she wasn’t paying attention. Trixie clearly wanted to help Sunset.

Sunset frowned. She was going to obtain victory and acknowledgment by her own means! So she turned slightly to her left and threw, hitting the girl right next to Trixie.

Ha! First throw, first one out! Sunset thought. This game wasn’t that bad! The boys’ game looked like mayhem, but this was different. She was in control! She could already feel the praise she’d get once she’d manage to win this game on her own!

She was hit in the stomach.

Maybe she should have kept paying attention.

~~~~~~~~

Trixie had been right. After P.E., they were required to take a quick shower, and although they were in the same room, each small cubicle was covered well enough to prevent anyone from seeing each other. They weren’t completely blocked off, however, but the steam did make it difficult.

Sunset had done some research on the subject, though. It turned out that most schools, regardless of academic level, had open showers, similar to the ones back in Equestria, and Garden Grove Junior High was an exception. Sunset couldn’t find out a reason why it was like this, but she supposed it wasn’t that bad. Each cubicle was a bit bigger than the shower portion of the bathroom back home.

After the shower, the girls would dry off within their cubicle and at the very least don their undergarments before going out to the lockers and finish changing. They all used a small space within the cubicles to store both their underwear and their hygiene products.

Sure, not washing each other was still weird, but that didn’t stop them from talking while showering. And they talked a lot. They talked about classes, teachers, friends, and especially about boys. Holy Two Sisters did they talk about boys! It was like they had nothing else on their minds. They did seem to narrow the amount of boys they talked about to a manageable number, but since Sunset didn’t know any of the names, she was at a loss.

All in all, it wasn’t as bad as Sunset had thought. It definitely wasn’t something she couldn’t get used to.

The next class was English language. Sunset found it curious that they called the language that, while in Equestria it was called Equish, and yet, they were essentially the same.

Once again, the subject was something Sunset had already excelled at back in Equestria. Sunset took notice that no matter the universe, most students would neglect something as essential as language. What was wrong with them?

Not that it really mattered. At least now Sunset had one more subject she didn’t have to worry about, and thus could focus on her social studies.

After English class, they had made a beeline to the cafeteria for lunch. The place was as big as the cafeteria in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and the layout was pretty much the same.

“I hope they have pizza,” Sunflower said. The girl had been the one most interested in Sunset, talking to her every chance she got. It didn’t help that she sat right next to Sunset and tended to ask her everything during class, having realized that Sunset would easily get perfect scores.

Sunset was starting to regret her decision to socialize for once.

Sunset grunted as a reply. She had never had pizza. The thing was well known for being both delicious and prejudicial for one’s health. The fact that it existed, however, brought another similitude with Equestria. Why were both worlds so similar in so many small ways, but entirely different in others?

“You don’t like pizza?” Sunflower asked. “Or are you on a diet?”

How was she supposed to reply to that? Even knowing Sunset was from a different world, Trixie still found surprising how many things she hadn’t eaten. How would this girl react? Sunset sighed.

“I just don’t like cheap cafeteria pizza,” she said.

Fortunately, it seemed like a good enough answer as Sunflower nodded energetically. “I know right? But I’ll get a slice anyway. Pizza is pizza.”

Sunset rolled her eyes and looked away. As she waited in the queue with Sunflower, she decided to take a look at the general behavior of students during idle time. It wasn’t that much different from what she had seen during her time as a student. Kids talking and laughing. Not much different from what she remembered.

The queue moved at a relatively fast pace, and soon Sunset needed to make a choice of what to get for lunch. Sunflower groaned loudly when she discovered that pizza was not, in fact, a menu item for today, so she got a sandwich and an apple. Sunset decided to get the same, if only because she didn’t want to spend too long trying to figure out what was what.

The duo walked to one of the back tables, which was relatively empty of people. Sunset didn’t much care for the cold, hard seats or the tasteless food, but Sunflower didn’t seem to enjoy them either, so she allowed herself to show her discomfort on her face.

“So, how come you’re so good at math?” Sunflower asked.

Sunset poked at her half-eaten sandwich. “I studied,” she replied and made a conscious effort not to add a 'duh'.

“I don’t like math,” Sunflower said. “I don’t understand it. And I don’t understand why we are even studying it. What’s the point? I’m gonna be a botanist.”

“It helps with the development of the brain and the abstract thought,” Sunset replied with a bored tone. “You may not need to use math, but you need to be able to handle abstract and complex concepts, no matter what you do. Neglecting the acquisition of these subjects is the reason why adults tend to struggle later in life.”

Sunset blinked and realized she had just lectured someone again. She closed her eyes and prepared to be called a nerd or something of the sort. Not that she really cared if these humans liked her or not, but she had wanted to get information out of them.

“Woah, you’re so smart!” Sunflower said. Sunset frowned, she hadn’t expected that response. “Maybe I should try a bit harder, huh?” Sunset looked at her and gave her a slow nod. “Would you help me out?”

“Uh, sure…” Sunset replied. Now, this was a first. In the past, whenever her classmates learned about her genius, they either mocked her out of envy or tried to get her on group projects. Only now was a girl straight asking for tutoring. Sunset allowed herself to smile. Maybe it had been a good idea to let this girl follow her around.

Loud laughter came from a few tables over, and Sunset straightened herself to look above the students. There was a group of girls wearing the same clothes, almost like a uniform, chatting loudly. Many students were looking at them, even though they didn’t seem to be doing anything noteworthy.

“Who are they?” Sunset asked.

Sunflower glanced to where Sunset was looking. “You mean the cheerleaders?”

“Cheerleaders?” Sunset repeated. So this world had cheerleading as well. Back in Equestria, they were always at sports events, especially with the Wonderbolts. Just like with locker rooms, humans seemed to also have them in school settings. Interesting.

“Are you thinking of joining them?” Sunflower asked. “I don’t think you should. I mean, sure, they’re super popular and stuff, but they’re also mean bullies. It’s best to avoid them.”

Sunset hummed. She had never met a cheerleader before, but she had met ‘popular’ foals at school. Being the top student and also Princess Celestia’s protegé had protected her enormously against bullying, but she had seen what the populars usually did to those less sociable. She wanted information, but she sure was not going to lower herself to the level of the likes of them.

“I don’t think I can be around braindead po-people, anyway,” Sunset said through her teeth. “Say, does this place have a library?”

“Yeah,” Sunflower said. “Why? You have a paper to work on?”

Sunset resisted the urge to sigh. “No, but I’d like to do some research for… a secret project of mine.”

“Oh, that sounds cool!” Sunflower said. Was it Sunset, or was this girl a bit too enthusiastic? “We can go after classes, if you want.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

~~~~~~~~

As it turned out, the last two classes Sunset had that day, History and Geography, turned out to be her downfall. For all the perfection of the previous classes, her knowledge had not translated at all to this world for these classes. She had barely managed to follow the lectures with what little she learned by reading Trixie’s books.

That wouldn’t do. Sunset would not be a mediocre student in any aspect. She had mastered Four Dimensional Vector Enchantment at age ten, for Celestia’s sake!

So, once the last bell rang, she followed Sunflower to the library. It was rather small, compared to the huge one at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but it still was a lot more than the single half-full shelf back at Trixie’s. She felt excited to begin!

The process of getting a book and sitting at one of the empty tables was pretty much exactly as she remembered, even the book sorting system was the same! She felt like luck was on her side as she opened the geography volume. Today’s class had focused on the country’s land, so she began there.

Fortunately, she already knew all the principal terms. Unfortunately, the human world did not behave the same way, so, according to Trixie’s mother, Dandy, this world did not have cloud cities in the sky or rainbow waterfalls. She’d have to be very careful to only use human knowledge when answering tests.

It wasn’t long before she had noted the main points in a notebook. If she thought of this world simply as a weird continent on the other side of Equestria, she could pretend it would be Princess Celestias’ next political destiny, and as her personal student, Sunset just had to know everything about them.

Easy.

She looked up, and noticed Sunflower looking at her. The girl immediately looked away.

“Well, I think this is enough for today,” Sunset said. “Tomorrow I want to read about history.”

“That’s odd,” Sunflower said. “You’re so good at math and English. I thought you’d also be very good at everything else.”

Sunset shrugged. “I guess I had bad teachers.” Bad teachers did exist, but in Sunset’s experience, they were only half to blame for bad grades. She knew, though, that students would always blame it all on teachers, so that was to be her go-to excuse for now.

And as always, Sunflower nodded in agreement. “Say, if you’re not so good at geography, why don’t I help you? Since you’re gonna help me with math. I’m not the best, but I have good grades.”

Sunset blinked. She hadn’t considered being tutored simply because she was used to doing everything herself. Besides, Sunflower had just admitted she wasn’t the best, why would Sunset accept help from anyone but the best? She was about to turn her down but stopped. Trixie was also far from the best in many things, but Sunset had already paid for her help, why couldn’t she accept free help from Sunflower? Who knows, maybe she could end up getting info about many other things.

“Alright,” Sunset said. “That’s a fair trade.”

8- Bumps in the Road

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Chapter 8: Bumps in the Road

Sunset rested her head on her forelegs and sighed as Feather Fall brushed her coat.

“Then,” Ruby Ring said, slowly walking through the bath pool towards Sunset, “my mom said it was too good a bracelet for an amateur like me. She asked me to make it again, so I did, and she gasped and called my dad.” She leaned over next to Sunset, placing both forelegs on the bath’s edge. “After that, I spent the rest of the day making all kinds of jewelry, and at some point I got my Cutie Mark.”

Sunset wrote down the story in her notebook, which was a ways away from the bath pool, along with a small drawing of Ruby’s cutie mark. Princess Celestia had asked her to research about Cutie Mark acquisition and report her conclusions, so she decided to ask the maids while they bathed. The maids readily agreed.

Having finished her story, Ruby Ring grabbed a brush with her teeth and began brushing Sunset’s mane.

“I guess it’s my turn now!” Meadow Scent said as she began shampooing another maid’s tail.

Sunset rolled her eyes. She did not care for a mudpony’s Cutie Mark story, but she knew Princess Celestia would not like it if she left them out of her research. So she begrudgingly wrote down what she heard.

But while she listened and wrote, Sunset couldn’t stop wondering what was the purpose of this research. Everypony knew the basics of Cutie Marks. There was no foal in all of Equestria that didn’t know how and why they appeared. She supposed Celestia only wanted to test Sunset’s field research skills, but there had to be something else. Something she was missing.

Maybe she’d figure it out once she started writing the report.

~~~~~~~~

Sunset decided she didn’t like going shopping. She had to try everything that caught her eyes just because the size tags lied. A medium could be a medium or a small or a big. It seemed like the clothes companies did not want people to simply grab their products and leave.

“I think you’d look really good in skirts,” Sunflower said. The girl had nagged Sunset for weeks to go on a shopping trip, and now she wanted to choose Sunset’s whole wardrobe. “How about this one? It’s pretty cute.”

Sunset shrugged and grabbed the blue garment. Dandy had suggested she bought pants until she got more used to her human body because skirts could easily risk exposing her panties. Not that Sunset especially cared, but these humans were really pesky about their taboos.

They tried many skirts and pants and blouses, but in the end, they exited the shop without buying anything. Sunset felt like Sunflower was just wasting her time. They entered several stores, but Sunflower barely got a single blouse. If this was how human girls spent their weekends, then Sunset was starting to regret ever coming to this world.

She gave a bored look to the side, and her eyes fell on something that made her stop on her tracks. She cocked her head and walked up to the display window. Neatly placed on a platform, there were a pair of jet black boots. Sunset had never been the kind to wear anything but formal dresses on special occasions, but those boots were gorgeous.

“They’re really cool,” Sunflower said. At least she had good taste. “I don’t think they’d be my style, but I’m sure they’d fit you well. You have that, uhm… bad girl vibe.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at that. “Bad girl vibe?”

“Yeah!” Sunflower said. “You know, a leather jacket, tight jeans, black boots, riding a racing bike…”

Sunset didn’t know what ‘leather’ was, but she did picture herself with the clothing combo, and she kind of liked it. The racing bicycle did not exactly match the look, but she supposed humans had a slightly different notion of cool. Sunset shrugged and walked to the store’s entrance.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I’m getting those boots,” Sunset said. “Duh.”

Sunflower gasped. “But… Wait!” She caught Sunset by the arm before she could enter. “This brand is super expensive.”

“So?”

“So?” Sunflower repeated. “Sunset, those boots are cool as heck, but I don’t think they’re worth spending your lifetime savings on!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think I can’t afford them?”

“Well…” Sunflower said, then gave a nervous chuckle. “I mean, I don’t want you to think I’m, like, prejudicing you, but your clothes are from the same brand mine are. They’re economic for a reason.”

Sunset looked down at her clothes. She hadn’t stopped to consider. It wasn’t hard to notice Dandy and Trixie didn’t exactly live in luxury, but Sunset, used to hoof-made gowns, didn’t even think that clothes would easily define somepony as poor or rich. She felt stupid, having lived in her own world of power pursuit for the last few years without stopping to study the peasantry’s customes.

She didn’t want to be thought of as ignorant, but she supposed Sunflower had earned some of Sunset’s respect. After all, the girl had been quite serious with her math studies, and Sunset held some appreciation for those who took studies seriously. So she decided to ask.

“So, you’re saying that people can tell my purchasing power and economic value just by the clothes I’m wearing?”

Sunflower took five whole seconds to reply. “Uhm, yes?”

“And thus, people react differently to me because of that reason,” Sunset thought out loud. “In other words, if I change my wardrobe with more expensive garments, people will regard me in a higher light.”

“I think so?” Sunflower said. “Uhm.. So you really can afford to buy this brand?”

Sunset turned to look at the price. The boots were about 600 dollars. She did have the money, but if she got the boots, she would not be able to buy much else until next month. She turned back to Sunflower. “I could, but I’d have to save a bit before that. However, I’d like to get better clothes,” she said, pinching her blue shirt.

Sunflower nodded. “Well, I know a store that sells high quality jeans, and the store in front of it is from the brand most popular girls at school wear.”

Humming, Sunset followed Sunflower to said stores. She’d have to take the girl’s word about fashion. She only hoped she was at least a bit more competent than Trixie.

~~~~~~~~

The bell rang, and students excitedly jumped from their seats to rush for the cafeteria. Sunset just couldn’t understand why kids would just ditch their studies like that. She simply rolled her eyes as she finished writing down the homework assignment. She still was very slow at writing.

Once finished, she packed her things and stood up.

“Miss Shimmer,” the teacher called. “I need to ask you a favor.”

Sunset started, then grinned. Finally! She had been an excellent student so far, it was time already for teachers to start asking her for small favors and such. She did not very much care for being the teacher’s pet, but it certainly came with neat advantages, like being able to turn a paper at later dates in case a misfired spell burned the whole stack or parchments or something.

She walked up to Mister Midnight Moon, the Biology teacher. He was a tall human of dark blue skin, stark white hair and amber eyes.

“There’s a girl your same grade, but from a different group,” Professor Midnight said. “Her name is Fluttershy. I need you to tell her that she needs to return the class’ hamster by Friday.”

“Sure,” Sunset said. “But… I don’t know this girl.”

Professor Midnight produced a small sheet of paper and wrote down something, then handed the paper to Sunset. “This is what she looks like. Just ask around and you’ll quickly find her.”

Sunset took the paper and shrugged. “Alright,” she said. She hefted her backpack and exited the classroom. Might as well start looking before lunch time was over.

She walked down the hallway and noticed some students gave her furtive glances, others outright stared. Turned out Sunflower was right, getting the right clothes made her stand out in the right way. She liked the attention, of course, but she’d rather they all knew her as their academic superior instead.

She lifted the note and gave it yet another quick read. Long, pastel pink hair and soft yellow skin. Sunset was glad it was easy to tell people apart by their colors, but there were many students with that general description, and she barely cared enough to remember the names of her immediate classmates. How was she supposed to find this girl? Sure, she knew they were the same grade, but-

Someone suddenly appeared from around a corner and collided with Sunset. Fortunately, she hadn’t been walking fast, so neither girl fell to the ground. She’d hate her new clothes getting dirty so soon.

“Uhm… sorry,” the other girl said in such a low voice that Sunset thought she was imagining it.

“It’s ok,” Sunset said, then took a look at the girl and blinked. Long pink hair and soft yellow skin. Could it be she’d be so lucky? “Hey, are you Fluttershy?”

The girl looked up at Sunset, then immediately looked down. “Uhm… yes...” Her voice was really low. But Sunset didn’t quite care, she was just glad she wouldn’t have to search the whole school.

Then, without another word, the girl turned around to leave. Sunset took several seconds to react. Why was she leaving? How rude! Sunset stepped over and grabbed the girl by the wrist, making her turn again and look up, wide-eyed.

“Wait up,” Sunset said. “It’ll be quick, I promise. Listen, Professor Midnight Moon asked me to tell you that-” She yelped as something pushed her from the side, and she fell to the floor with a thud. She hit her elbow, and she cried out. She groaned as she looked up and saw a girl standing where she had been a moment ago. “Hey! What’s the big idea?”

The girl of short, rainbow colored hair placed her hands on her hips. “I’ll ask you the same!”

Sunset stood up, holding her elbow, and stepped close to the newcomer. “You like pushing people around? Are you stupid?”

The girl smirked. “Oh, so you’re gonna cry now, huh?”

Now, Sunset had never been the physical type. She always preferred to use her wits and intelligence to beat everyone in any argument. But this girl’s smug grin sparked something in her, something primal. Without stopping to consider, Sunset used all her might to push the other girl back.

The rainbow haired girl barely gave a couple of steps back, but at least she seemed surprised. Sunset gave a small smile of her own. Bullies never expected their victims to fight back, and Sunset was not going to give this girl the satisfaction of-

The girl moved like lightning, and by the time Sunset realized what had happened, the girl tackled her to the ground. Sunset hit the back of her head with the floor and saw stars.

“You must be new here,” said the blue skinned girl as she painfully held Sunset’s shoulders down. “So let me give you a final warning. Don’t mess with me.”

Sunset’s vision cleared slowly, and all she saw was the raging face of the bully. She gritted her teeth, both for the pain and the building anger inside. This girl was stronger and clearly had infinite more experience in fights. Sunset was at a complete disadvantage. But she was not going to go without a fight.

Being pinned down like she was, Sunset was not going to be able to throw a punch, and she was pretty sure it would not do much with her inferior strength. So, she did the only other thing that came to mind.

She grabbed as much rainbow hair as she could and yanked it down.

The girl cried out and fell to the side. Sunset quickly rolled over and sat above the girl. Unfortunately, by getting the hair into the fight, the other girl took it as fair game and she too grabbed Sunset by the hair and yanked.

Sunset cried out, feeling rage rumble in her stomach. No one messed with her hair! She put her free hand on the girl’s face and pushed while also pulling the rainbow hair. The other girl tried to imitate her, but Sunset was taller, and her arms were longer. The girl’s hand barely touched her face.

But by The Plains was she strong! It felt like her scalp was going to give in at any moment, and the idea of having her hair ruined was giving her the energy to keep pulling.

“That’s enough, you two!”

Suddenly, there were a few people on them, separating them. Sunset was easily held by one teacher, while the rainbow girl required two teachers, one at each arm, to contain her. Sunset breathed deeply, feeling a building sensation of fear at the thought of the girl managing to escape and attacking her while she was being held and unable to defend herself.

Fortunately, it didn’t happen, and the both of them were escorted to the principal’s office. They were forced to sit next to each other, but the presence of not three, but five teachers plus the principal seemed to be enough for the rainbow girl to huff her bloodlust away. Sunset felt she could breath easier now.

“So, mind explaining what happened?” Principal Ink Statement asked. The old man’s beige skin was so wrinkled that Sunset thought he might turn into a raisin.

“Yes,” Sunset said, feeling her head throb where she hit it with the floor. “I was minding my own business when this brute attacked me out of nowhere.”

“She was bullying Fluttershy!” the girl yelled. “She ‘bumped’ into her and when Fluttershy didn’t fall, she started threatening her!”

Sunset huffed. “That’s easily the most idiotic and ludicrous excuse for attacking people.”

“You callin’ me an idiot? You wanna go again?”

“Rainbow Dash, that’s enough!” the principal said, and the girl only crossed her arms and looked away. “Sunset Shimmer, was it?” Sunset nodded. “You’ve been in this school for only a few weeks, and already you’re picking fights?”

Sunset felt her stomach fall. In all her life, a teacher had never questioned her honesty! Her mouth went dry. “W-What? I told you she attacked me!”

“Because you were bullying Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“Rainbow Dash, another word and I’ll add two weeks of detention to your punishment,” the principal said, then looked back at Sunset. “What were you doing with Fluttershy?”

Sunset felt her rage rumble again. What was going on? “Professor Midnight Moon asked me to tell her that she needed to return the class’ hamster. I don’t know why he asked me, since I don’t know this Fluttershy girl, but I didn’t question it.”

“A likely story,” Rainbow said under her breath.

“Call Professor Midnight,” the principal said, but before one of the teachers could move, another person entered the office. To Sunset’s surprise, it was Fluttershy herself.

“Flutters?” Rainbow asked.

Fluttershy seemed to melt under the stares. Sunset thought she looked like Trixie, except Trixie didn’t try to hide behind her hair.

“Uhm.. I… I want to say…” Fluttershy said, but her voice was so low! How did she expect anyone to hear her? “I-It’s a misunderstanding…”

But apparently, the principal heard her well enough. “What do you mean?”

Somehow, Fluttershy managed to make herself look smaller. “Uhm… T-This girl was… uhm… she really was just, uhm, giving me a message from Professor Midnight…”

“See?” Sunset said, and her voice sounded like yelling in comparison to Fluttershy’s. “I was telling the truth!”

Principal Ink Statement hummed. “Are you sure, Fluttershy?”

The girl only nodded meekly.

“She threatened her!” Rainbow said. “I bet she told her not to tell or else-”

“That’s enough,” the principal said with a tired tone. “Two weeks detention for you, miss. Another stunt like this and I’ll have to suspend you.” Rainbow clicked her tongue, but didn’t argue. “And you, Miss Sunset. Two days of detention.”

“What?” Sunset yelled. “Why are you punishing me?! She attacked me!”

“You attacked her back,” the principal said. “The teachers say you were on her, pulling her hair.”

“So what, you’d rather I didn’t defend myself and become the butt of her bullying?” Sunset asked, out of breath for the sheer rage she felt.

The principal sighed heavily. “You were on her,” he repeated. “There’s a line between defending yourself and attacking back. Two days of detention, and that’s final.”

If only she still had her magic, she would zap this stupid excuse of a principal. Sunset stood up and stomped away. It was outrageous that she’d be punished for something that was not her fault! If she ever met that Rainbow Dash again… Well, she was too angry to think of anything, but once she calmed some, she was going to make a plan to make her pay.

No one messes with Sunset Shimmer’s pristine reputation.

~~~~~~~~

“So… you’re a bully now?” Rainy Days asked.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I mean… Rainbow hit you, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did,” Sunset said loudly. “She’s the bully here.”

Rainy Days looked to the other students around Sunset, who had heard the news of their fight. Sunset didn’t understand why they were acting like she was at fault. Was it a human thing?

“I mean…” Sunflower said. “Are you sure you weren’t, like, mean to Fluttershy?”

Sunset groaned loudly. “How many times do I have to tell you? I was just relaying a message to her. Since when is that cause for an attack? My head hurts and I have a bruise on my elbow!”

They kept walking down the hallway to the entrance. With classes dismissed, she was expected to be at the detention classroom. Sunflower, Rainy Days, and Zephyr Skies were accompanying her, although she did not know why the last two.

“Well, Rainbow Dash is kind of famous for beating up everyone who’s ever tried to bully Fluttershy since they were in first grade,” Sunflower explained. “She’s even beaten up eighth graders.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Then she completely got it wrong. I literally bumped into the girl as I was searching for her, next thing I know, I’m on the floor.”

Sunflower hummed. “Then it was because you bumped into her. Some students used to do that on purpose just to make her fall.”

“So what, accidents can’t happen?” Sunset asked. “That Rainbow girl has issues, and because of her stupidity, I’m in detention now! I’ve never, in my entire life, been humiliated like this.”

Fortunately, the students around her seemed to believe her story. Hopefully word would spread and she wouldn’t get a bad reputation. Unfortunately, they had arrived at the detention room. They kids bid her farewell and she begrudgingly entered.

There were students already there. Most of them looked older, but Sunset could not put them apart from the other students. She kind of had expected them to look like crazy criminals. Well, it was just one hour after class, so she decided to simply ignore them.

She sat in the front row, near the overweight adult that seemed to be overlooking the group. The blackboard behind him had the written instruction of doing as much homework as possible. Sunset shrugged and took out her notebook. If she was going to be there, she might as well do something productive with her time.

“So, you think you can threaten my friend into lying for you, huh?”

Sunset looked up at the familiar voice and found Rainbow Dash in front of her with her arms crossed. She looked to the side and found that the teacher was not in the room any longer.

“Looking for protection?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You screwed up big time, new kid. No one will help you here.”

Sunset sighed. “Look, you got it wrong. I don’t expect your undersized brain to understand the concept of being wrong, so I don’t expect, nor do I care if you apologize for being an ignorant simpleton or not. I will-”

Rainbow suddenly grabbed Sunset by her new blouse and lifted her from her seat. “Stop using your nerdy words on me. You callin’ me an idiot, huh? You think you’ve got guts?”

“All of us have guts,” Sunset said, feeling her anger return. “But it seems you’re lacking neurons. Now, stop touching me or-”

“Or what?” Rainbow challenged. “You’re gonna fight me?”

Sunset frowned. This Rainbow girl was definitely searching for any excuse to attack. Seeing how she couldn’t be reasoned with, and Sunset couldn’t fight such a brute girl, there weren’t many other options that would avoid increasing detention time. Sunset gritted her teeth and pressed her hands into fists. What could she do?

“Maybe you should just drop it,” Sunset said, trying her best not to give in to her primal fight or flight response.

Rainbow pulled her closer. “And maybe you should-”

“Rainbow Dash!” The teacher yelled. Rainbow dropped Sunset and huffed. “To the back of the room!”

Not caring that the teacher was looking at her, Rainbow pointed to Sunset, then dragged her thumb across her own neck. Sunset decided she would not be intimidated, and since the teacher didn’t seem to care about Rainbow’s blatant threat just then, she did what she’d seen other students do.

She showed Rainbow the back of her middle finger.

~~~~~~~~

“So, the Magma River is not actually made of magma,” Sunflower said as they crossed the school’s entrance. “It was discovered and named by scientist Magma Burst. It’s the largest river in the country, but most of it runs underground, that’s why it barely appears on maps.”

Sunset nodded. She had been improving a lot on her grades, but there was a lot of basic knowledge she still lacked. Apparently, huge magma rivers that crossed half the country were not a thing that humans found a natural occurrence.

