> The Mysterious Forum - Anon-a-miss
>  by Leo Luce
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 01 - The Mysterious Forum (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been two days since Sunset and the rest of her family, along with Fluttershy, had visited Equestria. They decided to take Monday off to relax. However, as fate would have it, their family time got interrupted. Sunset's mom got a call from CHS, and she was needed at school. When she returned home later that evening, Sunset saw no reason to ask what was happening, so she didn't get involved. However, upon arriving at CHS that morning.

Sunset was regretting her decision. Sunset arrived at her locker normally enough and exchanged her books around for her morning classes when she first heard that.

"… forum? But I thought that club closed for years?" one of the students asked. Sunset didn't make an effort to hear more and ignored it. But as the day went by, she began to hear more and more about a particular topic.

"… it's true? I thought they were messing with me…"

"… that's spooky."

"maybe someone hacked the school database?"

"another evil magic villain, maybe?"

Sunset couldn't help but wonder what was going on and started to think that was why the school called Celestia yesterday. While contemplating this, Sunset made her way to her table in the cafeteria with Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight already sitting there talking about something. Sunset took the seat beside Fluttershy.

"Hey, everyone! What's going on?" Sunset asked.

"Ah was just asking Twilight if she was going to join any clubs," Applejack said before she bit into an apple.

"You haven't joined anything yet?" Sunset asked. "I thought you might go into the science club or something.

"Yeah, well… I thought I would try something new," Twilight said.

"Hmm," Sunset paused as she thought of a club for Twilight.

"You can always join the Going Home Club. Besides band practice, Ah always head home to help out at the farm and finish my chores," Applejack added helpfully.

"Speaking of clubs, why is everyone talking about a club and a… forum?" Sunset asked.

"You don't know!?!" Everyone turned at the voice as Rainbow plopped into her seat as the rest of the girls took their seats as well. "Everyone's talking about it! Apparently, some kind of forum appeared on the school website that has been closed for years. Some say it's haunted. Others think it's a prank of some sort."

"Oh my. Haunted?" Fluttershy asked fearfully as she shook like a leaf.

"Come now, you don't really believe in that gossip, do you darling? Of course, I know magic is real but honestly, ghosts?" Rarity asked.

"Why don't they simply close it or block access to it?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow shrugged, "I don't know. Last I checked, I couldn't find it. But some say it disappears and reappears at random. What are your thoughts Sunset?"

"I'm not sure. My mom did get a call from the school yesterday. I'll ask her," Sunset said.

"Aaanyway, haunted forums aside, Tell us about pony world and what happened," Pinkie said while steering the conversation away from ghosts or hackers. While everyone else agreeing to the idea.

"Okay, so… I stepped through the portal and-"





And thus, Sunset and Fluttershy began to explain to the rest of the girls what happened in Equestria. It took much of the lunch period, but they were unable to tell everything. So, Sunset and Fluttershy promised to tell the rest after school when the bell for classes resuming began ringing. Sunset, who had a free period, decided to find out what's happening with the forum. She parted from the girls and began to walk towards her mom's office. Upon arriving at the door, Sunset knocked at the door and waited for her mom to answer.

"Come in," She heard Celestia call from the other side of the door. Walking in, Sunset saw Luna was also there looking at something on Celestia's computer. "Ah, Sunset, do you need anything?"

"Uh… actually, I need to ask you something. This is probably nothing, but I heard a lot of student talking about a-"

"Forum? Yes, unfortunately, it's true," Luna said as she pointed at the screen. "Come take a look." Sunset moved forward and took a look at the computer to see a forum opened up on the screen.

"Newspaper club?"

"Yes. Apparently, this suddenly became active yesterday. We tried everything we can to close this, but no matter what we do, it won't work." Celestia said.

"What do you mean?"

"It cannot be closed or blocked. The options simply don't work. We can block the forum, but it unblocks after a while," Luna said. "I even asked Chrysalis, but she couldn't do anything about it either."

"Chryssi can't do anything?"

"Unfortunately, I can't help but think there's more going on here than we think," Celestia said.

"You mean… Equestrian Magic?" Sunset asked. "Well, Midnight did blast the portal and opened up a bunch of rips in space. Maybe something slipped through?"

"It's possible," Luna said. "But if it's Equestrian magic, you are the only one that can help us,"

Sunset nodded as her brows knit together, "This club, why was it closed in the first place?" Sunset asked.

"Well, it happened about…20?... 15? Years ago, I think, I can't say for sure. I was just beginning my teaching career as a teacher's assistant as I need two years for my license. Luna was still in college," Celestia began. "The newspaper club wasn't very popular, even then. So there were only three members in the club. They did a wonderful job, as far as I can remember. There was a girl in that club. Timid, but sweet, reminds me of Fluttershy, but she would be considered outgoing in the case of Fluttershy. I've never met someone as shy as Fluttershy before. But she suddenly went missing one day. No one knew what happened. The police force back then isn't what it is today. Anyways, since they couldn't find any clues about what happened, the case went cold and unsolved until this day. The three friends dropped to two, causing them to close the club. No one reopened the club since then. It's why we have a yearbook club but not a student paper. The club along with the forum was abandoned."

"Until now," Sunset said, causing Celestia to nod. "Now that's… ahem. So if you think there is some magic at play, maybe we should reopen the club. Twilight was looking for a club to join, and we can solve the mystery, two birds one stone. If it's magic, we'll most likely be safe as Element holders. Her brains could be really useful for this."

"Sunset, I know you want to help. But… are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I'm sure. As the only person that knows anything about Equestrian magic, I'm essential. I'd be wrapped in sooner or later. Plus, as a princess, it's my duty to keep people, especially the students at school, safe," Sunset said, bringing a fist to her heart. Celestia lightly laughed while Luna had a small smile on her face.

"Okay, Sunset, you convinced me. However, that will have to wait until after school. We have a new student today. Let's see here, her name is… Aiko Whiskers. See if you can't make friends with her. In her files, it says she was a part of the photography club in her last school and considered the best photographer in the club. Maybe you can have her join you. You could use a good photographer, and it will help her to get to know the school," Luna said.

"Okay, I'll talk to her. Love you," Sunset said as she left the room, with one goal in her mind, find the possible source of Equestrian magic at play. To do that, she would have to reopen the newspaper club. If there was no magic, she could still enjoy making the club with her friends and help the new student. They could join and take some killer shots. She was looking forward to joining another club other than fencing anyway. This was a win-win situation. She was sure of it.
> Chapter 02 - Beginning (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The final bell for the day rang as Sunset gathered her books and made her way to her locker. The gossip of the school was still the mysterious forum that suddenly appeared. Once she reached her locker, Sunset's frown deepened as she took out her phone and opened up the forum. The last post was published decades ago on the forum. Why would someone reactivate it for no reason?

'Magic or not, This is a mystery I have to solve.' Sunset locked her phone and put it back in her pocket before closing her locker. She turned to leave when she saw an unfamiliar face among the students. The face belonged to a girl her age, with dark blue, long hair in a ponytail. She had light gray skin. She was dressed a little bit formally with a pair of glasses. From where Sunset stood, the girl was a good head smaller than her.

"Hey, excuse me?" Sunset called the girl as she looked up at her. "Are you… Aiko, by any chance?"

"O-oh, hi. Yes, I'm Aiko Whiskers. A pleasure to meet you," She said, bowing a little.

"I'm Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you too," Sunset said, noting the way the girl greeted her. "Are you… Japanese?" She asked.





"Okaasan (mother) is."

"Ah, I see. Buchou (boss) at my part-time job has a Japanese heritage too. So uh… are you in any club?"

"Not yet. I didn't choose yet. I was at the photography club in my previous school, though."

"Ah yea, Aun- I-I mean, Vice-Principal Luna told me you are a great photographer. I'm going to reopen the newspaper club, and I was wondering if you wanted to join the club?"

"Newspaper club?" She looked down in quiet thought as she shifted her feet. "Um… sure. I can take pictures of the articles that are written for the club. And I like to write too. It's kinda fun to write."

"Great. You know where the music room is, right?" Aiko nodded. "Can you meet me there tomorrow before school starts?"

"I suppose I can do that," Aiko said.

"Great. I'll see you there tomorrow."

"Sunset-san Ja ne (see you)," Aiko said, bowing a little.

"Ja ne Aiko-san," Sunset did the same. Aiko smiled at her. As she walked around the corner, she turned around to wave bye to Aiko, but she was gone. "Uh, that's weird. Shoot, I forgot about band practice." With That, Sunset ran to the music rooms to avoid an annoyed Rainbow. Sunset loved Rainbow, but she was a pain sometimes. Rainbow could be late to band practice, and that was fine, but the second anyone else was late, they wouldn't hear the end of it.

Sunset quickly made her way to the music room to meet with her friends for the band practice. All her friends were already there, tuning their instruments when they looked up at her.

"Hey Sunset, so did you ask your mom about the forum?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah, I did. And there's a real spooky story behind the club too," Sunset said, picking up her guitar and tuning it.

"Ooohhh! Spooky story. Tell me, tell me, tell me," Pinkie said, bouncing in place.

"Well, the forum belongs to a newspaper club that was closed a decade and a half ago. According to mom, three students were in that club, and one of them, a girl, went missing. Since then, the club disbanded to this day."

"Oh-oh! Maybe that missing girl's ghost came back to get revenge on the people that murdered her," Pinkie said in a spooky voice.

"First of all, no one knows what happened to her. And secondly, I've never seen ghosts even in a world filled with magic," Sunset said.

"Oh bummer," Pinkie said, deflating a little.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Twilight asked.

"I was thinking about reopening the club. Mom thinks it's Equestrian magic. So if it is, we can stop it without including the whole of school like the past couple of times. Or it might just be some guy hacking into the school. So who wants to join the club?"

"I'm in," Rainbow said, jumping up.

"You sure, Rains? The last time Ah check, you're in pretty much every sports club the school offers. You sure you got time for that?" Applejack said. "Plus, it's a club for writing articles all day. Ah don't know about you, but that's a big no for me, not to mention Ah've got chores at the farm, so Ah don't get much free time."

"Uh… on second thoughts, maybe not. But if any ghosts need some butt-kicking, I'm in, okay?"

"I'll join you. It'll be fun. Perhaps I can publish my finding on all of your magic. I'm very good at writing my scientific findings in articles," Twilight said.

"Sorry darling, I'm much too busy making dresses. Not to mention that I'm already in the yearbook club on top of the designers club. Adding a third one is simply impossible. I don't think I can afford the time. I barely make time for these practices. A young designer, like yours truly like me, needs some free time to think of new designs and simply relax. I'm sure you understand, darling," Rarity said.

"Me too, me too- wait," Pinkie said before pulling out a note pad from her hair and flipping through it. Sunset looked at what's in the notepad and saw a lot of doodles of cakes, balloons, and streamers with a lot of names.

"Uh… you know, Pinkie, maybe you already have a lot on your plate," Sunset said.

"What? But I was hoping to give the sad ghosty a nice party to cheer her up,"

"Don't worry, Pinkie, if any ghost needs any parties, I'll be sure to tell you."

"Yay, I wonder what ghosts like at parties."

"Um… I-I'll join too," Fluttershy said softly.

"Great, That gives us four members. Let's begin the work tomorrow, shall we?" Sunset said. The rest of the girls looked at her, confused.

"Uh… darling, there's only three," Rarity said.

"Oh yeah, sorry. We have a new student. I asked her if she likes to join, and she said yes. She'll meet us tomorrow here," Sunset said.

"Oh, you mean Aiko!" Pinkie shouted. "I met her before. She's a really nice girl, quiet though."

"Uh… Sunset? You sure it's okay to invite her?"

"Yeah, why not? She's going to know about all this sooner or later. Everyone in this school knows about magic now. Since she's new in the city, we can help her to get used to things," Sunset said. "Plus, the more, the merrier. Plus, she's a great photographer. She can take pictures of our articles."

The rest of the girls nodded.

"If you are sure," Twilight said.

"Enough of about spooky forums and clubs, we have music to play and the rest of your trip to tell," Pinkie said, changing the subject.

"Okay, okay, Pinkie, we'll practice, then I'll tell the rest of the story," Sunset said smiling.

The rest of the day went relatively peacefully with no incident as Sunset and Fluttershy told the girls the rest of the story and played some music. Before leaving, Sunset went to Luna and asked where the newspaper club room was located, and she guided her to a door that Sunset didn't even know existed. Despite Sunset's insistent, Luna said she'll ask the janitor to clean the room for them to use the next day. Before long, the nightfall came, and Sunset found herself sitting at the dinner table with her mom, sister, and aunt.

"Snowdrop, did Ari make any trouble at school today?" Sunset asked.

"No. Unlike Spike, she's a Cockatoo. They are known for their speaking ability." Snowdrop said. One of the things they found out was that Ari kept the ability to talk fluidly since the trip to Equestria.

"Huh, good for her."

"Oh, Sunset, did you met the new girl?" Celestia asked.

"Yeah, I did. She's really nice and part Japanese." Sunset said.

"Didn't I tell you that?" Luna asked. Sunset shook her head. "Perhaps it slipped my mind."

"And she said she'll join the club."

"Oh, that's wonderful. So are you going to tell her about magic?"

"Yeah, why not? Everyone knows about magic by now. I wouldn't go in-depth about where I come from, of course. I don't even know her well. But she seems like a really kind girl. Maybe in the future, I'll tell her everything about me," Sunset said.

Dinner went by normally as everyone talked about their day. After dinner, Sunset finished what little homework she had before she started to play some games to pass the time, and before long, she got ready to sleep. But as she climbed the bed to call it a night, she received a notification.

"What the?" Sunset said as she looked in disbelief at the latest post in the newspaper club forum.


Admin –

Tell us about any mysterious stories, strange incidents, or scary rumors that you know about!
The Newspaper Club will find the truth!
Something you want to investigate or something that stumps you anything at all is welcomed!
Please post here!

> Chapter 03 - The First Rumor (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Admin –
Tell us about any mysterious stories, strange incidents, or scary rumors that you know about!
The Newspaper Club will find the truth!
Something you want to investigate or something that stumps you anything at all is welcomed!
Please post here!



"So you are telling me this just appeared in the forum out of nowhere?" Rainbow asked. "Who is this admin anyway? Can you find out who's running it?"

The Rainbooms met at the music room just like usual, and Sunset showed them the recent development of the forum. The group met before classes started for the day, and what was supposed to be a band practice session turned into speculation on the newest information on the mysterious forum.

"I asked mom, and apparently, it's an account made to monitor schools' online activities. The Vice Principal would join every forum made by students and would be the admin of them. It's supposed to be where only the principal and vice-principal can access this," Sunset said.

"And none of them post this?" Applejack asked.

"Why would they do that? Not to mention that Aunt Luna didn't even know the login info. She had to call the previous principal to know the username and password since it became irrelevant to use with the introduction of mystable."

"She's still alive?" Rainbow asked only to get an elbow to her side by Rarity. "What?"

Rarity's disapproving glare was all Rainbow received.

"Well, however this happened, Principal Celestia could be right. Something is going on, and it seems weird for this to be just some random hacker," Twilight said. "As far as any of us know, this could all be my fault."

"Now wait a minute, Twilight. This has nothing to do with you. You were forced to do it. If it's anyone's fault, it's that Principal Cinch's fault," Applejack said.

"She's right, don't think like that. Everyone makes mistakes, even teenage geniuses that learned to store magic in a necklace made of broken-down machines from the dump. What matters most is for you to learn from them and keep moving forward," Sunset said. Twilight smiled at her. Just then, they heard a knock at the door, and Pinkie ran towards the door to answer it.

"Hi, Aiko!" She screamed, throwing open the door and hugging the surprised girl. The poor girl barely had a second to process anything before she found herself brought inside the room and in front of the group. The girl looked around in confusion as to what had just happened.

"You'll get used to it," Sunset said, moving forward to get the girl's attention.

"B-but, I how… how did, huh?"

"Don't think about it too much. It's just Pinkie being Pinkie. Anyways, girls, this is Aiko, she's new here. Aiko, these are my friends, Twilight, Pinkie, who you've already met, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, and this is my girlfriend Fluttershy," Sunset introduced as each of the girls greeted back in their own way.

"I'm Aiko Whiskers. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu (nice to meet you)," Aiko said, bowing a little.

"Oh, you are Japanese. I knew you were Asian but didn't know from where," Twilight said.

"That's so cool! Do you read manga or watch anime?" Rainbow asked.

"Uh, not really. I prefer the light novels," Aiko said sheepishly.

"Oh, uh, that's cool. I loved reading Auto Memory Doll. What about you?"

"I find them enjoyable to read."

"Can I give you that party now?" Pinkie said, jumping in place impatiently.

"Um… I-I… guess so?"

"EEEe! I'm going to give you the best party. We can keep it to ourselves if you don't want to invite the whole school," Pinkie said, smiling brightly.

"T-that would be appreciated," Aiko said while Pinkie jumped in victory.

Sunset looked at the clock and silently swore. She didn't mean for this to get them so side-tracked. She only hoped that she had enough time for the tour.

"Hey, we still have a few minutes before the school starts, so why don't I show you the club room real quick," Sunset said. The girls all left the music room and followed Sunset through the school hallways. As they moved through the hallways, everyone traded numbers and schedules with Aiko. Sunset smiled as she looked back at Aiko. She seemed to be relaxing into the group just fine and was already less tense than she was mere minutes ago. Looking back down the hall, Sunset saw the door and began to fish the key from her pocket. She cleared her throat before gaining the attention of the girls.

"Here, this is the room," Sunset said as she stuck the key that Luna gave her into the lock and opening the room. Walking inside, they found the room was, thankfully, clear of any clutter and looked to have just been recently cleaned. Sunset grinned at the sparkling clean room that looked more than ready to fill with stories about everyday life for CHS students.

There is a table with bookshelves on the sides and two computers on the center table. And the wall opposite of the entrance is the cupboard and table underneath them and along the sides of the room are bookshelves with files and notepads.

"Whoo weee, this sure is a nice club. If ah wasn't a part of the going home club ah mighta joined yall," Applejack said after whistling from the entrance, as the other girls went to look around.

"These are from the old club. I wonder why they didn't get rid of these files." Fluttershy asked, examining the files already on the shelves.

"Ne (hey), look at this," Aiko said, taking a hard drive from the computer table. "It's really old."

"It has to be from the old pc. Luna might have left it when she replaced the pc." Sunset said.

"Luna?" Aiko asked.

"O-oh right, you don't know. I'm Principal Celestia's daughter. So Vice-Principal Luna's my aunt," Sunset said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. No one actually knows, though. Except for us. So I appreciate it if you don't tell anyone."

“Yakusoku suru (I promise),” Aiko said smiling.

"Thanks."

"How do you know Japanese?" Rainbow asked.

"Did you forget where I work at, Rainbow? You catch some words after a while. The real question is, how do you know Japanese?" Sunset asked smugly.

"Wha-, Hey, anime can be educational too. I don't watch every anime in dubbed."

The girls began to laugh at Rainbows expense when they heard the school bell ringing. Everyone piled out of the room with the start of school, and Sunset locked the door up.

"So, can all the club members meet here during our free period?" Sunset asked as luck would have it Fluttershy, Twilight, and Aiko all had the same free period as Sunset. Everyone nodded, and they left for their classes.

The school went by its usual slowness for the rest of the day, but Sunset couldn't help but think about the latest post. Before long, Sunset found herself in the cafeteria with the rest of her friends and took the seat beside Fluttershy.

"Hey, Sunset, did anyone reply to that post?" Applejack asked.

"Not yet, fortunately. But I have a feeling that it won't be long before someone does, and I have a really bad feeling that something awful will happen when they do," Sunset said.

"Don't worry, my firefox. We will be with you if something happens," Fluttershy said. Sunset smiled at her while Rainbow gaged, earning her a shoulder smack from Rarity.

"So Sunset? Are you going to tell Aiko about… you know what."

"Yeah. I mean, not everything. Not yet. But she deserved to know. She looks like a really nice girl,"

"Um… e-excuse me?" They heard Aiko call them with a tray in her hand. "Can I join you?"

"Of course, shugacube," Applejack said, pulling the chair beside her.

"Arigatou (thanks)," Aiko said while taking the seat.

"So, how do you like the school so far?" Rarity asked.

"It's actually really great. The students are really nice. Everyone is very expressive and accepting of your views. It's certainly a change from the last school that I was at. Not that it was a bad school, just too many students for there to be any real expression outside of clubs or sports teams."

"Yeah, it's great here. I actually transferred recently," Twilight said. "I went to Chrystal Prep before,"

"Really? That's a great school, from what I heard."

"Academically, yes, but it's very stressful and competitive. They care more about their appearance than they do about personal growth and friendly bonds that they can foster in the student populace. It becomes too much pressure for me, and I made a huge mistake because of their no-lose attitude."

"But, you've learned and grown from the experience and are now in a school that cares about you as a person instead of the grades you brought with you," Sunset said, causing Twilight to smile at how similar she sounded to Principal Celestia without even trying.

"I see," Aiko said. "Hey um… what happened to that pedestal in the courtyard? It seems like there should be something there, but there isn't," Aiko asked, missing the way Twilight flinched.

"O-oh… um… well… you see… that's actually a long story. Since lunch is almost over, why don't we tell you that while at the club?" Sunset said as she tried to steer the conversation from an uncomfortable topic for Twilight.

"Um… okay. We can do that."

They spent the rest of the break talking about their band and sleepovers while also asking Aiko about herself. She didn't get to share much due to the bell ringing, leaving them to learn that her mother was Japanese, making her half Japanese. Once the break was over, the girls split off to their other classes while Sunset, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Aiko went to the club room.

"So, what are we doing now?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, first of all, we have to join the forum. Luna already made me an admin, so I can make you admins too," Sunset said, booting up the PC. "While we are doing that, Aiko, we need to tell you something."

"Um… what? Is this about the statue?" Aiko asked.

"Yeah. But there's more. Tell me, Aiko, do you believe in supernatural or magic?" Sunset asked casually.

"What?"

"Magic, what's your thought on it?"

"Well… I don't know if it's real. My obaa-san (grandma) believes in it. She always tells me that she feels the changes in the air, and she communes with spirits by dividing her mind and soul from her body. I don't really know how that works, but she tells all sorts of stories. I suppose I'm on the fence about it, I guess."

"I see. Maybe I'll get a chance to talk with her," Sunset mused. "Anyways, Aiko, listen carefully, what we are about to tell you is really important, and you should not talk about this with others outside our friends and my mom and aunt. Can you promise me that?" Sunset asked seriously as she stopped and grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes.

Aiko looked surprised at this sudden change in the mood. She didn't know what to say at first, but she felt something from Sunset like she could trust the girl despite only knowing her little over a day. She seemed to have this power in her that made her so much brighter than any of the other girls despite them being almost as bright. It was these feelings that made Aiko feel like she could trust them with anything and they would never betray her. All the girls and Sunset took to her just as she took to them. Pinkie still scared her, though. After thinking about it for a few more moments, Aiko made her decision.

"I will. I will promise you, and I will never go against my word," Aiko said.

Sunset looked at her eyes for a while, and Aiko felt as though she was searching her very soul and mind for deceit before a smile began to spread as Sunset seemed to find what she was looking for and let her arms fall from Aiko's shoulders.

"Well, Aiko, your grandma is right. Magic is real," Sunset said. "I can not tell you more than this since I barely know you, but that doesn't mean we are not friends. Just know that I'm choosing to believe you. I can see you loyal and honest, so even if I can't tell you everything right now, you will know about it in due time."

"I... suppose that's fair."

"Thanks for understanding, soon you'll know everything, but for now, you'll just have to believe me on this. As I said, magic is real. This world does have some innate levels of magic. But it's not powerful, compared to other places. But, all you need to know for now is that I brought some magic here," Sunset said, bringing a hand up and summoning a flame. Aiko stared at it in amazement. "You might probably hear things like magical demons or rips in space from the fellow students. They are real, and all of our friends were involved in them. One of them has something to do with the statue. I'm not going to tell you about that, though. It's not my place to decide. If you want to know, you'll have to ask Twilight and only if she's willing to share."

"Oh wow… I… I…"

"Do you need some time?"

"No, no, I'm okay. Just need to finish processing this… wow,"

"Also, Aiko, there's something with this club too. That I want to tell you about. First, let's finish setting up our accounts," Sunset said, logging into the forum from the pc.

After making their accounts and joining the forum, Sunset made everyone admins over the forum. She also saw that the forum was already gaining followers and knew it wouldn't be long before the first post was posted to the forum.

"You see, Aiko, this club has been closed for almost a decade. However, something happened just before you joined," Sunset began.

"What happened?" Aiko asked.

"You see this forum? No one knows how, but this forum was suddenly active again, and for some reason, this forum cannot be closed either. Some say it might be a hacker. But mom thinks it's magic. Considering what happened at this school, it's as likely as the hacker, maybe even more so, if I'm honest. As the magic experts here, we're looking for a way to solve this and stop it before it gets out of hand."

"But can magic actually do this?" Aiko asked.

"Why not? Magic can do all sorts of things. There is little law that it follows, unlike in-, sorry that's one of the things I can't tell you right now. In any case, it's very possible for magic to be involved in this case."

"Aiko, do you really want to do this with us?" Twilight asked. "I'll be honest, I don't really know how I feel about you being in the club. Magic is a really dangerous thing if it isn't used right. On top of that, you have no experience with it like me, and the others do. I'm concerned for your safety."

Aiko didn't know how to respond to that. All of this is really new to her. It all seemed made up, but she knew Sunset wasn't lying to her. She didn't know how she knew she just did. As she thought about Twilight's concerns, she couldn't help but remember a saying her father told her when she was little.

"Maybe that's enough reason for me to help you," Aiko said.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know much about this, and I wouldn't be lying if I said I think this might be a prank. But if all this is true, and magic is as dangerous as Twilight said, then this forum could hurt someone. And if I can help in any way to stop it, then that's exactly what I'm supposed to do," Aiko said with determination in her eyes.

"Huh, with that attitude, we'll be able to solve this in no time," Sunset said with a smile. "Since we don't know much about this forum yet, we might have to wait till someone replies and see what happens. Until then, let's get on to club business. First thing first, we need to design the newspaper," With that said, the four girls began to brainstorm ideas for the newspaper. And just like that, the first day of the newspaper club began.





The rest of the period went well for the girls, and the period was close to ending. They progressed far with the initial designs for the newspaper that they nearly forgot the reason for them being there. The notification came as suddenly as a strike of lightning, causing all of them to jump when their phones sounded with a single loud beep.

"Goodness, that startled me," Fluttershy said.

"What is it?" Aiko asked.

"It's a new post. Someone replied," Sunset said eerily before going to the computer. "Here it is. Wallflower? Who's Wallflower again?"

"I think she's in the yearbook club with Rarity," Fluttershy said.

"Hmm, I think I know who you're talking about. Thanks, Shy."

The girls gathered at the computer to see the new post.



Wallflower –
Do you know the rumor about the "Blue Spider Lily" which we can see at the local park? It's a boring rumor compared to others. You won't see anything like scary ghosts or spooky things.
At the local park, you can sometimes see the flower bloom. It blooms all seasons of the year but only blooms shining lightly when the moonlight hits it at night.
I don't know why this flower blooms or why it blooms so beautifully.
So… I really want to know why. Will you investigate this flower?



"I've heard about that rumor. I don't know if it's true, though. Never went to see it. It's so dark at the park when it's night. For whatever reason, the city never put lights in and refuses to because they don't have the budget to put in lights," Fluttershy said.

"So what now, we go there?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, Let's go tonight. Who wants to come?"

"I don't think I can. My parents wouldn't let me leave after nightfall. Especially on a school night," Twilight said.

"Me too. We just came here, so my parents are not comfortable with letting me go anywhere alone or with people they haven't met yet," Aiko said.

"That's okay. I think that's a no for you too, Fluttershy?" Sunset asked.

"Um… well… i-if you are going… I can… maybe."

"You sure shy? It's going to be dark," Sunset said teasingly.

"I… I can… hold on to y-you," Fluttershy said, with flushed cheeks.

"You know, I'm beginning to see why Rainbow always gags at you two," Twilight said, making Fluttershy blush.

"Oh… I forgot…"

"I wish I could forget, Aiko. It's the one thing I'd be fine with forgetting constantly," Twilight said when the bell rang. "Let's go and give the two love birds some space," Twilight said before she left the room along with Aiko, who bowed slightly at the door, before leaving two blushing girls inside.
> Chapter 04 - The Blue Spider Lily (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, Sunset, how's the club today?" Celestia asked as she, Sunset, and Fluttershy hopped in her car to go back to Celestia's home.

"It was great, actually. We designed the newspaper today, and since there was old material, we got a lot finished today. We might be able to start the school's newspaper tomorrow… if something didn't happen first," Sunset said.

"Oh yes, I was going to mention the reply to the new post."

"Yeah, we saw. I was thinking of going to the park tonight and seeing if we'll find anything. I don't suppose you would be able to take us there, would you?"

"Us? Fluttershy's going there too?"

"Um… yes. That is I want to go, but only if Sunset's there," Fluttershy said shyly with blush dusting her cheeks.

"You… might have to call her parents and say she'll be late and give her a ride," Sunset said with a sheepish smile.

"Hmmm, I'll see what I can do," Celestia said, smiling. Before long, they came to the house, and Celestia parked the car. Sunset and Fluttershy left to finish their homework so they could hang out for a while before they had to leave on their first newspaper expedition.

Once the girls finished their homework, the two decided to play some video games. They decided to play a game called Winter Wendigo. It was a survival game with mild amounts of horror. The goal was to get to the Gem of Cloves and bring it back to a town whilst fighting through a blizzard and ambushes from Wendigos. There were boss battles that had them fighting against liches and glacial wolves. That in of itself wasn't the problem. The problem was that the game was timed, and the ground would break from the cold, making you start over from the last save point. This lead Sunset to rage quit after she kept falling in the same hole or dying to the Alpha Glacier Wolf, causing Fluttershy, who didn't die once, to suggest another game. Together, they decided on Portals 2.

"So, Sunset, when are you going to tell Aiko about your origin?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, she already knows about magic. But I can't just go up to her say, 'I'm a magical unicorn, who became an alicorn princess, which is a flying unicorn, from another dimension that's filled with talking ponies.' She'd think I was cuckoo," Sunset said. "Knowing our luck, she'll find out about our pony-up forms sooner or later. But let's cross that bridge when we get there. We already have enough to deal with anyways."

Fluttershy nodded just as they heard a knock from the door, and Celestia popped her head through the opened door.

"Fluttershy, I called your parents and told them you had a project with Sunset and might get home late. I did, however, offer to take you home once you were done. I'll take you after we visit the park, okay?" Celestia asked.

"Okay."

"Good, now come downstairs for dinner, you two," Celestia said as the girls glanced out the window, seeing that it was already approaching night.

"Oh wow, it's almost dark out," Sunset said.





The dinner went relatively normal, with the girls telling Celestia about their days. After dinner, Celestia, Sunset, and Fluttershy piled into the car. As they made their way to the park, Sunset rechecked the post to see if there were any details about where the flower reportedly bloomed.

"What do you think we are going to find there?" Fluttershy asked as they pulled into the park behind the school. "Do you think the rumor might be true?"

"Don't know. It probably isn't because if it was, wouldn't more people have seen it by now? If it is real, we'll have to see if I feel any magic from it," Sunset said. "But if Equestrian Magic is involved, it will at least point us into a direction for further rumors. That admin post really screwed us up with being able to properly investigate the reactivation of the forum. Since it said the club will investigate any problems or rumors, why don't we take a look? Best case scenario, it will just be a rumor, and we wouldn't find anything, and the whole forum will be a just stupid prank. Then we can work on finding out who is behind it."

"And the worst-case scenario?" Celestia asked.

"It will not be a rumor anymore, and the forum will be a lot more dangerous than we originally thought, and the girls will have to help us deal with the more problematic rumors that could be posted."

It was that chilling comment that caused Celestia and Fluttershy to go quiet. Because Sunset was right, if this rumor became true, that could potentially mean that everything on the forum could be real, and they would need more help than just Sunset, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Aiko. This could potentially go really bad, really quick.

After a few more minutes of sitting in the car, they exited the car and began to walk into the park. Just like Fluttershy said, the park only had light in a few places near the entrance, leaving the majority in the dark. A chill ran up Sunset's back. It reminded her so much of a horror movie. She nervously glanced at the lights expecting something to suddenly appear. Pushing down her initial, fear she set forward with Fluttershy holding her hand. This was her duty as a princess of Equestria.

"You weren't kidding when you said it's dark," Sunset said, trying to lighten the mood. Normally, it wouldn't be this dark, but it was near pitch black with the clouds covering the moon. The three began their search for the glowing blue spider lily. It shouldn't be that hard, what with it glowing and it being so dark. However, even after spending nearly half an hour and walking most of the park, they couldn't find anything.

"Do you see anything, you two?" Celestia asked after a yawn.

"I don't think the rumor is true. We've walked most of the park and haven't seen a sign of this glowing flower," Sunset said, rather annoyed at wasting her time but relieved that it seemed to be a false alarm. Holding Fluttershy, who hadn't let go of her arm since they began their search, shook her head in response to Celestia's question.

"I suppose. We searched the whole park, and the only blue flowers we found were anything but glowing," Celestia said thoughtfully.

"Can we go now?" Fluttershy asked anxiously.

"Yeah, let's go," Sunset said as they turned to leave the park. As they turned back to the car, the clouds had a break in them. The moon shined through the park, lighting up the once black skies. The moonlight shined brightly like it hated being hidden behind clouds. The skies became a beautiful hue of blue that shined brightly and created a white shaft of moonlight that shone down on the three as they walked on the path. But as they walked, Fluttershy caught something in the corner of her eyes.

"Wait," She said, making everyone stop. "Look," She pointed at an area in the park. The others turned their head to see what caught Fluttershy's attention.

In the distance, a light glow shone through the trees. As if bewitched, the group of three began their walk to the glows source. The source came from the blue flower from before that they just saw as normal flowers. What was once a regular flower bed of blue spider lilies was now glowing brightly. The petals shone with an ether-like blue hue while the filaments shined with a soft white light. The light was so potent that the grass near it looked to be glowing in the same blue and white light. As they stood shocked, Celestia asked the question that was on everyone's mind.



"What? But it wasn't glowing before," Celestia said.

"Wait, the moon," Sunset said, looking up. She quickly fished out her phone and loaded up the forum. "Look, here it says the lily glows when the moonlight hits it. The moon was covered this whole time."

"They're so beautiful," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah, they are. Let's get pictures for the club," Sunset said as she began to take some photos of the flower along with the other two. Once she was done, Sunset stood quietly as she stared at the flowers.

"What are you thinking, Sunset?" Fluttershy asked.

"This is bad. I can feel traces of magic from the flowers. I think this forum has the ability to create rumors. Sure it's fine when the rumors are harmless, but what happens when the rumors stopping harmless and others look into it before we can? They'll get hurt. We need a way to stop the rumors from spreading or getting out of control."

"In due time, how about we get Fluttershy home so she can get enough sleep for school tomorrow?" Celestia asked.

"You're right, let's go, we can come up with a way tomorrow," Sunset said once she looked at her phone.

After taking a few more photos, the three left the park. They dropped Fluttershy off at home before they made their way home. Once Fluttershy left, both Celestia and Sunset went quiet, both locked in their own thoughts. Celestia was concerned about Sunset's and the others' safety. While Sunset was focused purely on solving their current problem. When they arrived home, they both took quick showers and proceed to turn in for the night. However, even as Celestia fell asleep, Sunset toss and turned, with her mind staying awake late into the night trying to come to a conclusion.





The next morning, Sunset met with the girls at the club room, and she told them what happened the previous day.

"So the rumor is true," Rarity said. "But if it is, then why didn't anyone saw that before? I know that no one usually goes to the park at night, but someone had to see it before."

"What if it has something to do with the forum?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, that's what we were thinking last night, but we can't conclude on anything yet," Sunset said. "We don't have a lot of evidence. So for the time being, there's nothing we can do about it but try and keep it contained to harmless rumors just to be safe until we know more," Sunset said as she opened up the forum on the computer.

"So are we going to just tell the school what we found?" Aiko asked.

"Yeah, but I have an idea. Last night, I had an idea. Instead of just saying the rumor is true, why don't we just say it doesn't happen anymore?" Sunset said. "If the rumor became true because of the forum, then if we said it doesn't happen anymore, the flowers should, in theory, stop glowing since we stop the rumor, right?"

"That's a good idea, Sunset," Twilight said. "Not to mention, if we said it's true, people are going to investigate it. If we say it doesn't happen anymore, nobody will have any reason to go there. That's going to cause some problems."

Sunset nodded as she began to type the response for Wallflower's post.



Hello! We are the Newspaper Club!!!
Thank you for posting the rumor.

As for the blue spider lily, we were able to see it last night. But halfway through, they stopped glowing, so we can only conclude that it was a one-time thing. But since it no longer blooms, the cause of the blooming blue spider lily is unknown since we couldn't gather any data on it. But if it ever blooms again, we will solve it with all our might.

We will post an article about this with photos in our soon-to-be-released newspaper. Until then, you'll have to wait.



Sunset finished as she hit reply.

"There we go. Oh, and Rarity, give the pictures to Wallflower as she's the one that posted the rumor. I'm sure shell love to see them," Sunset said.

"Oh yes. She's in the gardening club. She must be impatient to see them," Rarity said, just as the bell rang, signaling the start of the school.

"Well, time to go to class." Applejack said. "See y'all at lunch," As the girls filled out of the room, Sunset called out to Fluttershy, Aiko, and Twilight.

"Wait, you guys before you go. Can you three wait for a sec," Sunset said hastily.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's nothing big. I just thought to take a quick photo of us. The room feels empty. We should mark the room as ours," Sunset said, picking up the camera Aiko brought to school and gave it to her.

"Oh, of course," Aiko said as everyone piled up together to take the photo. Aiko brought up the camera in front of them and took the photo.


> Chapter 05 - Anon-a-miss (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day at CHS was calm. Only one rumor had been posted in the forum that was immediately solved, thanks to the rumor involving mythical creatures that Sunset knew are harmless spirits. The club was able to finish most of their work with the newspaper, and they were getting ready to publish the newspaper in the coming week. But despite the calmness of the day, Sunset was still uneasy as the day went by. However, she felt a little bit better when she joined her friends at their usual table and was distracted from her thought when she joined the conversation. The rumors and newspaper slowly progressed to the usual gossip about their band.

"You guys are in a band?" Aiko asked as she ate the food from her bento.

"Yeah, the best band Canterlot has ever seen," Rainbow boasted.

"Do you play any instruments, Aiko?" Twilight asked.

"Um… I play the violin," She offered up after some hesitation.

"Really? We could use a violinist," Sunset said.

"We do? But we are a rock band. Why would we need a violin?" Rainbow asked.

"Rock bands do use violins, darling. And what's the harming in having a violinist since I usually play with my keytar?" Rarity asked. "On top of that Rainbow, there are quite of few songs where I use the violin setting on the keytar. Adding Aiko could add another musical layer to our songs that we might not otherwise be aware of or needed before."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. If Aiko joins us, she can play those parts giving Rarity to back us up on strings or punctuate Pinkie's drums," Sunset stated.

"So, what do you say?" Twilight asked.

"Um… if that's okay with you-"

"YAAY!! We have a new member," Pinkie shouted, sprinkling confetti around.

"Pinkie, we are eating," Applejack scolded as she picked confetti out of her apple sauce.

"Hehe… sorry…"

Sunset smiled at the group and was able to forget about the forum, even if it was for just a few minutes, which she would relish.

"Say, Aiko, why don't you join us today for the band practice after school? I know you don't have your violin, but you can take a look at how we play, and Fluttershy or I can lend you our sheet music," Sunset said. 'And you may be ready for another secret, especially after the whole spirit incident.'

"I'd love to," Aiko said as the bell rang.

And as the classes continued for the day, Sunset's uneasiness returned as her mind constantly went to the forum. Fortunately for her, she had a class with Fluttershy, which helped Sunset get her mind off of the forum and the mysterious admin. Before long, the school ended for the day. After leaving her books in her locker and stuffing the books she needed to take home in her bag, Sunset made her way to the music room. She weaved in and out of the student traffic. After nearly crashing into several students, she finally made it to the music room. Once entering, Sunset noticed everyone but Aiko were already there, and they all seemed to be having a small discussion.

"Hey, guys, what are you talking about?" Sunset asked, already having a hunch about what they might be talking about.

"Sunset, are we going to tell Aiko about the rest of the story?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah. She's part of the group now, so there's a pretty good chance that she is going to know about it all sooner or later. So I think it's better to get this over with as soon as possible and that it comes from our mouth, so no misinformation occurs," Sunset said. The rest of the girls nodded, agreeing with Sunset, as secrets could destroy friendships faster than anything.

