//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Enmity // Story: Without the Magic of Friendship // by Powered by corn //------------------------------// It was after lunch and the human six had little conversation about the whole deal of being cursed. Perhaps it was a result of them in shock, or maybe it was just because everyone besides Sunset knew so little about what a curse even was. Sunset Shimmer didn’t enjoy being the bearer of bad news, but she had to tell her friends that she and they were cursed. The girls decided to check up on the portal once more to see if Twilight Sparkle returned. They didn’t mind missing school by that point; they had larger problems on their hands. It had been several days since Sunset Shimmer first notified Twilight about a growing suspicion they had. As the evidence got more and more clear of how people now ignored the six girls, Sunset would update Twilight about her suspicions and ask for her to come help use the magic of friendship. “I’m sorry I couldn’t figure this out earlier,” Sunset apologized, “I just thought it was all a coincidence at first.” “It’s not your fault Sunset,” Fluttershy said, “I didn’t know what it was either.” Some how, that didn’t make Sunset feel any better. 'Perhaps due to the fact that Fluttershy had never taken magic school!' she thought. But she digressed, because this was no time to think sarcastically. “I just don’t get it,” Applejack said. “What is a difference between a spell and curse?” It was a question easy enough for Sunset Shimmer to answer. “A spell is what is used to cast a certain want or control. But a curse… a curse is used to single out certain objects or individuals, usually resulting in an unwanted effect, which can last forever. In our case, people seem to escape the fact that we even exist.” A long pause followed Sunset’s comment, as the girls needed time to decipher the difference between the two. The silence, always had to come to an end, and Pinkie was the one to brighten up the mood unintentionally. “Are we in-vis-ible? she asked, stretching her arms out while staring at them intensely. It sounded like a joke, yet she was being sincere. After all, how would they know if everyone couldn't see them? Of course this was Pinkie Pie, so they just left their thoughts at that. “We aren’t invisible Pinkie,” Rarity said. “Even if it may feel like that at times.” The rest of them nodded in agreement to Rarity's statement. The girls waited for another hour by the statue, however, no sign of Twilight. The conversation had steered off track over the hour, but Rainbow brought it right back with a question she had been meaning to ask. “Hey, Sunset?” she asked. “I know you said we were cursed and all, but what's its back story?” Sunset was glad to hear that question. Now she had the perfect chance to tell them about the curse, and impress them with her knowledge as well. She went on to tell them about the origins of the curse she had read, a book she remembered. “How did the legend go? Oh right, centuries ago, two stallions—no, mares—wait no.” Sunset was having trouble remembering the story. After all, it has been a while since she read it, and she had only read it one time. “I can’t remember the details, but I know it was about two unicorns—one was jealous of the other—something about the ponies' popularity… One received more attention, so the other used a curse to cause everypony to neglect the acclaimed one.” Pinkie Pie blurted out, “Just like with us and Trixie!” “I guess that makes sense,” Sunset replied, “the jealous one used a curse with dark magic, and so it became the only one who wasn’t ignoring her.” It was how it worked; the caster would be the only one to not be affected by the curse. Thus, Trixie would be the only one who wouldn’t shun the girls. “Trixie used it to split us up as friends,” Sunset said. “Hold on a second!” Pinkie yelled. “If her intention was to split us apart, then why are we still here, talking with each other?” “Pinkie, your right!” Applejack agreed. “Maybe the magic of friendship is still keeping us together, which in that case, we can still use it to defeat her.” Sunset had an idea to find out if Trixie was the culprit or not. “We need to confront Trixie. If she were the one who casted the curse, she would likely talk to you girls, which will unintentionally give herself away!” “But we need to wait here for Princess Twilight, darling.” Rarity said. With a sigh, Applejack looked at the portal, and back to her friends. She didn’t have the same hope as the others, “Ah think we should face the truth, Twilight ain’t commin’. She’s either really busy, or something bad has happened to her.” The girls were shocked at first, but they soon understood where Applejack was coming from. Twilight would have been there by now if she truly were at her castle. Sunset Shimmer knew what to do next. Perhaps it