They made their way through the halls and to their lockers. They still had a good ten minutes before classes started. Sunset had been meeting Sunflower at the school’s entrance every day for quick tutoring before class, and she’d help the girl after school. Sunflower was still amazed at how fast Sunset memorized the information.

Something hit her feet and Sunset yelped as she fell to the floor. Fortunately, she managed to block with her arms, so even though pain shot from them, she at least protected her face. Sunset rolled over, sat up and looked up.

Rainbow Dash gave her a smug grin before turning around. Sunset gritted her teeth. Why was that girl still bothering her? It was as if Rainbow had nothing better to do with her life. Sunset stood up and, rage building in her stomach, thoughtlessly grabbed the empty water bottle she was carrying and threw it at Rainbow.

It hit her right on the head.

Sunset immediately regretted her actions as the rainbow haired girl turned around, murder in her eyes. To Sunset’s great relief, however, a teacher just happened to open a door nearby, and Rainbow Dash, with an odd conflicted face, turned around and left.

“Sunset,” Sunflower said. “I did tell you she’s beaten up boys twice her height, right?”

Sunset could only nod a reply. She herself was the most surprised at what she had done, since the only confrontations she had ever had in her life had been verbal. Heck, even that time she threw a book at Princess Celestia she had barely used any strength. She was taller than Rainbow, but she was very well aware she was just a lanky pipsqueak in comparison.

But there was just something about Rainbow Dash that made Sunset really mad. Something she couldn’t quite comprehend. She had hated the way Princess Celestia had condescended her, but she had not, in any way, hated her. Now, however, she could say that she really did hate Rainbow Dash.

She had always been hotheaded and reacted without considering things first, but this was the first time her reckless acts had turned physical. It both scared her and excited her. But she took a deep breath to try and calm herself. Getting physical was Rainbow’s goal, since she had the utter advantage, so all Sunset could do to counter her was to think with a cool head.

Easier said than done.

~~~~~~~~

“Why don’t you tell a teacher?” Sunflower said. They were at the cafeteria, at their usual spot. Sunset had gotten a salad and mashed potatoes, while Sunflower got her pizza slice.

Sunset huffed. “Because it won’t solve anything,” she said. “What are they gonna do? Give her more detention? Something tells me that doesn’t work on brutes like her.” She didn’t add that she had also thrown something at Rainbow, and she could also see her punishment extended.

Besides, Sunset didn’t want to be known as the kid who ran off to cry to the teachers. Not only because of what it would do to whatever social status she had, but because the teachers themselves would also end up tired of her.

“Well, if she tries to bother you again, I’ll have your back,” Sunflower said, then gave a bite to her pizza. “I mean, not in, like, fighting, but you know… like… a friend?”

“Real reassuring,” Sunset said, but still appreciated the gesture. She poked her salad with her plastic fork. Food cafeteria really was insipid. She sighed and brought some to her mouth. Might as well just-

Something exploded, or at least Sunset thought so. Suddenly, she felt her food on her face, and the fork had been violently stripped from her hand. She didn’t know how long she stood there in silence until the potatoes fell from her face. She opened her eyes and saw Rainbow bucking Dash in front of her, with one hand on a soccer ball that rested on Sunset’s food tray.

“Whoops,” Rainbow said with her smug grin, then retrieved her ball and walked away.

Sunset saw the students around her laugh at her misfortune, but she almost didn’t care. No, the fury that was burning inside her was not only because of the humiliation, but because, despite its tastelessness, she had been hungry, and her food was now ruined.

“S-Sunset?” came Sunflower’s hesitant voice as she handed her some napkins.

Sunset didn’t reply, but accepted the napkins and began cleaning herself. The food had gotten everywhere, her face, her brand new jacket, and… Yes, that was a carrot sticking from her hair. Sunset inhaled deeply as she dropped the napkin on her tray. She heard Sunflower say something, but she wasn’t listening.

The teachers, like the rest of the student body, knew Rainbow was a stupid, reckless, selfish brute, and so her playing with a soccer ball in the cafeteria was not an odd sight despite it being forbidden. Rainbow Dash knew so, and she had taken advantage of it to humiliate Sunset.

She thought herself smart, so it was now Sunset’s duty to show her what a real smart person could do.

She stood up and walked away, Sunflower tailing her nervously.

~~~~~~~~

“I don’t know about this,” Sunflower said. “You could get in a lot of trouble.”

After washing up, Sunset had taken to gather the materials she needed for her revenge. All the while Sunflower kept trying to dissuade her. Sunset didn’t hold it against the girl, as she was most likely the kind to just lower her head and thank it hadn’t been worse when a bully smacked her head.

Sunset was not like that, and she was not going to let Rainbow simply humiliate her.

She leaned back on the edge of the wall, right where the soccer field started. Sunset had just finished setting up her revenge. All in all, she was proud of herself for having worked so fast with her still somewhat clumsy hands.

“And Rainbow Dash will kill you for that,” Sunflower said.

“She won’t know it was me,” Sunset said, showing her hand to Sunflower. She was holding a green string. “This will disappear in the grass. No one will ever know it wasn’t an accident.”

Some voices sounded from the side, and Sunset shushed Sunflower. Today, they had History right after lunch, and Miss Dusty Pages always got ten minutes late. At the same hour, the soccer team would play. And Sunset had learned that Rainbow Dash was the captain of the soccer team.

Sure enough, a group of students wearing the school sports uniform appeared on the field, and to Sunset’s delight, Rainbow was at the very front, wearing her usual smug grin. Sunset allowed herself to smile as her plan was set in motion. And when Rainbow began jogging to the field, Sunset’s grin grew.

This was going to be really entertaining.

When Rainbow got to the right point, Sunset yanked the string with all her might. Using simple pulley logic, the string moved throughout the field and to the far spot where Rainbow was. It tensed and caught both of Rainbow’s feet. The girl lurched down and forward. Now, it had been a dry couple of days, so the grass was dry as a rock. Or it would’ve been, had Sunset not emptied a large bucket of water on it.

Sunset smiled gleefully as Rainbow hit the mud with a splash. She dropped the string, and the rest of the team hurried to their fallen member, never knowing what had really happened.

“And done,” Sunset said, signaling Sunflower to follow her back inside. Rainbow would believe she had finished their squabble at the cafeteria, and Sunset would have the satisfaction of having beaten the bully without getting in trouble.

The best part was that it all had happened sooner than expected. Why, not all classes were in session yet, so there were still many students hurrying this way or the other, while others were hanging out by their classrooms’ doors. There was plenty of time for Sunset to get some reading done before Miss Dusty Pages arrived.

There was a sudden change on the students’ faces. They seemed to be looking at… something behind her? With a feeling of dread, Sunset dared to look back.

And she soon found herself thrown through the air. Before her brain could process what was happening, Sunset hit the floor and skidded a few feet. Her stomach churned, and her vision spun. What had happened?

“You’re dead!” Someone yelled.

Sunset didn’t have to look up to see who had said that. She did so anyway.

Rainbow was covered in mud, but that did not stop her deadly glare from sending shivers down Sunset’s spine. She did her best to stand up as Rainbow quickly made her way to her. She tried to run, there was no way she was facing this girl like that! But her legs felt like jelly, and she could only helplessly see the fuming bully getting nearer by the second.

But before Rainbow got too close, Sunflower collided with her and sent her tripping to the wall. Rainbow didn’t fall, to Sunset’s surprise, but looked quite disoriented.

“Don’t you hurt my friend, you moronic bully!” Sunflower yelled.

For some reason, Sunset felt proud at Sunflower’s use of the word ‘moronic’. It was something she had learned during their tutoring sessions! That sense of pride disappeared, however, when Rainbow turned her raging gaze to Sunflower and began advancing on her.

Sunset had been thinking she was becoming more reckless since she had met Rainbow the day before. Somehow, she was still surprised to find herself running towards her, instead of away. She took advantage of Rainbow being distracted and tackled her to the ground.

Placing her weight on Rainbow’s belly and her hands on her shoulders, Sunset had her perfectly pinned down! She huffed and panted as she saw Rainbow blinking in surprise.

“Now,” Sunset said between pants. “Just shut up and listen. I don’t want us to keep annoying each other. So, let me just expl-”

Rainbow hit her in the face. Hard. Sunset felt the crack of her nose as she fell to the side. She barely had time to moan at the pain when Rainbow quickly pinned her down and punched her in the eye.

Sunset quickly shot her arms up to cover herself, but didn’t do much to protect her. Rainbow simply punched them. The pain of her bleeding nose and her swollen eye throbbed, but the succession of punches in her arms and sides were becoming unbearable. She couldn’t remember a time where she had been in so much pain all over, not even when she fell down a well as a filly.

The punches stopped, and Sunset dared sneak a peek. Sunflower was grabbing Rainbow from behind.

“Stop!” Sunflower yelled.

But Rainbow was stronger, and she easily shook Sunflower off with an elbow to the stomach. Sunflower fell to the floor, clutching her stomach. Rainbow turned to Sunset again and lifted a fist.

Somehow, Sunset found the strength to stretch both arms up, counting on their superior length to keep Rainbow Dash at bay. She miscalculated, however, and ended with both hands around Rainbow’s neck.

Rainbow’s eyes grew angrier and pressed her weight down. But Sunset held her arms stretched, even though she knew they weren’t going to last long. She didn’t need to win this fighting match, she just needed to hold on.

But Rainbow Dash was not about to give her an easy time, and she began throwing punches at Sunset. Most missed due to the distance, but some managed to graze Sunset’s face. Sunset shut her eyes and gritted her teeth, then pressed her fingers as much as she could. This only seemed to infuriate Rainbow further, and she again pressed her weight on Sunset’s arms and kept throwing punches.

Sunset felt tears run down the sides of her face. The pain of her nose was too much, and her arms quivered under the pressure. She knew that, as soon as they gave up, she would not be able to cover from the onslaught.

Suddenly, the punches stopped, and she felt sweet relief as the weight on her arms disappeared. She brought her arms close to her face again, in case Rainbow had decided to lure her into a false sense of security.

“Let go!” Rainbow yelled, and Sunset dared open her eyes and look past her arms.

Two teachers were holding Rainbow Dash by the arms as they pulled her away. Sunset huffed and breathed through her mouth, feeling her whole face going numb, but still throbbing. A hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see Nurse Heartstrings kneeling beside her.

“Can you stand up?” the nurse asked.

Sunset nodded and took the hand to help her to her feet. She saw various teachers usher the curious students to their classrooms. She groaned at the pain in her arms, but at least she was able to follow the nurse to the infirmary.

It took her a good couple of minutes of straight up Tartarus in the form of alcohol and peroxide before Sunset noticed that Sunflower was there too. The girl had only gotten a hit to the stomach, so she was there probably just to make her company. Sunset didn’t know how to feel about that. Sunflower had helped her against Rainbow Dash, after all.

When Nurse Heartstrings finished, the pain from her broken nose had completely disappeared, replaced by complete numbness.

“You should be able to return to class now,” the nurse said. “If you feel pain later today or tomorrow, you can ask your parents to give you one, maximum two painkillers.”

Sunset nodded absentmindedly. For the first time in years, she did not want to return to class.

As she began gathering her bearings, the infirmary’s door opened, and in came Principal Ink Statement. Sunset groaned silently. She had hoped he’d at least wait until classes were over to scold her.

“Miss Shimmer,” the principal said. “Why should I not suspend you for fighting in school grounds again?”

Suspend her?! Sunset bleached. But Rainbow had been the one who had attacked her!

“But it was that Rainbow girl who attacked her!” Sunflower said. “Sunset was only covering herself!”

Principal Ink Statement looked at Sunflower, as if just now noticing her, then back at Sunset. “She says you made her trip in the mud, and that you tackled her.”

So Rainbow had realized Sunset was behind her ‘accident’. How? Had Rainbow found the string and pieced things together, or had she just assumed correctly? In any case, it seemed Sunset would be punished again, so she simply lowered her eyes.

“Of course she tackled her,” Sunflower said, crossing her arms. “But Rainbow pushed her to the ground first. Then I tried to stop her, but Rainbow was going to hit me. That’s when Sunset tackled her. She was protecting me!”

Sunset blinked and looked up at Sunflower. What? she thought.

“And even then,” Sunflower continued. “Sunset tried to talk to her, but then Rainbow punched her in the face and broke her nose. Then she got on her and started punching her!”

Principal Ink Statement looked behind him, and Sunset saw Mister Midnight Moon for the first time. The teacher looked up to the principal. “The students who witnessed said the same,” he said in a loud whisper.

“And what about Rainbow Dash’s claim of you making her trip?” the principal asked Sunset.

“That’s complete bull- Uhm, I mean, that’s a lie!” Sunflower said. “We were on our way to class! And by the way, Rainbow Dash purposely kicked a soccer ball on Sunset’s food! I’ve been trying to convince her to tell you, but she didn’t want any more troubles!”

Sunset blinked in surprise, flinching at the pain of her black eye. Sunflower was lying for her. She was actively risking being punished just for a chance to save Sunset. It was… a weird thing to do.

Principal Statement scratched his jawline thoughtfully. “I see… Well, I want a word with you after class. I’ll see you at my office, then I’ll decide what to do with you. Nurse Heartstrings, a word, if you please.” The adults promptly left the infirmary and closed the door, but Sunset could hear their hushed voices discussing something.

“Thanks for not telling them about the string,” Sunset said.

Sunflower smiled. “I told you, I got your back. Besides, Rainbow’s at fault here, isn’t she?”

Sunset smiled. She was still hurting, and she knew Dandy was going to ask her a lot of questions, but she appreciated having someone who would lie for her, who would at least try to stop the big bad bully from beating her up.

It appeared that Sunset appreciated, for the first time, having a friend.

9- Among Them

View Online

Chapter 9: Among Them

Sunset merrily crossed yet another hallway. She was so close to creating a new enchantment! Sure, transmogrification spells did not hold well in enclosing cages of less than sixty-four nodes, and growth spells were not terribly helpful with intricate structures. But Sunset was sure she could make it work. She just needed another batch of hexagon-cut garnets.

So she made her way to Princess Celestia’s personal study room. Not many ponies were allowed there, not even maids, but Sunset was the exception. Celestia herself had given Sunset full permission to enter so long as she made her presence known.

What would the princess say when Sunset managed to complete her project? Creating new spells was not something ponies did on a daily basis, after all. She was sure that, with this, Celestia would have no choice but advance at least three, no, four levels in their personal training!

With a huge grin on her face and a little song building in her heart, Sunset reached the study. As always, there were no guards stationed outside. However, the door was just slightly ajar. Odd.

Sunset made her way there, but before she could knock, she heard voices coming from inside. She stopped herself and carefully lowered her hoof down.

“... only a few more years,” was somepony saying. Was that… Captain Starfall Whisper? What was he doing in Princess Celestia’s study?

“I am aware, Starfall,” Princess Celestia replied. Sunset suppressed a gasp and leaned in. “Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like she’ll have to do it alone.”

There was a long pause.

“Does that mean…”

“Yes,” the princess said. Her voice was calm, but there was something in her tone… Something Sunset did not recognize. “Archmage Stellar believes she found somepony who fits the prophecy… better.”

“Your majesty,” Captain Starfall said. Sunset carefully placed her ear right in the slight opening between the double doors. “You are already spread thin as it is. With all due respect, getting another-”

“Captain,” Princess Celestia interrupted him. She didn’t sound displeased, more like… amused? “I understand your worries. However, I think we should discuss this at a later time. It appears I have a guest.”

Sunset gasped as the door was engulfed in Princess Celestia’s golden aura and pulled open. The princess looked at Sunset with a knowing smile, and Sunset entered with as much grace as she could. She wanted real bad to know what had this conversation been about, but if she asked, it would be admitting she’d been eavesdropping. She suspected the princess knew already, but she would not give her the satisfaction. So she simply cleared her throat and began explaining her project.

It didn’t matter. She’d know sooner or later.

~~~~~~~~

Principal Ink Statement had decided to release Sunset from detention, but he had called Dandy to let her know what had happened. So, when she returned home, she expected to be scolded for fighting.

Instead, Dandy rushed to her with a worried expression.

“Are you alright?” Dandy asked as she tenderly cupped Sunset’s jaw. “I knew that Rainbow girl was bad news, but I didn’t think she’d beat up a new student! I’ll have to have a word with her mother!”

Sunset flinched slightly at the touch. Her face was numb, but she still could feel pain. She resisted the urge to voice her discomfort.

Dandy huffed and stood up. “Well, I have to return to work. I’ll be back at ten.” And with that, Dandy left the apartment.

“Are you ok?” Trixie asked. She was sitting in the living room, hugging her legs.

Sunset shrugged. “I guess. At least now the principal and the teachers know I’m not a bully.” She walked up to Trixie and let herself fall on the couch with a heavy sigh. Her arms were still very sore.

“Well, you are the first one to approach Fluttershy with no ill intentions,” Trixie said, then continued in a much lower tone. “She at least got herself a bodyguard.”

“That’s because she most likely never fights back,” Sunset replied. “If you let others step on you, they will keep doing so.”

Trixie huffed. “Yeah, and if you do fight back, you end up with a broken nose and a black eye.”

Sunset smiled. “Yes, and it will send a message. It doesn’t matter if they are bigger or stronger, I will fight back.” She lifted her hand and looked at her nails, which had faint traces of reddish black. It was well after she had left the infirmary when she noticed her nails had been bloodstained. Apparently, she had pressured a bit too much on Rainbow’s neck. “Bullies will think twice before messing with me.”

“If you say so…”

~~~~~~~~

The next day, Sunflower informed Sunset that Rainbow Dash had been suspended for a week. And despite her brave words to Trixie, she felt a weight disappear from her shoulders. She had been prepared to keep bucking legs with the girl, but she had to admit she was glad it would not be the case. At least not for a whole week.

“So, how are your arms?” Sunflower asked. They were sitting in the classroom, next to each other, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

Sunset pulled the sleeves of her jacket to show her bruised arms. The purple had almost completely vanished, but it only meant her arms were now a sickly yellowish-green with some faint violet mixed in. Sunflower seemed to have lost her inner battle not to put on a disgusted face.

“They only hurt if I put pressure on them now,” Sunset said as she covered them again with the sleeves. She wished she could cover her black-green, really- eye and the huge patch of purple around her nose.

“I think they kinda look cool on you,” Sunflower said. Sunset raised an eyebrow at her, and the girl smiled nervously. “Uh, y’know… You have that black jacket, and… thu- the, y’know, fire hair and the, uh, battle injuries! They add to the, y’know, bad girl vibe?”

Sunset considered this. “I can see your point,” she said and saw Sunflower visibly relax. “But I prefer my skin to be spotless.”

“Right!” Sunflower agreed. “You have beautiful skin! I was just, uh, y’know!”

Sunset didn’t know, but she nodded regardless. Sunflower had tried to stop Rainbow Dash from beating her up. That alone was reason enough for Sunset to give the girl more leeway.

“Yo, Sunset!” Zephyr Skies called. “I heard you beat up Rainbow Dash? How’d that happen?”

“What?” Sunset asked.

Zephyr sat in front of her and had a wide smile. “Everyone’s talking about it! How she was about to beat up Sunflower and then you tackled her and started choking her!”

Sunset blinked. “That is… not exactly what happened.” She then proceeded to describe what had really happened, except, of course, the little detail of her being responsible for Rainbow’s dive into the mud.

“Well, I still think it’s badass,” Zephyr said. “Wish I had seen it.” At that moment, Professor Count Up entered the room, and Zephyr stood up to go to his seat, but not before turning one last time to Sunset. “You’re cool, Sunset.”

Unfortunately, Sunset found herself explaining several times over that she had not, in fact, beaten up Rainbow Dash. How could they think that? Sunset was a lanky girl in comparison to Rainbow! Was it because of her new clothes? Was the ‘bad girl vibe’ Sunflower kept mentioning the reason why she was gaining this new reputation?

As lunchtime rolled around, Sunset realized that practically all the school thought she had ‘heroically’ put Rainbow Dash in her place. How had that happened? It wasn’t like she had started any of the fights, nor had she openly insulted Rainbow Dash.

She and Sunflower sat at their usual spot, and Sunset noticed the furtive glances the other students gave her between hushed conversations.

“Why is everyone so gullible?” Sunset asked. Sunflower only shrugged as a response, which made Sunset sigh as she poked at her salad. “I mean, I think I can see how it happened… They all saw Rainbow throw a ball at my food yesterday, and next thing they know, we were fighting.”

“Everyone likes fights,” Sunflower said. “Like that one time Rocket League beat up Jet Fuel in the gym. Everyone talked about it for weeks!”

Sunset didn’t know who either of the people mentioned were, but she supposed Sunflower was right. The most exciting thing these humans did was probably watch T.V. or play video games. Without the wonders of magic, they had to turn their entertainment-hungry minds with more barbaric things. Sunset only hoped she would not be involved in fights again.

“So… you’re Sunset Shimmer,” said a new voice.

Sunset looked up to see a girl standing in front of her. She was wearing the cheerleaders’ uniform, and her long golden hair was bright and looked like silk.

“Who’s asking?” Sunset asked.

The girl raised an eyebrow and looked sort of offended. “Uh, hello?” There was a pause, and when Sunset didn’t say anything, the girl rolled her eyes. “Well, I do suppose you’re new in this school.” She clicked her tongue. “Diamond Rush, your pleasure.”

Sunset frowned. Only two minutes in and already she hated the girl.

“Whoa, no need to get angry at me,” Diamond said. “I just want to thank you on behalf of, like, everyone.”

“Thank me?” Sunset repeated with a monotone voice.

Diamond sat down. “Yes. See, that Rainbow brute only searched for excuses to beat people up.” Sunset found herself nodding. “Why, she started pushing me this one time I was trying to have a conversation with Flittershy.”

“Fluttershy,” Sunflower corrected.

“Whatever,” Diamond said with a wave of her hand. “My point is, you put her in her place.”

Sunset crossed her arms. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I didn’t beat her up.” She honestly didn’t care what this snob girl thought, but Sunset was getting tired of the story getting warped like that. It could get her in trouble with the teachers!

“Oh, I know,” Diamond Rush said with a small smile. “Despite your looks, you don’t look like the kind of girl who would spark trouble. You were just defending yourself, isn’t that right?”

“Yes,” Sunset said. It surprised her that it had to be this girl, the one that actually cared to have her facts straight.

“I think that was brave of you. Not many people are willing to stand up to bullies,” Diamond continued. She paused, then gave another good look at Sunset. “Say, wouldn’t you be interested in trying out for the cheerleaders?”

Sunset raised her eyebrows. Then immediately narrowed her eyes. What was this girl’s game? Why would she invite her to join their team? Sunset had always been wary of the popular kids and their back-stabbing mindsets, and this Diamond Rush girl raised all the red flags of a problem in the making.

“I…” Sunset said, but then closed her mouth. She wanted to reject the ‘offer’, but even she wasn’t naive enough to do it outright. Back in Equestria, she had practically been royalty, but even without her title, she still was the most powerful unicorn, so she had never feared to speak up her mind. But she was currently in a different world, without magic nor status. And her face still hurt when she spoke. If she wanted to avoid making even more enemies, she’d have to be smart about this.

“I appreciate the offer,” she finally said. “But I’m really clumsy. I can barely climb up stairs without falling down. I’d only be a hindrance to the whole team.” A half-lie, really. She was a bit clumsy, but only because she still wasn’t completely used to her human body and the new height at which her head raised from the ground.

Diamond’s smile became a faint pout. “A pity. You’ve got the body and the face. Without the bruise, of course.” She then reached for a pocket inside her skirt and produced a small piece of paper. “In any case, you seem like a cool girl, so why don’t you hang out with us?” She offered the paper to Sunset. “This Saturday at Sugarcube Corner. This is my number. Call me to confirm.”

When Sunset accepted the paper, Diamond Rush stood up and waved her farewell before returning to her group of friends at the center of the cafeteria.

“Whoa, you’re so lucky!” Sunflower said, making Sunset flinch. She had forgotten the girl was there.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I thought you called them ‘mean bullies’.”

Sunflower nodded. “I mean, yeah, but that was Diamond Rush! The Diamond Rush!” She said in a tone of obviousness as if Sunset was being stupid for not knowing. “She’s the most popular girl in school! I heard she lives in a mansion and her mom is the president of Orange corp.”

“Orange corp?”

“You know, they make smartphones!”

Sunset gave Sunflower a flat stare in response. “Right. Why should I care again?”

Sunflower rolled her eyes up, with an expression that said ‘I can’t believe I have to explain this’. “She invited you to hang out with her and her friends! She never invites anyone! Sure, they can be bullies, but if you hang out with them, you’ll be one of the popular kids! Your social status will go through the roof!”

“You’re not really selling it,” Sunset said. She had never cared about social statuses, only practical ones. Why would she want to waste her time with a bunch of airheaded snobs when she could be studying? Besides, she still had a lot to learn about this world, and she only had so much time to prepare her report.

She frowned. But wait, this could be a good opportunity. She could attend their gathering and study the way they socialized. She needed to study humans, after all, and societal behavior was an important part of her research. Then again, she really didn’t want to be with them. She had always hated rich snobs and had avoided their bratty offsprings as much as it was physically possible.

On the other hoof, her research…

She looked at Sunflower and an idea formed in her head. “Yeah, I think I’ll go. If you come with me.”

Sunflower paled and gaped for a full ten seconds. “What? No, no, no. I can’t go! I wasn’t invited!”

“Who cares?” Sunset said. “She didn’t say I had to go alone.” Besides, she just wanted somepony to be with her, so she wouldn’t be entirely surrounded by idiots. Sunflower, fortunately, had proved to be quite the studious girl that had only needed a small nudge. Sunset was sure she could still make a scientist out of the girl.

“But… what if they make you choose?”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “I have never, in my life, let anypo- anybody make me choose. I have always done whatever I want,” she said. “If they really want me to hang out with them, then they won’t have issues with you being there. If they do, then I don’t want anything to do with them.” She’d rather lose her chance of studying a small part of human group-oriented society than tolerate the bunch of them on her own. She still wasn’t ready to go insane for knowledge’s sake.

Sunflower smiled, and her cheeks became a soft shade of red. “That’s… You’re a really good friend!” Then she proceeded to hug Sunset.