As the girls practiced rifts on their instruments, Aiko entered and joined the seat beside Twilight. Who didn't play an instrument but was able to harmonize with Rainbow or Sunset. She also had a dynamic voice that allowed her to get up high with her voice and lower for somber pieces of the band's songs. She also worked the mixer, as she had the ability to perfectly blend the girls' music together. Pushing their music to the next level and quickly becoming the best band in Canterlot. Before they began their practice, Sunset approached Aiko.

"Hey Aiko, remember the story I told you? The one about magic?" Sunset asked.

"Mm-hm… what about it?" Aiko asked.

"Well… since you are pretty much a permanent part of the group now, I think it's better that I tell you the rest of the story. Bear in mind that this will sound really weird."

"Um… I've already seen magic, and there's a forum making rumors real. So I don't think anything is too far from the realm of possibilities."

"We'll see about that. But first, you need to see us play. It's a part of the explanation," Sunset said, smiling at the confused face of Aiko.

After that, Sunset joined the rest of the girls and began to play one of their songs. Before long, Aiko was enraptured by the song as she bobbed her head left and right to the rhythm. As she did so, Aiko waved her finger back and forth as she started to memorize the melody of the song. Everything was proceeding like a regular rehearsal, so imagine her surprise when the girls suddenly began to glow.

"Sugoi (whoa)!!" Aiko said in amazement.

As the glow faded, she saw that all the girls had gone through a transformation. Pinkie and Applejack only had a pair of pointed ears. Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Twilight all had a pair of wings on their back, with Rainbow hovering above the rest of the girls and Rarity having a horn on her forehead. Sunset was the only one that had both a pair of wings and a horn. Her wings and horns looked a bit larger and longer compared to others, and her wings had a pattern of red that made it look like her wings were on fire when she moved them. As the girls finished their performance, they turned to the girl watching them from the corner of the room, only to see her looking at them with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open.

"Nani datte (what was that)?" Aiko asked.

"Hehe- told you," Sunset giggled in a smirking manner. "So… remember when I said that I brought some magic here? Did you ever wonder where I brought it from?"

"I… actually, now that you say that… where did you get it from? Are you some kind of angel or elf?"

"Haha, no, but I'm something similar now, I think. Anyway, Aiko, I brought magic from my homeworld. And before you ask, yes, I'm not from this world."

"Nani (what)!?" Aiko said in disbelief.

"Yep, you should take a seat first," Sunset said. After Aiko took a seat as Sunset began to tell her tale. So Sunset began her tale from what her homeworld was like, her time as Celestia's student and her hope for family becoming a lust for power. She briefly mentioned her downfall as she was still uncomfortable talking about it. Sunset even explained her latest adventure that made her a princess.

"So… any questions?"

"Okay, let me get this straight, you are a magical unicorn-"

"Was a unicorn," Pinkie corrected.

"Uh, yea, that, You come from an alternate world with talking ponies, who did some bad things, changed your ways, and now became a hero and a princess?" Aiko asked.

"Pretty much, yeah. I know it's really weird, but I'm telling the truth."

"Well… at least, that explains the pony part."

"I could take you to my homeworld. I mean, my coronation should take place in a few days, and I'm not going to my coronation without my friends."

"Oh… wow…" Aiko said, still processing all this. "So… um… will I turn like that too… if I join you?"

"Well, first you need to connect with the magic of this world, and there's a pretty good chance of that happening if you stick with us, so yeah,"

"Oh… this is all really weird… but cool."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Twilight said, placing a hand on her shoulder.





That night, Sunset talked with Princess Twilight about the forum. Since Twilight had no idea how a forum works, thus most of the time was spent explaining the basics before explaining the actual problem. They weren't able to come up with anything other than what they already knew, and Sunset was met with another dead end on how to stop the forum. Since asking not to post anything wasn't going to work, she was left with their initial plan of investigating the rumors and stopping them, then writing a post about it. Twilight also told her she had to visit Equestria for a rehearsal of the coronation.

With that, Sunset went to sleep for the day. However, as fate would have it, Sunset wasn't going to get much rest the next day. Despite it being a Saturday, she woke up from her phone going off. Squinting her eyes, Sunset looked at the caller ID and saw it was Fluttershy, and apparently, she had been trying to call for a while since she already had 4 missed calls. Swearing softly, Sunset quickly dialed Fluttershy's number and it was answered on the second ring.

"Uh… Fluttershy… why-"

"SUNSET! Oh, thank goodness you picked up… it, it got me- I got the picture- it's- I'm so scared- I saw it this morning-"

"Whoa whoa, calm down, what are you talking about- take a deep breath first," Sunset imitated with Fluttershy doing the same. "Okay, now tell me what happened."

"It's the forum… it had a new post, and it's targeted me!"

"WHAT!?" Sunset shouted, getting off the bed in an instance.

"Please help me. I'm scared."

"Hey, hey, it's okay, I will be there as soon as possible, and I'm leaving now."

After calming Fluttershy down, Sunset quickly got dressed and asked Celestia to give her a ride telling her it's very urgent. While on the way, Sunset loaded up the forum to see what the latest forum is about.



Anon-a-miss –

I'm posting it here because I got a little scared. Why? There's a rumor going on among my friends. One of them is a jokester, so I'm actually still skeptical. But again, another friend knows the same rumor too.

The rumor is like this: A photo is sent to your phone suddenly one day. The photo has a girl in the distance, staring directly at you. Actually, the photo is sent to you every day, and the girl in the photo gets closer and closer. It is sent every single day no matter if you check it or not. And then her face gets clearer. If your eyes meet, she will appear in front of you, and she'll kill you.



Sunset's hand went to her mouth as she read the post. Fluttershy got the first picture, and now they have no idea how long they had until the last picture. Sunset quickly opened up the chat she made for the club and sent a message to meet up at CHS.
> Chapter 06 - The Girl in the Photo (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*knock knock knock*

"Sunset calm down everything will be okay," Celestia said, trying to calm down her daughter, who was doing everything but beating down the door in front of her trying to get it open.

"But mom Flu-" She stopped herself when the door opened and pushed past a confused and startled Mrs. Shy.

"What the… Celestia?"

"I'm terribly sorry, but your daughter is in danger. We came as soon as we could," Celestia said, walking up the stairs with Mrs. Shy.

"What's happening?" Mrs. Shy asked while the color drained from her face and began to follow Sunset up the stairs with Celestia following behind her. "Fluttershy was scared of something this morning but wouldn't say anything about it."

They entered Fluttershy's room to see Fluttershy with Sunset, who was hugging the scared girl. Mr. Shy was already inside the room, sitting at Fluttershy's desk. Zephyr appeared behind Celestia and his mother from the commotion that was being created.

"Hey, hey, it's okay now. I'm here. Nothing's going to happen, okay?" Sunset said, trying to calm down Fluttershy.

"But… but the photo-"

"Hey, don't worry. No one or thing is going to hurt you. They have to go through me first, okay? You trust me, right?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Then I promise no one is going to get hurt. We will solve this just like all the other rumors, okay?" Fluttershy nodded once again.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Mr. Shy asked.

"There's no time. Short version, Equestrian magic is acting up, and it targeted Fluttershy. But we can solve this. Fluttershy, can you show us the photo?"

"But… what if it kil-"

"No, it won't unless you meet the girl's eyes. Did you see her eyes?"

"No… they were covered."

"See? Now we need to solve this quickly. So we need to look at the photo first."

"O-okay," Fluttershy said, picking up her phone from the bed and opening the photo.



The photo was in a park. The picture looked normal at first, with the sun setting in an empty park. Behind a row of trees was an apartment building from the looks of the balconies. It wasn't until you really looked to see that a girl standing in the park became slightly visible. The girl was in the middle of the park, looking towards the camera. But her whole body was covered in shadow, making it unable to see who she is. The thing that caused hairs to stand on people's necks wasn't the shadowed girl but rather the lack of a shadow for the girl. Nothing was there, causing Sunsets to unconsciously clench her hand fight the fire wished to be unleashed.

"Okay, first, see if we can find any clues," Sunset said as everyone gathered around her.

"This was taken probably in the evening," Sunset said. "Does this place look familiar?"

"It looks like Filthy Rich's apartment complex," Zephyr Breeze said.

"It is, but this looks like before he renovated it," Mr. Shy said.

"That means this photo was taken about… 9 years ago," Celestia said.

"9 years? Can you think of anything that might be linked to this?" Sunset asked.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"Usually, rumors are based on real incidents but twisted through time. So if we can find where and how this rumor was created, we might be able to stop it before it's too late."

"Now that you mention it, this sounds familiar, but I can't remember what happened," Celestia said.

"In that case, let's go to CHS. The girls should be there by now. We can all look into past newspapers and news stories on the internet to see if something comes up," Sunset said.

"Okay. Let me get dressed," Fluttershy said.

"Wait, wait, you are not going anywhere," Mr. Shy said firmly as he stood from the chair he was occupying.

"What, but-"

"What if something happens to you? You are already in so much danger."

"But-"

"Mr. Shy, I know that you want her to be safe, but that's exactly why she should come with us. She will be safer with me and the girls, so if something happens, we can stop it, with force if we have to," Sunset said as she handed Fluttershy clothes.

"But-but-"

"Mr. Shy Sunset is right. She is safest with Sunset. Fluttershy will be safe. You have my word on that. I'd say she's safest with Sunset," Celestia said.

"But what do you expect us to do?"

"Stay here and be safe. Fluttershy is the target, but that doesn't mean it won't go after you. You're safest here away from Fluttershy, so you don't get caught in the crossfire. I can protect Fluttershy fine, but it would be a stretch for the girls and me to protect three more people," Sunset said seriously, as she gave them the most logical answer she could come up with on the fly.

"But, I-okay, if it's to keep my daughter safe, then we will," Mr. Shy finally relented.

"Come now, we've spent far more time than needed. We have a lot of research to do if we're going to solve this before something happens," Celestia said as she moved aside to let Sunset and Fluttershy out the door.

On the way, Sunset sent a message to the club to started looking for any incidents involving Filthy Rich and apartments. When they finally arrived at CHS, they saw that Luna was already there. The football team was practicing at the field where they met Rainbow.

"Fluttershy, you okay?" She asked, running up to them.

"Y-yeah… though I'm really scared."

"I heard from Twilight. What can I do?"

"For now, we are going to look in old newspapers to see if we can find any incident that might be the root cause of the rumor. We already know it happened near Filthy Rich's apartment complex about 9 years ago," Sunset said.

"Then what?"

"If this is a vengeful spirit, we might be able to properly stop it. For now, you can go back to your practice; we'll call you if something came up. Be ready and keep your phone ringer on and near you if you can."

Rainbow nodded as she ran back to her gym bag.

As Rainbow ran back to her morning practice, Sunset, Fluttershy, and Celestia walked inside the school. They made their way straight to the club room. As they entered the club room, they saw that Twilight and Aiko were already looking through old newspapers through the internet.

"Sunset, Fluttershy – oh Miss Celestia," Twilight said as they entered the room.

"Did you two find anything?" Sunset asked.

"No, nothing yet," Aiko said.

"Don't worry, we can find this. I'll start looking too. I have a feeling I know what we are looking for. I just need to remember what it was," Celestia said.

And with that, they started looking for any incidents that might be connected to the rumor. Time went by as they skimmed past newspapers and any online sites that might have what they are looking for.

"Any luck?" Sunset asked.

"No," Aiko said. "There's so many to look at. If we can narrow it do-"

"Eeeeek!!" Fluttershy yelled, throwing her phone and latched onto Sunset. "I-I-It's that…."

"The second one?! Did you see the eyes?" Sunset asked.

"N-n-no…" Fluttershy said. Sunset picked up the phone and took a look at the photo. "C-c-careful…"

"Don't worry, her eyes are still covered," Sunset said, showing the photo to everyone. The photo was still the same, but the girl was much closer this time, and her clothes are now visible.



"That uniform," Twilight said.

"You know that?" Sunset asked.

"Yes, that's the old Crystal Prep uniform."

"Oh yes, it is," Celestia said. "I remember now. A girl from Chrystal Prep was killed in a stabbing, in, when was it, in the second semester, in March, I think?"

"Okay, That narrows it down a lot. We are looking for a murder case of a Chrystal Prep girl 9 years ago during March," Sunset said as she began typing in the search bar. "Do you think maybe Cadence would know something?"

"Maybe. I'll ask her," Celestia said, taking her phone.


'anyone is okay…'


"Um… did you hear that?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hear What?" Aiko asked. The others looked at her, confused.

"Uh, it's nothing."

It didn't take long to find what they were looking for, as they were able to get news articles about the murder pretty easily.

"Hm… so the girl was killed by a stalker," Sunset said, reading the article. "Mom, did Cadence said anything?"

"Yes. They had an article on their wall newspaper. Apparently, the one who wrote that was a friend of the girl that was killed. Here she sent me the article," Celestia said, showing the article Cadence sent her.

"… Ivi was just a sweet, kind girl. Always did things for others before herself. She always cared about other people so much. Even when she was being stalked for weeks, she never told anyone about it. Even her best friends. How the world could be so cruel to do something as inhuman as this is beyond me."

"That's so sad," Fluttershy said with unshed tears.

Sunset sighed as she rubbed her eyes.

"What are we going to do now?" Twilight asked.

"Let's see what we know so far. The girl's name is Ivory. Killed by stalker-homicide. She also kept quiet about it without telling anyone. Even authorities figures," Sunset listed.

"But why would a kind girl want to kill others? Even for revenge, don't you think it's odd for her to want to kill others?" Aiko asked.

"Maybe it has something to do with the rumor. The rumor was altered a lot. So she's bound to do it, whether she likes it or not," Sunset said.

"Oh my. That's so…" Fluttershy said.

"So what now? Are you going to use the elements?" Celestia asked.

"Yes. But for that, we need to wait till the last picture, since she only appears when you meet the eyes of the girl," Sunset said.

"So we wait," Twilight said.

"Yes, we wait. Let's call the girls," Sunset said.

"About that, Applejack had an accident at the farm. She might not be able to help us,"

"What! Great, now what?" Sunset asked herself before she began to pace the room. "Wait, Princess Twilight said, as long as we have five base elements, we can power up the element of magic. We have five, so we can use them. Let's call the others," Sunset said, picking up her phone.

Since Rainbow was already there, they only had to wait till the other two. And before long, they too came to CHS. Since they had to wait till the last picture, the girls decided to play some songs in the music room to help pass the time and keep stress levels low. They also found a violin in the music room, and with encouragement from Twilight, Aiko agreed to play some songs for them.

However, Sunset also noted how Fluttershy was flinching from time to time. She assumed it was due to the rumor and tried to help her take her mind away from it for the time being.

Hours went by as the girls waited till the next picture. Celestia and Luna went to get something to eat for the girls leaving the girls alone.

"This is boring," Rainbow said. "Not that I want the ghost to appear and kill anyone but can it just hurry up already?"

"Now now, Rainbow. Patience is a virtue. Maybe this whole thing is a false alarm," Rarity said.

Sunset then saw Fluttershy getting up and walking towards the door.

"Wait up, Fluttershy, where are you going? I'm coming with you," Sunset said.

"Oh… um… I… I'm going to the… restroom," Fluttershy reluctantly said.

"O-oh…" Sunset said, blushing while the other girls laughed. "I-I'm still coming with you. What if the girl showed up while you were alone? Every horror fan knows the last thing you need to do is be alone."

"Mm-hm~…" Rainbow said mockingly.

"Let's just go already," Sunset said, leaving with Fluttershy.

The two girls walked in silence through the hallways in the school. It felt like one of these haunted school horror games with no one in the school and the rumor hanging in the air. Sunset looked at Fluttershy and saw she was looking ahead with a faraway look.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy, we'll stop this," Sunset said reassuringly.

"Oh- um… actually… I was thinking," Fluttershy said.

"About what?"

"About the girl. All this happened because she was scared to tell anyone about it. Like me…"

"What are you getting at?"

"I-"


'anyone is okay….'


"Fluttershy?"

"I- Eeep!" Fluttershy was interrupted when she got a notification on her phone. "O-oh no… I- is it?"

"Don't worry. Let's go back. I'll look at it. So you don't have to."

"What! No, I won't let you,"

"Fluttershy, it's okay. This is my responsibility."

"Your? What are you talking about? I thought we went through this."

"I'm a princess now. As a princess, this is my responsibility," Sunset argued.

"Well, I don't care. No one can rule alone. And I already agreed to go through this when I joined the club. So this is my responsibility as much as yours," Fluttershy said, raising her phone and looking at the picture.

"Fluttershy, wait!" but it was too late. Fluttershy's eyes widened in fear as she dropped her phone down.




'anyone is okay…'


"Look down!" Fluttershy shouted while she is doing the same.

"What-"

"She's here. Don't look up!"

Sunset complied.


'anyone is okay…'


"She's here," Fluttershy said.

"She-"

"Wait… let me do this…"

"Flutt-"

"Please… you trust me too, right?" Sunset didn't respond for a moment.

"I do…" They then saw a pair of legs below them. They were covered in blood.


'anyone is okay…'


This time, Sunset heard it too and knew why Fluttershy was always on edge. The voice also sounded distorted. She readied her magic just in case whatever Fluttershy was going to do didn't work out. After what felt like an eternity, which in reality was just a few seconds, Fluttershy took all of her courage and talked.

"I… I was scared." Fluttershy said. "Every time you chose me and sent me a photo…I thought that I would be killed."

'I hope you know what you are doing, Fluttershy,' Sunset thought.

"I thought that I would die…but maybe… you were thinking the same, right?"


'anyone is okay…'


"W-when you were sent photos from a stalker… you were scared… and wanted someone to save you."


'any…one…save me…'


"Even though you were scared… you weren't able to say it… because you didn't want anyone you loved to get hurt."


'any… one… anyone is okay… save… me…'


Sunset noted that the voice slowly became clearer. But before she was able to think any further, she heard Fluttershy taking a deep breath and suddenly looked up.

"Fluttershy what-" And then she stopped. The bloodied girl in front of them was changed. She was no longer covered in blood. And she looked at Fluttershy, eyes filled with tears.

"Y-you just wanted someone to know… how sacred you were… that you were worried that you would get someone in danger… you just wanted anyone to understand your feelings… you wanted someone to understand your thoughts, that you couldn't express in words."


'I was scared…but I couldn't say it…because I was weak… because I didn't rely on anybody...'


The voice was much clearer now.

"That's not right," Fluttershy said. "You are not… you are not weak at all… you are just more kind than anybody else…"

'…'

'I'm sorry…'

'that I scared you…'

'…'

'thank… you…'

'for understanding me… for not running away from me…'


The girl then smiled at Fluttershy before slowly fading away.


'thank you…'








We are the newspaper club:

That girl was also sent photos by a stalker and ended up being killed. She kept silent until the end, thinking that she didn't want to get her friends or loved ones involved with her problem. Even though she wanted someone to understand how lonely she was.

If the girl shows up in front of you and you catch her eye in the photo. Please do not run away from her. Understand her. Feel her loneliness, sadness, and kindness, which she was holding until the very end.



"I still can't believe Fluttershy figured it out and talked to a ghost," Rarity said.

"Yeah, that was so cool," Rainbow said. Fluttershy blushed at the compliment.

"How did you even figure it out?" Luna asked.

"I… um… I felt like that…?"

"What?"

"Maybe because you are so much like her?" Sunset said. "I mean, she too was a very kind girl just like Fluttershy. Maybe she thought that you might understand her. Maybe that's why she chose you specifically."

Fluttershy smiled at her.

"Maybe…"
> Chapter 07 - Aiko the Pegasus (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"AAAhhhhhh!!! Ach!" Sunset screamed as she sailed through the air and landed on a set of mattresses.

"Woahhh!!! Oof!"

"Yamate-!!!"

Two more sounds of impacts followed Sunset before Sunset screamed again as two ponies fell on her. The two ponies started to thrash around before Sunset's head poked out of the flailing mass of ponies on top of her as she gasped, "HUHH! Get off! Can't breath!"

"Sorry!" "Gomen!" What followed was thumping and crashing as the two masses on top of Sunset tried to get off Sunset simultaneously.

"urgh… at least there were some mattresses this time," Sunset said as she stood up on her back hooves before losing her balance and falling back on the mattresses. "Ahh!... right, I'm a pony now."

"Hehe… glad you could, drop by," Princess Twilight said as she smiled smugly at her joke before she cleared her throat at Sunset's unimpressed face. "Anyways, it's great to have you. You know, with the forum and all that going on in the human world," Twilight said, helping Sunset to stand up.

"Yeah. Fortunately-"

"Ahhh! Watashi wa ponii (I'm a pony)!" Aiko shouted, looking at herself. She was turned into a Pegasus, and she had a treble clef inside a camera lens as her cutie mark. Snowdrop giggled beside her.



"You'll get used to it," Snowdrop said.

"You are a Pegasus," Sunset said, adjusting her saddlebag, before walking over to readjust Aiko's saddlebag.

"oh… Sugoi (wow)," Aiko said, flexing her wings.

"Well, Aiko, it's nice to meet you. I'm Princess Twilight," Twilight said, walking up to Aiko, who looked up, and her eyes widened. She tried to talk, but only her mouth moved like a fish.

"I think we lost her," Ari said as she perched on Snowdrop. Ari had flown in moments after Snowdrop and Aiko were crushing Sunset.

"Uh… Aiko?" Sunset asked. Aiko suddenly snapped out of it as she quickly shook her head and looked at Sunset and back to Twilight with a slight blush.

"O-oh yeah, I'm Aiko, oai dekite kouei desu (delighted to meet you)," Aiko said, bowing deep with her head nearly touch the ground if not for her standing.

"Oh, it's all right. No need to bow, though… oai deck it kou desou? What does that mean?"

"Oai dekite kouei desu, Twilight-hime. It means delighted to meet you, Hime-sama," Aiko said.

"Ah. I see. But my name is Twilight. Not Twilight-hime or hime-sama."

"Actually, she said Princess Twilight. In Japanese, they use honorifics with names," Sunset said.

"Oh, no need for that. Just call me Twilight. We are friends."

"O-oh… hai (okay)," Aiko said, bowing.

"Also, your language is fascinating. I hope to know more about it. But unfortunately, duty calls. So we'll have to have to talk about grammatical differences, syntaxes, and phonemes later," Twilight said. "I'll go with Sunset to look at the preparations for her coronation. You can go meet my friends. Or your friend's counterparts. They are very different despite being nearly the same people."

They then heard the library door opening, and Spike came inside.

"Twilight, I sent the letter. Need me to come with you?" Spike asked.

"No, but could you take Aiko and Snowdrop to Rarity? She said she needed to meet them to prepare their dresses. Then you can show her around. It will take a while before me and Sunset are free."

"No problem Twilight," Spike said as the two princesses left. Spike turned to the other two to see that Snowdrop and Ari were teaching Aiko how to walk.

"Hi, I'm Spike. Nice to meet you," Spike said, introducing himself to Aiko. Aiko looked at him, and her eyes widened.

"Anatawa totemo kawaii (You are so cute)!!!" Aiko said, getting close to Spike.

"Huh- what?" Spike said taking a step back, confused.

"o-oh, sorry, you are so cute."

"O-oh… I, uh haha-" Spike said, rubbing her neck. "SO! Are you ready? I'll take you to Rarity," Spike said.

"Oh hai (yes)," Aiko said, nodding.

So after a bit of stumbling, Aiko slowly got the hang of walking on four legs, and it wasn't long before they arrived at Rarity's boutique.

"Whoa, Rarity owns her own Boutique?" Aiko asked.

"Yep. She's the greatest fashion designer of all time," Spike said, pulling the door and allowing the two to enter. "Rarity you here?"

"Wait for a second, darling," They heard Rarity calling from the back. "Oh, Snowdrop, you are here," Rarity said before noticing Aiko. "And you must be Aiko."

"I am. Nice to meet you," Aiko said, bowing.

"Oh my, a true lady," Rarity said. "Sweetie Belle! Can you help me a bit," She called out to her sister. "Come on, I'll take your measurements first, Snowdrop."

As Snowdrop followed Rarity, Sweetie Bellie came down the stairs.

"Hey sis, what do you need?"

"Can you take Aiko and Snowdrop's photos for references?" Rarity asked.

"Sure."

"Aiko," Aiko nodded before following Sweetie. Sweetie took her to a side of the boutique.

"Wait here, I'll be right back," Sweetie said before running back to her room to bring her camera. Once she was back, she began to take some photos.

"Arigato Sweetie Bellie-chan," Aiko thanked.

"Oh uh… yeah, so… you are from the human world, right? What's it like? Rarity told me a little about it when Princess Twilight told the others, but I have so many questions, and I really haven't meet Snowdrop yet."

"Oh… um… it's a lot like this, but with more technology and humans instead of ponies," Aiko said.

"More technology? Like what?"

"Like... uh wait," Aiko said before running back to her saddlebag and fumbling with it to get it open. "Um… how… how do you use things with hooves?"

"Need help?" Sweetie asked.

"Yeah… I can't use my hooves," Aiko said as she scratched the back of her head.

Sweetie smiled before using her magic to open up the bag.

"There."

"Arigato," Aiko nodded. Aiko then began digging inside the bag for her phone. Once finding it, Aiko used both her hooves to take it out and placed it on the floor. "This is a phone. We use it to talk with people from any distance, take photos, even play games," Aiko said, trying to press the lock key. "Um… can you use your… magic to pull this out?" She asked, pointing at the pen. Sweetie helped her as Aiko took the pen in her mouth.

"Right… let me shu you some pictshersh," Aiko said while trying to open the gallery. Once she opened it up, she showed it to Sweetie.

"Wow… these are my sister and her friend's counterparts?" Aiko nodded. "And is that me? And the rest of CMCs?" Sweetie asked when Aiko showed her a photo with the human CMC and a girl with greyish pink hair and yellow skin.

"Yes, they are. According to Sunset, almost everyone in this world has a counterpart in my world," Aiko said.

"Oh, what are you looking at?" Rarity asked as she came to them with Snowdrop.

"Oh, some photos from the human world. Sweetie-chan asked me to tell her about the human world,"

"Oh my, so these are humans." Rarity said. "So Lyra was right. That being said, you should really avoid her."

"Lyra?"

"Yes. She's obsessed with humans for some reason. Green coat, turquoise mane with a lyre cutie mark."

"Oh, I think I've seen her counterpart. Also, cutie mark, is that what this is?" Aiko asked, pointing at her flank.

"Why yes. A cutie mark represents a pony's special talent. Some are self-explanatory, but some are a little complicated. For example, my cutie mark shows my ability to detect gems. I wonder what yours say."

Aiko looked at her cutie mark, "Well… I do photography, and I can play music. Maybe that's it?"

"Hmm, Perhaps, to get that as a cutie mark, you must be pretty talented."

"I don't know," Aiko said, rubbing her neck.

"Oh, don't be so modest. Now, let's take your measurements," Rarity said as she guided Aiko to take her measurements.

Once Rarity took all the measurements and wrote down little details that Rarity asked Aiko would like to add, Spike took Aiko to show around the town. Snowdrop and Ari stayed at the boutique to hang out with Sweetie Belie.

"Sugoi (wow)… it's one thing to hear that the weather is controlled here, but to actually see it." Aiko said, looking at a Pegasus moving a cloud. "I wonder what it feels like to fly."

"Then why don't you fly? You are a Pegasus," She heard a familiar voice say.

"Rainbow?" She said, looking up at the mare that was floating on a cloud near the ground.

"What? How do you know me? I mean, I am an awesome pony, so I guess it's not too strange that you would know me."

"I see you are still boasting. Just like our Rainbow."

"Our Rainbow? Wait, are you from the human world?"

"hai (yeah), I'm Aiko Whiskers," Aiko said, bowing. "I came with Sunset and Snowdrop to meet with Rarity to get my dress made up for the ceremony."

"Oh really?" Rainbow said. "Then why didn't the rest of them came?"

"They said they wanted it to be a surprise."

"I see. So… you said you like to fly, huh? Why don't I give you a little lesson?" Rainbow asked.

"For real?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Arigatou gozaimasu," Aiko said, bowing.

"Hey, Aiko, if you don't mind me asking, why do you always bow when you talk?" Spike asked. "And you called Sweetie, Sweetie… chan? And you said something really weird to me too."

"Oh… I'm half Japanese, actually. It's an island country in the human world. It has four large islands considered the mainland, but it comprises six-thousand eight-hundred and fifty-two smaller islands throughout the pacific ocean. However, many aren't inhabited. The language I was speaking was Japanese, and I sometimes slip into Japanese when I'm excited. You are so cute as a dragon," Aiko said, rubbing her neck.

"O-oh… I-I… yeah," Spike said, blushing.

"And about that calling Sweetie, Sweetie-chan, we use honorifics before or after names to show respect, formality, or friendship. And we bow when we talk with people, like when we first meet them, thanking them, apologizing, or when saying goodbye. The deeper you bow, the more respect you are showing to them."

"Oh wow… that's a lot," Rainbow said.

"Well… Japanese is a complicated language, and we have a lot of rules in what to do in certain situations."

"Well enough of that, let's get you flying," Rainbow said, jumping down the cloud. "So this is your first time as a pony, right? So did you test your wings yet? Try to flex them a little and flap them like this," Rainbow said, demonstrating.

"Okay…" Aiko said, looking at her wings and trying to imitate Rainbow.

"Hm… not bad for someone who was not even a Pegasus just a while ago. Right, do you feel the pull?"

"Um… I do feel like I'm about to float."

"Great, you are getting the hang of it. Try to flap just like that and get off the ground."

"Hai (yes)," Aiko flapped her wings, and slowly, she was lifted off the ground, and she managed to hover over the ground.

"hehe… Yatta yo (I did it), ton deru zo (I'm flying)!" Aiko said in joy.

"There you go, keep it up and try to go higher. I'll be with you, so I'll catch you if something happens," Rainbow said.

And just like that, Aiko had her first flying lessons. She was giggling in happiness as she flew around, still a little slow, but according to Rainbow, she was a lot better for someone that newer had wings before. After Aiko got exhausted, Aiko and Rainbow landed back on the ground.

"Whoa…" Aiko said as she regained her balance when landing.

"So, how was your first time flying?"

"Sore wa subarashikatta (that was great)!" Aiko said, still in her happy mode.

"I have no idea what you mean, but it sounded like you had a great time," Rainbow said.

"It is! Arigatou gozaimasu Rainbow-Chan," Aiko said, bowing.

"No problem, Aiko," Rainbow said.

"Oh, where are we?" Aiko asked, looking around. They were in some sort of Apple orchard. "Wait, is this Applejack's farm?"

"It is come on, let's go say hi," As they started to walk, Aiko suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, where's Spike?"

"Spike? Oh! I think we left him back at the town."

"What? We have to go back to him."

"Hey, don't worry. He'll be fine. We'll have to go through the farm anyway since you can't fly anymore."

"Y-you sure? He is so little."

"Spike? Huh, don't let his size fool you. The guy can melt giant glaziers with his breath in seconds."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Not to mention he is a hero in the Crystal Empire. He even has his own statue there."

"What?!?"

"You heard me."

After a while, they heard voices coming from the distance.

"See, I told you I saw Rainbow with another Pegasus coming over here," They heard the voice of Applejack. They turned their heads to see Applejack with Fluttershy close behind her.

"Hey AJ," Rainbow said.

"What are you two doing here? Are you?" Applejack asked with a quirked eyebrow. The two mares blushed at what she implied.

"What? No. This is Aiko. She came with Sunset from the human world. I was just giving her a little flight lesson. She picked it up real quick."

"Oh well. I'm Applejack, and this is Fluttershy," Applejack introduced.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Aiko Whiskers."

"So, how do you find Ponyville so far?"

"It was amazing! There are so many things to see. All the magic, weather-controlling, FLYING."

"Well, sugar cube, I'm glad you liked it. Also, You have a really interesting name. Never heard one like that," Applejack said.

"Well, it's a Japanese name. It generally means little loved one. But if you replace the last syllable with a different syllable that sounds the same, it means hollyhock flower. A flower used for medicines and symbolize ambition."

"Wow, a really unique name, I'd say," Applejack said.

"Arigatou," Aiko said.

"So what do you say? Wanna come hang out for a while?" Applejack asked.

"Um… Well… what if Sunset is back by now?"

"Where'd she go? Did she mention Canterlot?" Rainbow asked.

"I think so. Said she has to prepare for the coronation."

"Well, then you'll have time. Not to mention I'm pretty sure she is catching up with Twilight even if she did come for the coronation preparations."

"Um… okay then."





It has been a few more hours since Aiko hanging out at the farm. The sun was almost setting when she finally came back to the castle with Rainbow.

"Well, Aiko, here we are. I gotta go back for duty soon, see you later."

"Hai, Rainbow-chan. And thanks."

"No problem Aiko, see ya," Aiko waved at the retreating form of Rainbow before entering the castle.

"Ah, Aiko, you're here," Spike said as she entered the castle.

"Um… Spike, hontou ni Gomen nasai (I'm really sorry)," Aiko said, bowing. "I really shouldn't have left you there. I was just so excited that-"

"It's okay, Aiko, it's as you said. You were really excited. You just got to fly for the first time in your life. I forgive you."

"Oh… Arigatou gozaimasu Spike-kun."

"I think that means thanks, right? You are welcome. Come on, Sunset and Snowdrop are already here."

"Oh… did I kept them waiting?"

"Oh no, they just got a while ago. Sunset and Twilight didn't have time to catch up, so that's what they are doing now. They are relaxing in the map room," Spike said as he entered the map room where Sunset, Twilight, Snowdrop, and Ari were talking. Or, in Snowdrop and Ari's case, helping themselves with a big piece of cake and cookies.

"I'm really jealous of you, Sunset. You don't have to worry about all these princess duties."

"Hey, I gave up all the luxuries since I don't live here. Plus, I still go to school back home and work as a waitress," Sunset said before she noticed Aiko. "Oh, Aiko, did you enjoy the day?"

"Yeah. I met the others. And Rainbow taught me how to fly today," Aiko said, smiling in happiness.

"Really? How did it go?"

"Well… It went pretty well, and we… flew over to Applejack's… and left Spike…." Aiko said, slowly sinking into the seat.

"Hehe, Spike told us."

"And as I said, it's okay, Aiko. You were really excited."

"Thanks, Spike-Kun," Aiko said.

They spent a little more time while at the castle, sharing how their day went before they decided to go back to the human world.
> Chapter 08 - Someone is Here (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day after the adventures in Equestria, it was time to go back to school. But today is not an ordinary day. Today is the day the reopened newspaper club was going to release its first newspaper. And as such, the club members came to school early to begin handing out the newspapers. Once school started, most of the day went by normally. But the main topic of the day was still the newspaper.

"Your club looks like it's off to a good start." Applejack said as the girls sat down at the cafeteria.

"Yeah. Everyone is talking about it. The mysteries might have helped a lot, too," Rarity said.

"At least that's one good thing," Sunset said.

"And Aiko is a nice addition to our band," Rainbow said. "You were pretty good with the violin."

"Arigatou Rainbow-chan, I try my best," Aiko said, nodding.

"Oh, just admit it. Your cutie mark explains it." Sunset said before she really looked at Aiko. "Hey, what's going on? You look a little… down."

"Oh… um… it's nothing."

"Are you sad because you didn't transform when we played?" Pinkie asked. Aiko didn't respond to that.

"Actually, Aiko, I can feel a little bit of magic inside you," Sunset said.

"Really!?"

"Yeah. We might actually have affected you. The trip might have helped a bit too."

"See, Aiko, you'll be flying again in no time," Rainbow said. "I felt like that too when we first got this magic and then lost it when Twilight left. Flying is so amazing."

"Hai (yeah). I felt so… free. Like I could fly like that all day," Aiko said with a faraway look.

"Yeah, it's the best," Rainbow agreed with the same kind of look. And an awkward silence swept over them.

"Okay… now you guys are making me jealous. Five of y'all can fly," Applejack said, annoyed.

"Aww, I can give you a ride if you like," Rainbow said.

"No thanks, I can't afford to have any of my limbs broken," Applejack said.

"What! You don't trust me?" Rainbow asked with a sarcastic voice.

"You're far too reckless for my taste," Applejack said matter-of-factly as she sniffed and looked away from Rainbow.

"So, Aiko, did you saw any of our dresses?" Rarity asked.

"Sorry, Rarity, I didn't. Even if I did, I wouldn't have known which is whose."

"Hmm, that's true, I suppose, shame. I can hardly wait to see them and to think it's by an actual boutique owner, not just an employee."

"Don't worry. You'll see the dresses soon," Sunset said, patting her back.





Throughout the day, the girls were confronted by many wanting to know more about the club. As well as its history that they published in the newspaper. But they were only able to tell them so much as they still didn't know what exactly happened. After school ended, Sunset and the rest of the club members gathered in the club room to discuss the next move.

"The newspaper was a big success," Twilight said. "It'll be great if we can keep this up."

"Yeah, now we need to find some new topics for the next week's newspaper. Any ideas?" Sunset asked, wiping down the whiteboard in the room.

"How about the school trip this month?" Aiko asked.

"Oh right. Luna gave me a list of places available to visit for each grade. I said we can create a poll so the students can vote where they'd like to go," Sunset said as she shifted through her memos on her phone to find the locations.

"That's a good idea," Twilight said as Sunset began to write their plans on the whiteboard.

"Um… I was thinking… these files have a lot of history about the school," Fluttershy said, flipping through a file in the shelves. "I didn't know most of these things. Maybe we can have a section for school history?"

"That's not bad. Maybe we'll even be able to solve the mystery of the missing girl," Sunset said.

And just like that, the four girls began to brainstorm on what to put on the next newspaper, and Sunset found herself getting excited about working with the girls. She couldn't help but wonder how her life turned out like this, from being a heartbroken orphan, a bully, and a she-demon, to making awesome friends, finding a family, and even becoming a princess. However, with all the happiness in the world, something has to be there to balance it. As at that moment, a notification alert sounded from the school newspaper forum.

"For the love of… don't tell me it's a new rumor," Sunset said, as she leaned her head on the whiteboard.

"It's not," Twilight said.

"Really?!?" Sunset looked up at Twilight hopefully, only to see her deadpanning. "Ugh… what is it this time?" Sunset asked as she fell into the chair and began loading up the forum on her laptop.




Ebony Glass

Hi guys,
Since this is a famous rumor, you all might know it, but I'll post it here anyhow since I don't see it posted by anybody else.
Have you ever heard, "Someone is here"? Have you had this kind of abrupt feeling when you are alone? Like… you can feel someone is here… of course, you don't actually see them, but afterward, everyone around you says someone was actually there. Do you think it's just your imagination? If not, though, I wonder when or where they will follow you… Why do they follow you in the first place?



"I think I've heard of this one," Twilight said.

"You have?" Fluttershy asked, scared.

"Yeah, one of my old classmates said this to me. What I heard is… once, a girl at our soccer club said she might have someone stalking. She found her uniform is in a slightly different place from where she put it, or she felt like she was being watched," Twilight began. "But it didn't go any further than that. No threats, no contacts, just a feeling. She was so stressed by it that over time she became crazy. Then one day, when she was crossing the road, she missed the stoplight and died in an accident," Twilight said. "The same thing happened to me, but I soon found out the girls that told me were just messing with me."

"That sounds really scary. Being stalked by someone. It's like the first rumor. Though it isn't posted by that Anon-a-miss," Fluttershy said.

"Maybe this was a well-known version of that?" Aiko said.

"It could be, but we don't know for sure," Sunset said as she read the post over again, trying to find more details. "We need to keep an ear out. If we hear anyone say anything about feeling like they're being stalked, we need to be there to stop this rumor before something like what happened to that girl happens to someone else."

"We should all probably head home anyways. It's already a little late, and it looks like it's about to rain soon," Twilight said, looking at her phone. Everyone else looked at their own phones on the weather.

"Well then, let's go home and try to find out as much as we can about this rumor," Sunset said, gathering her belongings while everyone else did the same.

"You guys go. I need to sort this out before leaving, or everything will be a mess." Aiko said, gesturing at all the references she had for one of the articles.

"But what if the rain starts?" Fluttershy asked.

"No worries. I think I have about," Aiko said, looking up at the sky. "An hour max or half an hour at least. My home isn't that far away anyway, and I have an umbrella."

"If you are sure, make sure to lock the door before leaving and let us know when you get home," Sunset said as she left with the rest of the girls leaving Aiko.

Aiko then got back to sorting out the references and plan out the article. But dark clouds gathered above the sky, and the room got darker as the light that came from a small and long rectangular window the length width of the wall got dimmed. It was becoming too dark for Aiko to read properly, so Aiko got up to turn on the lights.

"Hey, Aiko I-" she heard Sunset's voice before she turned on the lights and looked at the fiery-haired girl. And for some reason, she was looking at Aiko and the table confused.

"Yes? What happened?" Aiko asked.

"No… I thought I saw you at the table. Maybe it's shadows playing tricks on me in the dark. Anyway, I forgot to give you the keys," Sunset said sheepishly before giving her the keys.

