Not all who wander are lost: Equestria Girls Special
Written by Jlargent
Me: Yeah this takes place at the movie so I thought it would be a good distraction until the next chapter is finished. I do not own MLP in any shape or form. Typical disclaimers apply. As soon as I reach that point in the main story I'll add this to it.
"Man, I can't believe that it's been already a month since Twilight's coronation." I said as the train to the Crystal Empire was pulling into the station.
Twilight shakes her head "I know what you mean Jack, I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I'm a princess now."
"All hail the Twilight Princess." I joked.
Twilight groaned at the pun "I'm never going to hear the end of it from you aren't I?" she asks referring to the Legend of Zelda game that shares her new title.
I shake my head "Not on your life Sparky. This gives me plenty of ammo for future jokes." I replied smiling, I pull my duffle bag of clothes and a few books from the luggage compartment and sling it over my shoulder. A couple of days ago Twilight received a letter from Celestia asking her to attend a conference with her, Cadence and Luna. The purpose of the meeting is to help Twilight adjust to her new station as a princess of the realm as well as inform her of her new duties. Soon the eight of us were making our way to the palace when Rarity was freaking out about Twilight's lack of Crown/Element.
After calming down and complaining about her new wings we continue on to the palace, soon we make our way to the throne room and open the door to see two rows of crystal ponies blowing on ceremonial horns and Twilight was distracted and bumps into a medium orange pegasus with a dark blue tail, his mane was covered by the helmet that was standard issue with the Royal Guard.
"Her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" he announces before stepping back to let the other princesses step forward.
"You must be very tired from your journey. We'll continue this in the morning, now off to bed." She says and we head off into our rooms.
A few hours later…
I jerk up from my bed with Twilight yelling about a thief, I rush out of the room in pursuit, since my room was the furthest away from Twilight I was the one that was closest, I poured on the speed to follow Twilight and the thief and from what I could see the pony was wearing a black cloak similar to the one Trixie wore when she returned to Ponyville to get revenge on me and Twilight for what happened the first time she showed up. I notice Twilight teleporting away, no doubt to intercept the thief but when I round the corner I was surprised that the thief teleported as well leaving the cloak behind to reveal her face, she looked to be around Twilight's age with crimson and yellow hair similar to flames and her coat color was a dark amber her Cutie Mark was surprising, a sun half red and half yellow.
The chase resumed leading to a room without any windows We got her now. I thought as Twilight performs an impressive flying tackle slamming into the thief and sending the Element of Magic ricocheting off a few items before going into the mirror where it disappears in a ripple.
"What did you do to my crown?" Twilight exclaims.
The thief sneers slightly "Sorry it had to be this way." She says before teleporting to the mirror "Princess." She says before entering the mirror.
"Who was that?" Fluttershy asks.
I narrow my eyes "Whoever she is, she has got to be brought in for this." I said, at that moment Celestia, Cadence and Luna arrives on the scene and asks what happened, so Twilight gave her account and asks if she knew the thief. I mentally facepalm Of course she doesn't! Just because she rules over Equestria doesn't mean that she knows the name of everypony that lives there. I thought and to my surprise Celestia had a response.
"Sunset Shimmer a former student of mine. Not long before Twilight was my student Sunset Shimmer proved to be an adept spell caster but when she didn't get what she wanted fast enough she started to became cruel to others and eventually went off on her own." She looked at the mirror in sadness "I had hoped that Sunset would return seeking my aid, sadly this is not the case."
Spike held up a crown similar to the one Twilight wore "She replaced the Element with this." I looked at the fake crown and noted the subtle differences. It looks like the type of crown used primarily for social events like a high school dance.
"Hmm, it looks like Sunset was looking to trick Twilight with this cheap knockoff in hopes that she wouldn't find out until it was too late." I observed; Celestia nodded in confirmation.
Luna decided to clarify a bit "This mirror was held in the Canterlot throne room but now that Cadence rules over the Crystal Empire my sister and I decided to move it here for her to watch over. It leads to an alternate world that only opens every thirty moons and the passage to this world is open for three days. We have no idea as to what is on the other side.