had been the best plan she had come up since the whole curse went down. She was going to visit Twilight herself, and find out herself what the issue over in Equestria was. “I have a plan girls.” Sunset got the girls attention before continuing on. “You five should find Trixie before school ends and see if you can get her to confess.” “And where will you go?” Fluttershy asked. “I will go to Equestria, and find Twilight myself. Hopefully she’s okay.” Rainbow wasn’t to keen on the idea. ‘It’s a perfect opportunity to visit Equestria, and she’s about to blow it by confronting Trixie?’, Rainbow thought. “Whoa—whoa—whoa, if anything, we should all stick together. I-I mean, it could be too dangerous for you to travel alone.” Sunset pulled a straight face to that remark. She knew what Rainbow was trying to do, and it wasn’t fooling her. It would be more dangerous for them to come along than not to. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Sunset said, “but you know exactly why I can’t let you do that.” Rainbow knew: It was worth a shot though. She wanted to visit Equestria badly, but knew safety was a priority at this point. She still wasn’t happy about it though. “I won't be gone for long; Twilight told us how the portal was now in her castle,” Sunset stated. Rainbow Dash eyed her. “Fine, but if you’re not back by the end of today, I’m going in after you.” Sunset simply nodded to that statement to avoid farther argument. There was no way for her to stop Rainbow if she’s in Equestria, so why bother. After Sunset nodded, she said goodbye to her friends, and took a long look at the portal. “It’s been a while since I came to Equestria with good intentions,” Sunset said. As she was about to take a step, Pinkie whispered as loud as she could to get Sunset’s attention. “Wait!” Pinkie said. Sunset turned around to find Pinkie nudging her head in the direction of a woman who just walked out of the school. The woman had a walkie–talkie hanging out of her pocket, and appeared to be in a CHS uniform. “Oh,” Rainbow said. “it’s just a faculty member, Pinkie. People ignore us anyway.” Sunset still didn’t want to take the risk, she waited as the woman looked around. Then the unexpected happened; the woman gave a long stare at the girls and then gestured for them to come back into the school. “Never mind, I guess?” Rainbow said in confusion. The faculty member did head back inside, but it didn’t ease the girls hesitation. “But I thought…” Rarity stated. Rarity couldn’t finish her sentence; she was confused too; they all were. Why were they just recognized, when the curse clearly did the opposite earlier? “We can’t worry about missing school right now,” Applejack said. “Sunset, you’d better get going before school ends, and everyone at CHS is out here.” Sunset agreed and faced the portal once more. She took a step forward into the portal, and with her next step she was completely gone. “Well,” Applejack said, “Ah recon we find Trixie now.” “Good timing too,” Rarity said, “School is about to end, and she will leave if we aren't fast enough; if of course she's still at this school.” They did have a feeling she might have ran away after possibly casting the curse. Trixie did witness the loss of both Sunset Shimmer and the Dazzlings after all, so her running away would be a smart decision for her. They entered the school, scouting the halls. None of them had any clue which room Trixie might have been in, and they didn’t have much time either. They peered into the door windows of each classroom, hoping that one of them will have Trixie on the other end of the glass pane. They had no luck, however. The bell had rung and every door of every classroom had swung open. People flooded out of the rooms, turning the once empty halls into a sea of faces. The halls got too crowded; they couldn’t possibly find Trixie with all the students passing them. The girls quickly looked around, hoping they would miraculously spot Trixie; It was no use. Trying to find one person out of the entire school was near impossible. Before they knew it students backed out of the way, causing the remaining five to run straight into a suspicious looking faculty member. They recognized her from earlier; she was the same lady who was gesturing for them to come back inside before Sunset had left. They were hoping she would simply ignore her like the rest, but this wasn’t their luckiest day. “I see you girls enjoy cutting class,” the woman said. “All of you, to the principal’s office, now.” This was the worst time for an event such as this to happen to them. They needed to find Trixie, but had pulled away from their last opportunity that day. The five girls all entered the office of Principal Celestia. There were only two empty seats, so they all decided to stay standing. Principal Celestia was sitting at her desk, staring at the five girls. “Do you girls know