"Oh… right. Good thing you remembered," Aiko said, taking the keys.

"Yeah. Be safe, Ja Ne (see ya)!"

"Ja Ne!" Aiko said as she looked at the retreating form of Sunset, looked back at the keys in her hand and the table. "Just shadows."

It didn't take Aiko long to sort out all the references and keep them ready for writing. Once she placed all the things where they belonged, Aiko walked out of the room and closed the door, locking it. Putting the keys into her bag, Aiko began to walk towards the door, when suddenly.

"Ahh!" Aiko screamed, clutching her heart. "Oh, you scared me!"

"Hehe, my bad," The school's old janitor said as he rounded the corner and met Aiko. "You look a little jumpy."

"Oh… no, it's…I wasn't expecting you… sorry," Aiko said, nodding.

"No, no, it's my fault. Anyway, you should hurry. It will begin to rain soon," The elderly man said, gesturing out a window.

"Oh hai, good day to you, sir," Aiko said bowing, before making her way out.

Once she walked out of the school, she quickly made her way towards her home. Halfway through, she saw one of the old neighbors walking with their dog, and they were holding a bag.

"Good afternoon Yarn-san, do you need any help?" Aiko asked quickly, walking up to the old woman.

“Ah Aiko, no no it’s fine. I'm visiting a friend of mine. Best head home, I have a feeling it's about to rain cats and dogs," The woman said, smiling gratefully.

"Oh, be safe, I-"

*woof!* *woof!*… *grrr!!!*

"Milo!" Aiko said, flinching at the barking dog.

"Milo, what's the matter with you? You know Aiko," The woman tried to calm down the dog. But the dog kept barking.

"Maybe there's a cat around here," The woman said.

"Y-yeah. I'll be going now, be safe," Aiko quickly said before walking back to her house.

"Well, that was strange," She said to herself. "Should I…?" Aiko asked herself as her hand drifted to her pocket where her phone was. "No, I'm just being paranoid, that's all," She looked up at the sky and saw clouds are much darker now. Without taking any chances, she quickly ran the rest of the way to her home.

She quickly arrived at her home, just as she felt the light drops of rain hitting her hands. After greeting her parents and her grandma, she quickly went to her room. After a quick shower and being clothed in comfortable attire, Aiko decided to finish her homework. It took a little under an hour to finish her assignments, having finished as her mom called her for dinner.

"So, how was the school today, Aiko?" Aiko's dad asked.

"Oh, it was pretty great. A lot of students liked our newspaper. And I got to play with the band for the first time," Aiko said.

"Ah yes, your friends. They seem like nice kids. I'd like to meet them one day. Maybe they can come over for a sleepover? You always wanted to have one," Aiko's mom said.

"O-oh yeah. I'll ask them, mom. Obaasan (grandma) Sunset said she'd like to meet you too," Aiko said.

"Oh, she's the one with the red hair, right?" Aiko nodded. "Speaking of, did your friend leave?" Grandma asked, taking Aiko by surprise.

“Nani o itteruno obaasan? (What do you mean grandma?)” Aiko asked.

"You had a friend over?" Aiko's dad asked.

"No, I didn't. I stayed late and left away. They all went home from school. I walked home alone."

"Oh, nan demo nai (never mind). These old eyes must be seeing things," Grandma said, waving her hand in a dismissive way.

'I was alone? Right?'





That night Aiko couldn't sleep. For some reason, she felt uneasy, and she turned left and right on her bed, trying to get some sleep.
"Why can't I sleep?" Aiko thought, trying to focus on the rain outside and sleep. "Why do I feel so hot? It's raining outside,"… "Maybe if I opened a window a little bit,"

Aiko got up from the bed and walked over to the window. Unlocking it, she opened it a little bit so cool air could flow into the room. She didn't have to worry about the rain because the roof above prevented any rain from entering the room. She walked back to her bed and looked at the bedside clock. It read 01:44.

"Really? Ugh," She flopped back on the bed and closed her eyes.





Aiko didn't know how long was passed since she opened the window, but just when she was about to fall asleep, she woke back up to the sound of something sliding.

"What was that?" She thought. She strained her ears to hear any sound coming from the room. She then heard the sound of clothes touching themselves.

"someone is here…" Aiko opened her eyes slowly to get a better look at what was happening. She couldn't see much in the pitch-black room at first. However, her eyes quickly adjusted to the dark as she was awake most of the night, and she saw what could only be the light of her alarm clock reflecting off of something metallic… something like a-

Suddenly flight or fight instincts kicked in as Aiko kicked her assailant without even thinking.

"AArrrgh!!!" The attacker fell back in pain and hit something hard. They lost the knife they were holding as it dropped to the ground with a clink.

"PAPA!!! TASUKETE!!! (HELP ME!!!) PAPA!!!" Aiko screamed from all the strength she had. The attacker, hearing Aiko's scream, began to panic and tried to get out of there. But their attempt was in vain as the bedroom door suddenly flew open, and Aiko's dad burst into the room.

"AIKO!!!"

"S-so-so-soko-" Aiko stammered, pointing at the man in the room. Aiko's dad didn't wait for her to finish and pounced at the man trying to flee.





Sunset came to the school the next day with her mom just like she usually does. But when she made her way to the entrance, she saw Aiko beside a car, talking to a man, presumably her dad. As she got closer, she could hear them talking.

"You sure, Aiko? You can still go back home if you like," Aiko nodded.

"Yes, papa… I'm sure,"

"If you are sure… my little kunoichi," He said before driving off. Aiko turned to walk to the school and saw Sunset.

"Oh, Ohayo (good morning) Sunset-chan," Aiko said, bowing.

"Ohayo Aiko… what, was that about, if you don't mind me asking?" Sunset asked.

"Oh, that's my dad… well… something happened yesterday… or today technically."

"What happened?"

"I think it's the rumor."

"WHAT!? Why didn't you tell us sooner?!"

"I-I thought it was nothing at first. But I don't believe that is the case anymore."

"So what happened?"

"Let's go meet with the girls. I don't want to repeat this."

After meeting up with the girls, Aiko told them what happened the previous day. From Sunset mistaking her to a "Shadow" to Milo barking at her like she's a complete stranger, her grandma seeing a friend come over, and finally, to the attack last night.

"Oh my, you just barely got out of a…I don't want to even think about it," Rarity said.

"And you still came to school?" Fluttershy asked. "If something like that happened to me, I wouldn't want to leave the house for days."

"I spent the night with obaasan. She helped me to calm myself down."

"Hm, so that's the one Shining was talking about," Twilight said.

"Who?" Rainbow asked.

"Shining Armor, my big brother. He's the captain of the CPD. He told us they caught a burglar yesterday. And a very dangerous one at that too."

"Aiko? Do you… still want to help us? No one would blame you if you didn't want to anymore. Just say the wor-"

"I'm sure Sunset. Didn't you hear what my papa called me? There's a reason why he calls me that. So I'm not backing away now."

"Oh yeah! That's the spirit! Let's kick this rumor's butt!" Rainbow shouted. Aiko smiled at Sunset determinedly.

"Okay, Aiko. So what do you think about the rumor?" Sunset asked.

"I think… I think that presence you feel, or someone you feel, might actually be someone or something warning you? That something bad is about to happen to you so you can be ready."

"Awww, it's a really nice ghost," Pinkie said.

"That could be it. Maybe whoever that is was trying to warn you because something similar happened to them," Twilight said.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's reply to the post," Sunset said. Walking up to the club room.

"You guys go. I wanna quickly go to the washroom." Aiko said quickly, making her way to the washroom.

"Man talk about anti-climatic. I thought I was going to be able to fight things with magic, bummer," Rainbow could be heard complaining as Aiko left the room.

Aiko was the only one in the washroom at that moment.

"Phew, that rumor is actually a good one if you think about it." Aiko thought while washing her hands. "At least now that it's over, I can sleep well tonight," After finish washing her hands, Aiko looked up at the mirror.



“AAAHHHH!!!” Aiko screamed when she saw a disfigured face next to her reflection. She quickly looked back to see if anyone was there, only to see nothing and the face has disappeared too.


"You should have died."


Aiko heard a voice talking, but she couldn't see who was talking or what that face was. But she could also say that the feeling she had since the rumor was posted was gone now.




CHS Newspaper Club


We are the newspaper club.

Do you feel "Someone is here" with you?

If so, believe me. BE MORE CAREFUL than usual for any injuries or accidents for a while.

Until you no longer feel "anybody is with you". Because that "someone" beside you is the one who wants to see you die more than anybody else.


> Chapter 09 - The Porcelain Doll (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Today is the day."

"I'm gonna do it."

"I can feel it."

"Here goes!"

These were the thoughts going through Aiko's head as she played her violin with the Rainbooms. After, all the hard work she was put through for the past nine days was finally going to pay off.

"I'LL GET TO FLY AGAIN!!!" Aiko screamed inside her head as she put everything she had into the piece she was supposed to play for the song. She'd been trying to pony up for days, and with Sunset's encouragement, saying the magic was inside her. Aiko knew for sure it was going to work now.

And as she thought this, a faint glow appeared from her. She was slowly lifted off the ground as she felt a familiar appendage appear on her back.

"Yes! Yes! It's working!"



"Aiko, you are pony-upping," Twilight said as she watched with the rest of the girls. The glow faded as Aiko finished her solo, leaving her in the air, flapping her new pair of wings.

"Yatta yo! (I did it)!" Aiko shouted in delight. "Watashi wAhhhh!" And screamed as she fell back on the ground with the magic fading. "Ugh…"

"Oohh, that must've hurt," Rainbow said as Rarity poked her with her elbow.

"Awww… I just got it," Aiko said in sadness.

"Don't worry, Aiko. You just pony upped. It's not going to be long before you can pony-up for longer," Twilight said as she helped Aiko stand up.

"She's right. You came a long way in just a few days," Sunset said.

"I just really want to fly again," Aiko said. "Maybe you're right. I'm just being impatient. I should give it some time."

Twilight nodded while making a sound of agreement.

"So uh… are you all going to come to the sleepover?" Aiko asked unsurely.

"Of course," Rainbow said, putting her guitar away.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Applejack said munch on an apple.

"Of course, darling," Rarity said as she opened her sketchbook.

"Why would I ever want to miss a party?!" Pinkie asked as she practically vibrated in place.

"Yeah, don't worry, Aiko. We'll be there," Sunset said.

"Heh… I'm just a little nervous. I've never hosted a sleepover before. Never been to one before either, so all this new," Aiko said, rubbing her neck.

"Don't worry, I've only been to one sleepover," Sunset said as she grinned to comfort Aiko.

"Now that you mention it, we haven't had one since the battle of the band," Rarity said as she placed her pencil to her lip.

"And with the forum, we could really use a break," Sunset said.

"Okay then. Kaasan (mom) and obaasan (Grandma) are all excited to meet you."

"See? Don't worry. You get used to these kinds of things when you have Pinkie as a friend," Sunset said.

The rest of the girls quickly gathered their instruments and placed them back in their cases. They all gathered their bags before they started to get ready to leave the school. Once the other girls left for their homes, leaving Sunset, Fluttershy, Aiko, and Twilight standing out in the courtyard.

"You waiting for someone?" Sunset asked Twilight.

"Oh yeah. Shining is still a little skeptical about letting me go home alone since the burglar. He's just being overprotective," Twilight said.

"I see."

"Are you two going together?" Aiko asked, pointing at Sunset and Fluttershy.

"Oh yeah, Mom said she'll give her a ride."

"Thanks again for that, Sunset," Fluttershy said.

"No problem."

"I can't wait for the sleepover today," Twilight said. "I didn't have a chance for many sleepovers."

"Me too, Twi, me too. Hopefully - *ping* aaand I jinxed it," Sunset said as she heard the notification sound of her phone. Sunset fished out her phone and opened up the forum to the latest post. But instead of reading the post, she quickly went to the settings of the forum.

"What are you doing?" Fluttershy asked as she looked at the phone with Aiko.

"Come on, come on, block block block," Sunset muttered as she tried to block the forum. "Phew, hopefully, no one saw the post," Sunset said as she blocked the forum.

"Why did you do that?" Aiko asked.

"Because today, yes, Today, we are all going to be together at the sleepover," Sunset said.

"Oh… right," Aiko said, looking sad.

"Hey, it's okay. We can still have fun. We'll just need to be careful with the rumor if it targets one of us. And I really hope it does instead of anyone else because now we can stop it easily when we are all together."

"Yeah, maybe you are right."

"So, what does it say?" Fluttershy asked.

"Let's see."



Scarlet Rose –
Hey guys. This is a rumor I heard a while back when I was on a camping trip with one of my cousins. It was one of their local rumors.
The rumor goes like this. There was an old abandoned pottery shop in the town. It was once owned by a man that had a lot of anger issues. He easily got angry and often did irrational things. One day, he had an argument with one of his customers, a woman, and when he tried to hit her in anger, she slipped and hit her head on the ledge, killing her. The man panicked, and while thinking of a way to dispose of the body, he planned to use the kiln and burn the body. So he dropped the body in the kiln, along with some pottery, one of which was a stacking doll. However, little did the man know, the woman was still alive and burned her alive.



"Okay, so that's just messed up," Sunset said while the others nodded.



The next day, the man left the pottery to cool and went about the day like normal. However, when he went to store the pottery, he saw that the stacking doll was missing. But he didn't think about it that much. Little did he know that it was going to be the end of him. Later that night, his house went up in flames, and the cause of the fire was never found. It is believed that the spirit of the woman was trapped inside the doll, and she burned the man alive, just like he did to her. It is said that if you are hiding something big from your loved ones, the doll appears in front of you late at night. And if you don't reveal the secret before the night ends. The doll does the same to you as it did to the old man.



"Th-that's really s-scary," Fluttershy said, hugging Sunset.

"Anyone heard of this before?" Sunset asked as she patted Fluttershy's head. The others shook their heads. "Great. So… I guess we'll be looking for that today. Don't worry about it, Aiko. You just get ready for the sleepover."

"But what if-"

"We'll look into it, I promise. But right now, we could really use some rest after everything, and it's your first sleepover," Twilight said as she placed her hand on Aiko's shoulder.

"O-okay," Aiko said when they heard a car horn.

"Oh, Shining is here. Come on, Aiko," Twilight said as she got on the car with Aiko.

"I guess they are going together too," Sunset smirked as she watched the leaving girls.





After returning home, Sunset spent the rest of the day looking into the rumor. She contacted the person who posted the rumor and contacted her cousin, the person Scarlet Rose heard it from. After talking with him for a while and looking into the rumor more, she wanted to throw her computer out the window. Sunset sighed as she tried to calm down. There was nothing. At least nothing worth anything of significance. She couldn't even find the name of the woman. Groaning from the research block, Sunset looked at the clock and decided to get ready for the sleepover. It wasn't long until Sunset found herself in front of Aiko's home. She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. Before long, the door opened up to an elderly woman.

"Oh… Konbanwa (good evening)… you must be Sunset," Aiko's Grandma said.

"Hai, Hajimemashite," Sunset greeted with a slight bow.

"Oh, come in, come in," Grandma said, letting Sunset in. "Aiko's in the kitchen."

"Thanks," Sunset said as she slipped her boots off and walked into the kitchen, where she saw Fluttershy and Aiko working on snacks.

"Hey Aiko, Fluttershy."

"Ah, Sunset, you are here," Aiko said. "Come on, I'll take these to my room," She said as she took Sunsets bag and took it to her room.

"So, did you found anything?" Fluttershy asked.

"I did a little. I was able to talk with the cousin of the girl that posted the video."

"Really, that's great. What did you find?"

"Let's wait till the rest of the girls," Sunset said.

It didn't take long for the rest of the girls to visit, and the sleepover officially began. The girls were in Aiko's room, having fun, playing games, painting nails. Rainbow and Sunset were playing a co-op game, with the objective being to protect 3 supply crates from waves of enemies.

"Rainbow the top crate!" Sunset shouted.

"On it!" Rainbow shouted as she climbed the platforms to get to the top crate and began to defuse the bomb on it. But a pistol man aimed at Rainbow, trying to stop her.

"Oh no, you don't!" Sunset shouted as she shot her revolver at the pistol man just in time for Rainbow to defuse the bomb, ending the wave.

"Phew, that was close," Rainbow said as she paused the game to take a breather. "This is hard. I can't imagine how you play this without a second player."

"Oh, trust me, it's hard," Aiko said.

"Anyway, since we are having a break from all the fighting, why don't I tell you what I found out about the rumor?" Sunset asked.

"Oh yeah, I got a notification, but the forum is blocked," Rarity said.

"Yeah, I blocked it so no one else can see it. I asked Luna to keep an eye on it so it wouldn't unblock," Sunset said. "Anyway, I was able to talk with Rose's cousin. He didn't say anything more than what the post said, but he did confirm the incident was real, and it happened a long time ago. He doesn't know if the ghost of the woman killed him or not, but he did die in a fire. They were using a little lighthearted version of it as a bedtime story to keep their kids in line to not hide any big secrets."

"So, did you find a way to stop it?" Twilight asked.

"I just talked with him before I left the house; maybe if we think about it a little bit, we can all find a solution together. Or we can just blast it with a rainbow laser."

Just then, they heard Aiko's mom calling them from downstairs for dinner.

"Oh, dinners ready, Kaasan (mom) and obaasan (grandma) told me they'd make some Japanese dishes for us," Aiko said.

"Oh yeah," Rainbow said.

"Oh-oh, Japanese food, I've never had any. This is going to be great," Pinkie jumped in place as the girls got up to leave the room.

"Pinkie, you do know that I'm working in a Japanese restaurant, right?"

"Oh yeah, maybe we all should go there one day."

"Of course, why not?" Applejack said.

The girls all went downstairs and took a seat at the table. Once everyone was seated, they started the dinner with a light conversation going on throughout the dinner.

"So, how is our little girl? She's the newest member of your band, Rainbooms, right?" Aiko's dad asked.

"Yeah, she's really great. She caught on our style really quick," Sunset said.

"Her skills are really remarkable," Twilight said. While the girl in question blushed in the complements.

"Y-you are great too," Aiko whispered.

The dinner went by normally, with the girls and Whiskers family talking about each other. Once the dinner was over, Sunset and Applejack offered to help Mrs. Whiskers to help with the dishes, to which she declined the offer telling them to enjoy their night. As such, the girls got together in Aiko's room once more and decided to watch a movie together before calling it a night. They decided to watch an action film called The Good, The Bad and the Weird. After watching the movie and listening to Rainbow ranting about how cool Do-won is, the girls decided to call it a night.

Late that night, Aiko found herself unable to sleep again. But unlike the previous night, it wasn't because of paranoia or the rumor. But because she couldn't believe she was having a sleepover with friends. It's not that she didn't have any friends in her previous school. It's just that they weren't close like the girls. She couldn't believe how moving towns could be the best thing that had ever happened to her. After a while, Aiko decided to get some water to calm herself down and left the room. Entering the kitchen, Aiko picked up a glass, filled it with some water, and drank it. Once done, she turned around to place the glass back in the cabinet, but that's when she froze and dropped the glass on the floor, shattering it to pieces.

"Ahhh!" Aiko yelled before sidestepping and looking back at what caused her to freeze.

"AIKO! What happened?" She heard her dad calling as he rushed towards her from the kitchen entrance.

"D-d-did you buy that?" She asked her dad, pointing at what appeared to be a porcelain doll on the kitchen table.

"What? No, what happened?"

"You didn't? Oh no…"

"Aiko, what's the matter?"

"Aiko?" They heard Sunset calling them. "Did something-" She stopped herself when she saw the doll on the table. "Oh no."

"What's going on here?" Mr. Whiskers asked, getting annoyed.

"Mr. Whiskers, we'll explain everything to you later, but we don't have much time. Aiko, can you call the girls for me?" Sunset asked to which Aiko nodded and ran upstairs to call the girls. During the commotion, Aiko's mom also joined the girls.

"So what now?" Aiko asked as she whispered with the group of girls. Her parents looked on in worry and anger at being left out of the hushed but panicked conversation.

"Blast it with a rainbow laser?" Rainbow asked.

"Maybe, but first, let's see if we can solve this," Twilight said. "What does the rumor say again?"

"A poor woman is trapped inside it; she's out to burn people if they hide something big?" Pinkie said.

"Um… did you… hide anything from them?" Twilight asked Aiko. "It did come after you, so."

"W-well… I didn't tell them… that…" Aiko said.

"Oh…"

"Um… what's going on, honey? A woman trapped? What are you talking about?" Aiko's mom asked.

"um… well…" Aiko said uncertainly, looking at Sunset. Sunset nodded in approval. "Well… there's something-"

"Why don't you open it?" Grandma said, interrupting startling everyone but Sunset as she quietly joined the rest in the kitchen.

"What?" Rarity asked.

"If a spirit is trapped in that doll, you should open it and set it free. No one likes to be trapped."

"Do you think that would work?" Aiko asked, looking back at Sunset.

"...Maybe. It's worth a shot," Sunset said as she began thinking of the ramifications of releasing a potentially vengeful spirit. Aiko nodded and went to grab the doll. "No, wait, let me do it."

"What? But it came to me."

"I don't think it matters as long as we free it. And I'm a pyromancer, remember? I'm the best chance we have if things get messy, if nothing else. I can stop the fire or destroy the spirit before it does too much damage," Sunset said, grabbing the doll.

"You sure?"

"Yes… now stand back," Sunset said. Once everyone backed up, Sunset took a deep breath to calm herself down. Everyone watched in bated breath, in Aiko's parent's case in confusion and Grandma knowingly, as most elderly people do. After a while, Sunset twisted the doll and creating a small fissure while searched for any volatile reactions. A blue flame erupted from inside the doll, and the cracks widened as Sunset swiftly removed the top half. There was a flash of blue light before it vanished instantly. Sunset slowly searched the room for any wayward magic or fire but found none.

"Did it work?" Rainbow asked.

"I think-"

"Thank… you..."

…

…

…

"eyup… it worked," Sunset said, breaking the silence.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" Mr. Whiskers asked.

"Oh right… Aiko, do you want me to tell it, or do you want to?"

"No, that's alright… I'll do it," Aiko said. Looking at her parents, Aiko took a deep breath to calm herself. "So… I… kind of hiding something from you… about the school."

“Nani o itte iru, Aiko? (What are you saying, Aiko?)” Aiko’s mom asked.

"Um… I… um… I've been… helping my friends… to stop evil magic?" Aiko said uncertainly.

"Eh? Nani?" Aiko's parents said in unison.

"Well… um… Sunset here… is a… unicorn from another world," Aiko said, looking down.

"What are you-" Mr. Whiskers stopped himself when Sunset was covered in bright light and pony-upped.

"She's telling the truth," Sunset said as she lifted her hand up, and a ball of flame ignited in her outstretched hand. To show it wasn't just an illusion, she flicked her hand. The fire followed before it imploded and washed over everyone. Aiko's parents were startled and started patting themselves to extinguish the none existent fire as all the candles in the kitchen lit themselves.

"Since when can you transform on command?! And fire too. I swear this is so unfair. When do we get our powers!" Rainbow complained.

"Oh, it's been a while, didn't I tell you?" Sunset asked as all the girls shook their heads. "Oh."

"Okay… you… what…" Aiko's dad stammered while Aiko's mom stared in shock.

"I should have told you to sit down first. Should have begun with that," Aiko muttered to herself.





Once everyone took a seat in the living room, Aiko and the girls told the elders everything. Sunset's homeworld, their magic in the human world, pony-up forms, and the forum. After everything was said, they fell into an uncomfortable silence as the girls waited for Aiko's parent's answers.

"Oh… this is a lot to take in," Mr. Whiskers said.

"Aiko, why didn't you say anything to us?" Aiko's mom asked.

"I-I didn't want to worry you."

"Well, you did. And you even nearly got yourself ki-" Mr. Whiskers stopped without continuing that sentence. "Do you realize how dangerous this is?"

"Yes, I do. And if it's not me, then someone else would have gotten hurt. Someone who knows nothing about this. I can't let that happen," Aiko protested.

"Mr. Whiskers, I know my word means anything to you since we just met, but I promise you, as a princess of Equestria, that no harm will come to anyone while I'm here. They will have to go through me first," Sunset said.

"Then why weren't you there when Aiko was attacked?" He asked with a slight edge to his voice.

"I-"

"It's not her fault. It's mine. I ignored her advice and didn't call her when I had the feeling that something was wrong."

"Aiko-"

"Enough!" Aiko's Grandma said for the first time since the incident.

“Okaasan?” Aiko’s mom said.

"I know Aiko did something wrong by hiding this from us, but to blame her isn't going to solve anything. It's in the past, and nothing can be changed about that. She will continue doing what she feels is right. No matter how much we may disagree," She spoke sternly before looking at Mr. Whiskers. "She is your daughter, after all."

"Mom but-"

"No, she's not doing anything bad. This is a noble cause. And as such, we should support her. Just look around you. She finally has some real friends. And I know that Sunset will fulfill her promise. A person's eyes say a lot about them. And I can see what's behind those eyes and how the others trust themselves with her. Do you really want to take all that away from Aiko?"

"I…"

"It's late. Everyone should go back to sleep. We can talk more about this later." Aiko's Grandma said as she stood up and guided Aiko upstairs.





The next morning, when Sunset woke up, she saw that Aiko was already awake. Getting out of the sleeping bag, Sunset carefully made her way out of the room as not to wake anyone up. She made her way downstairs when she heard someone calling her.

"Ah, Sunset-san ohayo (good morning)," Aiko's Grandma said from the living room.

“Ohayo Gozaimasu,” Sunset said bowing.

"Oh ho… can I talk with you a bit?"

"Oh… y-yeah," Sunset said before taking a seat in front of her.

"Loosen up; I'm not going to shout at you."

"O-oh… y-yeah, sorry."

"It's quite alright. So Sunset… I actually wanted to talk with you about earlier."

"W-what about it?"

"Oh, nothing much, it's just… you have been through a lot, haven't you?"

"I… okay, what's up with you old people. You all can read us like open books. My Grandma did that too."

"Haha, it just comes with age."

"Um… is it true? What you said last night? About the girls are trusting me?"

"Everything. You girls have a strong bond. A bond that will be hard to break. You've made some mistakes in the past, but I know that you will help them and everyone else around you, to not make the same mistakes. You will be a great leader one day. Being royalty suits you."

"Thanks," Sunset said. "But I never actually wanted to be a princess just to rule over people. It's a completely different reason and a little silly."

"Really? May I ask why?"

"Well… I thought being a princess would give me a mom…"

"Mom?"

"Yeah… I don't know my biological parents. Principal Celestia adopted me a few months ago," Sunset said. "So um… where's Aiko?"

"Oh, she's talking with her parents. Don't worry, she's not in trouble."

"Oh… okay then."

"Anyway, from what I understand, your magic has a spiritual side. Care to learn something that might help?" Grandma asked, smiling.

"Yeah, why not?"







CHS Newspaper Club
We are the newspaper club. We investigated the rumor, and the incident described in the post actually happened.
When the man burned the woman, her spirit was trapped inside the porcelain doll. So the spirit wanted to take revenge on the man and killed him by burning down his house. However, the spirit is still trapped inside the doll. So if the doll appeared in front of you, all you gotta do is open the doll and set the spirit free and end her suffering.



"Aand post," Twilight said, hitting the post button.

"Great, that's one more mystery down," Applejack said as she stretched her arms high above her head.

"I'm really glad your parents were cool with you still hanging out with us," Rainbow said.

"Yeah, I was so scared that they are going to make you stop being friends with us," Pinkie said.

"Yeah, me too. But they said it's okay, so long as I'll keep them in the loop," Aiko said.

"That's a relief," Twilight said.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Sunset asked.

"Why don't we start by going to the mall? We can visit that Japanese restaurant for lunch," Pinkie suggested.

"Yeah, why not?" Applejack agreed with the rest of the girls.
> Chapter 10 - Crown Killer (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Decorations? Check. Music? Check," Spike listed off as he ticked the checklist.

"Everything alright?" He heard Twilight ask as she walked in from across the great hall.

"Yeah, everything's in place. All we need now is Sunset," Spike said. "Oh, and someone who will pass the crown to her?"

"Hmm, what about Snowdrop? Since you did that for my coronation, I thought maybe it would be better to have Snowdrop do it for Sunset."

"That sounds great. Oh, where's Starlight? Didn't she come to the castle?" Spike asked.

"No, she's back at Ponyville waiting for Sunset and the girls."

"Ah. Hopefully, this will all go without any incidents. There has been too many for my tastes," Spike said dryly.

"You realize you just jinxed us, don't you?" Twilight said while Spike laughed, rubbing his neck.





Back at the castle of friendship, Starlight waited in the library in front of the mirror portal for Sunset and her guests. It didn't take long before the portal started to swirl brightly before an orange blur shot from it. Sunset adjusted herself in midair in preparation for the landing and managed to land on her hooves.

"Haha! Take that, you stupid mirror," Sunset boasted in joy. The joy was short-lived, however, as she was then hit by a dozen more ponies. "Why…?" Sunset said weakly from within the pile of ponies.

"Haha! You have a tendency to celebrate too early," Ari said, flying from above.

"Uh… you guys okay?" Starlight asked, looking at the ponies in concern. The ponies looked at the mare in confusion.

"Oh, you must be Starlight, would you mind?" Sunset said, holding out her hoof.

"Right, of course," Starlight said, pulling her out of the pile.

"Anyway, you must be Starlight. I'm Sunset. Nice to meet you," Sunset said.

"It's nice to meet you too."

"Okay, so introductions, these are the counterparts of Twilight and her friends, Twilight."

"Salutations," Twilight said awkwardly while pushing her glasses up, trying to stand up like everyone else.

"Wait she's a pegasus? I thought Twilight was a unicorn before," Starlight asked confused.

"Yeah the human world works a little different sometimes, I'll explain later," Sunset said before continuing with the introductions. "Applejack."

"Howdy."

"Rainbow Dash."

"Y-yo."

"Fluttershy."

"H-hi."

"Rarity."

"Wonderful meeting you, darling."

"Pinkie."

"EEE! Starlight, it's so nice to meet you. You should really come to the human world with us so I can give you a really big party," Pinkie said without stopping to breathe and somehow walking and jumping despite being just transformed.

"Y-yeah, of course."

"YAY!"

"And this is Aiko Whiskers," Sunset said, pointing at the Japanese girl.

…

"Aiko?" Sunset said, looking for the girl, only to see her flying in place, grinning like a little child that just received a bag of candy.

"O-oh, sorry," Aiko said, snapping out and flying towards Starlight and landing. "I'm Aiko Whiskers, hajim- It's nice to meet you, Starlight-San," Aiko said, bowing.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you too," Starlight said.

"And this is my mom, Celestia, and aunt, Luna."

"Hello, Starlight," Celestia said.

"And this is my little sister, Snowdrop."

"H-hi," Snowdrop said, waving in Starlight's general direction.

"Aww, aren't you the cutest?" Starlight said, rubbing the girl's head while the girl blushed but smiled nonetheless.

"Also, that snow phoenix with the smart mouth is Ari." "Hey!"

"And that's Spike," Sunset concluded.

"Spike, I'm pretty sure you are supposed to stand on your back legs," Twilight said.

"L-like this?" He asked, trying to stand up.

"Yeah, at least I think so. I don't really have any data on dragons, and even if I did, I don't know how accurate that data would be considering the social difference and the different governmental structures compared to Earths. Equestria is obviously-"

"A simple yes or no would've worked," Spike grumbled but was ignored by Twilight as she really began to fall into her rant while Aiko listened to her thoughts.

"Okay, so it's really great to meet you all. But first, it's time for lessons. Who here wants to learn how to walk?" Starlight asked, ignoring the scientist in Twilight breaking out so soon.

And so, Sunset, Starlight, Celestia, and Luna helped the remaining five girls get used to walking on four legs while Aiko busied herself flying around the room. Once they got the hang of it, Starlight took them all to the Canterlot Castle, where Princess Twilight is preparing the coronation. Or at least she was going to before they were stopped by a voice.

"Well, well well well well, who do we have here?"

"Oh no, not him," Sunset said, annoyed.

"Oh, but it is me," the voice said before the owner of the voice appeared. There was a snapping sound before they found a figure in front of them with a flash of light.

"Discord," Sunset and Starlight said, deadpanning while the rest of them said in confusion.

"Discord?"

"Oh, looks like I'm famous in your world as well."

"No, you are just the chemistry teacher," Rainbow said in a slightly excitable tone. At the question look from the girls, she suddenly became defensive. "What?!? Chemistry is cool. It is learning how to make things explode."

"That's not even remotely correct in what chemistry covers," Twilight said to correct the rainbow-haired girl.

"Well, that's what Mr. Discord said it was about."

"Mr. Discord?!?" Discord all but shouted in surprise and disgust.

"What are you doing here, Discord?" Starlight asked to cut him off before he could enter a rant.

"What? Can't I congratulate the soon-to-be crowned Princess? I mean, honestly, doesn't Equestria have enough princesses now. With so many now, when will I get a chance to ascend the throne? It's honestly unfair, don't you think?" Discord asked, clutching his heart as he addressed the group only to notice a pink and yellow pegasus. "Fl- fl- fl- Fluttershy…? T- t- two Fluttershy's? Oh, this is wonder-"

"Now, just hold it right there, Discord," Sunset stopped him. "If you even lay a finger on her, I will incinerate you," Sunset said, wrapping a wing around Fluttershy and glaring daggers at Discord to make the message clearer, her eyes glowed red.

"They are together," Pinkie stage whispered to Discord.

"Oh… well, my apologies. And would you look at that? It's time for me to go now," Discord said, looking at a watch that suddenly appeared on his wrist before snapping and suddenly vanishing.

"Okay, now I know why I hate Discord back at CHS," Rarity said.

"You hate him because you suck at chemistry," Applejack said.

"No, I don't. Just because I have a C doesn't mean I'm bad at Chemistry. It's not my fault that I can't understand him when he goes off on random tangents."

"Speaking of CHS, why don't we see if everything is okay there," Celestia asked.

"Good call, the last thing we need is another rumor wreaking havoc," Sunset said.

"Rumor?" Starlight asked.

"Long story, we'll tell you when we are at the train," Sunset said, levitating Twilight's journal to write a message to Chrysalis, who was in charge of Sunset's journal and making sure that the forum stayed closed as much as possible while she was gone.





It took about an hour for the Sunset and co to get to the Canterlot Castle. While on the train, Sunset told Starlight about the problem they had back home. Upon arriving at the castle, they were greeted by Princess Twilight, who took them to their rooms.

"So everything okay back home?" Princess Twilight asked.

"Yeah, all is fine. We asked Chrysalis to look after the journal and the forum," Sunset said.

"I still can't believe Chrysalis is a good person in your world," Starlight said.

"Just because they are counterparts doesn't mean that they are the same," Sunset said.

"So Princess, what about our dresses? I really want to see them soon," Rarity said.

"Just call me-"

"No, that'll just be confusing," Sunset said, pointing at the human Twilight.

"Oh right, so to answer your other question, Rarity finished them and is here at the castle along with the rest of the girls. Their rooms are just across from yours," Princess Twilight said as they arrived at their rooms. "Your counterparts are on the right side. Your rooms are on the left side," She said, pointing at each side. "I'll go inform Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. You guys are here."

The visitors chose their rooms as Princess Twilight left while Sunset and Snowdrop agreed to share the same room.





The day went by as everyone tried their dresses on while both Rarity's adjusted anything that required adjustments. During this time, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came to greet the visiting humans and took Sunset and Snowdrop to practice for the coronation. Rarity also made some wristbands for the humans to where, so they could identify each other easily and decided to call the humans by nicknames.

The day went quite great without any incidents. And everything looked like they were going great.

[The next day]

The ponies woke up the next day and started to get ready for the big event. As the time drew closer to the coronation, the humans began to put on their dresses while the pony Rarity took Sunset to get her ready for the event.

"You must be really excited," Rarity asked Sunset.

"I don't know. I'm kind of excited but also nervous? I mean, I'm not even going to live here."

"Hm... if Pinkie is here, she would say you are nervosity."

"That's not a word, but I get what she means."

"Also, even if you don't go to live in this world, you still earned it and are from this world, so I don't think it matters much, darling. Should anything happen to the Princesses or Twilight, we can all take heart in knowing that Equestria has one Princess that is safe that we can all look to when the need arises."

"Maybe. I-"

"SUNSET!!" They were interrupted by Princess Twilight, who stormed into the room shouting Sunset's name. "We have a huge problem. Something is in the castle and- the coronation is about to begin in an hour-"

"Whoa whoa, Twilight, calm down, deep breaths, are start once your calm," Sunset imitated while Twilight did the same to calm herself down. "Okay, now tell me what happened."

"I was on my way to meet you when all of a sudden I was assaulted by... this thing, it looked human and had a giant scythe."

"What? That sounds like Death. But how is there a reaper in the castle?" Sunset asked.

"I don't know. I managed to trap it in a room and asked two guards to keep an eye on it. I immediately came to you since you might know more about it than me."

"Oh my, don't we need to tell the Princesses? They might know what to do," Rarity said.

"Yes, you are right. Go tell this to the princesses. And-"

"Sunset? We have a problem," Sunset's mom said as she entered the room.

"Great, now what?" Sunset asked as she looked at her mom only to see Twilight's journal opened up to a page. She took the book in her magic to see what it was. "It's from Chrysalis," Sunset said.

"Chrysalis?!" Rarity shouted.

"Long story, but she says there is a problem," Celestia said.

"What is she saying?" Twilight asked.

"It's a printed copy of the message. She probably did it to save time," Sunset said. "Let's see."




Crimson Chaos

Hey, a friend of mine told me about this forum. My uncle once told me a story about a ghost that terrified me a lot when I was little. The story goes like this. It was a very long time ago; there was a family that had a lot of riches. They were like lords. And also very prideful and cruel when it comes to giving out punishments. They had a son who was very handsome. He fell in love with a girl from a family of farmers. When the parents found out about this, the man's father ordered to cut the girl in half in public using a scythe used for farming to show where they stand. While the girl was screaming in pain, she cursed them that she would cut every one of them as they did to her. It is said that the ghost of the girl crawls with only the top half of its body and a scythe looking to kill any rich people that came across her. And if she lays eyes on anyone, she wouldn't stop at anything to cut them in half.

My uncle also said that a friend of his from a rich family got killed like that, but I'm pretty sure it's just something he said to scare me more. Whether it's true or not, I don't know, it bothered me so much, and I'd really like to see what you know about this.



"This is just great. Not only do we have a coronation in an hour, but also a wannabe death ghost trying to kill us." Sunset said.

"What are we going to do now? And why is it here?" Sunset's mom asked.

"I don't know how it came here, but we are royalty. If she has something against rich people, we should be on the top of her death list. Anyway, Twilight, where did you trap her?"

"What about your coronation? You get ready, and we'll stop this," Twilight said.

"Rarity, how long would it take for you to get me dressed?" Sunset asked.

"10 – 15 minutes," Rarity said.

"If we hurry, we have time," Sunset said, walking towards the door.

"But-"

"What good is it being a princess if I can't protect my subjects? This is more important to me than the coronation. Mom? Go tell the others about what's going on. We need all hands on deck," Celestia nodded before running to find the others. "Twilight?"

"O-okay," Twilight said before leading the two mares to the room she trapped the scythe-wielding ghost.

"P-Princess," The guards bowed when the three walked towards them. The guards also looked terrified.

"Open the door," Twilight said.

"Y-you sure, highness?" One of the guards asked

"Don't worry, I got this," Sunset said, walking towards the door.

"B-but princess-"

"It's okay. Your fears are understandable. Who wants to fight someone that looks like a grim reaper," Sunset said, standing in front of the door. "Okay, get ready," Sunset said once the guards readied themselves beside the Princess. "Here goes," Sunset said before quickly opening the door while Twilight got ready to blast the ghost if needed.

"What!?" Twilight said in confusion while the others looked around the room for the ghost. "It's gone."

"How did that happen?" Rarity asked.

"Did you two hear anything?" Twilight asked.

"No, once you gave us the orders, we stayed here with full attention. Nothing passed us, nor did we hear anything," The guards said.

"Well, it is a ghost. It might have vanished," Sunset said. "Though the blood looks real."

"BLOOD!!!" Twilight and Rarity screamed while the latter fainted when she saw what was on the ground.

"Oh, great. Twilight, go inform the princesses. No need to cancel the coronation. If things get too long, try to stall for us. And you two, take Rarity to her room or to the infirmary," Sunset said.

"Yes, Princess," the guards saluted before taking Rarity to the infirmary while Twilight ran off to find the Princesses.

"Sunset! What happened?" Sunset heard Applejack. When she turned her head, she saw that the rest of the girls were there with Celestia and Luna. "Did it hurt Rarity?"

"No, she just saw blood," Sunset said.

"BLOOD!!!" Just like before, everyone screamed.

"Don't worry. It's from the ghost. You do leave a lot of blood when you are missing half your body."

