Equestria Girls: Love Is Magic

by onekface

End of School

At long last. Thursday.

Sunset let out a stretch as she got to her locker, feeling rested and ready for the final day of the exam. She still had about 20 minutes before the bell rings so she can take her time with this hot cup of coco she got from the Sweet Shoppe and not worry about anything going wrong.

…

Ok the attack on Rarity the other day still lingered at the back of her mind but she didn’t have to worry about it now. Last she heard, she and Sweetie Belle moved into Applejack’s place and were quite content with the arrangements. Rarity wanted to move her whole wardrobe in but Applejack had set her a limit. At least now she’ll be able to finish her line up for Hoity Toity without any interference.

“Hey Sunset.” Flash called out to her just as he stuffed his books in his locker. “You got a minute? There’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“Absolutely.” She looked at the time on her phone and cringed. “Actually… you mind if we walk and talk instead? My next exam is in 20 minutes and I want to grab the best seat before they’re taken.”

“Let me guess. The ones by the window?”

“Yup.” She blinked. “How’d you know?”

“You said the same thing to me during our freshmen year. Something about the perfect ambience? You like to combine the cold weather, a hint of the sun and that hot cup of chocolate, which gets you a cozy morning.” He grinned. “Something about having the perfect atmosphere for a big test.”

“Well it takes effort to be comfortable. And when your body is comfortable, then your mind is comfortable. And when your mind is comfortable, the test becomes easy.”

“Right~~.” The boy uncharacteristically rolled his eye. “Anyway, I heard about what happened to Rarity.” Her eyes shot up.

“Oh…” She wasn’t sure why she was surprised. If anyone was gonna muddle his way into their affairs, it would only be Flash. Of course he’d know about the attack. She’d be more surprised if he didn’t.

“Don’t worry. I’m not poking my head into any danger.” Flash added quickly knowing how she would react. “That was some pretty scary stuff. I’m glad she’s alright though.” Sunset can agree on that. If anything should’ve happened to any of her friends because of this magic, she’d flip. “Anyway, I talked with Applejack yesterday and she gave me an idea. You all need a place to lay low and feel safe, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Well I just so happen to…” But before he could finish, a loud screeching voice interrupted him.

“SUNSET!” Twilight bolted towards them in a speed that would’ve made Rainbow Dash proud. She got up face to face with her friend, dark rings surrounded her eyes while her face twitch every second.

“Twilight?” The redhead responded, startled by the girl’s sudden appearance. “What happened to you? You look… messy.”

“No time for that! Emergency club meeting, now!” The nerd girl didn’t bother waiting for a reply as she grabbed Sunset by the arm and pulled her away making her spill her hot coco on Flash.

“Ow! Hot hot hot hot!”

Twilight barged into the band room looking like someone haunted. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were crumpled in places. She checked the room thoroughly looking like some paranoid scientist.

“Twilight, what’s the matter? You look like you haven’t slept at…”

“Shhh!” She hushed her best friend for a moment before locking the door behind them. “Do you want people to hear you? I know that we’re not supposed to discuss about magic but this really REALLY can’t wait.”

“Ok ok. Take a breath.” Sunset eased her. “What’s so urgent that it couldn’t wait till after school – or lunch for that matter?”

“I went through my old data drive. The one we got from Cinch last night. And I’ve uncovered something really incredible.”

“More incredible than a portal that can take you anywhere you want?”

“Well… no. I mean yes. That is amazing. But this one is bigger.” She took a breath. “I think we’ve stumbled upon something big. Like really big!” Wow… that didn’t sound super ominous at all.

“What kind of something?”

“Remember how we concluded that Cinch wasn’t working alone?”

“Because of her magical bracelet?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah that. Well my research last night confirms it. Cinch was definitely working with some secret organization that studies and controls magic and not in a good way either. And from what Cinch wrote in her memoirs, the group has been around for a very long time. Their members have mastered many spells and techniques both known and lost. That’s how they were able to fix my Magic Trap so easily. And from what I’ve gathered, they’ve also been hoarding magical artifacts for their own purposes.”

“That… can’t be good.”

“No. It’s incredible! Can you believe it? Actual people who actually know about magic? This is a great find! And if they’ve been around this long, who knows what kind of discovery they’ve made or what kind of breakthrough they’ve achieved!”