why I have brought you in here?” Principal Celestia asked, lifting up one eyebrow. Fluttershy was the first to speak up. “We’re sorry for skipping out after lunch today, but it was an emergency.” She knew it wasn’t exactly critical, but they needed a way to get out and find Trixie. Celestia didn’t buy it, she was rather surprised how much they would lie. “And what about the other thirty absences, also emergencies?” The girls were appalled by the statement. They hadn’t skipped out on thirty sessions; as far as they knew, this afternoon period was the only occurrence. “Thirty!” Rarity exclaimed. “Why, I only remember this one period.” “Well,” Celestia replied, “it says in your attendance, that none of you have shown up for a single class after the high school musical. I’m surprised you girls only show up after school is over.” “B-but, that's not true,” Pinkie said, “I know I have gone to each and every class of mine.” “Were being honest,” Applejack said, “I don’t know why the teachers would falsely mark us absent.” “Now,” Celestia started, “I can’t hold you girls in after school, but you all are suspended from your classes until you have caught up with the work you have missed. Allowing you girls back in class after a week of missing it will not do; you are far too behind now.” “W-We can prove it to you!” Rainbow Dash said. “I can take my test in history tomorrow, no problem.” “I'm sorry girls,” Celestia replied,” You are going to spend tomorrow learning and catching up in the library. You may also tell your friend Sunset Shimmer, that the same goes for her.” Pinkie Pie was particularly upset about this unfairness. “Can’t we just–” “No, now goodbye,” Principal Celestia lastly said before going back to filing papers on her desk. The five left, mostly glad that they were in there for only a couple of minutes. Of course, that was enough time for Trixie to possibly leave campus. “Trixie’s probably gone by now,” Pinkie Pie said in a disappointed voice. The girls were walking down the hallway, heads slightly down as the remaining people in the school were now staring intensely at them. How was it possible they all thought? The curse was meant for them to disregard the girls; now they were the center of attention in the hallway. This time though, they weren’t receiving any hi-fives or looks of approval. Instead they were getting bad glances, and side conversations of them. It almost felt as if they were hated; as if they were Sunset Shimmer after her mistake. But they had done nothing wrong. This curse was playing by its own rules. They were getting close to the exit when their luck finally turned around for them. Across the hall, leaning against the lockers with two friends was Trixie. The first to notice her was Pinkie Pie. She quickly tapped Applejack’s shoulder, and when the two stopped, the other girls turned around as well to see what the deal was. “It’s Trixie!” Rarity said. The day wasn’t a complete failure after all. They had found whom they were looking for. “Do we just approach her?” Fluttershy asked. “Ah say we get our information, and get out.” Applejack said. The girls approached Trixie, all staying together incase anything went wrong. After all, she possibly held dark magic at her fingertips for all they knew. “Trixie!” Rainbow Dash yelled. At the sight of the girls, Trixie was surprised it took them this long to confront her. But she knew she was safe, for there was no Sunset, and no Twilight. Her friends quickly scattered at the sight of the girls, for they didn’t want anything to do with the Rainbooms. “Oh hello, Rainbow Dash? I’m sorry if we didn’t get to compete against each other,” Trixie said. “Hold on, you don't remember the battle?” Rainbow asked. Trixie replied, “Of course not, Principal Celestia kicked us off stage.” Rainbow couldn’t see past Trixie’s lies, but a certain expert in that field knew Trixie wasn’t telling the truth. “Cut the shenanigans Trixie. We know you have something to do with this, other wise you wouldn't be talking to us like everyone else.” Applejack said, which caught Trixie off guard. “Oh fine!” Trixie reluctantly admitted. “You caught me. What’s that going to do? There’s no point in me hiding it because no one’s going to help you. Not even your magical friend.” Rainbow Dash, being Trixie’s archenemy wasn’t going to take her insults any further. “That’s not true Trixie; Twilight’s probably just in trouble. She would never betray us by staying in Equestria for no reason!” “Okaaay,” Trixie said, “but you’re going to be awfully disappointed when you find out it’s true.” Trixie could see the anger building up inside Rainbow Dash. “It’s not going to happen,” Rarity stated, “because Sunset Shimmer is getting Twilight as we speak.” “Well then,” Trixie said, “She’s going to get disappointed.” “Trixie?” Fluttershy asked, trying a more soft approach. “Yes?” Trixie