"Oh, thank goodness. I thought it hurt her," Rares said.

"Okay, listen. The ghost is after rich people. It's filled with hate for them. So we need to stop the rumor as soon as possible and prevent the ghost from going to the main hall. I want some of you to go and keep an eye near the hallways to the main hall. Since it already saw Twilight and me, it might try to follow her or me. Let's hope it follows me, so we don't have to worry about the nobles," Sunset said.

"Aye aye, Princess," Rainbow said before running towards the main hall with the rest of her friends.

"Mom, take Snowdrop to the Princesses."

"Okay, Sunset, just be careful," Celestia said.

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be fine," With that, Sunset is left with her human friends and Luna. "Okay, so time to hunt a ghost. Luna, did you reply to Chrysalis?"

"Oh- no, I forgot," Luna said, opening her saddlebag and taking the journal.

"It's okay, I'll send a quick reply," Sunset said, taking the journal in her magic. But she stopped for a while.

"What is it, Sunset?" Aiko asked.

"I don't know. All of this smells fishy."

"How so?" Luna asked.

"I don't know. It just feels like it," Sunset said before quickly replying to Chrysalis. "Well doesn't matter. We need to stop the rumor. Let's split up into groups. If you find it, try to lure it to this room. Do not try to fight back. I'll call some unicorn guards here so they can try to keep it at bay."

With that, the group split into smaller groups to find the ghost.

Meanwhile, Twilight made it to the main hall where Princess Celestia and Luna were greeting the nobles.

"Um... excuse me, Princess Celestia, can I have a quick word?" Twilight asked, gaining their attention.

"Yes, of course, Luna," Princess Celestia said before walking back to talk to Twilight. "What is it, Twilight? Everything okay?"

"Not exactly," Twilight said, smiling awkwardly. "You remember that problem in the human world? Well... it came all the way here somehow."

"What? What happened?"

"Well... there's a scythe-wielding girl with only half its body, crawling around the palace trying to kill any nobles that it comes across."

"What!?" Princess Celestia almost shouted. Lowering her voice, "We have to cancel the coronation then."

"Actually, Sunset and the others are hunting it now, and since this is something she's familiar with, she said she'll be able to stop it soon. I just wanted to tell you just in case so you can be ready."

"I don't know Twilight. What if something happens?" Princess Celestia asked uncertainly.

"Sunset looked like she knew what she was doing. She pretty much took control of the situation as soon as I went to her. I'll just take some guards so we don't have to alert anyone and would be able to fight back easily," Twilight said.

"If you are sure."

"Princess Celestia?" They looked up when they heard her counterpart calling her.

"Tia, what is it?" Celestia asked.

"Can you keep Snowdrop with you? You don't have to look after her. I just don't want her anywhere with a monster running around," Tia said.

"Of course, I'll keep her safe," Celestia said, wrapping a wing around Snowdrop as she came closer.

"Please be careful, mom," Snowdrop said.

"Don't worry, my little snowflake, everything will be fine."





Back with Sunset, she was walking through one of the corridors with Fluttershy and Aiko, keeping an eye and ear out for the ghost. They had alerted any guards they came across and specifically asked unicorn guards to restrain it or hold it back with their magic while earth ponies came to her so she could deal with it.

"No sign of it anywhere," Aiko said.

"G-g-good then. I don't want to look at s-s-something like that," Fluttershy said.

"Don't worry, my butterfly, I won't let it harm you," Sunset said, wrapping a wing around Fluttershy.

"B-but it could hurt you."

"Awww, don't you worry any. It can't escape my fire," Sunset said before looking at Aiko, who suddenly found the ceiling interesting.

"Sorry if it made you uncomfortable, Aiko."

"W-what? Oh no, it’s okay,” Aiko said.

"I mean, soon you'll be in the same boat, so..."

"N-Nani!? (w-what!?). I don't think of anyone like that," She quickly defended.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't like her. I've seen how you-"

"SO!! How are we going to stop the ghost? Burn it?" Aiko said, quickly changing the subject. Sunset rolled her eyes.

"Well, we could do that, or we can use the elements. But to do that, we need to trap it first. And keep it from vanishing like before."

"H-Hey... is it j-just me or i-is it s-suddenly darker in h-here?" Fluttershy asked, getting closer to Sunset looking around.

"Huh, now that you mention it, it is darker here," Sunset said, looking towards the windows that should cast some light in. But it was like it was cloudy outside.

"D-do you hear that?" Aiko asked.

"Hear what?"

"Listen," Aiko said. And as instructed, the other two focused their ears. That's when they heard it. It was like a grating noise. Like something metal is being pulled through the ground.

"It coming from this way," Aiko said, pointing at a hallway that was in pitch black. Everyone turned towards the hallway while Sunset readied herself as the grating noise got louder and louder until suddenly, it stopped. Sunset ignited her horn in preparation for an attack. But nothing happened.

"I-i-it stopped," Fluttershy said.

"Come on. Stay close to me and watch my back," Sunset instructed before she took a step forward. “Okay, slowly- *swish-clank* AHHHHHHHH!!!” Sunset shouted, startling everyone as a giant scythe suddenly embedded itself on the ground, just in front of Sunset. "Back up! Back up!"

The girls quickly ran back while the ghost gave chase and somehow caught up to them.

"How is it so fast!?" Aiko asked, flying in front of the group.

"I don't know! Just run!" Sunset shouted as the ghost suddenly lunged at them and swept the scythe, ripping a tapestry hanging off a wall. Carefully, Sunset cast a fire lance that shot at the ghost only to be blocked with the scythe. It once again retaliated, causing her to throw up a fire shield, and Sunset gritted at the pressure behind the blow.



"Tsk, take this," Sunset growled before her shield flared out, lighting up the hallway in a bright flash. The ghost screamed from the flash, and Sunset withdrew her magic, casting the hallway back into darkness before rounding around and chasing after Aiko and Fluttershy, where they were waiting at the hallway junction. "Go!"

After what felt like forever, the three made it to the room where her mom and Princess Twilight were waiting with some unicorn guards.

"SUNSET!" Celestia shouted.

"GET READY!" She shouted as the guards and Twilight readied themselves. Aiko and Fluttershy ran behind them while Sunset turned back to attack the ghost. "This ends no-" Sunset stopped herself when she saw that no one was behind them.

"Where did it go?" Fluttershy asked.

"I-I-I don't know. It was right behind us," Sunset said. "Come on, Twilight, with me. It couldn't have gone far."

"Right behind you," Twilight said as she and Sunset walked back through the hallway.

"Hm, this is really weird," Sunset said.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I just feel like there's something else going on. The ghost has been roaming around the castle for a while now, but we only encountered it twice."

"I mean, it's a big castle."

"Then why did it disappear now? And why is it that none of the other guards have seen anything? Plus, its aim is off. Granted, it has to be a lot hard to swing a giant scythe without the bottom half of your body, but I felt like it's missing on purpose. Especially when we first met it. It attacked just in front of me. I didn't even have to dodge it."

"Hm... interesting. Uh... Sunset? Are we going the right way?" Twilight asked.

"Uh... yeah, why?"

"There is no blood on the floor," Sunset looked down at the floor, and just like she said, there's no blood.

"Huh? Hey, did we pass any... ripped off tapestries?" Sunset asked, stopping.

"No, we didn't."

"We didn't?" Sunset said before she looked down in thought. They saw Celestia, Luna, and a couple of unicorn guards running at them when they looked back. They then heard the sound of galloping.

"Mom? What is it?"

"We are running out of time, Sunset. Princess is going to cancel the coronation. It's too risky," Celestia said. "What do we do now?" Sunset then looked at Luna.

"Luna, did Chrysalis reply?"

"Oh yes, she did," Luna said before Sunset took the book in her magic. She quickly opened up to the last page to see the message.



We got the message, and the ghost is here somehow. The book is with you-know-who.

-Sunset-



I'm really sorry for what happened. And please be careful, Luna

-Chrysalis-



After reading the message, a smile slowly appeared on Sunset's face.

"Here, Twilight, take this," Sunset quickly tossed the book at Twilight before flying off through one of the hallways.

"Sunset, wait! What are you doing!?" But it was too late as Sunset was already too far ahead. "Come on," She said as Twilight, Celestia, and Luna ran after Sunset.

Sunset, meanwhile, made it far away from the group and into an empty room with an open balcony. She landed on the ground and slowly walked to the center of the room.

"Hey, grim reaper! You want me? Well, then come and get me! Let's end this," As soon as Sunset finished that sentence, the light streaming from the balcony got darker like before as the room filled with dark smoke.

*clink* *clink*

"There you are," Sunset said, turning back towards where the sound was coming from. As she expected, the ghost is lying there with the scythe in ready. "Give me your best shot," Sunset said, narrowing her eyes.

The ghost slowly crawled towards Sunset while the soon-to-be Princess stood her ground. Once it got close enough, the ghost used the scythe as support to stand up before hoisting it in preparation to attack. The sound of galloping indicated that Twilight, Celestia, and Luna had already caught up to Sunset, but it was too late. In one swift motion, the ghost swung the scythe down.

"SUNSET!!!" All three of them shouted while Celestia closed her eyes, unable to look at the scene.

*Shwing*

*Shiwck*

*Crunch*

Silence filled the room for the next few seconds that felt like an eternity. Celestia slowly opened her eyes and gasped at what she was seeing. The scythe was embedded on the ground beside Sunset while the mare in question stood unharmed.

"The game's over... Discord."

"What?" Twilight said in disbelief as the smoke that covered the room disappeared, and the ghost suddenly shifted before morphing into a familiar shape.

"Ha ha ha ha ha..." Discord laughed while still holding the scythe in his paw. "Bravo, Sunset bravo. You solved the rumor. I gotta ask, how did you find out the rumor is fake?"

"Oh, I had my suspicions, like, for instance, how the rumor came to this world, the portal is closed," Sunset began. "Also, Chrysalis glued a copy of the rumor into the journal. Looking at the length, it's safe to assume she did it to save time, but then again, she doesn't know exactly how the journal works, nor did I have anything glued in any previous entries. And the name of the user is basically your name. But the final clue that told me this is fake is Chrys's last message. She doesn't call Luna by her name. She always calls her by a different name."

"Now that you said that, I did think it's strange that she would call me by my name, especially since she's worried about me," Luna said.

"But why did you do this, Discord?" Twilight asked.

"For a little fun, of course. That and to see if our new Princess has what it takes to be a princess. I've gotta say you did really well. You'll make a better princess than both Celestia and Twilight."

"Hey!"

"Also, it's Halloween in your world."

"Uh... it's not," Sunset said, confused. Discord looked surprised before he summoned a calendar.

"Oops, I got the wrong world, haha. Anyways, I believe we have a coronation to attend," He said before snapping his fingers, making Sunset's dress appear on her. "There we go. Now you better hurry, don't want to be late to your own party and crowning," He said, disappearing in a flash of light.

And so, after fighting a blood-thirsty ghost, who later turned out to be just Discord, the time has finally come. Sunset waited outside the main hall door with the rest of the choir and flag ponies, waiting for Princess Celestia to announce her name. She could hear Celestia's words from beyond the door, and she couldn't be happier.

"... she not only helped Princess Twilight spread the magic of friendship into a whole new land but also uncovered the Seventh Element of Harmony. Fillies, and gentle colts, may I present to you, for the very first time, Princess Sunset Shimmer."

And with that, the doors opened, and Sunset walked forward, towards the throne, where the four princesses, along with Snowdrop holding the crown waiting for her. The choir ponies sang as they, along with the flag ponies, walked behind Sunset. Once she made it to the throne, she climbed up the steps and stood in front of Celestia. Snowdrop passed the crown to Celestia as she lifted it up using her magic. Sunset knelt down as Princess Celestia lowered the crown on Sunset's head.

"Rise, Princess Sunset Shimmer," Princess Celestia said as she rose back on her hooves and faced the gathered ponies, and opened up her wings.



Then it was time to see the ponies, waiting outside to see the newly crowned Princess. Sunset walked up to the balcony with the rest of the princesses. As she revealed herself for the ponies, everyone cheered for her in joy as confetti sailed through the sky. After a while, Sunset cleared her throat to address the gathered ponies.

"A few years ago, Princess Celestia came to me and took me under her wing as her student. I learned many things from her. But it's a shame for me to say that I was a lot different per- pony then. I was stubborn and arrogant. It led me down a dark path. But with Princess Twilight's help, I was able to see the errors of my ways. Today, I stand here as a Princess. But I believe that it's something I don't deserve. I believed that I would always be the same old pony. But with the help of my friends and family, I was able to change my ways and become a better pony. They pulled out the good in me. I did a lot of bad things in the past. And I don't know what the future holds for me. But I know one thing. That even the worst person can change, that everyone can be good if they just try and are given the support to do so."
> Chapter 11 - Future Call (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been two days since Sunset's coronation, and it has been a lot peaceful since. Aiko was currently finishing writing down an equation from the board as the bell rang. Once she finished, she gathered all her supplies. Aiko made her way out with the last half of the class and made her way to her locker. On the way, she met up with Twilight.

"Hey, Aiko," Twilight said, greeting the Japanese girl.

"Hey Twi, you coming to the club today?"

"Yeah, why not. I just read the reviews we got for the newspaper, and there are a lot of positive reviews," Twilight said.

"That's great. Do you know what else is great?" Aiko asked as they arrived at their lockers.

"What? Did something happen?"

"Yes! I finally got to pony-up. Not just for a few seconds, but for real!" Aiko said, smiling.

"Wow, really? When did that happen?"

"It was yesterday when I was home. Obaasan(grandma) asked me to play my violin, and while playing, I transformed. Almost gave Kaachan(Mom) a heart attack."

"Haha... congratulations."

“Arigato gozaimasu,” Aiko said. "Hey, Twi? Are you okay? You look tired," Aiko said, noticing the bags beginning to appear under Twilight's eyes.

"Uh, y-yeah, of course. I was awake the whole night with some experiments. I didn't get much sleep. Anyway, did you talk to Sunset yet? I wonder what happened yesterday?" Twilight asked.

"No, I didn't. I was so excited after I ponied up I kind of forgot everything else, even homework," Aiko said, rubbing her neck.

"Hope you didn't get into any troubles," Twilight asked.

"No, no, I just got a warning," Aiko said as they arrived at the club room. They entered the room and saw that Sunset and Fluttershy were already there working on something. Fluttershy was looking at some old files while Sunset was browsing through the old hard drive.

"Oh hey guys, you excited for tomorrow?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah, of course. This is the first trip I'm going to go with my new friends," Aiko said, sitting with Twilight. "What are you guys doing?"

"Oh, we are just trying to find out what happened to that girl in the old club. I really wanna know what happened to her," Sunset said.

"Do you think we can solve that? It's been a decade since then," Twilight said.

"Maybe, but I'm not going to give this up easily," Sunset said, looking at Twilight. "Wow, you look tired. Stay up all night researching again?"

"Uh... yeah. Time really flies when you are doing research. Anyway, Sunset, what happened yesterday?"

"Nothing interesting. I just officially met all the nobles and listened to their stupidly long, boring egocentric words. I at least got a title."

"Oh, what is it?" Aiko asked.

"She's now Sunset Shimmer, the Princess of Empathy," Fluttershy said dramatically.

"Congratulations, Sunset," Twilight said.

"Thanks, guys," Sunset said. "So, back to the matter at hand, I've been looking in this hard drive for any information, but all I've found out was some old school event photos and documents. I found this folder that is password-protected, though."

"Maybe try a brute force attack. I know a pretty good software, but it will still take some time even on a powerful machine, which I don't have," Twilight said.

"I might be able to use Luna's PC. That thing is a beast. I just need to find the time where she doesn't need it for any online matches," Sunset said.

"I still can't believe she's a gamer. Why does she even need a powerful pc for gaming?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, trust me, it's super satisfying when you see that victory screen on your giant monitor. The complete opposite also happens when you see the You Died screen," Sunset said with a faraway look.

"Okay... I'll send it to you later then," Twilight said, unsure. "Anyway, did you know that Aiko finally got to pony-up?"

"Really? I'm happy for you, Aiko," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah? How was it? When did it happen?" Sunset asked.

"Back home when I played my violin to Obaasan (Grandma). It was so great."

"Well, before long, you'll be able to transform on command."

"Really!!"

"Yeah. Oh, by the way, you are half Japanese, right? So where's your dad's hometown?"

"I think it's actually near Canterlot. Um, Cloudsdale, I guess. However, his family moved to japan when he started college. I think we had relatives here at Canterlot. But I'm not sure. I'll have to ask him," Aiko said.

"I see. I don't suppose if it would be possible for them to know anything about this girl, would they?"

"I'll ask. Maybe Dad will know something."

Sunset nodded.

"Maybe we can take a look at old missing reports, and we might be able to find more information about her," Twilight said.

"But it's been so long. Do you think they still have those?" Fluttershy asked.

"Maybe. If not, we might be able to use the Wayback Machine," Twilight said to which Sunset nodded. "By the way, were there any new posts?"

"No, not yet, fortunately," Sunset said.

"I see. I might actually know a potential rumor. Trixie told me about it. I've heard some other students talking about it," Twilight said.

"What is it? It will be great to know about a rumor before it is posted," Aiko said.

"She called it Future Call. Basically, you call a particular number written in a book found on the last bookshelf in the last row on the library's second floor, at 3:33 pm. Then you can ask anything you want to know about your future, and the person answering the call will predict your future," Twilight said.

"Why would anyone want to know their future? I know I don't," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah. Plus, this is Trixie we are talking about. She's either probably pranking you, and there's no way to predict the future with 100% accuracy, even with magic. But maybe we should check this out before someone posts it because who knows what the forum would do to change the rumor," Sunset said, looking at the clock. "And we have 20 more minutes. If we hurry up, we might be able to find the book and make the call before it's late." The others nodded as they got up from their seats.

It didn't take long for them to get to the library, and they immediately made their way upstairs to find the book.

"I don't suppose Trixie said what the book is, did she?" Sunset asked.

"No, she didn't. We might have to find it our self. Good thing it's just this shelf," Twilight said before they all began to open up all the books looking for the phone number. They kept looking for the number for the next 10 minutes to no avail.

"I don't think it's here, guys," Sunset said. "Maybe Trixie took the book, or it's a lie."

"It didn't feel like a lie. She was scribbling in a book and looked a little... desperate," Twilight said after a moment of search.

"Maybe the call said something bad is going to happen to her?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's possible. I still don't think this is real, bu-"

"Look? I think I found it," Aiko said, interrupting Sunset. She moved closer to them and showed them the book. "Look here. There's a phone number here."

"You think this is the right one?" Fluttershy asked.

"Only one way to find out? So who wants to know their future?" Sunset asked, pulling out her phone.

"I-I I don't."

"I... don't exactly have anything to ask either," Aiko said. Sunset then turned to Twilight, who was looking at the phone like it was about to jump at her.

"Twilight?"

"O-Oh, what?"

"You okay? Do you have anything to ask?"

"M-me? Oh, n-no, sorry. I don't think knowing one's future is a good thing. What if you hear something bad?"

"Yeah, you are right. I'll talk then."

"You sure?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, don't worry. I got this," Sunset said as she looked at the time before dialing the number right when the clock struck 3:33 pm.
Sunset turned on the speaker as the girls gathered around the phone, waiting for someone to answer. It didn't take long for someone to pick up the phone and a male voice answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Hello... is this... future call?" Sunset asked unsurely. The voice didn't answer instantly. It took a few seconds before saying,

"Let me ask you a question. What would you like to know about your future?" The girls looked at each other.

"This is it," Twilight whispered. Sunset nodded.

"Tell me, who are you?" Sunset asked. Again, the man didn't answer for a few seconds. But what came after was something they never expected.

"Haha... haha... HA HA HA HA HA!" The man laughed, confusing the girls. "Finally! Someone asked that!"

"What? Why are you laughing?" Sunset asked.

"Sorry, sorry. I thought no one would ever ask me that. To answer your question, I'm no one special."

"So you can't predict the future?"

"No, No, I can't. I'm just a normal man. My real job is being a janitor."

"So why do you claim you can predict the future?" Twilight asked impatiently.

"I didn't. It's a funny story, really. One day, someone called this number and asked me the same thing you first did. Am I the future call? I actually thought it was a prank and played along with it. They asked me something, and I predicted the future. After that, random kids started to call me right at this time to know about their future. And when they do, I try to go around the question and give them some advice corresponding to the question."

"I see. Did you, by any chance, have a call from someone called Trixie? She talks in the third person and has a huge ego," Sunset asked.

"Oh yes, I did. She asked me if she would win a magician competition. I figured she had doubts about her skills. Otherwise, she wouldn't actually ask me that, especially if she has an ego, as you told me. So I told her if she didn't have enough creativity so she would fail."

"So that's what Trixie was doing. She was thinking of new acts," Twilight said.

"Well... you don't sound like a bad guy, and your intentions seem good. But maybe you should stop this. People take your word seriously, and what if they took it the wrong way?" Sunset said.

"Yes, maybe you are right. It's been a while now. I'll stop and cancel this number," The man said.

"Great, that's all I ask. Good day to you, sir," Sunset said before stopping the call. "Well, that was unexpected."

"At least he was trying to help," Fluttershy said.

"Hai (yeah), and we were able to solve this quickly. So if someone posts this now, we can stop the rumor before it's going to cause any harm. Maybe we should address this in our wall newspaper. That way, no one would have any problems," Aiko said.

"That's actually a good idea. Let's do that," Sunset said as the girls all left the library.

While walking back to the club room to close it for the day, Sunset grabbed Aiko's hand and fell behind the other two.

"Aiko, did you feel anything weird about Twi?" Sunset whispered.

"Yeah. Something's going on."

"Maybe try talking to her? You two leave school together, right?"

"Yeah, I'll ask her," Aiko said to which Sunset nodded.

Once they arrived at the club room, they cleaned up the room before closing it for the day and left the school. Sunset and Fluttershy part ways with Twilight and Aiko once they reach a junction. Taking the chance, Aiko decided to talk with Twilight.

"So... how was the school today?" Aiko asked to start up the conversation.

"Hm? It was okay?" Twilight asked unsurely.

"Well... you didn't look like?"

"What?"

"Twilight, is something bothering you?" Aiko asked. Twilight tried to answer, but Aiko interrupted. "Don't say no. I know something's wrong. You looked tired. Even while in class, you didn't pay attention like before. Even Sunset noticed it."

"I... I don't want to talk about it," Twilight said, looking away.

"Twilight, we are your friends, right? You can talk to us. Whatever it is, I wouldn't think any different of you. I- I mean we," Aiko said, quickly correcting herself.

Twilight kept looking at Aiko without saying anything for a few seconds contemplating whether she should tell her. When Twilight didn't say anything for a while, Aiko looked down in defeat.

"It's okay. But pl-"

"Do you remember what happened to me? At the friendship games?" Aiko looked up when Twilight talked.

"Uh... y-yeah, I do. You told me about it."

"Well... I keep having nightmares about it. Nightmares where she comes to me and turns me into a m-monster," Twilight said in a shaky voice. "I-I was a little s-skeptical about joining the b-band first. I-I thought I'm g-going to turn i-into her again if I touch m-magic again. I-I'm afraid, Aiko," Twilight said, finally breaking down. Aiko moved closer and hugged the distraught girl, giving her a shoulder to cry on.



"Hey hey, it's okay, Twilight, it's okay. You are not her. It was not your fault. You know that," Aiko said, rubbing Twilight's back.

"B-but what if-"

"No, Twilight. Don't think about it. It's not going to happen. I don't actually know what it was like, but if Sunset was able to get past what happened to her, I know you can too. You are really strong and smart. Are you really going to make something like this get in your way? Don't think you are alone. You have friends with you. If you can't fight alone, then fight with us. We will stand by you no matter what," Twilight moved away from Aiko and looked up at her.

"*sniff* You are right. I-I'm not going to give up... I c-can do this," Twilight said, wiping her tears.

"Yeah. You can do this," Aiko said. "So... are you going to talk to the girls?"

"I... not yet... I need some time..."

"It's okay, Twi. Take your time. Just know that we wouldn't leave you, okay?" Twilight nodded. "Good. Now let's go home," Aiko said as they started to walk back home.

"Um... Aiko... wanna hang out for a while? I-If you can... you have to pack and-"

"I already did. Maybe we can have a sleepover. I'll ask dad to bring my stuff."

"I-It's okay. I don't want to bother you."

"You're not bothering me, Twi. You need someone right now. I'm more than ready to help," Aiko said, fishing out her phone and calling her mom.
> Chapter 12 - Legend of Everfree Part 1 (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"No... please... no..."

"Stop... no... stop... stop..."

"Twilight..."

"you... wait..."

"Twilight...! TWILIGHT!"

"STOP!!!" Twilight woke up with a shout. It took her a moment before she noticed she was on the bus, having fallen asleep, to avoid motion sickness. Aiko, who was sitting right next to her, was looking at her in concern.

"Stop? What do you mean, silly? We haven't arrived at camp Everfree yet," Pinkie said from the seat across.

"Twilight, you okay?" Sunset asked from behind them with Fluttershy listening to music on her shoulder.

"What? Oh yes, of course," Twilight said, dismissing her and looking out the window. Sunset looked at Aiko, who shook her head with the same look.

"We are gonna have so much fun. We are gonna roast marshmallows, eat marshmallows and sleep on marshmallow pillows," Pinkie said, hugging a marshmallow bag.

"Probably not that last one," Rainbow said.

"Maybe you're not."

"Bite me. I'm so not a fan of sticky. Do you know how long it took to get my hair this awesome? No way am I regrowing it because someone wants to bath in marshmallows."

"Don't be silly, Dash. I don't want to bathe in marshmallows that ridiculous. Everyone knows chocolate syrup and cotton candy bubbles is the way to go," She said before licking a mysterious brown spot on the back of her hand, making Rainbow Dash gag. Their friendly banter then got interrupted by Principal Celestia, joined by her sister Vice Principal Luna.

"Attention, students. We are almost there. So before we arrive, I just wanted to say how proud we of you for raising enough money for the class field trip."

"When we were your age, we had some of our best memories here in these woods. And I believe you will too," Vice-Principal Luna said fondly.

"Now, who's excited for Camp Everfree?!" Principal Celestia said to which everyone shouted in to agree.

It took them another couple of minutes to get to the campground. They passed through the lush evergreen forest far away from the city, looking at various sceneries. As they got deeper into the forest, Sunset was struck by the sense of familiarity despite never stepping foot in the forest before. It felt almost like they had crossed over to Equestria, causing Sunset to grow quiet as she basked in the feeling. It was nice to know that it would only take a forty-five-minute drive if she ever wanted to feel like this without leaving to Equestria. Once they got to the campground, everyone got off of the bus and took their bags.

"Haaa... feel that pure air?" Sunset asked after taking a big breath. "Reminds me of grandpa's."

"I'd really like to visit there once," Fluttershy said.

"Let's do it soon," Sunset agreed.

"Yeah, it's really nice here, away from the city," Twilight agreed.

"Are you looking forward to anything?" Aiko asked.

"Nothing specific. I just want some relaxing time."

"I couldn't agree more, Twilight. Thing's been so dreadfully busy since the fall formal we haven't had a moment's rest, other than Sunset's coronation. But then it was ruined by Discord," Rarity said.

"Yeah, you are right. Fighting Sirens, two demons all the while competing in a sports event and solving mysteries? That's a lot," Pinkie said before seeing Twilight's face. "Oh... I mean... sorry, Twilight."

"I-It's okay," Twilight said, looking away.

"Don't worry about it, Twi. Remember what I told you?" Aiko asked, placing a hand on Twilight's shoulder.

"Y-yeah. You're right."

"Here you go, Twilight," They heard Flash Sentry say as he handed over Twilight her bag.

"Oh, t-thanks, Flash, right?" Twilight said, taking the bag.

"Yeah, that's me... and you are you... and we don't know each other... huh, cool story, bro," Flash said before leaving with a crestfallen look.

"Is he okay? He is kind of nervous around me," Twilight asked Sunset.

"Oh well... he had a thing for the princess, who may or may not reciprocate those feelings so..." Sunset said, grimacing awkwardly.

"Oh... I see."

"Hey, everyone! If you could start heading to the courtyard, that would be rad! It's time to start the best week of camp ever!" They then heard a woman calling from a microphone.

After the students gathered at the courtyard, the woman, now identified as Gloriosa Daisy, started explaining the camp and camp activities. Many students suggested some, most of them coming from Rainbow Dash. Meanwhile, Aiko looked at the boy standing next to Gloriosa, who she introduced as Timber Spruce. Just a few minutes ago, he was speaking privately with his sister and looked rather annoyed at the time. But now he was looking at Twilight. Looking back at Twilight, Aiko saw that she was looking towards the woods like she was thinking something. Releasing the breath she didn't even know she was holding, she placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder.

"Hey, let's just enjoy the week, okay?" She said. Instead of answering, Twilight simply nodded.

After a little friendly argument between Celestia and Luna about their old camp gift, Gloriosa and Timber brought out a couple of pouches with a bunch of cards to decide who's going to be paired with whom.

"Emerald," Pinkie said.

"Oh, me too," Rarity said, joining Pinkie.

"Aquamarine," Rainbow said.

"Oh, I got Aquamarine too," Sunset said, calling out to Rainbow.

"Aww... I wanted to be with you," Fluttershy said, saddened.

"Well... sorry, my little butterfly. We'll still be together during the day. Who did you get anyways?"

"I'm amethyst."

"Oh, then you are with me," Applejack said.

"Uh... who got Sapphire?" Aiko asked.

"I did. I mean, I assume it is." Twilight said. "S-sapphires come in other colors too, and they can be yellow, pink, purple..."

"Yeah, but they are mostly blue. That's why they are named after the Latin word sapphirus." Timber said from nowhere, interrupting Twilight. "That means blue."

"I-I know, yeah. D-did you know that sapphires are actually rubies without c-chromium?" Twilight asked awkwardly, not knowing how to respond.

"No, but do you know that it is the best tent?"

"N-no, why?"

"Because you-"

"SO, Timber, was it?" Aiko smiled brightly, almost to the point that her eyes were no longer visible, interrupting Timber. "Do you work here or..."

"Oh yeah, actually. Our parents owned this place, and my sister and I took over after they retired. Last I heard, they're in Paris," Timber said, causing Rarity to swoon at the mention of Paris before she started to gush about fashion at the person who caught her, who was unfortunately Dash.

"I see. It must be great to spend time in nature, and I know I enjoy it."

"Yeah. It's really calm here in the woods," Timber said. Anything else Aiko was about to say got interrupted by the sound of a car. They turned their heads to see a very expensive-looking car parking at the grounds and Gloriosa walking up to it. From the looks of it, she was none too happy about the car's presence in her camp. And the girls knew exactly why after seeing who got off of the car.

"What is he doing here?" Sunset asked.

"You know him?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. Everyone knows. He's Diamond Tiara's dad Filthy Rich," Rainbow said. "If he's here, it's not going to be for anything good."

"Eeyup," Applejack said, imitating her brother. "At least it ain't those cheats the Flim Flam brothers."

"He's been bothering us for days. He wanted to buy this place, and if we can't raise enough money, we might actually lose it to some luxury resort or condos," Timber said.

"Can't your m- I mean Principal Celestia do anything about this?" Rainbow asked.

"Where's the fun in that?" Celestia said from behind them.

“O-Oh Principal Celestia.”

"Why don't you find a way to help them? It could be part of your gift." She said sagely before leaving.

"Was the princess like that too?" Rainbow whispered to Sunset, looking at the retreating form of Celestia.

"Yup. Except far more cryptic and dramatic. She loved to appear from nowhere before saying her piece and slowly exit hidden by a convenient shadow. Though sometimes it didn't work like she wanted it to due to her white coat making her stick out, and she always got mopey when that happened."

After the little encounter with Filthy Rich, everyone went to their respective tents to settle in for the day. Aiko and Twilight entered their tent and started unpacking.

"Oohhh, this is so exciting. My first camping experience and we get to save the camp? And it has nothing to do with magic, talk about the best day ever. I mean, it will be more interesting with magic, but maybe no magic is great too," Aiko said happily.

"Yeah, of course. We just need to think of a way to help. Maybe a fundraiser?"

"That... that sounds great... ugh, where's my sunscreen?" Aiko asked, diving into her bag.

"There it is," Twilight said, pointing at the sunscreen dropped on the ground. However, it was forgotten when suddenly Aiko's bundle of clothes and other smaller items started to levitate with a purple glow. "W-what the...!?"

"Twilight? Are you doing this?" Aiko asked.

"Kore wa subarashidesu (this is awesome)!"

"This is terrible!!"

Aiko and Twilight said simultaneously.

"Wait, what?"

"This is bad, real bad," Twilight said, panicking.

"Hey, hey Twilight, it's okay calm down," Aiko said, holding Twilight.

"I-it's not okay, it's-"

"Sh sh take a deep breath, with me," Aiko said, taking a deep breath while Twilight imitated with her eyes closed. "Release," As they released their breath, the magic faded away, and everything fell back to the ground.

"Are you okay? It's gone now."

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. She looked around the tent, and the belongings were now strewn across the ground. "Oh... this is bad," Twilight said.

"What? How is it bad? Sunset did tell us this was possible."

"What? She did?"

"Mhm, at the club, remember? She told us that we'll be able to do other magic that is inherent to our pony selves."

"O-oh yeah... I remember now."

"See? It's okay. Though I don't know how you can do levitation. It can only be cast by Unicorns and Alicorns if I remember right. And you are a Pegasus. Plus, you did it without even trying." Aiko said, rubbing her chin. "Maybe we should talk to Sunset, and she's the magic expert here."

"I-I don't know. W-we came here to have some time away from all the magic. M-maybe it will be fine. As you said, this is supposed to be a normal week, right?"

"No, she literally said it's not normal just now," Spike said from his sleeping spot.

"Spike!" Aiko said, glaring at Spike.

"What?"

"Though he's right. We have to tell them."

"No, I can't. N-not yet."

"Twilight-"

"Please promise me you wouldn't tell them. Please," Twilight begged.

"Twilight... I... fine. But if this happens again, which it will, you have to tell them, okay?" Aiko said.

To which Twilight nodded.

"Good, now let's clean this up quickly and go join the others," Aiko said, picking up their belonging from the ground.

After that magic incident, Twilight and Aiko joined the others at the docks. They are open for lake activities for the day. At least they thought it was. Everyone was getting ready to enjoy the day at the lake. Aiko and Twilight decided to ride some boats. Aiko promised Twilight she would teach her as she did it before with her family. However, as fate would have it, they would have to hold on to that for a moment.

"Aren't they the cutest?" Fluttershy asked the girls while feeding the ducks as they walked past her. They turned to their friends to see the ducks she was feeding.

"Aww, they are so-" *crack*

"AAhhh!" Aiko got interrupted by Twilight screaming and turned just in time to catch her hand. But she was beaten to it by Timber, who caught Twilight before she fell down. Much to the annoyance of Aiko at his sudden appearance and him blocking her from catching Twilight.

"Whoa, I know I'm charming, but you don't have to fall for me," Timber said, helping Twilight up.

"O-oh... uh... thanks," Twilight said with her cheeks dusted red from embarrassment, rather than being flustered. Not that Aiko knew that.

"We should get out of here. This looks dangerous." Aiko said, taking Twilight with her back to the land and sending a small glare at Timber, who completely missed the look.

Apparently, the docks made a little after the opening of the camp, and they only got weaker in recent years. Which means they had to stop all the lake activities. However, this opened up the door for their camp gift. And as such, they decided to make the camp a new dock so future campers could enjoy the lake. They worked on the docks well into the day before stopping for the day. After washing up, they gathered around a campfire for the night.

In usual campfire fashion, they took turns sharing scary stories. It is now, after a... very scary story by Rarity, they heard about the history of the camp. And about Gaia Everfree.

"So if you see a trail of gem dust, you'll know that it is... Gaia Everfree!!" Timber said dramatically when all of a sudden, someone jumped out of the bushes. While Aiko just stared emotionlessly at Timber, all his random appearances to just help Twilight. It was only Twilight, though from what Aiko could see. Which made her chest tighten whenever she saw Twilight blush at Timber.

"AAhhhhhh!!" Everyone screamed in terror as the shadow reviled herself to be just Gloriosa.

"Hey guys, sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay. Your timing was great," Rainbow said.

"Yeah, that was really scary," Aiko said as she and Twilight let go of each other.

"Well, it's getting late; I think it's best if we call it a night. Come on now, back to your tents."

Everyone got up from the campfire and made their way back to the tents. The girls stayed behind to put out the campfire.

"Uh... Fluttershy? You can let go of me now," Sunset said.

"N-No, no. This... this is much b-better," Fluttershy said, gripping Sunset's arm harder.

"Okay... looks like she's staying with me."

"It's okay, I'll go with AJ," Rainbow said.

"By the way, do you think that Gaia Everfree could be real?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know. I've never heard of anything like her back in Equestria." Sunset said.

"Maybe that wizard booted her to this world too like the sirens?" Rainbow asked.

"No. I asked Princess Twilight about that a while ago just to be sure, but the idiot never banished any more creatures, thankfully."

"Idiot?" Twilight asked.

"I respect his knowledge, but banishing creatures and artifacts into another world is not a very bright idea whether that world has magic or not," Sunset said.

"Well, whether she is real or not, we could definitely kick her butt. How many demons have we fought now?" Rainbow said, not noticing the Twilight flinched.

"uh... I think I'll be going. I'm really tired." Twilight said before leaving, Aiko soon following behind.

"Maybe lay off about all the demon talk. She is still pretty sensitive about it. You forget that she wasn't like me. I bullied everyone at the school, and I had it coming. Twilight? She didn't deserve it like I did," Sunset said resolutely. She messed up back then, and denying that wasn't going to help her move forward. It was better that she own up to it now and accept it.

"Really, she never looked like she was bothered by it," Applejack said.

"She's hiding it. I'm pretty sure the reason she joined the club is that she feels guilty and that the forum is her fault," The girls looked at each other in concern.
> Chapter 13 - Legend of Everfree Part 2 (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night was beautiful, a full moon with stars scattering around it—the perfect time to stargaze with your beloved.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I can keep looking at this all day, but I can't."

"Hm? Why is that?"

"Because there's something far more beautiful."

"Really? What could that be?"

"Your eyes," Aiko said. The person in question looked at her in surprise before they moved closer. Their lips are getting ever so closer. They closed their eyes in preparation.

"NOO!!!"

"Ahhh! Oki teru yo! Oki- (I'm up!) Twilight?" Aiko said, looking up at Twilight from her bed. It took a moment for her to realize that Twilight was floating. "Twilight!" She shouted while jumping out of bed just as Twilight lost control of her magic and plummeted to the ground.

"Twilight, you okay?" Aiko asked, helping Twilight get off the bed.

"Oh no, it happened again," Twilight said in distress.

"Hey, hey, it's okay."

"No, it's not okay. I keep using magic, and I keep seeing these stupid nightmares."

"Look, Twi, I really think we should talk to Sunset-"

"NO! No, we don't."

"Yes, we do. She can help you. I don't know how to help you. Only Sunset can."

"Then you can help by SHUTTING UP!" Twilight shouted at Aiko. 



Aiko was taken aback by this sudden outburst that she looked at Twilight with wide eyes. Realizing what she had just done, Twilight muttered a quick apology before running out of the tent. Everything was in silence for the next few minutes as Aiko stood there wondering what had happened.

"Uh... you know she didn't mean that, right?" Spike asked.

"Uh... y-yeah... I..." Aiko said before she left the tent, leaving Spike.

Aiko looked around to see where Twilight went, but she couldn't find her anywhere. She thought about trying to find her, but quickly decided against it and decided to take a walk in the forest. She thought maybe giving her some time might be the best option. Also, she needed to gather her thoughts first. So Aiko got back in the tent to get ready for the day before leaving for the woods.

After wandering in the woods for a while, she found a small clearing with a log fallen on the ground. She walked up to it and took a seat before taking in the surroundings. Despite all the calming sounds and woodland creatures, her thoughts crept back to Twilight. She wanted to help her. She really did. And she knew the best option was to tell Sunset, as she was the magic expert here and knew Sunset was more capable of helping Twilight. But she can't just go and talk to her behind Twilight's back. Twilight would lose her trust in Aiko, and then she would lose Twilight as a friend, maybe even more if it ever came to that. But from the way things are going, she might actually have to, even if Twilight was going to hate her forever.

