Make My Way Back Home

by TempestDash

Shine Like Rainbows (Rainbow Rocks), Pt 1 (OLD VERSION)

Author's Note:

I will be changing the details of what happens in Rainbow Rocks. I didn’t want this chapter to read like a transcript of the movie and there were more appropriate things for the girls to say and do based on the history I’ve established after Equestria Girls. Sorry if this bothers you, but the alternative was to just put a big sign that said <Insert Rainbow Rocks Movie Here> and that was wholly unacceptable to me.
Besides, I've found much better goals for the Dazzlings now.

Sunset exited the eclectic bookstore with a grim look upon her face and crossed the street to rejoin Applejack and Pinkie Pie. She looked back at the neon purple and leather-like brown decorated storefront then shook her head and started walking back to the parking lot.

“Ah assume that means you didn’t find what ya wanted,” said Applejack as she pulled out the keys to her car and started spinning them around her finger.

“They already sold them,” said Sunset. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She opened the page and pulled out a pen to cross out the last two names on the list. “That’s all of them. I have no idea where to go from here.”

Pinkie hummed briefly then raised a finger. “We could put up signs! ‘Reward: lost old books containing real magic, if found, return to owner.’”

“Ahm, not sure that’s the best way to advertise it,” said Applejack.

“You think we shouldn’t offer a reward?” asked Pinkie.

“Either one of two things happen if we do that,” said Sunset, continuing to look forwards. “Someone sees ‘magic’ in the sign and thinks it’s a prank, or they believe it and will never give them back. The worst option is the second one because it leads to people experimenting with spells that may or may not work and may or may not do what they are supposed to do in this world.” She shook her head. “I’m not even sure anything in them will work, but I was hoping to find some clue about your transformations.”

“Well, at least it only happens when we play,” said Applejack. “And it’s only us.”

“That that we know of,” said Sunset. “If there are other people playing music and changing into ponies out there, they could be keeping it secret.”

“Probably are, since everyone would think they were crazy,” said Applejack.

“Unless they showed them,” said Pinkie. “It happens most all the time we play now.”

“Would be nice to know why it doesn’t happen all the time,” said Applejack.

Sunset opened her mouth to speak but again choose to remain silent and simply said, “yeah.”

Actually, Sunset had figured out why it didn’t happen all the time, but was a little frightened at what it might mean. The others weren’t paying close enough attention, but it was only a matter of time before they deduced it as well. Sunset needed to figure out what was going on before then.

“Ah wonder what people will say if it happens during the Musical Showcase next week,” said Applejack.

“With all the weird and terrible things that happened during the Fall Formal, they’ll probably be glad it just affects us,” said Pinkie. Then she paused and looked at Sunset. “No offense,” she said.

“It’s alright,” said Sunset. “None taken. It’s all true, after all. I doubt they’ll make a big deal about it. Though it’s probably a good thing that I won’t be on stage. If they saw me glowing and changing it’d probably scare everyone.” She sighed. Still so much further to go before people would accept her again.

“So what’s next?” asked Applejack. They were approaching the parking lot and heading towards AJ’s large red pickup.

“The internet, I guess,” said Sunset. “Odds are there is someone on some forum out there who has the books, maybe we find them talking about it.” She was again frustrated that she’d burned her bridges with the Marchers years ago. Steel Bonnet had been quite adept at tracking down the one book Sunset had managed to regain. If only she could just ask her again.

Though Sunset wasn’t even sure Steel Bonnet was still in the Marchers or if they were still around. She hadn’t heard anything about them in a while, though she wouldn’t be surprised if that was just because she didn’t run in those circles anymore.

“Should we go to the library then?” asked Pinkie.

Sunset shook her head. “Back to the school is probably fine, I can do it there. Besides, don’t you have decorations to work on?”

“I always have decorations to work on,” Pinkie said with cheer. “But this time the student council has gotten everyone to help so there are lots of people to help.”

“You should still be there to help direct it,” said Sunset. “If you don’t mind, I’d just like to go back to the school.”

Applejack unlocked the truck. “Alright, then. Get in.” She climbed into the drivers seat while Pinkie got in the passengers side and Sunset climbed in the back of the cab. After a moment they were driving back through Canterlot.

Sunset sighed as she looked out the window at the buildings moving past. She wished she could figure out what was going on. Was it residual magic from the Element of Magic stored in the girls? Was the magic coming from within them somehow? Would it all just run out eventually or was it perpetual?

And why did it only happen when the five girls were singing with Sunset around?

“Harmony,” came a voice from beside Sunset and she nearly leapt out of her seat in shock.

“Are you okay?” said Applejack as she looked in her rear view mirror back at Sunset.

Sunset’s eyes slowly tracked to the left and she saw Star Swirl the Bearded sitting on the bench seat next to her. She quickly looked back ahead.

“Y-yeah,” said Sunset. “Sorry, just a little jumpy.”

Pinkie Pie turned around in her seat and looked back. “Jumpy at what?”

Sunset glanced again over to her left. Star Swirl was waving at her.

“Old ghosts,” said Sunset as he looked back at Pinkie.

“Oh, I see ghosts all the time!” said Pinkie. “Always creeping out of shadows and reminding me to get my homework done on time and to do the chores.”

Sunset blinked. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, they’re always telling me to do things,” said Pinkie.

“And... you do them?” asked Sunset.

“Yuppers,” said Pinkie.

“Nothing... dangerous, I hope?” said Sunset.

“No one’s gotten hurt yet!” Pinkie said with a wide smile.

“Really, don’t ask,” said Star Swirl. “There’s no way this goes anywhere good.”

“Okay,” nodded Sunset, trying not to appear nervous. There were days that Pinkie seemed scarier than her demon.

After Pinkie turned back around in her seat, Sunset snapped her head towards Star Swirl. She was scowling.

“Where have you been?” Sunset whispered urgently. “It’s been months since I’ve seen you.”

Star Swirl’s brow rose. “Conserving my energy,” he said in a normal tone. “It won’t be long before I fade away.”

“Sorry to see you go,” said Sunset, who wasn’t sorry at all. “But you have to explain what is going on with the girls before you do.”

Star Swirl looked at Sunset. “You have to figure that out for yourself.”

“You don’t know?” said Sunset in disbelief.

“I can’t tell you,” replied Star Swirl. “If you are to become what I want you to be, you have to do this on your own.”

“What?” Sunset said loudly.

“Ah didn’t say anything,” said Applejack from the front of the truck.

“Uh, yeah, sorry,” said Sunset. “Must have been my imagination.” She looked back at Star Swirl with a glare.

“Don’t get angry at me,” said Star Swirl.

“Then why are you here if you can’t answer any questions?” asked Sunset quietly.

“I didn’t say I couldn’t answer any question,” said Star Swirl. “Just not about what’s happening with your friends.”

“What about the portal?” asked Sunset. “Why is it closed to me?”

Star Swirl changed his position on the bench to look more directly at her. It was an awkward move in the cramped back of the cab, and Sunset wondered why he even bothered considering he wasn’t really even there, just a projection of her mind.

“Because you’re afraid,” he said. Before Sunset could explode again he continued. “Magic is both mental and ethereal. Having the mana to cast from is part of the equation, but opening your mind to the potential is the larger component. You don’t want there to be magic, so there isn’t.”