“It can’t be that great if they hire people like Cinch. Do we know who they are?”

“No. But from what I know, each of them wears the signature black gemstone as proof of their membership. Think of it like a club membership ID.”

Terrific. She thought that having Shadow Monsters hunting them wasn’t bad enough, now they had to deal with a secret organization with advance knowledge of magic.

“I don’t suppose Cinch happened to leave any trace of them in your data drive.”

Sadly Twilight shook her head. “No. From what I’ve gathered, it seems like they’re a very secretive group and they didn’t exactly trust Cinch with the details. She was in charge of managing the museum. I’m more than certain that whatever they’re planning involves the Chalice of Wishes and the Winter Solstice.”

“And it has to take place in the new wing of the museum too.” Sunset deduced knowingly. “And our only lead has a bad case of amnesia.”

“Not entirely.” Twilight’s face brightened. “We might have one more lead that could get us closer to this organization. You remember those shadow monsters?”

“How can we forget?”

“Well I asked Rarity for the details and she told me that the ones that attacked her the other night weren’t wolves… but snakes!” She paused for affect, which she didn’t get. “And I dug into it. The snakes she could referring too are another of the great guardians of the Yaztec.” She pulled up a photo in her phone showing an ancient hieroglyph of a hydra being worshipped by a bunch of shamans. “It’s called Kaaz the Cruel. And out of all the guardians, this one is the most aggressive. It loves to torment its prey with its powers.”

Sunset couldn’t help but sigh. The troubles they had just keeps piling up. “Great. Secret society, shadow monsters, giant Cyclops, mystical portals to anywhere, and now a hydra that’s hunting us. This is not turning out to be the Winter Holiday I’ve dreamed of. So what do we do?”

“We have to find out who’s controlling Kaaz.” Twilight said with a determined look on her face. “If Cinch was controlling Uta, there has to be someone close by who’s also commanding the new batch of shadow monsters against us. I could probably trace them if they used their magic… but… my lab is out of commission.” She remembered that last bit a little too late. “Ugh… stupid electric bill! The economy of this country is a joke! How is a genius with a functioning lab supposed to work at a part-time income!?”

“Easy there Twilight. It’s not the end of the world.”

“Hmph. Try telling that to me when the shadow monsters attack you at your own home.” She paused. “I don’t suppose I can transfer my lab to your place now, can I?”

“My place? HA! Please.” The former unicorn waved it off jokingly. “With my paycheck? I’m barely making rent as it is with my job at the sushi store. And with the Winter Holidays coming, I have to tighten my belt just to get by. I had to stop paying for my storage-unit and cancel my subscription to the daily newspaper. I’m going as far as having microwave meals almost every day now.” She then noted Twilight having a bright idea. “And no… you are not asking Flash for help either.”

“But…”

“I said no!” She put her foot down on that matter. Sunset can be quite stubborn when it came to her ex-boyfriend.

“Ugh… fine.” Again the nerd gal paused in thought. “Hey... how would consider the probability of me winning the lottery?”

Oh for goodness sake.

Rarity let out a sigh as she arrived at the cafeteria that afternoon. In a matter of hours her final exam will take place and she can finally return to her primary duties: Finishing her lineup for tomorrow’s presentation for Hoity Toity’s show.

Her friend, Vignette, has been keeping her up to date with the recent happenings in the amphitheater. They were setting up the stage for the performance with lights and cameras and even bringing some passerby to act as the audience. They’ll be shown on live TV which meant spotlight! And with Hoity as its host, no doubt a lot of people will be tuning in. It was definitely going to be a once in a lifetime performance.

Sadly many of them had already quit leaving barely 20 of them to show.

Still… their lost and her gain. You can’t afford to be soft. Not when she’s close to coming to the Grand Runway!

Applejack coughed calling her attention. “Rarity. I know that you’re deep in thought and all, but can you scoot?”

“Oh! Right. Sorry darling. I was just having… a little inspirational thinking.” She scooted over, giving her best friend some room at the table. “I must thank you again for accommodating me and Sweetie Belle, Applejack. Your room is far more spacious than I thought. It’s no double deluxe mattress but it certainly gave me the goodnight sleep I so desperately needed.”

“I take it the nightlight I added did the trick?”

“Yes… that too. Though I will be planning an all-nighter tonight. I need to finish my lineup for Hoity Toity’s show. The wool you provided for me was absolutely perfect.”