responded. “How exactly did you obtain… dark magic?” Fluttershy asked. “Really?” Trixie responded. “Like I’m going to tell you girls.” Applejack was expecting a response like that so she had another question. “Why did you put a curse on us, which causes everyone to ignore us? What did we do to deserve this?” Trixie wasn’t surprised at their bad assumption of what she cursed them with. They weren’t Equestrian after all. There was more to it than the girls had originally thought, however. “Okay,” Trixie started, “first of all, you girls are wrong about the curse.” “What?” They said in unison. “People may ignore you now, but you’ll learn pretty soon that it's all about to change.” “What did you put on us then!” Pinkie demanded. “Again, I’m not telling!” Trixie replied. “This conversation serves no purpose anymore. For, get this… I don’t even know how to remove the curse. Haha, funny, right?” Trixie was awaiting the angriest response of her life, but to her surprise, they didn’t react how she thought they were. “Yeah?” Rainbow Dash said. “We weren’t expecting you to remove it anyways. Come on, let’s go, we need to get back to 'you know what' anyway.” “Hey,” Trixie said, “you girls aren’t the ones who are supposed to leave!” Trixie then threw down her smoke bomb and ran off. “She’s gone!” Pinkie yelled. “Oh wait, there she… is actually gone. Wow she did it this time.” “Uh nope, she’s just in the classroom next to us.” Applejack stated as she peered through the door window. The five girls trekked back to the main hall of Canterlot High school. They went out the door to find an unreturned Sunset Shimmer. They then proceeded to do what they were used to; waiting by the statue. Sunset Shimmer was lying in a brightly lit room. Books were stacked up to the celling on every wall she could see. She could only assume it was Twilight’s library. She looked down at her hooves, to see that she was a pony again. Sunset got up and approached one of the windows. “Wow we’re high up.” She had never seen Twilight’s castle before, but did expect for it to be semi–large. She was looking out into Ponyville, where she could see tiny figures of ponies moving about the town. "It’s been a long time since I have been in Equestria,” she said, “I kind of miss it—Wait, no, I don’t have time to get nostalgic. I must find Twilight.” “You know, you should be more observant of your surroundings.” A familiar voice said. Sunset Shimmer turned around from the window to find a lavender pony sitting, reading a book. She wash't so used to the sight of Twilight as a pony; most of their interactions were as humans. “Twilight? Thank Celestia you’re okay,” Sunset said in relief. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Twilight responded. “You know what, don’t answer that. Why are you here?” “Oh, well—your human friends and I need your help, and we were wondering if you received any of the messages we sent?” Sunset asked. Twilight seemed to get upset at Sunset’s remark. She closed her book and stood up, facing Sunset Shimmer. There was some distance between the two, and Twilight made no attempt to greet her. “Yes, I’ve read them.” Twilight stated. “All eighteen of them in fact. Didn’t you receive my message?” “What message?” Sunset asked, confused. She never got any message from Twilight; as far as she knew. “My unspoken message of how I don’t want to help you, because—I don’t know—I haven’t made any effort in returning!” Sunset was surprised at Twilight’s hostility at first, but it didn’t take long for her to understand: It’s not just humans who were effected, it’s all beings in Equestria too! Twilight was acting just as hostile as anyone or pony else would. “Look Twilight Sparkle, I know this isn’t you. We have been cursed by Trixie and now everyone is ignoring us.” “I know,” Twilight stated, “I said I’ve read your messages, and frankly, you couldn’t be more wrong,” Twilight stated. “What do you mean?” Sunset asked. “As I said earlier, you aren’t very observant,” Twilight said. “Think, Sunset; I'm talking to you right now.” Sunset felt defeated; could she do anything right? If it wasn’t what she thought, then she was back to square one. One the other hoof, she did already suspect contradictions with the curse she thought they had. “That will explain why us girls can still talk amongst each other, but then what curse is it?” Sunset asked. “Come on, Sunset,” twilight started. “Remember the curse a certain group of baddies obtained incase anything went wrong?” “It would be a lot of help if you told me what it is,” Sunset stated. “It’s no fun if I just tell you!” Twilight stated. “Find something out for yourself for a change.” Twilight proceeded to use her horn to pull out a book from one of the high shelves, and transported it in front of Sunset’s hooves. The book title read Curses of the Ancient. At first Sunset was slightly underwhelmed, for it