“That’s garbage,” said Sunset angrily. She was working hard to keep her voice under control. She folded her arms and looked forward, away from Star Swirl. “I am not a foal. I absolutely want my magic back.”

“No, you don’t,” said Star Swirl. “You’re lying to yourself if you think that’s true. You are terrified that your power will lead you down the path back towards the demon. Why else did you react so extremely when you saw your friends transform again in January?”

“If I don’t want the magic there, how could I have felt that transformation,” said Sunset. “Your reasoning is stupid.”

“There is only so much your mind can ignore,” said Star Swirl. “The faint trickle of magic seeping into this world from Equestria is easy to hide. Your friends changing before your eyes is a little harder to pretend is not the result of magic.”

“A mental block,” said Sunset. “Wonderful. I might as well go back to magic kindergarten.”

“You never went to magic kindergarten,” pointed out Star Swirl. “You need to accept yourself, Sunset. The demon is a reality, but it is one you can avoid if you trust in yourself and in your friends.”

Sunset breathed slowly. “I can’t pretend the temptation isn’t there.”

“Then don’t,” said Star Swirl. “All ponies are tempted to do things they shouldn’t, but they find reasons why they won’t. You know why you became the demon.”

Sunset looked down. “Yeah,” she said. She knew it was her vanity, her greed, her narcissism--

“No,” said Star Swirl. “Keep going. Those things were symptoms, but the reason is deeper than that. Why did you look to raise yourself up so high above others? Why was it so important to be peerless?”

Sunset looked at Star Swirl. “Oh, don’t use Celestia’s tired line.”

“I’m trying to get you to be honest with yourself,” said Star Swirl. “The answer is within you, I can see it. You just don’t want to admit it.”

“Because it’s stupid,” said Sunset.

“What?” asked Pinkie, turning again. Sunset ignored her.

“It’s not stupid to comfort yourself,” said Star Swirl. “But you can’t do it forever, you have to expose that wound so you can heal.”

“Just disappear already!” said Sunset.

“Sunset?” asked Applejack, sparing a glance over her shoulder. “Who are you talking to?”

“Celestia was a poor mentor for you,” said Star Swirl. “She showed you an isolated existence you couldn’t emulate. You shouldn’t have tried to. And you left before it got better for her.”

“I don’t care about that anymore,” said Sunset.

“You do,” said Star Swirl. “Even when you have what you need you won’t admit it. You refuse to acknowledge you ever wanted it.”

Sunset turned away and saw Pinkie looking at her with a concerned expression. The look was painful and she closed her eyes to banish it. She didn’t want to cause her friends any more problems.

“Sunset,” said Star Swirl. “You will always be in danger until you acknowledge it. Only in understanding them, can you truly contain your worser instincts. Why did you try to become Celestia?”

“I don’t know!” Sunset shouted. She felt a hand – a human hand – placed gently on her shoulder.

“Sunset,” said Pinkie’s voice softly. “We’re here for you.”

She was doing it again. She was causing them problems. She didn’t want this. Why wouldn’t Star Swirl just leave her alone?

“Why does the magic only happen when they sing, Sunset?” asked Star Swirl.

Sunset shook her head and held her hands over her ears. She didn’t want this conversation to continue. But she couldn’t block out Star Swirl’s voice because it came from within her own head.

“Stop this,” said Sunset.

“Ahm pulling over,” she heard Applejack say distantly.

“Do you want to be the demon again?” Star Swirl asked.

“No!” said Sunset.

“Then answer me,” said Star Swirl. “Why are you afraid?”

Sunset opened her eyes wide. Instead of Star Swirl she saw herself, Sunset Shimmer as a human, looking back sadly at her.

“You’re the demon!” she said.

“Yes, but only because you are,” said the copy. “You were always the demon. Because it’s part of you and you must find a way to control it. I’m nothing but your own mind speaking back at you. And we want this to be over, don’t we?”

Sunset felt tears on her cheeks. Why was she torturing herself like this? “I’m going crazy,” she said.

“You’re ready to look at yourself with clear eyes,” said the copy. “One last time, now: why are you afraid?”

Sunset felt her mouth go dry and she spoke in a hoarse tone. “Because I’m alone.” She closed her eyes again and swallowed, trying to wet her throat. “They abandoned me.”

“Who abandoned you?” came a soft voice.

“My parents,” said Sunset. “They didn’t want me. They left me because I was useless.”

“You’re not useless,” said the voice.

Sunset shook her head. “Celestia showed me that the strong are alone. They stand above all others. I-I thought if I was the strongest...”

“It would be alright that you were alone,” the voice finished the thought.

Sunset nodded. “But I was wrong. I can’t be really strong. Harmony can’t be reached alone.”

Sunset covered her face with her arms and cried.

“But you aren’t alone, Sunset,” said the soft voice. “You have us.”

Sunset rubbed her eyes and looked towards the voice. She saw Pinkie there, her hands resting gently on Sunset’s shoulders, and wearing a kind smile.

Sunset turned and saw Applejack making a small smile towards her as well. The truck had been parked on the side of the road and all her attention was on Sunset.

“Are you okay there, sugarcube?” asked Applejack. “You’re really making us worry.”

“You see?” Star Swirl’s voice said. Sunset turned to see the unicorn sitting in the seat next to her. The pony looked dim and partially transparent. “Your fears are what create your demons. But you will conquer them, if you can admit you have them.”

“A-are...?” started Sunset.

“My time is up,” said Star Swirl. “Listen well, Sunset Shimmer. I have used the last of my energy to bring you a warning. A danger approaches you now, one that has had far greater time to acclimate to this world. You can protect your friends, if you trust in yourself. I believe you can do it.” He smiled. “Good luck.”

The transparent portions of Star Swirl eroded entirely, quickly creeping up his forelegs and through his body towards his head. Just as it was coming up his neck he turned quickly to look directly at Sunset.

“Oh!” he said in an echoed voice. “Please, if you can, give my love to—“

And he was gone.

*** ( MLP ) ***

Sunset felt numb, but when they returned to the school, she took her friends to the side of the gym while decorations were being created, and endured the barrage of questions.

“He was living in your head?” asked Rainbow Dash. She sounded skeptical. Sunset would have been skeptical if she hadn’t lived it for six months.

“The remaining mana from the Element of Magic created him,” said Sunset. “It left an impression that was used to communicate with me.”

“So... yes, then?” said Rainbow.

Sunset nodded.

“Are you okay?” asked Fluttershy.

“No,” said Sunset. “But I’ll be better.”

“What did he want?” asked Applejack.

Sunset thought about that for a moment. There were various answers she could give, any number of them correct for at least some of the time she interacted with Star Swirl. But none of them were the whole picture in the end.

“He wanted me to get better,” said Sunset, ultimately. “And I think, he knew something was coming that he wanted me to be prepared for, though I don’t know what.”

“Something is coming?” asked Rarity.

Sunset nodded. “That was his last message to me.”

“What?” said Rarity.

Sunset shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s possible he didn’t even know, since he was just in my head.”

“But he knew something you didn’t,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Or something I wasn’t paying attention to,” said Sunset.

“How is that possible?” asked Applejack. “How could your head know something that you didn’t? Isn’t it your head?”