“Heh, what better way to get wool than from the source?” She gave a pretty wink back. “And don’t mention it. I know how it’s like to get attacked by some monster. You can ask Big Mac. Besides, Apple Bloom seems to like it. It’s nice having a friend over. She mostly talks to the animals at home.”

“Speaking of animals, I’d also prefer if you didn’t leave my towels to dry next to the goats…” Rarity shuddered. “They took a few nibbles off mine.”

“Yeah… Max and Maxine tend to do that.” AJ admitted. “They like colorful things. I’ll be sure to put them back in their pens. With snow coming down, not really much reason to graze."

"And I don't suppose you can do something about the cows?"

"Hey, a cow's gotta moo. You can't stop it. But to be honest, I’m also glad that you’re around. With that monster out to get us, I’m glad I got someone else watching my back.”

“Well that is what friends and family are for, is it not? I’m sure Pinkie here would agree. Right Pinkie?” She paused for a moment expecting a natural answer. But Rarity soon found herself with no reply. “Pinkie?”

The two of them quickly turned to the only member of the gang who was present on the table who was too preoccupied with another matter. Twilight and Sunset were out plotting something, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were still taking their exams, Pinkie on the other hand however was so focused on that sheet of paper in front of her to even bother with them.

“Pinkie?” Applejack scooted over close enough to hear the bubblegum gal chanting some strange mantra in whisper. “Wow… she must be studying for her exams.”

No… that wasn’t it.

The words she was chanting didn’t sound like something she had in any of her classes. Yet strangely enough they were familiar somehow. She even had a number of utensils placed in specific areas around her plate. It almost looked like a ritual of some sort. Rarity leaned in trying to make sense of it all.

Hors d'oeuvre

Foie gras

Caviar

Three spoons and forks

Raise pinkie finger when drinking

“Fine dining!”

“Mgyah!” Pinkie shrieked when Rarity suddenly burst out the words like she had the answer to the million bit question. “What? What’s happening? Is lunch time over? Is the world coming to an end!? I haven't even had my last cupcake!”

“No dear. It’s fine-dining.” The fashionista repeated with a proud posture. “All those words you’re muttering there are mostly related to fine dining. I should know. I practice them all the time.”

Applejack raised a quizzical brow. “You… practice these words?”

“One must always be prepared when one might be invited to a fancy place, darling.” Rarity giggled like an amused child. “But forget about me for a moment. The bigger question is, why are you rehearsing these words?”

Pinkie puckered her lips shyly. “N… no reason. They’re part of my uh… test.”

“You have a test in fine-dining?” Applejack gave her a look. “Really?”

“Y… yeah! It’s umm… new?” Pinkie was a lot of things in this world. You could list down her traits in a roll of toilet paper in the smallest font you can find and still won’t have enough space. She was a party animal, a loose cannon, a clown, a joker, someone who would fall off a cliff chasing a butterfly, but a liar was certainly not one of them. Her signs were pretty much obvious. Perhaps even too obvious. The way her eyes darted around looking for an excuse, how her hair fizzled and rattled like some living creature was burrowing inside, how her cheeks turned a shade of red as she fumbled on her words.

Yup… something was definitely up. And Rarity, being the one who pays the most attention to all the little details, can see it clearer than the stars in the night sky.

“Oh flabberbiscuit, my dear.” She punctuated the word as she leaned in close to the pinkette with a sly look on her face. “You remember that this is me you’re talking to. And I never miss a thing.”

“What?”

“You’re practicing complicated words, you have your utensils assembled in a formal position around your plate, combine that with your recent history of dining in a fancy restaurant, I deduce that you… are going on a formal dinner with your mysterious secret wealthy clientele!”

“Oh yeah.” Applejack bobbed her head in realization. “We totally forgot about your secret date a few weeks back. With everything that’s been going on, it must’ve slipped our minds.”

Pinkie groaned. She should’ve known that Rarity would figure her out. Maybe she should’ve practiced her thing in a private table instead of here.

“Ugh… fine. You got me.” She dropped her hands in defeat. “My parents are having dinner with their business partner tomorrow at their place and they’re bringing me along to meet with his… son.”