"Because that's what friends do, right?" She thought to herself, unsure. It felt like the right thing, but she's not very familiar with these kinds of things. Even in her previous school, she didn't have a lot of friends. Even the ones she had are more like close classmates than friends, save for a few childhood friends. But when she started at CHS, a lot of students actually talked to her. First, Pinkie greeted her at the entrance with a cupcake like she was expecting her. Then Sunset came to her and asked her to join their club. She became part of their group and even learned magic. She traveled to a land full of ponies watched her friend become a princess. Everything was going great. But then she found out one of her friends was hurting, and she couldn't do anything about it.
While she was thinking about all of this, she heard the sound of someone talking. Before long, she noticed that it was Twilight and Timber. She silently made her way towards them and looked at them from behind a bush. Timber was clearly flirting with Twilight.
"She looks happy," Aiko thought. "Maybe I should let them be. She needs to get her mind off of magic." She backed off before she silently made her way away from them. On her way back to the camp, she met Sunset.

"Oh, hey, Aiko, can I talk with you for a second?" Sunset asked.

"Oh yeah, of course."

"Listen, did anything weird happen to Twilight recently?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's okay, Spike told me. About all the magic. It really is weird that she can do levitation. But that's beside the point; I'd like to know if she's experiencing anything else other than that," Sunset said. "Please, Aiko."

"W-well... she actually has nightmares."

"Nightmares?"

Aiko nodded, "She's been having them for a while, but she asked me not to tell anyone. I really wanted to tell. I was actually going to talk to you if she keeps hiding it."

"I see. The nightmares happened to me too, but I don't think it's the elements that do it. It's probably PTSD. For her, I mean. For me, the elements really wanted to show how bad I was. I really gotta talk to her. I think she thinks what happened at the docks is her fault."

"What? What happened?" Aiko asked.

"Well, the boat Derpy and Sandalwood was on crashed at the docks. According to them, there was no wind there. Even if there was, it has to be pretty powerful to destroy the whole dock."

"The dock is destroyed?"

"Mhm. We are trying to fix it again. I came here to find Twilight. Do you know where she is?"

"Oh... she's in the woods with Timber. She looked happy, so I left her with him."

"Oh, I see. Well, I guess that's okay. Where are you going now?"

"I don't know, you?" Aiko asked.

"I was thinking about trying out rock climbing. You coming?"

"Nah. I'll look for something else," Aiko said before walking back to the camp while Sunset shrugged and walked towards the climbing wall.

When she finally arrived at the climbing wall, she saw Twilight with Timber Spruce. She quickly walked up to them in hopes of talking to Twilight.

"Hey, Twilight? Can I talk with you for a while?" Sunset asked, walking up to Twilight.

"Oh... um yeah," Twilight said.

"Go on, I have some stuff to do," Timber said before leaving them.

"Okay... well... guess I'll cut to the chase. Are you okay?" Sunset asked.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I know what's been happening to you."

"Y-you do? D-did Aiko tell you about this?"

"No... I mean, yes- I... Look, Spike told me. I then asked Aiko. She didn't want to tell me anything, but I convinced her. It's a good thing I did because this is serious."

"Oh, so you know everything," Twilight said.

"Yes, I do. Why didn't you tell us anything? It's not good keeping things like this a secret," Sunset said.

"I-I... I don't know. I was scared. I'm sorry."

"Twilight, hey, it's okay. Well, it's not okay to hide something like this, but I understand where you're coming from. I went through something similar, and it's okay to be scared. I've been there. In fact, I had it worse. I was left weak after they used the elements on me. I couldn't even properly walk before I got so tired it felt like I ran a marathon. And then there were all the nightmares. You are not alone. I'm fine because I had a lot of support from my family and friends. You are not alone either."

"B-but... then why do I have these powers. I shouldn't have them. It's not normal."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but we are not normal anymore," Sunset said, placing an arm around Twilight. "We'll figure out what's going on, okay. We just-"

Whatever Sunset was about to say got interrupted as they felt the ground shake and the students screaming.

"What the, was that an earthquake?" Sunset asked.

"But we aren't near any fault lines," Twilight said.

"I'd like to get down, please!" They heard the sound of Rarity shouting as Applejack fumbled with the ropes to get her down, almost making her fall.

"Applejack! What are you doing?!" Rarity shouted.

"What just happened? I know Applejack is strong but not that strong," Sunset said. They quickly walked up to them to see what had happened.

"... let me help you with the harness," Applejack said, moving closer.

"No, thank you!" Rarity said, raising her arms when all of a sudden, a light construct in the shape of a diamond pushed Applejack into the lake.

"What the, did she just make a shield?" Sunset asked.

"Oh no, it's happening to them too," Twilight said. "And it's all-"

“AAAHHHHHH!”

"FLUTTERSHY!!" Sunset shouted before running off to where the sound came from, Twilight following close behind. They quickly arrived at the cafeteria and barged in.

"Fluttershy! What... happened here?" Sunset said, looking around the cafeteria. The whole cafeteria is covered from top to bottom in cookie dough.

"I-it just exploded?" Aiko said, picking off some dough from her clothes.

"Exploded?" Twilight asked.

"We were just decorating the cookies and-"

"And I was like, you need more sprinkles, and you need more sprinkles," Pinkie said, interrupting Fluttershy.

"So... standard Pinkie stuff?" Sunset asked.

"This is normal for her?" Aiko asked.

"I was just tossing sprinkles to Fluttershy when all of a sudden they glowed pink and exploded," Pinkie said, tossing a handful of sprinkles. Fearing what's about to happen, Aiko quickly ducked down just in time when it exploded. "Just like that, only earlier."

"Okay... maybe you should stop touching things for a while," Sunset said, taking Pinkie's hands away from the sprinkles.

"Um... Fluttershy? Were you just talking to the birds?" Sunset heard Aiko say and saw Fluttershy with a bunch of birds perched on her arms.

"Um... yes?" Fluttershy said, unsure.

They were soon joined by Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow, who all got some kind of power. And with the realization that they get powers from something inside the camp thanks to Rainbow, Twilight felt even more guilty.

"Being at camp is giving us all new magical abilities!" Pinkie said.

"Not all of us. Aiko or I haven't got any. But Twilight-" Twilight quickly shook her head. "... hasn't either."

"So much for my theory that leaving CHS would mean leaving any new magic business behind," Applejack said.

"Maybe it's the forum?" Rainbow asked.

"No. This doesn't seem like something the forum would do. Plus, I've been checking on the forum since we got here just to be safe," Sunset said. "Something at the camp must be making this happen."

"Um... Gaia Everfree?" Fluttershy asked. But before anyone could respond, the doors to the cafeteria swung open. "Ahhhh!" Fluttershy screamed at the shadow, who became Gloriosa with a bunch of clothes for Applejack after she stepped out the blinding doorway.





That night Aiko couldn't sleep. Too many things were going on in her head. They were just supposed to have fun in the camp, but now they are all trying to figure out what's up with all the powers they are getting—everyone except her. And then there's the whole thing with Twilight that she's still trying to understand, and she thinks everything is happening because of her. She even sat away from them when they made paper lanterns. She really wanted to help her, but how. While thinking about all this, she heard the sound of clothes rubbing each other and the sound of someone walking. She had a pretty good idea who it was but pretended to be asleep until she left. She looked at the other side of the tent, and sure enough, Twilight was nowhere to be found. She also found out that her bag is also lost along with Spike. Without thinking twice, she quickly got up from her bed and made her way outside the tent. She saw Twilight running off into the forest with Spike. She quickly ran after her. After a bit of running, she quickly caught up to her.

"Twilight!" Twilight stopped dead in her tracks before looking back. "W... where are you going?"

"I... we are meeting a cab to take us home," She said.

"What? Why? Is it because-"

"Yes! I'm infecting everyone. Don't come close to me. If I leave now, then everyone will be safe."

"And then what? Keep running? Leave us? Do you think that's going to work?" Aiko asked, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"M-maybe. If it will keep you safe-"

"Then who will keep you safe? We can help you."

"No, you can't. She's in me. I can feel it," Twilight said.

"No, she isn't. Please Twilight. Let's go back to the camp. We can talk about this in the morning with the other-"

"I said no! Why do you keep trying to help me! I'm just going to hurt you and everyone else! Just leave me!"

"I can't- I won't!"

"Why!"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!!" Aiko shouted. Everything went quiet after that. After she realized what she just said, she gasped and looked at Twilight in fear.

"Y-you... what?" Twilight asked in shock.

"I-I... I..." Aiko choked on her own words. "I... love you, okay?" She finally said, looking away.

"W... why...?"

"I-I don't know why exactly. I just know. It's been like this for a while now. I just feel really weird around you. A-and I c-couldn't stop thinking about you. B-but I was a-afraid."

"A-afraid?"

Aiko nodded.

"I-I didn't know if you are o-okay with it. A-and I didn't understand what I was r-really f-feeling. B-but then when we g-got here. Timber s-started flirting with you, and I hated seeing it. And then Flash started talking to you and I was afraid you'd get together with him or something. And... I- I, it just dawned on me suddenly when I saw you talking with Timber earlier... what exactly I was feeling."

"W-why didn't you say anything?" Twilight asked.

"I felt like I-I didn't have a c-chance. A-and I was afraid that... you wouldn't l-like me back..."

"Aiko..." Twilight said, getting closer to Aiko. She stopped for a while, thinking about what she should do before she hugged her.

"I-I'm sorry..." Aiko said, burying her face on Twilight's shoulder.

"I-it's okay, Aiko. It's okay."

"Huh... asking you to stay is out of the question now, isn't it? You wouldn't want to stay with me," Aiko said.
Hearing the hurt in her voice, Twilight broke away from the hug and quickly responded.

"What no! I... I'll stay..."

"Y-you will?" Aiko asked, surprised.

"Y-yeah... I don't mind... s-staying with you. B-but I don't know much about relationships. I'll need to do research first. I need to ask Rarity about teen romance books, when things are appropriate, and at what stages of the relationship. I like holding hands or cuddling, and when k-kissing can start," Twilight said with a slight blush that went unnoticed in the night while she brought her two pointer fingers together.

"We could start with some hands-on experiences until we get back to Canterlot. We can learn together? How does that sound?" Aiko suggested keeping Twilight from a downwards spiral of research muttering.

"I-," Twilight started before she was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. "What's that?" Twilight asked.

"I don't-" Aiko was cut short when they saw the moonlight shining off of an ax blade.

"Ahhhhh!" They both shouted in fear, hugging each other before they were engulfed in a flash of light. When the light dimmed, they were nowhere to be found.

"What the? What was that?" They heard the ax wielder say, who turned out to be Timber. "Ugh, Gloriosa, what did you do now?" He whispered to himself.

"Why did something happen?" a voice asked behind him.

"Ahh!" Timber jumped in surprise before he saw it was just Sunset holding Spike. "Oh, it's just you."

"Yeah, you seem jumpy what happened?" Sunset asked.

"Nothing! Nothing. Uh... what... what are you doing here?" Timber asked.

"I just got a little thirsty, and I heard Spike running off into the forest. I just came to get him. What if something happened to the little guy?" Sunset said, hugging Spike. Spike, for his part, looked annoyed. "What are you doing here with an ax in the middle of the night?"

"Oh, I... was chopping down firewood," Timber said, pulling a cart filled with wood. "I saw we are out of firewood for tomorrow's campfire. If I didn't do it now, it's just going to be another thing for Gloriosa to worry about."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Are you coming?"

"No. It's beautiful tonight. I'm going to stay for a while."

"Aren't you afraid? Because Gaia Everfree~" Timber said in a spooky voice.

"Huh. I'm not afraid of an old story. She's probably someone you made up."

"Well, suit yourself. Just scream if you need help."

"Yeah yeah, like how you did just now," Sunset smirked. Timber smiled at her joke before going back to the camp pushing the cart. Sunset's smirk quickly faded when she saw gem dust falling off of Timber's pockets. "Huh, interesting."

After he went out of sight, Sunset looked up at a nearby tree.

"Do I need to know what you two are doing up there in the middle of the night?" Sunset asked, looking at the two girls hugging each other in fear.

"Y-yeah about that, we-" Twilight started, but all of a sudden, she lost her hold on the tree. "Ahhh!"

"Twilight!" Both Aiko and Sunset said while Sunset lifted her hands to catch them in her telekinesis. Aiko quickly grabbed Twilight's hand when they were engulfed in a bright light before reappearing on the ground.

"Huh, so it was you," Sunset said, lowering her arms and giving Aiko a hand.

"Y-yeah, b-but I don't understand. I'm not a unicorn," Aiko said, getting up and helping Twilight. "Nor is she, so how can we do unicorn magic?"

"Hm... there's something else giving us these powers, just like Rainbow said. So it doesn't have to be what your pony forms can do," Sunset noticed how Twilight flinched. "Twilight? What's going on? Why are you two here? And why do you have your- are you leaving?"

"I-I..." Twilight stammered.

"Twilight, please talk to me," Sunset said, but Twilight kept looking away. "Well, you leave me no choice. I'm sorry."

"What do you-" Twilight got interrupted when all of a sudden Sunset touched her, and everything went white. When she regained her vision, she saw Sunset looking at her in concern. "What- What did you do?"

"I looked into your memories," Sunset said.

"You- what?"

"Yeah, that's the power I got. But it doesn't matter. Twilight, why didn't you talk to any of us?"

"B-because... I... I'm infecting you."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's just like Rainbow said. Something at the camp is giving these powers. It's me. I'm the one doing it," Twilight said, pointing to herself.

"What? That doesn't make any sense. It's not you," Sunset said.

"Then who? She's still in me. I can feel her. She's the one doing all this!" Twilight yelled.

"Twilight," Sunset said, placing a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Listen to me. I'm talking from experience so you know I'm right. Scientific fact and all that, she's gone, Midnight Sparkle is not here. Those nightmares aren't real. You just had a traumatic experience, so it's normal to have those nightmares. That's why you need to talk to us. Your friends, your family. We can help you."

"B-but, what if you are wrong?" Twilight asked with tearful eyes.

"I'm not. I can feel magic. I don't feel anything bad about you. If you did have dark magic, I'd be the one to notice first. For multiple reasons, one I was trained in magic, so I know what to look for. Two, I'm extra sensitive to dark magic, having experienced its effect from the crown and the dazzlings. And three, I'm an alicorn that was created by the Elements of Harmony. The magic I feel from you is more similar to harmonic magic than dark magic. We've been together a lot. If you were filled with dark magic, I would have known already and taken steps to free you from it," Sunset said. "Come on now. Let's head back to the tent. After all, you two have more pressing matters to worry about, don't you?" Sunset said, winking at Aiko. The two girls visibly blushed as Aiko stammered.

"W-what are- what are you talking about?" Aiko asked.

"Spike told me what happened here," Sunset said, walking back to the tents.

"Spike!" Twilight said.

"What? Weren't you gonna tell them?" Spike asked innocently.

"We- well- I... just... let's just go. We are gonna have a talk about personal privacy later, okay, Spike?" Twilight said, glaring at Spike before she dragged Aiko away. Unseen by either of them, Sunset raised a fist to Spike, who happily bumped his paw against hers. Sunset smiled before gently placing him on the ground and reaching in her back pocket to toss Spike a milk bone before walking back to her tent. Meanwhile, Spike happily munched on his bone before also heading back inside with Twilight and Aiko.





The next morning, everyone gathered at the docks to finish repairing it. Twilight wanted to stay alone for a while to get her thoughts in order, and Aiko respected her wishes and joined the girls. But even while hammering at the wood planks with Applejack, her mind kept wandering over to what happened yesterday night.

She still couldn't believe that she confessed to Twilight accidentally, and she seemed okay with it. They still needed to talk more about it, but Twilight didn't seem like she hated her, so she would take that as a plus.

"I know I said we should stop thinking all this magic business, but I can't. What if I hammered the wood into splinters?" Aiko heard Applejack say, but unfortunately for her, she stopped paying attention to what Applejack was saying. "Aiko!"

"Y-yeah, what?" Aiko said, startled.

"I asked if you have any more nails," Applejack said.

"O-oh yeah, I... I... where are they?" Aiko said, looking around her.

"Here you go!" They heard Pinkie say while throwing a box full of nails at Applejack.

"Pinkie, no!!" Fearing what was about to happen, Applejack jumped onto the ground while Rarity summoned a shield that knocked over Rainbow and Fluttershy. Aiko, in her panic, teleported away and landed with a thud on one of the arts and crafts tables from yesterday.

"Urgh..." Aiko groaned while sitting up.

"Here," Aiko heard Sunset say as she gave her a hand.

"Wait, Aiko got a power too?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah... I can teleport now," Aiko said, walking up to them with Sunset.

"I'm really sorry, girls. I didn't mean to. I don't know how to control this," Rarity said.

"It's okay," Rainbow said, reassuring Rarity.

"None of us do," Fluttershy said.

"That's why we shouldn't be afraid of this," Sunset said.

"Oh yeah, you got another power," Rainbow said, a little annoyed.

"You do? What is it?" Applejack asked.

"I can read people's minds when I touch them."

"Really!? Try me try me!" Pinkie shouted, holding out her hand. Sunset touched her hand, activating her power, which she soon came to regret.

Her face turned into one of horror before shakily saying, "I going to need to find a way to forget that."

"Hehe, sorry, Sunny," Pinkie said.

Shaking her head, Sunset addressed the girls, "Pinkie's mind aside, we shouldn't just try and forget about these powers, just because it doesn't seem like it is not the ideal time to get them. Trust me. You'll feel a lot better knowing how to use these powers if the time ever comes. We can make things better with this. So what do you say?" Sunset asked.

Everyone looked at each other before they all nodded.

"Let's do this, girls," Applejack said while everyone shouted in agreement.

With their newfound determination, the seven girls started to rebuild the dock with their powers. Sunset helped them as much as she can to get their hang on the powers, and they were able to finish the dock in record time.

"That was awesome!" Rainbow shouted while looking at the finished dock with the rest of the students.

"It was fast," Applejack said.

"Hey, are any of you tired after using your powers?" Sunset asked.

"I'm not," Aiko said.

"Me neither," Rainbow said.

"Hm... just like I thought. Whatever is giving us these powers is also powering us up; otherwise, you would all be exhausted zombies by now," Sunset said, ignoring how Pinkie giggled and began imitating a zombie. "We gotta find what that is before leaving. For now, get some rest. I'll go find Twilight. Come on, Aiko," Sunset said, beckoning Aiko to follow.

"Do you think something happened that we don't know about?" Rarity asked as Sunset and Aiko left, using her shield to push a slobbering Pinkie away from her.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, Aiko looked like her mind was elsewhere the whole time. And, Sunset asked Aiko to come with her to find Twilight."

"Well, she did seem distracted, but this ain't one of your fictional detective novels, Rares. She probably asked Aiko because she's her roommate," Applejack said, unknowingly causing Rarity to begin ranting about her mystery books being perfectly realistic.





Back with Sunset and Aiko, they had to pass a storage cabin to get to the tents. While passing the cafeteria, they heard the voices of Timber and Gloriosa talking about something from inside. And whatever it is, it didn't sound like a friendly talk.

"Wait, Aiko, listen," Sunset said, walking up to the door.

"Uh... should we be eavesdropping on them?" Aiko asked.

"I know it seems wrong, but something fishy is going on with those two."

"Like what?"

"Shh..."

"Argh... this is all too much for you. You have to let it go!"

"Like that," Sunset said as they heard Timber shouting from the inside.

"What?"

"Yest- they are coming, hide," Sunset said as she and Aiko ducked down when the door suddenly swung open. They watched as the two in question walked back to the camp without them noticing.

"Listen, something is going on. I think Timber wants the camp to be closed," Sunset said.

"What? Why would he want to do that?" Aiko asked.

"I don't know. But when the dock got destroyed, we found that the water got colored by something, and Rarity found some rainbow-colored dust when the earthquake hit. Finally, yesterday, when I met Timber that night, I saw some of that dust falling from his pockets."

"So you are saying Timber is the cause for the magic?"

"I'm not sure, but we have to find out. I'll go keep an eye on him. You find Twilight."

"Hai," Aiko nodded as they turned to leave, only to be stopped by Flash.

"Sunset? Aiko? What are you two doing hiding there?" He asked.

"I... we... uh... Aiko was helping me look for my earing," Sunset said, the first thing that came into her mind. "There it is," Sunset said, quickly picking up a random rock from the ground.

"Oh, that's good. I think I'll go find Twilight then. Bye!" Aiko quickly said as she was still uncomfortable around Flash. Sunset narrowed her eyes as Aiko ditched her high and dry with Flash.

"Sunset? Did something happen?" Flash asked.

"What no, nothing happened, why do you ask?" Sunset asked awkwardly, smiling.

"We used to date. Yes, you didn't actually like me, but I know that something's bothering you," Flash said.

Sunset let out a sigh, "Well... you know everything's been strange since coming here? I have an idea who might be doing it, but I'm not sure if it's actually them. And my friends are also going through some issues of their own that I can't help them with," Sunset said.

"I see... looks like you have a lot going on. Listen, I don't know what's actually happening or how to help you, but I will be there for you, okay? I mean, uh, I know you and Fluttershy are a thing now, but I was thinking. Maybe we, uh you and me that is, could start over? As just friends?"

Sunset opened her mouth to respond but seeing something behind Flash made her stop.

"Um... yeah, sounds good. Sorry, I gotta go," Sunset said before quickly walking towards the forest.

"Y-yeah... great talking to you..."





Aiko quickly made her way towards the tents. She needs to find Twilight quickly so they can show her that she is not doing anything and it's all someone else. It didn't take long for her to get to her tent as she quickly walked inside.

"Twilight!" Aiko shouted.

"Uh- what?" Twilight asked, looking up from the book she was reading while her cheeks dusted red.

"Um... Sunset wanted to talk to you."

"Talk to me? Why?"

"Well... you see... we managed to finish repairing the-" Aiko stopped when she heard the sound of her phones, notification sound going off. She quickly pulled out her phone and checked the message.

"It's Sunset. She wants us to meet at the rock quarry," Aiko said.

"Isn't that off-limit?" Twilight asked suspiciously.

"Yeah... well... we found something. Come, she'll explain everything when we get there. Now we have to go," Aiko said.

"Fine..." Twilight said before getting off the bed and following Aiko to meet Sunset. They entered the woods and took a path towards the rock quarry.

"Aiko?" Twilight said nervously. "Um... I... about... yesterday..."

"Y-yeah?"

"D-did you really... mean what you s-said...?"

"Y-yeah I did- listen... i-it's okay if y-you-"

"No! I-I mean... um... m-maybe we can... s-start off... somewhere?" Twilight asked, looking away from Aiko as her cheeks turned a bright red.

"Um... y-yeah I-"

"Aiko! Twilight! There you are," Their awkward conversation came to an end as Sunset called them from the side. "Come on, this way," They walked towards a brush and looked at a cave in front of them. There was a purple light coming from inside.

"What's happening here?" Twilight asked.

"Gaia Everfree, or someone that wants us to think that she is back," Sunset said before walking towards the cave, waving to the other two to follow.

They entered the cave and looked around at the scene before them.

"Sugoi... this place is beautiful," Aiko said, looking around.

Twilight nodded.

"There's... equestrian magic here. I can feel it," Sunset said.

"Wait, I thought Gaia Everfree wasn't real, so Timber lied to us?" Spike asked.

"Timber? What does he have to do about this?" Twilight asked.

"Nothing," They heard someone saying from the shadows interrupting Sunset. The person then walked out of the shadows revealing Gloriosa. "It was all me."

"G-Gloriosa? I thought it was Timber that wanted to make it look like Gaia was back. It was you? Why do you want to scare us away?" Sunset asked, confused.

"I would never. All I ever wanted was to save this camp," Gloriosa said, walking towards a pedestal with three gems on it. Sunset, thinking quick, caught Gloriosa's hand when she moved past her as she activated her newfound magic. Sunset's eyes glowed white as she saw Gloriosa's memories. She let go of her hand as she saw everything that she wanted to know.

"Ti... Timber wasn't talking about letting go of the camp. He was talking about letting go of the magical geodes," Sunset said, looking at the five geodes around Gloriosa's neck as she finally figured out what was going on.

"How did you know that?" Gloriosa asked, surprised. "And how do you know about magic?"

"Oh, we know about magic," Sunset said. "And we also know that you should give those up before it harms anyone."

"No! I need more power. I need to save this camp."

"Sunset is right. Too much of it can corrupt you if you don't know how to control it. Trust me, I speak from experience," Twilight begged.

"Oh, I know how to control it. Don't worry. I got this!" Gloriosa said as she palmed all three geodes from the pedestal and used their power to bind the girls in vines before adding them to her necklace.

"No, stop!" The girls shouted. But they were too late as the necklace glowed in a sickly green color as the geodes combined into a necklace. In bright light, Gloriosa transformed in front of their eyes.

"Sorry girls, I know what I need to do. But I feel like we are not on the same page," Gloriosa or Gaia Everfree said while floating towards the exit.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Sunset said before she was engulfed in fire. She spread the fire around her in an explosion as it incinerated the vines binding them.

"WHAT!? How did you?" Gloriosa quickly moved away from a small fireball that Sunset sent her way. She tried to use that moment to take the geodes, but Gloriosa was faster. "NO!!!" She shouted as she sent even more vines blocking the girl's path. Gloriosa quickly moved out of the cave before using her magic to close the exit using two large boulders.

"She's getting away!" Aiko shouted. She tried concentrating her power to teleport.

"Aiko, no!" Sunset shouted as Aiko stopped. They were already too late as the boulders closed the exit.

"What- Why?" Aiko asked in confusion. Sunset used her magic to send out another wave of fire to incinerate the vines.

"Don't use your powers here. You are still getting used to it, and using it in an enclosed unfamiliar area could be dangerous," Sunset said, walking towards the exit.

"How?" Aiko asked.

"Think about it, if you make a mistake and you teleport a part of your body near or in a wall, what will happen to that part of your body?"

Aiko and Twilight's faces paled as the mental image forced itself into their minds.

"O-oh, I-I see," Aiko said, shuddering.

"Yea, that's why when unicorns practice that field of magic, they do it in a wide-open space. Only unicorns that master it are allowed to use it without supervision and it takes a lot of time to do it."

"But what do we do now? We are trapped in here," Twilight said.

Sunset concentrated her powers on the boulders hoping to lift them up. But all that happened was the boulders glowing in a light red color.

"Ugh... I can't. It's too heavy, and the magic here is still very weak. If this happened in Equestria, I might be able to move them, but telekinesis isn't my strong suit," Sunset said.

"Can't you teleport us?" Aiko asked.

"No. It'll take too lot out of me. The only reason I can use pyromancy here is that the elements help me," Sunset said. "But, Twilight, you should be able to lift these."

"What! How am I supposed to do that if you can't do it?" Twilight asked in fear.

"Because the geodes power you up. You should be able to do this. I'll help you, but I'm going to need your help."

"B-but... what if..."

"Twilight, listen to me," Aiko said, getting in front of Twilight and holding her shoulders. "Twilight, I know you are afraid, but you saw with your own eyes that it's those geodes that give us powers, not you. Gloriosa even admitted that everything happened because of her. Nothing is going to happen, Twilight."

"I-I... but I can still f-feel her."

"Of course you can because everyone has a dark side. You, me, Sunset, and everyone alive have two sides of themselves. But what matters is that you control them. Do you want to let them control you, or do you want to control them?" Aiko said, looking at Twilight's eyes.

"But... what if I-I fail-"

"You won't! Do you know why I love you? It's because you are strong, smart, and you think a lot about your friends. You don't back off from a challenge. All the time we spent together, I saw a girl that I could look up to. I'm not as bright as you. I'm not sociable like you. You made a lot of friends outside the girls while I can't. And knowing how you used to be and how you are now, I want to be like you. You can do this Twilight. I know you can."

A silence spread among them. No one said anything for a while. Aiko looked away from Twilight and sighed before she walked to the side. Twilight, on her part, couldn't believe what she was hearing. Everything Aiko just said felt unreal to her.

"Maybe there's another exit?" She heard Spike saying from the background.

"Maybe, but it'll be a while before we can find anything," Sunset said. "Maybe you can slip through the boulders and warn the others. But then again, she may be already-" Sunset stopped when she heard the sound magic and looked behind her.

"Twilight?" Aiko said.

"We are getting out of here," Twilight said in determination as she tightened her eyes in concentration.

"Yeah, Twilight, you can do this!" Spike shouted in encouragement.

"Woah, your telekinesis is stronger than I could ever imagine," Sunset said as they watched in amazement at Twilight lifting two giant boulders away from the cave exit. Once they were out of the way, Twilight let go of the magic and huffed in the exhaust.

"Huh huh there-" Twilight was interrupted as she felt someone crash into her and hugged her tightly.

"Yes! Yatta ne (You did it)!" Aiko shouted in delight but soon realized what she was doing and let go of Twilight.

"U-um... w-we should go," Aiko said as she walked past Twilight with a very bright red face.

"As much as I wanna see more of these, she's right, let's go," Sunset said as she ran back towards the camp. Aiko started to follow her, but Twilight stopped her.

"Aiko? Um... do you... really look up to me?" Twilight asked, looking down.

"U-um, y-yeah," Aiko said quietly in embarrassment. Twilight smiled lightly with a blush adorning her face.

"Thanks," She said before she ran after Sunset. Aiko stared after her before she came to her senses and quickly ran to catch up with Twilight.

When they both caught up to Sunset, they saw her trying to burn down a wall of vines blocking their way.

"Sunset? What's the matter?" Aiko asked.

"Ugh... it's no use. They're growing faster than I can burn them. She might have used her magic to make them resistant to my fire. It's taking too long to burn them now," Sunset said.

"What do we do now?"

"Allow me," Twilight said, stepping forth with a determined face. "If I can hold them apart, we'll be able to move past them," Twilight said before closing her eyes. After a quiet moment, her magic quickly enveloped the vines and pried them apart.

"Let's go," Sunset said, quickly crossing the wall through the newly made hole with Aiko, Twilight, and Spike behind her. They saw that Gloriosa was using the geodes to cover the campground in a giant vine cocoon.

"Sunset! Twilight! Aiko! You guys are okay!" Rainbow shouted.

"Gloriosa, stop! This isn't you. You have to stop this!" Timber shouted, trying to get his sister's attention.

"That isn't your sister. It's someone who's been consumed by magic," Sunset said, helping Timber to get back up.

"Whoever you are, you have to let my sister go. Please, Gloriosa, come back. I need you," Timber begged to no avail before a bunch of vines trapped him like the rest. Sunset and Twilight moved away just in time.

Gloriosa suddenly sent out a wave of magic as the vine cocoon closed from above, and a bunch of vines started to appear all around them, trying to crush them. All the girls gathered together in place, trying to fight back.

"Ahhh!" Rarity screamed as one of the vines grabbed Rarity by hand. "Let go!"

"Rarity!" Applejack shouted, but before she was able to help her, an ax came on top of the vine severing it.

"You okay?" Aiko asked as she lifted the ax she was holding.

"Where did you get that?" Rarity asked, throwing the vine aside.

"Just found it lying on the ground."

"It's gonna crush us!" Rainbow shouted.

"Rarity!" Applejack shouted, to which Rarity used her power to make a diamond shield around them.

"Ugh... it's too strong," Rarity said, holding the shield up. They could see cracks appearing on the shield.

"Can't you burn them?" Rainbow asked Sunset.

"Not anymore. Her magic made them resistant to my fire," Sunset said, hugging Fluttershy tightly. "Twilight, maybe you can pull the vine apart like before and take the geodes."

"B-but... there's a lot of them," Twilight said.

"Besides, if Rarity lowers the shields now, we'll be over," Aiko said.

"Maybe you can teleport me up there."

"B-but Sunset said-"

"It's the only way."

"She's right, Aiko. You have to do this," Sunset said. "You already know the way around the camp. Just make a clear image of where you want to go in your head. You need to really focus on it."

"I... I..."

"Aiko?" Twilight said, holding Aiko's shoulders. "Let's do this together," Twilight said, looking at Aiko's eyes.

"I don't mean to sound rude, darlings but hurry!" Rarity shouted.

Aiko nodded before holding onto Twilight and closing her eyes.

"I can do this."
"They are counting on me."

Aiko released her breath, she didn't notice she was holding. Then she, along with Twilight, pony-uped as they were suddenly engulfed in a flash of light before disappearing. They then reappeared above, just beside where Gloriosa is.

"Ha! You did it!" Twilight said.

"Ha, yeah. Now it's your turn," Aiko said. Twilight nodded before she glared in concentration as she used her magic on the vines covering Gloriosa. They were proved to be harder than the wall, but sure enough, they slowly began to move apart. Unfortunately, Twilight didn't notice the vine that was trying to hit her from the side.

"No, you don't!" Aiko shouted before swinging her ax at the vine. More vines started to attack them as Aiko tried her best to cover Twilight.



"Almost..." Twilight said, gritting her teeth.

A vine smacked Aiko from behind, and she lost the weapon from her hand. A couple more grabbed her by the arms, and she flew backward to resist them.

"Twilight!" Aiko shouted. Just then, the vines covering Gloriosa pried open as Twilight grabbed onto the geodes using her magic.

"Gotcha!" Twilight said while pulling the geodes away from Gloriosa, and the vines stopped attacking them.

All of a sudden, the geodes started to glow brightly, blinding them all. When everyone opened their eyes, they saw the geodes floating in front of all the girls. That was when the geodes flashed again before they were engulfed in a flash of light. The geodes transformed in front of their very eyes into a necklace. Their clothes also changed into a more regal-looking outfit. Once the transformation was finished, they released a wave of rainbow light that destroyed all the vines covering the campground. Once all the light show was over, the girls descended back down to the ground as the now free students cheered on them.

"Wicked," Aiko said in disbelief as she looked at her outfit and her green necklace. Her outfit was changed into a Japanese kimono, with her family Kamon near her shoulders. Her Cutie Mark was also etched on her right shoulder on her undershirt. She also had a traditional hairstyle with white makeup on her face like a geisha, with her glasses changed into a visor, like Twilight's, that was hovering over her eyes. Speaking of, she looked up to look at Twilight and saw that she was staring at her with wide eyes. Aiko did the same as she looked at Twilight, with both of them turning red as the same thought ran through their heads.

"She's so beautiful."

"What are these?" They were snapped out of their trance when they heard Applejack talk.

"I'm not sure," Sunset said. "But clearly, we have some kind of connection to them."

"I almost don't care what they are. They are absolutely gorgeous," Rarity said. "Ohhh, and they will totally go alone for the other collection I was working on for the camp fashion show!" Rarity said before she realized something. "That's... probably canceled, isn't it?"
"Not if I can help it," Sunset said.





Once the camp was saved from magic, it's now time to save the camp from Filthy Rich. It wasn't that hard with the girls using their powers to clean up the camp and set the crystal cave for a musical showcase so they can place a fundraiser to save the camp. Aiko was able to play with Rainbooms on an actual show for the first time, and she had a lot of fun.

Once the musical showcase was over, the girls opened up the stage for other people to perform, and they all joined the other students to enjoy the party. Twilight was currently fixing some light bulbs that were loosely hanging on the cave ceiling when she heard Timber's voice.

"Not to brag or anything, but it was pretty cool how I saved all the campers from those Rubus fruticosus," Timber said before further explaining at the confused looks around. "Blackberry brambles."

"I'm familiar with the genus," Twilight said, giggling. "It's just a little weird that you say you saved the campers. I thought I did."

"Yeah. But I saved you from falling on the docks so that you could save the campers. So technically, it was all me."

"Hehe... I'm glad I met you, but... well..."

"I know. I'm too late," Timber said, smiling sadly.

"Oh, you knew?" Twilight asked, surprised.

"It didn't lose on me how she looked at me whenever I was near you. Especially at the docks when I caught you, that was... intense," He said with a shudder. "Well... maybe we can be... friends?"

"Yeah... of course," Twilight said.

"Hey, Timber?" They heard the voice of Gloriosa. "Can you come here for a while? There are some donors I really want you to meet. They were good friends with mom and dad."

"Yeah," Timber said before turning back to Twilight. "Well... see you around," Timber said as Twilight looked at the retreating form of Timber. She then looked back only to see the dumbfounded faces of her friends except for Sunset and Aiko, who were absent.

"T-Twilight? Did you just reject him?" Rarity asked.

"And you're already seeing someone?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah... actually... I... do..." Twilight said awkwardly.

"Who's is?" Rarity asked.

"Well... it's-"

"Here you go, Twi," She heard Aiko calling her as she passed her a cup of punch.

"T-thanks," Twilight said, taking the cup as she held Aiko's hand with her other arm while blushing.

"Y-you two?" Rarity said in disbelief. "Oh, I knew it. I told you something was going on between the two of them, Applejack. You know what that means, right?"

"Come on now, Rarity. You aren't really going to make me wear a frilly dress, are ya?"

"Darling, there is only one option for you."

"What option."

"Why, what color do you want your dress to be?"

"Dang it."

"When did you get together?!" Rainbow asked.

"It... just happened...heh," Twilight said while smiling at Aiko.

"Ohhhhhh, this is sooooo great!!!" Pinkie shouted in delight. "I'm going to hold the greatest party for you two!!!" Pinkie shouted while hugging the two girls in question in a bear hug while the girls laughed at her antics.
> Chapter 14 - The Blue Eyed Beast (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day after the camp, Principal Celestia decided to give the girls a break from school, excusing them from all classes. This extra time allowed the girls to slowly get a handle on their powers which was needed as they kept accidentally using them, but they were improving little by little. Today, the girls decided to spend their time at Sunset's workplace. Since it was not a workday for Sunset, she was able to join them at a table. Snowdrop also joined them as she had nothing else to do.

"So, Sunset, when will we look into the forum again?" Twilight asked, looking at Sunset with Snowdrop clinging to her arm. The girls noticed that Sunset and Snowdrop usually hold onto each other, unlike the crusaders and their sisters.

"Well, we'll have to unblock it later today. Chrysi said that the forum is getting harder and harder to contain. It's almost like it's resisting being blocked." Sunset said.

"That's bad," Fluttershy said from beside Sunset.

"Don't worry; we can take care of it. Especially with all these powers we got."

"Yeah, this is like a real-life anime. If only we had a katana that could cut through anything. That'd be so awesome!" Rainbow yelled out.

"Don't be ridiculous, Rainbow. There isn't a sword like that," Twilight said as she typed away on her laptop.

"Oh yeah? What do you know about Japanese katanas? They are made from the strongest of metals forged over the years by master wordsmiths."

"Actually, Rainbow-chan, traditional Japanese swords are pretty weak compared to a European long sword. You can, of course, fold the blade to make it stronger. However, with more folding and layers, the greater the risk of internal cracks resulting in a complete failure of the blade structurally speaking, causing the blade to shatter or bend. While it's true that katanas are wonderful cutting blades, the long sword was by far more versatile," Aiko said matter-of-factly.

"What! What do you mean?"

"Japan didn't have a lot of iron deposits. It was very scarce. So we had to use a special mixed metal which is strong enough to take some blows but is still weaker. As a matter of fact, in the Sengoku era, people didn't use swords on the battlefield often. They mostly used Yaris. The most common weapon during the Japanese warring states was the bows. The katanas and other swords were usually used as a last resort, and typically only samurai, mostly on horseback using bows, would wield the katana again as a last-ditch effort to survive. Some did survive, but most were killed."

"Wait, so it was all a lie?"

"Uh... yeah. Unless if it's some kind of magical sword or a sci-fi sword like the HF Blade, yeah."

"Oh, man. Hey Sunset-"

"No, Rainbow, we don't have a sword that can cut through anything like butter. Even if there is, I'm not going to give you a sword like that," Sunset said.

"Speaking of, Aiko, you have some muscle there, don't you?" Rarity said, looking at Aiko's arms, making her blush.

"Wait, really?" Rainbow asked, looking at Aiko's arms making the girl blush even harder.

"Yeah, we didn't notice before since you wear long-sleeved clothes for school. Do you work out?" Applejack asked.

"A-actually, I kind of practice HEMA."

"Wait, really? Wait, why don't you practice Iaido?" Rainbow asked.

"What's that?" Pinkie asked.

"Well... it's a traditional Japanese sword drawing practice, which I do actually... kind of. You see... my dad practiced HEMA before he went to Japan for college. There, he learned Iaido. He then made his own technique using both practices and taught me that."

"Wow, that's so awesome," Rainbow said.

"Looks like you found yourself a samurai, didn't you, Twi?" Rarity said to Twilight, making the two girls blush.

"Oh, oh, I just realized we have two couples, and both of them have a swordswoman. Oh-oh, a samurai and a knight," Pinkie said.

"Musketeer would be a better term," Sunset said.

As the girls laughed and talked for a while, enjoying their meal, they failed to notice someone entering the restaurant. Fortunately, Snowdrop was able to notice them thanks to her acute hearing when they talked.

"Grandma?" She said while the girls stopped what they were doing and looked at Snowdrop.

"What?" Sunset asked.

"It's grandma," Snowdrop said, pointing at the counter. Sure enough, she and Sunset's Grandma were at the counter ordering food.

"I-It is. Come on, let's go say hi," Sunset said, encouraging Snowdrop. The two slowly made their way towards their Grandma and suddenly hugged her, startling her.

"Ah... oh, Sunset? Snowdrop?" Solar Wind asked, surprised.

"Hey grandma," Snowdrop said, smiling at her.