“I don’t know,” said Sunset. “There are certainly ways of using magic to leave behind phantoms, and it is not entirely unprecedented that the spell would fade over time. But as far as knowing something happening on this world, I just don’t see how that’s possible. As far as I knew, the Elements of Harmony have never been to this world, let alone Star Swirl the Bearded. He would have to know something was already here in this world, before I came here, to know it was a threat and might come after us.” She shook her head. “I mean, I know he created the mirrors, so it’s possible he was here before, but it had to be a long time ago. Star Swirl hasn’t been around for hundreds of years.”

“So whatever is coming has been here for centuries?” asked Applejack. “Why would it care about us?”

Sunset shook her head.

“Well, that’s not very helpful,” said Rarity. “In as far as warnings go.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” said Sunset. She looked around.

“So what do we do?” asked Pinkie.

“What can we do?” asked Rainbow Dash. “We know almost nothing. We might as well not have heard the warning at all.”

“It was given to me,” said Sunset. “It’s possible I need to do something, but I don’t know what. Other that ‘trust in myself’ which is about as vague as possible.” She sighed. “It’s probably best we go on as usual. We could drive ourselves insane jumping at shadows.”

“Hmm,” mused Rarity knowingly.

“Good afternoon, students!” called a voice, and the girls turned to see Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna enter the gym. Sunset looked over the crowd of students to see them. “I just wanted to tell you all how please I am that so many of you are going to participate in the first ever Canterlot High School Musical Showcase!”

The students making decorations all cheered and Sunset began to smile. She’d helped make this happen. Even if nobody ever knew, she at least had brought them this joy. Hopefully the event would be without incident and she could look back on it as the shining moment of her high school life, instead of the awful competitive train wreck that the Fall Formal became.

Principal Celestia continued. “I wanted everyone to also take a moment to thank our own Flash Sentry for proposing this idea and getting enough early interest to guarantee the show will be a success. Thank you, Flash Sentry, and I hope your band puts on a great show!”

Celestia turned towards the stage where Flash was working with a number of techies. They were assembling some of the equipment that would later be carried down to the fields where the stage had been constructed. Flash looked up suddenly and blushed heavily as he waved to the now applauding school.

Sunset laughed quietly at his embarrassment. He was adorably innocent at times, seeking out the attention of being the lead in a band but then becoming flushed when he actually had people thanking him. She hoped his attitude would never change.

“I hope everyone remembers that this is an opportunity to raise money for all our after-school programs here at CHS,” said Celestia. “So get the word out to the town, put up those signs and posters, and help make this the most exciting events we’ve had at CHS since the Fall Formal!”

Sunset blanched at the brief silence and then the dozen or two heads that had turned her way. She couldn’t believe Celestia had just said that. She put her hand to her face.

“Uh, yes,” Vice Principal Luna suddenly said. “Let us also all remember that our Spring event is always in the name of community and that we should strive to help our fellow students – no matter what their circumstances – and work with them to contribute to our school in a positive, healthy way.” She smiled awkwardly and then poked Celestia discretely in the side with her elbow.

Celestia looked surprised then smiled and nodded. “Of course,” she added.

Sunset sighed. “I’m never going to live that down,” she muttered.

“It just takes time,” said Fluttershy beside her.

“Don’t worry,” added Applejack. “Eventually they’ll forget. Besides, I’d say the whole experience brought everyone at Canterlot High closer than ever before.”

Sunset nodded. She knew how Applejack felt, but she just couldn’t see it. Things had improved but ‘closer than before’ was a hard claim to make.

*** ( MLP ) ***

Sunset came down into the foyer of the school the following morning. While she had her reservations as to the students recovering from the Fall Formal, the foyer was completely finished and absolutely looking better than ever. The polished floors shined, various brass and chrome accents had been added that weren’t there before, and the front doors had become a large tempered glass entranceway with etched alicorn patterns and the name of the school in bold frosted letters across them. There was a mosaic in the concrete in front of the doors outside that had the letters “CHS” made of tiny pictures of the school pained onto chips of tile. It was quite beautiful. While it was far from her intent, Sunset was at least glad the school could turn her mistake into something so stunning.

Standing on the inside of the doors were three students and Vice Principal Luna. They were casually talking as Sunset came up and smiled.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Ah, here she is,” said Luna. She gestured towards Sunset as she talked to the three girls. “This is Sunset Shimmer, one of our seniors. She’s graciously agreed to give you a tour of the school on you first day.”

Sunset nodded and bowed slightly. “It’s my pleasure.”

The three girls turned towards Sunset and smiled proudly. The girl in the front had large wavy dirty blonde hair with several bleached streaks through it, large red eyes, and was wearing a purple dress. The girls to either side of her were slightly shorter, both with jackets, one with her dark purple hair done up in two pigtails to either side of her head, and the other with a single large cyan ponytail.

Strangely, only one of them appeared to have an obvious cutie mark, the girl with the cyan hair had a heart with a lightning bolt half note on it on her jacket, but the other two – while they had prominently placed images of gemstones on their clothes – didn’t have an obvious symbol. It was strange. In this world, Sunset had yet to meet anyone who didn’t wear their marks prominently.

“This is Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk,” said Vice Principal Luna, motioning first to the blonde, then the purple pigtail girl, and finally the cyan ponytail girl. “They’re starting today at CHS and will be seniors like you.”

“Great,” said Sunset with a smile, dismissing her confusion. “Canterlot High is a great school, you’re going to love it.”

Adagio stepped forward and nodded. “Oh, yes, we really sense there’s something magical about this place.”

“Uh, hah, okay,” said Sunset, getting nervous. Had they heard about her already? That seemed impossible but the girl seemed to be imply she knew based on her emphasis on the word ‘magical.’ “Well, let me show you around.”

“Thank you, Sunset,” said Luna as she stepped away. “Welcome again, girls.”

The three new girls waved at Luna and followed Sunset towards the cafeteria.

“So, uh, how did you three end up here?” asked Sunset as they walked. “You all knew each other before today, right?”

“Yeah,” said Aria in a bored tone. “For years now. So long it feels like ages.”

“Hundreds of years, even,” added Sonata. She suddenly squawked and Sunset turned around. “Sorry, my toe got stepped on.” The girl glared at Aria, who was standing next to her, then smiled at Sunset.

“Uh, yeah, I know what that’s like,” said Sunset. She didn’t, really, but she could imagine being so close with someone that it felt like you knew them forever. It wouldn’t help to expose her sob story to these girls though. “But this is the kind of place to forge friendships for a lifetime, so you’ll hopefully find all sorts of people to bond with.”

“We’re sure something here will interest us,” said Adagio. “We had our pick of schools but this was clearly the one we were hungry for.” She was smiling again. It was kind of a vicious smile, thought Sunset.

“Oh, so why did you pick here?” asked Sunset. “I heard that the private schools are really popular if you can afford them, I assume you can if you had any choice other than here.”

“Well, like I said, we just had a feeling about it,” said Adagio. “Surely you would agree there is something special about this place.”

Again, they were acting like they knew something. Sunset wasn’t sure what to make of it. Should she just admit it and agree there were sometimes crazy things happening here or should she continue to play dumb? They hadn’t come right out and named Sunset, so there was a remote chance they didn’t know what role she’d played in last year’s fiasco.

No, the safer thing was to just ignore it.

“I’ve come to like a great deal about this school,” said Sunset. “I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

“I’m positive we will,” said Adagio.

