Reformation's Downside

by Moonlit Sky

8. Stopping

Midway through our song, we stop gaining power.

Oh, we're the strongest we've been in over a millennium. We could probably take over a city without much trouble, and maybe even a country given some politicking to ensure the right sort of interpersonal climate. But we were getting stronger, and there was no sign that the girls below the stage were running dry, and now suddenly we're not. It's not so worrying as to be worth stopping the song over—the assembled CHS students and faculty are a very satisfying meal, as well as a chance to stretch abilities we've become rusty with since losing the ability to use more than the barest fragment of them—but it's something to pursue as soon as the song is over. I'm not letting Sunset slip away and destroy our plans again. This time, we're going to spread out our search parties all across the city, and when we find her—

She's right there. On a hill overlooking the stage, with her friends and with more audio hardware than she should have been able to cobble together this quickly.

---

When the magical horse bears down on us and shatters our power-focusing gems, Sunset is too busy smiling at her friends to even look at me. Somehow, that's the worst part.

---

"I've got a new plan!"

Aria and Sonata turn their attention towards me from whatever petty squabble they were having on the couch together. "A new plan?" Aria asks.

"To get our magic back, and to make Sunset Shimmer regret having ever betrayed us."

"After what her and the others did to us last time? You seriously need to let it go."

Sonata nods vigorously.

"A single win doesn't mean they're unbeatable. Are you both just giving up? We're still closer to getting back our magic than we were for over a millennium!"

"Are you sure getting our magic back is the thing your plan is about?" Sonata asks in a tone of voice I would take to be innocent if I hadn't known her for as long as I have.

"Yes. If I didn't think it had a chance of working, I wouldn't be telling the two of you about it."

"Adagio." Aria has a look on her face that I've rarely seen before. Pity. "You're bad at noticing when you let personal things get into your plans, but that doesn't mean you don't do it. Do you really think everything you did at the school is the same as it would have been if you didn't have your whole obsession with Sunset Shimmer?"

I resist the urge to clench my fists. "Yes," I tell her. "That's exactly what I think. Breaking apart her group was always part of the plan. And earlier, the night she messed everything up, we needed to find her to have any chance of salvaging the situation. And I don't need to defend myself to you." Why am I letting myself get sucked into her argument? It's never been a good idea to do that. I've been off my game, since our defeat at the Battle of the Bands.

"And almost missing the first round of the Battle of the Bands because you were busy monologuing at her about how much you missed her and wanted to hurt her, or whatever?"

"That was..." I struggle for words. "I was using our history to help demoralize..." I can't bring myself to finish that sentence. Even as I try to put together arguments against her, I can feel my conviction fading. If I'd really just been trying to demoralize her, or to turn her against her friends, I could have pushed harder on the angle where they were just using her. (Even now, I find myself genuinely unsure whether they really were just using her or not; I never a got a good enough look of my own at their group dynamics, not mediated by our spies, to tell with any confidence. But she was buying it, at least a little, as I laid it out, enough that she blustered about trust rather than listing off concrete counterpoints, so it was a clear vulnerable spot.) Instead, I... went off on a rant about my personal issues with her which actively sapped the impact of my initial attack. "You're right."

"Yes. I am. So, is your plan really going to work? Or is it just another flailing attempt to do... whatever it is you want to do... to Sunset Shimmer?"

"It's..." I sigh. "It's a long shot. Long enough that it's probably the second thing. You're right, I shouldn't be dragging you two into this. If I want my revenge on Sunset, I should just get it myself."

"Orrrr," Sonata says, "you could just forget about her. At this point you've spent longer worrying about and then hating her than you spent dating her! Find someone else to spend time with while ignoring the two of us, and forget about Sunset."

"Or," Aria interjects, "even better, don't. Get over her and start hanging out with us again. We miss... I mean, having you ignore us has been annoying."

Just forget about her. I reflexively flinch from the idea, but I of all people know perfectly well that they're right. If I were trying to steer a copy of myself into making bad decisions right now, this would be such a blatant weakness that it wouldn't even be hard. Even if it feels wrong to abandon my feelings towards her, it's obviously the right call.

"...Okay." I sit down on the couch next to them. "No guarantees. But I'll try."