Sunset was about to yell at her not to invade her personal space but stopped herself. Hugging was a thing friends did, and she still needed to study firsthoof how human friendships worked. She stifled a groan as she let Sunflower hug her and giggle. She just hoped this wouldn’t take too long.

~~~~~~~~

There was something about meeting up with people that felt unreal to Sunset. She had ever only cared about appointments that had an immediate and practical purpose. Exams, training, reading, learning. She had always declined any invitations that were purely social. The mere thought of wasting her time in senseless interactions made her very skin itch.

And now, she couldn’t help but scratch her neck as she donned her jacket. Despite repeating over and over in her head that this was just so she could advance in her research, she was not looking forward to being surrounded by the very kind she had always avoided. Those that cared nothing for knowledge, that disregarded studies in favor of frivolous affairs. Those that thought themselves superior simply by having economic or social status.

They had not earned those statuses. They had been given everything they had on a silver platter. They were lazy and selfish and weak. They did not understand what it was to struggle, to fight, to fall, and then raise.

They had no right.

Sunset got out of her room and made a beeline to the front door.

“Are you going out?” Trixie asked. Sunset turned to see the blue girl sitting on the couch, wrapped with a blanket.

“Yes,” Sunset replied. “This Diamond Rush girl invited me to hang out. I might…” She got silent when she saw Trixie’s surprised expression. “What?”

Trixie flinched and looked away. “You... Are you friends with Diamond?”

Sunset cocked her head. “No,” she said. “She wants me to hang out with her and her group. I only accepted because it’s a good opportunity to study human socialization.”

“O-Oh…” Trixie said with a low voice. “I see. Have fun, then…”

Sunset frowned. What was wrong with Trixie? She always acted weird at the most random times. Sunset rolled her eyes and went out.

Once outside the building, Sunset noticed the warmth of the sun. It was growing weaker by the day. Winter was just around the corner. As she made her way to the meeting point she had decided with Sunflower, she wondered what kind of holidays humans had, if any. She then shook her head, feeling stupid for only thinking about holidays now. She’d have to ask Trixie or Dandy later.

It took her only fifteen minutes to reach the designated location: a bus stop. Sunflower hadn’t arrived yet, so she sat down to wait.

She took notice of a house across the street. It was a two-story-high green house, it wasn’t exactly what one could call strange, but it had a beautiful garden that awed Sunset. Whites and blues and reds mixed with green. Sunset let herself smile as the garden reminded her of one of the Royal Castle’s many gardens, tended only by the very best gardeners.

Then she pouted. She wondered what was going on in the castle. Sure, Princess Celestia had pushed Sunset into crossing the portal with the hidden intention of studying the world beyond, but the rest of the palace would still think of her as a runaway, wouldn’t they? Not that Sunset cared, but she didn’t want her spotless reputation ruined. She wondered if the princess would have cleared it up so her return would go swiftly.

As she pondered, she spotted movement in the beautiful garden. The fence opened, and out came Sunflower Dust. Sunset blinked, surprised. She didn’t move until Sunflower had crossed the street and was in front of her.

“Hey, Sunset!” Sunflower said with a bright smile. “Sorry for being late, I got held up by my siblings.”

Sunset blinked again. “Uh, yeah, it’s ok,” she said. “Well, let’s get going. The sooner we start, the sooner it’ll be over.”

Sunflower cocked her head. “You sound like you don’t want to go.”

“I don’t,” Sunset replied through her teeth.

“Then why are we going?” Sunflower asked. “I thought you only did what you wanted?”

Sunset sighed heavily. “Because I’m…” She looked away. “Because I’m doing a personal research paper on social hierarchy in school settings,” she said.

Sunflower hummed. “So you’re studying the popular kids?”

“Yes,” Sunset said.

“Huh,” Sunflower said. “Interesting.”

Sunset nodded, then stood up. “Just don’t tell them. The whole purpose of going is for them to think I want to be part of their group. If they know I’m studying them, they will stop acting like they normally do, and the data will be useless.”

“Sure thing,” Sunflower said, then turned around to lead the way.

~~~~~~~~

Sugarcube Corner did not look like a sugar cube. That much Sunset had guessed. It certainly shared the same architecture as the same buildings, but it was a bright white with pink details. With only those two colors, it managed to stand out. That, and the huge letters spelling the name of the establishment along with the tables and chairs outside.

“I love Sugarcube Corner,” Sunflower said giddily. “They have the best smoothies ever!”

Sunset doubted that. There were no better smoothies than those served at the royal palace. Head chef Pudding Strike was the best pastry maker in all of Equestria. It didn’t matter that she was in a different world, there just was no way a simple human business could compare to anything done in Canterlot.

They entered Sugarcube Corner. The interior was very much like the facade. Simple but bright colors. There were many people inside already, enjoying various pastries of many different colors.

“Sunset, over here!”

Sunset raised her head towards the voice, and spotted Diamond Rush sitting at the far corner. There were four other people with her already. Stiffing a groan, she made her way there.

“Hey,” Sunset said. Unlike Diamond, who was beaming, the other students seemed mildly annoyed.

“You’re punctual, I see. I like that,” Diamond said. She then noticed Sunflower standing behind Sunset. “Is she with you?”

Sunset gave Sunflower a quick glance. The girl seemed really nervous. “Yes,” Sunset said, looking back to Diamond. “You may remember I’m new in this city. Even with the directions you gave me, I wasn’t sure how to arrive.”

“Ah, yes,” Diamond said, then looked at Sunflower. “You did well. Now, run along.”

“She’s staying,” Sunset said, and Diamond looked at her, surprise showing in her eyes. There was something else in there, something Sunset couldn’t quite tell, but after a while, Diamond’s expression returned to normal.

“Oh, Sunset, you should’ve told me she was a friend of yours,” Diamond said, scooting over to leave enough space for two. “Come on, girls, sit down.”

Sunset did so, and Sunflower slowly got to her side. She noticed Diamond’s group looked at Sunflower as if she was doing something unforgivable. Sunset rolled her eyes.

“Guys, this is Sunset,” Diamond said, and her group turned to look at Sunset. “You know her, she stood up to Rainbow Dash.” Diamond passed a hand over Sunset’s shoulders. “She was so brave, not letting that bully intimidate her. What do you say smoothies are on us?”

The group smiled and agreed.

“What is your favorite, Sunset?” Diamond asked, smiling at her.

“Uhm, I guess strawberry,” Sunset said. Diamond nodded and, when an employee approached, proceeded to order the smoothies. Sunset turned to Sunflower. “What about you?”

Sunflower blinked and flinched as if she just realized where she was. “Uhm…” She looked around, then quickly returned her gaze to Sunset. “I-I’m ok.”

“But you just told me these were the best smoothies you’ve had,” Sunset insisted. Then it dawned on her. She turned to look at Diamond’s friends. They were very suspiciously looking down at their… whatever it was they were holding.

Diamond let out a soft chuckle. “Come on, you’re Sunset’s friend. Order whatever you want.”

Sunflower nodded meekly and asked for a chocolate smoothie. Sunset didn’t fail to notice the furtive glances Diamond’s group shot at her. What was going on here? She’d have to remember and ask Sunflower and Trixie later.

“So, Sunset,” Diamond said, giving Sunset a big smile. “Tell me about you.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to know?”

Diamond chuckled. “You know. For example, what do you like to do in your free time?”

Sunset considered her answer. She knew from experience that the rich kids didn’t really care about knowledge. Sure, they cared about getting good enough grades, but not about learning. They would either take advantage of the real intelligent students or of the group of less rich and popular that always followed them.

She had no reason to believe humans would behave the same way, but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. So she simply shrugged.

“I just watch T.V. or play video games,” she replied. As always, she wasn’t lying. She did watch Elementians and played video games with Trixie every now and then.

Diamond hummed. “I thought you’d be the studious kind, based on what your classmates say about you. I guess you’re just naturally smart, aren’t you?”

Sunset couldn’t help but feel proud. Of course, she was naturally smart, and of course her classmates would be talking about it. “I am,” she replied.

“It is a shame, really, that you don’t want to be a cheerleader,” Diamond said. “All of us have high grades, keep healthy with a lot of exercise, and get to be the center of attention.” She leaned in a bit closer to Sunset. “Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to at least try?”

Sunset frowned. Why was she insisting? There had to be a hidden reason, some ulterior motive, something Diamond Rush would gain by having Sunset in the team. But what was it?

“As I said,” Sunset said carefully. “I’m clumsy and I could-”

“Clumsy people can get rid of their, well, clumsiness,” Diamond said. She then waved her hand towards one of her followers. “Take Stutter here for example.” The girl of pale lavender skin and blonde hair waved at Sunset with half a smile. “She was a real clutz only a few months ago, and now she can easily perform a backflip. Isn’t that right, Stutter, dear?”

“I-It’s, uhm, y-yeah, b-but,” the girl stuttered. “I-I’m not n-nearly as g-good as y-y-you.”

Diamond snorted amusedly. “Of course not, but that’s not the point. Come on, Stutter, show Sunset what you can do.”

Stutter tensed up. “Uhm… R-R-R-Right h-h-he-eere?”

“Of course right here,” Diamond said softly. “It’s only a backflip, dear. Just do it once so Sunset can see what a clutz like you can achieve with a little training.”

Sunset watched the exchange with curiosity. She wasn’t sure what a backflip was. She knew she had heard the term somewhere, even back in Equestria, but the meaning escaped her.

She raised her head as Stutter stood up. The girl looked quite uncomfortable but still did as Diamond asked. She took a couple of steps away from their table, then looked around the locale. Stutter took a deep breath, then, without another word, she jumped in her place, taking her legs back and doing a whole loop backward before landing back on her feet.

Sunset’s eyes widened. How had that girl managed that? Sunset had checked her jumping capabilities and had found them extremely low compared to a pony’s. But now there was a girl that had managed to defy gravity for a moment. How?

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Diamond asked, and Sunset turned to look at her. She saw a spark in Diamond’s eyes. She knew Sunset was more than impressed.

Stutter sat back down, wearing a massive blush across her face as some of the other customers applauded. Just this demonstration of physical skill was enough for Sunset to consider this meeting not a complete waste of her time.

A waitress arrived at their table, carrying a tray full of their smoothies. Sunset noticed the girl was quite monochromatic, as everything in her was pink. Her skin, her hair, even her clothes. Had her eyes not been a bright blue, Sunset would’ve thought she was a mannequin.

The girl gleefully passed the smoothies to everyone, having Sunflower be the last. When she leaned in to place Sunflower’s smoothie, the waitress leaned over, and Sunset could hear her whispering. “I added a cherry because you looked like you needed it. It’s on the house.” Then, as quickly as she arrived, she left. Sunflower seemed in a better mood.

“Maybe you could come to our cheerleading practices,” Diamond said, idly using a finger to play with her straw. “We do a lot more than just backflips. Maybe then I can convince you to join us.”

She still didn’t want to join them, mainly because she was already spread thin with her human studies and her report to Princess Celestia, but she supposed she could spare some time to observe them and make notes.

“I suppose I can,” Sunset finally said, then tried her smoothie. She gasped.

It was the best smoothie she had ever had.

10- Between Bucking Hooves

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Chapter 10: Between Bucking Hooves

Sunset closed yet another dusty tome with a heavy sigh. Ever since overhearing Princess Celestia and Captain Starfall Whisper, Sunset had been trying to get answers from her mentor, but the alicorn was infinitely smarter and more experienced. Sunset would not be able to trick her into giving her any answers.

So, Sunset decided to look for answers herself.

Princess Celestia and Captain Starfall had been talking about a prophecy. That alone struck Sunset as odd. Prophecies had been proven unreliable at best ever since Archmage Galaxy Twinkle caused chaos in Canterlot by misinterpreting the Twin Royals Catastrophe Prophecy seven times in a row two hundred years ago. After which she had tried to explain that maybe her calculations had been a bit off. But since then, nopony took prophecies seriously.

So then, why was Princess Celestia talking about one with such a serious tone? What did Captain Starfall know that got him such trust from the princess? And why was Sunset left out of it? Hadn’t she proved herself already? Why did she have to look for answers on her own? Why did she still have to fight her way through?

Sunset shook her head. No, of course, she still had to struggle. Her entire apprenticeship with the princess was one big test. She had to find the answers in record time if she wanted to impress Celestia.

With that mindset, Sunset got her attention back to the stack of books.

But she had been reading for hours every night for a week, and still she hadn’t found any leads. Sure, she only had a couple of words as cues, but surely Princess Celestia thought they would be enough. Sunset decided to start sorting all the known prophecies by likelihood.

Chaos Incarnate was an obscure prophecy, but one that was created during the first years of Celestia’s reign. It was said that the princess herself had written it, but such a claim was doubtful.

The return of the beast of oblivion, Tirek, was laughable. Then again, anything related to the Pillars of Equestria was ridiculous. They had been just a bunch of slightly powerful ponies with delusions of grandeur. They had even disappeared without a trace, probably when their many lies had been exposed.

Nightmare Moon’s escape. A simple foals tale. Sunset didn’t know why some Archmages had even called it a prophecy.

She groaned, feeling her eyes heavy and her vision blurry. She was exhausted. She had read almost half the tomes that had even a passing mention of a prophecy, and she still wasn’t sure what she was even looking for.

Groggily standing up, Sunset decided to go get some sleep. Fortunately, she didn’t have many important things to do for the next week. She only hoped she could find anything important before then since her term exams were going to be challenging if her latest homework was any indication.

~~~~~~~~

After her meeting with Diamond Rush and company, Sunset bid Sunflower farewell at the same bus stop they had met that day, then Sunset returned home. For some reason, Trixie remained in her room the rest of the weekend, only going out to eat and to the bathroom. She didn’t even go to watch the weekly episode of Elementians, which probably had been a good thing, since the episode hadn’t been that good.

Monday came, and Sunset thought it was an unusually cold morning. It was September, in the human calendar, which meant it was the beginning of the Autumn season. Sunset realized, as she reached the main entrance of the school, that her birthday was near, and she was going to spend it with nopony. Not her parents, not the princess. The thought made her feel worse than she was willing to admit.

She took a deep breath and pushed her chest out. No, she couldn’t be down. She had made the choice of crossing the portal, she had known she’d be here for thirty moons. There was only one thing she needed to do; she had to study and write a research paper on this world.

The wind picked up as she got to the school. Sunflower wasn’t at their usual meeting spot at the third tree from the street. This was normal on Mondays, as the girl claimed she just couldn’t get there before class. Sunset hadn’t asked why. Sunflower had proved to be a good enough student, so she supposed she could give the girl some privacy for her personal affairs.

Her eyes fell on a particular girl, standing right at the main entrance. Sunset frowned deeply as Rainbow Dash looked up at her. Her week of suspension had finished too quickly. Had it even been a week, or had her suspension only been for what was left of the past week? Sunset couldn’t bring herself to care for the details.

She pushed her anger down and kept walking forward. She wasn’t sure who had gotten the best of the other during the fight. Probably Rainbow, seeing as to how Sunset still had a hideous green-ish patch covering half her face, but the bully might not look at it that way. Sunset didn’t really want any more troubles, so she decided to pay close attention to Rainbow Dash, in case she tried anything, so she could at least try to dodge.

“Hey,” Rainbow said as Sunset got near. “I…”

But Sunset was already walking past her. Whatever Rainbow wanted to tell her, she didn’t want to hear it. If it was just insults, Sunset could simply ignore her and move on with her day. She was hot-headed, but that didn’t mean she’d fall so stupidly for some nasty words.

“Look, I just…” Rainbow insisted.

Sunset simply looked away as she entered the school. She thought of her first class for the day, math, and then about her homework. She had done all the exercises the teacher had given her in a mere five minutes. How was human education this poor when their technological advancement was so high, Sunset did not understand.

“Hey!” Rainbow said as she grabbed Sunset by the shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!” Sunset howled as she shook Rainbow’s hand away, feeling every sense in her body come alight with a blazing fire. Her breathing was heavy, her heart was beating as if she had been running. She stared down at Rainbow Dash, watching the girl flinch and step back.

After a moment of silence, Sunset blinked in surprise. Where had that come from? She had had time to calm down, and yet she had exploded. A look around told her everyone was staring at her. Great, she thought bitterly. Now they would be making up even more stories about her.

She sighed and turned around, ignoring all further attempts from Rainbow to get her attention. She also pointedly ignored the whispers that rose after her passing.

This day was already up for an awful start.

Making a beeline to her locker, Sunset did her best to calm down again. She found that she couldn’t. Her limbs were still shaking, her mind clouded. How could one girl make her explode like this? Just thinking about her made Sunset’s rage boil in her stomach. This definitely wasn’t healthy.

“Hey,” Diamond Rush said as Sunset got near her locker.

Sunset groaned, already feeling tired. Diamond had been quite polite and accommodating so far, but Sunset still didn’t like the girl. The way she talked to Sunset as if she was her superior. Sunset huffed heavily.

“Are you alright?” Diamond asked.

“No,” Sunset replied as she opened her locker.

Diamond hummed. “I see you already saw Rainbow Dash.”

Sunset tensed up and accidentally smashed her locked door against the one to the side. She took a deep, deep breath. “It’s just… I just want to be left alone,” Sunset said. “I can’t believe how one stupid misunderstanding on her part escalated so quickly to this.”

“Ah, yes, Rainbow Dash has that effect on people,” Diamond said, seemingly unaffected by the outburst. “And she’s also incredibly stubborn. She won’t let it go until she absolutely feels she’s won.”

Now all of Sunset was shaking. For some reason, she wanted to start punching her locker. She tried to calm down again with deep breathing, but it wasn’t working, and it was frustrating her even more. She had never felt so angry before.

“Don’t worry, Sunset,” Diamond said with a smile. “You’re one of us. That brute won’t try to do anything to you now.”

“One of you?” Sunset repeated, looking Diamond up and down with a frown. “I’m no cheerleader. I don’t even think I can fit this activity in my schedule.”

Diamond raised an amused eyebrow. “I thought you only watched T.V. and played video games.”

“I lied.”

But the smile on Diamond’s face only grew. “I like you,” she said after a while. “But I meant that you’re our friend. So long as you stick with us, Rainbow won’t try to hurt you.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Sunset said.

“It’s still true,” Diamond replied. “We’ve all had issues with Rainbow Dash in the past. My friends and I just found… let’s say a way to make a pact of non-aggression with her. We don’t get in her way, she doesn’t get in ours.”

Sunset crossed her arms. “And isn’t giving me protection getting in her way?”

“Perhaps,” Diamond agreed. “But I really want you in the team. And I think the chance of you maybe joining us is worth the risk.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes. This girl was really insistent, but why? Sunset had not shown any physical skill above average that could have gotten Diamond’s attention, and it was still too early to get the perfect grades that would. What was her goal here? Sunset didn’t trust her.

Then again, Diamond was offering her protection against Rainbow Dash. Of course, it wasn’t like Sunset needed it; she had proved she could fight back. But her anger and her rage had been boiling, and she couldn’t trust herself not to do something so rash that she’d get sent to detention again, or worse, that would get her suspended or expelled.

She sighed defeatedly. “I still don’t want to be a cheerleader, but I guess I can watch you guys practice.”

Diamond gave her a toothy grin. “Great! See you in the cafeteria,” she said, then waved Sunset goodbye and left.

Sunset closed her locker and stared at it for a while. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt uncomfortable. Like she was playing a game she didn’t know the rules of. Shaking her head, Sunset made her way to her first class of the day.

She was overthinking it. She just didn’t like people like Diamond Rush.

~~~~~~~~

Something had changed.

As soon as Sunset entered the cafeteria, Sunflower in tow, she noticed a different sensation than the prior times. She didn’t completely realize this until she had already gotten her food and turned to face the tables.

Everyone was looking at her.

Not in the sense of her being up on a stage and them being the audience. If she looked directly at a group of students, they would be talking among themselves, but as soon as she turned away, she got the feeling that they would return their gazes to her. Sunset was used to being the center of attention, of being always looked up at and admired. But for the past week, she’d been experiencing a kind of attention she wasn’t used to, nor was sure she’d want.

Awkwardness and discomfort.

Today, that feeling was only stronger. Why? Was it because she had yelled at Rainbow Dash? Were they again gossiping lies about her? She pressed her tray tight. Kids were so incredibly gullible and stupid and-

“Hey, Sunset!” Diamond Rush called from the central table of the cafeteria. This time, Sunset saw everyone look directly at her. “Over here.”

Sunset frowned slightly as she made her way to Diamond’s table. The whispers and hushed conversations were drilling at her ears, and the closer she got to Diamond, the more uncomfortable she felt. What was this feeling? Why was she so unsure about this? She had never been intimidated by anything in her life!

So she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She was Sunset Shimmer, Princess Celestia’s personal protege and rightful heiress to Equestria’s throne. There was no way in Tartarus she was going to let a bunch of otherworldly kids’ stares chew away at her confidence and pride.

She placed her food tray on the table and sat down next to Diamond Rush. Sunflower, more slowly, followed her.

“Are you alright?” Diamond asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m fine,” Sunset said, ignoring the stares she felt at her back and the many whispers. “I’m just not…” She paused. How could she put in the right words what she was feeling?

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Diamond seemed to have picked up on something Sunset had not even considered.

“Oh, I know. You’re not used to getting all this attention,” she said with a soft chuckle. “It happens when you first join my group. Isn’t that right, Allegro?” The mentioned girl only looked at Diamond with a surprised look and half a spoon inside her mouth. “You’ll get used to it in no time, Sunset.”

Sunset looked at her food, still frowning. Diamond had misinterpreted her discomfort as a lack of familiarity with popularity. She thought of voicing the falsehood of such a claim, but she stopped herself. It wasn’t possible that that was the cause; Sunset had been one of the most popular mares in Equestria just by virtue of her royal title. Then again, she couldn’t just go about her day telling that to everyone.

So she simply closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. “I guess,” she replied simply. Diamond nodded to herself and turned to the rest of the people at the table.

As minutes passed, Sunset started to calm down. The whispering behind her back had lowered significantly. She was used to others whispering about her, but she had always known they were awed and amazed by her achievements. This, however, she knew was because of a simple, stupid fight. And she didn’t like it.

She was also focused on whatever Diamond was saying. It was mostly about their next routines, about a cheerleading tournament, which Sunset found surprising it was a thing, and about other stuff Sunset couldn’t keep up with. Something about social media? What even was that? Not that it mattered, as it simply added to Sunset’s research.

She took special notice of how Diamond’s sycophants reacted. They were silent for the most part and only spoke up to agree or suggest things they knew Diamond Rush would like.

For some reason, Sunset had always thought that these rich snob kids had a very simple dynamic. A leader and the followers. But this was nothing like that. There was a sort of hierarchy going on here. Allegro, the tall gray-skinned girl seemed to be second to Diamond and followed by Garnet Polish, the girl of green skin and deep red hair. All the way to the bottom of the structure was Stutter, who mostly just kept to herself unless addressed. But even then, Diamond Rush would step on everyone else’s position and give orders indiscriminately.

It was a fascinating social dynamic, Sunset had to admit. By the end of the lunch period, she was already feeling better, despite the constant whispering around herself.

However, as she made her way to class, she noticed that the students around her seemed more… attentive? They looked at her with a sort of admiration, one that, for the first time in her life, she didn’t understand. It couldn’t be because she had fought or yelled at Rainbow Dash, since that had only gotten her unsure and suspicious stares. Then what?

As bad luck had it, she spotted Rainbow Dash leaning on the lockers on the way to class. Sunset gritted her teeth. She had parted ways with Diamond Rush and her group right at the cafeteria’s entrance, so she wasn’t sure their ‘protection’ would do anything here.

But Rainbow didn’t move nor look at her as she got closer. Had she not seen her? Sunset frowned and kept walking. Maybe if she passed fast enough, Rainbow would not be able to bother her.

“I should’ve known you’d be with Diamond Rush,” Rainbow Dash said in a strangely calm voice as Sunset passed. “Guess she was wrong after all.”

Sunset stopped and looked back, but Rainbow was already walking away.

“That was weird,” Sunflower noted. Sunset only nodded before turning to continue her way to class.