Rarity’s face went all giddy, blowing the bad stench in the air with a clap of her hands. “Ooooh hooo~~! Meeting with the parents? Already? How very exciting. Normally you don’t get to meet the parents until after the fifth or sixth date. But the rich don’t exactly play by the rules. Oh just thinking about it got me all curious.”

“I’m more curious about this guy they’re pushing you to.” AJ added pointing out to the juiciest detail. “Other than the fact that he’s rich, we know next to nothing about him. What’s he like – or better yet – who is he? I thought you said you weren’t interested.”

“I’m not!” Pinkie insisted. “It’s just that my parents are really close friends with this guy and they want to bring me along because it’s proper manners. I keep telling them that they could bring my other sisters along, but nope. It has to be me for some reason.”

That really wasn’t much of an argument. After all, comparing Pinkie to her other three sisters was like comparing juicy apples to stale ones. Maud was stoic like her parents, you can hardly get a word out of Marble, and Limestone has…… a fairly… aggressive personality. You couldn’t picture any of them to be presented to another in a courting session. Not like the one Pinkie was going to. Trying to talk to them was like talking to a brick wall, though you could probably get a livelier conversation with the wall than the sisters. At least with Pinkie, she can chat, laugh and give a fair compliment every now and then.

“I’m sure your parents are just looking out for you.” Rarity bobbed her head. “He must be quite the charming fellow if he got their approval. But I would like to know a little bit more about him.”

“So when can we finally meet the guy?” The cowgirl asked, which only prompted to annoy Pinkie even further. “You can’t keep him a secret forever.”

But then Pinkie grinned mischievously as she thought of a good counterattack. “Alright Applejack. I’ll be willing to tell you who it is… if you tell me who your secret crush is!”

“What?” Rarity gasped as she turned her attention to her best friend. “A crush?”

“Pinkie!”

“What’s this about a crush now? This is the first I’ve heard of it!”

“Oh yeah. It’s Applejack’s first ever crush.” Pinkie continued earning a mean glare from the cowgirl. “She made a very special pie for him during the concert.”

“Really?” The fashionista’s attention drew to her countrygal pal. “Why Applejack, I’d never thought I’d see the day. Why in heaven’s name didn’t you say anything?”

“I…” The cowgirl tilted her hat down to hide her cheeks. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Oh poppydash! You don’t keep secrets from your best friend now, darling. That’s the kind of juicy tidbit I have been waiting for! Honestly now, I will admit that our group has been rather dry when it comes to interpersonal relationships. The closest thing we’ve ever had to a girl-talk is with Twilight and Timber. And we all know where that’s going.”

We do?

“We do?” Pinkie questioned.

“Of course! Naturally Twilight and Timber will move in together. And afterward that boy will propose on one knee, they’ll get married, go off into their honeymoon in Cloudsdale and then have two kids named Gemstone and Silky Smooth who will call me Auntie Rare!”

“Uh… Rarity. I think you’re going a little far too ahead.”

“Sh shhhh!” She hushed them. “You either let me have this moment or I pester the two of you about your secrets.” That was a good point. “Goodness. Two of my friends having love interests. And here I thought this holiday will just be the more of the same. Hoo hoo! I’m so glad I was wrong!”

Oh Rarity. If only you knew.

The nightmare was at an end. The last school bell heralded the end of days and freedom from the confines of this wretched place.

Students poured out of the classroom, half of them fell on their knees and raised their hands up to the ceiling as if they had finally found religion, thanking whatever god that the nightmare was over. The other half fell to the floor, chanting words of misery as they knew that their final scores weren’t going to be as stellar as they hoped. Some were probably preparing to take makeup tests later on. A continuation of the nightmare that haunted the students here.

Fluttershy walked out first breathing a sigh of relief. She didn’t consider herself a bright student but she believed that she did well enough to get by. Her parents should be satisfied with the results at least. And to think that she did it without the help of her animal friends.

She let out a cheerful breath expecting her loud mouth friend to follow suit. But to her surprise she found the hallway quieter than usual. She quickly turned over to Rainbow Dash, who was the last to leave the classroom. The sports gal looked like she was down in the dumps dragging her feet and kicking the air. Her eyes were droopy and she lacked the usual spirit that she always had in abundance. Heck, she looked kind of… stale to be honest.

“Uh… Rainbow Dash? Are you ok?” Fluttershy asked worryingly. “That was the last exam. I thought you’d be more… excited.

