> My Past Is Complicated > by TheKing2001 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter I > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I stepped through the portal with a grin and stood on my hooves, feeling the magic coursing through my horn. I hadn’t felt that in a long time since I stole Twilight’s crown. I’m home was the first thought that crossed my mind. I stepped away from the mirror in anticipation of my friends and mom and watched as the portal shot out a group of ponies. “Who’s idea was it go through the portal in a group?” Octavia groaned out from under the pile of ponies on top of her. “That would be Lyra,” Bon Bon replied. “I think I broke something.” “Magic world!” Lyra cried as she struggled to get free. Vinyl pulled a hoof out from under Octavia and moaned. “Think I’m gonna be sick,” Derpy muttered from the middle of the pile. I watched everyone freeze before frantically trying to get free. “I love my students, but I am not in the mood to get thrown up on. Not today at least,” Mom commented as she slide out of the pile and everyone rolled away. Derpy laid on her stomach with a hoof pressed to her mouth. “Are you okay?” I asked in concern as I trotted over to her. Derpy nodded as she glanced over at me, her eyes widened in shock. “S-Sunset? That’s what you normally look like?” Derpy stammered. She clambered awkwardly to her hooves. “Uh yes?” I answered in confusion. Derpy beamed at me and threw her hooves around me. “You’re adorable as a pony!” Derpy exclaimed. Mom let out a gasp as she took in the sight of me. “You’re so beautiful as a pony Sunny!” Mom declared as she stood on her hooves. “Just like you are as a human.” “What am I?” Derpy asked curiously. “Am I a unicorn?” I let out a chuckle. “Looks like your counterpart is a pegasus,” I answered. Derpy looked behind her at her slowly opening wings and grinned. “What about me?” Lyra asked frantically, her body bouncing up and down. “A horse with a brain tumor,” Vinyl smirked. “What?” Lyra asked in fear. I rolled my eyes. “You’re a unicorn,” I sighed. “So is Vinyl. Octavia, Bon Bon and Mom are earth ponies." The next question is one I should have seen coming. “When did you get the tattoo Sunset?” Mom demanded with narrowed eyes. “We all got them,” Bon Bon commented as she looked at her own flank. “It’s my cutie mark. It represents one’s truth self and is only obtained once you figure out your special talent and what you’re meant to do in life,” I answered. “Mine represents my skills in magic and achieving my goals. The red represents my determination and the gold represents achieving my goals and blowing them out of the water.” Mom looked at her own flank at her four smiling flowers with a red heart behind them. Octavia had a treble clef with a paint brush next to it. Derpy had three bubbles next to a muffin. Bon Bon had three wrapped pieces of candy above a beaker, while Vinyl’s was three eighth notes. Lyra had a lyre with a playing card behind it. “A cutie mark?” Vinyl asked unimpressed. “Kinda a lame name.” I gave a shrug. “So we have magic too I’m assuming?” Bon Bon asked. “No. But a earth pony is stronger than a pegasus or a unicorn,” I answered. “How strong?” Mom asked as she looked around. “An earth pony can survive two bolts of wild lightning and can break down boulders to small rocks in a few seconds. They’re also connected to the ground better than the other two tribes are so they mostly are farmers.” A big grin spread across Bon Bons face. “Now that’s more like that!” “I’d rather not test that claim dear,” Octavia sighed. “Agreed,” Mom piped in. Octavia tried to take a step forward and faceplanted. “Why are we naked?” Vinyl asked. I rolled my eyes as I lifted Octavia with my magic and set her on her hooves. “Ponies don’t wear clothes often. When we do, it’s for special events. We typically just walk around,” I replied. “Speaking of walking, let’s get you all sorted out with walking.” I quickly trotted to the other side of the room. “Alright Lyra and Mom. Try walking over here.” Lyra gave a nod and shakily started walking before sliding and falling on her stomach. Mom trotted over perfectly with a little bit of shakiness in her trot. “Great job,” I grinned and patted her with a hoof. “Keep trying Lyra. Your turn Bon Bon.” The two nodded and Lyra stood up, trotting over slowly. Bon Bon faceplanted like Octavia did earlier while Lyra snickered. I let out a sigh. “This may take longer than I thought.” -------------------------------------------------------‐----- It had been a few hours and the others had finally gotten walking down. Vinyl and Mom were both quick learners to my surprise. Octavia had the most trouble with it. But that lead to another problem: getting Lyra and Vinyls magic under control. It was kinda important, seeing how they were sneezing and shooting off magical lasers each time. “Dear God Lyra!” Bon Bon shouted as she dropped to her stomach to avoid a laser narrowly missing her head. She shot a glare her way. “Warning next time would be greatly appreciated, love!” “Sorry! I can’t control when I sneeze!” Lyra shot back as she trotted in a circle. Octavia was patting Vinyl on the back. “It should pass soon darling. I hope,” Octavia reassured her unicorn friend. “What is going on here?” Twilight demanded as she opened the door and her eyes widened at the magic laser flying towards her face. “Sweet Celestia!” She dropped to her stomach like Bon Bon and glanced back in shock. “Hey Sunset.” “Hey Twilight,” I replied. “Care to explain why you and your friends are shooting holes in my house?” Twilight asked as she stood up and trotted next to me, bumping into my force field. “Magical shield. Smart.” “These are my friends from the other world and my Mom. Was just about to start teaching Lyra and Vinyl how to control their magic without shooting lasers each time they sneezed,” I replied as I watched a laser bounce off my shield. “That world’s Cheerilee is your mom?” Twilight giggled. “That’s so awesome! Congrats, she’s a good pony. Want help with Lyra and Vinyl?” I gave her a desperate look. “Yes please.” “Alright,” Twilight nodded as she levitated Lyra and Vinyl in her magic. “What is happening?” Vinyl demanded as she looked below her. “Put me down. I like the ground!” Twilight set the two down in front of her. “We are going to teach you how to control your magic. If not, you could kill somepony,” Twilight answered with a serious expression. “You don’t want that and I don’t want that.” Vinyl looked at me in confusion. “That could actually happen?” She asked nervously. “Ponies bodies are strong sure, but we can get hurt and killed just like anything else. We aren’t invincible after all,” I chuckled. “Sit down please.” The two mares complied and sat in front of me and Twilight. “Alright. Magic is a hard thing to learn. Most fillies don’t learn spells until they’re ten or so. Close your eyes and concentrate,” Twilight instructed. “Excellent. Your magic is connected to your horn obviously. But it’s also inside of you.” “That’s what she said,” Lyra whispered and I gave a snort of laughter. Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned. “Focus Lyra. Dirty humor can come later,” Twilight chided. “Now really focus on your core. Your magic reserves are in there. How much you have depends on how strong you are. Considering half this room is destroyed, I’d say you two are pretty powerful unicorns.” Twilights horn flashed and the destroyed room was repaired and back to normal. “I agree. Bon Bon almost lost her head,” I agreed. “You two may not be as strong as me and Sunset, but you are definitely powerful and that can be dangerous if uncontrolled,” Twilight lectured. “Do you two feel your core?” “Uh yea?” Vinyl replied with her eyes closed, while Lyra nodded her head. “Good. Now focus on bringing the magic from it to the base of your horn,” I instructed. Based on the startled expressions on their faces, I’d say they did it. “Excellent.” “You see that cup on the ground?” Twilight pointed with a hoof. Lyra and Vinyl opened their eyes before nodding. “Good. I want you to close your eyes and reach out with your magic. Imagine you’re reaching out with a hand and picking it up. You first Lyra.” A faint golden glow enveloped her horn and the teacup. The teacup shakily started floating in the sky and I wiped a bead of her sweat off her head. “Excellent job Lyra,” I grinned. She dropped the teacup and it shattered. “Oops?” Lyra offered sheepishly. Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. Her horn flashed again and the teacup was back to how it was originally. “It’s fine. Your turn Vinyl.” Vinyl gave a nod before a blue glow enveloped her own horn and the cup. The cup lifted in the air and exploded. We stared in shock at the unicorn and Vinyl sighed. “Well shit.” > Chapter II > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “You look completely different,” Derpy announced as she looked me over. “We all do.” I smirked at her and let out a chuckle. “I’m used to it. Being a pony must be a lot to get used to I bet,” I looked at Derpy. “Why would you ever want to leave this place?” Lyra asked me as she bounced on her hooves excitedly. We were busy exploring the castle Twilight resided in. Octavia was looking out the window on the top floor with her hooves resting on the window sill. “My past is complicated as I said,” I sighed. I felt a wing wrapping around me and gazed at Twilight giving me an encouraging smile. “Do you wanna meet with Princess Celestia, Sunset?” Twilight suddenly asked me. “Absolutely not!” I exclaimed and started breathing in and out. I vaguely recognized this as the signs of a panic attack. “She’ll probably have me arrested and tossed in Tartarus for life! Or exiled! Or executed for stealing your crown!” I trotted in circle, breathing heavily. I vaguely made out my mom and friends giving me worried looks. “Breath Sunset,” Mom wrapped her hooves around my neck. “In and out, slowly. No one will arrest you. You won’t be exiled and I sure as heck won’t allow anyone to execute you.” “Are you sure?” I asked worriedly. Mom rolled her eyes as Lyra stood next to me. “None of us will allow that,” Lyra announced firmly while the others nodded their agreement. Twilight quickly nuzzled me and I slowly returned it. “She won’t do that. As your teacher, I can advise you to meet her but I won’t make you,” Twilight reassured me. “Teacher?” Mom raised an eyebrow. “I took Sunset under my wing as I will do with Starlight. If I could find her,” Twilight sighed. “Who?” I raised an eyebrow. “Nothing!” Twilight forced a grin. “It’s fine.” I didn’t believe that for a second but I wasn’t going to press it. “Okay. But yeah I’m not interested in meeting Princess Celestia or Princess Cadence anytime soon.” “Okay,” Twilight sighed. “When you’re ready, I’ll happily set it up.” I knew she wasn’t going to let this go without me saying something. “Okay I will let you know.” Twilight wrapped a hoof around me. “Thanks Sunset. Spike will show you to your guys rooms.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “Bonnie look! A dragon! A honest to God dragon!” Lyra screamed as she held Spike above her head in her hooves. I let out a giggle at the others slackjawed expressions. “Yes Lyra,” Bon Bon sighed as she smirked at her. “Now put him down before we find out if unicorns are fireproof love.” Lyra looked sheepishly at Spikes unamused look. “Good point,” Lyra admitted as she set the young dragon down. “Thank you. I assume you and Bon Bon want a room together?” Spike asked. The two looked at each other before nodding. “Yes,” they said in unison. “Okay,” Spike picked up a notebook. “So I have you two in a room, Vinyl and Octavia in a room, Sunset and Cheerilee in a room and Derpy in a room of her own.” “Can I uhm have a room with Sunset and Cheerilee please?” Derpy asked quietly. “Oh uh sure,” Spike shrugged. “Not a problem. We have more than enough rooms. I’ll just bring up a bed. Hopefully it doesn’t crush me.” “I can help,” I smiled at him. “It’s not a problem.” “Thanks Sunset. Look quite different from a dog, don’t I?” Spike grinned. “Wait this is the dog that found me during the whole siren spectacle?” Vinyl asked. “Yes. He’s a baby dragon,” I answered. “Thanks for setting this up little buddy. We will be exploring my hometown as well.” I quickly nuzzled him. I was excited to show everyone around. Mom was super eager to see where I came from. “No problem Sunny,” Spike nuzzled me back. “Surprised you didn’t invite Sonata, Aria and Adagio to come with,” Bon Bon said casually. I had become pretty close friends with the three former villains. They talked to only me, mainly because of my former villain status. They were really apologetic about it all, especially Sonata. Took a while for them to open up to me but I was happy they did. Aria was a bit rough around the edges but I respected it. “I would have but I need to get them new pendants,” I replied. “Why? So they can control us again?” Lyra asked bitterly. Out of us all, Lyra was the most distrusting of the sirens. Probably because she was the most affected of the group. “The have zero interest in trying to control anyone again. Their new pendants will spread harmony if they sing and will allow them to come here. They are thousands of years old. If they come to Equestria without them, they will die.” “Oh okay. How are you even going to get them new ones?” Lyra pressed. “Twilight is making them. She’s been doing a lot of research on my behalf. Making new siren pendants isn’t an easy task after all,” I admitted. Twilight had been hesitant at first but after a few days of begging and pleading, she finally caved and said yes. “I owe her a bottle of wine.” “Aren’t you a bit young?” Mom asked pointedly. I shook my head. “Drinking age in Equestria is sixteen. I don’t drink obviously but Twilight does now and again. Mainly when she’s in a good mood.” Mom visibly relaxed at that. “Isn’t she always in a good mood?” Vinyl pointed out. She did have a point there. “Okay when she’s in a really good mood. It’s rare she drinks,” I admitted. “How do you know all about this?” Octavia asked as we kept looking around. “Because I came over here a few days before you all did and got to the know this worlds version of Rainbow and the others. Then I came back home to help prepare you guys for coming through the portal,” I answered as I trotted ahead and looked out the window. “Oh okay. Didn’t Twilight leave you a list of ponies to meet?” Mom asked. “Yup. Minuette, Lyra, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts and Moondancer. I was pretty rude to them and Moondancers sister. Twilight wants me to work on apologizing to them,” I admitted. I was nervous about this to be honest but Twilight wanted me to work on this at least. “Lyra is right here,” Vinyl pointed a hoof at the her fellow unicorn. “Not that Lyra. My world’s Lyra,” I answered. “Oh Jesus. Two Lyra’s would end the whole world. Both worlds,” Vinyl grumbled. Lyra gave her a dirty look. “Shut up, V.” > Chapter III > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I settled into the bed of the room Twilight was graciously loaning us and smiled at the ceiling. “You seem happy,” Mom noted. “I like that.” She was curled up on her own bed, studying her own tail and hooves. “I miss Equestria,” I admitted. “It’s just so simple here compared to home. Back there, we have constant noise. The sirens of the police cars and ambulances and fire trucks responding to people who need help, the occasional cat fight, the people in the street, the constant hum of cars in the background we are so used to. Here it’s just quiet. None of that is here.” “I did notice how quiet it was here. How bare it is here,” Mom agreed. “Crazy how far advanced our world is compared to yours.” “Have you ever uhm thought staying here permanently?” Derpy asked worriedly as Moms expression changed to fear. Derpy was laying in her own bed next to mine, looking at her wings curiously. “No. I love it here and this is always my home. I came from here yes, but home is back through the portal. With you. With Mom. My friends,” I answered and both of them had relieved faces. “Thank God,” Mom muttered. “I thought I would lose you.” I rolled my eyes and quickly teleported away to sit next to her. She recoiled in surprise at my sudden movement and Derpy’s eyes widened. I quickly nuzzled my Mom eagerly and pressed my cheek against hers. “You never will,” I announced firmly. “You saved my life.” “What did you just do? The face thing?” Mom asked curiously. “In this world, nuzzling is a sign of affection between two ponies. It’s a sign of trust and love. Partners do it and so did family,” I explained. Mom gave a nod as she slowly nuzzled me back. “Did I do it right?” She asked hesitantly. I gave a laugh and nodded. “You did perfect.” “You don’t have cat fights here?” Derpy asked. “Oh we do. It’s just not as common because most ponies have them as pets and train them,” I paused before adding. “Except Opalescence. That cat is evil. Almost as bad as Angel.” “Rarity and Fluttershys pets, right?” Derpy asked. “Yup. Stuff of nightmares. Don’t trust Angel at all. He has evil thoughts behind those beady little eyes of his,” I shivered. “As fascinating as this is, I’m going to sleep. How do you turn the light out?” Mom asked me. I shut the light off with my magic. “Like that.” Derpy let out an eep as soon as the light went out. “Must be nice to have magic,” Mom grumbled as I used my magic to pull her blanket over her before I teleported back to my own bed under the covers. “It is,” I chuckled. “Goodnight you two.” “Goodnight Sunset,” they replied in unison. ------------------------------------------------------------- I groaned quietly as I woke up, the sun being blocked by the blinds. I was laying on my stomach on the bed. I could vaguely fell something heavy on top of me and it wasn’t the blanket. It was ticklish and light. And it had fur for some reason. I rolled my head to the side and my eyes widened at the sight of Derpy’s face next to mine. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly. I slowly rolled onto my side and realized her wing was wrapped around me. “Good morning,” Mom whispered. I glanced over at her smiling with a book. “How are you?” “Decent and you?” I asked as I laid perfectly still. A pegasus’ wings were sensitive. I didn’t want to move wrong and potentially break one of Derpy’s wings. That would be awful. Not to mention painful as hell. “Good,” Mom chuckled. “You got a sleeping buddy I see.” “Uh I guess so. When did she get in my bed?” I asked as I looked back at Derpy. “I have no idea. I know Derpy isn’t a huge fan of the dark so she probably got in bed with the closest person. Which is you because you’re right next to her,” Mom replied. I had no idea Derpy hated the dark. If I had know that, I’d have kept a small light on. “Interesting. I can’t move,” I smiled. “Don’t want to accidentally break her wing.” “Why don’t you do your teleporting thing from last night?” Mom asked as she read her book. She had surprisingly good control over her hooves. I didn’t expect her to get the hang of them so well. “I don’t wanna risk accidentally singing her wing. If she ever decides to fly, a singed wing is very dangerous.” The last thing I wanted to do was do something that would inadvertently lead to her death. I’d never forgive myself for that. The door swung open and we stared at in with startled expressions. “Hey guys!” Lyra trotted in with a grin. Her eyes instantly went wide when she saw me and Derpy. She gave me a mischievous grin and I groaned. I knew her well enough to not trust that look. “Don’t you two look just adorable.” “Shut up,” I teased with a bright red face. “She’s only in my bed because she got nervous.” Lyra maintained her grin as she got closer. “If you say so,” she purred with a wink as she gently poked Derpy with a hoof. “Hey there Derp.” “Hmm?” Derpy mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes. They shot wide open as she saw my face next to hers and she flew into the air, slamming her head against the ceiling. “Ow!” “Are you okay?” Lyra asked worriedly. For all her teasing, she knew when to be serious and worried about her friends. One of the good things I loved about being friends with her. That and the dirty jokes were hilarious. “Yes. I’m so sorry Sunset. I should have asked first before getting in bed with you. I just uh don’t like the dark,” Derpy rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as her wings flapped, keeping her aloft. I don’t think she even knew she was doing it. “It’s alright Derpy. I don’t really like the dark either. If it helps you, you can sleep with me anytime,” I smiled at her. “Are you sure?” She hesitantly asked. I rolled my eyes and nodded. “Now are you coming down to ground level?” I asked. “I have a lot to show you guys.” Derpy looked around before realizing where she was. A big grin spread across her face as she forced her wings to stop flapping. Her eyes widened as she started falling and I quickly caught her in my magic before she hit the ground. She gave me a sheepish smile. “Thanks.” > Chapter IV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “What happened here?” Vinyl asked as she used her magic to push her glasses on top of her head. We stood in front of a half destroyed tree. I didn’t mean to come this way but it was the fastest way to sugarcube corner. “This used to be Twilight’s house,” I answered. “It got destroyed in her fight with Tirek.” She had asked me to walk around with Spike for a bit when I came here before the others and he showed me it. In all honesty, he might be more of a friend than Twilight in a way. Sure, she’s one of my best friend but Spike had been on my side the whole time during the Battle of the Bands. Hell, he even bit Rainbow Dash after she was rude to me. A dark part of me enjoyed watching that. “Must have been a crazy fight,” Lyra commented as she looked around. “Never saw Twilight as the fighting type.” “Her house had just gotten destroyed and more than of Equestria had their magic drained from them. I’d be fighting too,” I replied as I sighed. “Howdy yall,” Applejack trotted up and froze. Her eyes flicked to the wreckage and she looked away. “Hey AJ,” I greeted back with a smile. We quickly exchanged a hug. “How are you?” “Good how about yall?” She glanced around at my group and approached Mom. “Heard a lot about yuh. Crazy to see another Cheerilee runnin around the place.” “I bet,” Mom chuckled. “It’s weird to see doubles of my students running around but grown up with houses and jobs.” “Ah bet,” Applejack smirked as she focused on the wreckage. “Had a lot of good memories here, ya know? This is the first place we threw Twilight’s welcome to Ponyville party, where she became an alicorn, our first sleepover and more. Hate to see it like this.” She pressed her Stetson to her chest and sighed. “Are you good, AJ?” I asked. She shrugged and tossed her hat back on. “Yeah ahm good. Ah heard yuh asked for work around here from Twi. If yuh ever wanna come by the orchard and help out, ah could use the help. Busy harvest this year,” Applejack patted me on the shoulder. “Ah gotta get back now. It’s nice to see ya again Sunset.” “See you around Applejack,” I waved with a hoof. She tipped her hat to the others as she trotted off with a filly next to her. “That was....interesting to say the least,” Bon Bon stated. She struggled to unwrap a piece of candy Pinkie had given her and I sighed. I quickly took it and unwrapped it with my magic. “Open,” I instructed. She opened her mouth and I placed the candy on her tongue. “Thanks,” she smiled. “It’s so cool to see you use your magic. What else you can do?” Lyra asked eagerly as she leaned forward. “Teleport as you all have seen, I create copies of myself, I can use my magic to fly around and more. Most of my magic is battle magic related so it’s mainly defensive and offensive spells I know,” I answered. “I was the princesses students so I know practically every spell in the book. Plus illegal spells when I stole books from the library.” Mom gave me a disapproving look at that. “Teach me. Pleaseeeeee!” Lyra dropped to my hooves and grabbed them. “Okay, but don’t expect to it get it first try. Spells take time to learn,” I warned her. “Okay!” ------------------------------------------------------------- “What do you wanna learn first?” I asked. Lyra and I were in a large field on the edge of town. It was the place furthest from town where no one could get injured. Twilight had taken the others to look around town so me and Lyra could practice one on one. “I guess we can start small. What do you know that are starter spells?” Lyra asked me as she sat on her legs. I rubbed my hoof against my chin in thought. “Let’s start with teleportation,” I suggested. “Think of somewhere you’ve already been in this world. I recommend you and Bon Bons bedroom in the castle. You have a strong connection to that room because you sleeping there.” “Just like you and Derpy are connected?” Lyra asked with a smile. “What the hay does that mean?” I demanded. Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Hay? Just say hell Sunset. Your mom isn’t here,” Lyra scoffed. “Okay good point. Now what the hell does that mean?” I gave her a pointed look. “God help me,” Lyra muttered. “I’m not at liberty to discuss that.” Her horn flashed and she disappeared. While I was proud she figured out how to teleport, she didn’t answer my question. I sighed and teleported myself. It was kinda nice being a unicorn. Fellow unicorns give off a magical signature. Makes it easier to follow them around. All ponies give off a signature actually but it’s mainly unicorns because of our horns. I stared in shock at the snow covered field we were in. How the hell did she end up here? “Lyra!” I called out, looking around worriedly. If she got trapped in a snow bank, I’d never find her. “Lyra!” “Here!” Lyra stuck a green hoof out of a snow bank. “I’m just chilling. See what I did there?” I rolled my eyes and levitated her out. “Let’s get you back home and warm you up. You still need some work but considering I don’t even know where the fuck we are, you did good,” I admitted. “Probably the edge of Mount Neighalaya or something.” “F-funny name,” Lyra shivered as her coat started turning a light shade of blue. A ponies coat is decent against weather but not for long periods of time like this. I sighed and teleported us to the only place I could think of that sold hot beverages: Sugarcube Corner. “H-hey guys,” Lyra stammered out. “Lyra!” Bon Bon stood up and stared at us. “What happened?” “I tried teaching her teleportation. We ended up in a snowbank,” I explained as Pinkie bounced over with two cups of hot chocolate balanced on her back. “Here ya go!” She chirped excitedly. “On the house!” “Thanks Pinks.” “Can I help?” Derpy asked as she stood up. I looked over and grinned. “Perfect. A pegasus’ body is naturally insulated against the cold for flying in the cold weather and high altitudes. Just wrap a wing around her like you did with me this morning and it’ll help a lot,” I maintained my grin as Derpy shrugged and did as I said. “I feel a bit better. Thanks Derpy,” Lyra nuzzled her friend. Ever since I explained the meaning to them all, my group had been doing it to all of us whenever they got the chance. “You’re welcome.” > Chapter V > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I sat in the half full cafe, eating a daisy sandwich. Sunset had insisted we try some of this worlds food and that our bodies would change to support her worlds food. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t taste bad. I feel super embarrassed about sleeping with Sunset. I may or may have a tiny school girl crush on her. Okay, correction. It’s more like an infatuation. Sure I reached out to help her and be friends only but I quickly noticed more about my unicorn friend. Her vulnerable side is absolutely adorable. She only shows it around me and her mom for some reason. Probably because she knows we are the two who won’t make fun of her for it. The others will make fun yes but only after they have helped her. Especially Lyra. Lyra has her own way of helping people. Mainly involving dirty humor and teasing. But she also knows when to be serious and tone it down. She’s also the only one who knows I like Sunset. I had told her almost immediately one night when we had a group sleep over when all the others were asleep. To say she was excited about it was an understatement. I don’t really date often. People don’t really like me because of my eye and it makes me look different. I get called a retard all the time because of it. My group and Sunset and her mom are the only few who don’t judge me. Sunset says it makes me stand out in a good way and that being unique is a good thing. “You’re being quiet,” Sunset looked at me. “What’s up?” Lyra smirked at me subtly as my face slightly heated up. “Oh uh nothing!” I hastily said. “Just ya know, enjoying time with my friends and one of my friends mom!” Cheerilee smiled warmly at me and I wondered for a brief second if she knew. I may not know much about dating but I do know it’s mostly frowned upon to date friends. Lyra has been teaching me how to flirt at least. Bon Bon didn’t know why Lyra constantly insisted on flirting in front of me which I found slightly funny. Hell, Lyra sometimes flirted with me at my house to give me experience. Completely platonic mind you. Lyra may be beautiful but she’s my best friend. At first I was worried when I admitted she was beautiful and I wasn’t sure because I thought she would be mad but she quickly squished that. Friends can call friends beautiful all the time she stated firmly. “Okay,” Sunset swallowed her last bit of her food. “I missed daisy sandwiches.” “I remember you asking me where you could get one of these way back before the Fall Formal,” Cheerilee smirked at her over her lemonade. “I remember that,” Sunset laughed as she waved the waiter over. “Seems like forever ago. I would like the check please. Thank you.” “Right away miss,” the earth pony bowed slightly and trotted off. “It’s crazy how much we settled in quickly here,” Bon Bon commented. “Thought it would be much harder than it is.” “That’s how I felt as a human. I slept in the library for a long time,” Sunset admitted. “Then I realized I couldn’t sleep there forever so I branched to the outdoors.” “How did no one bat an eye at you being there?” Lyra asked. Sunset gave a bitter laugh. “You’d be surprised at how no one will look at you if you act like you’re supposed to be there. It’s easy to do,” Sunset admitted. The waiter returned with a check and he placed it down. “Hey Derpy?” “Y-yeah Sunset?” I asked. “Can I borrow a feather? I need to sign this and he doesn’t have a quill apparently. " “Uh sure?” I asked curiously. I let out a quiet gasp as I felt a feather gently get plucked from one of my wings and Sunset dipped it in the ink well, signing her name. She tossed some bits on the table and we all stood up. It’s crazy how a world still uses gold and as a common currency at that. “Thanks.