Those words had been utter nonsense, but at least Sunset now knew Diamond hadn’t been lying when she said they had achieved a pact of non-aggression with Rainbow Dash. Sunset allowed herself to smile, feeling a weight disappear from her shoulders.

~~~~~~~~

As days passed, Sunset learned to ignore the stares and the whispers, and after a while, they disappeared altogether. Sunset figured this was because Rainbow Dash had not made any further attempts to even look at her, which suited her just fine.

She did notice, however, that there was a shift in the environment. When at first there were furtive glances because she was new, then because of her wardrobe change, now there was a sense of distance. Sunset couldn’t begin to describe this sensation. She was used to ponies wanting to be around her either for admiration or for personal gain. Even here in the human world, she had been expecting to get some deference for her natural beauty and intelligence.

But instead, she was met with uncertain glances, conspicuous conversations, and increased distancing from her.

She had chalked it all up to her encounters with Rainbow Dash, but when well over a week had passed since their very last interaction and students still looked at her like she was about to do something bad to them, she began thinking that maybe there was something else.

She had asked Sunflower about it, but the girl had only shrugged and said she had no idea what Sunset was talking about. So it was with a sense of annoyance that she decided to rely on her only other source of information.

“And I can’t think of a plausible reason for this treatment,” Sunset said as she sipped on her hot cocoa. She’d have to ask Dandy the recipe.

Trixie had been listening quietly, wrapped with a thick blanket and sporadically sipping her own cocoa.

For a few weeks, Trixie had been acting more distant than usual. Sunset had thought she was in ‘her days’, as Trixie had put it a while ago, so she had deemed it appropriate to give her space. But it had been too long, and Trixie had missed not one, but two episodes of Elementians. So Sunset had surprised her that Sunday morning with some of Dandy’s hot cocoa, and had managed to coax the girl into listening.

Trixie had seemed reluctant at first, but once she had settled on the couch, she had been more than willing to comply.

“Rainbow Dash and I have not even shared glances since then, and yet it feels like the whole student body is still avoiding me like I’m about to attack them,” Sunset said. “I tried asking our classmates, but they always come up with ludicrous excuses to run away. Is it normal human behavior, or am I doing something wrong?”

As a response, Trixie took a long, loud sip of her cocoa. Sunset’s left eye twitched.

“Ok, what is going on with you?” Sunset asked. “Ever since Rainbow Dash hit me, you’ve been acting weird to me. What is it?”

Trixie seemed to get smaller as Sunset talked, as if trying to hide completely under her blanket. She groaned nervously, then closed her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Trixie replied, clutching her cup with both hands. “It’s just… Well… Uhm, I think they’re… scared of you?”

Sunset blinked several times. “Scared? I thought the whole rumor about me beating Rainbow Dash had been cleared up!”

Trixie slightly opened her eyes, and immediately averted Sunset’s glare. “Well… I think it’s… Y’know… Uhm… Well, not many people like Diamond…”

“Gee, what a shock,” Sunset said flatly. “I’d actually be surprised if she won any popularity contests. I seriously can’t understand why her friends put up with her.” Trixie deadpanned at her. “What? What is that look supposed to mean?”

“You’re friends with her,” Trixie said.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I am not. I hang out with her for protection.”

“Protection?” Trixie asked. “From what?”

“From Rainbow Dash!” Sunset said, stretching her arms and almost spilling her cocoa. “She and Diamond have a pact of non-aggression. As long as I’m with her, Rainbow won’t try to hit me again.”

Trixie gave her a perplexed look. “I… Really?”

“Yes,” Sunset said. “I didn’t want to believe it myself, but when Rainbow returned from her suspension, she tried to bully me at the school entrance. But as soon as I was seen with Diamond in public, she stopped trying to get to me.”

There was some silence before Trixie replied. “Really?”

“How many times will you ask that?” Sunset snapped.

Trixie flinched a little but then relaxed. “I see… Well, I suppose you wouldn’t know.” She looked at Sunset. “Diamond Rush is using you.”

Sunset huffed. “Well, duh! She wants me to join the cheerleaders. I still don’t know why, but she’s been insistently nagging me about it. I seriously don’t understand what is it with her and me being part of the team. I mean, I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to do the pirouettes they do and stuff, but I still can’t run during P.E. without making a conscious effort to have a straight back.”

Slowly, Trixie placed her cup on the coffee table. “You’re… quite oblivious, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Sunset, Diamond is using you to intimidate others.”

Sunset opened her mouth to retort, then closed it as she considered the words. “That’s stupid, Trixie. Why would she…” Her eyes widened as she made the connection.

“She’s the one that first spread those rumors about you,” Trixie explained. “Or, well, she told her friends to do it. She never does anything directly.” She cleared her throat. “She’s been using you to threaten others. I… I thought you knew…”

“But…” Sunset felt her mouth dry. “But I don’t understand. How can… It’s just a dumb rumor.”

Trixie shrugged and looked away. “People believe any stupid thing they’re told.”

Sunset hummed. “I guess… It’s just such a stupid notion that I never considered it… I knew Diamond had an ulterior motive but…” She pressed her lips together. “I’ll have to have a word with her.”

“Are… Are you sure?” Trixie asked. “If you get on her bad side…”

“Pff, what can she possibly do to me?” Sunset said. “She knows I’ll fight back.” She smiled to herself and leaned back on the couch.

Trixie looked like she wanted to say something, but instead grabbed her cocoa and sipped on it quietly. Sunset didn’t mind. She was already thinking of all the scenarios her confrontation with Diamond could take. She was not going to let some wannabe alpha play with her.

The next day, Sunset definitely noticed what Trixie had told her. The students’ glares had a faint sense of fear to them. Sunset hadn’t realized that simply because she wasn’t used to being feared. Even now, it was still such an odd feeling. She’d rather they admired her.

During class, she studied her classmates and noticed that they were giving the same treatment to Sunflower. Was it because of her relation to Sunset? The girl didn’t seem to notice, in fact, she often mentioned how good it felt to be hanging out with the popular kids. Sunset couldn’t hold it against her, really. Not everyone could be popular.

When lunchtime came, Sunset hastily made her way to the biology lab. Diamond Rush had biology before lunch on Mondays, and she always got a couple of minutes later. Apparently, Miss Flower Thorn was quite strict. Sunset reached the room and waited.

“What are we doing?” Sunflower asked happily.

Sunset hadn’t even noticed the girl following her. She’d just assumed Sunflower would simply make her way to the cafeteria.

“I have to talk to Diamond,” Sunset said.

“About what?”

But before Sunset could reply, the lab door opened and students started flooding the hallway. A few moments later, Diamond Rush emerged from behind the crowd, looking her usual smug self. Diamond looked at Sunset and gave her a confused frown.

“Sunset?” Diamond said. “What are you doing here?”

“It has come to my attention that you’ve been using me to threaten others,” Sunset said simply.

“What?” Sunflower said in a loud whisper.

Stutter, who was right behind Diamond, looked at her with a perplexed expression. The girl looked that way and the other, as if making sure no one would listen in. Diamond, however, did not have such reservations.

“Oh, Sunset, don’t be silly,” Diamond said with a small smile. “Threaten is such a strong word. I’m just using you as… insurance.”

Sunset frowned. “I don’t appreciate being used in any way. Stop.”

Diamond leaned on the locker to her right, placing a hand on her cheek. “And why should I stop?” She asked, still wearing a small, placid smile. “It’s been working wonders, you know? That geek Hourglass had been getting quite lazy with my math homework lately. I just needed to mention your name to make him work properly again.”

“That’s another thing,” Sunset said. “Stop spreading rumors about me.”

“Again, why should I?”

Sunset’s frowned deepened. “Fine, don’t. I’ll simply stop hanging out with you. My association with you is the only thing you have in your favor.”

Diamond snorted. “No, I don’t think you will leave my group.”

“Oh, yeah? And what makes you so sure?”

This time, Diamond gave a hearty laugh. “Oh, you’re serious. For someone as smart, you sure are stupid.” She reached inside her purse and took out her circular mirror. “You won’t leave me, simply because you will be exposing yourself to Rainbow Dash.”

Sunset felt her stomach fall. She had forgotten about that. But she didn’t let it show on her face, she would not give this brat the satisfaction. “I can deal with her.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can,” Diamond said, looking at herself in her mirror. “But you joined me for a reason. A powerful one. If you leave, you will only return to fighting with Rainbow Dash until she beats you up so badly you end up in the hospital. Unless you two get expelled first, but by then I’m sure you will be regretting it.”

“That won’t happen,” Sunset said, but even she heard the hesitation in her own voice. Her few interactions with Rainbow Dash had told her that the girl was incredibly impulsive, and that she, too, made rash and stupid decisions when angry.

Diamond’s smile only grew as she returned the mirror to her purse. “You and I both know it will happen.” She leaned over, getting closer to Sunset. “A girl who fights back, hm? It may have worked differently in whichever hicksville town you’re from, but here that’ll only be worse for you. Think about it, Sunset. Do you really want to risk leaving my protection?”

Sunset gritted her teeth.

“No, you don’t,” Diamond continued. Then, her smile disappeared. “So, now that the cat’s out of the bag, there’s no point in pretending, hm? You will join me for lunch, you will hang out with me, and if I say so, you will intimidate who I tell you to. Otherwise, I’ll hand you over to Rainbow Dash, maybe even convince her you’ve been trying to pick on her dear Flittershy.” She chuckled. “With how hot-headed she is, she’ll kill you before you even get to open your mouth.”

Diamond’s grin made Sunset’s body shake. Frustration and anger and humiliation. She had hated the girl not two minutes after meeting her, but she had dismissed it. How she regretted having listened to whatever she had to say. But the thing that infuriated her more was that she had only put aside her well-founded prejudices in favor of her research.

For the first time in her life, scientific studies had failed her.

Despite her attempts of remaining neutral, she had ended up between bucking hooves. She hated Diamond Rush and everything she stood for, she wanted to ditch her. But she wouldn’t. It was with a clouding mind that she realized she was scared of the alternative. Yes, she could defend herself and she could fight back, but the phantom pain she still felt in her face and arms haunted her.

The mere memory of Rainbow Dash’s raging stare still made the hairs of her neck stand up.

“See you at the cafeteria,” Diamond said and walked away.

Sunflower placed a hand on Sunset’s shoulder, but she barely registered the contact. For the first time in her life, Sunset had been beaten in a battle of wits. She had been led into a trap and had gleefully triggered it.

She closed her eyes and took a sharp breath.

Magicless and with no title to back her up, Sunset now knew what it was like to be an average person. She had thought it would feel like being a spy, always having the upper hoof in every situation, always knowing what to do. But it wasn’t anything like this.

And that made her smile.

She could be an average human girl now, but she still was Sunset Shimmer, proud protegé of Princess Celestia and the most powerful unicorn in Equestria. If she had no magic nor title, then she’d have to use the only thing she had had her whole life. Her intelligence.

It was going to be hard, but that was what made challenges fun. Sunset straightened up and walked towards the cafeteria with Sunflower in tow. She had been defeated, but she would have her revenge. This was going to be hard, acting like a mere lackey as she formulated a plan to take Diamond Rush down, but Sunset was no stranger to struggle.

She’d win in the end, and Diamond would regret the moment she decided to cross Sunset Shimmer.

11- Two Bad Options

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Chapter 11: Two Bad Options

Princess Celestia was late.

Sunset paced around her room. Princess Celestia was never late. Not that Sunset knew for a fact. She had only been the princess’ student for three weeks now, after all. But Princess Celestia had always come for their daily studies at noon sharp. She said it was the best time to drink tea with an interesting book at hoof.

But not today. It was already an hour past noon, and the princess had not arrived yet. Sunset had poked her head out of her room, waited for a guard to pass by, and asked him for the princess’ whereabouts. The guard had only shrugged. He probably was a new recruit and didn’t know much. Sunset made a mental note to study the ranks, so she could ask ponies that would know things.

She walked in circles in her room for ten more minutes, then opened her door again to wait for another guard. She repeated this process several times, but nopony could tell her anything. Defeated, Sunset let herself fall on her bed. She still couldn’t believe it was this soft.

Maybe Princess Celestia had very important duties to attend to. Maybe there had been an accident somewhere, a natural disaster, perhaps, that required all her attention. Or maybe it was those pesky nobles again, trying to get the princess to agree to their tiniest whim in hopes of getting even richer.

Sunset honestly didn’t understand why rich ponies wanted to be richer. Not three weeks ago, she had been just another pony, and now she had a very generous stipend. She earned so many bits a moon she didn’t know what to do with them! And she knew those nobles earned many, many times more than her. What could they possibly be doing with all that money?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. Sunset sat upright and jumped off her bed. Finally, she thought as she made her way to her door and opened it.

Princess Celestia greeted her with a warm smile. “Hello, my dear student,” she said. “I’m sorry for being late. Something incredible just happened and I had to take care of it.”

Her voice was so soft, so tender, Sunset couldn’t bring herself to be mad at her. “It’s ok, princess!” She said. “I’m sure it was really important.”

“Oh, it is,” Princess Celestia said, then nudged to her side with her head.

Sunset cocked her head in confusion, then followed Celestia’s gesture. She had failed to notice the bright pink unicorn mare standing right beside the princess. The new pony sheepishly waved a hoof.

“Sunset, meet Mi Amore Cadenza,” Celestia said. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

That’s when Sunset noticed the pair of wings at the sides of the unicorn. She gaped and looked between the two alicorns back and forward. “What?” Was the only thing she could say.

Princess Celestia gave Sunset a playful pat on the head. “May we come in? There are things we three need to discuss.”

Sunset absentmindedly nodded, stepping aside to let the two mares into her room. She never got her eyes off of the alicorn.

~~~~~~~~

It took all of Sunset’s willpower not to scream her rage out.

After school, Diamond Rush had made Sunset stop being a passive observant and start training with them. Sure, Sunset didn’t try any of the over-the-top movements the other girls did, but she had been stretching the limits of her human body, and more than a few times she thought she’d actually break.

Diamond was set on getting Sunset to a level acceptable enough for the cheerleading tryouts next month. Sunset decided that would be her time limit for concocting a plan that would allow her to leave Diamond’s claws. Unfortunately, the intense training had left her too tired to properly think. She had showered after practice, but the warm water did nothing to help her numb limbs.

She hoped it wouldn’t hurt too much in the morning.

When she got home, she spotted Trixie sitting at the dining table with a notebook and some books here and there. Trixie looked up at her.

“Hey,” Trixie said, setting down her pen. “How did it go with Diamond?”

Sunset pulled a chair close to Trixie and let herself fall on it. She let out a long, dragged-out sigh that eventually turned into a groan.

Trixie looked down at her notebook. “Yes, I know what you mean.”

“You were right,” Sunset said after a short pause. “She was using me… Why didn’t I see it?” She saw Trixie shrug. “I knew I didn’t like her at first, but… Tartarus, I hate her.”

“Why don’t you ditch her, then?”

Sunset looked up to the ceiling. “Didn’t I tell you she has a pact of non-aggression with Rainbow Dash? And if that wasn’t enough, she said she’d convince her that I’ll do something horrible to her friend so she beats me up.” She grabbed the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “I need a plan.”

But what could she do? Go to a teacher and explain everything? Diamond could most likely act like she didn’t know what Sunset was talking about, making Sunset seem like an idiot. She briefly thought of reaching out to Rainbow Dash, but she dismissed it. That would simply be suicide.

Maybe she could try to talk to everyone and convince them that she would not, could not hurt them. But even her immediate classmates, who had seemed to believe that she was no bully before, were actively avoiding her now. How long would it take her to even make them listen? Too long, she decided.

It all came back to Rainbow Dash and her impulsive nature. None of this would have happened if Rainbow was not a one-track mind kind of girl. Sunset just wanted to go about her day, to study and to research and put together her report to Princess Celestia. Why were these stupid humans making her life so difficult?

Trixie didn’t attempt to propose any ideas, as usual. Sunset didn’t know why she kept thinking Trixie would be of any use to her. She had given the girl a ruby as payment for her assistance, but Sunset thought it was time to accept she had completely wasted it.

At least she had one month to think of a plan. She could do that. She just hoped she could survive the cheerleading training until then.

~~~~~~~~

“So, I need a plan,” Sunset said.

She and Sunflower were at their usual spot, under the third three from the school’s entrance. Sunset had decided to use their tutoring session to ask for advice. She figured that Sunflower, who had been making an effort to better her grades, would be able to at least stimulate Sunset’s thought process.

“A plan,” Sunflower nodded. “Why don’t you tell a teacher?”

Or maybe not.

Sunset frowned. “Sunflower, think for a bit. Do you really think it is plausible that telling a teacher will protect me from Diamond making Rainbow Dash beat me up?”

Sunflower made a face.

“Exactly,” Sunset said. “I’ve been thinking of many things, but the only factor I can’t control is Rainbow Dash.”

“Well, I shared classes with her last year,” Sunflower said. “She’s not as bad as you think. I bet that if you manage to get to her and tell her what’s going on before Diamond realizes, she won’t do anything to you.”

Sunset considered this. “But how am I going to do that? Even if I simply walk up to Rainbow Dash, I seriously doubt she’ll listen to three words before she tackles me.”

“You did make her fall in mud,” Sunflower said.

She had a point there. Sunset still didn’t know if Rainbow had factually known or if she had guessed, but it was obvious Rainbow wasn’t so stupid as to dismiss her mud dive as a mere accident. Sunset almost wished she hadn’t made her trip. Almost.

“Good morning, Sunset.”

Sunset felt a chill run down her spine. Diamond Rush walked up to her, casually waving her golden hair with a hand. Her smug grin was the most infuriating thing Sunset had seen.

“I suggest you stop wasting your time with your… friend here,” Diamond said, barely acknowledging Sunflower with a quick glance. “You have an image to maintain as a future cheerleader.”

“What do you care about my image?” Sunset retorted.

Diamond gently placed a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Your image is the image of the cheerleaders. I’d suggest you stop wearing that hideous jacket of yours. Black is such a boring color.” She shook her head. “Now, lilac. That is a good color for a jacket. It’s the school’s color, after all.”

Sunset pressed her hands into fists. “You don’t get to decide my wardrobe nor who I hang out with.”

“Oh, but I do,” Diamond said without pause. She then got close to Sunset’s face and whispered. “That is, if you want me to keep you in my group.” Without another word, Diamond Rush resumed her walk into the school.

Sunset growled. “Can you believe that?” She said through her teeth as she turned to Sunflower. She was surprised to see the girl hefting her bag on her shoulder. “Where are you going? We still have some minutes left to come up with ideas.”

“You heard her,” Sunflower said, not looking at Sunset. “You can’t hang out with me.”

“Oh, no, no,” Sunset said, grabbing Sunflower by the wrist before she could get away. “I’m not letting that witch tell me what to do.”

“Sunset,” Sunflower said. “I don’t want to be the reason you’re hurt. It’s better if we’re not seen together.”

“But-”

“Don’t worry,” Sunflower interrupted her with a smile. “I got your back, remember? I’ll be trying to come up with ideas during class.” She looked from side to side. “We’ll meet at the bus stop from last time after school.”

Sunset nodded slowly and released Sunflower’s wrist, then watched the girl go into the school. Sunset clenched her jaw. During all her life, Sunset had done things head-on, always making her way through the way she wanted. She hated that she had to work around this, that she was being pushed by a mere snob girl.

With a deep breath to calm her shaking arms, Sunset entered the school to face the day. She only hoped she could come up with something soon.

~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately, Sunset couldn’t concentrate, what with everyone glancing at her and talking in hushed tones, afraid of what she might do to them if they annoyed her. Sunset had always pictured ponies bowing to her and minding their mouths when speaking to her, but this was different. She wanted to rule with a firm hoof, not a feared one.

Fear had proven to be a very ineffective ruling method. First, because subjects would tend to mediocrity for fear of standing out and later being punished for the simplest of mistakes. Second, because there would always be a rebellious side to them, brewing, patiently waiting for the chance to take the government down.

Sunset did not want to rule with fear, and so she had to do something with her situation now that it was just a human school and not a whole princessdom.

But what could she do? She tried reaching out to her classmates and explain. They listened to her, they nodded and agreed. But somehow, Sunset knew they were just trying to please her. One of them even offered to do her homework. Sunset took deep offense in someone even suggesting she’d trust anyone to do her chores. She could get perfect grades on her own, thank you very much.

Maybe she could send a letter to Rainbow Dash explaining the situation. But would Rainbow care enough to even open the envelope? Would she perhaps distrust its contents and simply ignore it? Did she even have enough reading comprehension to understand Sunset’s flawless prose?

There weren’t many other options, anyway. If the letter failed to convince Rainbow of her innocence, then Sunset could simply have to come up with new ideas. She had just one month, but she had to try her best at every possible path.

So, she took a sheet of paper and, whenever she had time during class, she started drafting the letter.

Writing with her hands was still a clumsy affair, but Sunset was nothing if not patient. She didn’t expect to finish a convincing letter at school; she’d have to do it at home. But it never hurt to get a head start. All the time she had was too little.

When lunch period arrived, Sunset had barely managed to get one paragraph down. She had rewritten it maybe a dozen times, struggling to find the right words to appeal to Rainbow Dash’s ego. But sweet Celestia was it difficult. Not only did Sunset not know much about Rainbow, but she wasn’t used to complimenting others either. It wasn’t too often that she found good qualities to acknowledge in her peers.

Sunset lazily made her way to her locker. She wanted to delay her arrival at the cafeteria as much as possible. The less time she spent with Diamond Rush, the better.

So, it was with a defeated sigh that she greeted Diamond, who was waiting for her at her locker.

“And here I thought I wouldn’t have to see your face for at least two more minutes,” Sunset muttered as she opened her locker and put her stuff inside.

“We’ll have to work on the way you talk to me,” Diamond said with half a smile. “But that’ll have to wait. We have something to take care of right now, so hurry up.”

Sunset growled as she deliberately slowed her movements. Diamond didn’t seem to be in a hurry either, but she eyed Sunset with a soft scowl. By the time Sunset closed her locker, Stutter and Allegro had arrived. For a moment, Sunset thought she saw a faint expression of resignation on their eyes, but as soon as she blinked, she saw the girls happily talk with each other.

“That’s three minutes you’ve wasted of my time,” Diamond said in such a low voice it was almost a whisper. “That’s thirty additional minutes you’ll spend training today.”

It was a strange sensation, feeling the left part of her upper lip tremble along with the left side of her nose. Like a growling timberwolf. Sunset had to painfully clench her teeth to stop herself from telling Diamond just what she thought of the treatment she was giving her.

Diamond signaled Sunset to follow her and turned to walk. Sunset decided to play along for the moment, her fingers already hurting for how much she was clenching her fists.

They weren’t going to the cafeteria, that much Sunset knew. They passed hallway after hallway, stopping only to pick up two more girls from the cheerleading team. Where were they going?

Sunset noticed she and Diamond were at the front of the group, being closely tailed by four girls. Somehow, she felt like they were surrounding her from behind, as if to stop her in case she decided to run away. But a look at the glances students gave her was enough for Sunset to realize that that wasn’t the case.

If she pictured herself in third person, she could see that she and Diamond looked like equals. She, especially, looked like she had power over the other four girls. If human psychology was similar to pony psychology, it would be easy to guess that others would see Sunset right then and conclude that she had forced her way into the group of the most popular girls in school.

It would send a clear message: Sunset was dangerous and resourceful.

Sunset decided she needed a plan to ditch Diamond and her friends before the week was over. She didn’t think she would be able to live like this for any longer than that.

But, where were they going? They stepped outside and into the soccer field. From what Sunset had heard, it was actually a smaller version of a real, professional one. Some bleachers sat at the sides with small groups of students having lunch on them.

Diamond led the group along the perimeter to the side of the school. There were areas of unkempt gardens. Although ‘garden’ was maybe too generous an adjective for what was essentially just a couple of overgrown bushes and a solitary tree that cast a soft shadow below.

They were strangely silent, Sunset noticed. Normally, Diamond was always saying something, no matter how inconsequential, and her friends would normally agree and even offer their ideas. But now she didn’t hear a single word. Diamond kept looking forwards with the slightest of frowns. Was she angry or simply annoyed? Which option would force Sunset to do something she did not want to?

As they got close to the tree, Sunset noticed there was someone there, sitting against the trunk. The first thing she saw was silver hair, and Sunset’s every hair stood to attention. She gave another step and she could see soft blue skin.

This can’t be true, Sunset thought as she felt her stomach churn. Suddenly the air got colder. Sound dimmed, and her heart thundered in her ears with a steady rhythm. She wanted to turn around and walk away, but her legs betrayed her. An image of Rainbow Dash, covered in mud, glaring murder at her, fueled her arduous path. The numb pain that lingered ever so persistently in her face and arms moved her limbs with the same dexterity a puppet master would her puppets.

Sunset didn’t know why, but she knew exactly what Diamond had brought her here to do. She did not want to intimidate anyone, that wasn’t her way of ruling. Fear was unreliable.

But she was scared of the alternative.

“Hello, Trixie,” Diamond said in a tone that Sunset could not recognize. Was that amusement? She couldn’t tell.

Trixie flinched and gasped as she turned her head towards Diamond. She hastily stood up, dropping her juice box to the ground. Sunset didn’t fail to notice the stained wad of paper and the used plastic sheet.

With movements that reminded Sunset of a disoriented moth, Trixie hastily grabbed what was left of her lunch and tried to flee. Unfortunately for her, the four other girls in the group had spread to the sides, trapping her in the tiny space. Trixie looked around, and her eyes fell on Sunset. Her expression was of disbelief at first, but as quickly as it came, it had been replaced by one of utter resignation.

Sunset felt an uncomfortable heat in the pit of her stomach, a discomfort she had not felt before.

“Dear old Trixie,” Diamond said slowly, deliberately, as she gave a single step forward. “How have you been?”

Trixie looked down. She didn’t reply.

“Getting good grades?” Diamond asked, giving another step forward. “Eating well?”

Trixie didn’t reply.

Diamond stepped forward again and leaned over. She was taller than Trixie. Not that that was a difficult thing to achieve. Trixie was shorter than most girls, and Diamond was taller than most, even getting one or two inches on Sunset. But right now, Sunset thought she looked twice as tall and much, much darker.

“Making new friends?” Diamond asked, saying the last word ever so slowly.

Trixie flinched slightly and softly bit her lower lip, but she didn’t reply.

Diamond waited for ten slow seconds, then cocked her body to the side. “Are you listening to me?” She asked. “You know I don’t like being ignored.”

There was something in Diamond’s voice. A tone that was dissonant with her bright smile. It felt like a black spot on ripe fruit. A warning, a promise of the inevitable.

Trixie, still looking down, gave a slow nod.

“So, are you making new friends?”

Trixie slowly shook her head.

“No?” Diamond asked. “So you’ve been a good girl? Keeping to yourself?”

Trixie nodded.

“And you haven’t broken our deal, have you?”

Trixie shook her head.

Diamond frowned, and Sunset felt a chill run down her spine. “You should know,” Diamond said in a low voice, “I don’t like being lied to.” There was a pause, but Trixie did not reply. “You see, a little bird told me you approached another student.” It was difficult to see, but Sunset thought she caught a glimpse of Trixie’s eyes, darting from side to side. “Outside school.”

“I-I…”

“Don’t you remember what you agreed to?” Diamond interrupted the reply. “I can’t believe it, Trixie. To think that you’d be so bold as to disobey me.” She almost sounded… amused.

Trixie hunched over herself, trying to make herself smaller, probably trying to disappear.

But Diamond didn’t give her a chance. “You seem to really want to talk, huh? Let’s talk then!” She gave out a chuckle. “So, last weekend we went to Coloratura’s concert, isn’t that right, Allegro?”

“It was totes fun!” The girl replied.

“It was!” Diamond agreed. “Too bad my dad decided to be there with us, huh girls?” She didn’t even turn to look, but her friends nodded anyway. “He’s, like, so lame. Always wanting to follow me around and saying he likes the same things I do… Ugh, like, get a life, right?”

Sunset looked at them with utter disbelief. What was going on? Diamond just kept saying meaningless stuff over and over again, like it was meant to be scary or threatening, but she wasn’t really saying anything! But more surprising than that was that it was working. With each word that came out of Diamond’s mouth, Trixie just hunched over and over, as if they were punches and she was just trying to put on a defense.

But the defense was cracking. Sunset could see the sun reflected on a tear in Trixie’s right eye.

This was disconcerting. She had thought Diamond had brought her to intimidate, to threaten, but so far she had just been watching. Sure, the circle formed of girls impeded Trixie to just leave, but Diamond was not hitting her, she hadn’t even touched her. This wasn’t bullying, this was just a girl saying nonsense to another girl.

And yet, Sunset couldn’t help but feel her heart rate rise and her arms tremble. The heat in the pit of her stomach flared with such intensity she thought she would vomit.

“Now then,” Diamond continued. “How about we talk about your parents? Such lovely people, but- Oh, right, you only have your mom, don’t you?”

Trixie didn’t reply.

“Whatever happened to your dad?” She asked, then turned to her friends for a moment. “Guys, do you know about Trixie’s dad?” The girls shook their heads, some simply laughed. Diamond turned back to look at Trixie. “Where’s your dad, Trixie?”

Trixie didn’t reply.

“What happened, Trixie?” Diamond insisted. “He went to buy tobacco and never returned? No, wait, that wasn’t it, was it?”

Trixie sobbed quietly but didn’t reply.

“No, no, I think I remember.” Diamond placed a finger on her lips. “He… He left because… Oh, I have it at the tip of my tongue.”

Trixie’s body was shaking, and tears fell from her obscured jaw. But she didn’t reply.

“Ah, that’s right,” Diamond said with a wide smile. “He didn’t want you. You disgusted him so, so much, he just had to go. Oh, I feel bad for him, really. He seemed like such a nice guy.”

Trixie fell to her side, crashing against the trunk of the tree, hugging herself. She was doing her best to resist, but the tears kept coming, her body kept shaking. And yet, she didn’t reply.

Sunset couldn’t believe what was happening. She knew it was just Trixie and her mom, but she had never given a single thought to Trixie’s father’s whereabouts.

It was with a suffocating heart and a painful heat in her stomach that Sunset realized she had been wrong. Diamond didn’t need to punch Trixie or shove her around. She didn’t need to play hurtful pranks on her or frame her for things she didn’t do. She only needed knowledge of one deep weakness, a crack that she could slither in.

But… Why wasn’t Trixie doing anything to stop it? Why didn’t she insult Diamond back? Why didn’t she hit her for saying those hurtful things? Why was she just letting it happen? Letting Diamond say whatever she wanted? Why was she such a pushover? Why?

Sunset gritted her teeth. Ever since she met Trixie, her impression of the girl was that of a pushover, a doormat. She knew this, but she hadn’t realized just how much this was true. Trixie was just letting Diamond step on her and stomp her feet on her and stain her full of dirt and refuse. Even when she was being unraveled, her strands broken and dirtied, Trixie simply let Diamond clean her soles on her.

Even if she was crying, hurt beyond comprehension, she let Diamond keep talking and talking and laughing and it was just so infuriating.

“What…” Sunset tried to say, but the word died in her throat before it had reached her mouth. She pressed her nails into her palms until her fingers hurt and took a deep breath. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” She yelled.

There was a deafening silence as everyone slowly turned their heads to her. But Sunset didn’t look at them, she simply stared at Trixie, feeling a pounding pain at the sides of her head.

“What did you just say to me?” Diamond asked, turning fully toward Sunset.

Sunset huffed and rolled her eyes. “For Celestia’s sake, Diamond, the world doesn’t spin around you!” She said, then looked straight at Trixie and pointed a finger at her. “Why are you letting this happen? I knew you were a pushover but this is on a completely different level! Have you no pride?”

Trixie was still sobbing, but she had stopped crying as soon as Sunset started yelling. She looked at Sunset with horrified eyes, but didn’t reply.

“Are you just going to sit there and take it?” Sunset continued.

Diamond straightened up and scowled at Sunset. “What do you think you’re doing? Are you…” She gasped. “Are you siding with Trixie?”

The four girls around them all gasped loudly and ooh’d.

Sunset only raised an eyebrow. Suddenly she felt surrounded as all eyes were on her.

“But of course,” Diamond said with a soft laugh. “You’re new, so you don’t know.”

“Stop saying that,” Sunset growled.

Diamond passed a hand through her hair. “Sunset, dear, I suggest you stop talking. You see, little Trixie here is not the best person to be defending right now.”

Sunset crossed her arms. “Why do I get the feeling you’d tell me the same with any other person?”

“Touché,” Diamond replied. “You’re defying me, Sunset. That’s the stupidest thing you could be doing, you know, on account of our little agreement.”

“It was no agreement,” Sunset refuted, feeling her bubbling anger so strong in her stomach it was getting painful. “You’re just a rich, snob, princess wannabe that can’t do anything by herself.” As she talked, she saw the girls’ expressions morph into ones of disbelief, while Diamond’s scowl only deepened. Sunset’s arms were shaking, too, but she just couldn’t stop speaking her mind. “This is why you brought me here? To make me watch as you bully someone that won’t even look back at you? This is pathetic.”

There, she had said it. Now she only hoped no one would notice her knees were about to give up. What was happening to her body anyway?

Diamond only stared at Sunset for a full ten seconds. “This,” she said as she lifted a finger, “is your one and only free pass.” She then pointed her finger at Sunset. “I will ignore all the absolute lies you just said about me, but you will have to teach Trixie here a lesson about not stepping out of place. Otherwise, well, I think you know.”

Sunset tried, but couldn’t frown any stronger. Her whole body was alight, burning inside, her heart was beating furiously, and her limbs were shaking like crazy. She was so angry, just so powerfully angry. Angry at Diamond Rush and her manipulation, angry at Trixie for being such a massive doormat, and angry at herself for having fallen into a trap where anything she chose would end badly.

One option was to become a bully, having Trixie, the girl that lent a helping hand when she needed it, as her first victim. The other option was standing up for her against Diamond, giving herself away to a painful beating by Rainbow Dash.

The memory of a girl covered in mud, of a fist to her face, of feeling helpless against an onslaught of punches, sent shivers down her spine. She didn’t want to experience that again. She didn’t want to-

“Sunset,” Trixie said, putting herself in the spotlight. “I-”

“Who the hell gave you permission to speak?” Diamond snapped at her, making Trixie flinch.

That did it. Sunset didn’t know why, she didn’t know how, but her body moved on its own accord, and she soon found herself gripping Diamond’s shirt. She felt a weird satisfaction at Diamond’s confused and surprised expression.

“S-Sunset! What do you think-”

“I’m sick of you,” Sunset said, struggling to speak for how stiff her jaw was. “I’m sick of your threats and your passive-aggressive attitude. I’m sick of you thinking you’re anything more than just a stupid brat.”

Diamond’s breathing quickened. “Let me go, Sunset. You’re gonna regret it if you don’t.”

“Why? Because you’ll tell Rainbow a lie that’ll make her hate me even more?” Sunset allowed herself to smile, then took one hand from Diamond’s shirt, turned into a fist, and lifted it. “Then maybe I should make it so you can’t talk.”

Diamond gasped sharply. “Y-You wouldn’t dare hit me!”

“Oh yeah? Why not?”

“B-B-Because!” Diamond spat, staring at Sunset’s raised fist. “You’re not that kind of girl! You’re not violent!”

“May I remind you I fought Rainbow Dash?”

Diamond snorted and actually smiled. “No, you didn’t. You fought her back.” She turned her eyes to look defiantly at Sunset. “Besides, if you hit me, you’ll get in so much trouble. Everyone knows Rainbow is a brute, so you got away with fighting. But I’ve never been in a fight. Besides...” She looked to her side and Sunset followed her gaze.

The four other girls were holding those strange devices, rectangles of different colors. They were looking at the things, but something in the way they held them was eerily familiar. It felt like… Sunset’s eyes widened in surprise. Were they cameras?

Diamond chuckled and looked back at Sunset. “I’m sure the principal would love to see you bullying another student.”

Sunset gritted her teeth. She had been trapped again. She hated Diamond, but she also hated her lack of human tech knowledge. With a frustrated growl, she lowered her fist and released her.

“Now,” Diamond said, trying to sound calm despite the frenetic look in her eyes. “I know you’re a smart girl. I think you know by now that siding with Trixie is the worst thing you can do.” Sunset didn’t reply, so Diamond continued. “You haven’t noticed how no one ever talks to her? That’s because no one likes her. No one wants to even be seen with her. Are you sure you want the same happening to you?”

Sunset noticed how, with every word Diamond said, Trixie tried to make herself smaller. But there was something that bugged Sunset. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself.

“You mean to tell me that Trixie is always alone?”

Diamond nodded.

“Always?”

Another nod.

Well, would you look at that, Sunset thought. A way out.

Sunset walked up to Trixie. She half expected the girl to flinch or run away, but Trixie simply stood there, waiting. Sunset placed a hand on Trixie’s shoulder and waited for the girl to slowly, ever so slowly, look up at her. The defeated expression in her eyes was just the last push Sunset needed.

She smiled at Trixie. “Today’s Saturday’s rerun of Elementians.” Trixie’s eyes widened, but Sunset only turned around and faced Diamond.

“Oh, ho ho ho, you did not just choose this!” Diamond said with a massive smile on her face.

Sunset matched it with a defiant smile of her own. “You ever try to bully Trixie again, and I will break your nose.”

That made Diamond’s smile disappear, if only for just a second. “Well, that’s the fun part! I don’t have to do anything. You’ll regret what you’ve done soon enough, and we’ll see who’ll laugh last. Come on, girls.”

Slowly, the five girls turned around and made their way back to the school’s main building, leaving Sunset and Trixie alone under the shade of the tree.

“Sunset…”

Sunset waited for Trixie to continue, but she didn’t. Instead, they fell silent for a while. Sunset was still shaking, knowing that sooner or later, Rainbow Dash would know she had ditched Diamond Rush and would come for her. She couldn’t help but regret what she had just done. Only a little though. She would have hated herself if she had chosen to be a mere lackey to a spoiled brat.

She only hoped she wouldn’t hate being Rainbow’s literal punching bag more.

12- Association

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Chapter 12: Association

Sunset didn’t know what to think or how to react.

That was a first for her. When she got her Cutie Mark, she had immediately gone to her mother with her guest list and an itinerary. When she was accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns as the highest graded examinee, she had given a lengthy speech without breaking a sweat. Heck, Princess Celestia herself approached her to offer private tutelage, and Sunset had naturally accepted… After jumping around giddily for a whole minute.

But now, when Princess Celestia announced she would be adopting Mi Amore Cadenza as her niece, and then revealed that as per Equestrian Law, she was to be crowned princess… Well, Sunset simply stood there amongst the cheering crowd.

Sure, she had been briefed about Cadenza’s trials and subsequent ascension to alicornhood, and Sunset had actually been excited at the prospect of that being an actual possibility. She had spent many nights coming up with theories on how to replicate it for herself. She had even managed to convince Cadenza to subject herself to many tests that ranged from basic spit DNA to more intrusive and private ones. And through it all, Cadenza had been amicable, kind, and quite interested in the actual research.

Sunset had begun liking the mare and her affable attitude.

Why, then, was Sunset in no mood for celebration? Why, then, when Celestia waved at her to approach her, did Sunset act like she hadn’t seen her?

Sunset was Princess Celestia’s personal student, her protegé, and she had thought that was enough. Who would have thought that anypony could get farther up the royal line? Not even Blueblood was regarded as anything more special than a descendant of Celestia’s only lover some eight hundred years ago. But Cadenza proved it could be done. She had become an alicorn, and that apparently meant being legally adopted by Princess Celestia and being granted princesshood.

Suddenly, Sunset’s options broadened. She quietly made her way out of the throne room and to her personal chambers. Her research on ascension had become all the more important now. Maybe… Maybe she could ascend too? Come to think of it, Sunset was the first to be personally scouted by Princess Celestia in two centuries. What if… What if she could do more than simply become the most powerful archmage in history?

What if she could ascend and become a princess? What if she could rule Equestria by Princess Celestia’s side?

Sunset closed her chambers’ doors behind her and returned to her research.

Maybe this was her destiny all along.