“Huh? Oh… yeah. End of school… no more lessons, no more classes. Woohoo~.” Her woohoo didn’t exactly feel like a woohoo. It sounded more like a boohoo.

“Oh dear. Did you not do well in the test? Do you think you fail?”

“What? No… not that. I did fine. Physics isn’t exactly the hardest subject.” She waved it off. It was simple really. Things go up, things go down.

“Oh… then… why aren’t you more… you know…… cheerful?” Fluttershy probably expected the girl to be sliding on the floor, strumming an air-guitar on a reverse Pete Townshend by now while shouting something akin to 'Freedom' at the top of her lungs. “Is something wrong with Tank? Are you feeling sick? Did my brother try to ask you out again?”

“No. Nothing like that.” Rainbow Dash groaned. Though having Zephyr asking her out for the party next week would really dampen her mood too. “It’s… something else. Listen, I gotta get home and set up decorations with my folks. But we should definitely get together this weekend for an outing. Later.” Without even waiting for an answer she bolted off using her super speed.

“Ah! Rainbow Dash! You know we’re not supposed to use our powers to…”

She didn’t even have to finish her sentence when the speedster crashed onto someone a millisecond later, hitting the floor in a spectacular wipeout fashion.

“Ow… what hit me?”

“I think that’s my line.” Flash scoffed as he got back up, rubbing his shoulder, feeling the high velocity impact on him. “I thought you girls weren’t supposed to use magic in school. Do you want Principal Celestia to lecture you again?”

“Technically school’s out for Winter Break.” Rainbow Dash reasoned, which she made a valid point. “The last bell signaled it. So technically I’m not breaking the rules.”

“Sure.” The boy rolled his eyes. Of course she would have an excuse. “Anyway I’m glad I caught up to you. You ready to go?”

“Go?” She tilted her head sideway, puzzled. “Go where?”

“For our rehearsal?” The boy explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “For the Winter Holiday party next week? Remember? I sent you a text yesterday.”

Ah… yeah. Dang it. She really needs to start reading her text.

“Right~. Our… rehearsal.” She rubbed the back of her head embarrassingly. “Sure… I guess I can stay for a bit. But I can’t be out long. I got stuff to do at home.”

“Hey no biggie. We just need you to get acquainted with our songs. It shouldn’t be too hard for someone of your skillset.”

“Oooh! Are you two playing together?” Fluttershy asked with an intrigued tone. “I didn’t know you were going to play with them Rainbow. When did this happen?”

“A few days ago.” Flash answered smugly for her. “She lost a shredding match to me so she’ll be playing as my backup.”

“I didn’t lose squat!” Rainbow protested. “It was a draw! I submitted out of my own free will.”

“Sure you did.” He chuckled. “Come on. We only got the band room booked for a few hours.”

“Can I come?” Fluttershy raised her hand up like she was asking her teacher permission. “I’ve… never seen your band practiced before.”

He shrugged. “Sure. But I gotta warn you. Our practice sessions can get pretty intense.”

“Oh pa-lease.” Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out in disgust. “You should see our jam sessions. We bring down the roof every time we play.”

“And she means that literally.” Fluttershy added much to the boy’s surprise. “Last time we played at my family’s garage she really brought the roof down on us. It took us a while to clean up.” Flash wasn’t sure if that was crazy… or crazy scary. He would’ve loved to see it though – from a good distance, and probably behind a 10 feet magic proof wall.

“Ah huh…”

“So here we are.” Flash declared as they walked in at the band room to find his team prepping their instruments. “Ladies. Allow me to introduce to you, the Flash Drive. You remember Drum Roll and Bass Keys.” The two respective gentlemen nodded back. “And of course we have our newest member, Sandalwood.”

“Sup…” The eco-keyboardist gave them a peace sign.

“Guys. You all know Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.” One of them waved and the other folded her arms together. “Like I promised, Rainbow Dash here will be playing as our backup. So I want her acquainted with all our songs.”

“Even Love in a Flash?”

He gave his drummer the smoking gun gesture. “Especially Love in a Flash. It’s a fan favorite.”

“You mean your favorite.”

“Anyway~~ the party’s on Wednesday so we gotta practice. Everyone in school will be there. Not to mention it’ll be our last semester in CHS next year. We gotta leave a good impression. Our big performance in the park also got us a lot of viewers. So let’s ride this popularity wave till we hit the shores. Bass, you got your strings fixed?”