Cadence spoke "Twilight you must retrieve your crown, without it the other Elements of Harmony will not work and Equestria will be defenseless." She said levitating Twilight's saddlebags to her.
"You understand your mission?" Celestia asks Twilight who nods in response "Then you must go." She says, Twilight slowly makes her way to the mirror but Rainbow Dash zips in front of her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa if she's going we're going too!" she says as the rest of the Mane 6 follow, Twilight smiles in appreciation until Celestia spoke.
"I'm afraid that Princess Twilight must do this alone." She says much to RD's protest "If all of you were to go with her it would upset the already delicate balance of this alternate world, making it impossible for Twilight to recover her crown. No, this is something that Princess Twilight must do by herself."
I spoke up "No offense princess but I really think that is a bad idea, Luna said it herself that you two have no idea what's on the other side of the mirror, and to send her there without ant backup is a terrible mistake. I'll go with her to make sure that the crown is safely recovered and that Sunset Shimmer is brought in." I said showing that I mean business.
Celestia sighs "Very well Jack, I am hereby activating your status as a Royal Guard and granting you the rank of lieutenant for this mission." She said activating my status as a volunteer member of the Royal Guard which I really need to thank Luna for Hmm…maybe I could pick up a souvenir while I'm there. I thought to myself.
I saluted "Yes ma'am." I said and turned to Spike "Hey Spike hand me the fake crown will you?" Spike hands me the crown "We might as well return it to where it belongs while we're there." I said slipping into Twilight's saddlebag.
"Time is of the essence, because on the third day when the moon reaches its peak the gateway will close, and it will be another thirty moons before you can return." Luna tells us showing us a representation of the night sky and what will happen.
I nod my head "I promise that we'll return before then." I vowed and I turned to Twilight "Well see you on the other side of the looking glass." I said walking through the mirror, to be honest walking through it felt like I was going into a pool of water but after that it suddenly felt like I was caught in a drain. My body was being stretched and compressed but it wasn't painful but the excessive spinning was too much and I black out…
?
"Jack…Jack wake up." A familiar voice spoke making me groan as my mind started to reboot from the unexpected vortex induced coma.
"Twilight?" I said in a parched voice Great now I need something to drink. Confound these mirror portals they drive me to drink. I thought sarcastically as I struggle to stand up, but it feels as though my body isn't responding like the way I want to almost as though…Oh buck me! The realization hits like a ton of bricks I look at where my hands were only to see a pair of cobalt blue hooves "I'm a pony aren't I?" I ask her rhetorically.
"Yes, and a unicorn too." She replies, I move my right hoof to feel the new appendage, I then strain to look at the rest of my new body with my short brown mane and tail and much to my relief I'm still male, I wouldn't know how to react if I was suddenly turned into a mare as well (Well other than making Twilight Pinkie Promise to never breathe a word of it) I look at my flank for my Cutie Mark and was surprised to see it was a white pentacle on top of a gold shield and I noted that I was wearing armor associated with the Royal Guard but lighter and had fewer pieces on me and a lack of a helmet.
I sigh and noted that Twilight was human in this world although her skin pigment is the same color as her coat when she's a unicorn "Okay originally I wanted to do this subtly, get in, infiltrate the school as new students and catch Sunset Shimmer. But now due to this unforeseen event we'll have to forego that." I said trying to come up with a new plan.
"So what do we do?" Twilight asks me.
"Okay back in my world recruiters from the military sometimes visit the school to talk about the benefits of joining the military, and since we're here on military business I think we can pull something." I said, we turn to look at the building that was in front of us and I realize that it was a high school "There'd better be no zombie outbreak." I mutter to myself.
Twilight caught my words "Honestly, I swear you're obsessed with zombies." She complains "I don't know why you keep watching Highschool of the Dead." She huffs.
I smirk "Aside from the gratuitous amount of violence and blood there's also sexy hot women that appeal to the average hormonal teenage male?" I shot back this is pretty much an old argument that we have about anime in general ever since I introduced it to the Mane 6.