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “So where to now?” I asked. Sunset was leading us around to I assume the train station. She was helping Twilight give a lesson at a school in Canterlot tomorrow and we were going with. “The train station. It’s a bit of a ride there,” Sunset answered as we walked past a market. A grey blur attached itself to my forelegs. “Got ya mom!” The filly beamed up at me. “D-Dinky?” I asked in awe, my expression matching my friends. She looked adorable as a little unicorn. “Are you okay mom?” Dinky asked worriedly. “Are you sick again?” “Dinky! Where did you go?” Three voices I recognized as three ponies came running up. One looked exactly like me and we stared at each other. Dinky took one look at me and bolted, hiding behind my counterpart. “Changeling!” She screamed. What the heck was as changeling? “I didn’t know you had a sister dear,” a scarily familiar voice looked at my double. “She’s not a changeling.” “What? Am I not good enough for you dear?” My counterpart bumped her flank against his. “Not what I meant!” The stallion turned red. “I know you,” the older unicorn looked at Sunset with narrowed eyes. “You’re Sunset Shimmer. We went to school together as fillies.” “Oh uh Amethyst. Hi,” Sunset said nervously. She took a nervous step back as my sister’s double took a step to her. “What are you-?” She was cut off by my sister hugging her. “It’s been so long! My Celestia. Where have you been?” Amethyst grinned. “It’s uh complicated,” Sunset answered as the separated. “This is friends from a different part of uh Equestria.” “Fascinating,” my dad stepped to me and looked me over. “Scary how alike you guys look.” “Hi! I’m Dinky!” My sister attached herself to me again. “Derpy and Mr. Whooves adopted me,” Amethyst said casually. “Dinky is her biological daughter.” I almost choked on air at that and so did Lyra based on her expression. “It’s nice meeting you all. We can’t keep Rose waiting. She gets antsy if left alone for too long,” The Equestrian version of me waved. I waved back slowly as I fell to my haunches. “See you around,” Amethyst patted Sunset on the back as she galloped off. “Are you okay Derpy?” Bon Bon asked me. “In a world far far away, Dinky is my daughter, I adopted Amethyst, my father is my husband and Roseluck, one of my closest friends, is my sister in law,” I answered. “This is complicated.” Vinyl let out a chuckle. “No kidding.” > Chapter VI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I sat on the edge of my train cushion, watching the trees flying by. I found it fascinating that a world so undeveloped had trains of all things. Sunset was sitting next to me asleep. Twilight was in the back of the train with the portal. Apparently she wanted to teach a class about it and figured Sunset was the best one to help with it. And us of course. “Hey Derpy,” Lyra leaned over the railing separating my seat from hers. “Still laying the groundworks?” “Shush!” I hissed. “The others could hear you!” Lyra rolled her eyes while sighing. “Literally all of our friends are asleep. It’s just us,” she gestured around to our sleeping friends. Vinyl was curled up in a ball next to Octavia while Bon Bon was asleep on Lyras shoulder and Cheerilee was sleeping with her head resting on Sunset’s. That was kinda adorable not gonna lie. If I had a phone, I’d take a picture. All I have is a mental image and Lyra to back me up. “Okay sorry for that. Yes I am still laying the groundworks,” I admitted. “As you call it.” “Dear Celestia Derpy,” Lyra groaned in frustration. “Just ask her out already.” “Wow you’re really getting used to Equestrian sayings.” Lyra gave a shrug. “What can I say, using our principles name as a version of God is just funny to me.” “I guess. Anyway, I can’t just ask Sunset out,” I leaned close and whispered in her ear. “You do realize she is bi, right?” Lyra gave me a flat look. “How do you know that? She never told any of us that.” Lyra waved a hoof around dismissively. “Vinyl has a sense for these things. She calls it her gay radar. It also picks up bi people allegedly according to her.” “And you guys bet money on who was right,” I raised an eyebrow at my friend. “That too.” “What if she turns me down? Not only will I lose a friend but I’ll also someone I like. Then she’ll never talk to me again, she will most certainly hate me and I’ll end up in my thirties in a house surrounded by cats.” A hoof ended in my mouth before I could continue. “Are you done yet?” Lyra asked me. “You’re Sunsetting.” I spit out her hoof and glared at her. “That was disgusting Lyra! Never put your foot in my mouth again! And what the heck is Sunsetting?” “First off, sorry about that. Secondly, it’s called a hoof not a foot. I clean my hooves often. And thirdly, me and Vinyl decided we needed a name for Sunsets anxiety attacks so we decided on Sunsetting. That’s what you’re doing right now.” “Okay then,” I rolled my eyes. Lyra gave a sigh and looked me in the eyes. “Derpy, you know I love you right? With everything I have?” “Well yes but-” Lyra cut me off with a upraised hoof. “Sunset adores you clearly. You were the second person to offer her a second chance of changing her life. You believed in her even when me and Octavia were skeptical. Hell, you and Cheerilee are at the top of her list of most important people in her life. I’m her best friend and not even I am on the first or second spot. I’m number three. She opens up and talks to me yes, but you’re the one who we all go to when things are hard. You are pretty much the group counselor in a way. You take care of us all when we come to you. Hell, we don’t even have to come to you. Somedays, you just automatically know something is wrong with any of us. Even Cheerilee. And you have the benefit of Sunset’s mom liking you. Trust me, this will work perfectly. You just have to work up the courage. Do you think Bon Bon just asked me out without worrying about it? Hell no. She told me later that she was up for days without sleep panicking over it and thinking that she wasn’t good enough for me while I was doing the exact same thing on other side of town thinking I would never be good enough for her. Just give it a shot,” Lyra nuzzled me slowly before setting back and stroking a sleeping Bon Bons mane. I stared at her in surprise. I knew Lyra gave decent speeches when she put her mind to it when she wanted but that was probably the best. “Now I’m exhausted. I’m going to sleep with my girlfriend. Good night Derpy and I love ya.” Lyra curled up next to Bon Bon and closed her eyes. “I love ya too.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “And this is the portal Sunset uses to travel back and forth,” Twilight pointed at it. “And these are people from that world. If you look around this room, you can see some of them have equivalents here.” I gave a sheepish smile. For some reason, a yellow unicorn alongside a white one, a blue one, one wearing a black sweater and a mint green one that was clearly Lyra were all staring at Sunset in shock and a bit of fear. “I’ll let Sunset introduce herself.” “I am Sunset Shimmer. I’m one of Twilights closest friends, ally and student. I used to be Princess Celestia’s student before I ran through the portal. I’ll be answering questions now. Yes Spike?” Sunset stared at the dragon. “What’s it like being a human?” He asked as he tossed some popcorn in his mouth. “It’s fascinating. They wear clothes all the time, even when they go to sleep. They don’t eat flowers there, most prefer meat or other foods. They have such a developed world, it’s crazy. They have cars, fight off practically most diseases and airplanes. Faster trains. Faster boats. They even have submarines to explore the ocean.” “And why did you go to this world?” Equestrian Lyra asked hesitantly. Sunset sighed and looked to Twilight who gave her a brief nod. “Because I was jealous. When I was in that world, I wasn’t the greatest person. I was cruel, egotistical, a bully. I pushed my way around to the top and didn’t care who I hurt to get my way. It was only after I stole Twilight’s crown and ran to that world with it and got hit with a rainbow did I truly realize the consequences of my actions. That I should have been working to offer help around the school and make friends. They can keep us grounded when needed but can also take us so much higher,” Sunset looked at me with a smile and I blushed, looking away. “Everyone needs a good friend to offer them a chance.” “Thank you Sunset. Can you show how the portal works by walking through it?” Twilight asked her hopefully. Sunset smirked and gave a nod. “My pleasure,” Sunset kept smirking as she pressed a hoof to the mirror and stepped through it, completely disappearing. The room let out gasps as Sunset stepped back through a few short seconds later. A loud snoring sound came from Spike. Earth Lyra gave a snort of laughter. We had decided to start referring to our worlds friends and Cheerilee with the world Earth in front of our names. Sunset rolled her eyes as she trotted up to Spike and gently poked him a few times. “Wake up little buddy. It’s time to go home.” “Pizza!” Spike shouted as he jumped on Sunset’s head. “Gah!” Sunset screamed as she scrambled backwards. Earth Lyra and Equestrian Lyra both burst out laughing while I grinned. “Spike get off me please!” The two started laughing in the background as they sorted themselves out while ponies started filing out. “That was my best class ever!” Twilight grinned as she approached us. “That was also you first ever class,” Spike pointed out as he and Sunset walked up. “Are you sure you saw Starlight?” “I’m certain Spike. It was brief but it was her,” Twilight said confidently. “Uhm excuse me,” a soft voice came from behind Twilight. The same white unicorn and her group that had been staring at Sunset was with her. “Hey Twinkleshine. Whats up?” Twilight grinned. “It’s about her,” Twinkleshine pointed a hoof at Sunset. “Is this true about you trusting her and being her teacher?” “Yes it is. I know she wasn’t the greatest pony to you all back then but she has changed. I’m proud of the pony she has become and I won’t tolerate you all bringing it up right now if that’s why you here,” Twilight scowled at them. The group flinched and looked at each other. “We won’t,” the yellow unicorn promised as she gave a sideways look to Sunset. Sunset quickly backstepped to me and I subconsciously wrapped a wing around her. Earth Lyra gave me a smug encouraging smile. “I hope so Lemon Hearts. Do you guys wish to come to Ponyville?” Twilight asked hopefully. “Sunset has things to say to you all.” They all looked at once again and seemed to have a silent argument. “Sure I guess,” the unicorn with the messy mane shrugged. “Excellent!” Twilight grinned as her horn flashed. We were back in her castle suddenly. “Why the hell didn’t we do that before?” Earth Lyra demanded. Lemon Hearts flinched and stared at her in curiosity. “She looks just like our Lyra. It’s scary.” “Because I am her. Duh.” Twilight rolled her eyes as we all started trotting to the throne room of her castle. “I doubt it was Starlight. Probably a look alike,” Twilight shrugged as she opened the door. “What would she even want?” “You can ask her yourself. Because she’s right there!” Spike shakily pointed a claw at a unicorn resting on Fluttershy throne. “Welcome home Twilight!” > Chapter VII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “You!” Twilight firmly planted her hooves as she shoved Spike backwards. Earth Lyra instantly caught him in her hooves as Sunset stepped forward too. “Yes me,” the unicorn commented coldly. She stood up and jumped over the table with a smile. “I see you even brought the friends you reacquainted yourself with back when I spied on you all in Canterlot at that restaurant. How sweet.” Starlight gazed at us all with the same cold expression. “What do you want Starlight?” Twilight demanded. “Hopefully to make friends with me and the rest of the Elements.” “Don’t get your hopes up,” Starlight scoffed. “I’m here for revenge. I had a good thing going in my little village and you destroyed it all. And for what? To be better than me?” “You stole their cutie marks. You brainwashed a whole town,” Twilight said calmly. Me and Cheerilee made nervous eye contact. I didn’t know what the hell was going on here but I had a bad feeling about this. “I created peace! I created harmony!” Starlight shouted. “You lied to them and that’s not-” Twilight began. “Quiet!” Starlight shouted with a furious expression. We all flinched as Twinkleshine took a nervous step back. “I’m going to take away what you took from me.” “What the heck does that mean?” Sunset demanded. Starlight smirked as she rolled her eyes. Sunset formed a shield or something in front of us with her magic as a laser shot off it. “That was so cool!” Earth Lyra grinned. The blue one glared at her. “We just got shot at! Not cool! Not cool in the slightest!” Earth Lyra scoffed and looked away. “We clearly have different definitions of fun.” “You know, I’d be careful if I were you,” Starlight said casually as she levitated a jar in the air next to her as she focused on Sunset. “I’ll be borrowing that.” “Argh!” Sunset grunted as she bit her lip. I watched with wide eyes as her cutie mark floated in the air as Starlight put it in the jar, screwing the lid on tight. “What did you do?” Vinyl demanded as she tried to tackle Starlight. Starlight rolled her eyes and tossed Vinyl to the side. “Ugh. Going to be feeling that in a few hours,” Vinyl groaned as she rubbed the back of her head. “Sunset! Vinyl!” Cheerilee called out worriedly as she quickly went to her side. I glanced over with the same level of fear as a equal sign formed on Sunset’s flanks as she collapsed on the ground. Seeing how hard Spike started to fight Lyra, he was worried too or angry. Probably both really. Not that I blamed him. “Good bye Twilight!” Starlight grinned as she blasted a scroll she had brought. “I have a new world to make.” A hole above her formed as we all gasped. She quickly leapt through it and waved as it disappeared just as quickly as it had formed. “What the hell just happened?” Vinyl demanded. “I-I don’t know!” Twilight said as she approached the table. “Well she left this,” Spike finally got free from Earth Lyra’s grip and picked up the scroll. “Don’t Spike!” Twilight tried to warn him as the same hole appeared above the two, sucking them both and the scroll into it. “Twilight!” Lemon Hearts shouted. “Spike!” Twinkleshine called out. “What the hell is going on?” Earth Lyra demanded. “Is Sunset okay?” I asked as I trotted over to her. She had her eyes closed and was breathing slowly. “She’s fine. She’s asleep,” Cheerilee rubbed her head with a hoof as she curled up with her hooves wrapped around her. “That was a bit scary.” “I know. I agree,” I admitted as I laid down on my legs and wrapped a wing over Cheerilee and Sunset. “What do we do?” “We wait,” the blue unicorn spoke up as she stood over me. “Twilight will defeat her and come back soon.” “And give Sunset her cutie mark back,” Lemon Hearts grimaced at saying her name. Earth Lyra approached and stared at the jar. “Why don’t we just break the damn jar and see what happens? Maybe that could work?” Earth Lyra picked up the jar in a hoof. “No!” The unicorn with the messy mane. “I’ve read plenty of books and I’ve never seen any magic like this. I didn’t even know you could remove a cutie mark! We might run the risk of destroying her cutie mark forever!” Earth Lyra’s eyes widened as she nervously swallowed and gently placed it back down on the table far away from the edge. “Okay that’s not what we’re going to do.” “Who are you if I may ask?” Octavia asked softly. She’s always the diplomat. Well, most of the time. “I’m Moondancer. The blue one is Minuette. You already Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshines names. Same with Lyra,” Moondancer nodded at the green unicorn who was staring at Earth Lyra curiously. “Well this is awkward without Twilight here to break the ice,” Bon Bon kicked the ground with a hoof. “I’m Bon Bon.” “We know,” Lemon Hearts smirked. “We know you all. Octavia, Bon Bon, Vinyl Scratch, Derpy, Cheerilee, Lyra and Sunset Shimmer.” “But how?” I asked. She smiled as she looked me over. “We know your counterparts,” she said simply as she trotted to the table. “Huh. Figures the table is going to be massive. The whole freaking place is huge.” “Well duh. It’s a castle,” Minuette rolled her eyes. “The royals always go big or go home. Have you seen Cadences castle?” “It’s weird I know two Minuettes now,” Cheerilee commented. Minuette glanced back at her and tilted her head to the side curiously. “You know my counterpart or whatever it’s called?” “Yeah. She’s dating my sister Berry.” Minuette turned a bright shade of red and started trotting. “My Spike does like it hot in the castle doesn’t he? I think I’m going to go outside and get some fresh air. Bye!” Minuette shot out the door. Lemon Hearts scoffed as she kept looking over the table. “She’s weird.” “Why aren’t we freaking out more about you know Twilight and Spike disappearing and Sunset losing her cutie mark?” Octavia demanded as she helped Vinyl up. “Twilight is smart. Whatever is going on she can handle. We just need to her get back so she can do whatever Sunset needs.” Moondancer slowly approached the mare. “She looks like she hasn’t aged a day. Who are you to her?” Moondancer pointed at Cheerilee. “Uh family? Why?” “Just curious,” Moondancer said casually. “Uh okay?” Cheerilee looked around. “Let’s go find a book. Maybe it can tell us what to do with Sunset. I still say we just break the jar, maybe it’ll go back on her,” Earth Lyra announced as she and Bon Bon trotted to the shelves. “It isn’t that simple. It has to be more complicated than that!” Moondancer said as she and Equestrian Lyra joined the two. Both Lyra’s rolled their eyes. “We will see.” > Chapter VIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “What happened?” I groaned as I rubbed my eye with a hoof. Feels like the worst hangover ever times a thousand. Not that I have much experience with hangovers of course. Instantly a grey face was shoved against mine. “Finally! You’re awake!” Derpy turned slightly red when we both realized her wing was still around me. I felt another face rubbing against my mane. “Hey Sunny,” Mom said from behind me. “How are you feeling?” “Like I just got ran over by a semi truck, it then backed up and ran me over again,” I grumbled. “What the hay happened?” “That Starlight stole your mark. Twilight is chasing her down,” I twisted my head to look at Applejack pushing a glass of water my way. “Drink.” “Thanks,” I pressed the glass to my lips and started drinking. I pressed myself back against mom. I don’t know how I didn’t feel her hooves around me. “I’m just gonna go back to sleep.” “Are you sure?” Mom asked. “You’ve been out for hours. We have your mark thingy.” I perked up and looked at her. “Where?” I asked. Maybe I could get it back on and quit feeling so shitty. “In the jar. But a certain somebody won’t let me break the jar and see if that works,” Earth Lyra glared at Moondancer. Moondancer let out an exasperated sigh. “As I’ve said, it’s risky. While I’m not sure I trust Sunset Shimmer, I would hate to be in her hooves and lose my cutie mark. We are not breaking the jar,” Moondancer snapped. “I need to talk to you all,” I muttered. Minuette rolled her eyes and pressed a hoof to my muzzle. “We get your cutie mark back after Twilight gets back. Then, we talk. And it better be good.” I felt mom’s hooves squeeze around me tighter as I felt her head withdraw from my mane. Based on the nervous step back Minuette took alongside Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts, Mom was giving them a dirty look. “Of course, any conversation with you must be good!” Lemon Hearts added hastily with a worried expression. ------------------------------------------------------------- “I don’t have the energy to do anything,” I groaned as I laid on my bed curled in a ball. Mom insisted on laying with me so I currently had a foreleg resting on top of me while Derpy sat across from me in a chair reading a book. “I don’t feel emphatic for anyone either. Empathy is like my thing! It must be connected to my cutie mark as well as my personality.” “Twilight should be back soon,” Mom promised. “Don’t worry. This will all be over soon.” “Don’t say it like that. Makes me think I’m dying and I don’t like that,” I chuckled. “Okay good point,” Mom smiled. “What do you think that Starlight meant by taking away something from Twilight?” Derpy asked worriedly. “She’s a pretty crazy character.” “I have no idea. Twilight is a strong unicorn, almost as strong as me. Starlight won’t get away with too much,” I answered. I may have been exaggerated my magical strength to some ponies but it’s true. I’m a little bit stronger than Twilight believe it or not. We did extensive tests when I visited last time before my friends and family came over and I blew Twilight away literally with all the magical tests she and Spike came up. “I hope so Sunset,” Derpy sighed. “It’s been quite crazy day.” “Welcome to another day in Equestria,” I joked. “We have magical monster attacks on Tuesday, world ending events on Friday. Take your pick.” We all three laughed at that. “What about monster team ups?” Mom asked with a grin. “Oh those are a national holiday. Happen every other month,” I winked with my own grin. “Have you ever fought any monster?” Derpy asked. “No unless you qualify the giant ant I found on my bed back in Canterlot near the castle. Which I did tell ponies to make me look better back then,” I admitted. It mostly worked. Most asked for further details while others wholeheartedly believed me still to this day. Apparently a lot of ponies wanted to believe the princess’ student was a super capable pony. It did help a lot with my image. I just took the story and well exaggerated. If others could do it and get praised for it, why couldn’t I? It had made sense at the time. Now? Not so much. “I’m serious. Have you?” Derpy focused on me with a serious expression. “Do the sirens count?” I asked curiously. If not, then no. “Not really. They are just harmless girls now as you said. Aren’t they you’re friends anyway?” “Okay then no I haven’t. And yeah they are. Sonata is awesome. She reminds a bit of you to be honest. Just a super wholesome shy girl.” “I’m still a bit scared of Adagio and Aria. They are intimidating. Especially after the hallway thing,” Derpy admitted. “What hallway thing?” Mom asked worriedly. “I’ll tell you later,” I reassured her and she visibly relaxed. We fell into comfortable silence as Mom started stroking my mane. I oddly loved when she did that, in both worlds “What was it like?” Mom suddenly asked. “What was what like?” I asked. “Getting your cutie mark removed.” “Oh uh you don’t wanna know. Trust me.” With a sigh, mom rolled me over till we made eye contact. “You were clearly in pain and I want to know about it. So please tell me.” I let out a sigh. “Imagine getting a part of you forcibly removed like a tooth without any type of pain reliever. It was a burning feeling. I hope you never feel anything like it,” I pressed my face into her neck. “I wish it was me instead of you. It’s my job to keep you safe. When I get my hands on that mare, I don’t know what I will do.” I let out a laugh. “In this world, it’s my job to keep you safe. In your world, you can keep me safe. And be easy on Starlight please.” Mom gave me an incredulous look. “How can you say that? She physically harmed you!” Mom demanded. “It’s what Twilight would do,” I said simply. We stared at each for a moment before Mom sighed and nodded. “Okay. But I’m still going to have a conversation with her.” “Okay that’s fine. Just don’t scare her too much,” I begged. Derpy gave a cough as she pointed out the window. “It’s getting dark. Can I uh sleep with you two again?” Derpy turned red and I tilted my head curiously. She was doing that a lot. I was going to have to ask her about it tomorrow. “Yeah.” Derpy trotted over shakily as she jumped up next to me with surprising agility. We had decided that me being in the middle was the best way to get attention from both of them. Derpy and mom nuzzled me from both sides as I pulled a blanket over us with difficulty. I miss magic. I hope Twilight gets back soon. “Goodnight you two.” “Goodnight.” > Chapter IX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I sighed as I pushed the book into it’s spot on the shelf. I figured I might as well help clean up her spare library in the castle while I was here. Had nothing better to do but it would be nice if I had my magic. This must be how earth ponies feel. “Sunset where are you?” Twilight called out as I finished putting the last book in it’s spot. “In here!” I called back as the library door swung open. Twilight trotted in with my cutie mark in her magic and a sheepish looking Starlight behind her. “Hey Twi.” “How are you feeling?” Twilight gave me a quick hug. My friends and former enemies all stood and watched. “Like I got ran over repeatedly by a truck,” I smirked. “How do we get my mark back?” “Oh you uh just break the jar,” Starlight said softly. “That’s what I’ve been saying this whole fucking time!” Earth Lyra exclaimed as she threw her hooves up in frustration. “But no, we had to use caution! Caution is bullshit!” We all let out a chuckle at that as Earth Lyra grabbed the jar and smashed it on the ground. My cutie mark floated in the air before it flew towards me as I floated in the air for some reason and a bright golden light filled the room, blinding us all. “That’s more like it,” I sighed as I trotted excitedly in a circle, levitating random items near me. “I’m never taking advantage of my magic again.” “I bet,” Twilight chuckled. “Starlight has something she wants to say.” I looked over at her expectantly as she stepped forward shyly. “I’m so sorry. For what I did. There’s no excuse for it. I know there’s nothing I can do to earn your forgiveness but I hope one day you will. And if you don’t, I’ll understand,” Starlight sighed with her head drooped down. I made eye contact with Mom and we had a silent argument. “It’s okay,” I trotted forward and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “If you really wish to earn my forgiveness, you can do what I did. I bent over backwards working to earn the forgiveness of the people I hurt. I created a faux Fall Formal for Lyra and Bon Bon for example.” “And that actually worked?” Starlight asked in confusion. “It did,” Earth Lyra wrapped a hoof around Bon Bon. “Sunset wasn’t the greatest person but she always left me and the others alone for the most part. It was fun to see Cherry Crash get her ass beat though. Revenge is sweet.” “Sunset!” Mom glared at me. “When was that?” “Oh uh freshman year,” I admitted. “I don’t remember what she did. I think she insulted me and I couldn’t tolerate that.” “Yeah. Cherry got what she had coming. Especially after she cheated on me,” Earth Lyra smirked coldly. “I wish I could have recorded it and watched it over for posterity. Me and Bonnie weren’t even dating back then.” “I remember that,” Derpy chuckled. “You guys were busy beating around the bush the whole time.” “Funny. I can think of someone else I know doing the same thing,” Earth Lyra gave Derpy a smug smile. Derpy rolled her eyes and looked away. “Can we talk?” Mom focused on Starlight. “I promise I won’t be too hard on you.” “Uh sure?” Starlight muttered nervously. Twilight gestured to a nearby room and the three disappeared. I couldn’t make out much. Mainly about her not even thinking about laying a hoof on my orange hair or nothing would stop Mom from going after her. I suppose that was not scaring her too much. “So what now?” Bon Bon asked. “Can we go for a walk or something? I don’t like being trapped inside.” I gave a shrug and smiled. “Yeah sure. I can teleport us around since my magic is back. Where to?” I asked curiously. “Uh any suggestions Twilight?” Bon Bon asked. The mare was standing over the table as her cutie mark was floating on a part of Canterlot along with other of the Elements. I tilted my head at her flank as her cutie mark pulsed. “Uh Twilight? Your flank is pulsing,” Moondancer pointed out. “Uh go to Sugarcube Corner I guess. Me and the others have a friendship problem to fix. Maybe you guys can watch the Cutie Mark Crusaders and make sure they don’t burn the town down again. I think they were going to try getting their cutie mark again. We should be back in a few days. There isn’t really a time frame for these sorts of things.” “Yeah my daughter is kinda crazy,” Equestrian Lyra chuckled. We all stared her in shock. “D-daughter?” Earth Lyra stammered. “Yeah I have two. Scootaloo and Liza. Me and Bon Bon adopted them both,” Equestrian Lyra explained. Earth Lyra and Bon Bon stared at each in shock. “We have to talk about this at home.” “Definitely.” “How did this happen?” I asked curiously. Equestrian Lyra shrugged as she looked at me nervously. “I found Scootaloo in the treehouse on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. Me and Bons took her home and after a few weeks decided to adopt her. That was back when Tirek was running around so not long ago. I pressured Bons into adopting Liza so Scootaloo would have a sister,” Equestrian Lyra explained. I was slightly worried about that. Maybe our worlds Scootaloo was homeless too. I’d have to investigate that further when I get back. I’d loop Rainbow into it but well Rainbow doesn’t see clearly when it comes to the kid. “Can we talk Sunset?” Derpy asked suddenly. I glanced over at the mare hopping on her feet nervously. “Yeah sure. We will talk later Minuette and your friends. It’s an important conversation.” “Yeah sure,” Lemon Hearts said nervously. Me and Derpy started walking down the hall and up to the hallway with the rooms. Figured it was the quietest place to talk. “What’s up?” I asked as Derpy looked at me nervously. “You’ve been acting nervous around me and getting weirdly red faced all the time. What’s up?” “Ah to heck with it,” Derpy sighed and kissed me. My eyes went wide slightly as I kissed back, running my hoof along the contours of her body and wing as I opened the door with my magic of a bedroom, pulling her inside with me. We kept kissing till a cough came from behind us. We hastily separated and spun around, staring at a wide eyed Vinyl and Octavia. We both turned bright red and rubbed the back of our heads. “Hi?” > Chapter X > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So what do you three do?” I asked as I settled down on my haunches. We were settled in a tree house while I looked around at the posters. “We work to get our cutie mark!” Sweetie Belle announced. “Buck yeah!” Scootaloo shouted. “Scootaloo! Language!” I admonished quickly. Her moms had asked me to make sure she didn’t swear. “Sorry.” “But yah. We work to get our cutie marks. One day!” Apple Bloom announced as she crossed off something on a board. “All these things on these posters are things we have tried.” “We typically have Liza and Dinky with us but they are busy today preparing for the vote at school. We are headed there soon,” Sweetie Belle announced. “Cutie Mark Crusaders!” A voice shouted as a little colt ran in. “I need your help!” “What’s up Pipsqueak?” Sweetie Belle asked as the three faced him. “I’m running for Student Pony President and I wanted you three to be my campaign managers,” Pipsqueak announced. “Ooh campaign manager cutie marks! We’ve never tried that before!” Sweetie Belle grinned. “How did we try Alligator Wrestlers before campaigning?” Scootaloo asked and I did a double take. “I’m sorry what?” I asked in disbelief. “Ah ain’t sure,” Apple Bloom ignored me as she stepped to Pipsqueak. “We will help yah!” “Yeah!” Sweetie Belle agreed as the three fillies gave each other a high hoof. I think that’s what it is called. Sweetie Belle levitated the colt so he could join in and I gave a faint smile. That was kinda cute not gonna lie. “This way yall!” Apple Bloom galloped and jumped out of the tree house with ease. Lyra had been shocked to find out how far and high ponies could jump. “This should be entertaining,” Bon Bon mused as I stood up to follow. Apparently the CMC needed us to watch them at all times or else the town would be gone according to Twilight. “Yep,” Octavia agreed. ------------------------------------------------------------- “Our playground equipment took quite the beating during Princess Twilight’s fight with Tirek. If you vote me for Student Pony President, I’ll go straight to the school board and right this wrong!” Pipsqueak announced as we watched from the sidelines. “Well I think that’s a complete waste of the budget!” I glanced at a small filly with a tiara walking up with a silver filly with a spoon for a cutie mark. “Oh boy. Here we go,” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “It’s just like when Twist wanted to fix the broken window that Discord broke. She just wanted to fix it like a normal school house window.” Bon Bon let out a soft growl and I looked over hesitantly. “Even though that’s not my sister as I know her, it still makes me mad.” Lyra looked at her in shock. “You didn’t tell me you had a sister!” Lyra exclaimed. Bon Bon sighed. “Yeah dad has custody of her so she’s back in Trottingham. Maybe she will come visit.” “But you all know voting for me was the best choice because I convinced the school board to give that window visual appeal!” The filly pointed a hoof at a window and we all stared at a stained glass window depicting her. “That is probably the most egotistical thing I have ever seen,” I deadpanned. “Think she’s related to Rainbow Dash?” Vinyl asked. Lyra snorted a laugh and covered her mouth with a hoof. “Course, it doesn’t hurt her mom Spoiled Rich is president of the school board,” Apple Bloom whispered. “Exactly! Which is why when Diamond Tiara is voted Student Pony President, the school will be putting a statue of her in our schoolyard!” The grey filly announced. “And here’s more ego,” Vinyl muttered. “Silverspoon! That was my secret to share when I won!” Diamond Tiara yanked on her friends hair and I winced. “I was just trying to help,” Silverspoon muttered. “I don’t need that kind of help.” “Haven’t we all had enough of Diamond Tiara!