~~~~~~~~

Sunset stepped into the shower.

She had tried to ask Trixie about her situation, but Trixie had refused to reply. That girl could be so infuriating sometimes.

The rest of the day had passed by swiftly. Sunset figured Diamond Rush wouldn’t have had the time to spread the news that Sunset Shimmer had defended Trixie and thus was to be alienated too. Sunset couldn’t decide whether she’d rather everyone knew already or not. But the prospect of finally being left alone was an appealing one. Sure, she wouldn’t be able to study humans from inside their social circles, but it was just a minor setback. She could simply observe them from afar.

She tried not to think of the other good thing of Rainbow Dash also not wanting to get near her for her association with Trixie. Sunset wasn’t completely sure it would stop the brute girl, but she hoped it would at least give her enough time to make her case. If Rainbow still decided to beat her up… Well, she had to believe with all her heart she could somehow outrun an athlete.

With a heavy sigh, Sunset placed her head on the cold wall. She was being stupid now. There was no way she’d be able to escape if Rainbow did want to beat her up. Sure, she could try to make sure to always be within ten hooves of a teacher or authority figure while on school grounds, but she would not be able to pull that off forever. Besides, Rainbow could simply wait for her in the street, two or three blocks away from school. Then Sunset would have nowhere to run and no one to protect her.

Maybe she had been too hasty. Faust Almighty, she was beginning to hate making choices in the heat of the moment.

But what’s done is done, and Sunset was going to face the consequences of her decisions. She had decided to side with Trixie, who apparently was so unpopular she could be considered anti popular. That was odd, she concluded. How was that possible? Sunset had always thought bullying was a straightforward endeavor. One or many jerks ganging up on one or many victims.

However, Trixie was brushed aside. Ignored and isolated. Sunset honestly couldn’t think of a single reason why that was bad. Back in Equestria, she was always followed by ponies that wanted something from her. Sunset wanted to be admired and revered for her achievements, so she hated when others saw her as just a solution to their ineptitude.

She sighed as steam hugged her body. She was just trying to find excuses to make herself feel better now. There really was no way to know the real consequences of her choice until they actually happened. So, with nothing better to do than waiting, Sunset stepped into the shower.

As soon as she stepped under the hot water, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

“What?” Sunset called, hearing her own voice echoing loudly in her ears. She heard a murmur, but the sound of the shower obscured it. “Can’t hear you!” Sunset said.

“Nothing!” Came Trixie’s response. “I’ll wait for you to finish!”

Sunset blinked several times, then shrugged. She was getting used to Trixie’s weirdness. She couldn’t decide whether that was a good or a bad thing.

~~~~~~~~

The next day came too soon, Sunset decided as she stared at Garden Grove’s main entrance. The few students already there were giving her odd looks, ones she could not recognize. She could feel their animosity, though, as if she had just gotten on stage in a stand-up show with a yovidaphone.

Sunflower wasn’t at their usual meeting spot. That made Sunset wonder. Had the girl not received the memo or was she still acting in accord with Diamond’s ‘suggestion’? Sunset made a mental note to ask the girl as soon as she saw her.

Sunset entered the school. She made a point to observe the students’ reactions to her as she crossed the hallways. It was an interesting change they had gone through overnight. Before, they had looked at her with suspicion and even fear, but now they looked at her like she was a stain on their gala dress. Sunset couldn’t decide which she hated more.

After taking her things from her locker, Sunset made her way to the classroom and settled down. She had chosen, in the classes that she could, to sit at the back just so she could observe human children during class. This decision proved to be useful as she saw students arrive in short amounts. They all looked at her funny, none greeted her.

Even Sunflower, arriving just a minute before the teacher, had barely spared a glance at her. Sunset didn’t like the heat that rose in her chest. What an odd reaction.

Classes went by pretty swiftly, which Sunset felt relieved for. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been worried everyone would decide to bully her now. Even she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop that many people going against her.

As the lunch bell rang, she decided to approach Sunflower. But when she called her, Sunflower had already disappeared among the river of students. Sunset hurried behind her, but she lost sight of Sunflower. Even in the cafeteria, the girl was nowhere to be seen. Sunset was about to search for her there, but she felt the mocking eyes of Diamond and company on her. A look around told Sunset that there wasn’t a single open space to sit on.

Huh.

Sunset grabbed a sandwich, ditching the food tray, and decided to walk around the school.

It was pretty obvious now that Sunflower, like the rest of the students, had decided to listen to the rich brat and completely ditch Sunset. Honestly, Sunset couldn’t blame her. Sure, Sunflower had told her she had her back, and she had tried to pull Rainbow off of her, but in the end, she was just a normal kid, and normal kids always wanted to remain within the social structure.

Sunset couldn’t blame her, but that didn’t mean it didn’t make her feel bad. Sunset had begun to like their study sessions before and after class. Sunflower had been the very first one to ask Sunset for honest, ulterior motives-free tutoring.

Fortunately, losing her potential first real friend was inconsequential to Sunset. She was in the human world to study them, not to befriend them. She would be returning to Equestria in just a couple of years and would never see them again, after all.

So why did she feel this apprehension?

Her thoughts were interrupted as she realized she had gotten out of the main building, where the soccer field was. Sunset shrugged and decided to check on Trixie. Everyone already knew she had defended her, so her initial request of having their association hidden for the sake of scientific research was meaningless now. Might as well hang out with her.

But Trixie wasn’t in the small unkempt area. Sunset bit on her sandwich as she stared at the lone tree. She bit on her sandwich as she weighed her options. She could try to look for Trixie within the enormous building and get tired of walking, or she could simply go to her locker, grab her things, and head early for her next class.

She ate the last piece of her sandwich as she decided to do the latter. The next class was English and she’d be able to meet up with Trixie there anyway.

As she settled on her seat, she decided to make one last attempt to reach Sunflower. She wanted to make sure of the exact reason why Sunflower was avoiding her. So, Sunset grabbed her notebook and tore a small piece, then wrote down a simple note: Have you still got my back? Once done, she folded the piece of paper and slipped it on Sunflower’s seat.

Sunset acted like she had not seen Sunflower enter, but kept vigilant to her seat through the corner of her eye. Sunflower sat down, placed her book and notebook on the desk, took the paper, and opened it. From her angle, Sunset could not see the girl’s expression, and she almost looked at her, but she got distracted by the teacher entering the room. She resisted the urge to click her tongue in annoyance.

Trixie sat down at her right and gave her an odd look, but said nothing.

After checking homework and a short lecture, Miss Green Spell placed both hands on her desk and gave the class a wide smile.

“Alright, class!” The teacher said. “Halloween’s coming in a month, so you’re going to work in pairs-” almost everyone groaned at that, “-and work on a presentation- “another collective groan, “-about any Halloween-related topic. It can be the history of the celebration or a scary tale, you choose. But it has to meet certain requirements.” She turned to write on the blackboard. “Five minutes tops for each team, or we’ll never finish. You have to use any of the subjects we’ve covered so far, but you have to do it right. I don’t want you just reading notes. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ll give you an F on the project.”

Sunset listened attentively. This was a great opportunity to learn about human holidays and traditions. Whatever this Halloween was, she wouldn’t have to ask stupidly, and simply look it up with the pretense of wanting to learn its history.

“So,” Miss Green Spell continued as she began pointing at students. “You and you. You two. You -yes, you, Mister Wave.”

Not many were pleased with the teacher’s arbitrary selection of work pairs, but she happily ignored the complaints, so it was a lost cause to keep asking to be paired with their friends. Sunset ended up with Granite Rough, a tall, lanky, gray-skinned boy of short, dark gray hair. She hadn’t interacted much with him, despite sitting behind him.

It didn’t look like she’d get much out of him now, either.

“What a pain,” he muttered as he turned his chair to face Sunset. “So, what are we-”

“I was thinking we should cover the history of Halloween,” Sunset said as she scribbled it in her notebook. “How it came to be, and how culture has shaped it through the years.” And, as an added note, she wanted to see if and how many similarities there were with any Equestrian holiday.

Granite huffed. “Yeah, whatever.” He waved his hand and looked away. “Just give me the notes for presentation day.”

Sunset deadpanned. Of course, as soon as they recognized her superiority, they’d try to make her do all the work. Fortunately, or unfortunately so, she had plenty of experience dealing with this.

“I’m not doing all the work,” Sunset said simply. “If you refuse to do your part, I’ll tell Miss Green Spell.”

Granite frowned and looked back at her. He turned this way and the other before he leaned in and covered her mouth as if that’d stop anyone else from hearing him reply. “Look, I don’t want trouble, alright? If they see me with you…” He then tensed up and leaned back, placing both arms behind his head. “Yeah, so,” he said a bit too loudly, “just do it and give me the notes.”

Sunset frowned as it clicked. This wasn’t a sloth wanting to do the least amount of work, but about him trying to alienate her. For some reason, Sunset was really offended that her superior intelligence was being ignored in light of Diamond Rush’s meddling. Well, if that’s how it was going to be, then she decided to join the game.

She began raising her hand.

“Come on, Miss Spell!” Said a girl in the front row. “Can I work with Roselle? Please?”

Miss Green Spell gave her a toothy grin. “Well, you know the rules!” She replied in a sing-song voice, which made many students laugh. Sunset cocked her head at that.

The girl that had spoken looked around. “Come on, guys! Roselle and I are besties!” Many girls raised their hands. “I’ll bake you cookies next week!” Some boys raised their hands. The girl kept pleading, but there were still about ten students who wouldn’t raise their hands, Sunset included.

Still, the girl turned towards the teacher, probably trying to pull off her best puppy eyes expression. Miss Green Spell, however, seemed immune to it. “Everyone has to agree,” she said. “Better luck next time.”

The girl slumped on her chair with a defeated sigh.

“What was that about?” Sunset asked. She looked at Granite, but he was completely ignoring her. Sunset frowned and raised her hand.

“Yes, Miss Shimmer?”

For some reason, almost everyone turned to look at her. Sunset stood up, feeling a bit awkward. “Uhm, I was just curious about what just happened.”

Miss Green Spell gave a soft chuckle. “Oh, right. You see, every time I tell students to work in pairs or in groups, there’s always someone that wants to change partners. Always. So, I made this little rule. If you ask to switch partners, everyone has to agree!”

Sunset hummed, then looked at Granite and back to the teacher. “So, if everyone agrees, I can change my project peer?” The teacher nodded, and her ear-to-ear smile seemed to urge Sunset to try it. Sunset decided to do just that, if only to avoid any more animosity. And if this didn’t work, Sunset could always simply tell Miss Spell what was going on.

She looked to her left, searching for Sunflower. The girl, however, immediately averted her gaze. Sunset felt her stomach fall. She doesn’t have my back, then, she thought. She was met with a problem here. If she was right, no one would want to work with her. She looked to her right, and her eyes fell on Trixie, who was looking at her with surprise.

Trixie’s eyes seemed to sparkle as soon as Sunset saw them.

“I’d like to be Trixie’s project partner,” she announced. Everyone gasped, then immediately began chatting and whispering with each other.

“Settle down!” Miss Green Spell called, and it took a whole minute for the class to get silent enough to continue. “Well, if everyone agrees, you can,” she said.

Sunset looked around. How to convince these moronic brats? But just as she started coming up with ideas, her support came from the most unexpected source.

“Hey, guys!” Granite said, standing up. “Don’t you think Sunset and Trixie get along really well? I think we all should let them work together!”

To Sunset’s surprise, hands shot up as students agreed with Granite. She looked around, and there were so many different expressions that Sunset didn’t try to keep up with them. It didn’t really matter, she thought, as she’d at least get to change partners.

Miss Green Spell seemed taken aback by this as well. “Well, I’ll be. This hasn’t happened in quite a long while,” she said. “I guess everyone… Oh, Miss Lulamoon,” she called, making everyone, Sunset included, suddenly put Trixie in the spotlight. “You’re the only one left. Do you agree?”

Trixie squirmed on her seat and looked down. Then, while still looking at her desk, she slowly raised a hesitant hand.

“Well, it’s settled then,” Miss Spell said happily. “Miss Shimmer and Miss Lulamoon will be project partners. Mister Rough and Miss Jolt, you’re together.”

Sunset grabbed her desk and hefted it towards Trixie’s. She could still feel the stares on her, but she ignored them. It didn’t take a genius to understand that they had taken this chance to completely isolate the two most unwanted girls in school. It suited Sunset just fine.

“Uhm… Y-You shouldn’t have…” Trixie said in such a low voice that it was almost lost under the general chatter of the class.

“Trust me, Trixie,” Sunset said as she settled on her seat. “I’d rather eat a bag of nails than work with immature, lazy brats.” She opened her notebook again and grabbed her pen. “Anyway, let’s get started, alright? I want to know all about this Halloween business.”

Trixie didn’t press the issue and instead listened to Sunset’s proposal. Sunset only hoped Trixie would not be a lazy student as well and make her regret this.

~~~~~~~~

It turns out, publicly and explicitly wanting to interact with Trixie, choosing her as a partner, was the last proof everyone needed to trust whatever Diamond Rush had told them. Now students wouldn’t even spare a glance at her. Gone were the odd looks and the whispers. Sunset was now invisible to them.

And she couldn’t be happier about it.

She was not being treated as a bully to be feared any longer. And they even gave her a wide berth to walk in the hallway. Sure, they weren’t recognizing her as their absolute superior, but at least she wouldn’t have any problems with anyone any longer. She felt she could breathe a lot easier now.

Then she got to the school entrance, with Trixie following her closely, and saw Rainbow Dash at the side with her arms crossed. Sunset kept walking, hoping they’d simply ignore each other. Rainbow looked up at her and lowered her arms.

Sunset’s legs began shaking.

Well, it was nice while it lasted, she thought. When Sunset had left Diamond’s group and sided with Trixie, she had hoped that Rainbow would act like the rest of the students and simply isolate her. Associating herself with Sunset would be almost like associating with Trixie, Sunset had concluded, and thus no one would bother her anymore. But apparently, these subtleties escaped Rainbow’s comprehension.

Sunset took a deep breath, straightened her back, and continued forward. Rainbow had a small frown on her face, which was infinitely better than the murder glare she had given her a while ago, but it still worsened her shaking legs. She kept her arms glued to her sides. If Rainbow wanted to hit her, there was literally nothing Sunset could do to stop her. She only hoped Rainbow wouldn’t take long, and that the damage wouldn’t be too terrible.

She was rather fond of her face, even in her human form.

After ten painfully slow seconds, Sunset had reached Rainbow Dash. And against her better judgment, she stopped right in front of the bully and stared right at her eyes.

She was very surprised that Rainbow was still not beating the living lights out of her.

“So,” Rainbow said in a very eerie calm voice. “You ditched Diamond Rush?”

Sunset blinked. “Uhm… yes?” She replied. A conversation certainly wasn’t in her list of things to do with Rainbow Dash.

“Everyone’s saying you’re Trixie’s friend,” Rainbow said as she looked behind Sunset and to Trixie. “You know that’s social suicide, right?”

Sunset crossed her arms and huffed. “Why do you care? In fact, why are you even here? Just hit me already and be done with it.”

Rainbow stared at her for five full seconds. “Why join Diamond’s group if you were just going to ditch her?”

“Because I’m not a bully like you lot,” Sunset snapped.

“What?” Rainbow asked and actually gave a step back. “I’m not a bully!”

“Oh, then I must’ve imagined you pushing me to the floor, making me trip, throwing a ball at my lunch, and hitting me!” Sunset yelled.

Rainbow frowned and stepped forward, but she stopped before she replied. Then, surprisingly, closed her mouth and took a deep breath. “So,” she said. “You weren’t really trying to bully Fluttershy, right?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I already told you so. Are you actually retarded?” Maybe insulting Rainbow to her face wasn’t a bright idea either, but Sunset had a lot of bottled-up anger, and Rainbow Dash had a way of rubbing Sunset in all the wrong places.

However, Rainbow didn’t seem to take offense to that comment, or at the very least, she didn’t show it. Instead, she only looked at Sunset’s eyes before speaking up. “Then, I…” She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes. “I’m sorry, okay?!”

That took Sunset by surprise. “What?”

“I saw you grabbing Fluttershy by the wrist,” Rainbow said, “right after bumping into her. I’ve seen that happen so many times I just assumed you were bullying her. That’s why I pushed you…” She looked away and pressed her lips together, then closed her eyes and leaned over. “So, to make up for it, I’ll let you punch me!”

It took maybe ten whole seconds for Sunset to process what she had just heard. “What?” She repeated.

“I beat you up real bad,” Rainbow explained. “But you hadn’t done anything wrong in the first place. I’m sorry for that. So, punch me and break my nose!”

Sunset took a slow, deep breath, covering her nose with her hands. It still stung a bit.

“I am not going to punch you,” she finally said. “That’s the most idiotic thing you could’ve asked me to do.”

“What?”

Sunset opened her eyes and offered Rainbow a deadpan. “If I hit you, I’ll be punished with detention. But, if you really want to make up for being a stupid brute, I’d appreciate you start asking questions first and punching last.”