was the exact same book she remembered the other curse was from: The one, which was apparently wrong. Before Sunset was about to do a bundle of research, she realized how her friends were going to think she was in trouble if she stayed too long. She needed to get back as soon as possible; there was no time for her to do endless research. “Twilight, can you come back with me and help us?” “You know, you won’t get far if you always have to rely on me to save the day.” Even though Sunset knew Twilight was too, affected by her curse, that statement did tick her off slightly. After all, they didn’t rely on her; it's only that they needed her to complete the magic of friendship. “But we can’t use the magic of friendship without you.” Sunset exclaimed. “The magic of friendship?” Twilight asked. “My friends are here in Equestria. Those girls through that portal are mere human replicas,” she said, as she pointed her hoof in the direction of the portal. “How can you even say that?” Sunset yelled. She didn’t care that this wasn’t the true Twilight speaking; that statement was a dagger through her heart. Twilight seemed to expect for Sunset to leave then, because she reopened her book and proceeded to look down at the page she had left off. “Now I’m going to go back to my reading. You better go back through that portal, before you stir up any trouble. That curse you have is no laughing matter.” Sunset mumbled to herself, "Why would anypony want to do any harm to me?" She figured it was about time to leave anyway; her friends were waiting and she didn’t want for Rainbow Dash to run through the portal at a time like this. Twilight slightly rendered what Sunset had said, "Oh, the effects are gonna get much worse." “Twiiiilight?” A loud yell came from down the hall. Sunset Shimmer recognized that voice as well. It was no other than this world’s Pinkie Pie. Normal Pinkie didn’t seem to represent a hint of animosity, but Sunset, being under the curse could cause unwanted Pinkie actions. She didn't want to stay and find out. She picked up the book with her telekinesis, and headed back for the portal. She knew Twilight wouldn’t be too happy about her stealing the book, but she needed time to read it. She trotted back as fast as she could and jumped through the portal. As Sunset jumped into the portal, the pink pony entered Twilight’s library. “Hey, Twilight! Who were you talking to?” Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight Sparkle looked up from her book, “Nopony important.” Sunset Shimmer returned to her concerned looking friends. She had also given hints of bad news, based on her appearance. She was breathing heavy, hands clenched tightly on the book she had stolen. The girls seemed to pay no attention to the book at first; they were more interested in why Sunset had returned without Twilight. Sunset caught her breath quickly, since it was only a short sprint, but it was enough for the girls to understand that she was running from something. “Is it dangerous there?” Fluttershy asked. Sunset simply shook her head side to side in response. “Is Twilight in trouble?” Rainbow panicked. “No, she was fine.” Sunset replied. The girls let out a great sigh of relief. Knowing that things in Equestria were still okay eased their concerns. “But she isn’t coming,” Sunset said. This caused the girls to quickly regain the anxiety they had just breathed away. With eyes wide open, the girls were all ears for Twilight’s reasoning of why she couldn’t come. “I was wrong about everything.” Sunset said. “The curse; the effects! Twilight was affected by our curse too, everyone is. Every human, pony, and pretty much any other intellectual being will treat us the same.” The other girls didn’t say anything, but they had also known. Trixie also told them that the their diagnosis was wrong. Rainbow decided to speak up, angry how it was Twilight’s only reasoning. “Why, I’m gonna go there myself and convince Twilight to come then!” “There’s no use,” Applejack stated. “It would be like asking the Dazzlings for help.” For some reason, that synopsis didn’t seem to far off from Sunset’s experiences with Twilight. “Well I don’t care!” Rainbow yelled. She started to show her true annoyance of the whole situation. Being the sports fanatic she was, teamwork was very important for her, and the curse was putting all that in jeopardy. “All we ever do is wait here for Twilight; go to school; wait for Twilight; go to school, and nothing’s improving. I think it’s a better idea if we all go to talk to Twilight in Equestria, because we sure aren’t making any progress here!” Sunset tried to remind her again, “You know why you can’t–” “I know, Sunset, and I was cool with that until Trixie decided to cast a curse with her cheating guitar solo!” “Ah know you’re all upset about losin’ to Trixie, but that the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Applejack stated. Only it wasn’t: Sunset was surprised no one figured it out earlier. “Wait, Rainbow; what did you say about Trixie?” “That she casted the curse with her guitar solo?” “Yes, and what did you say Applejack?” “It the dumbest thing–” “No, before that: About Twilight.” “That asking her for help, would be like asking the Dazzlings?” ‘The Dazzlings; why of course’ Sunset thought. What Twilight had said earlier. ‘Remember the curse, a certain group of baddies obtained incase anything went wrong?’ The comment was echoing in her mind. It was quite a large hint after all. Trixie’s curse using music; group of baddies using a curse to escape threat; Twilight telling her how it's going to get worse. It all made sense to her. There was no circumventing around it; the only curse, which could match this description, was one she had read: One from the very book she had in her hand! It was a curse developed and used by the Dazzlings a long time ago. Sunset looked down at the book in her hands, which she had recently stolen from Twilight. She sat down and leaned her back to the statue, placing the book on her lap. She quickly started flipping through the pages, looking for a hint of siren magic. “You gonna tell us what you’re doin’?” Applejack asked. “And why you have a book from Equestria?” Pinkie added. It only took the amount of time for those two to speak for Sunset to find the section about the sirens. “It’s the Dazzlings,” Sunset said, still looking down at the book. “*gasp* They did this to us?” Pinkie asked. “No, but the curse has a lot to do with them,” Sunset replied, as she flipped to the page she was looking for. “I knew it! Here it is: Enmity Swap.” “The what now? Applejack asked. “All we need to know is on this page,” Sunset stated. Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Rarity all huddled around Sunset to get their own look at the page. “What Trixie casted on us was an old siren curse meant to get out of failed situations. Apparently it’s called Enmity Swap, and it must have been what Trixe used on us.” Sunset proceeded to read from the page. “Lets see, Enmity Swap was used by the Dazzlings to trade their reputation with others. It was essentially used as a back up plan, if ever their spell broke. All the hate the sirens received following a broken spell would be transferred over to the ponies. “The curse came at a toll for the victims, however, for its effect was exponential; meaning at first, the ponies would notice receiving slight neglect from others. After a while, however, non affected ponies would start to become violent.” Fluttershy interrupted, “Oh dear, people aren’t going to hurt us, are they?” Sunset took it as a sign she should continue reading, “The sirens used the curse sparingly, and only on large groups of people, so their enmity can distribute between all of them, making the magnitude of their curse less severe.” Sunset paused after reading that. The Dazzling had always used it on large groups of people to lessen the effect of each pony. But in this case, Trixie had only casted it on the six of them. “Come on, Sunset,” Rainbow urged, “keep reading.” Sunset nodded and did so, “Though no evidence is proven, it is not to say that the curse is limited only to its creators. However, if they curse were used by a non siren caster, the swap will still only occur with the sirens, and not the one casting the curse.” “Soooo,” Pinkie started, “Trixie is still just Trixie, but the Dazzlings are now super duper popular?” “I guess so?” Sunset answered. None of this information was making Rainbow feel any better. Knowing what the curse is, didn't change any fact that they have it. “Okay, great,” Rainbow started, “so we now know what the curse is, but how in any way does this help us?” “Well,” Sunset started, “It’s a siren spell, and Trixie’s not a siren.” “I don't think I follow you,” Rarity stated. “Don’t you see girls,” Sunset started, “Somehow Trixie found a way to use the Dazzling’s curse. We can finally get answers. According to this book, the Dazzlings are immune to their own curse, so they probably won’t be hostile with us.” “Hey now, are you suggestin’ that we ask the Dazzlings for help?” Applejack hesitantly said. “Look, I was once bad too and you gave me a second chance, can’t we do the same for them.” Sunset Shimmer said. “I don’t know about that,” Rarity said, “The Dazzlings must still be pretty upset for us ruining their chances. They wouldn’t act any differently than everyone else.” “Well what other choice do we have?” Rainbow asked Rarity. “I’m all for visiting those sirens!” Rainbow Dash stepped up for Sunset’s idea; it wasn’t like they were going to listen to her idea of going to Equestria. “If you're in, then I'm in,” Applejack said. “Oh, why not,” Rarity added. “Yaaaay,” said Fluttershy. “Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie Pie yelled.