“Way ahead of ya.” The bass player nodded.

“Drum Roll, you got those extra sticks?”

“Every self-respecting drummer always carry a few extra pairs.”

“And Sandalwood, you got your stomach medicine? You don’t want to be trapped in the bathroom for the next three hours.”

“Dude! Not cool man. It happened like… one time.” The gang chuckled at the hippie’s expense.

“Twice, actually. Remember that gig at Micro Chip’s place?” Flash leaned in to whisper to the girls. “Sandalwood’s stomach gets upset when he goes on stage. Apparently he gets nervous when he faces a big crowd.” Fluttershy giggled at the notion but understood the feeling of stage fright. “Anyway. Let’s take it from the top. Rainbow Dash, you’ll be playing next to me. Think you can keep up?”

“Pffft. Please. You were lucky the first time. With my talent, I might just outdo you.”

“We’ll see about that.” He took his place at the center of the group before pulling his guitar out. “Oh… and before we play. You gotta wear this.” He pulled out a leather jacket from the nearby locker. “Every member of my band has to wear matching jacket. Normally we just wear anything that suits us, but ever since our big performance at the park, Drum Roll here has been pestering that we have matching outfits.”

Bass Keys nodded in agreement. “It’s standard procedure. A band this big should have its own identity."

“Oh… terrific.” Rainbow Dash looked at the thing hiding her disgust. She wasn’t really much of a leather girl. But upon closer inspection, it didn’t exactly look that bad. The leather felt nice to the touch despite its darker color. It was slippery yet tough at the same time. The Flash Drive insignia was printed brightly on the back, and the sleeves were long enough to reach her wrist keeping her warm in this cool weather. “Whoa…”

“I know, right?”

She quickly hid her amazed her expression. “I mean… sure. Yeah. I guess it’s cool.” Aww… she looks so cute when she’s hiding her real self. “I still like my outfit better.”

“Meh. I’m sure it’ll grow on you.”

“Don’t keep your hopes up.” She scoffed back before suddenly finding the jacket to be perfectly fit for her body. “How’d you know my size?”

Flash grinned. “Oh… I have my ways.” The girl stepped back, appalled. “Kidding! I’m kidding. Rarity told me. She keeps all your measurements.” Ah. That made more sense. For a moment there she was thinking of the worst. “Ok. Why don’t you sit with Fluttershy first? Listen to some of our songs and see what you can do.”

Rainbow shrugged but didn’t complain. As egotistical as she was, she was too proud to back down on her word. A bet was a bet. And she’d pay it even if she hated it.

She looked at each of the band members noting their procedures. Judging by the way they handled their equipment they seemed to know what they’re doing. Unlike the Rainbooms, these guys looked… like pros. Not surprising seeing as they’ve been a band long before they came along. In fact, she would even say that they were more famous than they were. But never out loud of course

Drum Roll reached for the dimmer switch to set the mood for the room.

The whole place went quiet for a moment. With the rhythm of the music the Flash Drive played.

And like always, Flash took the lead. His voice echoed beautifully just like it did during his concert. His bandmates followed suit playing each of their instruments coolly performing with little trouble. All of them worked in perfect synch like they’ve been doing this for years. It was… pretty good actually.

Rainbow Dash never really paid much attention to Flash’s songs. Not even during the Battle of the Bands, they were too busy dealing with the Sirens to notice. She might’ve listened to one or two but this is the first time she actually heard the words loud and clear. The rhythm and the beats were nice. Not too fast and not too slow. The lyrics were definitely catchy. Each word holding a deeper meaning. Contradictory to hers, naturally, but it was pleasant to listen to. Heck even Fluttershy seemed to be caught up in the music that she didn’t even notice herself bobbing her head like a rocker to one of their upbeat songs.

It took about 20 minutes for them to finish through their list.

“So whadya think?” Their lead singer ask, brushing a sweat off his brow, to which Fluttershy responded with a genuine applause.

“That was amazing! Bravo! Bravo!” The Flash Drive took a complimentary bow while Drum Roll blushed shyly. “Your songs are very emotional. It has my seal of approval.”

“That makes one of you.” He eyed Rainbow Dash expecting a snippy reply.

“Pfft… it was ok, I guess.” Aww… she looks cute when she pouts.