Rainbow nodded slowly. “I can do that, but… Are you sure? I was real rough with ya.”

With a sigh, Sunset placed a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “If you really want to make it up to me, then I’ll just accept a token. If I ever need you for anything, I’ll call you.”

Rainbow Dash gave her a toothy grin. “I can do that! Heh, you’re cool Sunset. We should hang out sometime.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that make everyone ignore you, too?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I’m captain of the soccer team. ‘Sides, no one can ignore The Rainbow Dash!”

“Right,” Sunset said through her teeth. “Anyway, I gotta go.”

“Sure, I gotta check up on Flutters, too,” Rainbow said and gave Sunset a soft punch on the shoulder. “See ya later.”

Sunset watched Rainbow jog away and realized many students were watching her with various levels of surprise. They had probably expected them to start fighting. Sunset wondered if they thought she had made an alliance with Rainbow Dash. Would that be so bad? She definitely didn’t like the girl, but Rainbow had recognized her mistakes and apologized for them. Maybe, just maybe, it would be wise to take up on Rainbow’s offer to hang out.

“Did you… Did you just become Rainbow Dash’s friend?” Trixie asked, making Sunset flinch. She had forgotten the girl was there.

Her legs and arms were still shaking, but she felt relieved at not being punched. “I don’t think I want to be her friend,” she admitted to Trixie. “I’m just happy this is all over.” And with that, she left the school and made her way back home, with Trixie in tow. Not having to worry about bullies and manipulators anymore made Sunset smile.

~~~~~~~~

Sunset stepped into the steaming hot water and sighed, feeling her sore feet finally relax some. Walking was definitely harder on human feet than on pony hooves. Why did they have to be so soft? Even with the protection of shoes, they still hurt after walking all the way back home.

The fact that Rainbow Dash had apologized instead of hitting her only added to her relaxation. She hadn’t noticed the muscles of her neck had been so stiff until the weight had disappeared from her shoulders.

There was a knock on the door. “Sunset?” Trixie called.

“What?”

“I… see… for…”

Trixie’s voice was so low, Sunset couldn’t hear it through the sound of the shower. “I can’t hear you!” She yelled.

There was a pause, and Sunset thought Trixie had decided to leave again. So she was surprised to hear Trixie’s next words.

“Can I come in?”

Sunset hummed. Had Trixie eaten something that had disagreed with her? She supposed she couldn’t blame the girl for desperately wanting to use the bathroom. Sunset wasn’t about to make fun of her, so she shrugged.

“Sure thing,” she replied loudly.

The door opened, letting in a cold breeze that made Sunset shiver. Trixie closed the door behind her.

“I… uhm…” Trixie said.

“It’s ok, Trixie,” Sunset interrupted her. “Do what you need to. I don’t think I’ll be able to hear anyway.”

There was a pause. “Wha- No,” Trixie said with a shaky voice. “I don’t need to use the bathroom.”

Sunset stopped massaging her hair and frowned. “Then why are you here? I’m sure whatever it is, it can wait until I’m done showering.”

“W-Well, I, uhm… I-I wanted to… Uhm…” Sunset rolled her eyes at the stammered words, but let Trixie figure out how to get her ideas across. “You see… I, uhm… I was thinking if, uhm, y-you’d like me to, uhm… j-join you?”

The last two words were spoken so lowly that Sunset thought she had misheard them. She lowered her arms and turned to the shower’s room, seeing Trixie’s silhouette through the blurry glass. “Join me?” She asked.

“Y-Yes,” Trixie replied. Sunset could almost hear the blushing in her voice.

“Why?”

“W-Well… Uhm… Y-You see… I was, uhm… I was trying to think of a way to thank you for, uhm… For standing up for me against Diamond,” she said.

Sunset cocked her head. “It’s alright, I did it because I can’t stand bullies.”

“You didn’t have to,” Trixie said almost in a whisper. “I would’ve understood if you had done as Diamond said… And today… You didn’t have to work with me…”

Oh, yes. Yes, she did have to. Sunset had always hated bullies. She couldn’t stand ponies feeling all high and mighty just because their parents were a bit wealthy. You could only feel superior if you actually were, and Sunset, as the absolute best student there, was the superior one. Only she could claim the top spot in any place.

Sure, even she was aware enough that by siding with Trixie, her social status had plummeted like a boulder in a lake. It didn’t help that Sunflower had also ditched her at the first opportunity. But Sunset had to stay true to her principles, because, in the end, what has a mare got if not herself?

“Yes,” Sunset replied with a sigh. “Yes, I had to.”

“Well, I still want to thank you,” Trixie replied.

“You already did,” Sunset said. “You don’t need to partake in Social Bathing if you’re not comfortable with it. It’ll only make it awkward for both of us.”

Trixie shifted in her place. She seemed to be fidgeting. “I… I know it’s important to you,” she began, her voice barely loud enough for Sunset to hear through the running water. “I… I’d also like to, uhm, t-to be friends with you. Like… real friends… And…”

As Trixie talked, Sunset couldn’t help but feel a warmth in her chest. She knew humans, and Trixie especially, had a very strong nudity taboo. And yet here she was, putting aside her predispositions just to say thanks. Sunset smiled to herself. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t missed washing Trixie’s silk-like mane.

“That'd be nice,” Sunset said, interrupting whatever rant Trixie was currently on.

There was silence as Trixie seemed to register the words. “I… Ok…” Trixie swayed from side to side for a while. Sunset realized she was taking off a towel.

She stepped aside and turned around to take her shampoo bottle. She had to refrain herself from hopping giddily. Washing Trixie’s hair was sure to be the cherry on top of her ice cream of a day. The shower’s door opened, and Sunset turned to look at Trixie. She almost dropped the bottle.

Trixie was not wearing a swimsuit this time. She was covering her chest and crotch with her arms and legs, and she had such a serious blush her face was actually red. “D-Don’t stare…”

Sunset blinked and cleared her throat. “Sorry, I just expected you to… Uhm… It doesn’t matter. Come on, get your hair wet already.”

Trixie nodded and carefully stepped under the water’s stream. “I was going to wear my swimsuit,” she said, as if she had read Sunset’s thoughts. “But, well, I need to take a shower anyway, s-so it’d be kinda dumb do to it twice…”

“You’re right, that’d be dumb, and a waste of hot water,” Sunset said, then opened the shampoo bottle. “Wanna try mine? It gives more volume.”

“Sure…”

Sunset poured a bit of shampoo on her hand, then placed the bottle away and proceeded to put it on Trixie’s hair. It felt every bit as soft and silky as she remembered.

“Ow!” Trixie yelped. “Not so hard!”

“Don’t be a foal,” Sunset said. “A strong massage is the best way to get the shampoo in between the hairs. This shampoo, at least. You want more volume, don’t you?”

Trixie didn’t keep complaining. Sunset noticed that Trixie had stopped covering herself, and was looking down, but not away. She nodded to herself, that was a good improvement and a good thing for Social Bathing. And, she noticed, Trixie’s body was definitely very much the same as hers. The only major difference was the color of their skin.

Sunset beamed as she worked her fingers throughout Trixie’s head. She had really missed this.

“Alright,” Sunset said, “turn around.” She poured more shampoo on her hand.

Trixie did so, giving Sunset access to the rest of her hair. Sunset began spreading the shampoo with long, quick movements, moving the locks she was done with to the front of Trixie’s body. When she finished the last lock, Sunset took notice of Trixie’s back. It was really narrow and slim, she could even see her spine poking through.

Humming, Sunset placed her right thumb right on Trixie’s spine, feeling the bone with her fingertip.

Trixie yelped and tensed up. “W-What are you doing?!”

“I’m just curious, geez,” Sunset said as she moved her thumb down, tracing the spine for just a couple of vertebrae. It certainly felt different than a pony’s back. She placed both hands on Trixie’s back to get a feel of the shoulder blades. Trixie flinched but said nothing. “Sweet Celestia, Trixie, your skin’s really soft. How in Tartarus do you manage this? I thought your hands were soft, but this is on a completely different level.”

“I… I do have a body cream my mom recommended,” Trixie said as she slowly relaxed.

Sunset hummed, slowly moving her hands, feeling the incredible softness of Trixie’s skin. “You must tell me which cream it is. I thought my skin was softer than when I was a pony, but if there’s a way to improve it even more, then I want it.”

“S-Sure… It’s a bit expensive, but you can- EEP!”

Trixie tensed up once again when Sunset lowered her hands to Trixie’s waist. “Yes, I can afford it. I may even get you some, just for sharing the tip.”

“S-Sunset…”

“Hmm?”

“Y-You’re… too…”

“I’m what?” Sunset asked as she kept exploring Trixie’s back.

“I-I mean, I know you’re just curious, but I’m still not used to- Whoa! Too low! Too low!” Trixie yelled, finally stepping away from Sunset’s grasp.

“What?” Sunset blinked in confusion for a moment. “Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot butts are a ‘forbidden’ area for you humans.”

Trixie turned and glared daggers at her. “You forg… Is it normal for you ponies to go around feeling each other’s butts up?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say feel up,” Sunset said with a shrug. “But you normally tap sompony on their flank to get their attention if they’re in front of you. And since it’s where our Cutie Marks appear, it’s also normal to look and be looked at.”

Trixie kept glaring at her for a while. “I’m… still not very comfortable with this.”

Sunset sighed. “Yes, I kn-”

“So please be patient,” Trixie continued. “Maybe next time I’ll feel comfortable enough to wash your back.”

Sunset stopped for a moment. “Wait, next time?” Trixie nodded, and her blush seemed to deepen. “So you’re gonna bathe with me from now on?” She couldn’t avoid the excitement in her voice.

Trixie, once again, nodded. “Just so long as you respect my boundaries.”

“Deal!”

This day was just getting better! What was next? Discovering a way to use her magic without a horn? Now that would be about the best thing that could possibly happen to her. She’d show everyone at school not to mess with Sunset Shimmer.

The rest of their shower went by pretty normally. Trixie seemed less apprehensive as she washed Sunset’s hair, which was yet another point to Sunset’s already great day. She decided she loved having somepony else wash her mane. Sure, back in Equestria it had been an everyday thing, and the maids knew how to make it so Sunset’s mane always looked gorgeous. But all that paled in comparison to having fingers massaging her scalp.

Now that was almost as good as any massage she had ever received.

The bad thing was that, after washing each other’s hair, Trixie had decided they’d wash their own body. Sunset rolled her eyes but didn’t complain. Just joining her had been hard enough for Trixie, so she supposed she wouldn’t push her.

Some time later, they were out of the shower, having already dried and changed to the much more comfortable pajamas. They brushed each other’s hair, which Sunset relished on as well. Trixie’s hair was simply gorgeous, and having her more-sensitive-than-hooves fingers only made her appreciate the softness even more. She almost didn’t care if her own hair didn’t receive the same attention, just so she could keep brushing Trixie’s hair. Almost.

Once that was done, they found themselves in Trixie’s room. Sunset wondered if Trixie ever tidied it up. There were clothes everywhere, even over Mr. Squibbles’ cage. The little hamster would’ve probably complained if he weren’t busy sleeping.

Trixie booted up her video game console and handed Sunset the controller. They spent their weekends playing Timeless Tirek, mostly. Sunset was still very uncoordinated for the faster-paced games, and she also liked the story of this one over the others. She sat with her legs crossed on Trixie’s bed and began playing.

Sunset decided then that playing video games with Trixie after bathing with her was a very acceptable way to end a school day. She’d just have to make sure to always finish her homework and projects first.

13- Defiance

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Chapter 13: Defiance

Another crimson feather fell gracefully.

Sunset watched it carefully make its way down, moving as if it was being cradled by the air. It glittered with the light of the chandeliers as if it had been sprayed with morning dew. Somehow, the feather itself seemed to shine with its own light, which gradually faded as it finally reached the ground. The whole thing was beautiful, like a shooting star in slow motion.

If only it weren’t so boring.

In her pursuit of alicornification, Sunset had managed to find several theories in obscure tomes in the restricted wing of the Royal Library on the subject. Most of them spent great lengths in describing alicorn physiology but barely spared a paragraph into the possible causes or methods. Some did try to dive into the intricacies of the arcane magicks required for such a transformation. These Sunset found the most interesting, and so she had begun following the leads.

She had tried asking Princess Celestia about it, but she had only replied that alicornhood had to be earned and refused to explain further. Sunset could understand the princess trying to conceal the information from prying ears, but it didn’t make it any less frustrating.

So, Sunset had no choice but to find the answers on her own.

A particularly dusty tome drew a relation between the princess’ immortality to her pet phoenix Philomena, and it implied that a bond with a magical, powerful creature was needed. Unfortunately, this assumption was proven wrong by Cadenza herself, as she had no pets or bonds with magical creatures, as far as Sunset knew. Even so, the tome made very valid points on phoenix’s own revival process, and Sunset just had to know more.

That was the reason why she was currently at the Royal Phoenix Nursery. A funny name, on account of Philomena being the only phoenix seen in the palace in two hundred years.

She had spent the past four hours observing the regal creature. It could have been boring had it been any other animal, but even when losing a feather, Philomena managed to make it look breathtaking. Sunset only wished this time had told her anything useful. The phoenix had done nothing but drink some water and chirp a couple of times.

“There you are!” said an infuriatingly chirpy voice.

Sunset sighed and turned her head towards the Nursery’s entrance. Mi Amore Cadenza was standing there, wearing nothing but a pink bow to hold her mane into a ponytail. Why didn’t she wear her crown? Sunset would never take her crown off if she was a princess!

“I’ve been looking for you all over the palace,” Cadenza said as she walked inside.

“Why?”

Cadenza stopped only a few hooves away and smiled. “Well, Princess Celestia said we should try to get along, maybe be friends!”

“Just call her ‘aunt’,” Sunset said as she scribbled another note on Philomena’s shining tail. “No need to be so formal with her.”

Cadenza giggled. “Well, it’s a bit embarrassing, you know? She’s always been my princess. To suddenly call her ‘auntie’ like she wants me to… Well, it’s a bit weird.”

Sunset growled quietly. Why did it annoy her so that Princess Celestia was pushing informality on Cadenza? She had adopted her, so it was expected, but...

“Anyway,” Cadenza said, waving a hoof. “I’d like to get to know you. Would you like to come for dinner? I’ll treat you.”

Sunset was about to refuse. She did not want to have dinner with Cadenza, or with anypony for that matter. She always ate alone, as it proved to be 34% more efficient than eating with somepony that would undoubtedly try to have a conversation, and Sunset had no time for idle chit chat.

But Sunset was hungry, and Cadenza said she’d treat her. And Sunset had been meaning to go to that new griffon-owned restaurant at Trotfield and SaddleSour corner. She had heard the maids say it served an exquisite daffodil and butter bread.

“Fine,” Sunset said and began taking her stuff into her saddlebags.

Cadenza, on her part, tiphooved in place. “Oh, I’m glad you accepted! I’ve been meaning to get to know you. Everypony talks about you, you know? I heard Sargeant Copper Tail mention you’re going to be the next Archmage. That’s supposed to be really difficult, isn’t it?”

Despite herself, Sunset smiled. Cadenza wasn’t so bad if she could recognize Sunset’s bright future. It was almost amusing, now that Sunset had an even bigger goal in life. Sunset wondered how Cadenza would react when she ascended.

~~~~~~~~

Sunset woke up and immediately noticed something was different. She was comfortable, more than she’d been since coming to the human world. Her back was a lot warmer than usual, too. It wasn’t a bad warmth, it actually was quite soothing, almost sending her back to sleep.

She opened her eyes. Oh, right, she thought. She was in Trixie’s room. It looked really different in the dark, but she spotted the T.V., the video game console, and Mr. Squibbles’ cage.

The events of yesterday replayed in her mind. She and Trixie had played video games well into the night. At some point, Trixie had fallen asleep, which Sunset barely registered as she kept playing. Hours later, Sunset had started to feel so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. But she had been at the final boss, and she refused to let it win.

In the end, she wasn’t sure she had completed the fight because she was now waking up after passing out.

She looked down and discovered she had a blanket on. She could only guess Dandy had come at some point and tucked them in. A sweet thing to do, if Sunset was honest. Dandy could have simply woken her up so she could go to her own room. Sunset rolled to her other side and found Trixie’s sleeping form there.

So that was the warmth in her back.

Trixie looked so peaceful in her sleep. Gone were the always fidgeting eyes, the slightly furrowed brow, and the quivering lips. Half her face was covered by her silver mane, which looked so unfairly good.

The alarm went off. Sunset groaned and rolled over to turn it off. She cocked her head as her hand laid on the clock. It had only been a minute since she had woken up. For some reason, she found it amusing that she had beaten the alarm by such a short amount of time.

There was a gasp behind her, so Sunset, once again, rolled over. Trixie’s face had turned red.

“You alright?” she asked. “You look like you have a fever.” She then leaned in to touch their foreheads together. Trixie didn’t feel particularly hot. Sunset hummed as she leaned back. “Weird, I could’ve sworn you weren’t this red a minute ago.”

And yet, Trixie’s face had just heated up more. “W-Why are you here?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Uhm, you invited me to play video games, remember?”

“I-I mean, I… uhm… W-Why were you sleeping here?”

Sunset shrugged. “Guess we passed out without realizing.” She then sat up and cocked her head. “Wait… Is this another human taboo? Sleeping together, I mean.”

Trixie grabbed the blanket and covered herself up to the chin. “Uhm… I d-don’t think so… I’m sorry, I just… I was surprised…”

“I see,” Sunset said. “Well, anyway, we gotta get ready for school.” She intertwined her fingers and stretched her arms, feeling a good series of pops here and there. She sighed and got off the bed. “I’ll wait for you.”

“For me?” Trixie asked.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah. The thing of wanting to be a completely foreign variable is already out the window. So I think it’ll be cool to walk together. Besides, I want to make sure you do your part with English’ Halloween project.”

Trixie blinked in silence for a moment. “Alright.”

~~~~~~~~

The cold air bit Sunset’s skin as she stepped onto the street. If it was already this cold, she shuddered at the thought of how it’d get in winter. She had never cared much for the cold, and being furless had already been unbearable that first night she had arrived.

Trixie stepped beside her as they made their way to school. It was an odd feeling, walking with someone else. Back in Equestria, Sunset had always been on her own, mostly by her own volition. Ponies always wanted something from her, so having someone that didn’t was comforting.

“So,” Sunset said as they approached a corner, “I know you said you don’t want to talk about it, but I think I deserve to know why a whole school of mindless brats is going to isolate and alienate me.” She saw Trixie’s lips purse. “Why does it happen to you? And what does Diamond Rush have to do with it?”

They crossed the street in silence. Sunset was about to keep pressing when Trixie decided to reply.

“I guess you do deserve to know…” Trixie said, keeping her eyes down to the floor. “I… accidentally ruined her birthday.” Sunset cocked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Trixie only sighed defeatedly. “It was her seventh birthday. We were neighbors back then, so I was invited. I… Kind of wanted to try a magic trick my... “ She paused and her face darkened for a moment. “A trick I had learned… Uhm… Let’s just say I tripped, I hit something, and next thing I know, Diamond’s presents are on fire.”

“Ouch,” was all Sunset could say.

Trixie nodded. “There was a panic, and everyone left before the fire was put out. Since then, Diamond… Well, she’s hated me ever since.”

“I see,” Sunset said. “So she made it so you couldn’t make any friends. How, though?”

Trixie shrugged. “Well, she’s rich. She started throwing parties and only inviting those that didn’t talk to me, and making up stories... Now I guess she just bullies everyone into it.”

Sunset hummed thoughtfully as they walked in yet more silence. So it was a vendetta over an accident. Honestly, Sunset couldn’t really hold it against Diamond Rush, as she was sure she’d have reacted pretty much the same, if only just once. Sunset was all about getting even, but this specific incident was several years old. That Diamond was still bullying her, well, it was pathetic.

“Why do you put up with it, though?” Sunset asked. “I mean, she made you cry the other day. I think that deserved you at least slapping her face.” There was no response, so Sunset frowned. “She was saying all that stuff…” she trailed off, only then remembering Diamond’s words.

Where’s your dad, Trixie? Diamond had said. He didn’t want you. You disgusted him so, so much, he just had to go.

Back when she had just arrived in this world, she had asked Trixie if there was someone other than her mom. She hadn’t questioned anything when Trixie had simply shook her head. Not that Sunset particularly cared, but she thought she had been quite negligent for completely ignoring that bit of information.

She turned to look at Trixie and found the girl with a vacant expression. Something stirred inside Sunset, a sort of… knot… or something, in her stomach.

“Do you…” she tried, “want to talk about it?”

Trixie shook her head.

Sunset wanted to ask again, to pry the girl for information. But she didn’t. She wasn’t sure why, but this simple shake of her head was a stronger denial than anything else Trixie could’ve said. Sunset looked away and pursed her lips. She supposed it was a really touchy subject. In any case, if Diamond knew about it and used it to torment Trixie, then she was an even more pathetic brat than Sunset originally thought.

She would not throw the first stone, but she’d have to come up with something to get back at Diamond in case the bully decided to pick on Trixie again.

As they reached the bus stop, Sunset was pulled from her thoughts by the familiar sight of pale yellow skin and brown hair. She couldn’t avoid frowning as Sunflower turned her head and looked at her. Sunset looked away and kept her eyes forward, feeling a strange emptiness in her stomach.

“Wait,” Sunflower said when Sunset passed by her. “Sunset.” Sunset kept walking. “Please, wait!”

Sunset stopped and took a deep breath before turning to look at Sunflower. “What do you want?” She snapped. Odd, she hadn’t meant to sound so angry. Why did she explode so easily? With Rainbow Dash and her smug grin she could understand, but…

Sunflower gave a hesitant step forward, holding her hands to her chest. “Sunset, I…” She bit her lower lip, her body swaying. “Uhm… You see…”

“Out with it,” Sunset said. “I don’t have all day.”

Puffing out her chest, Sunflower looked up and held Sunset’s glare with a small frown of her own. “I… I still got your back!” She yelled. “I’m sorry for giving you the cold shoulder.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “I…” She closed her mouth. What could she say to that? She was angry at Sunflower, but… was she, really? Sunflower had simply fallen in line with the rest of students, following a status quo. It had stung nonetheless. She didn’t want to admit it, but she had been enjoying hanging out with Sunflower. The girl genuinely wanted to learn for the sake of knowledge.

Even so, Sunset wasn’t one to simply forget and forgive. Anyone weak enough to succumb to something as stupid as peer pressure did not deserve a second chance. Who was to say they wouldn’t break under more intimidating situations? Then again, Sunflower seemed sorry…

Maybe she could put her on probation.

“Look,” Sunset said. “You’re saying that now, but you were too quick on turning your flank on me.”

“Flank?”

“I said back,” Sunset corrected, raising a finger in front of Sunflower. She cleared her throat. “In any case, you should know I’m going to hang out with Trixie. I don’t care that a bunch of idiots decide to alienate me because of it. I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to study.” She paused and regarded Sunflower for a moment. She had a point she wanted to reach, but she wasn’t sure how.

Fortunately, Sunflower seemed to take her pause as her chance to speak.

“I already thought about it,” Sunflower said as she wrung her hands. “I didn’t really have that many friends anyway.” Her expression darkened as she looked down. “Turns out Zephyr and Rainy Days weren’t really my friends… I told them we should stop listening to Diamond Rush, and they said if I talked to you again, they’d stop hanging out with me...” She looked up back at Sunset, her expression pleading. “But I really wanna be friends with you! I like it when we teach things to each other! I…” She tilted her body to look at Trixie. “I’d also like to be friends with you, Trixie.”

Sunset turned to see Trixie giving Sunflower a distrustful stare. When Trixie didn’t reply, Sunset looked back at Sunflower. “Well… I have no issues,” she said. “But, are you sure? Last I checked, you were very concerned about things like popularity.”

Sunflower nodded energicaly, then stepped over and towards Trixie, extending a hand. “I’m sorry for treating you like everyone else. Would you give me a chance and be my friend?”

Trixie eyed the hand like it was about to shoot around her neck and strangle her. Her eyes darted from the open hand to Sunflower’s eyes and back for several seconds before she simply nodded. “Sure…”

There was a pregnant pause as Sunflower awkwardly retrieved her hand, forcing out a laugh.

“Well… Uhm…” Sunflower swayed nervously. “So, do we, uhm, go to school?”

Sunset nodded. “Yes. I don’t want to be late.” She turned around and began walking, with Trixie to her left.

Sunflower stepped to her right. “Thank you… For… Y’know, giving me a second chance.”

“There won’t be a third,” Sunset warned, her eyes forward.

“You know, I’ve been wondering,” Sunflower said. “Did you have many friends back in Vanhoover? I mean, you don’t strike me as a party girl, but…”

Sunset shrugged. “Not really. I don’t like ponies trying to befriend me just so I help them with their grades, so I’ve always been on my own.”

Sunflower cocked her head. “Did you just say ‘ponies’?”

Her heart skipped a beat, and Sunset used every drop of willpower she had not to slam her head on the wall. She really needed to mind her word choice if she wanted to keep her identity as an illegal immigrant a secret.

“No,” she said, trying to sound calm. “I said ‘phonies’.”

To her relief, Sunflower simply shrugged.

The rest of the way to school was spent in relative silence, which suited Sunset just fine. She needed to mind what came out of her mouth. There were a lot of expressions that, in hindsight, sounded too Equestrian to pass off as simple regional idioms.

~~~~~~~~

The news of Sunset publicly choosing to work with Trixie had already spread throughout the school. The day before, Sunset had seen many hesitant faces and heard many hushed conversations. But now, no one even looked her way, and they didn’t lower their voices. It was like a perfectly normal day. Except she knew it wasn’t.

Sunflower’s attitude did a 180 as she noticed the deliberate space she was given as they made their way through the hallways. Not that Sunset particularly cared, but it was an interesting shift. She supposed she could add a bullet point to her checklist on her human socialization paper.

Trixie, for her part, seemed to fidget and sway more than usual, like a fish out of the water. Was she always like that while at school? Sunset realized she had only ever interacted with her at home. Maybe walking with people instead of alone was a sort of paradigm shift for her? Sunset would have to ask later.

Classes didn’t feel much different. Sunset would answer a question when addressed and ask follow up questions when needed. She would write notes and add undertext when needed. It was at the start of lunch period when things began to change.

“Are you going to the cafeteria?” Sunflower asked, eyeing the hallways as if expecting a monster to pop up.

“Yes,” Sunset replied slowly. “I’m hungry.”

Sunflower intertwined her fingers. “B-But, uhm, we can’t…” She darted her eyes to Trixie and back a few times. “We won’t even be able to sit…”

Sunset arched an eyebrow. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m not missing lunch.” She spun on her heels and walked up to the cafeteria.

“Wait!” Sunflower said, placing a hand on her shoulder and making her stop. “They’re not gonna let you. I brought my own lunch, I can share it with you.”