Sunset shivered and she wasn’t sure why. It was starting to warm up this time of year.

“Tell me,” said Adagio as they turned a corner. “The main entrance of the school looks amazing, but I heard it recently went under construction. Did something happen?”

Sunset stumbled slightly. “Uh, yeah, there was an accident during our last school dance,” she said, sticking to the story she’d been given by Luna. “Some fireworks were set off and hit the building.”

“My, that’s terrible,” said Aria. Her tone was off, though, it was almost mocking. “Hope nobody got hurt.”

“No, everyone came out of it more or less okay,” said Sunset. “We’ve got better rules on it now, shouldn’t happen again.” She shook her head. “Everyone’s learned their lesson.”

“Must have been some powerful fireworks,” said Adagio. “Who was it that brought them?”

“I-uh- I don’t know,” said Sunset. “You’ll have to ask someone in the administration.”

“Are they still here?” asked Aria. She was staring intensely at Sunset. “Was it a student?”

“I wouldn’t know,” said Sunset quickly. She coughed loudly as the approached a pair of double doors. “Well, here’s the cafeteria!” It wasn’t a lunch period yet, too early in the day, so it was mostly empty here. She showed them the lunch lines and the a la carte areas and then pointed out the seating spots indoor and in the courtyard.

“Hmm,” said Aria as they walked through. She again sounded bored. Sunset wondered if she had any other mode. “Don’t really care for this kind of food.”

Sunset raised her eyebrows. “Oh, you have a particular diet you follow?”

“When I can,” said Aria. Now she glared at Adagio.

“We’ll eat when it’s appropriate,” said Adagio in response. She then turned towards Sunset. “We’re not fans of cafeterias like this, so we’ll probably eat elsewhere.”

“Seniors are allowed off campus for lunch as long as you’re back in time for your next class,” said Sunset. “There are lots of places to eat in town. So if you don’t like this food, there are options.”

“Good to know,” nodded Adagio.

“Whatever,” said Aria dismissively. That provoked a wince from Adagio but then she walked on.

Sunset was wondering exactly how great the relationship was between these girls. She was already detecting a thinly veiled undertone of anger between them. Not wanting to add fuel to the flame, she took them out of the cafeteria and down the main hallway to the west side of the school.

“That’s the science lab,” said Sunset pointing to a series of doors. “The computer lab is through there.” The girls were looking briefly where she pointed but didn’t seem to be paying much attention. Maybe they were just uninterested in general. It seemed strange given they said they wanted to come here.

Though, in retrospect, it was only Adagio that said that, the others seemed to take their lead from her.

The one thing that did appear to catch their attention was a sign. Sunset noticed Aria and Adagio staring at the advertisement for the Musical Showcase. Sunset smiled and pointed at it more directly.

“Oh! We’re having a big musical showcase this weekend,” said Sunset. “The whole school is pretty much rallying around it.”

Adagio seemed to finally be paying attention. “A musical showcase?” She looked at Aria and Sonata, who both appeared to smile in response. So, they were interested in music? That was at least a good sign. Something for them to get involved in.

“I'm sure since you're new, Principal Celestia would let you sign up if you're interested,” said Sunset.

“Oh, we’ve been known to sing from time to time,” said Aria in a not-bored tone. This topic seemed to interest all of them.

“Hello? We sing, like, all the time!” said Sonata suddenly. She seemed to be explaining herself to Aria and Adagio instead of Sunset, which was strange. “It's how we get people to do what we want.”

Adagio immediately growled at Sonata, then looked sharply at Sunset as if the latter was going to make a remark. For her part, Sunset was still trying to figure out what she meant.

“What did I say?” asked Sonata.

“What you meant to say,” Adagio said slowly, like she was prompting her friend. “Was that being in a Musical Showcase sounds like a great way to meet other students.”

Sonata’s eyes went wide – well, wider – and she nodded vigorously. “Oh, yeah, what she said I meant to say,” she said. She looked at Sunset and smiled sweetly. “That’s what I meant.” She nodded. “To say.”

“Uh,” started Sunset but she was ignored as Aria got up in Sonata’s face.

“And it was what you would have said, if you weren’t, you know, the worst,” said Aria, angrily.

“No, you are!” said Sonata in response.

The two began fighting with simple insults as Sunset watched. Eventually Adagio stepped in and pushed them apart, spreading her arms wide.

“You’ll have to forgive them,” said Adagio. She spared a glare at the girl at each end of her arms. “They’re idiots.” The two girls made angrily noises then each turned away. Adagio dropped her arms with a grunt.

As she did a glint of red light reflected off the choker she was wearing and Sunset noticed not only the massive ruby on her neck, but the identical ones on Aria and Sonata’s necks. They looked like flawless gems and were so large they couldn’t have been cheap.

“Wow, those are pretty,” said Sunset pointing towards Adagio’s choker. “Where did you—“

Adagio slapped Sunset’s hand roughly away and-

She felt a wave of magic brush up against her defenses again.

Sunset staggered slightly back and grabbed her hand. It barely hurt at all but the other thing she felt...

“Sorry,” said Adagio, as she stared at Sunset’s arm. Her eyes then looked up to meet Sunset’s. “These pendants mean an awful lot to us. We’d just hate for anything to happen to them.”

Sunset frowned but slowly nodded. “Yeah, okay,” she said. “I shouldn’t have gotten so close without permission.” She hadn’t actually been that close, but felt the apology was the best way to avoid a conflict. She could understand – at least a little bit – why such an expensive piece of jewelry would be a sensitive spot for the girls, though if they really felt that way why wear them to school at all.

And there was that feeling of magic just now. Where had it come from?

Sunset eyed the girls who were all now standing in a row and mechanically smiling back at Sunset.

Did the magic come from them?

“Well, thanks for the tour,” said Adagio suddenly. “We should get back to Principal Celestia now to get our class schedules.”

Sunset blinked. “But we just started—“

Sonata looked baffled. “I thought we had our class schedules already.” She began reaching into the pockets of her jacket.

“No,” said Adagio as she turned on her heel. “You’re mistaken, we still need to talk to Celestia to make sure everything is in order.”

Sonata wasn’t paying attention. Instead she pulled a piece of folded paper out of her coat. “Yeah, I’ve got it right here—“

Aria stepped over, took the paper out of Sonata’s hands and then tossed it in a nearby trash can. “Idiot! That was... uh, from our last school.”

“No we just—“ started Sonata, but Adagio suddenly put her hand across the girl’s mouth.

“Sorry, we’ll help her get her bearings again,” said Adagio to Sunset. “Thanks again, we’ll see you around.”

Sunset started to wave after she got over being stunned but the girls already had their backs to her.

*** ( MLP ) ***

Sunset was happy to see her friends as she reached the cafeteria at the lunch period. She brought her tray of food over to the table and sat down between Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

“So, how did the tour go?” asked Applejack.

“I’m not sure,” said Sunset honestly. She played with the apple on her track. “These girls they were really ... I don’t know. There was something off about them.”

“What kind of off?” asked Pinkie. “Were they like, zombies? Or geniuses? Or mute? Or did they walk on their hands? Talk through their noses? Did they—“

“I can’t say,” said Sunset. “I don’t know how to describe it. It was almost like they knew about me already but didn’t want to mention it. Or something like that. It was almost like they were trying to tease some secret but wouldn’t mention it outright.” She shook her head. “Oh, and they’re all apparently friends but they act like they hate each other from time to time.”