"What are you doing here?" Sunset asked.

"Oh... we were going to surprise you two. Well, I guess it's out the window now, huh? We're going to stay a couple of days with you all down here."

"Really!?!" Sunset and Snowdrop asked in unison. "Well, we wouldn't have noticed you if it weren't for Snowdrop. You can never hide anything from her ears."

"Hehe. Are you here with your friends?" Solar Wind asked, looking at the group of girls with Pinkie waving her hand frantically with a giant grin.

"Yea, here I'll introduce them to you," Sunset said.

"Excuse me, here's your order," They heard the cashier call them. "Is Sunset your granddaughter?" She asked.

"Why yes, she is. Why do you ask?" Solar Wind asked.

"We give a discount for family members of the staff," She said.

"Wait, really?" Sunset asked.

"Don't you know that? We already did that for you and Snowdrop."

"Oh, I had no idea."

"It was in the fine print. Did you not read it?" She asked Sunset, who blushed slightly at being caught, "Well, now you do," The cashier said, taking the money from Solar Wind. Once she got the food, they made their way over to the table where Sunset's friends were sitting.

"Hey guys, this is our grandma Solar Wind," Sunset said as they got to the table.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm Applejack." Applejack said, tipping her hat.

"Rarity. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hii!! It's so nice to meet our Sunny's Grandma. I'm Pinkie Pie, and if you have any party emergencies, just call me," Pinkie said as she began to explain party ideas.

"My... aren't you full of energy," Solar Wind said.

"Hi, I'm Rainbow, the coolest girl you'll ever meet," Rainbow interrupted Pinkie's party-filled rant, pointing at herself.

"And the most boastful," Applejack said.

"Hey!"

"Twilight Sparkle, ma'am," Twilight said.

"Twilight? Do you know Cadence?" Solar Wind asked.

"Yes, actually. She and my brother are engaged."

"Oh, she told me about you. Said you were a bookworm always thinking about studying."

"I-I'm not... not anymore at least," Twilight said, blushing.

"You still are, actually. Just a bit healthier now," Sunset said.

"And you are?" Solar Wind asked, looking at Aiko.

"I'm Aiko Whiskers, Hajimemashite (Nice to meet you)," Aiko said, standing up and bowing.

"Oh, you are Japanese. Well, it's great to meet you." Solar Wind said before looking at Fluttershy. "And you must be this Fluttershy girl I heard so much about."

"Oh... um... y-yes... I'm F-Fluttershy," She said, not quite hiding in her hair, but she was definitely playing with it in nervousness.

"Oh ho. You weren't kidding when you said she's shy," Solar Wind said. "Come now. I'm really glad Sunset met such a fine young girl like you."

"Um... t-thanks," Fluttershy said as she hid behind her hair in embarrassment despite the small smile gracing her face at being accepted by Sunset's family.

"Hehe. Anyways, you girls enjoy your day. I better get going, or Moony will get moody because I left him in the car." With that, Solar Wind left the girls to meet up with Crescent Moon.

"I like her," Pinkie said when Solar Wind left.

"Yeah. She and our granny might actually get along pretty well." Applejack said.

"She's the best," Snowdrop said.

"Yeah. And they are going to stay at home for a few days this is the best day ever! I just hope-" Whatever Sunset was about to say got interrupted as Fluttershy covered her mouth and shook her head left and right.

"What?" Sunset asked.

"I know what you are about to say, and please don't say it."

"What? Why wouldn't I- oh yeah. Great save their Fluttershy."

"What? What was she gonna say?" Twilight asked, confused. Before anyone could explain, Pinkie beat them into it.

"She was about to say I hope nothing would happen and get jinxed, and then something will definitely happen." Pinkie said.

"Pinkie!!!" Everyone, minus Twilight and Snowdrop, shouted.

"What?...

...
...

"Oh... oops."





After Pinkie pretty much jinxed their afternoon, the girls decided to head home. They agreed to be vigilant for the day in case the forum decided to do something. Once Sunset and Snowdrop got back home, they saw their Grandma and grandpa looking at a bunch of photos in the living room with Celestia, Luna, and Ari.

"Oh, there you are. You two look really cute as ponies," Crescent Moon said, looking up at the two girls while Ari flew onto Snowdrop's shoulder and nuzzled into her. They were looking at the coronation photos they got.

"So you are a princess now, huh?" Solar Wind said. "Does this mean you are going to go back?"

"What? No, of course not. I might actually have to go there on special occasions. Other than that, this is my home. I never wanted this anyway. At least not for this," Sunset said. "Anyways, how long are you two going to stay here?"

"About a week," Crescent Moon said.

"Great! We have a lot to tell you two."

"Speaking of, Chrysi called me and said the forum is left active," Luna said.

"Oh yes, that. Can I take your computer? I need to get that folder opened up soon."

"Yeah, go ahead. I have nothing to play today anyways."

"Great, I'll be right back," Sunset said before running off to the Moon Lair.

"What's that about?" Solar Wind asked.

"Huh... it's another magic incident," Celestia said, sighing. "She knows what she is doing, but it's really hard to watch her and the girls risk their lives to save others like this."

"You never said anything about this," Crescent Moon asked with a serious tone.

"Well... we didn't want to worry you," Luna said. "At least they have a bunch of new powers now," They then heard Sunset running up from the basement and right onto the couch beside her Grandma while Snowdrop sat next to her grandpa.

"What were you talking about?" She asked.

"About your new problem," Crescent Moon said, dropping Sunset's smile.

"Oh... well... someone gotta do something."

"But why you? You know this is dangerous, right? What if something happens to you?" grandpa asked.

"Because I have to. Normally I would say because I brought magic here, but it was always here. Someone else beat me to it, and comparing it to Equestria, one could say that there is no magic here, but now that I've spent more time here, I can definitely feel the magic, however scarce it is. And I'm the only one who can stop this because I have the knowledge and experience. My friends and I have the power to stop this. If we didn't do it, then it's going to cause a lot more problems."

"Ha... very well. I'm still against this, but maybe you are right. What is this new problem anyways?"

"Well... it's pretty weird, to be honest. Somehow, an old-school forum started making ghost stories real. So now whenever someone posts some kind of rumor, it makes it real, so we have to stop it."

"It even resists being blocked somehow if what Chrysi said was true," Luna said.

"We do have a bunch of new powers now, so it isn't going to be that bad now," Sunset said.

"New powers?" Solar Wind asked.

"Yeah, you see this?" Sunset asked, pointing at the necklace she was wearing. "It's a magical geode we found at the camp. All 8 of us have one, and they gave us new powers. Mine, for instance, gave me the ability to read peoples' memories when I touch them."

"Are you reading my memories now?" Solar Wind asked jokingly.

"What, of course not! I would never do that."

"Hehe. I'm joking, so what do the other girls have?" Solar Wind asked as Sunset pulled out her phone and opened up a picture of the girls.

"Applejack has super strength. Rainbow Dash, just like her name, has super speed. Twi has an advanced version of telekinesis, while Aiko has an advanced version of teleportation. Rarity can make shields, and Pinkie can make sprinkles explosive... which is pretty dangerous now that I think about it. And finally, my little Fluttershy can talk with animals." Sunset finished.

"Didn't she always able to do that?" Snowdrop asked.

"No, well... she did understand them, but not as much as now. She couldn't hold a conversation with an animal unless it was someone like Ari, but now she talks with them like they speak English or something. Or so she said."

"And here I thought we would have a normal family," Crescent Moon said before hugging Snowdrop, who was beside him. Before Crescent Moon's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Not that I'm complaining. Life is too short to be normal. It's far more exciting to be, hmm, shall we say magical."

"How can you complain when it makes you able to turn into an all-powerful bird with ice powers?" Ari said.

"She has powers too?" Solar Wind asked.

"Only when she goes to Equestria where she's apparently a snow phoenix," Sunset said.

"For now~..." Ari said, sending a chill down Sunset's spine. Looking at Luna, she saw she wasn't the only one.





"Aiko, would you come down here, please!" Aiko's mom shouted from the basement. She was looking through a bunch of boxes for something when all of a sudden, there was a bright flash of light.

"Ahh!!! Bikkuri (Oh my God)!!!" She shouted as she saw Aiko appear beside her from the light. "Dame yo (Don't do that)!"

"Gomen nasai (sorry)," Aiko apologized.

"It's okay. Do you remember where the shogi board is?"

"Oh, it's up there. Here let me get that for you," Aiko said, pointing towards a shelf before jumping onto a wooden box near the shelf.

"Careful," Aiko's mom said in concern.

"Don't worry, I got it," Aiko said, pulling the shogi board. "Here,"

"Thank you. Be careful next time, okay?"

"Okay," Aiko said as she passed the board game to her mom.

"So... how are things with you and Twilight?" She asked while they were walking up the stairs.

"Mama... it's only been one day," Aiko said, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry for being worried. I just don't want you to be hurt. It's your mama's job to worry and maybe be slightly curious how things are going."

"I know, mama. But don't worry. We are taking it slow, and it's pretty new for both of us."

"Hm. So... anything happened with your uh... paranormal club?"

"No, and it's not a paranormal club. It's the school newspaper club."

"You know what I meant, Aiko," her mom says sternly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad or worry more. No, it's been quiet lately."

"Good. Remember, you need to keep us in the loop, okay?"

"I know, and I will. Sunset predicts things will pick up soon, what with the block being lifted or, as she put it, 'resisted'," Aiko said before she ran up the stairs to her room.

Once she entered her room, she picked up her switch and resumed playing her game. While playing the game for a while, she heard the notification sound of her phone. Grumbling softly, she paused her game again and picked up her phone. It was a massage from their group chat.







"Post? There's a new one? Speak of the devil, huh?" Aiko asked herself as she pulled down the notification bar and saw that, in fact, there was a new post. "Great," Aiko said, loading up the forum to look at the new post. However, as she saw the username, her blood froze.

"Oh no, not you," Aiko said before quickly reading the new rumor.



-Anon-a-miss -

Hi. This rumor is actually a sad one. There once was a cat that was owned by a girl that lived in Canterlot. She loved the cat so much. In fact, they were inseparable. They often looked out for each other. But one day, the girl got killed. The cat, not knowing what had happened, waited for his friend to return. Even when the family eventually left the town, the cat stayed behind, believing the girl would return. Eventually, the cat died of heartbreak. It is said, you can see the cat roaming around the town, looking for his dear friend.



"Phew, it's nothing dangerous, at least," Aiko said before going back to the chat.

















Aiko sent before running downstairs. There she found her mom preparing food while dad and Grandma are playing shogi. From the looks of it, her dad is losing. She made her way toward them.

"Um... dad? Can I go to Sunset's real quick?" She asked nervously.

"Sunset? What is it now?" Her dad asked.

"Well... it's the forum again."

"Forum? But it's almost dark outside?" Aiko's mom said.

"It's not a dangerous one, actually. We just need to find a cat," Aiko said, handing her dad her phone to look at the new post.

"A cat?" Grandma asked.

"A ghost... cat?"

"A ghost? I don't know..."

"What if I go with her?" Grandma asked, interrupting Aiko's dad.

"Mom?" Aiko's mom asked.

"You would?" Aiko asked.

"Mmhm. It doesn't look like your dad's going to make his move anytime soon. So why not give him some time to think. He's going to lose anyway," Before she leaned in as to stage whisper to Aiko. "He is very predictable, using all the moves from that book I got him."

"I-I'm not! I-I just need some time to strategies."

"Exactly," Grandma said, standing up. "Get dressed; I'll go with you."

Silently celebrating, Aiko typed in a new message.















Aiko quickly ran up to her room and began getting ready to catch a cat. Once done, she went back downstairs and met with her Grandma.

"Junbi dekita (Are you ready)?" Her Grandma asked.

"Yes, Sunset said she'll pick us up," Aiko said as her Grandma nodded.

The two waited for Sunset in the living room. Aiko saw her dad still hadn't made his move. He's gonna lose like always, and he couldn't even cheat because Grandma knew exactly where the pieces were. Aiko also wondered if the Anon-a-miss person might be wrong. For some reason, that name made her uncomfortable, but the latest rumor wasn't like their first one.

They didn't have to wait for long before Aiko received a massage from Sunset and a short 'quiet' honk sounded from outside.

"She's here. Let's go," She said before leaving the house with her Grandma.

"Be careful, you two!" Aiko's mom shouted.

They walked towards the road before a black Chevrolet parked near them. The back seat window was pulled down as they saw it was Sunset.

"Hey, Aiko, ready to hunt the dead?" Sunset asked in an attempt at humor despite the fact that they were hunting a ghost. A cat ghost but still a ghost with unknown abilities. Aiko nodded before making her way to get in the back seat with Sunset with Fluttershy sitting in the middle. Aiko's Grandma took the front seat.

"Good evening," Crescent Moon said to Aiko's Grandma.

"Good evening. I'm Akari Nozomi, hajimemashite (nice to meet you)."

"Hm, I'm Crescent Moon. And you must be Aiko," he asked, looking back at Aiko.

"Hai."

"Hm-hm. So, where to next, the park?" Crescent Moon asked Sunset.

"Yeah. The girls that can make it should be there by now," Sunset said.

"So, Sunset, what's the plan?" Aiko asked.

"Well... the cat doesn't seem like he's out to harm people. So, I think maybe we can split up and search around. Applejack and Rarity couldn't make it. So there are 9 of us."

"Nine?"

"Twilight said her brother also came along with her," Fluttershy said.

"Oh... that's great," Aiko said, hoping it didn't sound as strained to the others as it did her.

"Yeah. We can split up in three and search around. As soon as someone finds the cat, we call the others and meet to help capture or put the cat at peace," Sunset said, noticing the sudden tense air around Aiko but deciding not to call attention to it. It clearly made Aiko uncomfortable, and that was the last thing she wanted to do to her friend.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the park. Everyone else was already there and waiting for them. Crescent Moon parked the car near them and got off with everyone else.

"At last, you guys took forever," Rainbow said as they joined the group.

"We are here, Rainbow. That's what is important. Okay, so here's the plan. We are going to split up in three and search around for the cat. Since he isn't out to cause trouble and is just looking for someone, it shouldn't be too hard. As soon as you find him call the rest of the girls, and we'll meet up," Sunset said.

"Okay. I guess I'll go with Pinkie. You four are going to go together anyway," Rainbow said.

"Okie Dokie," Pinkie said, bouncing towards Rainbow.

"Fine by me. So me and Fluttershy, Twilight and Aiko. What about you three?" Sunset asked the three adults.

"I'll go with Twilight," Shining Armor said. "U-unless you want to join them, ma'am,"

"Haha, is that fear from a young man I hear? Gather your courage. It's your duty as her brother. Go ahead, I'll go with these two," Aiko's Grandma said, walking up to Rainbow and Pinkie.

"Then I guess I'll go with you two," Crescent Moon said to his granddaughter and Fluttershy.

"But what are we gonna do after finding the cat?" Twilight asked.

"I was thinking maybe lead him to the cemetery? Hopefully, if we take him to the girl's tomb, it will put the cat to rest," Sunset said.

"That might work," Twilight said.

"Good. If you don't find anything, return here and wait for the others."





As the search party planned, they all split into groups and searched around the town. Rainbow, Pinkie, and Aiko's Grandma took the eastern part of the city near Crystal Prep. Currently, they were walking along the sidewalk, looking through all the alleyways and rooftops, or in Pinkie's case, somehow appearing in random locations looking for the cat.

"So... you okay with walking all night, ma'am?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh ho, I'm fine. I may be old, but I still got some pep in my step," She said.

"Cool, by the way... uh... don't get this the wrong way, are you... okay with Twi and Aiko?”

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I-I mean... isn't it illegal in Japan?"

"Unfortunately. But we are slowly changing. People need to understand this is no longer the old times. Things change. If we don't change with it, the world is going to leave us behind."

"Yeah."

"So, does Aiko really have a sword?" Pinkie asked from out of nowhere, startling Rainbow to the point that she fell over in a rain puddle, but somehow not Grandma.

"Oh, she told you then. Yes, she does. Custom made just like her father's."

"Great, Pinkie, now I'm all wet."

"Sorry, Rainy."

"Ugh! Anyway, going back to Aiko's sword, that's so cool that she has her own custom-made sword," Rainbow said.

"She's really great at the arts too. Another reason why young Armor is worried about nothing. Young Twilight is in good company," Grandma said. They walked for a bit longer, talking about things and looking out for the cat. They already passed Crystal Prep, and still no sign of the ghost cat.

"Ugh, this is boring. I thought chasing a ghost would be fun," Rainbow said.

"Don't be sad, Rainbow. Who knows, maybe the cat will jump out of nowhere," Pinkie said when all of a sudden, just like she said, a cat jumped in front of them onto the sidewalk. "Oh, see?"

Rainbow and Grandma stopped in their tracks and looked at the cat in disbelief. The cat was all black except for its front paws and chest, where they were white. What stood out the most were its eyes which were glowing blue in the dark. It quickly darted away as soon as it saw the three.

"T-that must be him, call Sunset," Rainbow said before chasing after the cat. Pinkie quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Sunset.
Rainbow panted as she chased the cat through the alleyways. Rainbow was forced into using all her athletic prowess in order to keep up with the cat as it ducked and weaved through trash-filled alleys. That was when she saw the cat on the other side of a chain-link fence. Grunting in annoyance, she used her magic to speed herself up to jump over the fence. The cat proceeded to turn around and run.

"Get back here. I can take you to that girl!" Rainbow shouted in an effort to stop the cat. But the cat was not stopping, nor was he slowing down. "You asked for it. There is one thing you don't have, cat, and that's super speed," Rainbow said to the cat with a smirk before picking up her speed. But just when she was about to catch the cat, it made a hard turn to an ally way, making Rainbow run past him.

"Ugh, why you," Rainbow said before quickly running back to the ally way, but the cat was nowhere to be found. "Great," Rainbow walked inside, looking around for the ghost. "Heeey kitty, kitty," No answer. "Ugh, I wish Flutter was here," Rainbow said lamely.

*crash*

"What the!" Rainbow said, looking at the sound. There, just near a fallen bucket, was the cat. "Gotcha!" Rainbow shouted and jumped at the cat. But just when she brushed the cat's fur, it faded away in blue light. "Huh?" is all Rainbow could say before she was slammed into the wall headfirst.

"Uhg... that hurt."

"DASHIE!!!" Pinkie shouted, running at her with Aiko's Grandma soon behind. "What happened? Where's the cat?"

"It... it disappeared," Rainbow said, rubbing her head.

"It disappeared?" They heard Sunset's voice from Pinkie's phone.

"Yeah. It might even not be here anymore," Rainbow said.

"Great. Get back to the park. We'll keep looking."

With that, the call ended.

"Well... I guess let's head back to the park now," Rainbow asked.

"Yeah," Pinkie said. Rainbow looked at Grandma to see she was staring at the ground.

"Um... you okay, ma'am?" Rainbow asked.

"Hm? Yeah, of course. It's just that cat..."

"What about it?" Pinkie asked.

"Nandemo nai (never mind), let's go."





"So the cat just vanished?" Fluttershy asked as Sunset placed her phone back in her pocket.

"Yeah."

"I mean, it is a ghost," Crescent Moon said.

"But if we can't catch him, then how are we supposed to take him to the cemetery?" Fluttershy asked.

"Aren't you good with Animals? You can talk to them, right? Maybe you can talk with him?"

"Maybe," Fluttershy said before looking at Sunset, who was silent the whole time. "Sunset? Everything okay?"

"What? Yeah, it's just... I've been thinking. This Anon-a-miss person, there's something about them that doesn't feel right," Sunset said.

"What do you mean?" Crescent Moon asked.

"It's just when I look at the name, I feel... sad. And there's definitely magic involved with that name."

"That's not good," Fluttershy said, scared.

"Hm... let's see where this goes."





"So you lived most of your life in America?"

"Y-yeah, I did," Aiko answered Shining's question.

"I see."

"Shining, that's enough," Twilight said to her brother firmly. "Stop interrogating Aiko."

"What? Can't I get to know my sister's girlfriend?" Shining asked with a playful smirk.

"You have been asking questions since we left the group."

"I-It's okay, Twilight," Aiko said.

"No, it's not."

"Fine, fine, I wouldn't ask any more questions," Shining said.

...
...
...

"So we are looking for a ghost cat?"

"That's a question!"

"Not about your girlfriend!"

...

"No, seriously, a ghost? Really?"

"Your sister can turn into a Pegasus when she sings. How is this any weird?"

"Good point."

While the two siblings started bantering, Aiko decided to give them some space and look for the cat.

"I wonder what she looks like. Would make this whole thing a lot easier."
*ping*

Aiko was pulled out from her thoughts when she heard her phone's notification tone. Pulling the phone out, she saw it was a message from Pinkie.

"Still scary."








Aiko looked back up at the two siblings, still bantering.

"Um... g-guys?" no response. "G-guy?... HEY!!!" Aiko shouted as the two stopped and looked at her.

"S-sorry, Pinkie just told me how the cat looks," Aiko said, giving Twilight her phone.

"Hm... a black cat. It's going to be so hard finding him. And it can vanish, why not," Twilight said, grumbling about how none of this made scientific sense as the matter didn't just simply disappear.

"It's a ghost genius. What do you expect?" Shining said.

"I know that!" Twilight said, giving the phone back to Aiko.

"Well, his eyes are glowing. It shouldn't be that hard," Aiko said.

With newfound knowledge, the three went back to look for the cat.

"Maybe there's a way to lure him? Do you know the girl's name?" Shining asked.

"No, we don't," Twilight said.

"What if we-"

"No, shouting all the missing girls' names wouldn't work. People will think we are crazy."

"Maybe we can ask them?" Aiko said, interrupting the two.

"Who?" Twilight asked.

"Them," Aiko said, pointing at two women walking away from them. They could faintly hear what they were talking about.

"I'm telling you that cat's eyes were glowing. It was so creepy."

Twilight and Shining looked at each other before darting after the two women.

"Wait, excuse me, miss!" Twilight shouted as the two women stopped.

"What do you want?" one of the women said.

"You were talking about a... cat?" Shining asked.

"Yeah? What about it?" the other woman said.

"Can you please describe it again?" The two women looked at each other before one of them started talking.

"Well... maybe I'm seeing things, but I could have sworn I saw a cat with glowing blue eyes. All black."

"Yes! That's him! Where did you see him!" Twilight shouted.

"On the bridge."

"On the bridge, thanks again. Come on," Shining said before they ran back to Aiko. The two women looked at each other before shrugging and started walking back.

"So?" Aiko asked.

"To the bridge. If we hurry, we might be able to catch him," Twilight said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Aiko said, running towards the bridge. The siblings soon followed behind.

It didn't take long for the three to arrive at the bridge. But for Twilight, it felt like a long time.

"Huh- huh- there it is... huh-" Twilight said while breathing hard.

"See, this is what happens when you lock yourself up in the basement for days," Shinning said.

"I'm not like that. Not anymore, at least."

"Good. Then also take a page from your girlfriend and start working out.

"Shh!" Aiko shushed the two siblings.

"What is it?" Twilight asked. Aiko simply pointed ahead.

There, on the railing of the bridge, was a cat as black as the night. It was looking up at the sky. And just like the three were expecting, its eyes were glowing blue.

"What do we do?" Twilight asked.

"Try talking to it? I know he is a cat, but maybe it will listen?" Aiko said.

"Well, we can't catch it, so might as well try," Shining said.

"Okay then, let's go slowly. We don't need to scare him," The siblings nodded.

The three then started walking towards the cat slowly, keeping their noise to a minimum. For a moment, it seemed to work as the three made their way ever so closer to the cat. But as fate would have it, their plan was about to fail thanks to an object on the sidewalk.

*crack*

The noise traveled through the night louder than ever as the cat suddenly turned his head toward the three. Twilight looked down at the object that cost their position.

"Why is there a stick in the middle of the sidewalk?" She asked, annoyed.

"He's getting away!" Shining shouted as the cat turned its tail and leaped off the railing onto the bridge.

"No, wait!" Aiko shouted as she disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared in front of the cat. "Wait, we can help you!" Aiko said, blocking the cat's path, fearing it would run away. However, the cat just stayed there, looking at Aiko with wide eyes. The three stopped where they were and looked at the cat, waiting for any response.

"Why isn't he running?" Shining whispered to Twilight.

"I don't know," Twilight said. After what felt like an eternity, Aiko decided to speak up.

"Uh... so... would you come with us? We can take you to the cemetery and-" Aiko was interrupted when the cat suddenly jumped at her.

"AAhhh!" Aiko shouted as the cat clung to the girl's shirt. Aiko, in her panic, walked backward and tripped on her own foot and tumbled back and over the railing.

*MEEOOOWWW!*

"AIKO!!!!" The siblings shouted as Aiko fell off the bridge. But Aiko, in her panic, didn't hear them.

“AAAHHHHH!!!” Aiko shouted as she fell closer and closer to the horrifying impact. She tried to calm herself so she could teleport back, but it was easier said than done. Especially with her glasses having been pulled off her face when she falls. Making everything fuzzy, but she could still see her impending doom crawling closer and closer to her as the seconds seemed to stretch into minutes. She hoped that Twilight would be quick enough to be able to catch her before she herself became a rumor.

"AHHH- ugh-" Aiko felt something grabbing her. But it wasn't the magic of Twilight that grabbed her; rather, it was like a rope wrapped around her. 



She was then slowly lifted upwards as she grabbed the rope hard. Or she thought she grabbed a rope before she felt the fur on it.

"What the?" Aiko said before she saw that it was actually not a rope but the tail of the cat, extended and wrapping around her. Also, he was lifting her like she weighed nothing. The cat lifted Aiko over the railing and onto the bridge before letting go of her.

*meooow*

The cat cried, running at Aiko.

"Did the cat just save Aiko?" Shining asked in disbelief.

"I guess he did," Twilight said.

"Um... t-thank you?" Aiko said to the cat. The cat, in response, rubbed over her legs. "I guess we'll take you to the cemetery then?"

"Yeah, probably. I'll call Sunset," Twilight said, pulling out her phone and calling Sunset. She picked up after the second ring.

"Hello? Did you catch the cat?" Sunset's voice came from the phone.

"Yeah, actually," Twilight said.

"Really? That's great. Where are you now? We'll get to you as soon as we can."

"We are at the bridge."

"Great, just hold on."

"No, wait, we can take him to the cemetery," Aiko said.

"What?"

"What?"

"It will take some time for you to get here. And the cat is actually pretty calm. It's pretty close to the cemetery, and it would be better if we took him there as soon as possible." Aiko said as she held the cat in her arms.

"If you are sure. Meet us at the park, be safe."

"Okay," Twilight said before ending the call.

"How can you hold him? Isn't he a ghost?" Shining asked, looking at the cat in Aiko's arms.



"I don't know. I just can," Aiko said. Twilight came closer to her and touched the cat's head.

"Wow, it's like he's actually there. And he's really soft," Twilight cooed.

It didn't take long for them to take the cat to the cemetery. Once they got there, Aiko placed the cat on the ground. The cat looked around in confusion and looked back at Aiko.

"There. Your friends will be here. Go find her," Aiko said. The cat looked at the cemetery before looking back at Aiko and meowed.

"Why? Don't you wanna find your friend?"

"Yeah, go on. Use your ghost sense or whatever," Shining said.

"That's rude," Twilight said, hitting her brother.

"What?"

Aiko kept looking at the cat while the cat contemplated whether he should go or not. After a while, he started slowly walking towards the cemetery.

"That's it, go," Shining said, encouraging the cat. The cat, in turn, ran into the cemetery before he disappeared from sight.

"Well, I guess that's over then," Twilight said, placing a hand on Aiko's shoulder. Aiko flinched from the sudden contact before looking at Twilight.

"Yeah, I guess so."





After meeting everyone back at the park, they explained what happened at the bridge. How Aiko fell off the bridge. How the cat saved her and them parting ways at the cemetery. Sunset said she'll post a reply to the post later, and everyone went back to their homes for the day. The next morning came sooner as Aiko woke up from her sleep as heard her alarm clock going off.

*beep-beep* *beep-beep* *click*

Aiko stopped the alarm before picking up her glass from her nightstand. Placing them over her eyes, she looked around her room. But what she saw on her bed made her scream.

"AAghh-" Aiko screamed before she slipped out from the edge and fell down to the floor. "Ugh... great. Now I'm seeing things."

"Are you okay?" The sudden voice caused her to look up at her bed and saw the cat from yesterday poking its head up adorably to look at Aiko.
> Chapter 15 - Familiar (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aiko made her way towards the entrance of the CHS, looking around nervously. Her anxiety is killing her, but fortunately, no one seems to be paying her any mind. Good, it means he's not lying. Speaking of, Aiko looked down at the person causing her all the anxiety. The black cat from yesterday walked along with her through the hallway. She remembered how that very morning, the cat showed up on her bed and talked to her.



*flashback*
"Are you okay?"

Aiko looked up at the sudden voice and saw the cat from yesterday poking his head up adorably to look at her. It took a few minutes for her to realize that the cat just talked and scrambled onto her feet, screaming before backing away.

"Y-y-you t-talk?!" She screamed.

Before anything was going to happen, she heard someone knocking on her door.

"Aiko? Daijōbu desu ka? Himei ga kikoeta! (Are you okay? I heard screaming!)" Aiko's mom called out.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry!" Aiko said, not wanting anyone to see the cat.

“Aiko? Hontōdesu ka? Watashi wa kite imasu (Are you sure? I’m coming in).”

"No, no, NO!" Aiko shouted, running towards the door, but her mom was faster. Aiko stopped in her track as she looked at her mom like a deer in headlights. Aiko's mom looked around the room before looking back at Aiko.

"Aiko? What's going on?"

Confused, Aiko looked at the bed and saw the cat looking at the two.

"Uh... nothing just... uh..." Aiko walked closer to the cat, but her mom didn't even glance at the black fur ball on her bed. "I... saw a nightmare, yeah... nothing big, don't worry," Aiko said, forcing a smile. Her mom looked at her, eyes narrowing.

"If you say so. It's getting late, get ready for school," She said before leaving. Once the door was closed, Aiko quickly looked at the cat, almost giving her whiplash.

“Dōshite kidzukanakatta no?! (How did she not see you)?!" Aiko shouted in a whisper. The cat looked at her, confused.

"what?"

"I- I mean- how did she not see you?"

"Oh, I can go invisible for some people. You looked like you don't want her to see me," The cat said plainly like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Y-you, okay, why are you here? And how can you talk?"

"I don't know how I can talk, but I want to be with you."

"M-me? But what about your friend?"

"She's not there, and I already looked there and everywhere else," The cat said, looking sad.

"She- but why do you want to be with me?"

"Because you feel like her. And I want to protect you."

"P-protect? I feel like- what?"

"I don't want anyone else to disappear like she did. And you remind me of her. So I want to protect you. I will not fail again."

"Okay, this... this is too much. Listen, I gotta get ready for school, and I need to talk to my friends about this. Can you please hide from everyone until then?"

"Okay," The cat said. Aiko, content with the answer, turned around to exit her room. "Also... sorry I scared you yesterday. I didn't want to harm you, and I just got excited."

"It's- it's okay, you saved me."

"So... when are we leaving?"

"No! No, no, no, no, you are not coming with me to the school. We are not permitted to take pets to school."

"But- but what if something happens to you?"

"Nothing will happen to me, okay?"

"Pleeeeaaaas?" The cat said, pulling kitty eyes on Aiko. "I'm not even a real pet, and you can think of me as a guardian angel. So pweaasse?"

"N-no... y-you can't," Aiko tried to say, but she couldn't resist looking at the cat's eyes. "Come on, Aiko. You are better than this," "I... oh fine, you win. But you have to stay invisible."

*flashback*



"That's one problem solved," Aiko thought. She made her way to her locker and opened it up to place her books in it and take the ones she needed. She glanced down at the cat and saw he was looking around curiously and getting tense whenever someone came near.

"So... do you have a name?" Aiko asked when nobody was near.

"Blake," the cat said. "What's your name?"

"It's Aiko. Aiko Whiskers."

"Who are you talking to?" Aiko snapped her head in alarm when she heard Rainbow talking to her.

"N-no one!" Aiko said quickly. Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "No one just, talking to myself,"

"Is that so? Also, you didn't come for practice today."

"Sorry, I was late. Listen, meet us at the club room on lunch break. I have something to tell you guys. Call the others too," Aiko said, looking at the clock. "I have to go. See you in maths," Aiko said before running off to her first class.

"Huh, what's up with her?" Rainbow asked herself.

Aiko made it to her first class just as the bell rang. She quickly made it to her seat and got ready for the lesson while Blake made himself comfortable up a shelf. Maybe so he can watch over the whole class. Despite trying to focus on the lessons, Aiko's mind constantly went toward the cat up on the shelf. So far, nothing has happened. Blake, too, being a cat, decided to leave the shelf and walk around the class. And to Aiko's horror, he decided to inspect all the students. Fortunately, they all phased through him, and nobody seemed to notice him. That is until history. Being a boring subject, nobody wanted to join the class as soon as possible, and the teacher didn't seem to mind them being late either. However, this didn't apply to two students. That being Aiko and, of course, Twilight. When Aiko arrived at the class, Twilight was already there, haven beat their teacher to the class yet. When Twilight saw Aiko, she called out to her.

"Aiko, what happened. You were la- IS THAT THE GHOST!" Twilight shouted. Aiko, surprised by Twilight's shouting, quickly looked at the cat.

"Blake!? I thought you were still invisible!"

"I am. Just not to her. You two are friends, right?" The cat asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"He can talk!"

"Shhh, Twi, not so loud. And yes, he can talk. I don't know what's going on, and all I know is that he was in my room this morning and said he wants to protect me."

"Protect-"

"I don't know. Also, please don't let anyone see you, okay Blake?"

"Okay."

"Twi, we'll talk about this at lunch. For now, let's not attract any attention."

That was easier said than done, as Blake decided to use that time to take a little nap. Only this time on Aiko's lap. Aiko tried to ignore him and focus on the class, but it was way harder to resist the urge to pet him, and Twilight's awing didn't help either. After what felt like an eternity, the class finally ended, and the lunch break started. Aiko and Twilight quickly made their way to the club room Blake following behind. As the two entered, they saw that everyone else was already there and looked at Aiko expectedly.

"Aiko? What's going on?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah, um... do you remember the cat from yesterday?" Everyone nodded. "Well... he didn't actually leave."

"What!?" Everyone minus Twilight shouted.

"The cat didn't leave. Where is he now?" Sunset asked. Aiko looked at the cat on the table standing in front of Rainbow with a glare.

"Um... well... here actually."

"Here? Where is he? Is he hiding? Are we playing hide and seek?" Pinkie asked, searching through the whole room, looking for the cat.

"Blake, you can show yourself."

"Blake? Is that- woah!!!" Rainbow shouted in surprise when the cat suddenly appeared in front of her and almost fell back.



"You chased me!"

"He can talk!" Everyone shouted.

"You can understand him?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, we can," Rarity said, looking at the cat still glaring at Rainbow.

"But didn't you take him to the cemetery?" Rainbow asked, trying to pet the cat only to pull back when he hissed at her.

"We did. But he said his friend wasn't there." Aiko said.

"Oh, you poor thing. Don't worry. We'll help you find your friend." Fluttershy said to Blake, who was now seeking attention from her.

"So, what did you say about him wanting to protect you?" Twilight asked.

"Oh yeah. He also doesn't want to leave me."

"Why is that?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know."

"Why don't we ask Blake?" Sunset suggested.

"Huh, Blake. Isn't that a girl's name?" Rainbow asked, only to gulp in fear when she saw the death glaring the cat leveled at her.

"It's not Rainbow; Blake is gender-neutral," Twilight said.

"Okay, Blake," Sunset said, gaining the cat's attention. "Why do you want to protect Aiko?"

"Because she's like my friend, and she reminds me of her. And I don't want anyone to disappear like my friend. Ever."

"Awww, aren't you the sweetest," Pinkie said, picking up the cat From Fluttershy and locking him in a death hug. He then jumped off of Pinkie as soon as he let go of him, ran back to Aiko, and climbed onto her back while his tail wrapped around her.

"She's crazy," He said.

"Am I~?" Pinkie said, waving a tuna from who knows where before throwing the fish at Blake, who caught it effortlessly.

"Pinkie! Where did you get that!?" Rarity shouted.

"Okay, we are getting off track," Sunset said. "Blake, don't let anyone see you. And Aiko, maybe you'll have to tell your parents about him. We'll figure out what to do about this. Twilight, try to find his friend from your brother, and I'll ask Chrys. Everyone stay vigilant. I don't think Blake will harm anyone, but I feel something's about to happen."

"Yes, sir," Rainbow saluted.

"Great. I made obaasan promise not to tell my parents about my falling off the bridge. They are going to kill me," Aiko said.

"Want us to come with you?" Sunset asked.

"No, no. I got this. I don't want any of you to die in my place," Aiko said, making up scenarios in her head while the rest of her friends looked at her in concern.





"KONO IMI HA NANI (WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS)!!? " Aiko's mom shouted while looking at her daughter. "Anata mo (You too)?" She said, looking at her mother.

"Everything turned out fine," Grandma said as she waved her hand dismissively.

"FINE!?! Aiko almost-"

"Sh sh calm down, honey. Shouting isn't going to fix anything," Aiko's dad said, trying to calm down his wife. Aiko's mom took a few breaths to calm herself.

"Daijoubu da, daijoubu da (I'm fine, I'm fine)," Aiko's mom said, calming down. "And what about this cat?"

"Y-Yeah, mom, dad, meet Blake," Aiko said, lifting up the cat.

"And he's a ghost?" Aiko's dad asked.

"Y-yeah, he is."

"A ghost cat? No. Just no." Aiko's mom said.

"But mom."

"No. What if he harms you? He already tried."

"No, he didn't. It was an accident."

"He did save her," Aiko's dad pointed out, only to get glared at by his wife.

"I mean, look at him. Can you say no to him?" Aiko said, lifting the cat up for her mom to see. Her mom to see a perfect rendition of puss in boots kitty eyes.



"I... I... ugh fine," She said, finally giving up.

"Look at the bright side. At least now your daughter has a guardian spirit looking after her," Grandma said for the first time.

"You are also grounded," Aiko's mom said before leaving.

"Yeah, I had that coming."
> Chapter 16 - White Hand hanging down the crevice (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset entered the music room with her guitar on her back. She saw Rarity and Fluttershy were already there chatting as they waited for the others.

"Good morning, Sunset," Rarity said.

"Good morning Sunny," Fluttershy said.

"Morning," Sunset said while giving Fluttershy a peck on the cheeks. She then started tuning her guitar.

"So heard anything of interest?" Sunset asked.

"Well, darling, I was just telling Fluttershy about this amazing dress I saw at the mall yesterday, which was absolutely marvelous. It was so beautiful, in fact, that it has truly inspired me. To have a dress change its colors based on lighting as well as making it change based on the complexion of your skin tone is simply marvelous. I just need to figure out how they did it. Oh, can you imagine the ability to do that with lace sleeves on a dress?"

"Not really, no. I'd take a leather jacket over a dress any day of the week."

"Humph, you wouldn't say that if you actually saw it."

"Well, we got a bunch of new cute little animals at the shelter. Maybe you can take one." Fluttershy said, interrupting before the conversation could turn into a full-blown argument about fashion choices.

"A pet? I don't know. I'm not good with that sort of thing," Sunset said, rubbing her neck.

"Oh, don't say that. I'm sure you'll find one to love. And you are the only one without a pet."

"Well, Aiko doesn't have one."

"She has Blake," Rarity said.

"He's a ghost. And I don't think he's going to be with her forever. Once we find his friend, he'll leave."

"Ohh, that's sad?"

"What's sad?" They heard Twilight say, entering the music room with Aiko and Rainbow, whose head was nodding violently to heavy metal playing in her headphones. Blake, who was resting across Aiko's shoulder, jumped across the room to sunbathe in the windowsill.

"It's that Blake is going to leave once we find his friend," Fluttershy said.

"Are you going to be sad?" Blake asked, looking at Aiko with his ears down.

"Don't worry; finding your friend and reuniting you two are more important. It will also make me happy that you are happy," Aiko said.

"Yeah, just you wait, Blakey. We are going to find her in no time," Rainbow said.

"Hump, you wouldn't get rid of me that easily," Blake said as he reappeared on Aiko's shoulder and stared at Rainbow from atop Aiko with a 'you are below me' look.

"Come on, are you really still mad at me?" Rainbow yelled, who was promptly ignored as he once again teleported back to sunbathe in the window seal. "Man, I can't believe I'm being ignored by a ghost cat. How lame is that?"

Applejack made it to the music room with her base not long after their arrival.

"Good mornin' y'all," Applejack said as she entered. "Take it, Pinkie isn't here yet?"

"No, she isn't. I just hope she wasn't distracted by anything. We were down one member yesterday too," Rainbow said.

"Oh yeah, Aiko, what happened yesterday?" Sunset asked.