“No,” Sunset said simply. “I don’t care if they ignore me, but I’m not letting them push me around. If I want to eat at the cafeteria, I will.” And with that, she hastened her pace. Seriously, why did she hang out with such pushovers?

With a huff, she opened the cafeteria doors and made her way to the food queue, grabbing a tray on her way there. Except, there was a group of students right where the queue started. Sunset tried to go around them, but they were so engrossed in whatever banal chatter they were having that they were moving and stepping that way or the other, and one blocked her path.

“Hey, move it,” Sunset said, or tried to because the group began laughing quite loudly and her words weren’t heard. She waited for a pause, then tried again, but their laughter returned.

It didn’t take her any more than that to realize they were doing it on purpose. She was about to yell at them, but she figured it would be pointless. They didn’t care if she got angry, they only wanted her to miss lunch… Or something. She gritted her teeth, finding herself with the only solution to her problem: Getting physical.

Using the back of her food tray to protect herself as much as possible, she shoved her shoulder in between brats as she forcefully made her way through. They cried in surprise but otherwise didn’t do much more to impede her. It only took her a couple of seconds to reach the queue. She dusted herself off, feeling quite disgusted. No unicorn should ever have to resort to physical contact like some mere mudpony.

Well, that dealt with, she focused her attention to the food being offered. There were still many foods she still had to try, but she had already figured there wouldn’t be much variety in a school cafeteria.

They’re taking a while, she thought. She looked up and saw that the students before her were taking an unusual amount of time to make their pick. She frowned. Were they doing this on purpose as well?

One of them, a boy she didn’t recognize, briefly glanced at her, then struck an overly theatrical pose as he leaned in to the displayed food and muttered a loud hum.

They were doing it on purpose! How petty could they get?

But before Sunset could begin to think of a way to make them hurry, the serving lady, a very old woman of pink skin and gray hair with a disgruntled expression, grabbed the ladle that was submerged in what Sunset could only describe as sickly vomit, and practically smashed it on the boy’s food tray, splashing some on his shirt.

“Now move along,” the lady said with a dry yet surprisingly loud voice. “Yer not the only one here!”

The boy looked about to contribute to his tray contents with some of his own, but he managed to keep it down as he scurried away. The rest of the students in the queue took the hint and chose quickly. Sunset shrugged and asked for some mac n’ cheese and an apple juice box.

That taken care of, Sunset turned to find a seat. She should honestly not have been so surprised to find every single seat taken. Now, she could have simply gotten outside and to the classroom next door, but this was a challenge, and it was personal.

She calmly walked through the perimeter of the cafeteria, observing as much as she could. A normal pony, or person in this case, would have had trouble keeping up with so many people doing so many different things at the same time just to find the perfect opportunity for a seat. But Sunset was anything but normal. She was the highest-ranked student at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, which meant she had not only met, but completely destroyed the past record on the Advanced Disenchantment optional test, set by late Archmage Purity Skybound.

Disenchantment was one of the most complex magical fields, if only because it required an outstanding ability to calculate ever-changing formulas to produce both the correct ‘key’ to unlocking an enchantment, and the appropriate mirrored signature to disable it.

It had only taken Sunset six hours, forty-seven minutes and eight seconds to disenchant the Band of Everlasting Stars, against the eight hours and six minutes of the prior record.

So, keeping track of a bunch of kids was such an easy task that it almost felt like cheating. She was easily able to detect kids standing up as soon as she passed their seats. There weren’t many, probably because they only sat down to annoy her and wanted to be on their merry way. It was with this simple fact in mind that, when Sunset had given a whole lap around the cafeteria, getting near the entrance, she gave a deliberate step towards the exit.

Properly fooled, two students that were right behind her stood up, with their trays and everything, and walked away. Sunset immediately spun on her heels, gave two strides and placed her food tray on the table before anyone could think of stopping her.

She sat down and looked up.

The students that had been sitting at the table a second ago were now going somewhere else, some of them after sending her smug grins. Sunset blinked in surprise at this. So, if she managed to secure a seat, the need to not be associated with her would propel kids to leave her alone?

With a whole table for herself?

This was amazing!

She stabbed her mac n’ cheese with her fork and took a big bite. It was greasy and rather tasteless, but she was just so happy to be eating alone that she couldn’t bring herself to care. She really couldn’t understand why Sunflower made such a big deal out of this. Not being bothered every second by two-faced hypocrites was a blessing.

But, where would they be? She knew Trixie usually spend lunch period… somewhere else, but so far, Sunflower had been with her at the cafeteria. Would she give Trixie company or simply find a place to eat?

For a reason she did not understand, Sunset felt the need to look behind her back and to the cafeteria’s entrance door. It was slightly open, with a pair of bright green eyes sneaking from the side. Sunset raised an eyebrow. What on Tartarus was Sunflower doing there? She couldn’t have eaten all her lunch in the short minutes it took Sunset to find a seat.

Then she saw a tuft of silver hair behind Sunflower, and Sunset got the impression that they had wanted to do the exact same thing she had done. Ignore everyone and do whatever you want.

Sunset allowed herself to chuckle softly and shook her head. She really needed to teach these girls to have some guts. Looking straight to Sunflower, Sunset waved her hand, signaling the girl to come to her.

Sunflower turned her head around, then to Sunset and back. She repeated this motion several times, then disappeared for a couple of seconds before striding into the cafeteria with her lunch box in one hand and Trixie in the other. Trixie looked like she’d rather be anywhere else, but Sunflower’s grip on her hand was too strong.

“Come on,” Sunflower said as she pulled Trixie until they were next to Sunset. Trixie, looking defeated, sat to Sunset’s right. Sunflower sat to her left. “You see now why we didn’t want to come?”

Sunset stared at Sunflower. “No.”

Rolling her eyes, Sunflower moved her arm in a wide arc to point out the rest of the cafeteria. Everyone was looking at them with various expressions that ranged from mild surprise to disgust. “They don’t want us here,” she whispered. “That’s why they left the table when you sat down.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Sunset replied, eating more of her mac n’ cheese. “But what they think is insulting or humiliating, is actually good for me. Us. We have a whole table for ourselves, with no one to bother us. This isn’t negative, this is positive.”

“If you say so…” Sunflower said, looking around. She eventually opened her lunch box.

Trixie, too, had brought a bright blue lunch box with an image of Elementian’s protagonists. Sunset had to admit it was a very good-looking lunch box. But Trixie was too quiet, like a cat, and kept her eyes down, glued to her own hands.

That was quite strange, even for her.

“Are you always this silent at school?” Sunset asked.

Trixie flinched and looked at her with a bewildered expression. She briefly looked around and immediately shot her eyes down again, then, turning back to her lunch box, she simply nodded.

“She is,” Sunflower replied, taking a sandwich out of her lunch box. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard her voice, now that I think about it.”

Sunset was about to inquire about it, but she was interrupted by the annoying, nasal voice of Diamond Rush.

“You have some nerve, don’t you?” Diamond asked as she stepped right in front of Sunset.

She seemed to be angry, but Sunset had never been able to completely guess emotions out of voice tones. Sure, she could look up and see her face, but Sunset figured that if she was going to be ignored by everyone because of this brat, then she could very well ignore the brat back. So, it was with a bored look that she grabbed another mouthful of her mac n’ cheese. Still very greasy.

“You think you can just come here acting like you own the place?” Diamond continued.

Sunset saw through her peripheral vision that Diamond’s friends were standing at her sides. Were they trying to intimidate her with numbers? That was pretty pathetic. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Sunset turned to her left and pointed to Sunflower’s sandwich.

“Is that peanut butter?” She asked.

Sunflower flinched, and it took her almost five whole seconds of darting her eyes from Diamond, to Sunset, to her own lunch, to reply. “Uhm… It’s hazelnut spread.”

Hazelnut? Now that got Sunset’s attention. Hazelnut was a very rare nut in Equestria, found only on exotic traveling merchant wares or commissioned by the Royal Courier Office directly from Zebrania. It was very expensive, and Sunset had only managed to get a sample once, when she had snuck into the kitchens the morning of Cadenza’s coronation. She had regretted not attending the after party on account of having missed many rare foods.

Why had they neglected getting more hazelnuts was beyond Sunset’s reasoning. Fortunately, it appeared that it was far more common in the human world. She decided not to leave it to luck, though.

“Do you want to trade?” She asked. “Half your sandwich for half my bowl.”

Sunflower looked at Sunset’s tray, as if realizing it was there for the first time. “Uhm…”

Diamond Rush slammed her hands on the table, making Sunflower jump a little. Sunset looked up at her with a frown. “You think you can ignore me? You’re really full of yourself, aren’t you?”

“The pot calling the kettle?” Sunset asked, and before Diamond could reply, she continued. “What do you want, Diamond? Isn’t talking to me kind of defeating the point?”

Diamond’s left eye twitched and her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. Sunset thought she looked better with some color on her pale face. “You’re not allowed to show your ugly face here. No one wants you here.”

Sunset chuckled. “My ugly face? Wow, Diamond, I didn’t think you had it in you to throw petty, playground insults. Next time you’re gonna say my hair is not very well brushed?” She gave a loud laugh and brought her fork to her mac n’ cheese. “Also, yes, I am allowed to use the school’s facilities. You have no say in this.” She lifted her fork and held it right outside her mouth. “Unless, of course, you want me to take it to the principal?” With that, she took another mouthful.

She definitely liked watching Diamond fume and turn red with anger. Sadly, the image lasted all but ten seconds before Diamond smiled broadly. “You think you’re so smart,” she said with such a low voice it was almost a whisper. “But if you keep defying me, you’ll regret it.”

Feeling already tired from the interaction, Sunset looked down at her bowl and gave a long sigh. “Trim your own frogs.”

“I… What?”

Sunset resisted the urge to facepalm. She really needed to study human idioms. “Look, Diamond. I want nothing to do with you, and despite your actions saying otherwise, you want nothing to do with me. So let’s just stay away from each other’s way before you end up regretting it.”

Diamond snorted. “If you think you’re in any position to threaten me, you’re having another thing coming. Let’s see if you have this same attitude tomorrow.” With that, she snapped her fingers and walked away with her group of friends.

When Diamond returned to her own table, Sunflower nudged Sunset on the arm. “Hey, are you sure it’s a good idea to antagonize Diamond?”

Shrugging, Sunset held a hand towards Sunflower. “Trade.” Sunflower nodded and gave her half her sandwich. Sunset used her fork to divide her bowl of mac n’ cheese so she’d give half of it to Sunflower after she finished. “The thing with bullies, Sunflower, is that they rely on everyone doing what they want. As soon as someone falls away from the line, they immediately try to beat them into returning to it.”

“Yeah,” Sunflower said. “That’s exactly what she’s doing to you.”

Sunset smiled. “Well, it normally works, because no one wants to face the bully. But, tell me, what happens when more and more people fall away from the bully’s control?”

Sunflower cocked her head. “They get angrier?”

“Yes,” Sunset admitted. “But they also lose said control. Think of it like a machine. If a piece starts acting up, you have to fix it. But what happens when many or all pieces don’t behave as expected?”

“The machine stops working,” Sunflower replied.

Sunset nodded. “Me challenging my assigned role as the newest social pariah is the loose bolt on Diamond’s machine. She tries to threaten me, to fix me, but I don’t give in, so she doesn’t know what to do except falling back and trying to come up with a different approach.”

Sunflower nodded as she took a bite of her sandwich.

“She’ll undoubtedly try to make my life miserable. It’s going to be difficult because I don’t care about being ostracized, which is Diamond’s specialty. She could resort to violence, but I have proved I will fight back, so that won’t be easy either.” Sunset regarded her half sandwich for a moment. “Although, I must admit I’ve never been in this situation before. I’ve always tried to keep myself apart from bullies… Maybe…” An idea occurred to her, and she pursed her lips. It was feasible, but she really didn’t want to use her only card in this school. Still, she had to admit she needed the help. She sighed defeatedly. “I think I know how to protect ourselves from Diamond’s retaliations.”

“Really?” Sunflower asked excitedly. “How?”

Sunset didn’t reply right away. She still needed to consider this option a great deal more. Still, there wasn’t much she could do without her magic. One had to work with what they had at hoof. The mark of a great leader was making use of all available tools at her disposal, even if said tools were complete wild cards.

She took a bite from the sandwich and savored the hazelnut. It was delicious.

14- Solution

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Chapter 14: Solution

Sunset yawned.

The first three times, she had done everything she could to stifle it, to avoid opening her mouth. But after an hour, she was now unable to control it. She was just so bored she thought she could fall asleep at any point. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the crowd’s cheering didn’t allow her that luxury.

Why did all these ponies get excited watching a bunch of pegasi fly around? All pegasi could fly, so Sunset could not see the appeal to go to a specific place to watch them do their thing. It was like ponies lining up just for a chance to watch a unicorn levitating stuff. Completely pointless.

And yet, Princess Celestia had insisted on attending this Wonderbolts show. She had said something about their anniversary or something, but Sunset had already forgotten all about it. At least Cadenza had looked excited enough, and so the princess hadn’t bothered Sunset about her attitude. Sunset thought of thanking the pink alicorn, but that’d only make her want to spend more time with Sunset, and that would only mean wasting more time. Her alicornification research was slow enough already.

Three of the Wonderbolts’ pegasi flew close by and generated a strong gust of air that ruffled Sunset’s mane. She frowned. On top of being bored to death, she was now being personally aggravated. Had Princess Celestia not fixed her mane right on the spot, Sunset would have shot those birdbrains out of the sky.

What an utter waste of time.

~~~~~~~~

Studying human society had been a very interesting prospect. It was, after all, a whole different world that had evolved and developed without the guidance and foundation of magic. As such, they were complete opposites to ponies. In her almost two months since arriving, Sunset hadn’t heard any impromptu musicals or even a quiet solo. Truly a weird phenomenon worth studying.

However, Sunset found herself unable to focus on humans as a whole. Instead, she couldn’t stop thinking about Trixie’s huge change in attitude while at school. She was normally quiet, sure, but she also got excited about things she liked and had strong opinions on things she disliked. She laughed when she had fun watching T.V. and got angry whenever she died while playing video games.

But, as soon as she got to school, she stopped talking altogether. Her eyes were always cast down as if constantly looking for something she might’ve dropped. She kept her arms close to her body and her shoulders hunched as if trying to make herself look smaller than she already was. She never participated in class unless a teacher explicitly called her, and even then, she’d either give the shortest answers or outright say she didn’t know.

In normal circumstances, Sunset wouldn’t have given her a single thought. But Trixie had lent a helping hoof -hand- to her and hadn’t asked anything in return. She had been there when Sunset had thought she’d die, as silly as the thought was in hindsight. So, as much as Sunset didn’t want to care, she did.

So, as soon as the last class was dismissed, Sunset decided to accompany Trixie to her locker.

“Why do you let everyone isolate you?” She asked as Trixie reached for her locker. “You can’t possibly be ok with it.”

Trixie stopped for a moment and slowly turned to her. “Uhm…” She looked this way or the other, then back at Sunset. “I… Uhm… I don’t…”

Sunset observed Trixie hesitate and interrupt herself for a whole minute before speaking up. “Ok, I think I understand,” she said. “This has been going on for years, so you’re just used to it, aren’t you?” She didn’t let Trixie reply. “Alright, I’ll help you.”

For a while, Trixie only stared back at Sunset. “Uhm… Huh?”

“You just need to have an attitude change,” Sunset explained. “The only reason everypony keeps ignoring you is that you let them. Stop being silent and meek and be loud and obnoxious.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” said Sunflower, who approached from behind Sunset, stopping right beside Trixie.

Sunset frowned. “It is easy.”

But Sunflower shook her head. “Maybe for you. But it’s not easy to be loud when no one wants to hear you.”

Sunset gave her an exaggerated eye-roll. “That’s exactly my point! If you’re being ignored, then you just have to make it too difficult for them to keep it up.”

Sunflower placed her hands on her hips, a gesture Sunset wasn’t familiar with yet. “Sunset, Trixie’s been treated like that for years. Sure, you can come and speak your mind and not be bothered if people ignore you, but we aren’t like that. We can’t just do whatever!”

“Why not?” Sunset asked, starting to feel tired of this conversation. “Who’s going to stop you?” She gave Sunflower a few seconds to reply, and when she didn’t, Sunset looked at Trixie and continued. “You have a very unique opportunity here, Trixie. Normally, speaking your mind would get you several reactions from everypony around, but right now, they will simply go on with their day.”

Trixie sighed but said nothing as she opened her locker. In her place, Sunflower spoke up. “That’s not really helping, Sunset.”

“Hey, I just want Trixie to be more assertive. To stop letting people step on her. She just needs a crash course on self-confidence and I bet that nopony’s ever going to want to ignore her again.”

Sunflower grabbed the bridge of her nose with two fingers and closed her eyes for a moment. “Sunset, I get that you want to help, but it’s not easy to make a person have a change of personality. Besides, even if you did do it, as soon as Diamond sees Trixie acting differently, she’s going to do something about it.”

Sunset blew through her lips angrily. “She won’t, I already told her what’ll happen if she tries to bully her again.”

“Yes, and that’s nice and all, but all she has to do is find a way to get to you first.” Sunflower shook her head. “Seriously, I’m actually surprised she hasn’t started nasty rumors about you or photoshopped you in embarrassing pictures or something.”

Photo… what? Sunset thought. She dismissed the thought for the moment and crossed her arms. “Look, any kind of petty bullying Diamond Rush can think of is going to be useless. As I said, I’m not here to be popular, I’m here to study.”

Although, she had to admit, being popular was a natural thing for her. It still irked her that these humans weren’t kneeling to her and praising her, hanging on to her every word. But she could ignore that. She was only going to be in this world for twenty-eight more moons, then she’d be back and finally earn her wings and rule over Equestria for decades, maybe even centuries!

“And that’s cool,” Sunflower said. “But I’ve seen enough movies to know that Diamond won’t stop with being petty. If you cross her… Well, I don’t know what she’d do, but I know it won’t be pretty.” She turned to look at Trixie. “Come on, Trixie, back me up here.”

Trixie put her last notebook inside her locker and closed it, then turned around, very slowly, to look at Sunset. “Actually… I… want to change.”

“What?” Sunflower said. “I mean, that’s great, but… Did you hear a thing I just said?”

“Yes,” Trixie said, still looking at Sunset. “But… I don’t like feeling like this…” She looked down and took a deep breath. “I…” She pressed her hands into fists, and Sunset noticed she was shaking.

A loud sigh interrupted whatever Trixie was going to say next. She and Sunset turned to Sunflower, who was scratching the side of her head. “Well, if that’s what you want… I guess I can help you too.” She gave a nervous chuckle. “Not that I’m as confident as Sunset, but… yeah…”

Sunset smiled. “Well, we can start right away. First—”

“Wait,” Sunflower interrupted her, holding a hand in front of her face. “What I said is still true. If Diamond realizes we’re helping Trixie be more confident, she’ll definitely do something to us.”

Sunset pursed her lips. She did not care about Diamond. The girl was a simple snobby brat that held no real power over her. The only reason why Sunset had briefly been in the sole of her hoof was that she had used Rainbow Dash’s volatile nature against her, but now that… Sunset blinked.

“That’s it,” Sunset turned and walked away.

Both Trixie and Sunflower quickly followed her. “What?” Sunflower asked.

Sunset didn’t reply, she simply sped up her pace through the hallways, looking around until she spotted the short but unmistakable mane of the rainbow-haired brute. Rainbow was surrounded by a group of maybe twenty students, all wearing the same purple shirts. They were talking and laughing as they made their way to the school’s entrance.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” Sunset called, making the girl stop and look around.

When Rainbow spotted her, she lifted her head and cocked both eyebrows. The gesture was very odd. Sunset didn’t know how to interpret it, so she simply kept closing the distance between them. That’s when Sunset noticed that the group of students behind Rainbow was making very poor efforts not to look at her. Idiots.

“Hey, Sunset, what’s up?”

The fact that Rainbow actually replied earned several gasps from the group, but Rainbow either ignored them or didn’t notice them. Sunset wasn’t sure how far Rainbow’s self-centered bubble reached.

“I need to talk to you for a minute,” Sunset said, frowning at the brats behind the rainbow-haired girl.

Rainbow nodded and turned her head around. “See you guys tomorrow for practice!”

It took a whole minute of hesitant glances, whispers, and nudging for the soccer team minus the captain to cross the main entrance and leave the school grounds. They had most likely wanted to try and convince Rainbow Dash not to talk to Sunset, and honestly, Sunset would have understood it. She wouldn’t have appreciated it one bit, but she would have understood. After all, peer pressure seemed to be a strong constant in any dimension.

The fact that Rainbow did not even bat an eye to it was enough for Sunset to think better of the brute if only a little. Her arms were still sore, even if the bruises had disappeared.

“Alright, what’s up?” Rainbow said as she confirmed no one would overhear them.

Sunset turned to Trixie, but the girl was standing a whole hallway away with Sunflower. She frowned at them and waved to tell them to come. They looked at each other, then hesitantly walked to her.

“So,” Sunset began and paused for just a moment when she saw Rainbow giving Trixie a small frown. “You remember you owe me one, don’t you?”

Rainbow’s frown deepened, she then puffed out her chest. “Of course I do! I never go back on my word!”

“Uh-huh. Look, I’m going to try to get Trixie to be more assertive,” Sunset explained, placing a hand on Trixie’s shoulder. Trixie flinched a bit. “According to Sunflower, this will make Diamond try to bully her more than she already does. So, I want you to keep an eye on her.”

“What?” Rainbow said.

“Wait, what?” Sunflower continued.

“Uhm… what?” Trixie finished.

Sunset held Rainbow’s glare. “You heard me.”

“No, wait,” Sunflower interjected, placing herself between Sunset and Rainbow, and gave Sunset a frown. “I literally told you Diamond will do something to us, not to Trixie.”

“Precisely,” Sunset replied. “She will most likely try something, but it will fail. And when she fails, she’ll try to take it out on Trixie anyway.” She looked at Rainbow. “I know you and Diamond have a pact of non-aggression, but I need you to—”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Rainbow interrupted her, lifting her hands. “Diamond and I have a what now?”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “A pact of non-aggression?” Rainbow blinked. “An agreement not to annoy each other?”

Rainbow scratched the back of her head. “I don’t remember any agreement with her.”

It was Sunset’s turn to simply blink for a couple of seconds. “What?”

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t talk to Diamond, but that’s because I don’t like her,” Rainbow said. “She tried to ‘recruit’ me last year, but I don’t hang out with bullies. I just told her to never try anything with Fluttershy and I’d leave her pretty doll face unbroken.”

Sunset frowned. “That mule,” she muttered.

In hindsight, Sunset shouldn’t be as surprised as she was. Canterlot nobility was notorious for their empty threats and bluffs, and Sunset had been an expert in calling them out. But Diamond was just a human girl with no power beyond a supposed rich family. Sunset had simply lowered her guard and completely believed her.

Well, the pact being a complete lie only empowered Sunset to continue with her plan.

She passed a hand through her face and breathed deeply. “Alright, it doesn’t matter,” Sunset said. “Look, just do me this favor ok? At least until Trixie can stand up for herself. Then you won’t owe me anything.”

Rainbow crossed her arms and looked at Trixie, who hunched over herself. Why did she always do that? After a while, Rainbow shrugged. “Sure thing.”

“Really?” Sunflower asked. “Just like that?” She laughed nervously when Sunset glared at her. “I-I mean, thanks!”

“Heh, no problem,” Rainbow said. “I do it for Flutters already, anyway.” She scratched the back of her head. “By the way, you should know Diamond already started spreading rumors about you.”

Sunset cocked an eyebrow.

But it was Sunflower who spoke first. “Really? It must be because of what we did at the cafeteria.”

“Seriously?” Sunset asked. “All we did was eat lunch,” she said, then looked at Rainbow. “What stupid thing is she saying?”

“That you’re bullying Fluttershy,” Rainbow said with a shrug.

Sunflower rose a shaking hand. “And you don’t believe that, do you? ‘Cuz I can vouch for Sunset’s innocence.”

“Well,” Rainbow replied, looking away. “I might’ve believed it if Sunset and I hadn’t talked yesterday.” She gave Sunset an apologetic chuckle.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks for the vote of trust.” Not that she cared about it, but at least Sunset was glad Rainbow wasn’t so stupid as to just up and believe everything she was told. She sighed. “Well, it’s not like it matters. Just make sure Diamond or her lackeys don’t do anything to Trixie while we teach her to stand up for herself, we can handle ourselves.”

“We can?” Sunflower asked.

But Sunset ignored the question and walked away, outside school.

With that taken care of, Sunset could begin Trixie’s self-confidence boost training program. Sunset owed it to Trixie, and she wasn’t one to leave debts unpaid. But how to go about it? Sunset had always been confident in herself, and she had never taken anypony’s nonsense. She didn’t know where to start.

“Alright,” she said as the trio reached the corner of the school grounds. “How do we start this?” She pressed the palms of her hands together and hummed.

Sunflower looked over Trixie. “Well, first of all, you need to start talking more.” She tapped her chin with a finger. “I guess you can start by talking more about yourself.”

Trixie’s eyes darted from side to side, much like her own body. “Uhm… M-Me?”

“Yeah!” Sunflower said. “For example. Is there a T.V. show that you like?”

Trixie looked at Sunset, then at Sunflower, then down. Sunset noticed that her cheeks turned a bright red. “Uhm… I-I like… Elementians…”

Sunflower blinked. “I don’t think I’ve heard of that one.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “It’s just a car—”

“At, at, at!” Sunflower interrupted her by placing a finger to her mouth. “Let Trixie do the talking.”

Sunset frowned at being interrupted so rudely but didn’t say anything. This had been her idea, after all.

It took Trixie ten whole seconds and one deep breath to speak up, although her eyes were still cast down. “I-It’s a cartoon about… Y’know… People who can control the elements.”

“Uh… Ok?”

“Come on, Trixie,” Sunset said. “You spent hours telling me all about it. Why does she get the short version?”

Trixie stuttered for a few more seconds before finding the words again. “W-Well, you see… It’s a world where, you know, some people are born in magical clans…”

Sunset tuned her out. She had already listened to the whole thing. Once Trixie got started, she had not shut up until she had finished. Now, even though she was speaking a lot slower, she was still explaining everything to Sunflower. Meanwhile, Sunset decided to instead think back on her real duties.

Now that the issues with Diamond Rush had been largely resolved, Sunset could return to studying the human world. Since her social studies were now interrupted, for the time being, Sunset decided to find something else to focus on. Technology was something she was especially interested in, with how much it made humans’ lives easier, and how it could improve ponies’ lives too. There was also the lack of magic, which had forced everything to evolve in strange ways. Like the sun and moon moving on their own. She still needed to know how that worked.

She looked up to the sky and took a deep breath. Honestly, now that she didn’t need to worry about Rainbow Dash beating her up again, she felt so much lighter. It was weird how much could change in just a couple of days. She was still irked that she had been forced to endure this whole situation like a peasant. But, on the other hoof, she could force herself to use logic and feel proud that she had managed to get out of it relatively fast.

How did others do it?

“So the Aqua clan has this lifelong rivalry with the Ember clan,” Trixie rambled on. “But they don’t dare war with each other because it could facilitate the Great Void to return to the world.”

“So sorry to interrupt you, Trixie,” Sunflower said hastily, “but I gotta get home.”

Sunset blinked and looked around. They had gotten to the bus stop she always passed to go to school and back. Sunflower’s house was crossing the street, and Sunset could see its pretty front lawn, with all the different flowers arranged on display.

Trixie looked down. “Oh… Ok…”

“You can keep telling me about it tomorrow,” Sunflower added. “It does sound interesting.” When Trixie simply nodded, Sunflower looked at Sunset. “Uhm… Oh!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow when Sunflower dug into her bag and produced a small rectangle thing. It was very similar to the objects Diamond’s friends had been pointing at her when she had threatened the bully leader.

“We should take a group photo!”

So it is a camera, Sunset thought. Never mind the strange shape. It was really small! How did it even print proper polaroids?

“Come on!” Sunflower said. She pulled Trixie to her side while getting close to Sunset. She then pointed the camera away and up. Sunset was about to ask what the hell she was doing but then noticed that the camera had a mirror the size of the entire thing. What? “Say cheese!” And with that, Sunflower tapped her finger on the mirror. It blacked out for only a second, then she lowered the camera.

“What the…”

But she didn’t have to ask. Sunflower tapped on the mirror again and it quickly showed them a perfect picture of them, looking up at it. Sunset could not hide her surprise. A mirror that took photographs and could show them on it? Was it really just technology? It was incredible to think that there was no magic anywhere in the whole thing.

“I think it came out good!” Sunflower said. She then put her camera away and turned to face Sunset and Trixie. “Well, gotta go. See you tomorrow!” And with that, she crossed the street and went into her house.

Sunset stared at Sunflower’s house for a while. She then turned to Trixie. “What was that camera thing? How does it work?”

Trixie looked at her with a small frown, as if she hadn’t expected Sunset to address her. “Uhm… It’s a smartphone.”

Smartphone? Why did she feel like she had heard that word before?

Trixie seemed to have noticed her confusion, so she started to explain. “It’s, uhm… So, you know what a phone is, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s the same, but you can also do many more things with it,” Trixie said as she and Sunset started walking back to the apartment. “Like taking pictures, or playing games, or using the internet…”

“Internet,” Sunset repeated the word. She had read about it, but the information the encyclopedia had given her was confusing. Some sort of surfing place?

“Uhm…” Trixie looked this way and the other. “Boy… Ok… Uhm… See, it’s like, everything put together.” Sunset raised an eyebrow at that. “Not helpful. Right. Uhm… Oh! Like a library! But, in your phone. Also, you have, like, the T.V. there, too. And news, and social media, and…”

Sunset narrowed her eyes. “Are you pulling my tail?”

“Uhm… Your… tail?”

Sunset huffed. Stupid idioms. “Are you messing with me?”

“No!” Trixie replied hastily. “It’s really all those things! Uhm, you can ask mom when she comes home tonight.”

Sunset brought up a hand to her face and sighed. Once again, Trixie was a completely useless source of information. Even when trying to explain something, all she really did was raise more questions. Sunset had no idea how a library and a phone could exist in the same artifact, but if it was true, she wanted to have one.

She wondered if Dandy had one of those and if she’d lend it to Sunset.

15- Research Device

View Online

Chapter 15: Research Device

Sunset levitated a pen, a book, an apple, and a mane clip. She made the objects rotate clockwise, maintaining the same speed for each object, for five minutes, then made them rotate counter-clockwise.

It was a simple exercise. But levitation was as easy to learn as it was easy to forget. Not entirely, of course, but if a unicorn didn’t keep her skills sharp, she could easily lose finesse.

There was a knock on her door, so Sunset set down the objects on her bed. “Come in.”

Princess Celestia entered her room, and Sunset suppressed a groan. She had hoped to avoid this confrontation for at least one day.

“I was told you skipped your lesson today,” Princess Celestia said. Sunset couldn’t tell if she was angry or not, especially with the princess’ perfect poker face. “Did you feel unwell?”

“No,” Sunset said.

“Then, what is the matter?”

Sunset sighed. She had thought of lying her way out, but Princess Celestia was as old as the very princessdom. One puny unicorn, as talented as Sunset was, could not ever hope to deceive her. So she gathered her courage to tell the truth.

“I just skipped Alchemy,” she said. “I don’t want to keep studying it. It’s nothing but glorified cooking. You just have to follow a recipe, after all. I could be using that time to hone other skills more useful for…” She bit her tongue. “For an archmage.”

Princess Celestia stared at her for a moment, then sat down and offered Sunset a smile. “You know, you are right. Alchemy is very much like cooking.”

Sunset blinked. She had not expected the princess to agree so readily. “Then—”

“Did you know,” the princess interrupted her, “that cakes were invented six hundred years ago?”

“Uhm…” Sunset thought about it. She had never read anything about food history. She had never even given it a single thought.

“At first, they simply started adding sugar to the dough,” Princess Celestia explained. “But as more and more ponies started experimenting, eventually, one of them came up with the recipe for the very first chocolate cake, similar to the ones you’ve eaten before.”

Sunset nodded slowly. Where was the princess going with this?

“Now, my dear, faithful student. What do you think would have happened if everypony back then had decided to just follow the one recipe they all knew?”

Sunset hummed. “They… They wouldn’t have invented chocolate cake?”

Princess Celestia smiled. “And so, if ponies just followed the recipe, we wouldn’t have half the potions we use now. No sleeping potions, no energy potions, no anti-acne potions,” she winked at that one, and Sunset blushed, “and the strongest medicinal potions would barely be enough to help with a mild headache.”

That… made a lot of sense.

“Studying alchemy is not just so you learn how to brew potions that we know the recipes for,” Princess Celestia continued. “But so that you learn the techniques and the ingredients, and potentially discover new effects or boosts, or even completely new potions. Why, we owe Archmage Eve Flicker for inventing and perfecting fertility potions in a time when our numbers were dangerously low.

“So you see, Sunset. If you really want to be the most powerful Archmage to have ever taken that title, you may want to reconsider skipping the lessons whose importance is not immediately clear.”

Sunset hung her head and closed her eyes. “Sorry, princess.”

Maybe Sunset should give Alchemy a second chance. Maybe, inventing a potion that helped all of ponykind would open a new door to becoming an alicorn. If anything, Sunset had to try.