“Can’t say that’s too odd,” said Rainbow Dash, looking at a grin towards Applejack.

Sunset chuckled. “Okay, fair enough. Maybe it’s all in my head. That whole Star Swirl thing from yesterday is still—“

She didn’t finish her sentence because the cafeteria doors opened loudly and melodic humming suddenly echoed strangely through the room. Sunset turned and saw those three girls again. They were slowly walking into the cafeteria and singing some tune as they did. As they got further into the room, the singing got louder and seemed to start coming from all around them.

Then Adagio started singing.

“We heard you want to get together,
“We heard you want to rock this school.
“We thought of something that is better,
“Something that changes all the rules.”

Sunset felt the magic again but it was way stronger this time. The power was coming in from all sides and pushing weakly, but persistently, against her. She felt her head start to buzz a bit from the influence but her barriers were keeping the magic out. She looked around quickly and noticed most of the students in the cafeteria were staring at the three new girls. Almost like they were enthralled.

That is, except for the girls at her table. Rainbow Dash had a hand to her head like she had a headache, and Pinkie Pie was looking around rapidly, but Fluttershy and Applejack were both frowning and each glanced once at Sunset. They all had recognized something strange was going on.

The trio of new students continued into a song that was essentially goading the students into competing to see which of the bands in the Musical Showcase was actually the best. The longer the song went on, the more the students in the room started to get excited and agree. There was nothing objectively compelling about Adagio’s argument in the song, merely statements about proving who is the best. Given what happened in the fall, Sunset would have suspected that most of the students would be tired with competitions.

And yet it was long before everyone in the cafeteria – including, shockingly, the food staff – were arguing that the Musical Showcase should be a Battle of the Bands. There was really on other explanation, the girls were using magic.

As the song ended, the cafeteria erupted into verbal fights between rival bands and Sunset felt her stomach drop out from under her. A danger approaches, Star Swirl had said. These girls had manipulated the school easier in two minutes than Sunset had done over three years. ‘Danger’ was understating it.

“Oh, that’s what you meant by ‘off’,” said Pinkie Pie.

*** ( MLP ) ***

Applejack walked in front of the girls as they headed towards the administrative offices. Sunset was behind her next to Rarity with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in the rear. They had snuck out of the cafeteria after the end of the song and had immediately agreed on the next action to take.

“It felt like magic from my world,” said Sunset as they walked. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

“Shouldn’t be possible for us to grow wings and ears, either,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Or someone to live in your head for six months,” said Applejack.

Sunset sighed. “I guess I should update my definition of ‘possible.’ I’d just gotten used to the idea of there being no magic in this world and, here we are, looking at more of it.”

“Where did they come from?” asked Pinkie Pie. “They didn’t come over with Twilight, right?”

Sunset shook her head. “Not as far as I know. If this is the danger Star Swirl spoke of, they could have been here for a while. Though how he could have known that, I still don’t understand.”

“And you didn’t get a sense of this when you gave them the tour this morning?” asked Rarity.

Sunset grimaced. “I thought they were odd but I didn’t understand why.” She shrugged. “I still don’t understand why, actually. Are they from Equestria? Are they some sort of human magical practitioners?” She stopped dead in her tracks and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stumbled to avoid her.

“Hey!” said Rainbow Dash.

Sunset turned. “Do they have my magic books?” Her eyes widened. “Oh no, this could be my fault again.”

Applejack turned and walked back to put a hand on her shoulder. “Now don’t go jumpin’ to conclusions. We don’t know what’s going on and blaming yerself ain’t gonna make anything better.”

Sunset nodded and started walking again. “I hope it’s not me again,” she said quietly. She felt Fluttershy gently put a hand on her back, and she turned to see the smaller girl smile at her.

They entered the front offices and quickly stormed over to Principal Celestia’s office. Applejack knocked politely and then didn’t wait for a response to open the door. Inside, they found both Celestia and Luna, staring stiffly at an empty chair in front of Celestia’s desk. After a second they both flinched and looked at the students that had invaded.

“My little students,” said Principal Celestia after gently rubbing her eye. “What’s going on?” Beside her, Luna was almost mechanically looked around the room and then at her own feet. She looked deeply confused.

“Principal, we’re worried about the three new students who started today,” said Applejack. “We think they might be dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” said Luna, looking surprised. “What do you mean?”

Applejack looked back at Sunset, who blanched but stepped forward all the same.

“I’m not sure where they learned, but I think they know magic,” said Sunset. “Real magic. As in dark magics from the world I come from. They were just using it in the cafeteria a few minutes ago to convince everyone to have a Battle of the Bands.”

Principal Celestia looked at Vice Principal Luna and they both turned back towards the students with skeptical expressions.

“Dark magic?” asked Celestia in disbelief. “I find that hard to believe. Those students came into my office earlier and they were absolutely delightful.”

“Sunset,” said Luna, who looked no more convinced than Celestia. “I know it can be hard to see others become quickly popular, but you can’t blame everything on magic.”

“I’m not blaming anything on magic,” said Sunset. “I saw it. I felt it!”

“Not everyone who has a convincing argument is using unearthly powers,” said Celestia.

“Wait, I saw it, too,” said Rainbow Dash. “It’s not just Sunset.”

“But isn’t your band supposed to be part of the Musical Showcase?” asked Celestia.

“Um, yeah,” said Rainbow Dash, looking confused.

“Then aren’t you just concerned the Dazzlings will outshine you?” asked Celestia.

Sunset stared, completely thrown by such an argument coming from Celestia of all people. This wasn’t a friendly competition at all. If Adagio’s song is any indication, she’s trying to setup a situation to establish dominance.

“The Dazzlings?” asked Applejack.

“That’s the name of their musical group,” said Celestia. “That’s why they came by earlier, to sign up for the Showcase. They even sang a song for Luna and I.”

“They... did?” asked Applejack. She glanced at Sunset with a slightly scared expression. Sunset shared the sentiment.

“Yes,” said Celestia. “And we think having a Battle of the Bands instead is a marvelous idea.”

“R-really?” asked Fluttershy.

Sunset felt anguish. No matter how much she understood them to be different, to see Celestia under the control of an evil force was heartbreaking. She was supposed to be a paragon of friendship and community, even the human version had always pushed for people to get along.

This was radically different, and was a terrifying indicator of the new student’s power.

“Vice Principal Luna,” said Sunset imploringly. “Isn’t there at least someone else’s opinion you could ask about this? Maybe a distant, dreamlike relative?”

Luna looked at Sunset and her brow furrowed. “I think you all should be reporting to your classes, unless you want to get detention for skipping.”

Sunset swallowed, and then slowly turned away.

*** ( MLP ) ***

The six girls hung around the statue of the winged unicorn in front of the school after classes ended. None of them looked particularly happy.

“I still can’t believe they got to Vice Principal Luna and Principal Celestia,” said Fluttershy.

“They’ve gotten to everybody,” said Rainbow Dash.

“They’ve certainly been very thorough,” said Sunset. “Though I don’t understand why turning the Musical Showcase into a Battle of the Bands was their first move if they have this much power.”

“Audience,” said Rainbow Dash. “If they use music to change minds, then a concert is the best way to influence the town.”

