Equestria Girls: Shimmer To The Past (Book 4~Equestria Girls Series)

Chapter 7: To Know This World

Sunset Shimmer went to the library again, ignoring the students that stared at her. She saw how Ms. Cherilee was writing on a white board with a marker and it had letters, words, and numbers on it. She couldn't believe how she wrote it with her hands. And the technology, that was being used by students; computers, laptops, and mobile phones.

Of course, she passed the time with books. "I need to find out how things roll in this world!" Sunset skimmed through some books. She stopped on a page. "If not, then how will I call this place, my HOME!?" she pulled the two sides of her hair in frustration. She sighed to herself, calming down as she closed her eyes. "I need to stop.. over thinking it, it's not a big deal." she opened up her eyes and stopped pulling her own hair.

She got back to her own senses. "On second thought, it IS. I left Equestria and came to this world, looking for power. I'm not sure how to get it, but for now," she closed the book that she was using and set it aside on the table. "I need to forget, that I'm a unicorn, COMPLETELY." she picked up her backpack and put it on. "If not, then, how will I.. know this world, quite well, that I've come to stay in?" she was the only one left in the library and as she closed the door behind her, the school bell had rung, indicating that it was lunch time.

DING!

DONG!

She didn't know what to do at the moment, now that the Canterlot High's pupils were already making their way to the cafeteria, to get a bite to eat. She certainly, wouldn't want to go there again, if she did, it was just be awkward for the rest of the days, that she would be there. Sure, she was hungry but... she didn't want to be out in public. Giving it a thought or two, she said to herself, that she was just going to get her lunch there and just leave and eat it somewhere else, where no one would find her at.

Sighing, Sunset began strolling, she was about to get her lunch, until she noticed a machine with food in it. And, someone walked up to it. It was... Trixie Lulamoon! She took out some golden coins, out of her jacket pocket and put them into her own open hand. She looked up to see the food options, that were available to get. "Let's see... What should I--" she was cut off as she accidentally dropped her money onto the floor. "NO! MY QUARTERS!" she knelt down and tried to find them. "NO! THEY'RE GONE! THEY MUST OF.. VANISHED OUTTA THIN AIR!" she got back up, disappointed that she couldn't find them.

"Oh, well... At least, I brought with me, some spare ones," she took them out of her pocket again.  "Let's see... 1 quarter is 25 cents, then another one is 50 cents, the third one is 75 cents, and the last/fourth one is... a dollar!" she beamed a smile to herself. "I got it!" she put a coin into the vending machine. "'THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, TRIXIE!.." she looked to see if anyone was around. Sunset quickly hid next to the machine, onto the left side. "Wants some, peanut butter crackers!" she took out what she got.

She cleared her throat, "And, voila! Plus, for my last act!" she placed the rest of her quarters into the machine's small slot. "I'll be summoning, a bag of potato chips!" grabbing her last snack, she said her last line and left. "There, and that's all, FOLKS! Stay tuned for 'The Great and Powerful; Trixie' in her next act, when she makes a bunny appear in a hat."

Seeing Trixie walk off, Sunset came from her hiding place but she slipped onto the floor and fell down. "My word, what did I.. slip on this time?" she got back on her feet and kneeled down, seeing the coins, that were scattered around. "No wonder I--HEY! These are those things, that the girl named Trixie, used to get snacks from this machine." she picked them up and got up. "Let's see... She said that they were called, 'quarters'. They kinda.. look like the money from Equestria, which are known as bits."

Holding the quarters with her hand, she continued. "These must be the type of money, here, in this world, and I'm thinking that there is probably, more." she recalled that 4 of them, make a dollar. Learning about it, she wasn't really hungry, so she got a bag of raisins, using up all of the money that she had found. She made her way to the library, once more. She was alone, so she saw this as an opportunity to get herself together, and to explore more about the human world she was in.

She read some books, several were about the world, itself. How they are only human beings living in the different atmosphere that she was in. "So..." she looked at her hands and inquired herself. "I'm a... human? No wonder, I don't have a horn or anything else, to compare to a pony."

BEEP!

"The library is going to be closing, in 10 minutes." the speaker said in Principal Celestia's voice. "Thank you." hearing this, it startled Sunset. "10 minutes!? Welp, I might as well, stay here in the library, especially for the night."

BEEP!

The announcements went on again. "Excuse, me, for the interruption! I forgot to inform, that next week, there is no school, because Canterlot High is going to be getting ready for..." the principal forgot what she was going go say. "What was it, again, sister?" Celestia was asking her sister, she turned to her in her office. "I don't recall, can you please, say it?"

Vice Principal Luna was standing up, as her older sister was sitting down at her own office desk. "AHEM!" Luna cleared her throat and snatched the attention of the speaker. "There's no school, next week, because CHS is going to be getting ready, for 'The Fall Formal'."

"YAAAAY!" students in the halls and the ones that were in other places cheered, because they were happy that they had days off of school. While girls just smiled at each other, just thinking about going to a school dance.
"All of you have fresh starts at this school, so to some new students. I'll explain what 'The Fall Formal' is. You see, it's a dance that comes every fall season, which is going to take place at the school gym, like the other dances always do. And, just as the title of the dance says, you have to dress up in formal clothes, like dresses for the girls and suits for the boys, including our other dances, that are held during different seasons. To sum it all up, in every dance, even The Fall Formal, there is always a crowned princess, that is always chosen by her own class of representatives. And more information on this, will be explained after the next week of school, when all of you, come back." Luna cleared her throat again, calming down her voice, through the speech that she said. "That is all for now, good day, students."

"Oh, darlings! I can't wait for this dance." Rarity said.

"Me, too." Pinkie Pie said. "And the best part is... I'M HELPING WITH IT! BY BEING IN THE PARTY COMMITTEE!" she beamed a smile, shouting out all of those words.

"Well, that's good for you, Pinkie, but I'm not the type, to go to dances. It's just not my style and I don't want to be stuck; wearing a girly dress!" Rainbow Dash scoffed in disgust.

"Rainbow Dash, you can't talk like that. You know, there are some gals that like going to dances," Applejack said. "Plus, if you go, you just might loosen up, a bit, sugarcube."

"Come on, it could be fun, all you will do, is have a pleasant time with us...." Fluttershy tried to convince her friend, to go to the dance with them. "Your friends."

"Please, go with us, DASH!" said the purple-haired girl.

"Yah, pretty PLEASE! WITH SOME ICE CREAM, SODA, AND CHERRIES ON THE TOP!" Pinkie begged.

"It's not a big deal, you know!" Applejack crossed her arms. "You'll miss out, Rainbow."

"Rainbow Dash, I want you, to be there, you're my friend. I would be heartbroken, if you didn't go." said Fluttershy.

Rainbow sighed, "Fine, y'all got me with that, I'll go!"

"YAY! Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy said at once, hugging each other.

"But, I'm only doing it, for my friends. And, one more thing," Rainbow didn't want to leave anything out.

"And, what would that, be?" Rarity asked.

"DON'T GIVE ME A GIRLY DRESS, RARITY!"

Rarity smiled in a nervous way. "Sure, I'll work on that. I'll make your dress, non-girly for you."

DING!

DONG!

All of the students had left for the dismissal bell, while Sunset Shimmer had chosen to stay in the library. Days flew by, as she practiced for many hours on how to write words on the board with her right hand, soon enough, she was practically used to it. She even learned how to use modern technology by using a computer in the computer lab and by remembering some visual methods, used by humans.