~~~~~~~~

“Now, tap on the browser icon,” Sunflower said.

Sunset did so, and the ´screen´ changed to white, followed by a rectangle with a blinking line and the alphabet.

After spending the morning in the library reading about Halloween for their paper, Sunset and Trixie had met up with Sunflower at Sugarcube Corner, where Sunset had asked her to teach her all about the smartphone. As it turned out, Dandy did not own one of the devices and had also been unable to properly explain the internet to Sunset.

“Now, you can write any question you have,” Sunflower explained. “Most of the time you’ll get a Wikipedia article, but if you’re looking for a video, then Youtube is the go-to option.”

Sunset stared at the letters on the screen. She tapped on them, and a G letter appeared on the rectangle. She cocked her head, then started carefully navigating her fingers through them all. The result was gibberish, but she had managed to get a feel of the whole thing. It was infinitely much easier than writing with her hands!

“Is… Is there a way to erase this?” She asked, still looking at the random assortment of letters. She hadn’t thought about it until now. Seeing both images and text flicker in and out of existence told her that it could be a possibility, but she had just written complete gibberish. Would it not work if it wasn’t a logical sentence? What if she had ruined Sunflower’s smartphone? The thought made her shiver as she did not want to repay it, especially when she didn’t even know how much the devices cost.

“Just tap on, uhh, that one,” Sunflower replied, pointing at a drawing of an enlarged pentagon with an X letter in its middle.

Sunset tapped on it, and the last letter disappeared. She let out a sigh of relief. Definitely much easier than using an eraser, and faster, even, than a spell to restore a parchment to its original state.

“Do you lovely girls know what you’ll order?” asked a bubbly voice. Sunset looked up to see a woman of light blue skin and pink mane smiling at her.

“Chocolate smoothie, please!” Sunflower exclaimed.

Trixie cleared her throat. “Uhm… Vanilla smoothie for me.”

“I’ll have a strawberry one,” Sunset said, then returned to her exploration of the phone.

“So, what are you girls gonna do for Halloween?” Sunflower asked.

Sunset looked up at her. The library had taught her the origins and customs of the holiday, but it had been both Trixie and Dandy who had explained the current ins and outs of the whole thing. It sounded extremely familiar to Nightmare Night, with kids dressing up as scary things and going from door to door asking for candy. Except that humans would pull pranks on those that did not give them candy? That one she did not understand.

“Well…” Trixie said, lowering her eyes to the table. “I usually just stay home and play video games.”

Sunset shrugged. “I’ve never had time for it, either.” Unlike Trixie, though, she always spent the day studying or practicing her spells.

“What!” Sunflower exclaimed, and Trixie flinched. “That’s no fun at all! You two have to come trick or treating with me!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. Dressing up in a ridiculous costume and going to strangers’ houses did not sit well with her. Her parents had taken her to do it, once, well before she even entered Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She didn’t remember much, other than being tired and cold.

“W-Well…” Trixie said. “I-I’d have to ask my mom…”

Sunset looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Trixie looked eager, in her strange, shy way. She looked like she could barely hold back a smile, and her cheeks were a soft shade of pink.

“What about you, Sunset?” Sunflower asked, and she had a glimmer in her eyes, expectant.

Why did she look so excited about it? If she wanted candy so badly, she could simply go buy it at a store or something. Surely it was easier than having to go around asking for it.

“I’ll pass,” she said.

“Aw, come on, Sunset!” Sunflower said, leaning over the table. “It’ll be fun! We can match costumes, and get tons of candy, and…” She gasped. “I can ask my parents if they’ll let me have a slumber party!”

Sunset was about to refuse again. She had never gone to those, knowing that the snobbish, pretentious fillies only wanted to use her for her intelligence and connection to Princess Celestia. And even then, she didn’t like the concept of spending a night doing something that was not working on bettering herself.

Trixie, however, looked like she had been offered water after spending a week in the desert. Sunset could honestly not see the appeal to the whole thing. Then again, Trixie was an odd one. In any case, Sunset wasn’t interested in wasting her time…

She crossed her arms and hummed.

If she thought about it, however, it was an excellent opportunity to study human social interactions. That part of her research had been upended by that brat Diamond Rush, now that no one at school would talk to her. She had completely overlooked that Sunflower had befriended Trixie, and that meant Sunset could study their interactions. It wasn’t a very good replacement for the dozens of lost study subjects, but a good scientist had to do with what she had.

“Alright, I’m in,” she finally said. Unlike her past experiences, neither Trixie nor Sunflower wanted to use her for their own gain. They genuinely wanted to spend time with her because they appreciated her. Which was more than any other pony had even shown her before.

“Yes!” Sunflower yelled and stood up. Her cheeks blushed as she noticed other patrons looking at her. She slowly slid back to her seat as she cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’ll ask my mom and give you the details later.”

Their smoothies arrived, and Sunflower spent the rest of their reunion talking about all the things they could do at her slumber party.

~~~~~~~~

The T.V. was playing a very strange cartoon about crying vegetables. Trixie had tried convincing Sunset to give it a try, but Sunset did not care for ponies… people… things that cried to solve their problems. It reminded her of the brats back home that would shed fake tears to their parents so that they’d get a new dress or something.

So, while Trixie enjoyed her weird cartoon, Sunset sat on the farthest couch with a tome of the encyclopedia resting on her knees. History was one of the subjects she struggled with the most. Not because she couldn’t memorize the dates and events, but because she just couldn’t comprehend why humans killed each other so much. Sure, Equestria was no stranger to war either, what with King Sombra’s coup d’etat and war declaration to Unified Equestria. But that had been over a thousand years ago, and less than one thousand ponies had been killed.

Humans, however, counted their war casualties in the millions. It was mind-blowing.

The front door opened, and in came Dandy. Sunset looked up from the tome as the older woman closed the door behind her and tossed the keys on the dining table.

“Mom!” Trixie said, jumping to her feet. “Mom! Mom! Guess what?!”

Dandy barely had time to brace herself as Trixie ran up to her and grabbed her arms. “What?”

“Sunflower wants to go trick or treating with us!” Trixie said, almost too fast to understand. “And she invited us to have a slumber party at her house after that! Her mom said yes! Can we go? Please, please, pleaaaaaaaase!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. If Trixie could be this loud and talkative at home, why was it so difficult for her to behave the same way at school?

“Whoa, wait,” Dandy said, managing to shake off Trixie’s grip. She placed her bag on the table. “Who’s this Sunflower girl?”

“Oh, right,” Trixie said as she took a step back. “Sunset and I’ve been hanging out with Sunflower for a while. She’s pretty neat!”

Dandy blinked a few times, then looked at Sunset. “What happened to being a foreign variable?”

Sunset shrugged. “Now that the whole school won’t talk to me, it’s kind of a moot point.”

“What do you mean they won’t talk to you?” Dandy asked, placing her hands on her hips. “Is this because of that Rainbow Dash girl? Is she still bullying you?”

Sunset frowned a bit. Why did she look so angry?

“No,” she said. “We made up. It was all just a misunderstanding on her part, so she apologized.”

“Alright, that’s… good to know,” Dandy said. “But why do you say the school won’t talk to you?”

Sunset huffed. “Because they’re a bunch of brats. Not like I care, honestly. Gives me more time to write my paper.”

Dandy scratched the side of her face. “Uh… Ok. But, if you need someone to talk to, I’m here, ok?” Sunset shrugged again. With that, Dandy turned to Trixie. “So you made friends with this Sunflower?”

Trixie nodded. “Well, she was already friends with Sunset, but she also wanted to be my friend!”

That put an ear-to-ear grin on Dandy's face. “I’m really glad to hear that! And she invited you to a slumber party? The two of you?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, I’ll have to talk to her mom,” Dandy said. “But as far as I’m concerned, I don’t see why not.”

“Yay!” Trixie yelled. “Thank you, thank you!”

Dandy patted Trixie as her daughter hugged her. “Anyway. I need to talk to Sunset about some things. Will you please go to your—”

“Sunset, come play with me when you finish!” Trixie said as she practically hopped to her room.

Dandy stared at the now empty hallway with a smile. After a few seconds, she approached Sunset and sat down on the couch. Her expression immediately turned somewhat serious.

“First of all, I’m glad your situation with that Rainbow girl is over.”

“No kidding,” Sunset replied.

“Now, I did promise I’d respect your independence, but if you feel like the kids at school are being cruel, you can tell me,” Dandy continued. “The idea of you enrolling was so that you could learn, not so you’d be accosted or something.”

“I’m fine,” Sunset said with a huff. “I like being alone… Well, mostly alone. There are so many things about this world that I need all the time I can get to put my research together.”

That made Dandy pause, then nod slowly. “Alright, I won’t continue prying if you don’t want me to.” She passed a hand through her hair. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about Trixie.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Dandy smiled and leaned closer. “Her birthday is coming up,” she whispered. “It’s next month. November nineteenth. I was planning on having a small get-together here. You can invite this Sunflower friend of yours. And any other friends you may have, for that matter.”

“It’s just Sunflower,” Sunset replied. “But sure, I can tell her.”

“Thank you. Trixie will be really happy.” With that, she stood up.

“Wait,” Sunset called her. Dandy turned to look at her. She opened her mouth… But words failed her. What was it she had wanted to ask? Sunset frowned. She had spoken out of pure impulse. What an odd thing to do. She shook her head. “Nevermind.”

Dandy nodded and left. Sunset decided to ignore her own outburst and continue reading.

The rest of the week went by without a hitch. According to Rainbow Dash, Diamond had been very active in spreading lies about Sunset and her group. Most of them were pretty stupid, but Sunset did find one amusing. Apparently she was trying to become the meanest bully around, and had started by recruiting a pair of lackeys that would do all the dirty job for her.

As if Sunset would trust anyone but herself to do what needed to be done.

Of course, students were starting to get confused. Were they supposed to ignore and ostracize Sunset and Sunflower because of them interacting with Trixie, or were they supposed to mock them? Sunset smiled every time she glanced at Diamond’s irritated face. Just like she had predicted, her flimsy control over stupid teenagers was beginning to crumble.

Especially after Rainbow had been seen giving Sunset a thumbs up, even when the rumor of Sunset bullying Fluttershy was well known. Sunset couldn’t help but laugh. Internally, of course, since she was currently in class, half-listening to her classmates presenting their Halloween papers.

Fortunately, Trixie had turned out to be a decent project partner. She had never once tried to slack off, and she had really made an effort to learn and practice for presentation day. For all her faults, Sunset had to commend her on that aspect.

… That being said, Trixie was still extremely shy and awkward, and so she had literally whispered during her part of the presentation. Sunset could only shake her head while the teacher leaned in to listen. Fortunately, though, Miss Green Spell didn’t decide to take points off for that, and she had awarded them an A+.

“Next up,” Miss Green Spell said when Sunset and Trixie returned to their seats. “Sunflower Dust and Berry Chaser.”

Sunset turned her head just in time to see Berry —a short, purple-skinned boy—, hastily putting some sheets of paper into his pocket. Sunflower had an uneasy smile on her face as she walked to the front of the classroom.

“Alright,” Miss Green Spell said. “The stage is all yours.”

Sunflower cleared her throat. “Well, we’re gonna talk about how the Jack o'Lanterns were originally made out of turnips instead of pumpkins.”

“What!” Berry blurted out, and Sunflower jumped a little, looking at him with widened eyes. “You said it was a Jack o’Lantern story!”

There was silence as Berry realized what he had just said. He slowly turned to Miss Spell, who had an eyebrow raised. He opened his mouth, and Miss Spell opened hers to interrupt him, but it was Sunflower’s loud gasp that caught everyone’s attention.

She placed both hands over her mouth as she looked at Berry. “I’m sorry! I gave you the wrong notes!” She immediately pressed her hands to shut her own mouth, but the damage had already been done.

“The wrong notes?” Miss Green Spell asked. “Care to elaborate?”

Sunflower shook her head. Sunset thought her expression looked like that of a little filly caught with her hoof inside the cookie jar. Berry, though, looked like he had accidentally told his mom to shut up. Miss Green Spell… Well, Sunset really didn’t know how to read her expression, but it had the effect of making both students fidget and sway this way or the other.

When neither student spoke up, Miss Spell crossed her arms and huffed. “You didn’t prepare, did you?”

“Of course we did!” Berry retorted. Miss Spell raised an eyebrow, however, and Berry simply looked down silently.

“I will have a word with you two after class,” Miss Green Spell said. “But know that you two have an F on this assignment. Go back to your seats.”

Harsh, but fair, Sunset thought as she watched Sunflower walk back to her seat with tears in her eyes. She understood that Berry had treated Sunflower the same way Granite had tried to treat Sunset. Wanting her to do everything and simply turn over the notes. The fact that Sunflower had allowed it made Sunset shake her head. Because of that, and because of her mixing up her notes, she had failed such an easy assignment. At least it wouldn’t lower her grades irreparably.

~~~~~~~~

“Mom’s gonna kill me,” Sunflower whined.

After school, they decided to go to the mall. Sunset still didn’t know why people liked hanging out in a place like this, but she had to admit it gave her plenty of opportunities to observe human interactions.

“Why didn’t you tell Miss Green Spell that he made you do all the work?” Sunset asked.

Sunflower shook her head. “I did, but then Berry told her I prepared something different to make her think so. In the end, Miss Spell decided we both were to blame.”

“At least you didn’t get detention,” Trixie offered.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Sunset turned her attention to the stores that lined the hallway. Despite having visited the mall several times, she was still amazed at the fact that humans had built a building for the sole purpose of gathering stores of all kinds. Especially considering the same stores could be found all around the city. Well, at least it helped her get what she needed, as she didn’t really have the time nor the freedom to roam about and search for the specific stores she wanted to visit herself.

There was also the perk of not having to cross streets.

Back in Equestria, she only ever needed to pay attention to the right of passage, indicated by the rotating signs that were either magically automated or had some traffic pony operating them. Everypony respected the right of passage, and carriages were only as fast as a galloping pony. Here in human land, however, people seemed desperate to go before everyone else, and Sunset had had to learn to always be careful, no matter what the traffic lights said.

And so that was another point for the mall.

“What are you looking for?” Sunflower asked.

Sunset turned to look at her. “I want to buy a smartphone.”

Sunflower stopped walking. “Wha- like, right now?”

“Yes,” Sunset said. “The device is fascinating. And it seems like it can be really useful.” If the internet really was everything they said it was, then Sunset would be able to have access to amounts of information of the likes no pony has ever seen before.

“Well, what kind of phone do you want?” Sunflower asked.

Sunset looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, what kind?”

“Uhm, you know. What brand, or model?” Sunset simply blinked. “I think it’ll be best if we have an expert tell you all about it.” Sunflower hummed. “Maybe going to a phone store will be best.”

Sunflower led both Sunset and Trixie through the mall until they reached a particular store called ‘EQ&G mobility’. Sunset raised both eyebrows. The few times she had seen the name while passing by, she had thought it would be some sort of travel agency. These humans were terrible at naming things.

Upon entrance, Sunset couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. The smartphone Sunflower had shown Sunset was a gate for near-infinite knowledge, something akin to the entirety of Canterlot’s Royal Library archives. Even more so, if that was even possible. It was something that no mere mortal could ever hope to make good use of. And yet, here it was, a store that had dozens of these devices on display, ready to be sold to anyone who could pay for them.

It was mind-blowing.

“Hello there,” said a voice. Sunset turned to look at a tall, lanky boy with white skin and short brown hair. His glasses were so thick Sunset couldn’t properly see his eye color. “Welcome to EQ&G. My name is Poindexter. How can I help you?”

“What does EQ and G mean?” Sunset asked.

The boy raised both eyebrows and stayed silent for a few seconds. “If… If I remember correctly, I think it was ‘Electronic Quality and Guidance’.” He then gave Sunset a smile that looked a tad forced. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Sunset nodded. “Uh, yes. I want to buy a smartphone.”

“Sure. What did you have in mind?”

“I actually don’t know anything about phones,” Sunset admitted. “I want you to show me.”

“Well, that kind of depends on your budget. High-end phones are very expensive, but, of course, they have better specifications.” Poindexter turned and pointed at a row of phones. “Still, low-end or old models work just as fine, and they are cheaper.” He took one of the devices and handed it to Sunset. “Orange phones are very popular nowadays, and even their old models still work really well.”

Sunset looked at the phone in her hand and cocked her head. “Orange. Why does it sound familiar?”

“Diamond’s mom works in that company,” Trixie said.

“Oh, yeah,” Sunflower replied. “She’s the CEO, right?”

Trixie frowned. “Uhm, I think she’s a marketing manager or something like that.”

It was Sunflower’s turn to frown. “What? I’ve heard her mom runs the company. That’s why she’s rich.”

“And where did you hear that?” Sunset asked her.

“Uhm… Around school…” Sunflower crossed her arms. “Do you think she made up that rumor?”

Sunset sighed and shook her head. “Wouldn’t put it past her. Regardless, that’s reason enough for me.” She turned to Poindexter and gave him the phone back. “I don’t want anything from this Orange company.”

Poindexter stared at her for a few seconds. “Alrighty, then,” he finally said and put the phone back to its previous spot. He then proceeded to talk about all the different kinds of brands there were, the models, and other stuff. Sunset eventually had to bring up her notebook to write down everything she was being told. Poindexter really seemed to know what he was talking about, answering Sunset’s questions with practiced ease.

The more she learned, the more impressed Sunset got with this piece of technology. It had almost everything! The unlimited pool of knowledge called the internet, telephone, camera, calculator, and many other different, useful-sounding things, all brought together in a device that could easily be carried in a pocket of her jacket.

In the right hooves, like hers, a device such as these ones had the potential to change the world. She really needed one.

“... So, if you’re not really into photographs, any low-end phone’s camera is more than enough,” Poindexter explained. “And, if you ask me, if you are trying to be a professional photographer, you’ll be better off with a professional camera… Uhm, don’t tell my boss I said that.”

Sunset nodded. “Well, I don’t have enough money for those super expensive smartphones, anyway,” she said. Which was only partially true. But, well, even if she did have enough human money, she didn’t think it was worth spending it all on an expensive phone simply because of the camera and some performance upgrades. “What can you give me for four hundred dollars or less?”

Poindexter smiled and started lining up a small collection of smartphones on the counter. For Sunset’s untrained eyes, they looked almost exactly the same to each other.

“These are the two most popular brands,” Poindexter said. “Well, with the exception of Orange, since you don’t want their products.” He cleared his throat. “They all are practically the same. Some are faster than the others, but their battery lasts a bit less.”

Sunset listened to the pros and cons of each of the four smartphones in front of her. It was a very tough choice, she had to admit. They were so similar to each other, it was like the companies that made them wanted people to choose them simply by their brand.

And so, with Poindexter unable to convince her to buy any specific one of the four models in front of her, she picked the Starsong brand, simply by virtue of it sounding like a unicorn name.

“How much is it?” She asked as Poindexter started gathering the other three phones.

“One hundred, ninety-nine.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at that. She had already noticed that human prices were really odd. Never did she see a round amount. Everything always ended with a nine. Why did they do it? She shook her head to dispel such thoughts. It wasn’t like it mattered anyway. It was just another minor difference from Equestria.

She gave Poindexter the two one-hundred dollar bills, which elicited a gasp from Sunflower, for some reason. He explained some other things Sunset needed to know, such as the ‘pack’ she’d be hiring in order to actually use the device to its full potential. Of course she’d need to pay even more money.

A few minutes later, she walked out of the store with her smartphone in a plastic bag.

“Let me write down your number,” Sunflower said, taking out her phone.

Sunset gave Sunflower the paper note in which Poindexter had written her number. Sunflower happily tapped away at her phone for a while.

“I sent you a text,” Sunflower said, giving the note back to Sunset. “When you get it, you can add me!”

Sunset nodded and looked down at the bag that contained her smartphone. She was still surprised that something so small could do so many different things. It made her doubt everyone and everything’s claim that magic didn’t exist in this world.

She already wanted to get back home and learn how to use it.

The Trick to Growing Up

by Hakuno

1- The Girl from the Other World

2- Monkey see, Monkey do

3- Social Bathing

4- Crimson Awakening

5- Market Castle

6- Trottoir

7- Garden Grove Junior High

8- Bumps in the Road

9- Among Them

10- Between Bucking Hooves

11- Two Bad Options

12- Association

13- Defiance

14- Solution

15- Research Device