Twilight shakes her head in exasperation "Males…" she mutters I smirk in victory at winning the argument as the two of us make our way towards the school. I found that I was adapting to my new body rather quickly all things considered, the two of us make our way to the front entrance and quietly enter, we noticed that the main lobby is empty meaning classes hasn't let out yet.
"Okay all we need to do now is to locate the principal's office and explain the situation to him or her." I said to Twilight just as the bell rang and the students started to crowd the area but they stop three feet away from us seeing as I'm an armored unicorn I decided to try to break the ice "*Ahem* Excuse us can someone here please tell us where the principal's office is?" I ask them politely only to receive shocked silence in return, I frown and decided to take a page from Luna's playbook with a bit of Harry Potter in the mix I cast a voice amplification spell and cleared by throat "I wish to know where the principal's office is!" I spoke in a near perfect use of the Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice and as a result several students flinched but none of them said anything.
I sigh and cancel the spell before speaking "Well that was useless. It looks like we're going to play Musical Classrooms." I said and the two of us walk and the crowd parted to make way for us.
Hold on, I'll take you there." A male voice spoke I turn my head to see a light amber student wearing a jacket, blue jeans sneakers, sapphire blue hair and a white t-shirt with a yellow lightning bolt over a blue shield "Let me put my books away and I'll lead you there." He said walking over to his locker and easily spun the combination lock to open the door, after exchanging the books in his hands for a guitar case he shuts the door and we follow him.
After a few moments of silence I decided to break the silence "Why are you helping us?" I ask the mystery guitarist.
He shrugs his shoulders "What was I going to do? Let you two search around aimlessly for hours? I wouldn't be a Canterlot Wondercolt if I did." He replies in a relaxed manner.
"You seem to be taking this in stride considering the circumstances." I tell him "The name's Jack Evans and this is my lovely sidekick Twilight Sparkle." I said earning a smack to the foreleg from said compatriot.
The student chuckles at the scene "Well my dad taught me to maintain my cool no matter the situation. My name is Flash Sentry. So what brings you two here? I mean it's not every day that a talking unicorn visits the campus." He asks me.
"Fair enough, I'm afraid I can't tell you due to it being a royal matter. What I can tell you that an artifact of incredible power was stolen and we tracked it down here." I said vaguely to avoid telling him the full details of our mission.
Flash shakes his head in understanding "Ah, I see. My dad's in the military so I know that there are some missions that he can't talk about." He said.
I raise an eyebrow at that "Huh, something tells me that if you ever enter the military you'll do a good job." I said much to his relief, and before we know it we were standing in front of the office area leading to the principal's office.
"Well here we are Principal Celestia's office." Flash spoke I raise both eyebrows in surprise.
"Principal Celestia?" I ask in shock. Flash ignores my outburst and knocks on the door to Celestia's office.
"Come in." a familiar voice spoke through the door. I shake my head to focus on the task at the moment. Twilight opens the door to see a woman with her head buried in a file reading its contents. Flash leaves the lobby shutting the door on his way leaving the three of us.
I clear my throat "Excuse me I am Lieutenant Jack Evans here on a military matter concerning one of your students." I said with all seriousness that my rank entails, the woman lowers the file and as it was no surprise that the woman is a human version of Celestia it's still a bit confusing seeing a familiar face albeit a humanized one at that. Celestia lowers the file and takes a good look at me and her eyebrows rise in shock and her mouth opens but nothing comes out. I raise an eyebrow at the expected reaction "Hey being turned into a pony wasn't on today's agenda." I said in a slightly carefree manner which made Celestia close her mouth.
She shakes her head and speaks in a professional manner "And why are you here?" she asks me now that the fact that a magical talking unicorn was in the same room as her.
I clear my throat "Allow me to explain, one of your students is a native to Equestria and has been living here for quite some time now. Last night she traveled back to Equestria via a magic mirror connecting the two worlds, she snuck into Princess Twilight's bedroom and stole her crown which is a catalyst for five other magical items." I pause for a moment to let that information sink in "She replaced the actual crown with an imitation that was made here." Twilight reaches into her bag and pulls out the fake Element.