“But why start here?” asked Sunset. “What’s special about CHS?”

“Well, there was this huge demon that tried to take over the school last fall, maybe they just figure crazy evil people should start here,” said Rainbow Dash. “No offense.”

Sunset sighed. “If that’s the case, they must know about my – uh, ‘issues’ and about you all.”

“Yeah, why come to a place where evil gets its butt kicked?” asked Applejack. “They should go anywhere else but here.”

“Something is drawing them here, and I can’t believe it’s just the musical showcase,” said Sunset. “But I have no idea what!

“And we really don’t have the power to stand against them without Twilight,” said Rarity. “If only we could get a message to her, she might be able to tell us how to stop the Dazzlings.”

“And why playing music causing our magic to return,” said Fluttershy.

“And why we weren’t affected by the Dazzling’s music!” said Pinkie Pie.

Applejack looked at Pinkie. “You’re right, we weren’t affected! Maybe we aren’t powerless after all!”

“But we don’t know how the change works,” said Rarity.

“And we certainly don’t know how to use it whoop their butts,” said Rainbow Dash. She grumbled. “If only the portal wasn’t closed.”

Sunset walked over to the statue and placed her hand on the surface. Star Swirl had told her she just had to want the magic back and she would be able to feel it. Maybe, maybe she could force herself to—

Nothing.

Sunset sighed. “I don’t know how to breach the divide. And nothing I’ve seen has made its way across the barrier when the portal’s closed.” She paused. “Wait, no, something did. I think.”

“You think?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, come on,” said Sunset. She ran back into the school. After a moment she heard the rest of the girls following her. She went to her locker and quickly unlocked it. She reached down in the bottom shelf and pulled out an old leather tomb with her cutie mark on it. In the last six months it had accumulated a fine layer of dust that she rubbed off.

“Here it is,” she said, holding up the book for the others.

“The blank book?” asked Fluttershy. “You said it was worthless.”

“Worthless to anyone in this world,” said Sunset.

“Then what good is it to us?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Sunset hesitated for a moment to collect her thoughts. “I was given this book by my mentor, Princess Celestia. Anything I wrote in it was supposed to appear in a book she had, and vice versa.” She shook her head. “But I lived in the palace! I didn’t need a book to talk to her. I never used it. Neither did the Princess.”

“How do you know it works, then?” asked Rarity. “It looks just like a book.”

Sunset opened the cover of the book. Seven words stared back at her. “It turns out Celestia did use it, after I came to this world. It might mean I can reply and ask her to get a message to Twilight.” She felt a little pang of regret again as she stared at the words. She rubbed her eyes reflexively.

Fluttershy walked over and looked at the page. “Oh, Sunset,” she started.

“Not right now,” Sunset said softly. “There will be time for all that when this is over.”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Well, give it a try,” said Pinkie Pie. She pulled a fountain pen out of her hair and handed it to Sunset.

Sunset started at the implement and gently brought it to a new, blank page. She took a breath. “Well, here goes nothing.” She dragged the pen across the page.

Dear Princess Celestia...

*** ( MLP ) ***

The apartment was simple compared to their place in the big city, but still a spacious and comfortable studio on the top floor of a three story converted warehouse in Canterlot. The sun was setting, casting the room in a deep red glow through the floor to ceiling windows on the west side of the studio.

Aria flopped on the large futon facing the window, landing on her back with her arm and one leg hanging off. She had a contented smile on the face and rubbed her belly appreciatively.

“Oh, man I haven’t felt this good in ages,” she said with a sigh. “I bet I’m glowing. Am I glowing?”

Sonata bounded over and stared at Aria’s face closely. The pigtailed girl recoiled back slightly as she was studied.

“Nope,” said Sonata with a nod. Then she pranced off energetically and picked up a rubber ball to toss from hand to hand. She occasionally tossed it against the cinderblock wall on the one side of the apartment.

“Well, I should be,” said Aria. She frowned at the repeated muffled bang of the ball striking the wall.

Adagio calmly put her purse down on the kitchen table and leaned against the counter separating the living room from the kitchen. “I’m glad you’re satisfied, but don’t get complacent, we still have work to do.”

“Whatev’s,” said Aria as she rested her head against the arm of the futon. “As far as I’m concerned those students are good enough.”

Adagio frowned and walked over to Aria. She looked down over the back of the couch at her. “The residual equestrian energy from whatever happened in the fall won’t last forever. I’d be surprised if it lasts through the concert.”

Aria grunted. “Spoilsport.”

“What are we going to eat then?” asked Sonata. She sounded worried.

“Man, can’t you keep a thought in your head for longer than a few minutes?” asked Aria. “You used to be better.”

“I used to be bo-oring,” said Sonata, dropping her arms to the side and loping about. “I don’t want to worry about the future all the time.”

“Worrying about your next meal is not boring!” said Aria.

“Blah blah,” mocked Sonata. “We don’t have to eat for weeks, maybe months after a feast like that!”

“Stop fighting,” said Adagio sharply. “Pay attention, both of you. We have what we need to keep control of the concert but we don’t have what we came for.”

Aria smiled. “The source.”

“There was way more energy in the students than I expected, but nobody we gathered from stood out from the rest,” said Adagio. “They’ll continue to produce for us through the concern but once the Equestrian magic runs out we’ll be back to normal human energies.”

“Yuck,” said Aria. “I forgot how good it felt to be full. We can’t go back to that.”

“I don’t care about your appetite,” said Adagio dismissively.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” said Aria. “You wanna cure. Well, maybe she doesn’t want to be better. You ever think of that?”

Adagio teeth grit as she glared at Aria. Aria rolled her eyes in response.

“Who are we talking about?” asked Sonata, apparently deciding to pay attention to the conversation for once.

Aria huffed out a breath of air. “Fine, whatever, waste all that perfectly good food,” said Aria. “As long as I get my fill.”

“You’ll get what you want,” said Adagio. “As soon as we find the source. Now, did either of you learn anything useful today?”

Aria crossed her arms. “The principal is pretty dead set about talking about the Fall Formal. The party line is all I got from, even when I was singing to her.’

“The vice principal was equally tight lipped,” said Adagio. “I wonder if there is some other magic at play here, fighting against ours.” Her brow rose. “Speaking of which, Sunset Shimmer.”

“Yeah,” said Aria. “She’s special, somehow. I don’t know if she’s the source but someone’s trained her to have a defense. It was like she was invisible when we were talking to her. I couldn’t’ get a sense of any melody that would have shifted her attitude.”

“It’s possible she’s the key, though we ran into others like her back in the renaissance,” said Adagio. “The videos we found online certainly make her out to be a central figure in the Fall Formal. Though only in this silly ‘princess’ competition.”

“She didn’t become princess,” said Sonata as threw the ball again.

“What?” asked Adagio.

“Yah, there’s like a huge display case in the school about it,” said Sonata. She missed catching the ball on the rebound and stumbled a bit. “The other girl in the videos won.”

Adagio frowned. “Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yeah,” said Sonata. She steadied herself then went chasing after the ball again.

“Did either of you see her today?” asked Aria.

Adagio shook her head.

“The Principal said nobody left the school since the Fall, maybe she was sick today?” said Sonata.

“That would be quite a coincidence,” said Adagio. “The day we arrive is the day she’s sick.”