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Do we really need a big statue of her?” Scootaloo asked. “Especially where our playground equipment goes?” Sweetie Belle added as Apple Bloom gave Diamond Tiara a smug smile. “A vote for Pip is a vote for the playground!” Pipsqueak announced as I helped levitate him on top of the horseshoe in the playground. “A vote for Diamond Tiara is a vote for more Diamond Tiara!” “It’s time to make a change. This is our chance, don’t be afraid to do what’s right. He’s it, vote for Pip! We got an opportunity to have fun again. A vote for Pip, and you can join the fight. It’s time for a new leader. It’s time to make a change. We’re here to fight for what we believe. It’s finally time we beat her and play a better game. Cause when we vote together. There’s nothing that we can’t achieve.” We flinched a bit and Lyra stared at the three fillies. “Does this happen often around here? Random musicals?” She asked me. “Yep.” “I don’t believe what I am hearing, I’m the only one you should be cheering. Pipsqueak? Try Pip’s weak! Don’t you think? But a diamond is perfection, it’s natural selection. So your vote better be for me, not the weakest link!” Diamond Tiara growled. “We’ll let the votin decide!” Apple Bloom announced. “Everypony has their little secrets,” Diamond looked at all the fillies as she walked up to me. “I know you do.” She gave me a wink as she traced a hoof along my foreleg. “A vote for me will help keep them safe. Like your creepy super strength! Or your mane extension. A little thing I won’t mention or those freakish large teeth in your face!” “And now we resorted to blackmail,” Derpy sighed and shook her head. “Come on ponies don’t listen to her!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Is she like the leader or something?” Lyra mused. “You could say they spread it equally,” a familiar voice chuckled and I spun around, finding myself face to face with the Equestrian version of my mom. “Hello there me,” Equestrian Cheerilee smiled at Mom. “I heard from the Princess there was another me running around from another world and well looks like she told the truth.” “That she did,” Mom smiled back. “You’ve gotta vote for change. It’s time for a new leader. End all the tyranny. Vote now and we can beat her. It’s now another day. And we believe in what’s right. Our victory is in sight.” “Stop! Everypony who hasn’t voted, listen up! Pip makes promises he can’t keep. But I can do more. You could really use a new bookbag,” Diamond Tiara smiled sweetly and I could easily see through the mask as she held out the bag to a yellow filly and yanked it away. “Cause I’ll make things happen that none of you here can afford to do, like, ever! Wouldn’t you like a little something sweet? Here’s a parasol to hide you from the heat. Who says that I can’t be nice? But first there’s one thing, an itsy-bitsy little string and voting for me is the price!” “I’ve a tiny suggestion that you should be aware. You could probably win this election If you show them all you rea-” Silverspoon started to sing. “Wow she has a really beautiful singing voice,” Octavia commented. “I don’t recall asking you to speak!” Diamond snapped. “If that’s how speak to your best friend, then I know who I’m voting for!” Sweetie Belle shouted after a few moments of stunned silence. “We’ll let honor win out against the tyranny and make a change that will last!” The young unicorn joined her two friends in singing. “It’s finally time we beat her and play a better game cause when we vote together there’s nothing that we can’t achieve!” Equestrian Cheerilee trotted to the stairs of the school and watched the foals finishing their voting. “School yard politics are crazy,” Mom chuckled. “I remember when I was a kid and watching wild stuff.” “And the winner of the election is Pipsqueak!” Equestrian Cheerilee announced. “I’d like to thank my campaign managers, the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Pip announced as he hugged the three fillies. “Yes! Campaign cutie marks!” They shouted in unison and looked at their flanks. “Guess didn’t you do as good as you three thought blank flanks!” Diamond grinned coolly. “I demand you recount!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “Believe me Diamond Tiara Pip won,” Equestrian Cheerilee said with a smug smile. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her expression. “I’ll be the judge of that Miss Cheerilee!” Diamond Tiara grumbled as she trotted up the stairs. “Does she seriously think she changed the votes?” Bon Bon asked in disbelief. “What!” Diamond screamed as she shot out of the school. “One vote! Silverspoon! You didn’t vote for me?” “No I didn’t.” “Ooh betrayal,” Vinyl muttered. “But why? You’re my best friend!” “Am I? Because I tried to help you win this thing and suddenly I couldn’t even speak. You could have had a chance at winning this Diamond. Wanna know how? Sorry I’m not allowed to speak!” Silverspoon closed Diamonds open mouth with a hoof. The filly screamed and ran away. “Wow,” Lyra muttered. Silverspoon glanced over at us. “What? I don’t have to follow her drama anymore,” Silverspoon announced as she trotted away. “Good for her,” Bon Bon smiled as the Crusaders trotted up to us. “Hey Sunset?” Scootaloo said. “Yeah kid?” I glanced at her. “We were talking about going and checking on Diamond. Just because she’s never cared about anypony else’s feelings doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about hers. Can you guys come with us?” I smiled at the fillies as my friends nodded encouragingly. “Yeah let’s go follow her.” > Chapter XI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey Sunset,” Vinyl nudged me as we trotted through the town and followed the fillies. They knew the town better then and us and apparently knew where Diamond preferred to go. “Yeah V?” I asked as we peeked around the corner of a house. “About what me and Tavi saw the other night. You and Derpy a thing now?” Vinyl asked curiously. I quickly glanced around cast a spell, making a bubble around us. “Uh what the hell is this?” “Only us can hear what goes on here. Nobody else can hear outside the bubble. Privacy reasons,” I explained. “Oh gotcha.” “So after we accidentally used your guys room to have a makeout session, we returned our room. We were so embarrassed we didn’t talk the entire way. I never really thought about her that way mainly because I wasn’t in the right mindset ya know? I was suicidal and depressed and wasn’t in the right place to even be thinking about dating. But now I’m noticing all the little things about her that I like.” “Being in the right mindset is a very good think to have before you start dating anyone.” “I totally agree. But I mean we are dating now right? I mean I kissed her back. That does mean we are dating, doesn’t it?” I asked the unicorn in front of me. “Well did you ask her?” Vinyl asked pointedly. In the background, I could vaguely make out Diamond talking to some older mare and based on the expression on Diamond Tiaras face, it wasn’t a friendly conversation. “Just because you kissed her back and for a good five minutes doesn’t mean you are dating really. Either she has to ask you out or you have to ask her. Assuming isn’t the best course of action.” “You’re right,” I sighed. “Surprised you didn’t see the signs that she liked you. She wasn’t being very subtle about it.” I raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “Did she tell you she liked me?” I eagerly asked. “Well no. She only told Lyra most likely because they are the oldest friends of the group. It was obvious she is into you though,” Vinyl admitted. She adjusted her purple glasses and stared at me with her red eyes. “Well it’s obvious now. She kissed me.” “Then jump for it. We all support it. And I’m sure Cheerilee would too. She’s probably seen the signs herself. She loves Derpy already. She’s one of her favorite students after all along with you.” “Fair point. I’ll talk to her,” I sighed as I canceled my spell. “What we miss?” “Not much,” Lyra glanced over at us. “It’s bad enough you lost to that transplant from Trottingham but imagine if you lost to one of those blank flanks,” the older mare waved to some ponies walking past. “As a rich pony, you must always think of your social standing. That starts here in Ponyville and spreads throughout Equestria. Don’t ever forget that Diamond Tiara. Ever!” We all stared in shock and various levels of anger as Diamond Flinched “Well now I know where it comes from,” I grumbled. “I’m going to go say something to her.” “Listen here Spoiled Rich, you bucking entitled arrogant whore!” Equestrian Bon Bon stormed up to the two. “Ya know what, I think she has it covered,” I gulped. “Wow Bon Bon,” Lyra glanced at her girlfriend. “Your counterpart has a mouth on her.” Earth Bon Bon turned a bright shade of red. “Apparently she does.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “So you three just sit here all day and find out different ways to get your cutie mark?” Diamond asked as she stared at the posters on the wall. “Well yeah,” Apple Bloom agreed as Diamond turned around. “You three are really lucky,” Diamond admitted. “We are?” They asked in shock in unison. “Well yeah. You get to explore all these options before you’re stuck with something you don’t understand,” Diamond explained as she looked at her own flank. “But you’ve done that right?” Apple Bloom asked. We were spread out across the small clubhouse. With a bunch of mares, it made the once large tree house seem small. So I may or may not have used my magic to temporarily expand it. “Oh but of course. Because I’m not at all confused about who I’m meant to be or what my role because I already got a cutie that’s already on my flank!” “Uh are ya sure about that?” Apple Bloom asked and I let out a snicker. “Well that’s a weird question to ask,” Diamond scoffed. “What was that face?” Lyra whispered. “Why are we even here?” Diamond asked. “Well we heard you yesterday and figured you wanted some company after your mom yelled at you and you lost your best friend,” Sweetie Belle explained. “Were you trying to get your cutie mark in spying? Is that on your little chart?” Diamond demanded. “No! We were just worried about you,” Scootaloo answered. “Really?” Diamond asked with a startled expression. “Cutie Mark Crusaders! I need your help again!” Pipsqueak shouted as he knocked on the door. Diamond rolled her eyes with a sigh as Sweetie Belle opened the door. “What’s up Pip?” Apple Bloom asked curiously. “I went to the school board for the new playground equipment but there isn’t enough money. So I went home but there wasn’t nearly enough in my little piggy!” He shook a piggy bank and some random items fell out. I think that was a bubble gum wrapper but I’m not sure. “Aww he’s adorable,” Bon Bon muttered. “Don’t worry Pip!” Sweetie placed a hoof on his back. “We will go to the school and figure it out for you!” “Oh I have it all figured out. Our new president will get kicked out of office and I will get reinstated!” Diamond Tiara grinned as she jumped out of the treehouse. “Oh here we go,” Lyra muttered. “Where is she going?” Scootaloo asked. “Where do ya think?” Apple Bloom demanded as the two started chasing after her. “Wait! I’m coming too!” Sweetie Belle shouted. I gave a sigh and looked at the others. “We should probably follow them.” “Cutie Mark Crusaders, get out of my way. Those ponies need to know the truth and they’ll hear it from me.” “Wow there’s a lot of singing today,” Vinyl muttered as we trotted after them. Being grown up ponies had it’s benefits and we could just walk to keep up with them. “Stop Diamond Tiara, this is not the way You know you’re better than this hostility.” “You don’t even know me at all don’t understand the meaning of my fall. What my family would think if I ever fail at anything. I’m a diamond that means you’ll never break, no matter what be the cost of the path I take. Whatever I have to do to win in the end!” “Stop, this is not the answer. Wait, and it’s plainly seen. Listen, you can redeem yourself. But by helping others, not by being mean. We know you want friends who admire you. You want to be the star with all the power too. But there’s a better way, there’s a better way. There’s so much more still left to learn about yourself. See the light that shines in you. We know you can be somepony else, you can stop right now and try another start. You’ll finally free yourself from the dark. And see the light, and see the light of your cutie mark.” “How can they run backwards? That’s impressive as hell!” Lyra exclaimed. “Here let me try!” She spun around and started galloping backwards before tripping and falling on her face. “Woah!” “Maybe you will get it later,” Bon Bon chuckled. “Everypony, I have an announcement!” We all watched as the four fillies approached the crowd near Pipsqueak. This wasn’t going to end well I had a feeling. > Chapter XII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Diamond Tiara! Think about what your doin!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Diamond Tiara!” The same mare who I think was called Spoiled Rich pushed her way through the crowd. “I came here for a school board meeting and this is what I see when we adjourn? My daughter associating with insignificant lowlifes!” I stomped a hoof on the ground and it cracked slightly under the force. “You show some damn respect you stuck up bitch,” I growled. “They have more of a life and a future than you ever will!” “Sunset!” Mom admonished. “While I don’t approve of the language, my daughter is right. You should show some more respect.” “I hate meddling ponies,” Spoiled Rich grumbled. “Come along Diamond Tiara!” “No mother!” Diamond retorted and we stared in surprise. I wasn’t expecting that. “Excuse me?” Spoiled spun around. “These are the Cutie Mark Crusaders and they are my friends. They will get their marks when they find out their special talent and I guarantee it will be amazing! I decided I want what you don’t have. Friends! You raised me my whole life to follow in your hoof steps and be a high horse but not any longer. Now will you please deliver this to father?” Diamond held out a piece of paper. “Good shit. I wasn’t a fan of the kid but I am now,” Lyra smiled. “Of course dear,” Spoiled took the paper in her mouth and trotted off. “I have to thank you Crusaders,” Diamond faced the three. “Ever since I got my cutie mark, I’ve know my talent was getting others to do what I want. I just asked Father to buy the new playground equipment!” She winked at Pipsqueak and high hoofed him. “Bet you didn’t see that coming, did you? Everything is going to work out just fine Mr. President!” “We’ll build a playground for all of us to enjoy. So full of games, there’s enough for each girl and boy. I want to help and do everything that I can. I’m here to show you I changed. Listen up, here’s the plan.” “When she isn’t singing about blackmail, she’s actually pretty good,” I muttered as a wagon stopped at the school and I levitated the boxes out. “Wow they work fast,” Lyra mused. “Probably paid them to.” “Bring it in! That’s right, keep it coming! Hey there, you with the amazing strength. Can you help them move that merry-go-round across the lawn?” Diamond approached a filly. She quickly nodded and lifted it up with her back. “Woah,” Vinyl pushed her glasses up in shock. “Didn’t expect that.” “Thank you so much! And you with the super teeth, we need you to help with that teeter-totter. You got it! That’s the spirit! There’s so much I can do, to help everypony else. I see the light that shines in me. I know I can be my better self. I can free the past. ‘Cause now the future’s bright for me. My cutie mark has set me free. To do what’s right and be the pony I want to be. And be the pony I want to be!” Diamond lifted a board Silverspoon was hammering. “We have a Diamond Tiara at our school right?” Bon Bon asked Mom. “Yeah we do. Her mom is pretty much a witch,” Mom confirmed as the two started opening boxes. I levitated a flag to a waiting green pegasus who stuck it in the top. “Makes sense,” I muttered. Once again another thing to check up on. “So Crusaders ah was thinking.” “Dangerous for you,” Scootaloo piped in and Apple Bloom glared at her. “This is serious Scoots.” “Okay we’re listening,” Sweetie Belle quickly intervened. “When we help others, they find out their special talent and their role in Equestria and that’s so much more important than finding our marks. Don’t yall agree?” “I totally agree! I don’t care if I ever get my mark as long as I’m with you three,” Scootaloo smiled. “Absolutely!” Sweetie Belle agreed. “So what do you say Crusaders? Wanna focus on helping others now?” Apple Bloom asked. The three high hoofed each other. “Yeah!” A swirling light surrounded three as they floated in the air. “W-whats happening?” Octavia asked hesitantly. I smirked at the others nervous expressions and gave a knowing wink. “Wait and see.” "W-what happened?” Apple Bloom rubbed her as the school ponies and Equestrian Cheerilee crowded around them. “It’s your cutie marks,” Diamond said in awe. “They’re amazing.” “We all got the same cutie marks!” They hugged each other and I maintained my smile. “You knew that was happening?” Octavia asked me curiously. “Yep. Reminds me of when I got my mark.” “We’ve been searching for out cutie mark for a while now. Trying to find out how we fit in. So many ways we’ve tried before But we kept on trying more. Cause the Cutie Mark Crusaders don’t give.” “Now we know what it took all along,” Scootaloo sang. “And our journey here is never really done,” Sweetie Belle added. “For it is more than just a mark. It’s a place for us to start,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “An adventure that has only just begun. We’ll make our mark, show the world what we can do. We’ll make our mark, helping fillies to break through to the ultimate reward of a cutie mark.” “Cutie Mark Crusaders, I’ve got something I need to say. I was headed down a path that was leadin’ me astray. But now, I’ve changed my ideas. You helped me see I care. I’m gonna show the world how much I have to share. You’ve made your mark and showed me a better way. You’ve made your mark helped me see how I could change all I thought I ever knew of my cutie mark!” Diamond Tiara hoof bumped the three eagerly. "All right, everypony! Get ready for the biggest cute-ceañera celebration ever!” Pinkie screamed. The others had gotten back early last night from their friendship problem thing. Apparently it was a crazy one according to Dash. “How did we get here so fast?” Bon Bon asked. “Time flies when you’re having fun,” Lyra winked. “What’s a cute-ceañera?” Mom asked me. “It’s a party fillies and colts get when they earn their cutie mark. Everypony gets one. Rich, poor, homeless. Nopony is left out. I had one.” “Oh, sugarcube, if Mom and Dad were here, they’d be so proud of ya,” Applejack hugged her sister as her brother wiped away a tear. “Never thought I’d see Big Mac cry,” Vinyl mused. “Oh thanks Applejack,” Apple Bloom turned faintly red. “Now go on and party with your pals!” “I’m so proud of you little buddy. You’ve taught me a thing or two,” Rainbow hoofbumped Scootaloo as Equestrian Lyra and Equestrian Bon Bon hugged the filly. “You’ve inspired everypony around you And you’ve inspired me too,” Rarity held Sweetie Belle chin up with a hoof as the filly blushed. “You’ve made your mark. Done Equestria so proud. You’ve made your mark, and we’re here to sing it loud. For the ultimate reward of your cutie mark.” “This is insane,” Lyra muttered. “So cutie marks just appear?” “Yep! Only when you find what you’re meant to do in Equestria!” I explained as we crowded around a table in Sugarcube Corner. “Well, what do you think, Crusaders? Were these cutie marks totally worth waiting for or what?” Apple Bloom announced. “Yeah! I can’t wait to see who we’re gonna help next!” Sweetie Belle agreed as she bit a cupcake. “We started out just three Crusaders driven to see what we find in our hearts, discover our destiny. And here we are, best friends about to start it again. An adventure that never will end. We’ll make our mark, helping fillies most in need. We’ll make our mark so each one of them succeeds. Cause the ultimate reward is a cutie mark.” “Where to next?” I asked the others curiously. “Where you grew up!” Mom suggested with a grin. “I have dinner at Lyra’s tomorrow night. We can go then,” I promised. Hopefully I didn’t get judged too much when I took them there. “Sounds good.” “Pretty amazing right?” Equestrian Cheerilee asked as she stared at the CMC and wiped a tear away. “Are you okay?” Mom asked. “Yeah. It’s just I watched these three grow up. I’ve known them practically their whole life. When I lost my daughter, they filled that hole. And now they got their cutie marks. They’re growing up. And I can’t help but wonder if my daughter would have had her mark by now. What she would be good at. It’s hard to see this but at the same time I’m so proud of those three.” Mom sighed and looked away as her counterpart absentmindedly rubbed her stomach with a hoof. “Let’s go get some tea,” Mom suggested. “Okay.” Mom looked back at me as the two started to trot away. “I’ll meet you all back at the castle. Have fun and stay safe.” > Chapter XIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So Derpy,” Sunset settled into her bed and she rested her hooves behind her head. It was just us in the room because Cheerilee was in the main library talking with Twilight and the others. “Yes Sunset?” My eyes flicked over to her nervously. I was resting on my own bed reading a book. Fluttershy recommended some nature books in Equestria. They had some pretty crazy creatures. It’s insane how the ponies here have survived as long as they did. “So about the other day when we kissed, what does that make us?” Sunset asked hesitantly. I had been waiting for this question to be honest. “Well we’re obviously dating aren’t we? I mean I assumed that’s what was going on since you kissed me back,” I responded. “I said the same to Vinyl and she told me assuming didn’t really mean we were dating for some odd reason. I always thought it did but I can see how it can be misleading,” Sunset rolled over and faced me. “If we both assumed we were dating, then why have you been avoiding me these past couple days? It hurt my feelings,” I asked. Sunset’s face fell as she stood up and trotted over to my bed. “Can I join you?” She asked cautiously. I shrugged and lifted the edge of the blanket with a hoof. She jumped on the bed and laid on her side next to me. “I didn’t mean to hurt you trust me. I was busy thinking about all this. I should have been more open with you. But I want this.” “You really want me?” I gave her a skeptical look. “Well duh.” “But why? I’m a retard with a messed up eye. Nobody would like that.” Sunset pressed her hoof against my mouth before I could continue and she gave me a dirty look. “Don’t ever talk bad about yourself like that again. You are not a retard. You’re a smart, beautiful young women.” She removed her hoof and stared at me expectantly. “Am I?” I asked softly. “I have a faint lisp, I’m afraid of the dark a tad bit and I’m clumsy.” Sunset rolled her eyes and hugged me. “You are yes. Screw what other people say about you,” Sunset focused on me. “Only your friends and you are important. And family.” “Thanks Sunset.” “So since we both assumed we’re dating, does that like make it official?” She asked after a few moments of silence. “I suppose so. I haven’t really dated much.” “Me neither,” Sunset admitted and gave me a wicked look. “Since we’re dating, wanna make out again?” I gave a quick nod and she pressed her muzzle against mine, pressing her tongue against my teeth and I opened my mouth to allow her tongue entry. At first it was an odd feeling but I have a feeling I’m going to get used to this very quickly. ------------------------------------------------------------- “So Sunset,” Equestrian Lyra sighed as her eyes flicked nervously to the unicorn mare. “You hurt us all. Especially when we tried to be your friend after you made that vine to ace your entry exam at Princess Celestia’s school. You implied we weren’t worth your time and were stupid.” Minuette, Moondancer, Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine sat next to Lyra along with Bon Bons counterparts. I sat next to Sunset watching silently. Sunset had offered me to come along as her date. “And Moondancers sister,” Lemon Hearts chimed in as she stared at her plate. “What was said was completely uncalled for. We just wanted to be friends and you yelled at us like we were beneath you.” Thankfully Equestrian Octavia was looking after Liza and Scootaloo for tonight so we all could talk. “I know what I did and said was wrong. I never should have spoken to any of you that way. I know nothing I can do will ever truly make up for how I acted that day. I just hope one day you will forgive me and we can work to being friends like you all wanted,” Sunset sighed as she held my hoof. “I’m trying to be a better person and a pony. Not just for my sake but for those around me.” “I didn’t know Sunset for long. Only five years or maybe six but I can vouch for her. She’s truly changed from what she was freshman year of highschool,” I added as they all looked at me. “I trust her with my life. You can trust her. Just like Lyra, Bon Bon, Octavia and Vinyl. Hell, Cheerilee even adopted her.” “Wait really?” Minuette asked in surprise. “That mare is your mother?” “She’s one of them. My Equestrian mom is still out there in my hometown I think,” Sunset admitted. “Cheerilee is one of the most important people in my life, alongside Derpy here.” “I never took you for bi or anything,” Twinkleshine commented. Lyra gave a cough and looked away with red cheeks. “I did,” Lyra admitted. “Remember when you stole that alcohol once?” “Uh yeah?” Sunset said. “I kissed a random mare and I didn’t remember who it was. I still don’t remember who.” “Yeah that was me,” Lyra rubbed the back of her head. “We both got really drunk. I wasn’t a huge fan of you back in school because of the obvious reasons but I wasn’t about to turn down free booze.” We all stared at her in shock. “Should we tell our Lyra about this?” Sunset asked me. “Absolutely not. If she and Bon Bon found out they would be confused as heck.” “Or try to invite me to a threesome,” Sunset smirked. Equestrian Bon Bon turned a bright shade of red while her marefriend snickered. “They better