Celestia's eyes widen and reach for her office phone and punch a number "Sister? It's me…it's about the fall formal crown, I need it in my office…apparently there's a situation that requires our attention." She spoke into the phone before hanging up. She looks at us with seriousness that the alicorn version wore in times of pending disaster "How powerful is this crown?" she asks me.
I sigh "Let's wait until your sister arrives with the Element before I tell you since this affects both of you. I should warn you that if you accept what I am about to tell you then everything you've ever known about your world will be forever altered and thrown out the window." I said.
"I'm talking to a magical unicorn, how much weirder can it get?" she asks me.
I chuckle "Lady, you haven't even pulled the curtain on the window yet." I retorted, at that moment the door opens and not surprisingly Luna walks in with a small wooden box in her hands she takes one good look at me and yelps almost dropping the box, luckily she recovers enough to ensure the contents of the box is safe.
Celestia clears her throat "Lieutenant this is my younger sister Luna, she's the Vice-principal here. Sister this is Lieutenant Jack Evans he has business here concerning the upcoming Fall Formal." She explains.
I nod "Please call me Jack, as for my rank I'm just a volunteer guard. Now then here is the situation." I then launch into a brief summary of Equestria and why we're here, after I had finished I noted both Celestia and Luna were in shock and awe that the statue outside was a gateway into an alternate world.
Finally they recovered enough to talk normally "So what do you have planned Jack?" she asks me.
I frown "Well seeing as Sunset has established herself a life here since her self-imposed exile years ago I think it's safe to say that she has established a good number of illegal connections such as a fake birth certificate, school documents and so forth. We lure Sunset into a trap and see how much damage she has done here and work from there." I said.
"How are we going to do that?" Twilight asks me.
"Sunset seems like the type to keep track of her accomplishments as a testament to her ego. No doubt that she has a book documenting her overall goals." I theorized.
Twilight nods in agreement "I agree, when Trixie beat me she bragged about how powerful she was and let slip that she was wearing the Alicorn Amulet." She shudders at the memory of that event. Yeah the only reason I barely won against her was that I had to go all out while facing her.
"So how should we do this?" Celestia asks me.
"Simple; we call Sunset to the office where we'll ambush her and work from there." I suggest.
Luna raises an eyebrow "You like making things up as you go along don't you?" she asks me.
"Sometimes an improvised plan is the best one. Besides I do have a few long term plans but they'll take a while to actually go through with them." I said referring to my ongoing quest to return home. Don't get me wrong I like living in Equestria and I'm thankful for the wonderful friends that I've made but I don't belong there. It's going to be hard to say goodbye when the time comes.
"Jack?" Twilight asks me snapping me from my thoughts.
"Hm? Sorry I was thinking of something else." I said much to Twilight's doubt but chose not to comment on it at the moment.
"I asked if you're ready to do this?" she asks me with a slight concern in her voice.
I smirked "You know me Sparky, ready whenever you are." I said confidently.
Celestia turns on the P.A. system and speaks into the microphone "Attention, will Sunset Shimmer please report to the principal's office? I repeat, will Sunset Shimmer please report to the principal's office? That is all." She finishes turning off the mike.
"And now we hide." I said getting into the closet which was surprisingly spacious Tia must've paid extra for this. I thought noting the mini fridge in here, curiously I use my magic to open the door and not surprisingly there was chocolate cake No matter which dimension I'm in the sun ruler has a weakness for cake. I mused as I shut the door just as a voice on the other side spoke.
"You wished to see me Principal Celestia?" a girl's voice spoke.
"Yes Sunset Shimmer there is some concerns pertaining to the upcoming Fall Formal. Mainly your eligibility as the only participant in this event." Celestia spoke to the now confirmed Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset scoffed "The students already know that I am a shoe in for the crown, no one else has entered because they know I'll win anyway." She said.
"Really? Through bullying and intimidation?" Celestia spoke shocking us "Don't think I don't know of your actions here since your arrival. At first you were a model student that others could aspire to, then after winning the Fall Formal crown three years ago things started to change and not for the better, and your attitude continued to worsen as time went on and seemed to increase when you win a formal event such as the Spring Fling or the Fall Formal. I regret not stepping in sooner, something that I am going to rectify as of this moment." She said sternly.