“Doesn’t prove anything though,” said Aria.

“Let see if we can find out more about her,” said Adagio. “Either way, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle are the two unusual ones connected to the Fall Formal. Sunset’s defenses make her unique and worth investigating. Twilight’s absence might mean something or might not, but it’s still worth looking into.”

“And the rest of the school?” asked Aria.

Adagio smiled, baring her teeth in the process. “Eat up.”

*** ( MLP ) ***

Sunset flipped through web pages on her phone idly, looking at a number of auction sites for her books while she and the girls hung around the alicorn statue early in the morning. The book was lying next to the statue where everyone could see it, opened to the next blank page.

She was anxious and had trouble sleeping last night. It looked like Rainbow Dash had the same issue as she appeared half awake as she held her head in her hands with her elbows resting on her knees. Rarity was applying some makeup she hadn't had a chance to earlier in the day while Applejack was studying history and Fluttershy was quietly feeding Angel, her pet rabbit.

It was a quiet morning, all things considered, which was probably just the calm before the storm to Sunset.

Rainbow Dash’s elbow suddenly slipped and she jolted awake with a quiet sputter. She rubbed her eyes and checked her watch.

“I’m starting to think she’s not going to reply,” she said while stifling a yawn.

Sunset opened her mouth to explain how unlikely the book was noticed right away when she felt the wave of energy hit her square in the chest. It was like she had the wind knocked out of her but she could still breathe fine. She put a hand to her chest and could feel her heart rate increase. Magic.

After the wave of feeling died away, Sunset looked at the statue and could feel the gentle trickle of energy. It was like the portal had opened. But that shouldn’t be possible for another two years!

“Uh—“ started Sunset but a second later the portal flashed and a figure came toppling out followed by a smaller form rolling next to the first.

“Twilight!” the girls all cried

Sure enough, Twilight Sparkle, the girl from Equestria, was lying face down in front of the statue, looking no different from when she was here six months ago. Her dog, Spike, was sitting beside her, getting back up to his feet and then scratching his ears.

“Oof,” came a muffled voice. Twilight picked her head up and looked around. Her nose was scuffed and she blushed slightly. “I’m back.”

The girls all rushed in to hug her. Sunset felt the impulse to do the same but hesitated and decided to hold back. The last time they talked, it was strained to say the least. She wasn’t really sure how Twilight felt about her at this point, and, if Sunset was being honest with herself, she didn’t know how she felt about Twilight either.

Instead, she simply watched as they all embraced for a moment and then backed away, leaving Twilight to get up on her own. Sunset stepped in at that point and offered a hand, both to help her up and as a first offering of peace. Twilight reached up to take the hand, then paused, looked at Sunset with a curious expression, then carefully grabbed it. Sunset pulled her up to her feet and then let go.

“Uh, I’ve got some bad news about those girls,” said Twilight, addressing the group.

Rainbow Dash checked her watch. “It’s still early enough, let’s get a coffee and you can tell us all about it.”

Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all clustered around Twilight as they started walking to the café they frequently hung out at. Sunset again lingered a bit, her eyes drawn towards the statue.

She stepped up to the surface and gently placed her hand on the stone. Instead of being hard, her hand pushed through like the surface of a lake, causing glimmering ripples to move across the whole statue. Sunset withdrew her hand immediately.

The portal was open. But how? And for how long?

Her eyes widened. She could do it. She could go back now, and not in two years. It was right before her and nobody was watching. This was her chance!

She felt a shiver.

She turned away and ran after the rest of the girls. Her cheeks were flushed.

*** ( MLP ) ***

At the café, Twilight caught up everyone on the happenings in Equestria, which apparently included being given a new title – The Princess of Friendship – and a whole castle in Ponyville from which to reside. Sunset couldn’t honestly imagine how they managed to fit a castle in the sleepy town of Ponyville, but she doubted Twilight would lie to them.

Throughout the whole recap of the last six months in Equestria, one thing bugged Sunset the entire time and which was entirely unaddressed by the new Princess of Friendship.

“Your crown,” said Sunset after Twilight got done explaining how Tirek returned. “It’s not with you. We’re going to need the Element of Magic again.”

Twilight shook her head. “The crown is gone,” she explained. “It’s okay, I don’t need it anymore.”

“W-what does that mean?” asked Sunset, alarmed. “These girls have more than just mean intentions.”

“The crown was just an iconographic projection of a... a demiurge, really,” said Twilight, looking directly at Sunset. “It was a talisman at best, not the source of the projection.”

“So, what, you dominated the elemental force so completely that a claim was unnecessary?” said Sunset.

“Dominated is a little too aggressive,” said Twilight. “It’s closer to apotheosis, though without any of the worship.”

“Uh, girls,” said Applejack.

“Wow, are the rest of the elements considered lesser choirs to you are have they all ascended?” asked Sunset.

Twilight winced. “I don’t know if this is the best way to describe it, we’re not gods.”

“Twilight, dear,” interrupted Rarity. “You’ve kind of lost us. What is going on?”

“Gah, sorry,” said Twilight with a blush. “Basically, I don’t need the crown to call upon the Element of Magic anymore, it’s part of me. Which is better, honestly, that way it can’t be taken away by a demon or something.” She froze. “Oh, uh, no offense, Sunset.”

“None taken,” said Sunset. “I’m sort of getting used to it by now.”

“So, what about the Dazzlings?” asked Fluttershy. “You said you had bad news.”

Twilight looked serious. “I do. I think based on what you’re telling me, they’re the sirens.”

“Not the sirens!” yelled Pinkie Pie.

The girls all looked at Pinkie.

“What are the sirens?” asked Pinkie, innocently.

Twilight took a breath. “The sirens were three beautiful but dangerous creatures who had the power to charm ponies with their music. But to maintain this power, they had to feed on the negativity and distrust of others. The more of this negative energy they consumed, the stronger their voices became, and the farther they could spread their dark magic.”

“Oh my,” said Fluttershy.

Twilight continued. “The sirens were generals in Discord’s kingdom, but continued on after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sealed him away with the Elements of Harmony. Their influence would have divided and conquered all of Equestria. But a certain Star Swirl the Bearded intervened. Legend says he found a way to banish them to another world, one where he believed their magic power would be lost.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “Here.”

Twilight nodded. “I think so.’

“Well that explains one thing,” mumbled Sunset.

“So what do we do about it?” asked Applejack. “They’ve got the whole school wrapped around their finger so tightly we can’t even convince Principal Celestia that there’s something wrong.”

“But you all aren’t affected?” asked Twilight.

“No, and that’s not the only thing that’s strange,” said Rainbow Dash. She pulled out her phone and began playing a video that Sunset had recorded of them playing last week. It showed their transformation mid-song.

Twilight looked utterly shocked, which Sunset did not view as a good sign. She had hoped that the Princess had known about it or at least had a ready theory. Surprise really rendered this possibilities remote.

“Pretty sweet, huh?” said Rainbow as the video finished. “It happens to all of us when we play.”

“Play... music?” asked Twilight. Her eyes travelled to Sunset. “All of you?”

“All of them,” said Sunset with a forced smile.

“So, what do you think?” asked Rarity.

“The Element of Magic returned with me to Equestria,” said Twilight slowly. “But some of its power must have remained here at Canterlot High.” She suddenly looked hopeful. “Now that we’re all together again, we can use that magic on the sirens!”