not. Besides, Bon Bon is super shy. She would never even bring up the topic to Lyra about it. And you better not be having sex.” “Fair point,” Sunset admitted. “I’m not don’t worry.” “We’ve decided to give you a chance,” Moondancer announced. “As a token of our friendship, we give you this necklace. Originally it was for Lemon Hearts but she didn’t like the red. I would get you a new one but all the shops are closed,” She levitated a red necklace with a red gem and a zebras head etched in the middle in the air and gently place it around Sunset’s neck. Sunset’s eyes instantly flashed red but it happened so fast I wasn’t sure I ever saw it. “We don’t know what it is to be completely honest. We found it in a store sitting in the bottom of a box. The store owner didn’t know what it was either.” “Never seen anything like it!” Lemon Hearts chimed in. “For real. It was crazy cool,” Twinkleshine smiled warmly at the two of us. “I’m starving. Let’s eat,” Minuette grinned. “Do you need help bringing anything out Bon Bon?” The cream mare shook her head. “You’re my guests. I couldn’t ask you all to help me. It’s rude. But I can ask my marefriend. Come on Lyra.” Lyra sighed and stood up. “Coming love.” > Chapter XIV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I sat on the train cars seat, admiring my necklace in a mirror. I never really cared about jewelry much before but I wasn’t about to turn away a gift. I was really moody for some odd reason recently and I’m not sure why. Never to my friends or mom of course but random ponies yes. “We’re on trains a lot recently,” Lyra commented as she stared excitedly at the countryside passing by rapidly. “I’ve never been on a train before till we came here.” “Really?” I turned and faced the unicorn. “It’s the fast and most common way to travel here.” “What about flying?” Lyra asked. It was just me, her, Mom and Derpy awake. I was currently pressed between mom and Derpy. Vinyl and Octavia were asleep next to each other and Bon Bon was asleep on Lyra. “Uh Lyra? I’m a unicorn, not a pegasus or an alicorn. I don’t have wings,” I reminded her as I pointed at my side. “Okay fair but like what about blimps or airships?” She curiously inquired. “We do have those but they’re expensive and cramped. Unless there’s massive ones but you should avoid those ones.” “Why’s that? More expensive?” “Griffins. It’s very rare here in Equestria but they kidnap ponies. Ransom, sex trade stuff like that. Like I said, it’s rare so don’t worry.” “That’s awful,” Derpy shuddered. “Where are we going anyway?” “Where I grew up. It’s a bit of a strange place,” I admitted. “Well not really. It’s a farm town. Very small part of Equestria.” “You grew up on a farm?” Mom tilted her head to the side. “No. I grew up in the town but I did sometimes volunteer and help out on some farms. I didn’t really became the way I was until I moved to Canterlot and got a taste of being Celestia’s student.” “What’s it called?” Derpy asked. “What’s what called?” I asked in confusion with a raised eyebrow. “The town we’re going to currently,” she clarified. “Oh. Brushwind Village. Like I said it’s a super small town. Not even on the maps anymore unfortunately according to the current ones I’ve studied at the castle before we left,”I nuzzled my girlfriend. Kinda crazy to think about how I have one now. I never expected to be in a relationship again after Flash. Not that he was a real relationship technically anyway. “That’s sad. What’s in it?” She asked after nuzzling me back. “Farms. Uh a fruit stand. A museum about the town. That’s about it.” “So this should be a quick trip is what you’re saying?” Lyra asked as she glanced back from her window watching. “That sucks.” “Potentially. I do know a spell where I can go back in time and relieve the memories. We don’t have the ability to touch anything so we are safe from messing up the timeline accidentally. It’s an unorthodox approach sure but it’s a quick one. All I need is to touch something I owned as a kid. Which shouldn’t be hard, I think the house is still there. My Equestrian mom might even still live in the town. I’m not sure. After I became Celestia’s student, I didn’t have time to send letters. It was just her and my brother after I left.” “That’s cool. I’m totally down for that!” Lyra grinned eagerly. I rolled my eyes and grinned back. I knew she would be down for anything as long as she got to see me using my magic. “Speaking of magic, you and Vinyl have gotten really good at teleporting and all other spells I taught you. I’m impressed.” Lyra turned a faint shade of red at my compliments. “Thanks Sunset.” “Do you plan on seeing your pony mom?” Mom asked me with a curious look as she straightened my mane. “I’m not even sure she lives there anymore,” I admitted. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “What happened here?” I said in awe. We all stood in the middle of my small hometown. It was half falling apart with some construction ponies working on some houses. “It looks like the pegasi let a tornado loose through here.” “Still insane to wrap my head around that you guys can control the weather,” Vinyl muttered. “Must be freaking nice.” I let out a chuckle at that. “I know right. Let’s go this way,” I eagerly trotted down the dirt road. Man the memories I had on this road were insane. Walking home from elementary school with dad or mom. I learned how to levitate stuff right here near the river. “The house I grew up in should be this way still.” I lead my friends, no not friends. Family is what they are now. I lead them down the dirt roads till we came up on a small house and I wiped a tear away hoping no one noticed. “Are you good Sunny? You’re crying,” Bon Bon pointed out as Mom looked over with a worried expression. Might as be honest. “I never thought I’d see this house again. So many memories here. Learning how to teleport and such. My dad died in this house,” I admitted. “It hurts to see it falling apart.” “And for sale apparently,” Vinyl commented. “What?” I demanded as I glared at the sign jutting out of the ground. “Since when? I thought my brother owned it.” “Is that Sunset Shimmer?” I spun around and stared at two pegasi flapping their wings with shocked expressions. “Helia? Peppermint?” I asked before I was tackled in a hug. “Buck, man. It’s been years!” Helia giggled. “Damn right!” Peppermint Goldylinks grinned as she hugged me tightly. “You gonna introduce us Sun?” I pointed to each of my friends as I named them. “That’s Lyra, Bon Bon, Octavia, Vinyl, Mom and my marefriend Derpy.” “Pleased to meet you all,” Helia giggled again as she waved eagerly to my friends. “Are you here to see your mom?” Peppermint asked me. The way she said it made me tense up. “Is something wrong with Ma?” I asked cautiously. My old friends faces fell as they looked at each other. “She hasnt heard yet.” “Heard what?” I demanded. “She’s in the hospital. It uhm doesn’t look good,” Helia looked away. “We’ve been visiting her often.” “She misses you,” Peppermint sighed sadly. Mom wrapped a hoof around me tightly in a hug as I processed this information. “Take me and Sunset to her.” > Chapter XV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “She’s in there. We will give you all some space,” Helia nodded in our direction as Sunset and Cheerilee entered the room. Helia and Peppermint trotted off talking, tossing nervous glances back Sunset’s way. A white unicorn mare with a fiery mane or what remained of one was laying in a hospital. For a magical world, hospitals weren’t all that different from our worlds. Guess some things stay universal no matter where you go. “Who is it?” She sounded surprisingly cheerful for someone who was dying. I hope I’m that cheerful when I’m on my death bed. “Me,” Sunset said simply as the mare forced herself to sit up, wearing a shocked face. “Sunset? Is that really you?” She asked in awe. “Yeah it’s me. How ya feeling?” Sunset quickly sat down in a chair next to her. “Like I got ran over by a wagon, it backed up and ran me over again,” The two chuckled at that. “I never thought I’d see you again.” “Well I’m here now. For a good while. And I have some friends I’d like you to meet,” Sunset nodded at us as the unicorn glanced over at us with a smile. “Hello there,” she gave a wave. “What are you names?” “I’m Bon Bon,” I smiled at her. “Lyra.” “Octavia.” “Vinyl.” “Derpy.” “Nice to meet you all. I’m Hearths Warming.” “You’re named after the holiday?” Lyra tilted her head to the side curiously. “I was born on that day. My parents kinda took the easy way out,” she admitted sheepishly. “How much do you know about what happened?” Sunset asked quietly. “Did the Princess tell you much?” “She told me everything. About you running to a different dimension I think she called it. I assume these are your friends from that dimension.” Sunset looked away with a frown. “I’m sorry for abandoning you. I’m a horrible daughter. Never should have done it. I should have stayed here in the town with you.” “Don’t say that about yourself. Everypony makes mistakes. It’s just part of being pony,” Hearths Warming chided. “Now I know where Sunset gets her optimism from,” Derpy whispered. “Oh and Derpy is my marefriend. I don’t know why I’m saying that but I am,” Sunset smiled as she held her hoof. “About time,” Lyra muttered with a smirk. “So you know about me running to that other world. If I introduce you to someone, would you be angry if I said she adopted me?” Sunset asked cautiously. She let out a sigh of relief when her mom adamantly shook her head. “I’d say I want to meet her.” “She’s right next to me. Her name is Cheerilee,” Sunset nodded to Cheerilee who had been watching quietly. “Hello,” the two quickly shook hooves. “I appreciate you looking after her for me. She can be a handful.” The mare let out a cough into her foreleg. “Look after her for me please. No matter what.” “It’s not a problem,” Cheerilee chuckled. “She can be one at times yes. She has made my life so much better and I’m very happy she’s in it. You have a wonderful daughter.” Sunset turned a bright shade of red. “And I will, don’t worry. You would have to kill me to separate me from Sunset.” “You’re embarrassing me,” she muttered. “That’s a mother’s job,” Hearths Warming smiled faintly. “Like the time you jumped through a cake at your fifth birthday party in an attempt to find the vanilla filling.” “I thought we agreed to never speak of that again,” Sunset grumbled with a smile of her own. “Please tell me you have a picture,” Vinyl gave Sunset a mischievous smirk. “So we can keep it for posterity’s sake.” “I hope she doesn’t,” Sunset glared at Vinyl. “Actually I do,” the mare shakily levitated a picture book as Sunset quickly helped levitate it down. “Thank you dear. My magic isn’t what it used to be.” Sunset looked away nervously before speaking. “No problem. I will let them see this picture,” Sunset grudgingly said as we crowded around the mare to look. And sure enough, there was a young Sunset with a pout in the middle of a cake. Me and Octavia let out awws while Derpy smiled. Vinyl and Lyra burst out laughing as Cheerilee peered over Sunset’s head and patted her on the head. “You looked adorable!” Derpy announced. “Looked?” Sunset stared at her and feigned an offended look. “I’m not adorable anymore?” “Adorable is for children. Beautiful is for grown ups,” Derpy answered as Sunset turned red again. “I guess I can accept that as a reasonable answer,” Sunset smirked. “I hope your life is a happy one Sunset,” Hearths Warming coughed out. “Just like mine was.” “Is,” Sunset automatically corrected her. “Your life is. You’re gonna beat whatever this annoying illness this is. I got my stubbornness from you after all.” “No you definitely got that from your father. I’m not stubborn at all.” “No dad was the one with the arrogant streak when he was a kid,” Sunset smirked. “Ah yes he had both. I’m the inspirational one,” the older mare proclaimed with a cocky grin. “I will stand by that forever.” “I agree with that one. You have inspired me a lot,” Sunset admitted. “Where is my brother?” Sunset had a frustrated look on her face when she mentioned him. She had briefly told me alone that she was beyond pissed he wasn’t here with their mom. She was just hiding it so her mom didn’t see her angry which I honestly thought was sweet. “Crystal Empire I believe. Either that or Canterlot. One of the two,” her mom replied and stared at her seriously. “I’m very proud of you by the way. You’re a gorgeous young mare.” “Thanks Mom,” Sunset slowly rubbed her cheek against hers. “Means a lot to me.” I gave a sigh as the two hugged. “Let’s go,” I gently pulled on Lyra. “Cheerilee and Sunset need some mother daughter time right now.” “Why?” Lyra gave me a confused look as Octavia covered her mouth with a hoof. “You said we could stay till the end.” “It’s over Lyra. She’s gone,” I said quietly. I nodded to the mare. She had long since gone quiet and there was a flat beeping sound. “Mom?” Sunset muttered into her fur. “Let’s go. We can go get coffee everyone.” Octavia gave a slow nod as she and Vinyl exited the room quietly. Octavia gave a final look at Sunset before making room for us to walk out. “Are you sure we shouldn’t be here for her? What if she needs us?” Derpy asked worriedly. I gave a last look into the room at Cheerilee hugging Sunset who was making muffled sounds from behind as i ushered Derpy and Lyra out. “Yeah I’m sure.” > Chapter XVI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Ya know, never in my life did I think we would be attending a funeral of a pony we just met,” Lyra commented as I tucked my legs under me. “Yeah me neither. Sunsets pretty upset about it. It was nice of the Princess to make this hotel aware of our visit before hand and get is our own rooms,” I sighed. “Aren’t they cremating her so Sunset can keep the ashes? I thought that was what Sunset asked us to help set up.” Sunset was making the main arrangements with Cheerilee so we all offered to help with the other necessary arrangements so she didn’t have to do it alone. “Yeah she did,” Lyra answered as she shoved her face in my mane. It was a bit to get used to having to call it a mane. Don’t even get me started on having a tail or being naked essentially. I practically kept my tail pressed between my legs for a while to keep my private bits hidden till Sunset showed me the proper way to keep them hidden. Thank God for unicorn pony friends. “I’ve never seen her like this before.” “Have you noticed her eyes?” I asked. Lyra pulled her face out of my mane and looked at me curiously. “As much as Sunset is my friend and I adore her, I prefer to look at your eyes. What about them?” “They have a reddish tinge to them instead of her normal eye color. Derpy has noticed it too. It’s weird.” “Huh,” Lyra rubbed her chin with a hoof. “I haven’t noticed that. Are you sure it isn’t the light reflecting when she’s looking at her necklace? That’s my guess at least.” “Lyra, it only happens when she wears it. It could be some weather thing here but it does some a tad bit weird. She loves that thing according to Derpy and Cheerilee. She even sleeps with it on some nights according to Derpy.” “They’re sleeping together now?” Lyra asked as she kissed my neck. “Moving pretty fast.” “Not like that you dirty minded girl. Like how we do,” I gently pushed her side. “Ya know, cuddling and all.” “Oh okay,” Lyra muttered as she kept kissing down my stomach. “Seriously? We have a funeral to attend soon in a few days and you want to have sex?” I smirked at her as she froze. “Well uh not if you don’t want to. I mean we’ve done it multiple times as humans never as a pony. This is science,” Lyra proclaimed with a smile of her own. “Hm is that what we are calling it?” I rubbed a hoof against my chin in thought. “Uh yes?” Lyra offered weakly. “We don’t have to of course.” “Go for it. We haven’t had alone time like this since we got here a week and half ago,” I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in this experiment to be honest. Lyra gave me a nod as she kissed me between my legs. “Oh god.” “Shush. We don’t want the others hearing us.” I bit my lip and nodded as Lyra’s tongue slipped inside me. It was completely different from a human, felt more rough and longer. Plus wider. “T-that’s good Lyra. That’s amazing,” I stammered out as I rubbed her mane with a hoof. Suddenly the door swung open and Lyra’s eyes widened before she shot up next to me, our faces burning red. She quickly covered us both up with our blanket as Octavia stared at us with a slowly growing blush. “I uh hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she mumbled. “But uh Sunset wants to see us all when she gets the ashes. It’s near the diner in the town.” “You are,” Lyra grumbled under her breath quiet enough that she wasn’t heard. “I was just getting to the good part.” I subtly nudged her with a hoof and shook my head slightly. “You aren’t interrupting anything,” I smiled warmly. As much as I wanted to continue what we were doing, this was important also. “Did she say what was going on?” “Not really. Just that she wanted us to be with her and her mom when she received the ashes. Apparently it’s weird for unicorns to be cremated in Equestria. Most get put in family crypts in cemeteries,” Octavia answered. “Pegasi get put in clouds or their ashes spread on them. Earth ponies just get buried or put in crypts too.” “Interesting. Is Twilight coming like Sunset said?” I asked. “Yes,” Octavia nodded. “She is bringing Starlight with her as well. Figured she could get her out of Ponyville for a bit and explore some of Equestria. Change of scenery and all. Sunset is surprisingly fine with it. She even encouraged her to bring Starlight.” “You know what I don’t get? Is why Starlight only took her cutie mark and magic away. Not me, not Lyra and not Twilight’s. Specifically Sunset,” I rested my head against Lyra’s. “I can explain that one,” Lyra commented. “Sunset told me that unicorns can naturally sense strong unicorns in a room. Sometimes they use it to find mates back like hundreds of years ago. I can sense how powerful Starlight is. Same with how strong Sunset and Twilight is. Me and Vinyl had a long conversation about trying to figure what the hell we were feeling when Sunset overheard us and explained it. She only took Sunset’s because she was slightly stronger than Twilight and knew that it was going to be a problem. Hell, apparently they tested Starlight too and she’s a bit stronger than Twilight when it comes to magic. Same level as Sunset.” “That’s fascinating,” I mused. “Can you lead the way Octavia? That way we don’t have to risk getting lost.” The grey mare nodded as she absentmindedly adjusted her bow. “Yes. How do I look? This is an important occasion and it’s of utmost importance that I look respectable,” Octavia looked at us. Lyra rolled her eyes. “Tavi, we are naked. You look respectful enough with your bow. Leave your mane how it is. Looks fine as it.” “Thank you Lyra. I did not mean to be Sunsetting as you and Vinyl so elegantly call it. I shall be outside your room,” Octavia quickly stepped out. “Well at least we don’t got to get dressed like we would back home. Sunset wants a low-key thing with just her friends and mom she said,” I said as we climbed out of our bed. Lyra nodded as she quickly brushed her hair. “Yeah. We have something to finish later tonight as well. I intend on finishing what I started.” Lyra gave me a mischievous smirk. My cheeks felt warm and i rolled my eyes. Lord help me. “Alright I think I’m good.” “Me too,” Lyra’s eyes trailed up and down my body. I smirked and walked out of the room to a waiting Octavia. I love the attention I get from Lyra, let me tell you. In more ways than one. > Chapter XVII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I silently stood and waited as the unicorns in the other room finished up with the urn. My friends were standing quietly behind me with the exception of Derpy who had her wing resting on my back. Mom stood on my other side, nuzzling me slowly. To say this was hard was an understatement. The universe is cruel and evil. It doesn’t give a damn about us. Not a single one about any of us. Thankfully I had some good support. All my friends had helped me with this and spread the work out amongst each other equally. Lyra and Bon Bon gathered flowers. Derpy helped Vinyl and Octavia get Helia and Peppermint to keep the skies cloudy above town alongside comforting me. Starlight helped Twilight create a to do list for us all alongside meeting people but Starlight didn’t really hit it off with anyone unfortunately. “Miss Shimmer?” An ashy grey earth pony in a suit stepped out with a unicorn mare wearing a black dress. She levitated a white urn with a black stripe on the top and bottom with the initials HW in black cursive in the middle. “Yes that’s me,” I said calmly as I could. “You have our deepest condolences,” the mare said sympathetically as she smiled warmly at me. As much as I wanted to believe they meant it, they most likely rehearsed it. “Your mother was an amazing mare.” “We wish you and your family the best,” the stallion gave me a subtle nod. The mare levitated the urn to me and I slowly took it in my magic. I sighed and decided to play along. “Thank you. It means a lot to us all,” I forced a smile on my face. The two nodded before disappearing behind a closed door. “How ya holdin up sugarcube?” Applejack asked quietly. I was kinda surprised the rest of the Element’s accompanied Twilight here. I was even more surprised when Lemon Hearts, Moondancer, Twinkleshine and Minuette came. I didn’t even expect that. I only really planned for two. Applejack apparently decided to leave her hat behind for the occasion. “I’ll be okay,” I lied and her eyes narrowed slightly before she nodded. “Alright. Ah’d love to stay longer but ah gotta back. It’s been a nice few days with ya all,” she nodded to my group. “Thanks AJ,” I sighed as she patted my back. “If ya ever need anything at all, come and get me,” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings above me. “We can go get drinks and hang out. Talk ya know.” “You got it,” I smiled. Lemon Hearts and the others gave me nods. In Minuettes case she just hugged me as they left. They had their own jobs unfortunately they had to get back to. “See you darling,” Rarity patted my back as Fluttershy smiled at me before the two left with Pinkie dropping a present at my hooves before trotting away. “Hey Sunset,” Twilight nuzzled me. “I’m very sorry. Anything I can do?” “Nah I’ll be good. Thank you though Twi.” “Okay. I know this might be a bad time but can I leave Starlight here with you for a few days? Might be good for her to get away from Ponyville. She’s been having trouble with the townsfolk.” “It’s okay. Yeah sure,” I sighed. “Not much for her to do here.” Starlight was sitting quietly in the corner trying to make herself seem small. “Between the two of us, she still feels guilty about what happened. I just want you to practically reassure her that it’s okay,” Twilight whispered in my ear. “Even if you don’t, it’s important to me.” “I’ll try.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “You sure you’re okay?” Derpy asked as we laid in the hotel bed. I was curled up on the bed with her hooves around me as I stared at the urn. Starlight was sitting in a chair reading a book quietly while mom was asleep in the other bed. “I’m getting there,” I admitted. I had cried out all my tears so now I was just pretty much lifeless and going on autopilot I guess. “It’s hard to wrap my head around ya know? She was only in her fifties. Thought she had more time.” “I understand. You have all of us here though. I was surprised that many people came,” Derpy said. “Me and you both. I expected only Twilight, Starlight and Spike.” “Well you got em all. I’m happy they all came. Even your new friends from that school.” “Yeah. Hey Starlight?” The mare flinched and looked at me. “Uhm yes?” She asked cautiously as her eyes flicked nervously between me, Derpy and moms sleeping form. “What’s up?” “Your hair looks nice. Who did it?” I asked curiously. “And why?” I had already knew the answer. I just wanted to hear it from her. Apparently she wanted a new manestyle to help show she’s changing. “Uh I wanted to prove I was changing so I got a different manestyle. The first thing on a step to redemption is changing your personal appearance. And I had Rarity do it.” “It looks very nice,” Derpy smiled. “Suits you well.” “Why are you being so nice to me? I attacked you in front of your mom, marefriend and friends. I was awful.” Me and Derpy sighed and made eye contact. “Did Twilight tell you what I was?” I asked softly. Starlight looked away and gave a faint nod. “She told me yes. Figured you would be a good influence to help me along my redemption.” “Typical Twilight,” I rolled my eyes. “Always an optimist.” Derpy flinched and I squeezed her tighter. I still can’t believe I got as a lucky as I have. She was a damn good woman. “You okay?” I asked cautiously. Hopefully I didn’t do something wrong accidentally without knowing. “Yeah I’m good. Just relieving the day that happened.” “It was a pretty bad day. For us all,” I admitted. “Do you guys want anything?” Starlight asked hesitantly. “I want to walk around town. Alone to think.” “Bring mom and Lyra. I saw some griffins around earlier and I got a bad feeling about them. Strength in numbers.” “Okay. We will be back soon ” > Chapter XVIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset gave me a kiss on the cheek as I pulled our blanket over the top of us. I may not have much experience with kissing but nor does she. “Learning how to kiss together is kinda fun,” I kissed her back nervously. I’m not really the greatest at this but nobody is good at something first try. She ran a hoof down the contour of my body along my wing and I sighed contently. Thank God for wings man. They were sensitive in the right way. She had surprisingly good control and never went below my wings. I don’t know if many people would have that level of control when making out and touching their partner. I stroked her mane with a hoof as she eagerly kissed me back. “That it is,” Sunset agreed as we laid in bed. “Those three have been gone for a bit.” They were gone for a while to be honest. Bon Bon had already dropped by and voiced her concern while Octavia was out searching with Vinyl. We were getting ready to go look ourselves. “Probably found some sights to look at. Or they are talking. Starlight seems a bit depressed in my opinion,” I admitted. She honestly reminded me of Sunset before the sirens and battle of the bands. Just super quiet and shy. “I don’t like it. We should go out and look for them. All the others are out looking I think. They can’t have gotten too far. This is a small town and someone must have seen them.” “Okay let’s go,” I pushed the covers off us and climbed out of bed. ------------------------------------------------------------- “Are you sure something happened? Seems quiet in town as usual,” Vinyl commented as we looked around. “Lyra has been gone for a while. She said it would take about thirty minutes tops,” Bon Bon said. “It’s been several hours.” “She’s right,” Octavia sighed as I looked up. “It’s very strange. It’s also quieter than it’s been.” “Hey guys! Oh my fucking god,” Lyra galloped up to us panting. “Lyra! Where have you been?” Bon Bon demanded. Lyra held up a hoof as she caught her breath. “Weird flying creatures. They took Starlight and Cheerilee! We tried to fight back but we got overpowered. I barely managed to get away to come find you guys,” Lyra groaned and rubbed her side. “Got punched pretty hard.” I looked at Sunset worriedly as she approached Lyra. “Are you okay?” Sunset asked as she closed her eyes and an orange glow surrounded Lyra. “There. I cast a spell to help heal your injuries.” “Thanks,” Lyra grunted as Bon Bon hugged her. “We were walking around a field when we saw this weird ship thing. Bunch of griffins I think they were called were around the ship when they noticed us.” “Take us to it,” Sunset demanded as she levitated the necklace thingy on. “I’ve already lost one mother. I’m not about to lose another. Can this week get any fucking worse?” Vinyl gave a humorless chuckle. “Don’t tempt fate.” ------------------------------------------------------------- We all crouched behind a big bush and watched quietly as the griffins started filing onto a large airship. “What’s the plan?” Vinyl asked quietly, her eyes locked onto a large male griffin. “Easy. We get ourselves captured.” I stared at Sunset at how casually she said this like it was a walk in the park. “And how do you expect us to get ourselves captured?” Bon Bon asked incredulously. Sunset scoffed and rolled her eyes. “We are all young attractive mares. But I think they would be interested most in a sophisticated mare,” Sunset smirked coldly. “But who on earth would we send in?” Octavia asked as we all slowly looked at her. Her eyes slowly widened as she came to a realization. “You want me?” “Well yeah. You’re the best candidate,” Sunset nodded encouragingly. Octavia took a deep breath. “Okay I’ll do it,” Octavia stood up and trotted out to the open. “Hello there gentlemen!” Two of the creatures glanced back at her. “There’s one! Grab her. The boss will be happy,” one gruffly said. “Oh please grab me. I do need a tour guide,” Octavia flipped her mane. “Wow,” I muttered in awe. “She’s a good actor.” “Yep. Now we all walk out there,” Sunset whispered loud enough for us to hear her. I gulped as we walked out into the open. “Octavia where did you go?” Sunset asked in mock worry. The one creature had Octavia in his grasp as her partner stared at us with wide eyes. “Well I’ll be damned. More ponies. We might as take them all,” he smiled as he approached Sunset. “Wanna go for an airship ride?” He patted Sunset on the head as she bared her teeth subtly. She obviously was not a fan of him touching her. “Oh but of course!” Sunset smiled sweetly. “Me and my friends would love to explore Equestria from the sky from your lovely ship!” “Right this way!” He gestured to the ramp. We all made eye contact and nodded to each other. I’ll be damned if my girlfriends mom was going to be taken forever. Plus she was a really nice women. And we had Starlight to find as well. I’m hoping they just kidnap them and didn’t kill them or worse. Sunset glanced back at me and slowed her trot down to stand next to me. She brushed her flank against mine reassuringly and I turned a faint shade of red at the sudden contact. “This is going to be fine. Don’t you worry. We will be together as a group preferably the whole