"But-I." Sunset started to speak before Celestia cuts her off.
"I'm sorry but due to your past actions and your current attitude you are hereby disqualified from the competition to become Princess of the Fall Formal. And that any attempts to reenter the competition will result in refusal and possible detention." She spoke with a tone of finality Damn, I'm glad that she isn't my principal, I wouldn't get away with at least a quarter of the stuff I did if she was in charge. I mentally wince feeling some sympathy towards her Well it looks like this is where I step in. I thought as I open the door.
"Sunset Shimmer by order of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadence you are hereby under arrest for theft of a Class 5 magical artifact, assault on the Royal Guards and illegal immigration." I spoke adding that last charge on the fly, Sunset looks at me in fear and started to bolt for the door "Bakudo #1:Sai!" I exclaim using the Kido spell to trap Sunset "Sorry but you're not going anywhere until you explain what your plans were to the princess." I said making her pale in fear, I turn to Celestia "Where is Sunset Shimmer's locker?" I ask her.
A few moments later…
The door to Sunset's locker was open and was well organized but something feels off, I wonder…"Twilight will you knock on the back of the locker starting from the top to the bottom?" I ask her. Twilight was puzzled but complies.
Tap tap…tap tap…tap TONG! The sound of an echoing locker confirms it.
"Celestia I'm sorry but it looks like Sunset is hiding something here." I charge up my magic and carefully cut the metal to reveal a hollow cavity in the wall with numerous items, and on top was a black book "Jackpot. Sunset's little black book." I said levitating the evidence to me, I easily open the lock and started to skim the contents. My eyes widen at the previous entry.
"What is it?" Twilight asks me.
"It looks like Sunset was gearing up for an invasion. She planned to use the Element of Magic and mind control the students and faculty and make her way to Canterlot and try to take control over Equestria." I said making Twilight, Celestia and Luna gasp, I roll my eyes "Please, like a half-baked plan like that would work in the first place, I mean for one thing Celestia would tear through the army like it was nothing." I said making them relax and making Sunset livid.
"Oh? And how would you know?" she asks me in a mocking tone.
"Okay here are a few reasons why it wouldn't work: First, Celestia has more magical power than your teenage zombie army, a single spell blast from her would knock them out. Second, you'd also have to fight off against not only the Royal Guard but also the Night Guard." I said making Sunset pale.
"I thought they were disbanded after Princess Luna's exile to the moon." She exclaimed.
"Princess Luna reestablished the Night Guard shortly after her return and they are a force to be reckoned with in their own right. Third, you'll also have to contend with the Crystal Empire that has just recently returned from King Sombra's control after a thousand years being locked away, and the final reason is that you will also have to deal with Princess Luna, she's a tactical genius and your teenage army has no military training which would be easy pickings for her." I finished ticking off every point.
Sunset slumps down her face a picture of absolute rage "It's all Celestia's fault for not giving me what I want! I deserve to be princess and not her." She ranted.
I sigh "Twilight can you please slap her in the back of the head for me? I would do it but you know…no hands." I said.
Celestia looks at her former student "I'll draw up papers for her expulsion." She said heading to the principal's office leaving Luna with us.
Luna looks at Sunset before asking me "Is there anything else that can incriminate Sunset?" she asks me.
I flip through the pages "Well aside from bullying younger students, blackmail, and her overall goal there is one other thing…apparently the counterparts of Twilight's friends were deceived by her and their friendship is shot all to hell but that can be easily fixed." I said.
"WHAT?" Twilight asks in shock at the fact that her friend's counterparts aren't friends because of Sunset's schemes.
"Whoa, take it easy Sparks, we can fix this but first we'll have to take care of this." I said making Twilight calm down a little bit. I lean over to Sunset's ear "You're lucky that I calmed her down, last time she was this enraged she literally burned with rage." Referring to Feeling Pinkie Keen after Twilight's infamous Rapidash impersonation. I looked further inside the cavity "Hello!" I exclaim pulling out a sack full of gems "It looks like someone hit the royal treasury before coming here." I said.