"Well... it went better than I thought. I'm grounded, of course, but at least they are okay with Blake. I'm pretty sure kaasan (mom) actually likes him more than she says."

"She's a big softie. She gave me some fish today, and they were delicious."

"That's great to hear."

"Guys guys guys guys guys!!! We have a huge problem!" All of a sudden, Pinkie said, appearing out of nowhere.

"What- Pinkie! What happened?" Sunset asked.

"ImetWallflowerjustnowandshesaidthatshewenttotheparktoseethouseflowersandwhenshegotthereshesawthat-" Applejack stopped Pinkie from her mumbling.

"Pinkie, calm down. We can't understand you. Speak slowly." Applejack said.

"Okay, so just now, I met Wallflower, and she said that the flowers from the park are still glowing."

"WHAT!!!"

It took a few seconds for the girls to register what Pinkie had just said.

"The flowers are still glowing?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's what she said," Pinkie said.

"But didn't we solve it?" Applejack asked.

"Well, not really. We didn't actually find what caused the flowers to glow," Twilight said.

"Oh no, what if other rumors are still happening?" Rarity asked fearfully.

"I doubt it," Sunset said as she glared at her phone.

"What do you mean?"

"Just like Twilight said, we didn't actually solve that rumor. But we did solve the others. Not to mention if they are still happening, we should have heard about them by now. Twilight's brother is the captain of CPD, and we also have Chrysalis."

"Oh, what's a relief," Fluttershy said.

"Well, there's nothing we can do now besides recheck the flowers. And it's nothing dangerous, so we don't have to worry that much about it," Twilight said.

"She's right. We'll check it tonight," Sunset said.

"About that, it's a new moon today," Aiko said.

"Ugh, stupid specific times. We'll check it tomorrow."

After the rather alarming news, the girls spent the rest of the day as any other normal school day. Nothing interesting happened during any classes, and the lunch period was spent listening to Rainbow, Sunset, and Twilight talking about the soon-to-be-released Daring Do movie. Slowly but surely, the day came to an end. As usual, all the students went to their respectable after-school activities while the rest went back home.

"So Sunset? What kind of pet do you like?" Fluttershy asked. They were mostly done with articles for the next week's newspaper. Thus, the topic of conversation was steered by Fluttershy.

"You really want me to have a pet, don't you?" Sunset asked.

"Mmhm."

"What's so bad about having a pet?" Twilight asked.

"It's just, I don't think it's for me."

"At least take a look at them. Then you'll be able to decide if it's for you or not."

"She's right. A lot of people I helped pick a pet didn't know what they wanted at first, only to leave with the most adorable pet you could imagine," Fluttershy said.

"How about you, Aiko? Do you have a favorite animal that you'd like to have as a pet?" Sunset asked in an attempt to steer the conversation away from just her.

"Well... I always liked cats, actually. And I have this fur ball with me," Aiko said, cuddling Blake.

"I really hope we find what happened to his friend," Twilight said.

"Oh, I just remembered. I got that folder finally unlocked," Sunset said. "Except I forgot to bring it with me today."

"What took you this long?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, some parts of the disk were corrupted or have bad sectors. Plus, I had to find a time when Luna isn't playing any online matches," Sunset said. "I didn't look at anything, though. I wanted to look at it with you guys together."

"Maybe we can go with you and take a look?" Twilight asked.

"Oh yeah, we don't have much to do anyways."

"Sorry, I'm grounded, remember? Unless it's really important and not dangerous, I have to come directly home," Aiko said.

"Well, technically, it's part of the club, but okay, we'll look at it tomorrow," Sunset said.

"What do you think actually is in there?" Twilight asked.

"Hard to say. At least we'll get to know who the old members were."

"Isn't there records of all the students?" Aiko asked. "Why can't we check that?"

"I thought about that, but they were mostly recorded in books. Most of them were destroyed thanks to a fire."

"Fire?"

"Yeah, not a big one from what mom told me. It was caused by a faulty plug apparently," Sunset said.

Anymore of what Sunset was about to say got interrupted by the sound of their phones notification sound.

"A new rumor?" Sunset asked as she hurriedly ran to the computer.

"Yeah, and it's from Anon-a-miss. I'll block the forum," Twilight said as Sunset loaded up the forum.







This is a rumor which I've heard from one of my jokester friends, so it might not be reliable. But another friend of mine also knew about this rumor, which scared me a little. That's why I'm now posting it here. The rumor is like this.
Have you ever seen a white hand get closer and closer to you? It hangs down from the crevice of curtains, bookshelves, doors... from any kind of crevice. It ends up reaching you.



"And here I thought you might be harmless," Sunset grumbled.



Just be careful. The white hand attacks you without making any sound and drags you into the dark crevice with full might.



"Yup, another dangerous one. Ugh, why do all the rumors have to be dangerous from you, Anon-a-Miss?!?"

"Have any of you heard about this before?" Twilight asked while Sunset dialed Luna. Fluttershy shook her head no.

"I think I do. I'm not sure, but maybe obaasan (grandma) might know that. I'll ask her." Aiko said before she picked up her phone and called her grandma.

"It's the forum code red. Look out for any white hands coming from crevices," Sunset said to the phone.

"Got it," They heard Luna's voice from the other side.

"Okay, she'll call us if the hands appear anywhere in the school."

"Good, why don't we check at the library? There are a lot of books about folklore, and there's a chance that this originated from folklore," Aiko said.

"Good idea, you two go check that out. We'll split up to cover more ground. Don't go anywhere alone," Sunset said firmly as she watched for each one of them to nod.

And with that said, the four split up. Aiko and Twilight made their way to the library while Aiko tried to reach her grandma.

"Hello?"

“Okaasan, obaasan wa irasshaimasu ka (Mom, is grandma there)?”

“Kanojo wa dekakete imasu(She went out).”

"Oh."

“Aiko? Daijōbu desu ka (Are you okay)?”

“Hai, daisuki okaasan (Yeah, love you mom),” Aiko said ending the call.

"She's not home; we'll have to check the library."

Once they got to the library, they searched for any information they could about the rumor. They went to the folklore section since that's the most likely place to have any information. But no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find anything.

"Nothing here has any information about the hands," Twilight said as she quickly glanced through a table of content about the folklore of the county dating back to the pioneer's time.

"I wonder if the others found anything. Maybe in some urban legends?" Aiko asked.

"It's possible; I guess we can go back to them. No reason to stay here any longer."

"Hm," Aiko said, standing up from the chair with Twilight when her phone started ringing. She pulled out her phone and saw it was from home.

"It must be Obaasan," She said, taking the call and putting it on speaker.

"Obaasan, is it you?"

"Hai, nan desu ka Aiko (Yes, what is it Aiko)?" Came the voice of her grandmother from the other side.

"Obaasan, do you know anything about white hands hanging down from crevices?"

"Hm... yes, it is said that those that have died by being trapped under something can come out as spirits."

"Trapped under something?" Twilight asked.

"The white hands hanging from crevices are similar to when the person stuck beneath something calls for help. If the spirit hasn't been put to rest, it could come out like that, asking for help. The only way to help is to find where their body is stuck and properly help them depart."

“I see. Arigatou obaasan,” Aiko said.

"Is this about the forum?"

"Hai."

"Then be careful. Under no circumstances do not let the hands reach you. It wouldn't be pretty,"

“Yes obaasan we’ll be safe, daisuki (love you).”

“daijoubu daijoubu (okay okay).”

"Well, that's not good. If this is the same thing we are facing, then we'll have to find where it is," Twilight said.

"Hm, let's go back and tell the others what we found," Aiko said. They got back to the club room quickly and saw they were joined by Rainbow Dash.

"Hey, did you two find anything?" Rainbow asked, looking up from her phone and searching for any information.

"We didn't find anything in the library. But obaasan told us something that might help," Aiko said while they took their seats.

"What is it?" Sunset asked.

"If what she said is the case, then we are looking for an accident that killed people by trapping them under something. If we can find
where the accident happened, we'll be able to properly bury them and end this," Twilight said.

"That's gonna be hard to find. Maybe your brother or Chrysalis can help?" Rainbow asked.

"Maybe, I'll ask- AAHHH!" Twilight shouted when all of a sudden, she was pulled back from her seat.

"TWILIGHT!!" Everyone shouted when they saw that she was being dragged back by what appeared to be a bunch of hands coming off of the bookshelf behind.

"I got you!" Aiko shouted as she quickly grabbed Twilight and teleported away.

"Please... give me that... anything..."

"Fluttershy, move away!" Sunset shouted at Fluttershy, who was still fallen on the ground when the hands appeared. She tried to stand up and move away when the hands tried to grab her.

"Anything is... okay..."

"No, no AAHHHH!" Fluttershy shouted when she was lifted off the ground.

"It's me. You are safe," Blake said as he used his tail to get Fluttershy to safety.

"What are we gonna do? We have to do something," Rainbow said.

Sunset looked at the bag with the burger Rainbow had brought with her. She quickly took it and placed her phone inside the bag ignoring the incoming call.

"You want anything? Then take this," Sunset said, throwing the bag at the hands. It then grabbed the bag in midair and retracted back into the bookshelf.

"Thank... you..."

"Hey, I was about to eat that!" Rainbow said as the tension cleared.

"Sunset your phone! Why did you do that?" Fluttershy asked.

"So that we can see where it took-"

"SUNSET!!" Principal Celestia barged into the room, panicking.

"Mom? What-"

"Is it over? Didn't you hear Luna calling you? What happened?"

"Luna? Oh, it was her. I may have given the phone to the hands,"

"You what!?"

"Relax, now we can know where the hands took it," Sunset said, searching for her phone's GPS from her laptop. "There, it's in the Everfree forest."

"The forest? That makes sense. Most accidents that happen where people are trapped under something is in nature," Twilight said.





"So we are hunting ghosts now?" Timber Spruce asked as he guided the girls along with Celestia through the forest.

"Yeah, you could say that. We are looking for a place where people have died in this forest." Sunset said.

"But you said there are caves where the GPS is pointing. How does that work? GPS doesn't work underground," Rainbow asked.

"That's a good question, actually," Timber said. "We don't know much about these cave systems. They stretch for miles underground. People are forbidden to go in them as they haven't been properly mapped by an experienced speleologist. Making these caves notoriously dangerous. Only a few of them are safe, like the one where we held the concert, which wasn't even a proper cave system as there was only one entrance and didn't even go that deep into the mountain."

It took them a few more minutes to get to the actual location. But with Timber's guidance, they were standing just above the GPS signal, which was coming in strong.

"Here we are. There's a cave entrance near here, but the entrance collapsed years ago," Timber said as he guided them towards the piles of crumped rocks underneath a rock shelf on the side of the ridge. When they made it to the cave, they saw a glow coming from the few cracks that allowed them to see through the rubble.

"Hey, is that?" Twilight said before pulling the bag towards them using her magic. "Yup, this is it. That explains the signal- ew..." Twilight said, using her magic to pull out Sunset's phone from the bag, which was covered in cheese.

"Oh great," Sunset said before taking her phone with two fingers. She then engulfed the whole thing in bright flames as it incinerated all the cheese. "There, no more cheese, and hey, it still works! I'm getting good at controlling magic without a horn."

"WHAT!! How can your fire do that!?" Twilight shouted in surprise.

"I don't know. It takes a lot of control not to overcharge my fire magic. I once created blue flames," Sunset said like it's the most normal thing in the world.

"Okay, one of these days, we have to test that," Twilight said before looking at Aiko and Timber examining the cave.

"You sure this is it?" Timber asked. "How are we gonna make sure of that?"

"Blake, maybe you can go inside?" Aiko asked.

"Okay," Blake said before phasing through the rocks.

"Of course, he can talk and walk through solid stone. Why not," Timber said. "So what are we gonna do if this is the place?"

"We properly bury them. That's what Aiko's grandma said needs to be done," Sunset said.

"Twilight, you should ask Shining. Maybe this could be one of those unsolved cases," Celestia said.

"Hm, he'll take care of this."

"I found them!" They heard Blake's voice as he reappeared from the cave.

"You did?" Aiko asked. Blake nodded.

"Skeletons. All trapped under rocks."

"Great, I'll call Shining. We should get this over with as soon as possible," Twilight said, dialing her brother.

"Wait, Shining, Shining Armor? Captain of the CPD?" Timber asked.

"Yeah, he's my brother."

"Oh, he is."

With the location of the dead found, the CPD acted immediately to take the bodies out and examine them. It turns out; they were from a group of friends that went to explore the cave systems about 10 years ago.







We are the Newspaper club.

We investigated the rumor and found that the white hands belonged to a group of friends who went to explore caves in the Everfree forest. They were crushed down by a cave-in and were trapped inside the cave for days. They either died by starvation if the rocks didn't outright kill them. The Canterlot Police Department is investigating the cave as we write this, and the explorers will be buried with proper respect.

We believe that the white hands were simply asking for help.


> Chapter 17 - Stray Child (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hm..." Sunset hummed as she squinted her eyes in concentration. "This does feel similar."

"So there's still magic in them?" Fluttershy asked.

"It looks like it," Sunset said, narrowing her eyes.

"Why, what is it?"

"I don't know. There's something going on here. Unfortunately, nothing we can do at the moment. Maybe if we can get permission from the park?" Sunset thought aloud. "In any case, it's nothing dangerous, so let's not fret over it for now. I'll ask mom what we can do later. Now I presume we have an important task at hand?"

"Hm hm, thanks, Sunset. I know you are gonna love this," Fluttershy said, smiling while they started to make their way to their destination.

"We'll see. I just hope at least someone's gonna like me."

"Oh, don't worry about that. They'll love you. I told them a lot about you, and you've already met them. In fact... they are kind of... annoyed at me. Since you're all I talk about," Fluttershy said, hiding her face in her hair. Sunset couldn't help but smile at that as they finally got to their stop. Pushing open the double door with Fluttershy, they entered the animal shelter filled with all kinds of pets waiting to be adopted.

Sunset looked around the shelter at all the animals and saw them all looking at her. No doubt, they figured out who she was. Sunset, on the other hand, felt a little uneasy.

"Is it just me, or did you guys expand?"

"No, it was always like this. We are looking to expand in the future, though," Fluttershy said without noticing her nervousness.

"Ah... good to know."

Fluttershy then moved over to a cage with a bunch of guinea pigs. Fluttershy picked one up and stroked its head.

"Aren't they cuddly?" Sunset looked at the little ball of fur on Fluttershy's palm.

"Well... I was looking for someone... less furry? N-not that they are bad... j-just-"

"Oh, it's okay," Fluttershy said, placing the rodent back in its cage before walking off. Sunset followed after Fluttershy mouthing a small sorry at the creature, not wanting to make it feel bad. Especially with Fluttershy being able to talk to them now, she should be on good terms with them at least.

"How about a betta fish?" Fluttershy asked, looking down at a fish in a tank. A fish that weirdly had fins similar to Sunset's hair.

"Uh... maybe someone I can touch? Plus, I don't think I'm ready to look after a fish," Sunset said, still weirded out by the fish looking like her.

"Oh, I think I know just the one," Fluttershy said, making her way over to another section of the shelter.

They made their way over to the reptilian section of the shelter while Sunset looked at all the reptiles. Then she saw him. A little yellow lizard with black spots, a leopard gecko. The little lizard then looked at Sunset. To anyone else, it might look like any ordinary or even boring, as Rainbow might say, lizard. But for Sunset, it's a whole other story.

"Hey, there, little guy?" Sunset whispered to the little lizard. "Aww, aren't you a little ray of sunshine?"

"So you like him?" Fluttershy asked, looking at Sunset's happy face.

"Yeah... I'll take him."

With that taken care of, Fluttershy taught everything Sunset needed to know about the little lizard and bought everything that she's gonna need. Once all was done, they waited for Twilight to arrive with her brother to pick them up as they were going to meet up at Sunset's house to look at the old hard drive. Once Shining's patrol car arrived, Sunset and Fluttershy loaded all the food and everything else into the trunk and got into the back seat with Ray, as Sunset named him in his new tank.

"Oh, so you actually bought one. I told you you'd find someone," Twilight said, looking at the little lizard.

"What is it?" Shining asked.

"It's a leopard gecko," Fluttershy said.

"Huh... whatever goes for you, I guess. More of a dog person," Shining said, only to get an elbow to the side by Twilight, who's riding shotgun.

"Be nice."

It didn't take long for them to get to Sunset's home. Shining parked the car in the driveway while the girls got out off the car. After they took everything from the trunk, Shining called Twilight.

"I have to go now, date night with Cadence. Not sure if I can take you back home, though," Shining said.

"That's okay. I'll walk home by myself," Twilight said.

When she entered the house, she saw that Aiko was already there in the living room eating a piece of pie while conversing with Sunset's grandparents and Snowdrop. Blake was curled on Sunset's grandma's lap while she petted him.

"Hey, Aiko," Twilight said, approaching her.

"Hey."

"Moony, can you get some more pie for the girls? I can't get up while Blake is here," Solar Wind said, looking at Blake.

"He doesn't want to leave you, does he?" Twilight asked.

"No. At least now he's comfortable enough not to stick to me 24/7. He mostly spends time with okaasan when at home."

"I still can't believe he's a ghost. He feels so real," Solar Wind said. "By the way, did Sunset find a pet?"

"She did. A little leopard gecko. He's so cute," Twilight said while taking the plate from Crescent Moon. Just then, Sunset and Fluttershy came downstairs after setting up Ray's tank. Crescent passed another plate to Fluttershy with two pieces of pie for both her and Sunset.

"Thank you," Fluttershy said before taking a seat on the love seat with Sunset.

"Hey, Sunset? Can I touch him?" Snowdrop asked.

"Of course, just give him some time to get used to living here," Sunset said. "Just keep Ari away from him. I don't trust her not to get jealous."

They spent a while just talking and enjoying the treat before they decided it was time to look at the hard drive as it was getting late. The four members made their way over to Sunset's room as she turned on her PC and took out the hard drive.

Once she plugged in the hard drive, she opened up the drive and entered the recovered password.

"There we go. Now to see what we have here," Sunset said, looking at all the folders and files on the hard drive. At first glance, it was a mess. Files and folders are everywhere with no particular order. But if you look carefully, you'll see they are actually organized. Organized in a way that makes it easy to find things, granted you know the file structure.

"This thing is a mess," Twilight said as she went through a dozen files recovering the older files, so they were viewable with the current os on the laptop.



"No, not really," Aiko said. "See these numbers at the end? They belong to the same group. My dad uses that same method to keep all the files that he constantly uses in the open without making a mess. I kind of do the same thing."

"Oh, I see. These must be for their latest articles. Once finished, she moves them to somewhere else." Sunset said, looking at photos that had the same number. "If that's the case, we can ignore them for now. Let's see if this has any personal files."

"This looks promising," Fluttershy said, pointing at a text file labeled "Captian's Log". Sunset opened it up.

"It's like a diary," Twilight said.

"This is going to tell us a lot. Twi, I'll send you the file. See if it has anything of use," Sunset said, sending the file to Twilight.

"Got it. Let's see what this baby holds."

"Look, see what that is," Aiko said, pointing at a folder named photos.

Inside the folder were more folders with different names like events, anniversaries, others, and also NCC - 1701. Opening it up, they were greeted with a bunch of photos, most likely belonging to the old members. Most of the photos had two students. A boy and a girl with short hair, with some of them having another recurring girl.

"The boy is Bright Hope. And the girl with short hair should be Scarlet," Twilight said, gaining the others' attention.

"What about the other one?" Sunset asked.

"From the looks of it, she's the one that wrote these logs. And apparently, she was a sci-fi fan. She even used star-date." Twilight said, showing them the text file. "And here's something interesting. She wrote logs for every single day. But in the last few logs, they had a few days of a gap, and the logs are shorter or didn't have the same feeling as before. And they stopped with no explanation."

"That means, could she be the girl?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's highly probable," Twilight said.

"Most likely. The good thing is now we have a lead. Twilight, show this photo to your brother and see if he can find these two and anything about our girl."

"Will do."

After their new findings, they spent the rest of the time looking through the hard drive for other interesting things. They found a lot of resources for new articles and a lot of CHS's old history. Soon, it started to get dark outside, and it was time for them to leave.

"Well, then. We'll see you two tomorrow," Sunset said. "You sure you guys don't need a ride?"

"No, we'll just take a walk," Twilight said.

"Hai," Aiko said.

"Well, then, see you guys tomorrow."

After saying their goodbyes, Sunset walked Fluttershy back home while Twilight and Aiko took their leave.

"So, do you think your brother could find them?" Aiko asked.

"He should be. If not, Miss Chrysalis could be of help," Twilight said.

"What does she do exactly again? Is she some kind of IT expert? Because we asked her to look after the forum?"

"No, she's a special agent. And she has a lot of connections. If Shining can't, she'll be able to help us."

"Oh sugoi... (wow...), I still can't believe any of this. Solving mysteries, government agents, magic, and cute little ghosts like you," Aiko said, scratching Blake on her back at the last part.

"Yeah, me too. I still can't believe I was going to waste my life pursuing knowledge instead of living. I owe a lot to Sunset for helping me," Twilight said, smiling fondly. "And of course, you too, Ai, for brightening my life," Twilight added, side hugging Aiko before holding her hand.

The two spent the walk in silence. Hand in hand, just basking at the moment. It was good. The Sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon as the golden hour started. Forgetting about all the troubles of the day. It was just them, alone, and nothing else mattered.
But like everything, their time together has to come to an end. It came in the shape of an all too familiar purple-themed house. The two entered the driveway and walked towards the front door.

"Well... I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Aiko said reluctantly to let go of Twilight.

"Yeah... Good Night Aiko," Twilight said, just as reluctant as Aiko, before mustering up her courage and giving Aiko a peck on the cheek. Aiko froze in place as they looked at each other's eyes while holding hands.

*ring ring*

They were snapped out of their own little world when Aiko's phone suddenly rang.

"Gomen (sorry)," Aiko said before taking her phone to see Sunset calling her. "Sunset?" Aiko answered the call and placed the phone near her ear.

"AIKO! Where are you two? Twilight isn't picking up. Did something happen?!" out came the panicked voice of Sunset.

"W-what? We are fine. We just arrived at Twilight's house. What's happening?" Aiko asked.

"What's- didn't you see the new post?"

"There's a new post?" Twilight said before quickly pulling out her phone.

"Listen, you can't be alone. I'll ask Luna to take you home."

"No, it's okay. It's not too far from here. I can make it."

"Did you even see the post? Here's the short version of it, there's a ghost girl out there waiting to catch people alone and ask them to take her home. You can't be alone, capiche."

"Yeah, Aiko, I'll ask dad. He can take you home. You just have to wait a while for him to get back and-"

"No, it's okay. I have Blake with me. And I can teleport. If the ghost found me, I can just simply teleport."

"But what if-"

"Twi, it'll be fine. Sunset, I'll keep you guys in the loop, don't worry."

"Aiko, you know this is dangerous, right? We don't know what the forum did to warp this rumor. I don't wanna find ya dead or something, k?"

"I know. But we'll have to get to the ghost sooner or later. It's better if it's sooner rather than later. I'm the safest option, thanks to my power and Blake. I'll be fine."

"I don't like this one bit. But if you are sure. We'll be ready. Just give the word if you need it, and we'll be there."

"Okay," Aiko said before ending the call.

"Aiko, are you sure about this?" Twilight asked, not liking this one bit.

"Don't worry, I'll keep her safe," Blake said.

"See? I have the perfect bodyguard. I'll be fine, Twi. Good night," Aiko said, smiling while giving Twilight a quick hug.

"Good night," Twilight said a bit reluctantly while hugging back.

As Aiko went back to the street, her smile slowly slipped away and was replaced with nervousness. Blake, who's been walking beside her, noted the change.

"Are you afraid?"

"Hm? Uh... y-yeah. I am, actually."

"Then why didn't you take the offer?"

"I just... since the forum started, we have been walking on eggshells. Always afraid of what's about to happen. Of course, it's for obvious reasons, but... now we have powers. And we've barely even used them to solve the rumors," Aiko said. "All we've done so far is try to look for the information on the rumor and guesswork it. Yes, it worked so far, but what if someone made something up? There will be nothing to look for. And all we are going to do is drag more people into this just to be safe."

"Are you afraid they will get hurt?"

"Why wouldn't I be? We can take care of ourselves with all these powers, but they can't. Not to mention if we don't solve this rumor as soon as we can, someone else who knows nothing about this is going to get hurt. Like I said, I'm the best to find this ghost since I can easily get away. And you are here to back me up."

"So you actually want to meet the ghost?"

"The sooner we solve this, the better," Aiko said, determined.

"If the ghost is going to do something, she'll have to go through me first. Let's solve this," Blake said.

They fell into silence as they walked their way back home. The streets are all empty except for a few cars and a few pedestrians. At least until they turned into a lane. Now it's just them and the ambiance. The sound of vehicles slowly going away just added to the creepiness of the situation. Aiko pulled out her phone to send the girls a message that she was fine at the moment.

"Hey."

Aiko and Blake turned back when they heard the voice. But they couldn't see anyone.

"Who was- ah!" *hissssss!!!* Aiko yelped while Blake jumped back in surprise when they saw a small girl in a red gown in front of them.

"Hey, where are you going?" The girl asked innocently.

'This girl?' Aiko thought.

"U-um... I'm going home?" Aiko said, feeling Blake wrapping his tail around her leg in protection.

"Oh... I'm lost. My home is in that small forest,"

'Small forest? Is she talking about that overgrown patch of land?' Aiko thought.

"Take me there," The girl said, smiling innocently while holding her hands behind.

"Um... okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Aiko said, trying her best to sound genuine. "The small forest, you said. The one near the school?"

"Yep. That's my home."

"G-got it. I know where it is. Just follow me, okay?"

"Okay, big sister."

'Big sister? I'm not liking where this is going,' Aiko thought before pulling out her phone and messaging the girls.











Unsurprisingly, it was Twilight that answered first.


















"Hey, big sister."

"Huh- what?" Aiko asked, looking at the girl next to her.

"The fork."

"W-what?"

"The fork," The girl said, pointing ahead. And just like the girl said, they were at an intersection.

"O-oh, let's go ri-"

"Left."

"- What?"

"Let's go to the left."

"But it's much closer this way."

"Left. I think it's much closer this way."

"I'm sorry, but no. Right is faster. Don't you want to go back home quicker?" 'She wants me alone. No one takes that road, and it doesn't even lead to CPA.'

The girl just stared at Aiko as a tense silence spread among them. Blake got into an attack position as the seconds ticked by.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

...

...

...

"Okay," The girl said, clearly not happy at the answer.

As the two started to walk again, Aiko quickly turned back to her phone and, not wanting to take any chances, quickly sent a message.















After sending the message, Aiko started a group call, which everyone immediately answered.

The three walked along the road in relative silence, with the only sound coming from their walking as the girls listened in on the call for the sound of trouble. Before long, the sound of vehicles started to grow closer.

"Not yet?"

"Huh?"

"It's closer right? Not yet?"

"Not yet. We are almost there tho-"

"I'm bored."

"I'm bored."

"I'm bored."

"I'm bored."

"I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored."

"Okay, okay, maybe we can play a game," Aiko said, startled by this sudden outburst. 'Maybe I should've expected this. She a little girl, after all.'

"A game? Yeah."

"Okay... um... let's play... word chain."

...

...

"Okay, I'll go first. Word... so D"

"D... uh... door."

"Rope."

"Eh...Elephant."

"Trap."

"Pumpkin."

"Noose."

'Noose? Trap? I don't like where this is going,' Aiko thought.

"Uh... England."

"Die."

"W-what?"

"Next' E'."

'She... I need to be careful. What if I say the wrong word?'

"Five."

"W-what?!"

"four."

"W-wait a minute."

"Three, two."

'Come on, Aiko, what are you doing?'

"One-"

"EAGLE!!"

...

...

"Y-you know eagle for 'E'?"

"Got here."

"Huh?"

"We are here."

Aiko looked around and saw that they were, in fact, where they wanted to be.

"O-oh... uh... we are here."

...

"Great, uh... is it okay here? This is it?"

"Yes, thank you."

"W-what?"

"It was fun. I'm glad that I got home."

"Y-yeah, I'm glad too," Aiko said, sweating bullets.

"Big sister... let's shake hands for farewell."

"What? S-shake hands?"

"Mmhm... for goodbye."

"Sorry," Aiko said, slowly backing up.

"What?"

"I-I'm done bringing you here, and I... gotta go now," Aiko said, pointing behind.

...

"I have to go home too."

...

...

“Oh... hehe... haha... hahaha... oh well. I thought you would shake hands with me."

"What?"

"You look kind big sister. You also played with me," The girl said. "I wanted to play with you in the forest more."

Aiko for the millionth time did not like where this was going.

"I wanted to play with you for good. But I know when to give up. Hehe... not today. Let's play again, big sister," The girl said before waving.

"Bye..." As the girl said that, she started to slowly disappear from sight.

Once the girl completely disappeared, Aiko released the breath she didn't know she was holding. She looked at Blake and extended her hand to him. Blake, understanding what she wanted, quickly jumped up to her hand while she hugged him tightly. She quickly looked around just in case before they, too, disappeared in a flash of light.





The residents of Whiskers household were waiting for Aiko as it was pretty late already.

"Where is that girl?" Aiko's mom asked as she made her way over to the phone.

"She should be home by now," Aiko's dad said, looking over the newspaper he was reading.

Aiko's mom took the receiver in hand and just started dialing her phone to check in on her when a bright light appeared in the middle of the living room. Aiko appeared with Blake in her arms, and she started to walk toward the couch.

"Aiko, where have you been?" Her mom asked, placing the receiver back down.

"G-give... me a s-sec- ugh-" That's all she was able to say before she fell face first onto the couch dropping her phone and Blake before blacking out.

"Aiko!" Her mom shouted, checking on her.

"Aiko? Aiko? What happened? Answer us," Came the voices of the girls from the phone on the ground before Aiko's mom picked it up.

"Hello? What happened? Aiko just magicked in here and just blacked out on the sofa," She demanded.

"Oh, h-hello Mrs. Whiskers S-so Aiko came back?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, she did. Now explain."

"W-well, you see," Sunset started. "A-after we... w-wait Rainbow did you just- hey Rare- n-not you too Apple- o-okay at least yo- Pinkie! Fl- Fluttershy!!" Sunset shouted as she saw everyone had just ended the call and left her all alone. At least Twilight is with her.

"Well?" Aiko's mom asked one last time, clearly not happy.

"So... do you want the long version or the short version?"





The next morning, all the girls gathered in the club room and waited for Aiko. Sunset and Twilight are clearly upset with them for leaving them like that, but it is what it is. It didn't take long for Aiko to arrive, and as soon as she did, she was suddenly tackled into a hug by Twilight.

"AIKO!! Thank god you are okay!" Twilight said.

"Y-yeah."

"What happened?" Rarity asked.

"Well..." And so, Aiko started retelling what had happened to her the previous night.

"Oh, you poor thing, you must've been so scared to pass out like that," Fluttershy said, giving her a comforting hug.

"You have no idea," Aiko said. "Did you find anything about the rumor, though?"

"Only that it was made up by the posters, mom. She's a freshman, and her mom just made that up to make sure she comes home in time. She apparently took it seriously," Sunset said.

"So we can't solve it?"

"Not really. We know that it's not real, and you know how to avoid the ghost. So I guess we are fine," Sunset said.

"Good, good. The last thing I want is a creepy ghost who's waiting to kill you at any moment as a little sister." Aiko said, still shivering at the experience.
> Chapter 18 - Dance Magic (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, I gathered all of you here today for a very important reason," Sunset began sitting on the head seat of the table with her elbows on the table and fingers touching each other while everyone else sat around the table. The classes for the day had just ended, and Sunset gathered everyone in the club room for an emergency meeting.

"What day is today?" Sunset asked seriously. The girls, too afraid to speak, fearing they had forgotten about something important like a birthday or something, just looked at each other before Rarity decided to bite the bullet.

"It's... Friday?"

"And in a week, it will be?"

"Friday 23rd?" Aiko asked.

"And...?"

"And what?" Rainbow asked.

"What comes after 23?"

"24th."

"And it's important because...?"

"Sunset, what ar-"

"THE DEADLINE!!" Twilight shouted, interrupting Rainbow.

"Deadline? What- oh no! I completely forgot!" Rainbow shouted as everyone else quickly caught onto what was going on.

"Yes! Because of this bucking forum, we completely forgot about the fundraiser. And we need to find money in a week. We need ideas, people, and fast!" Sunset said as everyone went into brainstorming ideas. It's been some time since camp Everfree, and with everything going on, they all forgot about the fundraiser, and now they are out of time.

"Why can't you ask your-"

"No, I'm not pulling the mom card, Rainbow. We need to find them ourselves," Sunset said.

"What if we have a doggie daycare?" Twilight suggested, and Sunset looked at Fluttershy.

"W-well... maybe, but... not many p-people have d-dogs. So we wouldn't get e-enough money from just that," Fluttershy said.

"Hm. And we'd have to commit to that the whole week, which we can't do."

"Oooh, ooh, we can have a bake sale. Everyone loves sweets," Pinkie said.

"That's a good idea, but where are you gonna find the resources?"

"Oh, the Cakes can help us out."

"If you are sure. But that won't be enough."

"We can try washing cars," Rainbow said.

"That might take every one of us. So let's hold onto that for now. Anything else?"

The girls were all silent as they thought of anything else to earn more money.

"It's hard to think of anything to do. If you give me some time, I'll be sure to think of something," Rarity said.

"Time is what we don't have right now."

"I know, but give me a day, and I will think of something. You know I never back down from a promise."

"Okay fine. Pinkie check-up with the Cakes and updated me. Everyone else, if you think of something, tell us as soon as possible."

The day slowly ended as the girls returned home and thought of a way to find more money. Applejack suggested helping Pinkie with the bake sale with their very own apple products, which will surely get a lot of attention. The only problem was that Mr. and Mrs. Cake were out of ingredients for a bake sale, so they'd have to wait a while to get them. Aiko suggested holding a concert which was a solid idea with all their original songs. The only downside, other than the school, which is actually a lot by itself, no one really knew about them. However, all they get from Rarity is to meet them tomorrow at the school. And so the girls found themselves the next day in the music room while everyone waited for Rarity.

"Sorry, girls, I lost track of time," Rarity said as she rushed into the room, looking like her usual self if a bit frazzled.

"It's okay, Rarity. What've you got?" Sunset asked.

"Chance to Prance," Rarity said, making a rainbow with her hands like it was the most obvious thing. Everyone looked at her, confused.

"It's a competition. All we gotta do is write some lyrics and make up some dance moves, and we can win the prize money."

"You make it sound simple as pie," Applejack said.

"Because it is. Even the girls at Crystal Prep agree."

"They do?" Twilight asked, surprised.

"Is that a problem, darling?"

"N-no, it's just... haven't really heard from them since I left the school."

"Although, there's a very little problem," Rarity said.

"What's that?" Fluttershy asked.

"I... don't have money to buy supplies for the clothes," Rarity said in one breath.

"Oh... well, I have the money I got from the restaurant. I can give you that," Sunset said.

"What happened to we are not gonna use our money thing?" Rainbow asked, crossing her hands.

"I'm not just straight up giving the money, and I'm just... contributing some to earn them for the fundraiser. That's completely different," Sunset said.

"Well, in any case, I'd be able to give you some, too," Applejack said. "Though from the sound of it, you already have an idea for the song."

"I certainly do. I'm thinking about a music video that combines different genres and styles. I mean, we have a pretty diverse cast of singers, from alicorn princesses to samurai warriors. This should be an easy win."

"Well, she does have a point," Applejack said.

"Hm... it is a risk but...okay then. So what are we waiting for? Let's get down to business," Sunset said.

And so, the girls started to make a rough draft for their song for the music video. They decide on a lot of genres like country, hip-hop, and rap, among others.

"Who's gonna do the rap?" Sunset asked. "We never had any rap parts in our songs."

"Oh, oh, Aiko can do it!" Pinkie suggested shoving the Japanese girl forward.

"W-what!"

"You! You can rap."

"H-how do you-"

"You know how to rap?" Twilight asked, surprised.

"W-well... I can't make them up on the spot... but I can definitely do that if I get enough time. B-but I'm not that good."

"Don't say that. I'm sure you'll do great," Rainbow said.

"Oh, definitely," Rarity said. "So, are we certain this is what we wanna do?"

"Yeah, I guess," Applejack said.

"Great. I'll go back and start designing our clothes then. Aiko, can I speak to your mom, maybe grandma?"

"Why do you wanna talk to them?"

"To get some help with your dress, of course. I'd ask you, but you need to practice."

"Oh, okay then. They'll be at home. Just give me a call."

As Rarity left, the other girls kept working on the song. Knowing Rarity, they knew she'd finish all the dresses before tomorrow. So they can start practicing tomorrow with no problems.





The song came out perfect. Aiko was able to finish her part perfectly, proving that she didn't give enough credit to herself. However, the dance... well...

"Ow! Careful!" Sunset shouted as her feet got stomped for the 3rd time.

"Sorry," Twilight said. Just before Rainbow jumped in front of them, completely missing her cue.

"No, no cut!" Rarity shouted as the girls stopped what they were doing. Twilight, who was in an awkward position, tried to stand normally when her heel caught a part of Sunset's dress and ripped it.

"AHHH!!! No!!" Rarity shouted, running at Sunset before gripping her dress. "I-it's okay, darling. I can fix t-this. Take it off."

Sunset quickly took her dress off before handing it over to Rarity.

"Keep practicing, everyone. I'll get this fixed right away," She said before running out of the auditorium.

"Sorry!" Twilight shouted at the running girl, looking apologetic.

"It's okay, Twi, this is clearly not working," Applejack said.

"Hm... the song came out perfect, but the dance... well?" Fluttershy said.

"It's a disaster. How did you guys even make that dance at the cafeteria with Princess Twi?" Sunset asked.

"I don't know. It just... worked?" Rainbow said.

"Okay, okay, let's go over the dance again. Let's see if we can change anything," Sunset said.

They tried to go over the dance and fix any issues, but no matter what they tried, it didn't seem to work at all. With so little experience with dancing, the girls were stuck and couldn't think of anything to do. This went on for well over an hour when they received a message from Rarity asking to meet her as soon as possible. And so, the girls stopped what they were doing and went to Rarity's house. Sunset knocked on the door to her workshop and entered with the rest of the girls.

"Rarity! We got your message. What happened? Is everything okay?" Twilight asked. Rarity, who was in the middle of fixing Sunset's dress, stopped what she was doing and walked over to a couch. She sat on it silently and fixed her clothes. And all of a sudden-

"AAHHHHHHH!! It's not okay!!" She started to wail, mascaras running down her eyes. "I-it's the... Crystal Prep students. They- they stole my ideahahaaaa!!"

"They did what!?" Rainbow shouted in anger.

"Didn't they learn anything from the last friendship games?" Sunset asked.

"Wouldn't surprise me. Even under Principal Cadence, all they care about is winning," Twilight said.

"Well, we have to do something. Can't we try and talk to them? They were your classmates, right?" Aiko asked Twilight.

"I could try, but-"

"YES! Come on, Twi, we need to talk to them," Rarity said, wiping her makeup using a tissue Pinkie gave her.

"M-me?!"

"Yes, I need you to take me there. And since they are your old classmates, they might listen to you."

"Uh... o-okay."

And so, the waiting game began. The girls returned to the CHS music room for Rarity and Twilight to return and start practicing the song. Before long, Rarity and Twilight came back from Crystal Prep, and from the looks of it, the confrontation didn't go too well.

"So I get it they didn't listen?" Sunset asked.

"No, they didn't! And you know what the worst part is? They are about to submit the video. So if we go through with the idea, we're going to look like the ones that stole the idea," Rarity cried as her eyes watered. "I'm so sorry for convincing you that we will be able to do this in so little time. All we did so far was waste money and time."

"Don't think like that. Maybe we can come up with a new idea," Applejack said.

"Yeah, we are so good at doing things fast. Just look at Pinkie. While we were talking, she made a whole castle out of chocolate," Rainbow said as everyone looked at Pinkie to see her standing on top of the piano, placing the last piece of a huge chocolate castle. Everyone just hoped that some Indian Prince doesn't hear about Pinkie.

"No, we can't just give up like that. Not to mention what about everything we have done so far. The song? The costumes? All just wasted," Aiko said.

"She's right. As much as I hate to do this, it looks like I'll have to talk to mom," Sunset said.

"Oh, it's all my fault. If I didn't-"

"Don't say that Rarity, it's okay. It's that Crystal-"

"But it's NOT okay! I- I we- urgh! I'm sorry, I need some time," Rarity said before she left the room. Rainbow tried to talk to her, only for Applejack to stop her.

After leaving CHS, Rarity made her way to the Sugar Cube Corner before ordering a huge cup of ice cream to comfort herself while she cried in a booth. This was when she heard an interesting conversation coming from behind her with a certain group of girls. After listening in for a while, Rarity knew exactly what needed to be done.

