The Trick to Growing Up

by Hakuno

First published 9th of April, 2020

When Sunset first got to the human world, she had the help of a girl that happened to be passing by.

Sunset Shimmer, prized pupil of Princess Celestia, has taken the most brash decision of her life. She will now have to live in the human world for years before being able to return. Fortunately, she has the help of some natives to endure this experience.

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Fair warnings:

This is a different take on Sunset's story pre Equestria Girls, where things happened differently. This story will contain Sunset exploring everything she possibly can about the human world, leading to subjects some might find uncomfortable. So you have been advised.

There is no sex in this story, but there will be talk about sex, although it'll be later on. Nudity will be common but not in sexual situations (at least not early on).

This story will also deal with bullying, but not too dark.

I will appreciate greatly all forms of feedback :3

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.

Author's Notes:

I hope you feel intrigued. All feedback will be greatly appreciated!

2- Monkey see, Monkey do

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.

Author's Notes:

This is a longer chapter than I intended, but I hope you like it nonetheless!

3- Social Bathing

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.

Author's Notes:

This is one of the most important chapters because it finally sets the recurrent theme of nudity. This is how I will be handling from now on (on the ocasions it happens). That is to say, it'll be clear what is happening, but there will be no mention of body parts unless strictly necessary.

All feedback will be greatly appreciated!

4- Crimson Awakening

Author's Notes:

For those who follow my stories, you probably know that I never put these comments on the top. I do it now because I feel the need to warn its contents.

Sunset will deal in this chapter with girl's themes, if you catch my drift. The chapter doesn't go into much detail, but it is a bit graphic. If you don't care for it, you can safely skip this chapter, and you won't miss much.

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

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.

Author's Notes:

I really don't like the "Sunset has to be a vegetarian because she was a pony" trend in most Sunset fics. So this chapter exists with the sole purpose of having her become an omnivorous person.

Just wait till she tries bacon.

6- Trottoir

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.

Author's Notes:

A sort of transition chapter. I hope you liked it!