“Alright!” cheered Rainbow Dash. “They’ll never know what hit them.”

Applejack nudged Fluttershy, who was sitting next to her. “We’ve got nothing to worry about now that Twilight’s back.”

Fluttershy looked down at her tea. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I could find something to worry about. But it won’t be the sirens.”

“The sooner we do this, the better,” said Twilight. “Any idea where these Dazzlings might be?”

“There’s a big party tonight,” said Pinkie as she drank a big glass of chocolate milk. “All the bands who signed up for the showcase will be there. That would include the Dazzlings!”

Twilight grinned. “Looks like we have a party to crash.”

The girls cheered and even Sunset smiled. It was easy to be hopeful with Twilight acting so confident. She wished she could trust in her own ideas so fully.

*** ( MLP ) ***

The walk back to the school was short but cheerful as the girls got excited about defeating the sirens tonight at the party. Since it was morning, there was still a full day of classes to get through so eventually they had to disburse. Sunset wasn’t sure what Twilight’s plan was but she offered to have her tag along to her classes. Twilight had wanted to reintroduce herself to Celestia and Luna but Sunset disagreed.

“With the Sirens in control, I wouldn’t put it past them to do something... strange,” explained Sunset. “I would just do your best not to draw attention to yourself. Hopefully this will all be over by tonight.” Twilight reluctantly agreed and they travelled to Sunset’s first period class.

The morning classes went slowly since Sunset was anxious for the end of the day to hurry up and arrive. She tried to help Twilight understand what was happening in each class and, surprisingly, Twilight proved very adept at picking it up. She was an insatiable learner, Sunset realized, and nostalgically considered when she could have described herself that way.

Around third period, Sunset had managed to summon enough courage to ask the question that had been on her mind since the Princess came through the portal.

“How... how is Princess Celestia?” asked Sunset as they waited for the teacher to arrive.

Twilight looked at her with a broad smile but then quickly allowed that look to fade as she saw her. “She’s had an exciting year, but she is well,” said Twilight. “She worries about you.”

Sunset nodded. “I hope she...” She sighed. “I tried to steal the Elements of Harmony—“

“It’s okay,” said Twilight. “She understands.”

Sunset couldn’t believe that. “How? Without the Element of Magic, Equestria was vulnerable. What if Tirek had chosen then to return? What would she have done?”

“Probably found another way,” said Twilight.

“Oh, like it’s so easy to defeat a powerful sorcerer like that,” said Sunset. “Look at the power the Sirens wield and they fell to Star Swirl even after he gave up the Elements. I put all of Equestria in danger and not even in the way I intended to!”

Twilight shook her head. “It takes more than that to lose the faith of Princess Celestia,” she said knowingly.

“I don’t know,” said Sunset.

Twilight looked thoughtful. “She will be very happy to hear that you have made friends, that’s always what’s most important.”

“Friends you told to be nice to me,” said Sunset.

Twilight laughed quietly. “Did that work?”

Sunset stared at her in disbelief. “You didn’t expect it to?”

Twilight put her hand behind her head and looked up and away. “Well, I didn’t really spend a great deal of time thinking about, it seemed a little forced when I got back to Equestria. I wasn’t quite positive they’d do it just because I told them to.”

“I don’t believe it,” said Sunset.

“It all worked out,” said Twilight. “No sense getting worked up about it now.”

Sunset buried her head in her hands while Twilight laughed.

A few periods later, Sunset remembered something else.

“You re-opened the portal!” she said in the middle of class. Everyone stared at her and she quickly blushed and sat back down.

“Yes,” whispered Twilight after the attention had shifted away from them. “I think I can open it any time I want now.”

“You can?” said Sunset. “How did you manage that?”

Twilight smiled. “You helped, actually. When I learned that your diary worked across worlds, I realized there had to be some connection there, I just needed to find a way to widen it and graft it back onto the mirror.” She tapped her chin. “To be honest it took more effort than I expected but now that the machine is built I can use it with the book to take me here whenever I need to. It may even take me to any world your diary is in, if for some reason it isn’t here.”

“That’s amazing!” said Sunset. “Even Star Swirl couldn’t do that.”

“To be honest, I don’t know if he ever tried,” said Twilight.

“Stop correcting me,” said Sunset. “You did an incredible thing.”

“If you say so,” said Twilight, skeptically.

“Do you have a way to shut it down from here, though?” asked Sunset.

“Why?” asked Twilight.

“You said the Sirens were banished here from Equestria,” said Sunset. “If they find out there’s an active gateway in the courtyard—“

“Oh no, they could use the portal to go back!” Twilight shouted.

“Girls?”

Twilight and Sunset looked up to see Shining Brow staring at them. “Are you finished?” she said. “Or do you have a story to share with the rest of the class?”

“Sorry,” said Sunset.

Shining Brow shook her head and turned back to the board. Twilight and Sunset looked at each other with concern.

After the last class of the day, Twilight and Sunset ran back towards the portal. It was still open as far as Twilight could tell.

“Is there any way to know if someone else went through?” asked Sunset.

Twilight shrugged. “I’m not sure, but it’s probably a good sign that it’s still active. All you have to do is remove the book from the mirror on the other hand and it should shut off.” She bit her lip for a minute. “Do you have your diary on you?”

Sunset put her backpack down and pulled out the old tome. “Here,” she said. “Is someone on the other side watching the other book?”

Twilight nodded as she opened up the book to the latest page. “Rarity is,” she said. “We can tell her to take it down and put it back when we need it active again.”

“Can they activate the portal without you on that end?” asked Sunset.

Twilight nodded. “It’s a machine, like I said, anyone can do it now that I’ve got it charged.” She pulled out the pen that was clipped to the side of the book and started writing.

Or at least that’s what Sunset believed she was doing. The actual lettering was just this side of indecipherable. Partway through trying to write a sentence, Twilight put the book down on the ground and then stuck the pen in her mouth. The writing slightly improved.

“Here,” said Sunset with an outstretched hand. “Just tell me what to say.”

Twilight looked at the book and then at Sunset’s hand, then at the book again. Another second later she stood up and meekly handed the pen and diary over. “Just tell Rarity that the Sirens must not be allowed to go back through the portal and she should take the book off the mirror until we give her the all clear.”

Sunset started writing. “How will she know it’s you?” she asked.

Twilight thought. “Tell her I’m trusting in her rainbow spool.”

Sunset paused. “What on earth does that mean?”

“Something she’ll understand,” said Twilight.

Sunset shrugged and completed the message. They waited around with Twilight occasionally tapping the portal surface to check if it was still there. After fifteen minutes, Sunset felt he sudden vacuum where the magic was and she knew the next time Twilight tapped the portal she’d only encounter stone. Sure enough, Twilight's fingers rested on the stone surface and she sighed.

“At least that’s safe for now,” said Twilight.

Sunset nodded. “Hopefully it’ll open again when you need to go home.”

Twilight looked at Sunset with a slightly frown and then agreed. Then she slapped her hands together.

“All right, let’s go crash a party.”

Comments

[Lord Nopony]

Ooh! NICE! Loving the way this alternate Rainbow Rocks is going! Also really enjoying how Twilight and Sunset are getting along better similarly like they did in the movie. Will you be expanding on their friendship in this? Keep it up!