A moon after cutting Celestia’s apron strings, Sunset Shimmer thought she was doing quite well for herself.

She’d come into this world with only three things to her name: a strange new body, the clothes that had appeared on her back, and saddlebags full of money. Exchanging the last into local currency had taken some fast talking in a world where they still had to hunt and gather gems and gold, but that was foal’s play to a mare who could consistently dupe the Mistress of the Sun. Finding a place to stay had been trickier, but still manageable, even if she’d had to deal with some unsavory characters.

Compared to her other preparations, school had been laughably simple. The admissions process had been nothing compared to the exams of the true Celestia’s school; the hardest part had been not sneering at the princess’s pale reflection. Once she was in, Sunset had started gathering vital information about how this world worked, laying low until she could blend in properly and climb the social ladder. By the time the portal reopened, she could prove her readiness to rule at Celestia’s side.

Of course, to do that, she needed to know [i]how[/i] rulership worked in this world, or at least this country. Research wasn’t Sunset’s first choice, but practical experience wouldn’t help; student government was as much of a farce here as it was in Canterlot. She knew from the daily loyalty oath that she was in the Federated States of Amareica, and that was enough to go on.

Finding the time was easy; the gym teachers were hardly even trying to hide the skeletons in their closets, and Miss Cheerilee seemed to silently approve of skipping PE in the first place, especially in favor of reading. A rare sign of enlightenment in this often barbaric world, as far as Sunset was concerned. By some mercy, the library used the Dewdrop Decimal System, even if there was a sad lack of material in the one-thirties, where magic should have been.

Nonetheless, Sunset began her research.

“What.”

She stared at the text. It refused to shift to something more rational. She grabbed a different book, just in case there had been some kind of horrible, enormous misprint.

“[i]What.[/i]”

Sunset understood mayoral elections. Celestia couldn’t be expected to micromanage down to the municipal level, not when she had all of Equestria to worry about. Earth pony political traditions provided an answer. And yes, this world’s Celestia was only a school administrator and lacked her counterpart’s countless centuries of experience. But to have the ultimate authority of the nation in constant flux…

No. Surely there had to be some rational limiter to this political chaos. Sunset kept researching.

It only got worse.

Polarizing ideological oligopoly, with the two sides unable to agree even on how to choose their candidates. Primary schedules constantly vying for greater provincial significance. The bizarre insanity that was the Electoral College.

Her hands shaking, Sunset the books back in their proper places. No sense in angering one of the few civilized people in the world. Slowly, her vision blurring from the nonsense she’d consumed, she made her way to the computers. Maybe… Maybe there had been changes since those books had been printed. Improvements. Attempts to bring logic and order to this nightmarish political system.

Sunset sat and took a deep breath, steadying herself for a moment. She’d figured out how to use the devices through tacit observation and careful trial and error. Working a search engine would be simple enough. She got out a notebook and a pencil, ready to take notes on how the system had changed in the last few years. Surely it had been for the better. Surely.

The paper stayed blank for half an hour. Finally, Sunset scrawled a few words, tore the page to shreds, and crammed it into the first wastebasket she could find as she fled the library.

[quote]Dear Princess Celestia,

I don’t want to live on this planet any more.

Your homesick student,
Sunset Shimmer[/quote]