“That last one was based off another band.” Drum Roll explained. “It's a little out there but we got our inspiration from..."

"Skull Cruncher!" Fluttershy stated much to their surprise. "Your drumming was very similar to their style."

Flash gawked. "You know Skull Cruncher?"

"Oh... a little bit." She lied.

"Enough talk." Rainbow Dash bellowed, casually grabbing her guitar and joining the boys on the platform. "I think I got the gist of your songs. Now let me show you how a real rocker does it."

“There. Done at last.” Rarity gave a proud declaration, wiping the sweat off her brow as she added the final touch to her lineup. With a little bit of elbow grease, imagination and determination, she was able to finish the last of her costumes. Just like the one that Hoity Toity praised for, all of her designs were based on Yaztec culture. Feathers, reeds and all the fabric you can get out of the forest. “I must say I’ve really outdone myself. The feathers were definitely a fine touch. It brings out the beauty of the linen.”

“If you say so.” Applejack commented from her bed, tilting her head sideway trying to make sense of the dresses. “You probably know more about the fashion world than I do. The best I can give is: That they either look good… or not. And these outfits… are definitely good.”

“Thank you darling. I’m just glad I was able to finish on time. I’m cutting it rather close to the deadline here. Hopefully I’ll be able to get them all to the amphitheater tomorrow.” She put her needles down and took a seat by her friend, admiring her handiwork from a good distance. “Thank you again for letting me do my work in your room. Without my usual workspace back home, I never would’ve thought that I could finish these at all.”

“Oh don’t sweat it. I wouldn’t leave my best friend high and dry on her big day.” And it helped when she had an ample supply of wool and feathers around here to work with.

Rarity nodded in gratitude. “I just really need to get my mind off that dreadful night. A good distraction would be welcoming at this point now that my work is complete. Not to mention that the night is still young. We could do something here before bed.”

“Well I do have a few board games that I used to play when I was a kid." AJ ruffled the bottom of her bed pulling out some dusty games. "Maybe we could go for a round of Catch the Fox or First to the Tower. They’re my favorites back when I was still a kid.”

“Thank you darling but games like these aren’t my cup of tea.”

“Don’t throw it till you try it.” AJ insisted. “Come on. I’ll even let you pick the game.”

But the fashionista’s smile grew wicked in nature. “Actually…… since you’re offering. I was hoping we could just… talk. More specifically we could talk about your first ever crush.” Applejack’s face froze.

“I uh…”

“Come now. You did say I get to pick. And I pick, girl talk.”

“Do we have to?”

“Of course!” Rarity exclaimed proudly as she laid on the bed, cupping her head in her hand while her legs swung back and forth. “Applejack dear. This is your first ever crush. Your heart must be going through a torrent of emotions right. You mustn’t hide such a beautiful feeling all to yourself, especially to your best friend. Why if I were in your shoes I’d be telling everyone about it!”

“You mean like that thing you had with that Ragamuffin fella?”

Oh snap.

Wow… Rarity completely forgot about that charming sailor.

“Oh that was just a fling, darling. Totally different.” Uh huh… sure. No one believed that. “Besides, he wasn’t exactly what I thought he was with that fake accent of his. But that’s beside the point. The point is, you need someone to talk to when it comes to relationships.”

“You’re just itching for a juicy gossip.”

“I cannot deny that.” The fashionista admitted. “But this is your first ever crush. As your best friend, it is my solemn duty to hear your heart out. I want to be a part of this special moment and wouldn’t dare miss it for the world.” Oh god… her eyes were glittering. She was doing the glitter puppy dog eyes! She must look away before it infects her.

The cowgirl sighed to herself. It was hard to argue with that reason. And to be completely honest: She did want to talk about it with her friends. If only there weren’t so confusing.

“Alright alright.” She surrendered to the puppy stare. “I’ll tell you. But under the condition you don’t tell anyone else.”

“And why not?”

“It’s… complicated.” Far more complicated than you know. “I want to keep this between you and me. For now at least. Until I can figure out how to tell the others. I don’t want this spreading. Not yet at least.”

“Hmm…” Rarity puckered her lips in thought. “While I do despise keeping this from our friends, I do enjoy holding exclusivity on this information. Very well. I promise. So spill, girl. Who is this mysterious gentleman who managed to grip your heart?”

Applejack breathed a sigh.

And her answer came.