After her talk with the Shadowbolts and getting them on her plan, they all went back to CHS and started working on their plan. After everything was done, Rarity called the girls and asked them to get to the auditorium.

When the girls finally arrived at the auditorium, they saw that everything was changed. The scene was completely different from what they were initially working with. After the initial shock wore off, the girls all looked at Rarity.

"Aren't Crystal Prep gonna use this video idea?" Sunset asked.

"They are, yes. And so are we! You can come out now, girls," Rarity said when the Shadowbolts walked out from behind a prop.

"What are they doing here?' Rainbow asked.

"Well, you see, we met at the Sugar Cube Corner and had a little talk. After that, we realized fighting against each other wasn't going to take us anywhere. So instead, I proposed we work together."

"You guys are great singers, and we got all the dancing covered. So combining our talents is the most logical thing to do," Sugarcoat said matter-of-factly.

"So... what do you guys think?" Rarity asked as the girls started to think about this.

"Well... I like this idea," Twilight said.

"Me too," Applejack said.

"Hai," "Yepperoni," Aiko and Pinkie said.

"Okay then, I guess we can do it," Sunset said, approving the idea.

"Yes! We are gonna make the best music video ever!" Lemon Zest said in joy. "Just one more question. Who's the new girl?" She asked, pointing at Aiko.

"Aiko Whiskers, Hajimemashite," Aiko said, bowing.

"Oh, sweet. I'm Lemon Zest, and this is Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, and Sunny Flare," Lemon introduced the rest of the girls.

"Okay then, let's get to work. One of you go with Fluttershy and make changes to the lyrics. We can't just sing about us," Sunset said.

"I got it," Sunny Flare said.

"Great. Until they are done, we can get over the dance moves," Sour Sweet said. "Let's do this."





"Lights! Camera! ACTION!!"

Music starts playing as the song starts.


[Sunset Shimmer]



I feel it stirrin' deep down inside my soul
The rhythm's taking hold, and it's about to roll



[Twilight Sparkle]



A million sparkles falling across the floor
So, DJ, give it more. It's what we're looking for


Sunset and Twilight sang as they danced to the beat.


[The Crystal Rainbooms]



Dance the night away
All our friends right by our side
It doesn't matter what style you bring
We're about to go on that ride (Hey!)
It's dance magic; once you have it
Let your body move; step into the music
It's dance magic, and it's electric
Let your body move to the music


As everyone sang, the video transitioned through each one of the groups.


[Aiko Whiskers]
Rapping...



Jibun no sutairu de
Sute-ii de odoccha ou
Kimi no youna tomodachi to
Dansu no kui-n su-pa-suta
Kimi tachi no huritsuke to
Watashi tachi no ongaku de
Odaccha ou sono na mo
Kurisutaru Reinbu-mu
Dance Magic




Aiko rapped while Pinkie and Rainbow danced to the rap in the background before transitioning into a shot with everyone.


[The Crystal Rainbooms]



Dance the night away
All our friends right by our side
It doesn't matter what style you bring
We're about to go on that ride (Hey!)
It's dance magic, once you have it
Let your body move, step into the music
It's dance magic, and it's electric
Let your body move to the music
Crystal Rainbooms got a style that's all our own
Dancin' nonstop, body movin' in the zone
Bring whatever style you got
'Cause the party is goin' off
It's dance magic, and it's electric
Let your body move to the music

> Chapter 19 - Movie Magic (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bell rang as the last class of the day let out. All the students gathered all their supplies and prepared to leave.

"Make sure to read through pages 53 to 57. The next part is very important," Miss Celestia said, knowing full well that half the class wouldn't even look at the book. Something they'd come to regret in the coming test.

While all the students hurriedly left the classroom, one girl stayed behind, waiting for them to go. As the final student left the room, it was only then that she began to make her way out and over to her friends. Or that was her plan until a boy stopped her. He was a little taller than her and was wearing a CHS letterman jacket.

"Hey, nice meeting you here," The boy said as the girl visibly flinched.

"H-hey... I-I gotta go. I have some-"

"Off to meet your stupid friends?"

"T-they are not-"

"Oh shut up, why don't we hang out a little bit, hm? You know, I just got first place in-"

"Mr. Sprint, can I talk to you for a second?" They heard Miss Celestia's voice as she ordered the boy to accompany her. Using the chance, the girl quickly fled from the boy.





"Woah, they still broadcast our song? We are famous!" Rainbow said, looking at a TV screen as she and the girls, except Fluttershy and Pinkie, walked back out of the mall.

"It is quite wonderful," Rarity said.

"Anyways, is this all? Did we miss anything?" Applejack asked, gesturing at all the stuff they were holding.

"Yeah, I think so. Now it's just a matter of fixing up the bus," Sunset said.

"It is on the verge of falling apart, but I guess having one is great. It's a good thing Ai's dad agreed to help us," Twilight said, looking at Aiko only to frown. "Uh, Ai? Aiko? Hey," She said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"U-uh- Yeah?" Aiko asked, startled as she adjusted her glasses.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh- yeah, of course. Why?"

"You look troubled. Did something happen?" Sunset asked.

"What, no, no, it's just... I was thinking about something, don't worry." Aiko said, brushing it off.

"Aiko?" Sunset asked a little sternly.

"No, seriously, don't worry about it. It's just something I saw," Aiko said as Sunset narrowed her eyes at her.

"Hm... if you are sure."

The girls made their way to the car lot, walked up to the Apple family's truck, and placed everything on the trunk before Sunset, Aiko, and Rainbow jumped onto the back while Rarity and Twilight climbed inside the cab with Applejack taking the wheels. Before long, they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and parked the truck in the garage, where they found Aiko's dad with Pinkie and Fluttershy looking at what appeared to be a pile of metal in the shape of a bus.

"Should we look at the engine?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm half expecting it to explode," Aiko's dad said.

"Good Mornin', Mr. Whiskers," Applejack greeted as she and the rest of the girls entered. "What do you think of it? Ain't she a beauty?"

"I'm thinking a lot, but that is not one of them," He said before the side mirror suddenly fell off.

"He he... yeah..." Applejack laughed awkwardly.

"Okay, then. No point in waiting any further. Let's get this over with," Aiko's dad said as he cracked his knuckles.

The rest of the day was spent trying to fix up the bus to a working condition. And by some miracle, they managed to fix everything and even finish decorating. It did take them some time, as seen by the moon starting to rise from the horizon. It also helped that they had at least six people working on fixing the truck while the others decorated both inside and outside.

"Hgh... ghaa..." Aiko's dad stretched as he stood back and walked back, looking at the work they had managed to do. "And it's done. Not bad."

"I still can't believe we managed to fix this so soon. According to my calculations, it should have at least taken a couple more days," Twilight said.

"Huh, don't underestimate the awesomeness that is the Rainbooms," Rainbow said, gloating.

"Mm-hm..." Aiko's dad grunted, raising an eyebrow at Rainbow.

"I- I mean, we had an even more awesome mechanic to help us out, he he," Aiko's dad shook his head with a slight smile.

"Anyways, I guess I'll take my leave. And Aiko, I need a full report on how the bus functions before you decide to take it out to that studio."

"Got it, dad," Aiko said.

"Oh no, you are not leaving like that," They heard the voice of Granny Smith as she stopped Aiko's dad from leaving. "Rest up for a bit and wait for dinner. You did a lot for them girls today."

"Oh, it's okay, ma'am. It doesn't-" He stopped when he saw the look Granny was giving her. "I- I'll call Harumi," He said before pulling out his phone and calling his wife while the girls all snickered.

"Okay, everyone, go and take a shower. I'll call when the dinner is ready," Granny said before leaving back to the house.





"I asked our coach and hall monitors, and all I was able to... hey, you okay?" The boy asked the girl in front of him.

"W-what?" The girl asked, startled.

"He asked are you okay? You seemed out of it." Another girl that was beside them asked.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry, Red."

"No, you aren't. Is he troubling you again?"

"N-no...?"

The boy sighed.

"Listen, you gotta tell someone about this," Red said.

"No, it's okay, really. He's not-"

"What about Miss Celestia? She's pretty cool," The boy said.

"What? I don't wanna bother-"

"It's not. It's the teacher's duty to look after the students. So you gotta tell her what's been happening."

"He's right. If you aren't gonna do it, then I'm gonna go and tell her myself," Red said.

"Okay, fine, I'll talk to her," The girl said.

"Good," The boy said before looking at the time. "It's getting late; let's wrap it up for now."





The morning came, and after thoroughly testing the bus for any faults, Aiko reported back to her father, getting the all-clear. They all got ready and drove off to the studio where the new Daring Do movie was being filmed. The film's director was friends with Gloriosa and Timber's parents, and after hearing about the girls' contribution to the camp, he decided to invite the girls to witness the filming.

Everything was going so well at the beginning. But then Rainbow started interrupting the filming pointing out its inaccuracies with the books. When it seemed like the director was regretting his decision to invite the girls, he called for a break. After everyone left, the girls decided to look around the studio and split up to go their own separate ways. Aiko, of course, tagged along with Twilight. They made their way to a different set of marketplace where they saw the props of relics that appear in the books placed inside a display case. Rainbow and Twilight dashed over to the relics while Aiko and Blake tagged behind.

"Wow! These are the three Altoriosa Relics!" Rainbow said as she and Twilight looked at the relics, eyes wide open.

"The Staff!" Twilight said.

"The Sword!" Rainbow said.

"Don't forget the Arrow of Altoriosa," A third voice said.

They turned to look at a girl with pale yellow skin and turquoise green hair in two ponytails.

"You are from Canterlot High, right?" She asked. The three girls nodded. "I'm Juniper Montage, Canter, the director's niece. What do you think?"

"They are Awesome!" Rainbow shouted before she enthusiastically began talking about the props and the movie while Aiko and Blake looked on from the sideline.

"I knew they were fans, but this is a whole 'nother level," Aiko said to Blake.

"Yeah. Aren't you a fan of the books?" Blake asked.

"I am, but I have only read two books so far. I'm pretty much spoiling myself he-" Aiko stopped when she saw something from the corner of her eyes. She turned her head and saw the reflection of her and Blake through a glass off to the side from the set where the cameras usually are.

"Aiko? What are you looking at?" Blake asked.

"Nothing, I thought I saw something," She said.

"Aiko!" Twilight shouted. "Come on! Juniper said she's going to show us the set for Caballeron's secret lair!"

"Yeah, let's go," Aiko said before joining the girls.





After the break, they started filming again; even now, Rainbow had trouble not interrupting the filming. So she decided to slip out of the set and go look at the Relics again. Everything after was seemingly going well when the volcano on the set suddenly collapsed with no explanation at all. As if that wasn't enough, Rainbow ran back with Juniper shouting the relics were also missing. Now the girls gathered around the display case where the relics were before. This caused the director to panic as he went on about the movie getting canceled due to the missing relics and sudden setbacks.

"There was trouble with one of the costumes when we first arrived. The volcano that was fine yesterday just collapsed. And now the relics, one of the most important props, are gone. I don't think these are just coincidences," Twilight said as she glared at the relics' display.

"You're right. I know a plot when I see one. Someone wants to stop the movie from being produced, and they are desperate," Sunset said.

"But who would want to do that?" Spike asked while being hugged by Fluttershy.

"Oh dear, you don't think?" Fluttershy asked, looking at Rarity.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, certainly not!" Rarity said as all the other girls looked at them, confused. Sunset motioned her to explain.

"Well, when we followed Chestnut Magnifico, we heard her saying something about shutting down something," Fluttershy said.

"B-but she said something, and we don't know if it's the movie she's talking about," Rarity defended.

"Maybe she's just really mad that they're always running out of her imported butter praline crunch bars," Pinkie said, butting into the conversation.

"These ones?" Sunset asked, pulling out a candy wrapper she found on set.

"Those are the ones."

"But we found this on the set right before the mountain collapsed."

"Hm... all the evidence is pointing at Chestnut Magnifico as the one causing all this," Twilight said.

"I don't know Twihana. The mountain must have been tempered while everyone was on the break, as she had been busy since the start of the day. And we clearly know where she was during the break. Unless she found someone else who also loves candy," Aiko pointed out.

"I don't know who's doing this or what's going on, but the first thing we need to do is find those relics," Rainbow said.

"I agree. The Relics were here earlier. So whoever did this must have been around here somewhere," Twilight said.

"Yeah, hmmm. Why don't Fluttershy, Spike, and I meet with the crew to see if we can find anything? In the meantime, you guys can look for the relics," Sunset suggested before leaving.

"Where are we gonna start? This place is huge!" Rainbow said.

"Hm... do we have a map?" Twilight asked.

"Here you go!" Pinkie said, throwing Twilight a map, and she caught it and opened it up.

"Okay, we are here. And the thief could... hm... this place is a maze, and we'll probably have to search the whole place."

"Awww... it's gonna take forever!" Rainbow sighed.

"Yeah. Why can't there be a mysterious cloaked figure for us to chase and ask where the relics are," Applejack said.

"Like that?" Pinkie said, pointing at the back of the set where a cloaked figure was trying to leave the set.

"Stop right there!" Rainbow shouted, running after the figure using her super speed.

"Let's go. They're getting away!" Aiko shouted as everyone joined her.

Rainbow chased after the cloaked figure turning left and right. Even with her speed, she had a hard time catching up to the figure with all the sharp turns, and the figure flowed through all the obstacles with ease. Rainbow jumped off a wall before giving chase as they suddenly made a sharp right.

"Ugh, how is she getting away?!" Rainbow shouted to herself.

The figure ran a few meters ahead of her when a bright light stopped them in their tracks. Aiko appeared in front of them and tried to grab them at that moment. But the figure snapped out of it quickly and used the cover of the shadows to slip past Aiko.

"No! She's more nimble than I thought!" Aiko shouted. She joined Rainbow in the pursuit.

They chased the figure to a room with a bunch of wooden boxes stacked in the middle.

"I'll try to cut her path!" Aiko said before seeking the chance and jumping from box to box and bee lining to the other side. She saw the figure making her way around the boxes and quickly jumped down from the other side. She then started running back to catch the figure, only to end up face-to-face with Rainbow as they collided with each other.

"Ugh, what happened? Where'd they go?" Aiko asked.

"I don't know, they just... disappeared," Rainbow said, getting up from the floor.

"Whoever that is, they know every single nook and cranny of this place." Aiko said, "Where even are we? Let's try to find the girls, no point trying to chase whoever that was now."

After the failed chase, the two girls tried to find their way back. It took a while for them to get any semblance of direction before they stumbled upon the girls, with Sunset, Fluttershy, and Spike now joining them. Blake seeing Aiko quickly ran up to her and jumped onto her arms, wrapping his tail around her.

"Don't run off like that!" Blake said, concerned.

"Sorry, Blake, I won't," Aiko said, petting the little ghost.

"Did you catch whoever that was?" Blake asked.

"No. Whoever that was, they knew a lot about this place. It's gonna be hard to," Aiko stopped as she saw something from the corner of her eyes. Looking to her right, she walked towards several props to the side.

"Aiko?" Blake called her, but she didn't listen.

"Did you find anything with Chestnut?"

"Yes, but nothing bad. All we found out from the crew is that she really..."

Aiko heard the girls talking in the background, but their voices slowly faded as she inched closer to the props. Once she got next to the props, she got a hold of one of the cardboard props. 



After breathing a couple of times, she pushed the cardboard prop aside. She released a breath she didn't even realize she was holding as she came face to face with herself in front of a mirror.

"... I'm gonna be so fired if you aren't ready! The director wants to shoot in three minutes!" She heard someone shouting and looking at the girls, and she saw that a crew member was ushering the girls toward a room in a hurry.

"What the Blake, come on!" She said, running after the girls. Unfortunately, they were sent through a door that then closed on her leaving her outside.

"What happened?" Blake asked.

"I don't know. He probably mistook them for someone else," Aiko said, looking at the sign on the door. "Power Ponies?"

"No, I mean, what happened before with you?"

"Me? I... I thought I saw someone, but it was just a mirror," She said. "Come on, let's try and find where he's gonna take them."

With them now knowing the girls had been mistaken for Power Pony actors, Aiko and Blake started looking for the set. It didn't take them long to find it, and they stayed a little away from the crew, waiting for anything from the girls. Before long, she saw the same crew member pushing the girls onto the set and nervously looking at the director.

"Ah... I think there was a mistake," Applejack said after the sudden turn of events.

"Who are they," The director asked, clearly not happy with the mistake.

"I'm fired, aren't I?" The crew member asked.

Aiko looked back at the girls as they made eye contact. She tried to talk to them but was interrupted by Pinkie shouting when she saw the cloaked figure to the side.

"Come on. She's getting away!" Rainbow said as the girls started the chase again. Aiko, along with Blake, quickly joined her.
What followed after was a lengthy chase around the studio, passing through a bunch of different sets made for the movies. After quite a long run, the girls finally stopped at a set of a city with chocolate all over it.

"Wait... give me a... second..." Twilight said between breaths, tired from all the running. Rarity and Fluttershy joined her while everyone else seemed to be fine with the running.

"Where are we?" Sunset asked, looking around the bizarre set.

"Are you kidding? This is the set for Stormy with a Side of Pudding!" Pinkie shouted excitedly.

"Stormy with a side of what now?" Applejack asked, confused.

"It's only my all-time favorite movie!" Everyone just blinked in confusion.

"I've tried to get you to watch it like a bazillion times. I heard they use real pudding," Pinkie said before licking some of the pudding from a building. "They do!"

"Ugh... we are running out of time. We need to find the relics and catch the bad guy, not eat pudding!" Rainbow shouted, walking away from the group.

We should go back to the set. It's possible we missed something," Twilight said.

"Maybe. We did get inter-"

"AHHH!" Rainbow heard the girls scream and looked back to see the cloaked figure by the door and the girls trapped inside a net.

"Get back here!" Rainbow shouted before running back out the door to chase the figure.

"Aiko!" Sunset shouted.

"I can't teleport us all. What if I accidentally-"

"Just go! We'll follow!" Aiko nodded before motioning Blake to jump into her arm. After he phased through the net into her arm, she teleported away to follow Rainbow.

Once she teleported outside the net, she ran toward where Rainbow went. It didn't take her long to find Rainbow looking around for the figure.

"Where are they?" Aiko asked.

"Not sure, they are so slippery," Rainbow said, looking around when she caught the figure walking inside a room. "There!" She said as she and Aiko ran inside the room to catch the figure.

It was another storage room with various props and set pieces cramped inside. Aiko and Rainbow walked inside cautiously, looking around for the figure when Rainbow caught sight of something.

"Is that?" Rainbow said, gaining the other's attention. She walked towards a closet and opened it to find a costume. More specifically, the one that was missing from the movie.

"Isn't that-"

"AIKO!!" Blake shouted, interrupting Aiko. But it was too late as the figure left the room, closing the door behind them. Rainbow ran up to the door and tried to open it, only to find out that it was locked.

"Great."

"Don't they know I can teleport?" Aiko asked.

"Eh, makes things easier for us, I guess."

After teleporting outside, they went back to the pudding set to meet up with the girls that they met halfway to the set.

"Hey, look what we found," Aiko said, lifting the dress.

"Is that the costume that went missing?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. We found it in that storage room before that guy locked us in that room. Idiot forgot Aiko could teleport," Rainbow said.

"They locked you in?" Twilight asked.

"Yup, so what are we gonna do now? We have the costume, but we are nowhere closer to finding the relics."

"Why don't we head back to the set? Maybe there's something we missed." Applejack said.

"I may have an idea," Twilight said, gaining the girls' attention.

After explaining the plan, they all got back to the set and met with the director. They asked for permission to search the whole set with no restrictions while Pinkie had already started searching left and right. With the reassurance that the girls might be able to help him as they had already found the costume, he decided to give what they were asking. With the plan in motion, the Rainbooms started the plan's second phase, the chase. Instead of searching the set, they started following Juniper, and they finally caught her trying to get the relics out of the studio.

"I told you it wasn't Chestnut," Rarity said proudly.

"Didn't we already establish that it wasn't her?" Sunset said.

"O-oh yeah, you did."

"L-look, I found the relics!" Juniper tried to get out of the situation, but no one fell into that.

"Yeah, it's a little bit too late for that," Applejack said.

"B-but Juniper? She wouldn't do such a thing."

"She would, and she did," Twilight said before she started explaining how she figured out it was Juniper.

"Are we recording a Sherlock Holmes scene without me knowing?" Aiko whispered to Rainbow as she shrugged.





Once everything was cleared and kicking Juniper out of the studio, it was back time for filming. This time, the Rainbooms got their own background roles in the movie as a gift from the director to save the movie.

As the filming began, everything was finally going well with filming. Daring Do ran past Sunset and Rarity as they acted as a merchant and customer, almost hitting Applejack with a basket of apples. She ran past some wandering circus members putting on a show: Pinkie, dressed as a ringmaster, and Spike, who wore a vest as he stood on his forepaws. Aiko, who was checking out some daggers in a stall, looked at Daring Do as she ran past her and almost collided with Twilight with a tower of books before stopping just in front of Fluttershy and hitting her. That's when the movie's bad guy decided to show up and used the scepter in his hand to take the sword Daring Do had. Rainbow came to the Rescue and threw a whip at Daring Do, who caught it and stopped the bad guy. And then...

"That was AWESOME!!!" Rainbow shouted, interrupting the filming again.

"CUT!! Again!!" The director shouted, regretting all of his decisions.

"Sorry..."
> Chapter 20 - Mirror Magic (Edited by: Moonriseoversunset)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bedroom door swung open as the girl walked through the doorway while throwing her bag onto the ground. She untied her hair before flopping onto the bed, where she released a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes, trying to get some rest as the weight of the day slipped off her tired shoulders.

*meow*

She heard the sound of her cat as it jumped onto the bed and rubbed against her face. Smiling at the cat, the girl reached out and picked the cat up.

"Hey, sweetie," She said, hugging the cat.

*meow*

"Just... tired. It was him again. But I talked with Miss Celestia. She was already going to take action, so..." The girl said to the cat as it rubbed against her neck while purring. The girl smiled at the affection. "Thanks, Blake. You always know just how to cheer me up."





"Oh dang, the journal is nearly finished," Sunset said, distraught, looking at the last page of the journal.

"I mean, you have been writing to the Princess a lot; it was just a matter of time. Chillax Sunshim," Rainbow said before drinking her smoothie.

"Sunshim? That's new," Fluttershy said.

"It's her new movie star name; I just made it up," Rainbow said.

"There's something else that's troubling you. What's going on?" Twilight asked.

"It's just that... it's already been so long, and we are not any closer to solving the forum. And it's been pretty silent recently. I don't like it." Sunset said, not noticing Aiko's sudden flinching.

"Look, look, Twilight's writing you back," Pinkie said before picking up the book and waving it left and right. "Hey, everybody, Sunset's getting an Equestriatext!"

"Give me that!" Sunset said, snatching the book from Pinkie before reading the last page.

"She's asking me to come back. Probably to give me a new book. You guys stay here; it shouldn't take long," Sunset said, putting the book inside her bag and standing up to leave.

"Hey, Sunset, can I come with you?" Aiko asked suddenly, surprising everyone.

"Uh... yeah, why?"

"Just... wanted to fly around a little bit. We still have some time before the premiere."

"Okay... Twilight wanna join?" Sunset asked.

"No, you guys can go ahead. Someone has to keep a look over things here. You never know," Twilight said.

"Okay then. Hey, shy, can I take your car?" Sunset asked to which Fluttershy threw the car keys at her. "Thanks, come on, Aiko," Sunset said as they both left the mall.

They rode back in relative silence, neither saying anything. After Sunset left the urban area, she pulled to the side and parked the car.

"Okay, Aiko, what's going on?" Sunset asked. The girl in question kept her head down as she thought of what to say.

"I... something... something isn't right," She said.

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked, concerned.

"I'm... I see these... dreams, but... they don't feel like that. They are like... memories."

"How long has this been happening?"

"Since I went with Twilight to see the flowers in the park."

"That was what, almost a week?" Aiko nodded. "Why didn't you say anything about this before?"

"I didn't really think much of it. But then it kept happening and... I see things... someone. Or I think I do because every time I try to look, who or whatever it was is gone, just me looking at my reflection. So I thought I was just being paranoid with everything happening, but... I'm not so sure anymore."

"Hm... this is... thank you for telling me this. That was really brave of you," Sunset said before taking Aiko's hand. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out. I promise you nothing will happen to you."

"Thanks, Sunset," Aiko said, feeling a lot calmer. "Uh... can we go by my home? I need to give you something," She said.

"Yeah, it's on the way," Sunset said before starting the engine and pulling back to the road. It didn't take long for them to arrive at Aiko's home as they both got out of the car and walked up to the door. Opening the door, they were greeted by the sight of Aiko's mom and Blake playing in the living room. They stopped what they were doing as the two groups looked at one another.

"O-oh, Aiko! You are back!" Her mom said as if nothing happened.

"Yeah, we uh... we'll go up to my room. I need to give something to Sunset." Aiko said as she dragged Sunset upstairs.

"Huh, you weren't kidding when you said they were getting along," Sunset said as they entered Aiko's room.

"Yeah," Aiko said, walking up to her nightstand and picking up a journal. "Here, this is my dream journal. I wrote every single dream I saw in this."

"Aiko?"

"Just... don't look at the old ones. There were some... embarrassing dreams," Aiko said, blushing a little. "Read the ones after last Friday."

"You sure?"

"Please, I want to know what's happening."

"Okay. I'll see what I can find," Sunset said, putting the journal inside her bag. "So shall we?"

"Actually, can I stay here a little bit? We still have time till the evening, and you probably want to catch up with Twilight, so... can you pick me up before going back to the mall?"

"Yeah, I can do that. I'll see you later," Sunset said before she left.





"Woaaaaah- HA!!!" Sunset said as she sailed through the air and did a superhero landing. "Ha! T-" She quickly looked left and right for any interruptions. "Take That! I win portal!" Sunset said as she stood on her hind legs and tried to walk before she lost balance and fell face-first onto the ground. "Why?" She groaned.

"He-he, still no luck?" She heard the sound of Starlight Glimmer. She looked up and saw her offering her a hoof to stand up. She took it and, this time, properly stood back up.

"Thanks," Sunset said.

"Here, Twilight told me to give this to you," She said, giving Sunset the new journal.

"Sweet," Sunset said, picking the journal up in her magic and putting it inside her bag. "So... I guess Twilight isn't here?"

"Yeah. She had to leave for a friendship emergency," Starlight sighed.

"Friendship- hey, now that I think about it, despite being an element, I never got any emergency quests," Sunset said thoughtfully.

"I mean, you have your own problem back home. I think that's an emergency enough for you."

"You have no idea," Sunset said before properly looking at Starlight's face. "Hey, are you okay?"

"What? Of course, I am." Starlight said, surprised.

"No, you aren't. Something's bothering you."

"Well... it's silly."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"Well... it just... it just gets a little lonely here sometimes. Twilight and her friends always go on these crazy adventures, and I'm just stuck here. I mean, how am I supposed to learn anything about friendship if I'm cooped up in this castle?"

"Believe it or not, those adventures aren't what it's cracked up to be, but do you wanna come with me back to the human world? It could be a nice change of pace," Sunset offered.

"Wait, really?" Starlight asked, delighted.

"Yeah. Don't worry about Twilight saying anything. She'd be fine. If not, I'll take care of it."

"Oh wow, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Starlight shouted happily.

"First, though, I need to meet Princess Luna. I have something to ask her."

"Oh yeah yeah, of course. If we hurry, we'll be able to catch the train," Starlight said, running out of the room. Or she tried to when the door was suddenly slammed shut by Sunset's magic.

"Train? Who needs that when there's an all-powerful Alicorn who can TP us there?" Sunset said.

"TP?" Starlight asked.

"Yup. Now come on," Sunset said, grabbing Starlight and Teleporting out of the library.





"Okay, stop laughing. It's been a long time, okay?" Sunset said to a laughing Starlight Glimmer as they came out of the castle gardens. Sunset got the location wrong, and instead of inside the castle, they were teleported inside the garden right on top of the small pond before they were surrounded by a bunch of guards. After clearing up the situation and asking one of the guards to inform Princess Luna about their arrival, Sunset, and Starlight Glimmer made their way over to the tower where Luna resided.

It didn't take them long to get there, even with Sunset's old memories, and they stood in front of the doors to Luna's bedroom.

"You stay here; I'll be right back," Sunset said, nodding at the guards to let her in. After they opened the door, Sunset made her way in.

"Sunset Shimmer. What do I owe the pleasure of meeting you? I suspect this is not just a friendly meeting?" Princess Luna asked.

"You would be correct. I want to ask you something about dreams," Sunset said, pulling out Aiko's dream journal. "You remember Aiko?" Princess Luna nodded. "She's been having these weird dreams, and she's very concerned about them," Sunset said, turning to the first page of the recurring dreams.

"Here, every day from Saturday. She thinks it's someone's memories." Princess Luna took the journal and read the dreams she was shown.

"You have her consent to reading this, I presume?" Luna asked, looking at Sunset.

"Yes, she gave me the journal. She's really troubled by this," Princess Luna nodded as she read the dreams. She took her time reading the dreams before looking back at Sunset.

"Her assumption of these being memories might be correct," Luna said. "These dreams are very detailed and grounded, and both of which are exceptionally rare. And they speak of someone named Miss Celestia. She's the principal of your school, correct?" Sunset nodded. "That simply means if these are memories of someone, then this happened before she became the principal. And from what she has written here, whatever happened is not something good. Did she say anything else?"

"She said she sometimes can see someone in reflections. But she's not sure because every time, it's always in the corner of her eye. She thinks she's maybe hallucinating thinking about all this," Sunset said concern building up.

"Hm... this is quite troublesome. Dreams are very fascinating. But it also is dangerous as your mind will be in a vulnerable state. For this reason, beings from other dimensions can enter a person's mindscape easily, only second to being in a place that acts as a gateway between the two worlds."

"What are you saying?" Sunset asked, not liking where this was going.

"Someone, or something, is trying to get in contact with her. Their intentions are unknown. But what we do know is that it's something that no longer exists. I advise you to keep a close eye on her and, more importantly, keep her away from the portal?"

"What?"

"If you feel like things are getting more out of hand, inform me. I do not know what I can do in your world, but I will certainly do my best to assist you."





"Haa... it's done," The girl said, closing the book. She looked up at the clock and saw it was getting pretty late. Gathering all the papers, she placed them all inside the file and left them inside a cabinet.

Leaving the room, she made her way out of the school, humming a tune to herself. The hallways were eerily empty as everyone had already left for the day.

She managed to make it to the stairs without any problems when suddenly, she was stopped by someone grabbing her arm.

"Someone sounds happy," The girl froze in place when she heard the voice. She slowly looked up to see the face of her tormentor, looking at her with a creepy smile.

"S-S-Sprint... w-what are y-you doing here...?" The girl asked, shaking.

"You know... what you did wasn't that nice."

"W-what...?"

"Don't act like you don't know. You told lies about me to that annoying Miss Celestia."

"I-I didn't-"

"You didn't what? Do you have any idea what you did to me? I have to stay after school for the next whole month helping that old geezer. For a janitor, that guy is so infuriating I had to sneak out just to talk to you," the boy said, gripping the girl's hand harder.

"A-AH! Let go of me!"

"But don't worry, I'll forgive you." The boy said, not caring about the girl's pain. "Just stop your stupid act and go out with me, and we'll forget this ever happened."

"L-let... go of me," the girl said, trying to pry her hand from the boy.

"Not until you answer my question."

"I SAID. LET G-AHH!" The girl pried harder, freeing herself from the boy, but the sudden loss of contact made her off balance as she fell backward.

"VIOLET!!!" The girl heard the boy shouting as he tried to catch her, But before she could reach out, she was met with searing pain and then simply black.





*GASP* “Ha... ha... ha... ha... ... ha...”

"Aiko! Your friend is here!" Aiko heard her mom shouting from downstairs.

"I... Give me a minute!" She shouted back before quickly wiping down the sweat she had on her face and teleporting to the washroom to quickly clean herself up. She then quickly made her way to the living room.

"I'm going, Mom!" She shouted, running towards Sunset, who was waiting by the door.

"Be safe!" Her mom said.

As they exited the house, Sunset stopped Aiko and took her to the side.

"Aiko, listen. I talked with Princess Luna. She rules over the night and dreams, so I figured she might know what's going on," Sunset said.

"What did she say?"

"She, too, thinks that they can be memories. She thinks that someone or something is trying to contact you," Sunset said. "You know, this whole thing sounds familiar."

"You think that it could be her?" Aiko asked.

"Do you remember what any of the people looked like?"

"Not much. Their faces were blurry, but... it did fit them. Two girls and a boy. And the girl did call the other Red. She could be Scarlet. Also, they were in some kind of club. It cannot be a coincidence."

"Hm... this seems more serious than we thought."

"What are we gonna do now?"

"There's not much we can do, unfortunately. As Princess Luna said, it's hard to tell what they want from you. She told me to keep an eye on and inform her if things get worse and also told me to not take you to the mirror portal no matter what."

"Mirror portal? Why's that?"

"I'm not sure, and she was dead serious. We need to tell the others about this, you know that, right?" Aiko nodded. "And if you have anything to say, no matter how insignificant you think it is, tell us."

"I... I had another dream just now. Before you came."

"You did? What did you see?"

"I... I think she... died..."





The girls came back to the mall and started making their way to meet their friends right after buying a cone of ice cream for Starlight. While she was enjoying that, both Aiko and Sunset were trying to reach the girls on their phones.

"Six phones and none of them are working," Sunset said. "I don't like this,"

"You think the forum started something?" Aiko asked.

"I don't see any posts."

"Is it that bad that they are not working?" Starlight asked.

"Yeah. They don't just stop working, and for all of them to not respond? Something must have happened," Sunset said. "Where could they be?"

"Hey, is that Juniper?" Aiko asked, pointing to the side where Juniper was indeed behind a stall looking at a mirror.

"Who?" Starlight asked.

"Juniper Montage. She was cau- waaiit a minute! Is that Fluttershy's hairpin?!" Sunset said before stomping over to Juniper.

"And she's dead," Aiko said, looking at Juniper. "You wait here; I'll try to stop her before she commits second-degree murder,"

"Okay... never mess with Fluttershy unless you have a death wish. Noted."

Aiko made it to Sunset and Juniper when Sunset used her memory powers on Juniper.

"I know what you want. But please trust me, that mirror is not going to give you that," Sunset said.

"You just want the mirror all to yourself."

"What I want is my friends back. You wished them in; you can get them out," Aiko's eyes widened at what she was hearing.

"I wish... that you join them!" Juniper said, pointing the mirror at them.

Sunset quickly jumped to the side, hoping Aiko would do the same or teleport. Instead, what she saw was a fear-stricken Aiko frozen before she was pulled inside the mirror.

"NOOO!!!" Sunset shouted when Juniper pointed the mirror at Sunset. She quickly ducked around the stall and away from Juniper.

"Buck! Now what?" Sunset asked herself.





"AHHHHHH Ugh-" Aiko screamed before she was caught in a familiar field of magic.

"AIKO!" Twilight shouted. "She got you too?"

"Yeah..." Aiko said, finally standing on solid ground. "But don't worry. Sunset and Starlight are still there. They will do something."

"Starlight is here?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, she... she's here we..." Aiko said, clutching her head.

"Ai? Are you okay?" Twilight asked, concerned.

"Yeah, my... my head kinda hurt... T-Twi can I-" Aiko reached for Twilight before she fell forward.

"AIKO?" Everyone shouted as Twilight caught Aiko and laid her on the ground.

“Aiko!... Aiko talk to me... Aiko... Ai...”





...

...

...

She slowly opened her eyes as she regained consciousness. Though it felt like she was sapped out of all her strength as she looked through what she assumed was a slit. She also felt like she was bobbing up and down. Before she could make sense of what was happening, darkness overtook her again.

...

...

...

The next time she opened her eyes was when she heard a noise right next to her. Everything was still dark, and the only light coming from was through that slit. She tried to talk or even move. But all she could do was move her fingers a little. She tried to listen to the noise. It sounded like something metal hitting the dirt.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, she felt her being lifted and then suddenly the feeling of falling. And then, she felt something hit her. Something was falling on her. Before long, she realized what was happening. She tried to scream, move, anything. But all she could manage was slight moans as she kept on looking through the slit at the unmistakable spiky hair that haunted her in school before more dirt covered her vision.





"Uugh... what... happened?" Aiko asked as she woke back up. She was lying on the ground, her head on Twilight's lap.

"Aiko! Are you-" Twilight stopped as Aiko flinched from the sudden noise. "Sorry, are you okay? What happened?"

"I... I don't know... I just..." Aiko knew she saw something. She tried to remember what it was. "I... I saw something,"

"What do you mean?" Applejack asked.

"I saw... her... her... oh no..." Aiko said as she got back up with wide eyes. "She... no, she can't... that's why Luna..."

"Aiko, what's going on?" Rarity asked as everyone was looking at her, confused and concerned.

"W-we are inside a mirror, right? We have to get out of here, fast!"

"We tried all we could. There's no way out," Rainbow said.

"But... but we have to... before she-" *cra- crack!* Aiko was interrupted by the sound of something cracking. Everyone looked around to see what was going on, and they saw that the space they were in suddenly started cracking up and falling apart.

"No! The mirror is breaking; they have to hurry up!" Twilight shouted.

"No, no, no, this is bad. This is- ah..."

"Aiko! What's happening?"

"I... ah... AHH! AHHHHHH!!!" Aiko shouted as she clutched her head with both hands and dropped onto her knees.



"AIKO!!!" the girls shouted before they tried to get her. But the ground cracked around them, separating them from each other.





"Juniper, you have to listen to me! It's not too late to stop this!" Sunset shouted at the now transformed Juniper Montage as she tried to keep her away from her using her fire.

"No! You are just jealous. You took everything from me! Now you want this too! No way!" She shouted before she grabbed a bunch of decorations and food carts and threw them at Starlight, who was holding the mirror.

Starlight tried to get away, but she got cornered as everything that Juniper threw at her fell around her. She looked back and jumped inside the small round stall.





"It's getting worse!" Rarity shouted.

"Applejack, jump over here!" Rainbow shouted. Applejack complied and jumped just in time when the ground she was on collapsed.

"AHHHHHHH! MAKE IT STOP!!!" Aiko shouted in agony as Twilight hugged her tight.

"Just hold on a little longer- AHH!!" Twilight shouted as the ground they were on collapsed before them.

"TWILIGHT/AIKO!!!" The girls shouted before Rarity used her shields to catch them and take them to her.





"Is fame really what you are after? Maybe you are looking for something else?" Starlight said, glancing at the cracking mirror.

"Like What!?" Juniper shouted as she lifted the roof from the stall.

"L-like a... friend?" Starlight asked.

"Who would wanna be my friend?"

"I would."

"But... but why?"

"Because we understand you, Juniper. We also went through our own ups and downs. We did so much worse than you. Getting revenge is not going to help you. You'll just end up regretting everything for the rest of your life," Sunset said, trying to get through to her.

"But... I've made so many mistakes. What I've done is unforgivable."

"Again... you are in no way close to what we did. We will forgive you, but first, you need to set them free."

Juniper seemed to think about what she said before looking back at Starlight and asking for the mirror. Trusting she would do the right thing, Starlight handed her the mirror.

"I... I wish I could make for my mistakes..." Juniper said when the mirror activated again, but this time it spits out the girls huddled up together.

"I'm so sorry," Juniper said, looking down in remorse as her transformation wore off.

"It's okay. We've all been there," Sunset said.

"Really?"

"Turned into a she-demon and tried to kill royalty before using mind control to usurp a Princess."

"Manipulated an entire town into giving up their talents so they wouldn't think they were special and tried to use time travel to take revenge and almost destroyed the timeline."

"Wow..." Juniper said in disbelief.

"Yeah. As I've said, we were wor-"

"Sunset!" Applejack said, gaining her attention. "Something happened to Aiko."

"What!? What happened?" Sunset said as she made her way over to Aiko, who was sitting on the ground unconscious with Twilight hugging her.

"I don't know. She blacked out when she first fell in, and then she woke up before she started saying things about we need to get out and something about someone," Twilight started telling as Sunset checked up on Aiko. "And when the mirror started cracking, she started feeling a lot of pain before she blacked out again."

"Sunset?" Fluttershy asked, concerned.

"There's some kind of dark magic inside her. We need to take her back home. There's something I have to tell you guys. We were about to tell you soon, but well... things happened." Sunset said, getting up and pulling out the new journal and a pen before she started writing.



Twilight

Get Princess Luna quick. It's an emergency.







A pair of blue eyes opened as Aiko got up from her bed. Blake was sleeping on the bed while the bedside clock read 00:35. Aiko walked slowly over to her laptop without making any sound before she woke her laptop, the screen displaying the homepage of the forum.