time,” Sunset made sure no one was watching and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Just wait. We get mom out along with Starlight and we will be golden.” The ramp shut behind us as the ship started taking off. I stumbled against Bon Bon and she instantly caught me before I fell. “Separate them by race and put them in the cages!” One gruffly ordered as Bon Bon got yanked back with Octavia. “Derpy!” Sunset called out as she was grouped with Lyra and Vinyl. Before I was dragged off, I heard what Sunset whispered as her eyes turned red and didn’t change back. I was super worried now and a bit afraid. “I’m going to kill them all,” Sunset growled quietly. “Only creatures getting off this fucking thing is ponies.” > Chapter XIX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “This fucking blows,” I muttered as I paced back and forth in the cell. Octavia was curled up in a ball and looked up at me. “That it is. Sunset and the other unicorns will be here to save us soon enough. I’m scared Bonnie.” I knelt down next to her and gave her a reassuring hug. “Listen, we are friends with an insanely loyal and strong unicorn. Sunset is gonna bust in here anytime soon, blow these bars off with her mom and and we all will get outta here,” I grinned enthusiastically. “Where is Cheerilee anyway?” “When you were asleep, I over heard the guards talking about how they took her and a unicorn to the top prison cells. What will happen to us?” Octavia asked nervously. “Nothing bad. We are gonna be fine,” I glanced around and grimaced at the filthy conditions. There was dirt and mud all over the place. “We have to get out of here and find the others. I’m tired of waiting now that I think about it.” “How? The gate is locked and we can’t get out. We have no magic like Lyra or Sunset or Vinyl.” I gave her a wink. “Just you watch,” I smiled and leaned against the bars. “Hello? Can I get anypony?” We gawked as a sky blue unicorn mare approached us. We didn’t know ponies were working with the griffins. “What do you want?” She demanded gruffly. “We told you to be quiet.” I gave her a sultry smirk and lidded my eyes. “Hey there gorgeous. You look pretty bucking good,” I said sultrily. “Looks like we could have some fun together. Maybe we can even get my friend here and have us a lot of fun.” The unicorn looked between us with narrowed eyes. “I suppose we could,” she pressed her head against the bars and made eye contact with me. “We could have a lot of fun.” I reached out with my hooves and stroked her mane. I took a deep breath as she smiled. I’m not a violent person usually but extraordinary circumstances. I took another breath and slammed her head against the bars and she let out a muffled cry. I growled and kept slamming her head against the bars till she went limp. “Is she dead?” Octavia asked nervously from the far side of the cell. I leaned down and listened. “She’s breathing. She’s just knocked out,” I reassured her as I hoofed around for the keys on the belt she wore. “Almost got it.” I finally got the keys with my hoof and yanked them close to me, ripping them off her belt. “Good work,” Octavia smiled as I struggled to unlock the gate from inside. “I’ve never heard you curse before like that.” “This isn’t a normal situation,” I grumbled as the door swung open. “We gotta keep these keys to unlock the others cells.” “What do we do with her?” Octavia glared down at the unconscious unicorn as we stepped over her and into the wooden hallway. “Put her in the cell. It’ll keep her from chasing after us,” I decided. “I’m gonna look around. Hopefully we can get a map of this place.” “Good luck,” Octavia grunted as she started dragging the mare. I rummaged through through some boxes. “Magical inhibitor? The hell is this?” I muttered as I read a piece of paper and held a black piece of metal in my hoof. “Place over a unicorns horn and it disables their magic. Octavia! Bring her back here.” “Okay,” Octavia panted as she dragged her back. “What are you going to do?” I held up the piece of metal. “Uh what is that?” “Magical inhibitor. It disables a unicorns magic,” I explained as I slid it on her horn. There was a key hole on it and I stared at the keys on my stolen key chain. I shrugged and locked it. “Huh guess the keys on here unlock them as well. I assume our friends and other prisoners if there is any have them on too so they don’t use magic to resist.” “Fascinating,” I helped Octavia drag the mare back into the cell and locked it shut. “Did you find a map?” “No but based on the signs on the doors, we are on the second floor. Go check over there in those crates please,” I pointed with a hoof as I kicked open one with my back hooves. Thank God for earth pony strength. Time to take advantage of that ability. “Found one!” Octavia grinned as she held up a map. A groaning sound got our attention as we glanced back at the cell. The mare was starting to sit up and stared at us. “You’re awake. I have questions,” I growled. “Where is Lyra and my friends?” “I’m not telling you anything. Please get me out of here. I don’t want this job I hate it. I have to do it,” she begged and Octavia rolled her eyes. “Likely story!” Octavia scoffed angrily. “Found some guard uniforms we can wear to blend in Bonnie.” She pushed a blue vest my way with a black hawk or some bird on the front. A red bandana sat on top of the vest. “Great thinking Tavi!” I clapped my hoof with hers. “You’ll never get through the others. They’ll notice me missing,” the mare grumbled. “My name is Fast Lane. I’m the fastest unicorn on this vessel.” I let out a dry humorless chuckle. “Not as fast as Sunset. You fucked up girl. One of the mares you kidnapped is a friend of Princess Twilight’s and she’s gonna do anything to get us all back. You messed up,” I smiled. I glared at her angrily with Octavia watching the door as she put her clothes on. “I’m only going to ask once more. Where is Lyra?” “And Vinyl,” Octavia chimed in. “And Derpy. She’s locked in a cell by herself because she’s the only pegasus in our group. She must be terrified.” I took in the mares nervous expression. “Start talking. Now.” “I’ll talk but you can’t leave me here!” She begged. “We won’t,” I lied. “Don’t worry about a thing.” I'll be damned if I let her out. She would attack us in a heart beat. Typically I don't support lying but this was a messed up situation and I had to do whatever it took. > Chapter XX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey Sunset still think this week couldn’t get any worse?” Vinyl asked as she laid on her back and stared at the ceiling. Sunset was counting to a thousand as she rolled her eyes at Vinyl. I sat on the ground watching the two. “You were right. I guess this week can’t get worse,” Sunset admitted. I had to agree with that statement. I sighed as I tapped the black piece of metal on my horn. It was annoyingly cold. “What the hell even is this?” I asked no one in particular. “Magic inhibitor. Blocks you from using your magic. Things are a pain in the ass,” Sunset explained with her eyes glued to the dirty ceiling. We sat in silence, each of us thinking. “I’m scared,” I finally admitted as the two glanced over at me. “I wanna go home. I want to sleep in my bed and be far away from this damn thing.” Sunset sighed and quickly hugged me. “It’s okay. We will get out of this as soon as I find a way to break the inhibitor without damaging my horn or any of yours,” Sunset said soothingly. “I really don’t want to find out what a broken horn would translate to in the human world.” “Are you sure? Who will help us if you don’t?” I subtly wiped a tear away and hoped they didn’t see. “I hope Bon Bon and Derpy is okay. I convinced Bon Bon to come along.” “They will be fine,” Vinyl promised as Sunset tightened her hug. “We will get out of this, do you understand me? You’re the optimistic, hopeful one of the group along with Derpy.” “And what am I?” Sunset asked curiously. Vinyl shrugged after pausing to think. “A bad bitch?” She suggested with a grin. I gave a small laugh at that and Sunset smirked. “I’ll accept that.” A loud crashing sound made us glance up as a griffin came flying into the room and slammed hard against the wall. I looked into Sunset’s bright red eyes. “What the hell?” I muttered. “Lyra!” A familiar pony with pink and blue curls galloped into the room along with a grey mare. She looked around frantically till her eyes fell on me. “Oh my God you’re okay.” “Bon Bon? How did you get out?” I asked incredulously as she held a ring of keys in her mouth and unlocked our cell. “She flirted with a guard till she got close and Bon Bon slammed the girls head against the bars repeatedly till she passed out and stole her keys,” Octavia smirked. We all looked at her in awe. I knew Bon Bon wasn’t the most aggressive out of us all. “Damn girl,” I whistled as I took in her blue vest and red bandana tied into her hair. “You look good. About to make me act up.” Bon Bon turned a bright shade of red as she unlocked the inhibitor on my horn then Sunsets before moving to Vinyl. “Down girl,” Bon Bon giggled. “There’s a time and a place.” I rolled my eyes as I kissed her. “I love you, you know that?” I said seriously as Vinyl hugged Octavia. “Don’t ever forget that.” “I know,” Bon Bon quickly kissed me back. “I’m awesome.” We dropped onto four hooves and I bumped her flank with mine. “Got that right. Who kicked the guard?” I asked curiously. “Oh that was me,” Octavia admitted sheepishly. “He was in my way. I may have kicked him a bit harder than necessary because he started asking us questions. When we joined the crew and what the bosses name was and such.” We stared in stunned silence. “You and Sunset share the rank of bad bitch along with Bon Bon now,” Vinyl proclaimed. “Let’s go and get the rest of our squad!” “Not yet,” Sunset approached the dazed guard and lifted him up with a red aura. “Where did you guys take Starlight and my mom?” He coughed and glared at her. “I’ll never talk,” he grumbled. Sunset smiled coldly at him. “Is that so? Let’s make it official then,” Sunset announced as a loud snapping sound filled the room and she dropped the griffin, his head twisted at an unnatural degree. We all stared in shock as Sunset casually stepped over him. “Sunset!” Bon Bon admonished. Sunset paused and looked back at her. “We can’t do that!” “Why not?” Sunset challenged. “They could be willing to kill us. We have to use violence right now.” “She has a point,” Vinyl admitted. “We have to defend ourselves.” “No. I’ll protect you all. I’m the most skilled with magic at the moment. Especially offensive spells,” Sunset said. “You said my magic was getting better!” I shot back. Sunset sighed and nodded. “It is. But you don’t know any offensive spells. And I don’t want you to have to live with anything violent,” Sunset admitted. We all looked at each other and had a silent argument. “Fine,” I decided to be the spokesperson. “What’s the plan?” “Bon Bon and Octavia have guard uniforms on. What I propose is we pretend they are moving us wherever they took Starlight and Mom after we recover Derpy. We have to find out where she is first,” Sunset announced. That did sound like a really good plan. “That does sound logical,” Octavia agreed readily, her eyes still locked on the still griffin. “What is it that Cheerilee is always saying?” “Logic is the ultimate weapon,” Sunset quickly said. “Now let’s get moving. We have a few more ponies to rescue. We have to find out where she is firstly.” “We found a map. The unicorn paddock is on the lower level. Pegasus is on the first,” Bon Bon waved a piece of paper as Sunset’s face lit up. “We also overheard some guards saying that a unicorn mare and a earth pony mare were taken to the office up top. I bet ten dollars it’s Starlight and Cheerilee they mentioned.” “You didn’t have the kill the guard then,” Vinyl commented. Sunset scoffed as she stepped into the doorway. “I was going to kill him regardless if he knew anything or not.” We all froze and looked at each other worriedly. This seemed off even for Sunset. I knew she was all about standing up for her family as she fondly started referring to us all but this seemed extreme. “Let’s go. I’m not leaving no one behind,” Sunset looked at us. With a sigh, I stepped over the body along with the others and into the hallway as Sunset shut the door and locked it behind us with the keys Bon Bon had stolen. Time to get this shit show over with. > Chapter XXI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Keep going,” Sunset whispered encouragingly to Bon Bon. “So far the guards haven’t questioned it. According to your map, we are almost there right?” “Right,” Bon Bon whispered back as she glanced nervously around her. “Don’t look nervous. The guards might pick up on that. Give us a shove or something. Really look like you’re getting off on the power like a royal guard who couldn’t pass the pysch test,” Sunset replied quietly. “Okay. Keep moving piece of trash!” Bon Bon gave me a shove and I stumbled forward. A few of the griffins cheered and I rolled my eyes. Annoying fuckers. “That’s how you do it right there!” One of the griffins patted Bon Bon on the back. “Good work.” Bon Bon winced at the force as she gave me another gentle push as we walked away up the stairs. “Sorry Lyra. Didn’t mean to push you that hard.” “It’s fine. They believed it and that’s the important thing.” A loud beeping sound started going off. “That’s the alarm!” Sunset hissed. “Act is up! They must have checked our cells!” A few creatures turned and glared at us. Sunset took a step forward and blasted the lead one in the chest. “Does anyone else want to attempt to fill his horseshoes?” “You just made the worst mistake of your life pony,” one grumbled as they started to walk forward. “I don’t think so,” Sunset commented casually as she slammed the two together repeatedly. “You guys talk too much. You should really go for a flight.” A loud snapping sound filled the room again as the shorter one gave a cry as his wings fell limply to his sides and Sunset launched him out the wooden wall. Peering through the hole, I could see we were thousands of feet in the air as his screams got more and more distant. I would hate to be the one to find him. I would imagine it would be a nasty mess. Terminal velocity is a bitch. I’m quickly realizing I’m afraid of heights. Looking out the new hole in the wall makes me uncomfortable and wants to be sick. “You’re turn,” Sunset faced the larger one and ducked as a claw came flying at her face. “You’re slow.” “You’re all gonna die,” he glared at us with a crooked smile. “Nah I don’t think so,” Vinyl chuckled humorlessly as Sunset tackled him and the two went rolling down the hall. “For being the largest creature on the ship, he can’t fight.” Sunset let out an angry cry as he slashed her side with a claw and some blood started dripping out. “Sunset!” I called out. She glanced back before ramming her horn into the griffins eye and he gave a loud scream. Sunset continued stabbing him repeatedly as he kept screaming and squirming as she kept him firmly in place under her as red liquid started spilling across the floor. She finally stepped off him and gave him a swift kick to the side as she wiped some blood off her face with his shirt. “Let’s keep moving,” Sunset muttered as she kept walking to the upper levels. We all looked at each other with wide eyes before following her. ------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset stormed through the hallway as we quietly but quickly followed her so we didn’t get left behind accidentally. She tossed a griffin aside into a spear who cried out in pain as she strode past him without a care in the world. Sunset stopped and looked both ways before her face lit up. “Here it is!” She announced as we stared at a sign depicting a pegasus as she blasted the door off its hinges with her magic and she entered. “Derpy!” I was the second one to entered and I expected to be nervous at the sight. I stared slackjawed at Derpy playing with a pink pegasus filly. Her fur was filthy and matted with various stains. The filly glanced over at us and stood up. I idly noticed she had no cutie mark. “Sunset?” Derpy asked in awe as she glanced at her girlfriend and freezing at the blood. “You’re hurt!” “I’m fine. Stand back,” Sunset ordered. Derpy quickly complied and pulled the filly back with her as Sunset blasted the bars apart. Derpy launched at Sunset and hugged her while the filly clambered out and looked at us warily. “Hey there,” Bon Bon knelt down in front of the filly. “Are you okay?” “Golly miss I’m just terrified!” The filly hugged Bon Bon. “Those nasty griffins are pretty mean aren’t they?” Bon Bon looked startled at the sudden contact before hugging her back. “That they are,” Sunset readily agreed before kissing Derpy. “Are you injured?” “Am I injured?” Derpy asked incredulously. “Are you injured? You’re bleeding and have blood on your hooves. What the hell happened?” I locked eyes with Sunset. Derpy was a super kind person and wasn’t going to handle any of this well. “I’ve killed half the crew. I’ve lost count. I’d say about thirty or so,” Sunset admitted. “I stabbed one to death with my horn in the eye and various other parts of his body.” Derpy stared at her in shock. “You guys let her do this?” Derpy demanded as I approached the filly and stroked her mane and she gave me a smile that seemed off. Whoever decided to kidnap a filly for sex trafficking or whatever this was disgusted me. In my world, the person would get raked over the fucking coals for something like this and rightfully so in my eyes. I can’t believe I’m about to say this but Sunset is way more justified in massacring the entire crew. Apparently it’s her goal to make sure no one but else gets off this thing alive. “They are trying to kill us first!” Sunset defended herself. “This is self defense.” Derpy wrapped a wing around her as Sunset pressed her face into the wing and straightened the feathers and spat a few broken ones out. “Bring the filly with us. We have two more to find and we are getting off this damned thing.” “Golly I’m just making friends everywhere today aren’t I?” The filly giggled as Bon Bon let her climb on her back. “Best day of my life!” “What’s your name anyway kid?” Vinyl asked curiously. “Cozy Glow.” > Chapter XXII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “This is the last hallway before we find mom and Starlight,” Sunset warned us quietly as I heard talking around the corner. “Just stay behind me.” She tossed aside the griffin she had just finished beating to death with a bat and I stepped over the body. “There’s the prisoners!” A unicorn shouted. “Get them!” Two of the griffins charged at Sunset as she rolled her eyes, ripping some sheet metal off of either side of the hallway and slammed the two griffins together as they fell unconscious on the ground. The two unicorns glanced at each other before they started shooting their magic at her and Sunset levitated the pieces of metal in front of us. They did surprisingly well at absorbed magic lasers. They kept firing till Sunset angrily flung one of the pieces of metal at a unicorn. His eyes widened in fear. His body fell to the ground as his head rolled in the opposite direction. Octavia pressed a hoof to her mouth and turned slightly green as she clearly resisted the urge to vomit. The other unicorn looked terrified as Sunset threw the other piece of metal and it slammed into his stomach and pinned him against the wall. His head fell forward and rested on the metal as a red liquid started spilling under him. “Fall back!” A griffin screamed. “She’s too strong!” “Retreat!” Another screamed as they fled into a doorway and one started pulling a lever. Sunset growled and grabbed one with her magic and started pulling him back as a stone door started to close. His friend grabbed him and tried to pull him back as he gave a scream as the door slammed close and an arm fell on our side. “Disgusting creatures,” Cozy commented. Bon Bon glanced back. “Cozy! Don’t watch this!” She admonished. Sunset blasted the stone door open and pieces of rock flew into the wall. A griffin screamed as a large slab of rock crushed him against the floor. The other griffins looked back in fear as they started to run away. Sunset glared at them coldly as she shot them in the back with lasers. One gave a scream as he faceplanted and another was flung against the wall and a piece of rock crushed him. Sunset levitated a spear and flung it towards an earth pony who was running away. “Anyone who works with them dies too,” Sunset snarled as she approached the earth pony who was pinned against the wall. “Who’s in charge of this operation?” “Never,” the earth pony spat on Sunset and she glared at him furiously. “Never is here,” Sunset grasped the spear in a red aura. “Wait!” Cozy shouted as she jumped off Bon Bon and approached the two. “Hello there sir. Surely you want to help a cute filly like? Just tell us what we wanna know.” She batted her eyes and pouted at him. “We can help you get a better job.” “Really?” The pony asked in disbelief. “It’s an Abyssinians. Name is FurBall.” “What a name,” I muttered as Cozy Glow started to glow and a pink light blinded us all. Where her blank flank had been was a rook cutie mark. “Thank you kindly sir,” Cozy smiled as she hopped back on Bon Bon. “Kill him.” We all stared at her in shock as Sunset shoved the spear further into his skin and he gave a scream as a loud crunching sound echoed. “We are almost there.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I slowed down my trot to allow Derpy to catch up to me. My friend looked exhausted from the walking. “Hey you okay?” I asked quietly. “Yeah just tired. It’s good to finally have my wings freed. Can you believe they kept a kid in here?” She muttered as the sounds of Sunset fighting reached our ears. I never really thought murder was good but I think this is a case where it is. “It’s pretty crazy. I’m worried about Sunset,” I admitted as I watched the tail of our friend disappear around a corner and we galloped to catch up. I didn’t mean for us to fall that far behind. “Me and you both. She’s never displayed this level of violence before. Even back in her evil days.” “Her amulet is glowing red too along with her eyes and her magic aura switched from golden orange to red. Can’t be a coincidence,” I pointed out. Derpy frowned as she pondered my words. “You’re right. We can talk to Twilight about it when we get back. Maybe she knows. Sunset wasn’t wearing the amulet back at the funeral so Twilight and the others most likely don’t know about it unless Moondancer said something.” I ran into Octavia’s flank accidentally before I could speak. I didn’t realize we had stopped. “Sorry Tavi.” The mare brushed it off. “No problem.” Sunset kicked open the door and I let out a sigh of relief. Cheerilee was unconscious on the floor with a slight cut on her head while Starlight was knocked out on the other side of the room. My relief turned to fear when I noticed the griffins and a cat like creature in the room. “Hi there,” Sunset smiled. “Those two are coming with us. Who laid a claw on the earth pony?” Our eyes flicked to the cat who had blood on her claw and Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “That was the worst mistake you’ve ever made in your pathetic existence.” She levitated Cheerilee and Starlight out to us. I instantly knelt down and started examining Cheerilee while Vinyl checked on Starlight. Thankfully they only had a scratch each. “Lyra?” “Yes Sunset?”I asked with a raised eyebrow. “Stay out here with the others and watch over mom and Starlight,” Sunset closed the door behind her after she stepped in and I heard it lock shut. “Are they okay?” Derpy asked. We all collectively flinched as a bunch of screaming started coming from the room followed by the sounds of lasers being fired and heavy items hitting the ground. “Yeah they are fine.” A griffin managed to unlock the door and fling it open with a terrified expression before a red glow surrounded him and he was yanked back inside as the door slammed shut. I heard a faint no being screamed before everything went quiet as the door opened and Sunset stepped out panting. We all took a nervous step back and gawked. She was covered in scratches and had red stains all over her fur. “How is my mom?” Sunset asked after she caught her breath. “She’s fine,” I muttered after I shook my shock off. Sunset let out a sigh of relief as she nuzzled her mom and levitated her onto her back, grunting as she took a step. “Bon Bon? Can you carry Starlight?” Sunset asked. Bon Bon gave a quick nod as the mare was levitated onto her back. Bon Bon grunted herself as she took a step of her own. “Octavia. Can you take Cozy Glow for me?” Bon Bon groaned out. “I will,” I stepped forward and groped Bon Bons mane. “Come on kid.” The filly poked her head out and jumped on my back. The small hooves tickled a bit in all honesty. “What’s the plan Sunset?” “We get to the engine room,” she started walking slowly. “But why?” Vinyl asked. “Easy. None of us can fly this flying death trap. So we’re going to crash it into the fucking ground.” > Chapter XXIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I chased after Sunset who was strolling down the hallway without a care in the world, blasting creatures left and right. I carefully avoided a blood stain on the ground, my group right behind me. “So how exactly do you plan on crashing this thing without killing us all?” I asked as I glanced back. Lyra was helping Bon Bon with Cheerilee. Vinyl was doing the same with Octavia and Starlight. I had taken over carrying Cozy for Lyra. “Easy. We jump before it crashes. I can use my magic to lower us to the ground before we leave ketchup stains behind,” Sunset explained. “But that doesn’t tell us anything!” Lyra grunted. She took a slow step forward. “How do you plan on crash it though?” “Easy Lyra. What powers all machines and aircraft?” Sunset smirked as she kicked a door open. “Uh engines?” “Bingo. We have coal powered engines in Equestria. I’m going to destroy the engines and eliminate the unicorns filling it with coal if there is any. Then it goes boom. They might even have parachutes on the top deck for emergencies like this.” “Ponies have parachutes?” Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Well yeah. We have extreme sports here just like in your guys world. Plus earth ponies and unicorns like it,” she answered as we kept trotting through the winding ship. Felt a giant freaking maze. We had to go up some stairs just to go down. Who on earth thought that was a good design? “Interesting,” Lyra mused as we got deeper into the ship. The deeper we got, the more pipes and machinery were noticeable. “I’ve never gone parachuting. I’ve always used my magic to fly me around. Never saw a need nor a want to jump out of a perfectly good airship,” Sunset commented. I had to agree with her on that. Heights could be scary at times. This was one such time. “Well here we are I think,” Starlight groaned and I glanced back. Lyra was helping her to her hooves. “Dear Celestia. My head is pounding.” “How much did you hear?” I asked curiously. “Not much,” she admitted as Sunset nudged the door open. We gawked at the massive coal engines in the large room. An few earth ponies were wiping sweat away and leaving black smudges in its place. A unicorn was levitating bags of coal and dumping them out. A pegasus was running on some machine with belts that I assumed help provide power in some way. “Hello there,” Sunset tapped the unicorn closest to us. He spun around and she smiled at him. His horn glowed red and started firing lasers to his fellow workers who fell with screams before Sunset tossed him over the edge. He gave a loud scream that got quieter as he disappeared into the dark void below the catwalks. “How did you control his horn like that?” Lyra eagerly asked. “Illegal spell I learned back when I was still Princess Celestia’s student,” she said simply as a red bubble surrounded us all. “Protective shield form any debris.” She closed her eyes as her glowed a brighter red and the engines started to collapse in on themselves and exploded, sending metal and fire flying throughout the room. A large hole in the side of the ship started sucking the black smoke out as the I could feel the ship start to tilt slightly. “Holy shit!” Lyra shouted as she slammed against a wall. “I think we overstayed our welcome hours ago!” A unicorn gave a loud cry as he ran past on fire before falling over the edge. Another got sucked out of the hole. Thank God for the bubble. Kept us from flying out it too. I hope to God I never have to smell burning skin again. It was absolutely disgusting. “You’re right,” Sunset agreed as her horn glowed once again and she teleported us to the top deck. I instantly shielded my eyes from the bright sun along with the others. “Let’s get off this thing.” “Wait!” Bon Bon grabbed the keys out of Sunset’s aura and galloped into the smoky hallway. “Bon Bon!” Lyra shouted. “What are you doing?” Bon Bon didn’t reply as Sunset started searching the top deck. “Parachutes like I thought. Come here Vinyl and Octavia.” The two grudgingly came over as Sunset quickly attached them to the black bags. “Pull the red cord and you’ll be floating.” “Okay,” Vinyl took a deep breath as the two peered over the edge. “Ready?” “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Octavia took a breath of her own. “Meet at the waters edge!” Sunset shouted to be heard over the wind as she pointed with a hoof to a large blue expanse that didn’t seem close five seconds ago. The two nodded before jumping and I faintly heard Octavia scream and two small black dots floating in the sky. “You’re next Lyra.” “Not without Bon Bon,” Lyra shook her head as we watched the doorway. “I’ll stay and wait for her. Go!” Sunset snapped. “No.” “I love you but God you’re stubborn,” Sunset grumbled. “Fine we will wait.” We waited hopefully before a coughing cream earth pony came running through the door with a sky blue unicorn galloping behind her, leaving a bright blue blurr as she ran. “Oh my God. What the fuck is wrong with you Bonnie?” The two hugged as Lyra glared angrily at her. “You could have died!” “Sorry. I decided to go get the guard we locked in my cell out. She was nice to us,” Bon Bon admitted as Sunset levitated three parachutes to them before turning to me. “Ready Derpy?” “Do I get a parachute too? What about Cheerilee?” I pointed at the still unconscious mare. “And Starlight?” “Starlight already jumped. Same with Lyra and Bon Bon. As for Cheerilee, my mom. My responsibility. And you’re a pegasus. You can fly.” “Oh right.” I nervously glanced over the edge and jumped. “Jesus Christ!” I held Cozy in my hooves as we continued falling. “Fly! Spread your wings for Lunas sake!” Cozy screamed. “I can’t!” “How can you not fly when you’re a grown pegasus mare?!” Cozy shouted. “It’s complicated!” I screamed back as we rapidly approached a large green field with trees decorating the left side and a large lake to the right. It would be pretty if we weren’t screaming our heads off. I closed me and held Cozy closer. “Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins. I’m sorry about skipping out church recently. I’m sorry I stole Amethysts earrings that one year in middle school for picture day, amen!” I opened my eyes. “Are you praying right now?!” She demanded. “Yes!” A pair of hooves grabbed me from behind. “Dang lady! You good?” The mare holding me asked. “Yeah I think. Thanks for not letting me turn into ketchup.” She let out a chuckle. “Not a problem. What’s ya name?” She asked with a warm smile. “Derpy. You?” “High Winds.” > Chapter XXIV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I stood on the edge of the field with High Winds and Cozy Glow, the three of us watching the burning airship careening towards the ground. "Wonder what happened there. Were you and your daughter on there?" High Winds asked curiously. I gawked at her and shook my head. "No she's not my daughter. Me and my friends were on there yeah. We were rescuing my girlfriends mom and a friend. We may have gone overboard," I admitted. "Cozy here was in the same cell as me." "Ah," High Winds scuffed the ground with her hoof. "Pretty messed up how me and the other Wonderbolts can't do anything about the griffins unfortunately." "The what?" I asked as I admired the lake we were standing at. High Winds gave me a confused look. "The Wonderbolts? Super advanced flying team? I try to not flaunt me being a member unlike Fleetfoot or Wind Rider." "Never heard of it," I admitted as I spun around. Bon Bon and Lyra were trotting up with exhausted expressions. The sky blue unicorn was behind them with a wide smile. "Lyra! Bon Bon!" I hugged them as soon as they got close to me. "Pretty terrifying right?" "Yeah," they agreed in unison. "That was AWESOME!" The unicorn screamed. "Can we do it again? Please?" High Winds and Lyra let out a giggle as Starlight, Vinyl, Octavia and Sunset approached with an tired Cheerilee following. She must have woken up at one point. "Maybe later," Lyra smirked. "Never again," Vinyl groaned. "We are never doing that again. I feel like I'm gonna vomit." "Mom said the same thing," Sunset chuckled. "She woke up strapped to my chest thousands of feet in the air screaming her head off." Cheerilee turned a bright shade of red as the pair hugged each other. "We should run," Lyra commented with her eyes glued to the sky. "Why?" Sunset asked as she followed Lyra's gaze. I gave a quick glance up and widened my eyes as the ship crashed into the lane with a loud explosion, sending water flying everywhere. "Everypony for themselves!" High Winds giggled as she bolted. I decided that the strange pegasus was right and we all took off running. "Jesus H Christ!" Vinyl shouted as we galloped away. I spared a glance back as the wave got closer and felt water spraying my wings. The wave landed on us and we went sprawling across the ground. Lyra spewed out some water and Octavia spit out a small fish. I gave a low groan and pulled Cozy Glow close to me. "Hey Sunset?" Octavia muttered. Sunset was hugging Cheerilee as the pair straightened their manes. "Yeah Octavia?" "I love you but we are never doing that again." ------------------------------------------------------------- "Cozy Glow!" I shouted as I looked around. At some point, she had just straight up disappeared. "Are you sure she didn't get swept away into the lake?" Octavia asked. A worried look crosses Lyra's face as we stood on the hill and looked down. I shook my head to their relief. "She was with me in the sand," I answered. "High Winds is searching from the air. Sunset and Cheerilee are searching near the lake along with Starlight and Bon Bon." "How does a filly just straight up disappear like that?" Vinyl wondered. That's a damn good question. "That's the question we are all asking," Sunset replied as she slowly trotted up the hill. "We haven't seen her. There is probably a town nearby she could have gone to." That made the most sense. Or maybe I was hoping that's what happened. "Plus, if there's a town there's a train station probably we can use to get home. I don't even know where the hell we are," Lyra scoffed. "Do you know the way to Ponyville from here?" Sunset asked as High Winds dropped down behind me. "Where even are we for that matter?" High Winds frowned and rubbed her head. "Cloudsdale is to the south. We are near Mareville. We're in the farm area of Equestria now. Most you're gonna find is small towns here and there," she explained. "You guys know Rainbow Dash or Twilight?" We all let out a chuckle. "I'm Twilight’s student," Sunset smirked. "We go a bit back." "Same here," Starlight said quietly. "I live in her castle." High Winds smiled at us and gave a quick salute to my confusion. "I answer to all forms of royalty and their students. Part of being a Wonderbolt. Technically we are a military force when necessary but we mostly do air shows. I can take you guys to Ponyville," she lowered her hoof. She fished a small gem out of her flight suit and tossed it on the ground before slamming a hoof into it. "What was that?" Cheerilee asked her. "It's a gem that alerts my teammates where I am. There's a unicorn in Ponyville we get them from sometime. Quite a nice invention. Very useful in the field," she smiled. "Soarin and Surprise got sent out here with me because some one filed a report with us and the guards about an airship on fire. They'll meet us in Ponyville while the royal guards do their thing here. Whatever it is they do." "The royal guard is part police force, part military force," Sunset whispered in my ear when she saw my confused expression. "Celestia has a about half a million guards. Luna has a few thousand along with Cadence. Twilight has her own guard but she only has about sixty or fifty guards. Mainly there for show because some upper class ponies were bitching about all Princesses need their own guard. Twilight is against it but she's cool with them now." "That sounds cool," I admitted. "I'm a reserve member in Twilight’s guard. Me and Spitfire helped train them along with Dash," High Winds nodded as she flapped her wings and did a loop above us. "I wish I could do that," I admitted. She gave me a wink. "I'll teach you in Ponyville. We can alert the Guards to be on the look out for Cozy when they get here." "She couldn't have gotten far," Sunset smiled. "I can just teleport us all to town. Screw the train." Her horn glowed red and surrounded us in a bright light. Finally we could go to a town I felt comfortable in. > Chapter XXV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I’ll never get used to that,” I groaned and rubbed my head. Sunset gave a chuckle as she stood on her hooves. The others were making various groans and moans as they shakily stood up. “Jesus Christ,” Lyra grumbled. “I’m gonna feel that migraine for a few days.” “Ditto,” Bon Bon agreed. She rubbed a hoof across her head and Lyra held a hoof to her mouth. “Think I’m gonna vomit,” she mumbled. I quickly stepped away. I love my friends and all but I don’t wanna be vomited on. I’ve been vomited on enough when Dinky was a baby. Bon Bon rubbed her back with a hoof and a worried expression. Lyra slowly removed her hoof after a few tense seconds. “I think I’m good,” she admitted. “Thank fuck.” Cheerilee stepped away from Sunset and stared at her. “Sunset? Are you feeling okay? You have some weird stains on your hooves,” Cheerilee pointed out. I glanced down at Sunset. I kinda thought that wave would have gotten all the blood all her but I guess it missed some spots. “Never better,” Sunset grinned as she looked around. “I’ve missed the castle. Good to be in a somewhat safe place.” “Hey Cheerilee?” I asked quietly. “Can we talk real quick?” The older mare glanced over at me and nodded. Lyra glanced at us as we walked over to a dark corner. “What’s up Derpy?” She asked curiously. “I assume this is about Sunset.” I nodded quickly. “It’s scary how you always know when I’m about to voice my concerns about her,” I sighed. “She killed the entire crew on that ship. To save you. We kinda think the necklace she’s wearing is the cause. If she didn’t kill them herself outright, they died when the ship crashed into the water.” Cheerilees expression turned to shock as we looked over at Sunset talking with High Winds and playing with the red gem. “We need Twilight.” ------------------------------------------------------------- We sat in the throne room with our hooves resting on the table, taking in the shocked faces of the others. Rarity and Fluttershy looked slightly green when I went into some details about how Sunset killed some of the griffins. “She did what?” Applejack asked in awe. She didn’t have a green face or anything or looked sick. She looked impressed along with Dash if anything. “She killed every living creature on board,” I repeated myself. “If it moved and wasn’t a prisoner, she killed it. She stabbed a creature to death with her horn. Decapitated another with a piece of metal that she threw.” “And you think the amulet is the problem?” Twilight asked nervously. “Yes. You weren’t there. Her eyes are red now, her magic is red instead of golden orange and the gem was glowing everytime she killed. Trust me.” Twilight held up a hoof to stop me as Moondancer looked nervously at Lemon Hearts. “We believe you don’t worry,” Twilight reassured me. “We didn’t mean for any of this to happen! Really!” Lemon Hearts exclaimed. “We’re sorry,” she and Moondancer said in unison. “How can we help?” Minuette asked nervously. “Well obviously we have to get the necklace off her. I want to do my research before we do. Just to be safe so we know there isn’t any side effects of us just straight removing it,” Twilight answered. “Lemon Hearts, you and the others keep an eye on Sunset. We need to keep her indoors. We and the rest of the Mane Six will go to Zecora. The gem had a zebra on it so I’m willing to bet she has to know something.” “Yeah!” Rainbow Dash pumped a hoof in the air. “We will get her back under control in no time.” “Why do we have to keep her indoors?” Earth Lyra asked curiously. “It’s gonna be hard to do that without a good reason.” Twilight let out a long sigh. “You said as soon as she found out Cheerilee was in danger she went crazy and went on her killing rampage, right?” She asked. “Uhm yeah?” Earth Bon Bon said. “You think it’s connected, don’t you?” Twilight let out another breath as she nodded. “I do. Obviously the amulet is affecting how she reacts to thinks. If Cheerilee even falls or gets bumped into accidentally in public, it could send her flying into a murderous rage. I don’t want to have to explain to the townsfolk or Celestia about why her former student massacred a whole town single handly! That would be a very bad look for us all. Plus ponies would die. From what you told us, the royal guard wouldn’t stand a chance.” “Or the Wonderbolts,” High Winds chimed in. She was wearing an uncharacteristically serious face. Her two teammates she had mentioned were in the room with the same serious faces. Surprise didn’t seem like the type to ever take anything serious. I wonder if she and Pinkie are related with how random she can be. I remember Dash about had a heart attack when we walked in with three of her idols. “She’s right,” Soarin agreed. “We also aren’t gonna tell Spits or the others about this. We don’t want it getting out. Especially since we know. It would look bad for us all, like the Princess said.” Twilight turned a shade of red. “You don’t have to call me that Soarin. Twilight is fine,” she mumbled and played with her mane. Both Lyra’s and Surprise smirked at each other. “This is probably the craziest thing I’ve ever seen!” Surprise grinned. “A whole ‘nother world! Right at our hooftips. Are there doubles of us?” “Uhm yes dear,” Octavia admitted. “Spitfire is the soccer team captain. Our worlds Rainbow is the co captain along with Soarin.” Twilight clapped her hooves together and we all glanced at her. “Alright. We have our assigned tasks. Let’s get to work!” She flapped her wings and hovered above us. “Let’s hope we find something. If I’m right, that isn’t Sunset anymore. That’s a literal killing machine. And make sure Cheerilee stays in her view and doesn’t get hurt at all.” “You got it,” I nodded. “And keep her indoors.” “At all cost. Applejack, bring your rope before we come back. We might have to tie her down like we did with Dash that one time.” Rainbow glared at her. “I thought we agreed to never speak of that again.” They started arguing before laughing as they flew out the room, the earth bound elements galloping after them. Me and the others? We went to find Sunset and pray she didn’t get out. Thankfully Spike was distracting her. > Chapter XXVI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I’m bored,” Sunset groaned. “We’ve been stuck inside for hours!” I let out a low chuckle as I kicked a ball to her and she idly kicked it back. I caught it with my wing and rolled it back and forth. “I know. It’s super warm out side and I wanna stay here with you!” I giggled. That wasn’t a lie to be honest. I did want to stay with her. “We can cuddle in bed. High Winds, Soarin and Surprise said they will teach me how to fly tomorrow! Isn’t that exciting?” “Sounds awesome Derpy. Why exactly are we staying inside?” She raised an eyebrow as she laid down on the floor on her back and looked at me. “Not that I don’t enjoy the time with you and mom of course but it looks like a beautiful day.” A grey cloud filled the sky and we listened to the thunder as lightning spread across the sky. Looks like Soarin and two mares named Raindrops and Cloudkicker were doing their job we had subtly asked them to do. Thank God this world the pegasi controlled the weather. The rain storm was part of our plan to help keep her inside. “I take back everything I just said. It’s absolutely miserable outside! Of all the days the pegasi chose to make it rain, they make it right now. And right after I opened my muzzle!” Sunset grumbled as she slid across the floor till we were staring at each other. “You have very nice red eyes,” I mumbled. She looked at me confused. “Uh Derpy? My eyes are cyan. Not red.” “Oh right!” I giggled nervously. I didn’t mean to let that slip. “Must be tired and mistook your hair for your eye color.” Sunset smirked as she gave me a quick kiss. “You should sleep then. I’ll go get you some sleeping medicine from the shop,” Sunset rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself up. “No!” I jumped in front of her and blocked the door. She gave a flinch and stared at me. “What?” She asked flatly. “I uh want you to sleep with me! Not like the way Lyra and Bon Bon do, I mean like nap! Not that I wouldn’t want to do what Lyra and Bon Bon do in the future with you but-hmph!” Sunset smirked and pressed her hoof to my mouth. “Are you done?” She maintained her smirk. “I’m down to nap with you if that will help you. And if Mom wasn’t here asleep, we could do other stuff if you really wanted.” She winked at me and I turned a bright shade of red as she removed her hoof from my mouth. “Oh,” I mumbled as response as we climbed into our beds we had pushed together to make one large bed. “So,” Sunset propped her head up with a hoof. “Where’s Twilight and the others?” “Oh uh visiting some zebra named Zecora. Something about potion learning for Apple Bloom and borrowing some books. You know Twilight. Always learning and all,” I chuckled. Sunset rolled her eyes with a laugh. “Yeah that sounds like Twi. What ya wanna do now?” “Uhm I don’t know.” Sunset leaned in close and smirked. “I have a few ideas,” she purred as she pressed her muzzle to mine and kissed me. I gave a content low moan as I kissed her back eagerly as she rubbed one of my wings eagerly with a hoof. “That was amazing,” I panted softly as she pulled back and smirked. “I know,” she winked as I tackled her and kissed her while her eyes widened. Typically she was the aggressive one with kissing. “You’re eager today. What else are you gonna do?” She chuckled. “Uh maybe this?” I mumbled nervously as I slid her hoof between my legs and shivered at the contact. She stared at me and kissed my nose. “I think we should wait,” she admitted as she pulled her hoof out from between my legs and I gasped quietly at the feeling. “Okay,” I turned slightly red. “I’m sorry for that.” Sunset rolled her eyes and pressed her muzzle against mine once again and kissed me hard. “Don’t apologize for doing something like that. Sex is something that symbolizes trust between two. And I’m glad you trust me. I’m just not wanting to do that with my mom in the same room,” she leaned in close and pressed her muzzle against my ear. “Especially since she’s watching.” I jumped and twisted my head around and stared at Cheerilee. She was smirking with a raised eyebrow and looked away. “I’ll act like I never saw that. Mainly because I never hope I ever see that again.” “Sorry,” I mumbled as the door opened. Twilight stepped in and gave a grin. “Cheerilee and Derpy? Can we talk in the library please?” She asked as she glanced at Sunset. “I’ll borrow them for a few minutes and they will come right back.” “Yeah sure Twi. Not a problem,” Sunset waved a hoof before kissing me as I slipped out of the bed and joined the two in the hallway. “What’s up?” I asked nervously. “Not here,” Twilight warned as she teleported us to the library. The others looked nervous as they glanced up. “Whatcha find?” High Winds asked curiously. “It took us a lot of searching. There’s not many books on the amulet she’s wearing so I don’t blame Lemon Hearts or Moondancer for giving it to her.” “And?” Minuette raised an eyebrow. “According to Zecora, there was a zebra dictator who wanted to rule all of Zebronia. When the zebras refused to support him, he slaughtered half the population. Hence why Zecora is the only zebras I know. They are very, very rare. The only way they managed defeat Malgus was by some zebra potion. They shoved his essence in a gemstone and it disappeared after the temple holding it was raided. The gem corrupts the user. It makes the user violent and have insane bloodlust,” Twilight explained as she shut a book. “How that store owner got his hooves on it, I’ll never know. Potentially related to one of the raiders and didn’t know what he had. It needs to be returned to Zecora. It belongs to the zebras.” “So Sunset only murdered an entire ship because of the amulet,” Equestrian Lyra commented. “How do we get it off her?” “Easy,” Applejack grinned and held up a rope. “We tie er down.” ------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset trotted into the library where I had asked her to meet me. The others were hidden in an invisibility spell and watching quietly. “Hey Derpy,” Sunset greeted me eagerly. “How’s my pegasus queen?” I turned a bright shade of red. “Me? A queen?” I squeaked. Sunset rolled her eyes and kissed me. “Mine,” she said simply. “Where are the others?” “Right here,” Earth Lyra commented as the spell was canceled and Applejack swung her rope above her head and grabbed Sunset’s hindlegs, yanking her on her stomach. “Oof!” She glared at Applejack. “What the hell is the big idea?” Applejack grunted as she hogtied her legs. “Taking that amulet off ya!” She answered. Sunset snarled as she tried to bit her. “Why?” She demanded. “It’s mine! My property!” “Because it’s making you go around killing!” Rainbow Dash snapped. I pressed a hoof to my mouth as Sunset struggled and glared at us all. “I’m going to kill you all for this betrayal. Paint the walls red with your blood!” She growled. “Starting with Applejack!” I jumped in front of her. “Derpy don’t!” Octavia shouted as I hugged Sunset. “This isn’t you Sunset. Take it off please. For me,” I begged. “Please?” Sunset grunted as I hugged her tighter as I stared at her red furious eyes. I quickly closed my eyes as I felt one hoof wrap around me. “Derpy? Why are you hugging me super tight like I’m going to die? And why am I tied up?” Sunset asked in confusion and I opened my eyes. Her eyes had reverted back to her blue color and the amulet was tossed aside. “Untie her!” I demanded as Sunset groaned. “I had the craziest dream. That I went on a murder spree and killed an entire ship of griffins and threatened to kill you all,” Sunset looked around in confusion as Moondancer removed the bindings. “Mom!” She tackled Cheerilee in a hug. “Hey Sunny,” Cheerilee chuckled. “I was terrified. Thought I lost ya. How did you get free? How are we back in Ponyville?” Sunset asked rapid-fire questions. “Why are three Wonderbolts here?” “Do you not remember anything?” Earth Lyra asked curiously. “Uh no?” Sunset scratched her head. “All I remember is you coming to get me and that’s all I remember.” “Group meeting!” Rainbow Dash announced. “Sunset, wait right there.” “Uh okay?” We all huddled around Rainbow Dash. “Alright gang. She obviously thinks it was a dream. I propose we let her keep thinking that,” Rainbow whispered. “Are ya insane?” Applejack hissed. “Lying is wrong!” “It isn’t lying,” Earth Bon Bon admitted. “It’s just letting her think something. She murdered a lot of creatures. It’s best to let her keep think it’s a dream. It could hurt her mentally if she knew the truth. Psychological trauma and all.” “She’s right,” Cheerilee admitted. “I’m her mother. Just let her keep thinking that. I don’t want her to have any mental breakdowns if she knows the truth.” “I agree,” Twilight admitted. “Mental health is important.” We all sighed and nodded. “Well that settles it,” Applejack grumbled as we looked at Sunset. Cheerilee trotted up to Sunset. “Bon Bon and Lyra came and saved me along with the Wonderbolts and Derpy. Vinyl and Octavia stayed behind and looked for royal guards for help,” Cheerilee clarified as she and Sunset hugged. “It’s okay now. It’s all okay. It was just a bad dream.” “I was terrified. I thought you were gonna die,” Sunset sniffed as she pressed her face into Cheerilee’s fur. Twilight quickly levitated the amulet and locked it up in a box and hid it behind the table. Cheerilee nuzzled her and squeezed her tighter. “I’m not going anywhere.” > Chapter XXVII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “My head hurts,” I groaned and rubbed it with a hoof. “This is one of the worst pains I’ve ever felt.” Mom let out a low chuckle. “I know. Twilight left some medicine. Apparently it’s your world’s version of Tylenol?” She shrugged and slid the bottle over. I levitated the bottle to me and my eyes slightly. This was the strongest type of medicine you get here. Super freaking hard to get. Must be nice to be a princess, you get shit like this on the daily I bet. “Yeah it is. Works quick,” I unscrewed the cap and started drinking it eagerly. “What happened by the way? All you guys told me is my girlfriend and two of my family saved you and that the ship ended up crashing.” Mom sighed and looked at me. “Apparently the engine had a failure and it exploded shortly before they found me. It’s how they got me out because the griffins were freaking out and trying to out the fires. Bon Bon, Lyra and Derpy willingly got themselves captured. Apparently Bon Bon knocked a guard out by herself and later saved her because she was nice to her from the getgo.” I let out a low impressed whistle. I knew Bon Bon wasn’t the most violent of us all. If anything, I expected Lyra or Vinyl to have knocked some guards out. They probably did in all honesty. “I guess I owe them a lot don’t I?” I nuzzled and sighed contently when she did it back. I will never admit it to my friends because of my pride but I do love getting affection from mom and Derpy. It’s a great feeling. “We both do,” Mom corrected with a grin. “It just feels like the dream was super real. It’s weird,” I mumbled into her mane. “Dreams can feel that way. Kind of annoying, isn’t it?” I frowned slightly and nodded. “Yeah it is.” “So you mentioned knowing a spell that would let us go in the past,” Mom casually mentioned. “Something about your past and learning?” I quickly brightened up at the suggestion. “Yes. Let me get the others.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “We are only gonna focus on my past in Canterlot. We have to get back home shortly. We won’t have to worry about accidentally messing up the timeline by touching anything,” I explained. Twilight tilted her head curiously. “Can I come?” She asked curiously and I shrugged. “Sure why not. Just let me explain everything. You’re gonna see the Celestia I knew so don’t expect the Celestia you know,” I warned as Twilight slightly frowned before nodding. “Ready?” I identified the voices of the others saying different versions of yes as Lyra was practically vibrating up and down. I swear that girl was going to make a hole in the castle floor. She could honestly be a pony jackhammer if she wanted. My horn glowed and a bright light filled the room. “Woah,” Vinyl muttered as she fixed her glasses. “That wasn’t as painful as I expected.” I let out a low chuckle. “Going in the past isn’t painful,” I admitted. “It looks so different!” Twilight looked around the Canterlot streets. “I haven’t seen it look like this in years!” I trotted up to her and smiled. “Yeah it’s beautiful. These are my memories so it’s gonna be going by fast so we can go home.” “Okay,” Lyra muttered as we stared at a young me trotting up the road with her bags full of books and an arrogant smile. I winced and looked away. I remember this day like it was yesterday. “Sunset Shimmer!” Minuette exclaimed as she galloped up with her friends. Young me sat down on a bench and started reading a book. “That vine you made was amazing!” “Absolutely exquisite!” Twinkleshine pressed a hoof to her chest. “Would you like to come have lunch with us?” Equestrian Lyra asked eagerly, her friends matching her expression. “Hmpf! I have better things to do than socialize! I’m going to reread Advanced Elemental Magical Practices and then practice for my advanced summoning spells. What are you studying for? Nothing, that’s what!” Young me exclaimed as she stood up and grabbed her books before trotting away. “Well she wasn’t very nice,” Morning Roast muttered with a sad expression. “She’s right full of herself that’s what,” Lemon Hearts scoffed. “Her loss. I’m awesome,” Minuette grumbled. “I remember this,” Twilight looked at me. “They told me about this. I can’t believe I forgot about it.” “Me too,” I sighed. “I relieve this everyday. Ever since you hit me with a rainbow, I felt everyone’s pain. The random fast food worker I insulted, the garbage man I was rude to. Minuette and the others. Derpy, Rainbow Dash everyone. I felt what they felt whenever I was rude or said something hurtful.” “Did Twilight chose that as a punishment?” Derpy inquired as she hugged me. “Nah,” I gave a bitter chuckle. “She had no control over that. Harmony is a real force in Equestria. I wasn’t emphatic or kind so when the rainbow hit me, the Elements forced me to be emphatic and kind by feeling the pain I caused others.” Twilight nodded her agreement as the scene suddenly changed to the castle. “Where are we now?” Bon Bon asked curiously as we stood on the balcony of the castle. “This is a few months later,” I replied as the same young me trotted slowly to the balconies edge. “Can I try raising the sun? Can I?” She asked eagerly as Celestia joined her. She closed her eyes and grunted as her horn glowed. “You’re not quite there yet Sunset. Maybe one day.” “Principal Celestia looking wild!” Lyra chuckled. “She talks about you often,” Twilight focused on me as I idly noticed young me and Celestia walking down a hallway. Apparently the scene changed again to later that night. “I believe you. I’m not ready for that yet,” I admitted. “You need to make friends Sunset,” Celestia sighed. “It will make you happy.” “But I’m happy when I do magic,” young me pointed out. “But why do you do magic?” Celestia pressed. “To do good things.