"Actually, the last time I went to Canterlot I dug these out of the caverns underneath the city. I couldn't risk entering the treasury so I went underground literally to get these." Sunset explains making the rest of us raise our eyebrows.
"And considering the value of gems would rake in considerable amount of money I would suspect that you've only used this in an emergency?" I rhetorically ask Sunset, she nods "Nonetheless a part of this will be used for repairing the wall and for compensating the students that you traumatized and hurt." I said floating the bag over to Luna which she graciously accepts.
"What about the rest?" Twilight asks me.
I shrug my shoulders "Rarity could use them for some dresses for all I care. Maybe Spike would enjoy a decent snack." I mused to myself.
Soon Celestia returned with the expulsion papers fully signed and required Sunset's signature which she gave through coercion through me and Twilight. We led Sunset to the portal I asked Twilight to go ahead without me I had a few things to take care of before I return and promised that it would not take long.
"Okay first fix the shattered friendship and get Luna an 'Equestria's Best Princess' coffee mug. Hmm, I might have to make that one myself." I mused to myself as I headed back inside the school to get to work.
Half an hour later…
The sound of five teenage girls in a heavy argument is all too familiar to most people or ponies. I chuckle to myself as I leave the locked classroom, my plan was short but simple, trick the girls into entering the empty classroom and lock it behind them. Cruel I know but it beats seeking them out one at a time and tells them that they were part of an elaborate plot to overthrow an immortal sun goddess because the person in charge of said plan was bitter and jealous, yeah I could see that working out so well.
I look at Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna and they raised an eyebrow in sync at the scene.
"Let them out in a couple of hours and by then they should be friends again, now if you'll excuse me I have a gift I need to make for my boss." I said walking away from them, knowing my luck their Pinkie knows how to pick locks so I intentionally led them to a door that doesn't have an actual lock so it should keep them in there until it's time to let them out. Hopefully they won't find out that I locked them in there. I thought as I make my way to the arts and crafts room, I peer inside and it was empty much to my relief. I enter the room and set about looking around for any ideas for a gift to Luna Hmm…let's see, I can't sew worth crap so a plushy is out, I could make her a custom t-shirt but it looks like there isn't anything here that can help in that regard. Hello! Looks like we have a winner! I thought as I see some white coffee mugs that need paint and sealant and viola instant gift.
As I immediately set to work, looking at the mugs I realize that it wouldn't be fair just to make Luna a mug and not the other princesses, so with a sigh I levitated three more mugs and paint to me, the design I have is simple and effective paint the mugs in the color of their coats, add Cutie Mark, and finally add message: Best Lunar Princess, Best Solar Princess, Best Princess of Love and Best Princess of Magic. Soon all four were ready for baking and I shove them into the oven and carefully watch the time, and all that was left was letting them cool off enough to take with me, all in all they turned out great.
I carefully place the mugs in individual boxes and place large amounts of newspapers inside each one to prevent them from breaking on the return trip back and I was good to go, I quickly exit the building without drawing too much attention towards me, finally I was at the statue/gateway ready to return back to Equestria, it was kinda fun being back in school if only for a short time, maybe I'll take up a craft hobby once I return home. Oh well, enough thoughtfulness I have to return now "In the words of a famous Doctor: Allon-sy!" I said as I enter the portal, this time I maintained consciousness throughout the trip, I could feel my body shifting and changing back into my human self-much to my relief, I doubt that I would enjoy being a pony forever I'd miss my hands too much.
As soon as my foot steps through the mirror I could not help but feel relieved that I was back to normal, well as normal as I can be given the circumstances I open my eyes to see the princesses an the Mane 6 waiting for me, I smile as a I open my mouth to speak "Lulu I'm home!" I said in a near perfect Desi Arnaz impersonation.
The End.
Me: Well that takes care of that, now it's back to work on my other stories. As soon as the main story reaches the end of Third Season I'll add this to it.
As always Hoody Hoo!