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “Is that the portal?” Derpy asked in curiosity as young me approached the portal Princess Celestia was standing in front of. “Yes,” I answered as we watched young me tentatively reach out with a hoof and touch it. “Don’t touch that!” Celestia chided. “It’s for highly skilled students.” “I’m not a highly skilled student?” Young me asked with a hurt expression as she yanked her hoof back. “That’s not what I meant Sunset,” Celestia sighed. “Then what did you mean?” “Just that you’re not there yet. One day you will be. I assure you of that.” Young me looked away. “You always say that,” she grumbled. “Why not now? I’ve aced my studies! I’ve learned spells other ponies couldn’t even dream of! I’m ready and you’re holding me back.” “I’m not holding you back.” “You’re just afraid of my potential and that I may outshine you one day! I have great potential and you refuse to recognize it!” Young me snapped. “I recognize it believe me. Now is the not the right time,” she answered calmly. Young me spun around and trotted off. “I’m going to my room.” > Chapter XXVIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “The castle looks gorgeous,” Octavia commented as we followed young me to the throne room where a guard pushed the door open. “Hello Sunset. Sit down please,” Celestia levitated a scroll to a waiting earth pony who trotted away with it. “You need to make friends.” “I’m fine by myself. I only need me,” she scoffed and brushed a strand of her fiery mane. “Only making friends will distract me from my studies.” “I’m sorry but I don’t believe that. You will make a friend,” she said firmly. “Is this an order?” Young me asked quietly. “Yes. And I don’t want you in the library until you bring me one friend you’ve made. That is all. You’re dismissed,” she turned her attention back to a different scroll. “I knew she took a heavy hoofed approach with you but this is a bit much,” Twilight mumbled. “For real,” Bon Bon agreed as she gave me a sympathetic look. “I know why you were a bit aggressive now.” “Same here,” Octavia agreed as she wrapped a hoof around my neck. “You’re a great friend now to us all.” “It gets worse from here,” I warned as we followed young me out of the room and into the hallway. “Make some friends she says. It’ll be easy she says,” young me scoffed. “I’ll find a way to force a friendship so I can get back to the books.” “Did it work?” Mom asked curiously. I gave a low chuckle. “Nope. Watch this.” “Will you be my friend Moondancer? After all, you would be friends with the princess’ star pupil! I could get you some books and spells you wouldn’t get anywhere else!” Young me smiled at the other mare. “I don’t think so,” Moondancer commented as she shook her head. Young me frowned and glared at her. “Why not? You don’t have friends either.” Young me spun around and her tail slapped Moondancer in the face as she trotted off. I had gotten in a bit of trouble for that one but I lied and said I didn’t mean to hit her. In all honesty, I meant to do it. “That was painful looking,” Vinyl commented as Moondancer rubbed her cheek with a hoof. “I imagine it was,” I agreed. ------------------------------------------------------------- “Oh boy. Back in the throne room,” Derpy mumbled. We watched a young me hesitantly enter the room where Celestia was waiting. “Have you made any friends yet my dear student?” Celestia asked curiously. Straight to the point as always. “No I’ve been busy,” young me lied. “School work and all.” Celestia sighed and rubbed her head. “Have you tried?” She asked pointedly as young me slammed a hoof on the ground. “I have! I just can’t make friends. It’s not in the cards for me. Why isn’t it working? I’m being nice! I offered to help Sea Swirl with her school work. Do you want to see me fail?” “I don’t think you could fail at friendship after all the spells you’ve done here,” Celestia announced. “How do ponies become friends?” Young me asked her. Celestia waved a hoof in the air. “They just do. They hang out. They read books together. Go to the movies. They just be friends.” “That’s real helpful,” young me grumbled. “Can I go now please? I have to go on this pointless assignment you’ve assigned Me.” “How can she even compare learning spells to making friends?” Bon Bon wondered. “Those aren’t even remotely the same thing!” “I’m sorry you went through this dear,” Mom hugged me as we watched young me storm out of the room. “She was a bit rough on you.” “I deserved it,” I admitted. “I was awful and demanding.” Mom tightened her grip on me. “Yes you were demanding but there was a better way of handling it then the way she did.” “I agree,” Twilight admitted with wide eyes. “I’ve never knew she was like this all this time back then.” “Where does young Sunny go now?” Vinyl asked with a smirk. “My house,” I admitted. “You had your own house?” Lyra grabbed my face and squished it between her hooves. I removed her hooves and smirked. “Yes. Mom did a lot to help me out when she didn’t have to. I always came from a poor family as you all know. Mom scraped the money to get me here and how did I repay her? By running away and being unappreciative as hell. I was an awful daughter. At least I apologized to her for it before she passed. I was awful. I never should left the town.” “Do not talk about yourself that way. Your mom told you that you were a great daughter and I agree with her one hundred percent. You weren’t bad daughter,” Mom chided. “I guess.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “Wow this is a nice house. Not very spacious but it had a good view,” Lyra commented as younger me stood on the balcony. “How it all began if truth be told. I have a master plan. Took them by surprise, worked my way uphill. They looked into my eyes. I became invincible. No one can stop me for only I am in control,” young me sang softly as the others stared at me. I turned a bright shade of red. “I forgot I sang a evil song here,” I admitted sheepishly. “If you want me, you better contact my people. See my crown, I’ll be queen. I love the endless worshipping. I am raw, a dinosaur but I will never be extinct. So don’t mess with me, I’ll shoot you down. Don’t mess with me,” Young me flipped a makeshift crown I vaguely remember making as a filly on her head. “Show me love and affection, I’m the future ruler. It’s best to keep me pleased. Imagine if you will, our meet on the block. I’ve got time to kill. So how about you bow down to me? It’s been fun, but won’t you please disappear? Something tells me that you can’t further my career.” “So you do like affection!” Lyra smirked as she winked at me. “Knew it!” “Shush.” “See my crown, I’ll be queen. I love the endless worshipping. I am raw, a dinosaur but I will never be extinct. So don’t mess with me, I’ll shoot you down. Don’t mess with me,” young me gestured at the other houses below mine with a hoof slowly. “Cause all your heads are gonna roll. I’ve made your misery my goal. So if you want survival, kneel on my arrival. For this is how I will rule the world!” “Thankfully you changed,” Bon Bon shivered. “No one can stop me, for only I am in control. And if you want me you’d better contact my people. See my crown, I’ll be queen. I love the endless worshipping. I am raw, a dinosaur but I will never be extinct. So don’t mess with me, I’ll shoot you down. Don’t mess with me,” young me finished softly as she turned around and slammed the doors to the balcony shut leaving us on the balcony. > Chapter XXIX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Have I ever said you have a good singing voice?” Octavia asked as we settled down in the library, watching young me read a book about the portal and pull the dark black cloak tighter around herself. “Yes all the time,” I smirked. “Thank you.” “So what book were you reading?” Vinyl asked she glanced around the library. I inhaled a breath and looked at her. “It was about the portal. More so where came from and what it did. I knew it went to a different world but I didn’t know where or what it was like. I wanted to know more,” I explained as the door opened. “We said some awful stuff to each other here so prepare yourselves.” I held my breath as Celestia and two royal guards walked in. The others looked curious at what was gonna happen with a mix of nervousness. “What are you doing?” Celestia demanded. Young me stared up at her in shock. “P-Princess Celestia?” “I thought it made it clear you couldn’t be here until you made friends!” “I can’t make friends! Nothing worked!” Young me shouted. “You didn’t even try!” Celestia shouted back as I approached her. The two guards lowered their spears and I could see Bon Bon gulp nervously. “Those look pointy,” she muttered. “You’re a hypocrite!” Young me shouted. “You have no friends! I hate you!” Princess Celestia recoiled as her eyes widened in shock as I watched myself teleport away, the black cloak falling to the ground. My friends stared at me as Twilight shivered. “I’m sorry it went that way between you two. I never knew this happened,” Twilight admitted as I gave a bitter laugh. “It’s not something she would tell you. I don’t like talking about it.” “When I found you asleep on the floor in Cheerilees room, you said you’re a hypocrite and you have no friends and I hate you,” Lyra focused on me. “You were dreaming about this weren’t you?” “Yes,” I admitted as I leaned against mom. “I was. It’s not a good memory.” “I can see,” Octavia muttered. “I don’t think I can look at our principle the same after this.” “I agree,” Bon Bon muttered as the scene changed once again and I tilted my head in confusion. “I don’t remember this,” I muttered as Celestia knocked on the door of my house. My eyes slowly widened. “This must have been after I ran through the portal and she came to the house to talk to me. Probably a lecture.” “You were right,” Celestia sniffed. “I don’t know the first thing about friendship. I should have tried to understand you better. But maybe we can figure it out together-” she froze when the door opened slowly and we all stared at my empty house. “I take back what I just said,” Octavia sighed. “She made a good apology.” “I never knew she did this,” I admitted sadly. I teleported us to the portal rooms hallway. “I know I’m not violent anymore so prepare yourselves.” “Uh why?” Twilight asked as we looked at the two guards. Young me stormed around the corner and yanked the spears away and tossed them behind her. “Let me through please,” she demanded. “No. You aren’t allowed access,” one said stoically. “I asked nicely,” young me slammed the two together and tossed them against the wall, leaving them groaning. “Sweet Celestia! That might have been too much. I didn’t want to kill or hurt you guys seriously. I just wanted to stun you for a bit. Are you okay?” She leaned over a guard with a nervous expression. The guard groaned and nodded as young me galloped to the portal and jumped through as the alarm started going off. “At least you checked on them,” Derpy laid a wing on my and quickly kissed my cheek. “We never stood a chance!” A guard groaned as Princess Celestia galloped into the room. “We’re sorry!” The other moaned. Celestia sighed as she helped them up. “It’s alright. Don’t apologize. You did your best,” Celestia soothed. “Get yourselves to the medics and get checked out. Take a few days off.” The guards nodded before shakily trotting off. Celestia sighed as she stepped to the portal and pressed her hoof to the portal. “Stay safe Sunset. Come back soon.” “I-I never knew she was this distraught about it,” I mumbled. “I always thought she never cared.” “She was pretty saddened when you stole my crown. She told me and Cadence and the others that she had hoped you would come back and take your rightful place as her student. She didn’t talk for a while afterwards Luna said. Just stayed in the house you lived in,” Twilight admitted. “Can you give me a book to talk to her when I go back home? I will think about it,” I said. Twilight gave me a big smile. “I’d love to.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “Well we have to go home now,” I smiled at the assembled group of ponies. Lemon Hearts, Equestrian Lyra and Bon Bon, Minuette, Twinkleshine, Moondancer and Amethyst and the other elements. Starlight stood quietly off to the side. High Winds, Soarin and Surprise stood smiling. “We will be back soon,” Cheerilee smiled at her double. “We have a lot to discuss.” “That we do,” she replied. “Sunset look!” Derpy shouted as she did a loop in the air above my head. Thank God for tall ceilings. “I’m flying!” “She took a bit but we got her going,” Surprise smirked. “She is going to be a pretty decent flyer if she keeps at it when she comes back.” “I’m pretty damn proud,” High Winds chuckled. “It’s very nice to know you.” “Likewise!” Derpy landed on her hooves and high hoofed her. I approached the group of ponies I went to school with. “Thanks you guys for giving me another chance,” we did a group hug and I swear Amethyst was crush me to death. “Not a problem,” Minuette smirked. “Don’t stay away for too long.” “I won’t,” I promised. “Hurry back soon yall!” Applejack smiled. “Wait!” Pinkie screamed. “I have something for you all that Earth Lyra wanted.” She reached into her hair and pulled out a picture. We all crowed around it and I gave gasp. “When did you take this?” I asked in awe. I levitated a picture of us all smiling in front of the castle. “When you first got here,” Rarity smiled. “Rainbow took it.” I glanced at the rainbow maned pegasus wearing a smug grin. “Thanks Dash.” She gave me a wink. “No problem.” I trotted to the portal before I remembered something. I quickly galloped to Equestrian Lyra and Bon Bon and made a bubble around us. “Hey Bon Bon?” “Uh yeah?” She asked as she poked the bubble with a hoof. “I know you’re a special agent with SMILE. I accidentally looked at the files once in Celestias office. Your secret is safe with me Bon Bon.” Her tense face instantly relaxed. “Or should I say Sweetie Drops.” “It’s Bon Bon now,” she smiled. “I like it better than Sweetie Drops to be honest.” I gave a nod as I canceled the spell. Twilight was holding a book and a black box in her magic. “Here’s the book you requested. Celestia is made aware of your request and will be waiting for you to write her first. And here’s the jewels for the sirens. Amethyst and Rarity were a great help. Sea Swirl helped a bit too,” she gave me a hug as I took the items. “Thanks Twi,” I stepped back as Earth Bon Bon and Lyra stepped to the portal with the others and jumped through. “We will be back soon.” “Surprise! Get your head out of the portal please!” Soarin sighed as High Winds burst out laughing. Surprise stepped back and groaned and straightened her mane. “Never do that,” she moaned and sat down, resting against High Winds. I gave a wave as I closed my eyes and stepped through the portal, landing on top of a bunch of legs. “Why do we always go through as a group?” Bon Bon groaned as she stood up. “Woah!” She shakily stood up and pressed a hand against the wall of the statue. “As much as I love Equestria, I missed my legs,” Octavia sighed. “My head hurts.” “Ditto!” Lyra and Bon Bon said in unison. “Hey there Shimmer,” I glanced behind me at Aria, Adagio and Sonata standing behind me with smiles. “Hey you guys!” I grinned back and qaccepted Adagios stretched out hand as Sonata helped Mom up. “Got you guys your jewels so you can sing and come to Equestria sometime.” “Thanks Sunset,”, Adagio smiled as I handed each of them the shiny red gems. “This means a lot to us.” “No problem. Twilight enchanted them so they are indestructible too. They can’t get destroyed at all. They can’t be stolen either. They’ll automatically reappear wherever you left them in the house.” Sonata gave me a tight hug that could rival Pinkies and Amethysts strength. “I’m gonna go sleep this migraine off,” Bon Bon moaned as she stumbled away. “I’ll see you guys Monday at school.” “Same here,” Vinyl mumbled. “I’m exhausted. That was a literal fucking trip over there. We got into hella shit.” “What did you all get into?” Aria asked with a raised eyebrow. Me and mom made eye contact and started laughing. “It’s a long story. How much time ya got?” I asked. The three sisters looked at each other. “We got enough,” Adagio announced. “Good. Come to my house and we will go over everything.” > Chapter XXX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I slammed my head against the desk and groaned. The others sat at my table, writing. Sunset sipped her Sprite as she watched with a smirk. Lucky bastard. She was a fast writer. Maybe I could ask her to do my homework for me. I can’t ask her to write my essay for me because she already spent an hour after school with us all writing. “This sucks. Might be the most boring thing ever done,” I grumbled. Vinyl glanced over at me before focusing back on her writing. “Why do we even have to write a report to Principle Celestia about our trip to Equestria, anyway?” “Probably because the only reason she agreed to let us go to Equestria for a month while school was in session if we treated it as learning experience and wrote a paper documenting all we did and learned when we got back Lyra,” Bon Bon replied with her eyes glued to her paper. Derpy was chewing on the end of her pencil as she sighed in boredom. “Fair enough,” I grumbled. I hated writing long essays like this. “Sunset, can you go get me a Sprite please?” “Yeah sure,” she stood up from the table. “I’ll go talk to the sirens before I come back.” I watched as she walked out of the classroom to make sure she was gone. “So guys I was thinking,” I began. “Dangerous for you,” Vinyl quipped with a smirk. “Shush Vinyl. This is serious.” Vinyl stared at me with a frown. “We’re listening,” she said as she set her glasses on the table. “What’s up Lyra?” The others glanced at me nervously. “I was thinking we should omit some details of what we did in Equestria,” I admitted. “Do what?” Vinyl asked. I rolled my eyes in frustration. “It means leave out,” Octavia explained. I gave her a grateful smile. “Oh. What were you thinking?” “Let’s see. In Equestria, we watched Sunset’s Equestrian mom die in front of us. And then we got kidnapped. And then we watched Sunset go on a massive murder spree because of an ancient amulet lost to time. If we leave that in the report, then Celestia and Luna would probably never let us go back to Equestria again. They already lied to our parents about us going on a month long nature trip. If they find out what happened, they may never let us go back and I want to go back,” I explained. A silence fell over us as we all looked at each other. “She’s right,” Octavia admitted. “They would be asking a lot of questions about Sunset now if they knew.” “I agree,” Cheerilee spoke up from her desk as her pen moved across her paper. Principal Celestia had wanted a report from her too. “I already planned on leaving it out. Technically, I was unconscious for most of the time during that situation so I didn’t see any of it.” “See?” I pointed at Cheerilee with my pencil. “Even her mom agrees with us.” “Okay we’re in,” Bon Bon said. “But Sunset thinks it was a dream. How do we know she won’t put her dream in her version of the report?” That was a good question. I didn’t think about that. “Well let’s look at her paper,” I decided. “Where the fuck is it?” “Language Lyra please,” Cheerilee said sternly. “We’re in school.” I turned a faint shade of red as Bon Bon giggled. I gave her a gentle shove before sighing. “Sorry.” “It’s okay. Just be careful who hears you,” Cheerilee chuckled as she finished writing and stapled her papers together before putting it in a folder. “As for Sunset’s paper, she already handed me it and I read it just in case. She didn’t mention the kidnapping incident. Nor did she mention her biological mom dying. She did briefly touch on it but all she said was she lost someone close.” I let out a sigh. It was still kinda affecting us all and we barely knew the women yet she was kind as hell to us all. Or mare I suppose I should say to be accurate. “At least Sunset took all the pictures of her mom and belongings from her house,” Bon Bon sighed and leaned against me. She had asked Twilight to put all the furniture and other stuff from her old house in her room in the castle for safekeeping. She brought all the pictures and other personal belongings of her mom here. “Yeah. Some nights I find her just staring at pictures of her mom,” Cheerilee admitted. “It sucks but all we can do is support her. Losing family never really goes away. You just learn to cope with it. Just give her time girls.” We all looked at each other and sighed. “We know,” Derpy sighed. “Doesn’t make it any easier.” We all fell quiet and looked down sullenly. “Hey Lyra,” Sunset strode into the room. “I got you your Sprite you asked for,” She paused and looked around in confusion. “Are you guys alright?” I took my Sprite and forced a smile. “Yeah we are fine.” Sunset quickly sat next to me and Derpy, giving her a quick kiss. I gave the pair a smirk. “What are you plans after school guy?” Derpy asked quickly. She must have sensed I was about to say something and decided to intervene. She was getting good at that. Scarily good. “Me and Tavi have a movie night tonight,” Vinyl answered. “Me and Bon Bon are going on a date. Just hanging out at my house but we both prefer simplicity some days. Unless it’s our anniversary,” I replied. “What about you?” More like we were gonna watch hella movies, make out and maybe some more physical activities but they didn’t need to know about that. “I don’t know,” Derpy admitted. “Can I come spend the night Miss Cheerilee?” Cheerilee gave a shrug and smiled. “Of course. Let me call your dads class room and let him know,” she answered as she picked up her classroom phone. “You’re always welcome to my house. Just like all of the other girls my daughter is friends with.” Derpy gave a massive grateful smile. “Thank you.” > Chapter XXXI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Oh my god!” With a frustrated groan, I pushed myself out of bed and sighed. I pulled a bra and shirt on and ignored the jeans, opting to keep my pajamas on. I stepped to my door and flung it open, storming downstairs. “Morning Sonata,” I greeted my youngest sister as I stepped into the kitchen. Sonata was sitting at the table in the dining room with her taco pajama pants and a pink shirt, petting her cat. “Hey Dagi!” She chirped as she grinned at me. “How are you?” “Good, what about you?” I asked as I got my coffee cup down. “Good. Petting Mr. Fluffles right now,” she said as she held the orange cat up to her face and kissed him. “What’s Aria mad about?” I inquired. Sonata smirked and pointed at the TV. I glanced under it and saw it was unplugged. “She’s mad because it’s unplugged?” “No. She thinks the cable box is broken and is calling Comcast right now. She doesn’t know it’s unplugged.” I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Listen here you two bit whore!” Aria shouted into the phone as she started walking into my vision. “The fucker ain’t working!” “Why haven’t you told her it’s unplugged?” I asked as I started filling the cup with coffee. Sonata gave a shrug and smiled. “It’s funny.” I gave a sigh. “God help me. How long has she been going on like this?” “About forty minutes,” Sunset said from the couch. I glanced over in confusion. I hadn’t known she was here. “Oh hey Sunset. Didn’t know you were here. Do you want breakfast?” I asked as I started to open the fridge. Sunset waved me off. “I had breakfast before I came over. Thank you though Adagio.” “No problem,” I sat down and wrapped my hand around the cup and sipped my coffee. Coffee is probably my favorite beverage other than the occasional tea. “I’ll tell you one God damn thing bitch!” Aria fumed. “Send someone to fix this piece of shit or I will blast your ass!” “This is certainly getting eventful,” Sonata giggled. I rolled my eyes and gave her a disapproving frown. “No that ain’t a threat that’s a promise. I will come down to your office and go off on you!” Aria shouted. “I’m in highschool, where in the wide world of Equestria would I get a gun?” Aria glanced over at me and waved. That girl is weird some days. “Hey sis.” “Hey Aria.” “No I wasn’t talking to you bitch! I was talking to my sister. What do you mean it’ll take three months to get it fixed? I’ve done everything! I’ve unplugged the box and plugged it back in, nothing works. I don’t gotta calm down, I’m calm! I’m smiling lady,” Aria forced a smile on her face and kept pacing back and forth. “I thought she was getting anger management?” Sunset had her head laying off the arm rest and looked at me. “Now you’re upside down!” I smiled and rolled my eyes. “You and Sonata are so alike someday it’s scary,” I muttered. “She is taking anger management classes. She does get angry some days but she has been making great progress. Compared to a thousand years ago, this is tame.” Sunset shivered and sat up, pressing her hand against her forehead. “Woah dizzy. If this is tame, I’d hate to see her furious.” “Man fuck you!” Aria grumbled and tossed her phone on the couch. “Morning Adagio. Hey Sunset. Hey Sonata.” “Hey sis,” Sonata hid a grin behind her hand as Sunset chuckled from the couch. I had a feeling she knew it was unplugged from the beginning too. “Having fun?” “Not really no,” Aria admitted as she sat down at the table. “The TV ain’t working. Damn thing.” Sonata and Sunset looked at each other and burst out laughing and I smirked faintly. “That’s funny,” Sonata giggled. “What are you all laughing at?” Aria asked with a raised eyebrow. I coughed out a laugh and pointed to the TV cord hanging out from the stand unplugged. “Oh my fucking god. Did you all know?” “Yep,” Sunset grinned. “You looked at the box but you never checked to see if the TV was plugged in! That’s hilarious!” She laid down on her back and started laughing again. “I can’t stand you. Any of you for that matter,” Aria shook her head and tried to hide her smile but we could all see it. “I hope they don’t actually come out in three months and try to fix it. There’s nothing to fix.” I rolled my eyes and stood up. “Alright get dressed. We have school in a bit. I’m surprised your mom allowed you to come on a school morning,” I glanced at Sunset who gave a shrug in response. “I told her I’d do the dishes and vacuum the house if she let me come over. Is it okay for me to tag along with you guys in the car?” “Yeah of course. You can hang out with Sonata in the back seat,” I said. “She would enjoy the company.” “Yay!” Sonata clapped eagerly. “We can play car games. Will we sit with Lyra and the others at lunch? Are they our besties yet?” Aria instantly frowned and looked away as me and Sunset shared an uncomfortable look. She had been asking that question since the Battle of the Bands. “Uh not yet. Lyra is the only one who’s verbally said she’s nervous about you guys. You will have the most luck with Derpy or Vinyl,” Sunset muttered. “I started with Derpy then Lyra.” “We will cross that bridge if we get there,” I decided. “At least they are a bit better than the Rainbooms. They can be a bit much,” Aria admitted as she folded her arms. “Especially the pink one.” Sunset let out a chuckle. “Yeah Pinkie can be a handful. Trust me I know.” I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Talk about an understatement of the decade. She attacked us with cupcakes because and I quote, she wanted to give us food as a gift,” Aria scoffed. Sunset smirked as Sonata sighed happily. “They were good cupcakes!” “They got in my hair!” I retorted. “I spent hours on my hair.” “Okay true,” Sonata admitted before brightening up. “But Rarity fixed your hair later!” “Okay true. Now please go get dressed you two.” > Chapter XXXII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “They want to what?” Rainbow asked with a slackjawed expression. “Seriously?” “Hang out with us,” I repeated myself with my arms folded across my chest. “And yes they do.” “Not that I’m saying no darling but why?” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow. We were at Pinkie’s side job getting milkshakes as usual at our normal table. This was our predecided meeting spot for a lot of things now. Especially since more than one band used the band room now. Trixie uses it, Flash does. Sometimes even Lyra and Octavia are practicing their lyre and cello together in it. “Because they need more friends. And I expect you guys to be on your best behavior because I already said yes for you guys,” I said sternly. “Than why ask us?” Applejack asked. “If yah already decided to speak for us, what’s our opinion matter?” “She’s right,” Fluttershy said quietly. “You shouldn’t speak for others without knowing how they feel.” “We will be nice. We aren’t mean!” Pinkie exclaimed. I rolled my eyes and stared at them. “So because I spoke for you guys, you won’t let them hang out with us?” I raised an eyebrow. I know I may be a bit aggressive right now but I kinda started my time of the month and I’m not in a good mood. “Woah now,” Applejack held up a hand. “We ain’t say that. Are ya feeling alright? You’re kinda moody.” “Yeah I’m sorry. It’s just you know girl troubles,” I admitted as I drank some of my chocolate milkshake I had ordered. Fluttershy and Rarity gave me sympathetic looks while the others nodded. “That explains it,” Rarity said. “It’ll pass dear. Don’t worry.” “Freaking doesn’t feel like it,” I grumbled. Rarity reached across the table and squeezed my shoulder. “We would love to hang out with your friends. My house tonight.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “So what is that you guys normally do at sleepovers?” Aria asked as she sat on the floor next to the door. Sonata was playing some video game with Rainbow and Rarity was doing Adagio’s nails. “Not that I care but you know curiosity.” We all smirked at each other. She did a pretty bad job at hiding her legitimate curiosity and the fact she did actually care. “Well sometimes we play card games, video games, talk, watch movies. Or just random stuff,” Applejack said from her spot on the bed. “Or we eat cookies!” Pinkie screamed as she tossed an Oreo package on the bed. “Or that.” “What do you guys do at sleepovers?” Rainbow asked as she tossed aside her controller and tried to hide her side of the screen saying lose while Sonatas said winner. The three sisters looked at each other before shrugging. “We only ever had Sunset over. We usually ate pizza, watched a movie and that was it,” Adagio admitted. “We didn’t typically do sleepovers.” “Mainly we used to just focus on how to take over the world,” Aria chimed in. “We never had time for sleepovers when you’re a villain.” All of the Rainbooms looked uncomfortable except me. “Well!” Rarity spoke up and stood up, quickly heading to her closest. “Since I lost the dare last time, Rainbow is making me show my closet of shame!” “Your what?” I raised an eyebrow. “Her closest of sexual clothing,” Rainbow grinned and rubbed her hands today eagerly. Fluttershy let out an eep and turned red. “Rainbow Dash!” Rarity snapped with a blush of her own. “It’s nothing like that! It’s just a closet of old Halloween costumes I wore as a kid.” “Like the Lola Bunny one?” Applejack asked and burst out laughing. “Let me tell yah, if yah wore that now ya would have everyone on yah!” “Is that what that was? I thought it was a Playboy bunny.” “I have never looked at those types of magazines Rainbow Dash,” Rarity gave her a dirty look. “Hugh Hefner was demeaning to women.” “Not really,” Rainbow Dash retorted. “He only had women in his magazines. He was a icon. He changed the whole view of the girl next door as more than a sex object. He supported feminism, encouraged women to pursue college degrees and be independent. He celebrated sex in a way that allowed men and women to be open about their sexualites and reversed notions about premarital sex. The whole topic of sex was taboo when Playboy first got made.” We all sat quietly and watched the impromptu debate. “Of course you would support premarital sex,” Rarity scoffed and rolled her eyes. “What is that supposed to mean? I’m a virgin just like you!” Rainbow exclaimed. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with sex before marriage. If two people wanna have a good time, who are you to stop them? You gonna walk in there and yank him out of her-” “Alright let’s not,” Applejack quickly interrupted. “Just go and bring out some of your costumes and we will judge em.” Rarity glared at Rainbow with a red face before disappearing into the closet, slamming it shut behind her. “Wow,” Aria said. “That was something.” She tossed a piece of caramel popcorn into her mouth. “We meet Hugh Hefner once,” Adagio admitted. “Interesting human.” “He also donated money to-” Rainbow tried to say before Applejack interrupted her again. “Ah know what you’re about to say and don’t,” Applejack warned. “Rares is already mad at ya. Don’t bring up politics into this or we will never have a quiet evenin’.” Rainbow rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I wasn’t going to bring up politics. I don’t give a shit about them. I was going to say he donated money to animal shelters, mental health research and even funded the first rape kit but fine I won’t say anything else.” The door to the closet opened and Rarity stepped out. Adagio and Rainbows eyes widened as Aria spit out her pop, quickly covering her mouth. “What the fuck?” I said as I stared at Rarity wearing a bunny suit. “I thought you were gonna show us ones you wore as a kid, not an adult!” “W-wow Rarity,” Applejack muttered. “Ah wasn’t expecting this.” “Oh my,” Fluttershy said softly with a bright red face. “You look fuckable Rarity!” Pinkie shouted with a smirk. “Pinkie Pie!” Applejack admonished. “Language!” “What, Sunset cusses all the time and you never tell her to watch her mouth!” Pinkie pouted. “Because Ah know she wouldn’t care if Ah told her too!” “Damn right,” I agreed smugly as I tried and failed to not laugh at Rarity. Aria and Sonata quickly joined me along with Rainbow and Pinkie. “I-I gotta get a picture of this!” “Normally I would say no but go for it,” Rarity shrugged and placed an arm behind her head. We all instantly stopped laughing and stared at her in shock. “Woah really?” Rainbow asked. “This doesn’t seem like you.” “Agreed,” me and Applejack said in unison. I shrugged and took the picture before saving it to my phone and setting it on the nightstand. “Alright that’s all you guys get to see mainly because it’s the only one I have,” Rarity stepped back into her closet and shut the door. “Ah worry about that girl.” > Chapter XXXIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Next game!” Pinkie shouted. “Most embarrassing secret, go!” “What if we don’t have any secrets?” Fluttershy asked softly. Pinkie leaned over and patted her condescendingly on the head. “Everyone has secrets silly! I’ll go first. When I was five, I licked a snail!” “Ew, what the fuck?” Aria asked with a disgusted face. “That is disgusting Pinkie,” Rainbow snickered. “When I was twelve, I got sprayed by a skunk but said it was the quiet kid because I was getting made fun of. I later admitted it was me but that’s the only time I had a really embarrassing secret. Wait my grades!” “You being stupid isn’t a secret,” Aria grumbled. Applejack hid a snicker behind her hand. Rainbow rolled her eyes and focused on the siren. “What’s your most embarrassing secret?” “I don’t have one,” Aria said smugly. “Bullshit!” Adagio snorted. Aria glared at her. “She used to sing to her fishes when she had them!” Sonata giggled. Rainbow snickered and I smiled. I was happy they were getting along with each other. Maybe one day I could introduce all three friend groups and have a massive group. “Sonata used to sleep with the pony plush of her,” Aria grinned wickedly before glancing at Adagio. “Adagio crashed three cars when they were first invented and she told the insurance company she walked outside each time she bought a new car and found it like that.” “I thought we agreed to never speak of that again,” Adagio grumbled. “I thought we agreed to never bring up the fish thing so we are even.” Pinkie pointed at me. “Pony-chu, I chose you!” She shouted as Rainbow burst out laughing. I gave her a flat glare. “Really? Fine, I uh still sleep with mom sometimes,” I admitted sheepishly. Rainbow and Aria let out fake awws while Sonata and Pinkie giggled. “You next Fluttershy.” “Oh uhm I’m afraid of public speaking,” she hid behind her hair as we all fell silent and looked at each other. “That’s perfectly acceptable darling,” Rarity hesitantly patted her on the back. “We all have our dark secrets.” The door swung open and we all glanced at a visibly upset Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. “Are yall done yet?” Apple Bloom grumbled. “AJ promised to play video games with me.” “And Rarity promised to help me with a sewing project and hang out!” Sweetie Belle whined. “And Rainbow said she would watch the new Daring Doo movie with us all today,” Scootaloo snapped. The three older sisters looked at each other. “Ah’m sorry sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Ah’m busy with Sunset and mah other friends.” Aria and Adagio raised an eyebrow as Sonata grinned. “I’m busy with my friends Sweetie. I’m sure you will get it done,” Rarity assured her sister as Sweetie glared at her. “We can watch it later Scoots,” Rainbow smiled at the younger girl. “It ain’t going nowhere.” “You always say that,” Scootaloo grumbled. “You said that last week. And the week before.” “Bitch,” Sweetie Belle whispered angrily under her breath. “Never spends time with me.” The only reason I heard her was because I was closest to door. “Excuse me young lady,” Raritys eyes narrowed. “What was that?” Sweetie Belles eyes widened and she looked to her friends for support. “She said nothin!” Apple Bloom spoke up. “It was uh mah phone! Ringtone for Diamond Tiara!” “Absolutely!” Scootaloo hastily added. Apple Bloom glared at me before glaring at her sister. “When ya decide ah’m important, ya know where to find me. Yall know where to find us all,” she declared. “Let’s go yall. We can go to the movies. Ah got enough allowance saved up.” “It’s late. Stay inside,” Applejack said sternly. “Ya ain’t mah mom. Last time ah checked, our parents were dead Piggly Wiggly,” Apple Bloom grumbled. We all went silent and stared at the two as Sweetie Belle slammed the door shut and the three stormed down the stairs. “Well that happened,” Aria commented. “What the hell is a Piggly Wiggly?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. Applejack gulped and sighed. “It was a nickname Ma and Pa gave me. Granny Smith called me it as a kid too,” she admitted. “She crossed a line. Ah’ll go talk to her when ah’m a bit more calm.” “Let’s quit playing this game and uh do something else,” Pinkie nervously suggested as she looked around. “Movies? Video games?” “I’m gonna go find Sweetie Belle,” Rarity stood up and Rainbow quickly followed her. “Same here. And we will stop them if they try to leave,” Rainbow stated as she looked at Applejack. “All of them.” “Thanks y’all,” Applejack sighed. Rainbow gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before she and Rarity disappeared into the dark hallway. “How often does that happen?” Sonata asked curiously as she tilted her head to the side. “Not often,” Fluttershy spoke up. “Sure they get angry like kids will do but never like that. The last time I saw Sweetie Belle that angry was when she sabotaged Raritys fashion line for Sapphire Shores that one time. And even then, she never swore at her.” “I thought only I heard her,” I admitted. “No we all did,” Pinkie answered. “She’s not the greatest at speaking quietly no matter how good she thinks she us.” “How was Equestria?” Applejack asked and everyone looked at me. “Have fun?” I took a deep breath before answering. “It was a interesting time. A lot of stuff happened and I mean a lot of stuff. I don’t have time to go over most of it with you guys but believe me when I say it got me and others closer than ever before,” I answered. “Who all went with you again?” Sonata asked curiously. “Lyra, Bon Bon, Vinyl, Octavia, Derpy and Mom,” I replied. “Next time, I plan on bringing them plus you three with. Equestria has changed a lot since you last saw it.” Rainbow Dash and Rarity stepped inside the room. “How diffirent?” Adagio asked. “Like you wouldn’t believe,” I chuckled. “We decided it was best to let them go to the movies. Big Mac is coming to get them and take them,” Rainbow announced. “Apple Bloom is still here.” Applejack let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks yall. Ah’m gonna hit the hay. Good night.” I was pretty tired too and based on the others expressions, they were too. I was ready to sleep. “Good night AJ.” “Night Sunset.” > Chapter XXXIV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “It feels different around here recently,” Lyra commented as we sat around our lunch table. “Can’t put a finger on it.” I slid in between her and Derpy with my own tray. I alternated the days I sat with each group. Derpy being here did take priority over the Rainbooms so I sat here more often. If we had big enough tables, I’d sit both groups together so I didn’t have to bounce around all the damn time. It certainly would make my life way easier. “I agree,” Derpy sighed as she looked around curiously. “Hey my unicorn.” She kissed my cheek. “Hey my pegasus,” I kissed back as Lyra rolled her eyes. “You guys have some weird ways of flirting,” she commented as she tossed a cheez it in her mouth. “You’re one to talk,” I retorted. “You call Bon Bon your little baker all the time.” “And she calls you her little musician,” Derpy added with a grin. “Okay fair enough,” Lyra admitted. “You got me there.” A girl with light turquoise skin with amber hair that had gold stripes in it sat on the empty end of our table on the fat side. “Who’s that?” Bon Bon whispered. I gave a shrug as we glanced at her. “I don’t know. She’s been sitting there by herself for the past few months before we went to Equestria. Derpy has been trying to be her friend but she doesn’t talk that much. She sits there, eats and leaves,” I answered. “I think she used to be on the soccer team with me.” The others had been surprised when I expressed in joining the soccer team. Even more when I ended up being one of the best players. Even Spitfire thought I was good. Plus, Soarin really liked me after I stood up for him that one time. “Used to be?” Vinyl raised an eyebrow. “What happened there?” “She and Dash allegedly had a falling out and Spitfire kicked her off the team. I wasn’t there for that because I was sick that week but it was apparently important. Spitfire and Fleetfoot barely separated the two before fists were thrown,” I explained. “That’s kinda worrying,” Bon Bon admitted. “I’ve heard her speak before. It’s rare but it happens.” “Hey there Piggly Wiggly!” A boy shouted as he walked past the Rainbooms table. “What the hell is a piggly wiggly?” Lyra asked as we watched Applejack slump further into her seat with a bright red face. “It’s Applejacks nickname when she was a kid. I don’t know how it became public knowledge,” I answered as the two boys walked past our table laughing. “Why piggly wiggly?” Vinyl asked curiously as we watched the cafeteria burst into laughter. Trixie and Lavender Lace were the ones laughing the hardest as Fuschia wiped a tear out of her eye. They were the Rainbooms biggest competition so it made sense they would laugh. “I have no idea. Applejack said nothing about why she got it or how,” I sighed as I pulled Derpy into a one armed hug. “You can still eat right?” “Yes of course,” Derpy smiled as she ate some of her pasta. I bit into my pear and sighed contently. Not only did I have one of my favorite people with me, I had my favorite fruit. I would never admit this to Applejack but pears are better than apples. “Oh boy look at Strawberry Sunrise,” Lyra hid a smile behind her flavored water. Sure enough, the girl was walking past the table with a smirk. “Not only does the farm hand like the worst fruit ever but she’s also called piggly wiggly!” Strawberry shouted with a giggle as she gave a grin Applejacks way. “Makes sense because she spends all her time with farm animals.” “I always did like her,” Vinyl admitted. “She has a great taste in rock music. Same with her electronic music.” “Well you better get ready to fawn over her more because here she comes,” Lyra pointed with a fork. Sure enough, the strawberry farmer was strolling up to us with a large grin. “Great work Sunset. That was so funny of you!” She patted me on the back before smacking her knee in laughter. “Piggly Wiggly man that ain’t ever gonna get old!” We all watched her walk away with confused expressions. The girl at the far end of the table got up with a empty lunch tray and walked away to the lunch line, dropping her tray off. She shot Rainbow and Spitfire an angry glare as she walked out of the room. I raised an eye brow when she sat down at Aria’s table and the two started talking and laughing. I’d have to ask her about this later. “Wnat was that about?” Derpy asked after a second. We all gave shrugs before resuming eating. “I have no idea.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “So what do you wanna do now?” I asked Derpy as we laid in my bed hugging. I trailed a hand up and down her side slowly as I kissed her. “I think this works,” Derpy whispered after I pulled back from her. “You could bring me some water please.” “Okay,” I kissed her on the forehead and stood up. “Is Cheerilee home?” She suddenly asked before I opened the door. “No. She’s out getting groceries, why?” I gave her a confused look. “Just curious. Thanks Sunny,” she gave a nervous smile. I tilted my head to the side before I left the room and stepped to the kitchen. I got a cup down and filled it with water before turning the sink off and walking to my room. “I got your water Derpy,” I stared at her and turned red. “Uhm Derpy? You’re uh naked?” Derpy turned bright red herself as she tossed her shirt aside and took the cup of water. “I know. Let’s go to bed and do more than sleep. After all, we are home alone,” she cupped my cheek and kissed me. I took a nervous breath and nodded as I fumbled with the door and locked it. “Okay. Only if you’re sure about this.” “I am.” > Chapter XXXV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Oh my god,” Derpy mumbled as her body shook again. I gave her a final kiss before I slipped my fingers out of her and moved my face out from between her legs. “How haven’t we done this at all yet?” “I don’t know,” I admitted as I flopped on my back next to her, pulling a blanket over us both. “Uh was it alright?” “Beyond alright! That was amazing,” Derpy smiled and curled up closer next to me. I smiled back and wrapped an arm around her. Thank God mom was still out getting groceries. We weren’t exactly quiet with what we got up to. “It was really good. What made you want to?” I asked curiously. “Not that I regret us having sex or anything.” “I don’t know. I feel comfortable around you. Besides, isn’t it a thing two people do when comfortable around each other?” Derpy asked. “I suppose yeah. It uh didn’t hurt or anything did it?” I inquired nervously. The last thing I’d want to do was fuck this up. Heh, that was funny. Fuck this up and sex is called fucking. That sounded a bit funnier five seconds ago. Derpy gave a quick inhale. “It didn’t hurt at all. It was slightly awkward and uncomfortable at first but my mind soon focused more on the good feelings. Especially the orgasm,” she answered with a smile as she propped her head up with a hand. “It’s adorable you were worried.” “Well of course I was,” I admitted. “I didn’t want to hurt you.” “Your hair makes it look like you have a fiery halo,” Derpy giggled as she played with my hair and I grinned at her wickedly. “I think I have a new nickname for you.” Derpy raised an eye brow as she planted a kiss on my neck. “What’s that?” She asked curiously. “Screamer,” I said simply and her face turned a bright shade of red. She rolled on top of me and started kissing down my chest. “Hey what are you doing?” Her head disappeared between my legs and I gasped as I felt a tongue touching my most private areas. I wasn’t a stranger to oral sex and all given my history but it was completely different with Derpy. Felt way better with her than it did with some random stranger who paid me for it. Derpy popped her head up and I stared into her lust filled eyes with a startled look. I’ve never really imagined Derpy with that look, she always came across as innocent. I’m leaning how un innocent my girlfriend really is. “It’s your turn Sunset,” she smirked at me. “We will see if I’m the only one getting nicknamed screamer today.” She quickly returned to her tentative licking and I gave a startled gasp. Doing it with her was so much better than anyone on the street. ------------------------------------------------------------- “So how was your sleepover with the Rainbooms? And with Derpy?”" Lyra asked me as she started rocking her chair back and forth, sipping her milk shake. It had been a few days since the sleep over and about two weeks since we got back from Equestria. “Good. It was entertaining,” I smiled as I remembered the bunny suit Rarity showed us. Even though I had a picture, I didn’t show the others because privacy. Me and Derpy looked at each other with red faces. “Heh Derpy’s was fine.” “Beyond fine!” Derpy chuckled as I gave her a quick kiss. “Damn right!” I smiled contently. Lyra looked like she wanted to ask for details but thank God for Vinyl and Octavia. “Hey guys,” Vinyl grinned as she sat down at our table with Octavia. Derpy was already sitting down next to me, Lyra and Bon Bon were sitting across from me. “We should honestly be part owners of Sugarcube Corner. We spend so much money here as is.” “Facts bro,” Lyra chuckled. “Hey Bon Bon look outside. There’s a bird.” “Ooh where?” Bon Bon twisted her head as Lyra quickly stole her girlfriends strawberry shake and took a super. She quickly set it down as Bon Bon looked back. “That was a pretty bird.” “Damn right,” Lyra snickered as she sipped her vanilla shake. “What kind do ya think it was?” Bon Bon put her hand to her chin and rubbed it. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Maybe a dove?” “Like the chocolate?” Bon Bon let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes. “No Lyra not like the chocolate. It’s a white bird.” “Oh.” “It’s been pretty crazy around school recently,” Vinyl commented as she looked out the window with an arm around Octavia. “I haven’t heard much but something about Rarity is online.” Lyra giggled as she smirked. “I saw. Bon Bon tried to smack my phone out of my hand for looking at it.” “Look at what?” I asked as me and Derpy looked at each other. Derpy knew about the picture of Rarity on my phone. I told her before hand so she didn’t get mad and leave me for it. Rarity backed me up too thankfully. “You haven’t seen it?” Bon Bon tilted her head to the side. “Really?” “Seen what?” Derpy asked. Bon Bon held up a finger as she pulled her phone out and slid it across the table. Me and Derpys jaws dropped as we stared. The picture of Rarity I had was posted online. “But how?” I asked in shock. “Only I have this picture! I sure as hell didn’t post it. And why does this account have my face on it?” Octavia grabbed the phone and looked at the post, a blush crossing her face. “That’s really weird,” she agreed as she handed the phone to Vinyl. “I don’t know.” “Wow. I never knew Rarity had something like that,” she let out a low whistle. “Ow!” She rubbed the spot on her head where Octavia smacked her. “You’re supposed to be looking at the profile picture. Not Rarity being a lady you see on that one website,” Octavia grumbled. “Sorry sorry. But yeah that’s weird.” “I have a bad feeling about this,” I admitted. “A real bad feeling.” “Well whatever is going on we will help you solve!” Octavia announced with a smile. “We are family as you said in Equestria.” “She’s right,” Bon Bon squeezed my shoulder. “It’s probably just a prank.” “Pretty lame prank and I know pranks,” Lyra commented. “I’m the connoisseur of pranks.” “Lyra, connoisseur means to be like an expert in eating. How do you eat a prank?” Derpy asked pointedly. “Oh. I didn’t know that. I’m an expert prankster.” “She is pretty good,” Bon Bon admitted. “I still need to get you and her back for the water prank when I first spent that night at your house.” “That was months ago,” I pointed out. “You haven’t forgotten that?” “I never forget,” Bon Bon shrugged with a smirk. I leaned to Lyra’s ear. “I thought she forgot,” I whispered. Lyra nodded with a worried face. “So did I.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I let out a sigh as I opened my locker. All day people had been making fun of Rarity and laughing at her. Even though I didn’t post the picture, I felt awful for what she was going through. Lyra opened her locker and groaned. All my friends oddly enough had their lockers next to mine in a row. “Crazy about the atmosphere here. I feel bad for Rarity,” Lyra commented as she put a biology book away. “I know right,” I agreed. “Sunset Shimmer!” Rarity shouted as Bon Bon and Octavia stuck their heads around their locker doors curiously. “How could you?” Rainbow Dash and Applejack were with her, both looking upset. “What did she do?” Vinyl asked. Rarity had mascara running down her face. “You know what she did!” Rarity shouted as a small crowd gathered around us. “She posted that awful picture of me!” “You don’t actually believe that, do you?” Octavia asked with a raised eyebrow. “Only she had the picture!” Rarity exclaimed as the crowd started whispering amongst themselves. “Why Sunset? I’ve been made a laughingstock all day!” “And you went after my grades!” Rainbow fumed. “That’s beyond fucked up, dude!” At least point Lyra and the others had stepped next to my side. “It wasn’t me!” I shouted. “I wouldn’t betray you girls like that.” “She’s right,” Octavia agreed with me. “She’s a changed girl.” Rainbow stepped forward and I was staring at the ground as my cheek burned. “What the fuck?” Vinyl snapped as she and Lyra stepped forward with their hands balled into fists. Octavia let out a gasp as I tried to process the fact Rainbow had slapped me. The crowd let out a loud “Ooooh.” “What’s the big idea?” Lyra growled. “What the hell is wrong with you? She did nothing to you!” I rubbed my cheek as felt Octavia help me up with Derpy and Bon Bon. “You’re blind Lyra. She will reveal your secrets too!” Rarity cried as more tears ran down her face. “I can’t show my face anywhere!” “While I am very sympathetic, you are the blind one dear,” Octavia sighed. “Sunset wouldn’t do this.” “You have to believe me,” I begged. “Please.” “Stay away from us,” Rainbow grumbled as she and the other two walked away from me. “We aren’t friends anymore.” I tried to follow them but Octavia grabbed my shoulder and gave me a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s get you out of here. We need to get you to your mom’s room.” I gave a nod as the others pulled me along and I wiped a tear away. > Chapter XXXVI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “They did what?” Cheerilee slammed a hand down angrily on her desk. We all instinctively flinched and stepped back hesitantly. Sunset was sitting at desk with her head slammed against the top. We had seen Cheerilee angry when Starlight took Sunsets cutie mark but that level of anger paled in comparison to the enraged expression on her face. “She uh slapped her,” I nervously spoke up and Cheerilee stared at me. I hated being the bravest among us somedays. “And ended their friendship apparently,” Vinyl cautiously added. “I’m going to call her mother and get her suspended. No, expelled! Arrested!” Cheerilee fumed angrily. “Don’t,” Sunset sniffed. We all glanced at her in surprise. “But Sunset she literally assaulted you,” Bon Bon pointed out. “In front of everyone,” Derpy angrily added. Let me tell you right now, Derpy never gets angry. She never cusses. Angry Derpy is the worst threat this world has ever faced. I’d say she was as dangerous as Hitler and Stalin. Okay maybe not that bad but it’s still pretty scary. “What she did was fucked up,” I grumbled and gave Cheerilee a nervous look. “Uh sorry.” “It’s fine. I’ll let it slide today mainly because that’s a good word to describe this. We have to do something Sunset,” Cheerilee focused on the orange haired girl. “This is wrong.” “No. Just let it go. It doesn’t matter. I’ll just go up to then and plead my innocence. They will believe me if I try hard enough,” she wiped a tear away. “They are my friends.” “You’re not going alone,” I announced immediately. “I’m coming with. I may not fight much but I can hold my own if it comes down to it.” “Whatever,” Sunset mumbled as she stumbled out of the room. “I’ll go with her,” Derpy stood up. “Make sure the others don’t do anything to her.” I gave a nod as she took off running to catch up. “We should go with. Derpy can’t fight and as sweet as she is, you can’t win with sweetness,” Vinyl commented. “I’m gonna have to burn some bridges first,” Bon Bon announced. “Me too,” Octavia said with anger. We’ve never seen her angry so this was slightly concerning. “Ditto!” Vinyl added her agreement as she folded her arms. I took off to find my friend and her girlfriend. ------------------------------------------------------------- I stood in Bon Bons kitchen, surrounded by mixing bowls and batter. Octavia stood behind me helping mix batter. Bon Bon and Derpy were supervising us as we made cupcakes and brownies for a certain group of girls. “So who exactly are these cupcakes for?” Derpy asked curiously. I gave her an evil grin as I kept stirring. “The Rainbooms. For being such good friends,” I said sarcastically. “Are you really rewarding them for punching Sunset and abandoning her? This is messed up Lyra,” Bon Bon glared at me. I gave her a wink. “Oh don’t worry. This isn’t a reward nor traditional cupcakes. You’ll see,” I reassured her as I scooped some batter up with a finger. “Lyra what are you-?” Bon Bon started to ask as I smeared the batter under my eyes. “This is war.” Derpy and Bon Bon looked at each other before giggling. After the day we had, hearing laughter from a few of my closest friends was a gift from God. “Where is Vinyl?” Octavia asked curiously as she set a bowl down. “You and her haven’t told us this plan of yours.” I gave a mischievous grin at her. “Oh you’ll see. She’s out at the store picking up some ingredients we need,” I smirked as I poured the cupcake batter into a cupcake pan. “We literally have everything we need in my kitchen Lyra. What more do you need?” Bon Bon gestured around us. “Look at this mess! It’s like a tornado went through here!” I glanced around at the flour and batter tossed everywhere. “Sorry. I will clean it up. Alone. It’s my mess,” I promised and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. “Do you own those thingies that you can add filling to cupcakes after they are done baking love?” “Uh yes?” Bon Bon raised an eyebrow as she opened a drawer and set them on the table. “This is a candy store after all. We have practically everything you need to bake or make candies here.” I gave a grateful nod as I grabbed a mitt and put the cupcakes in the oven. I gently closed and tossed the mitt on the counter. With a sigh, I grabbed a wash cloth and started cleaning. “I was joking silly,” Bon Bon kissed my cheek as I tossed some bags into the garbage can. “We will help clean up. I don’t necessarily know your plan but we are in this together. As long as you don’t poison them.” “Oh I won’t poison them,” I promised and held back a snicker. “You will see. And trust me, it’s going to be amazing.” “Because that’s not concerning or ominous at all,” Derpy grumbled as she started sweeping the floor. “What are you doing Lyra?” Octavia glanced back as she started picking up some trash. “I can’t say,” I answered with a wink. “It’ll ruin the surprise and trust me, we don’t want them finding out the surprise until it’s too late.” The door swung open as the girls gave me suspicious looks. “Hey guys,” Vinyl grinned as she set her backpack down. I set my wash cloth down and grinned back. “Hey V! Did you get the final ingredients I asked for?” “You bet!” Vinyls grin turned malicious as she set down a grocery bag down and set the items on the counter. The other girls gathered around and stared in shock. “Lyra,” Bon Bon said warningly. “Are we sure this is a good idea?” “She’s right,” Octavia agreed. “Some of this stuff seems a bit out there and risky.” I gave a malicious smile of my own. “Oh I’m sure. The Rainbooms aren’t gonna know what hit em until it’s too late. They messed with the wrong group and girl today.” > Chapter XXXVII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Are you sure about this Sunset?” I asked her cautiously as I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Not to discourage you but we are going into enemy territory. They aren’t our friends in there. We are outnumbered if we go on there.” I pointed to the unsuspecting Rainbooms. “I know Vinyl,” Sunset mumbled as I pulled into a one armed hug. “I have to do this, ya know? They are important to me, just like you guys are.” “I know. Did you bring your book?” I asked as she held up her notebook. She had been writing back and forth with Princess Twilight about what happened for advice. I read some of the passages and if I was stupid enough to have thought she was guilty, they were compelling enough to change my mind. Not that I thought she was behind this of course. None of us did. She was way more clever back then. “Yes,” Sunset sniffed. “Hey Vinyl?” “Yeah Sunset?” We paused walking, my hand on the door. “Thank you. For believing in me. Not just now but before battle of the bands you did. Thank you.” “Hey don’t sweat it fam. It’s what friends are for,” I grinned at her. “Besides, you helped us a lot in Equestria. Even if you didn’t, I’d still help you out.” “I appreciate it,” she gave me a tired smile as I pushed the door open and we started walking up to the table. “What are you doing here?” Rainbow demanded as the group shot us glares. I stared right back with an arm around Sunset as she shivered. “I came to prove my innocence!” She said firmly in a way that instantly made me proud. She had been super down recently so her saying it that way impressed me. “Here look.” She slid the book across the table as Rainbow stared at it. “I suggest you read it,” I said calmly. Applejack glanced at me before picking it up. “You’ve been talking to the princess. So what?” She tossed the book to Rainbow. “Did you read it?” Sunset asked hopefully. “I’m innocent!” “All I see is a former friend bugging us when we said to leave us alone,” Rainbow grumbled as she tossed the book at Sunset. I quickly stepped forward and caught it while glaring at Rainbow. “I highly suggest you apologize to her and pull your head outta your ass,” I demanded. “You all are stupid as fuck right now.” Rainbow stood up and made eye contact with me. “You’re on the wrong side here Vinyl. Get out of here and go,” Rainbow said quietly as Big Mac approached from a nearby table. “Take you and your little account and go!” Big Mac snapped as Sunset flinched. I squeezed her tighter. Big Mac rarely spoke unless it was important. “Let’s go Sunset. We should get out of here,” I whispered. Sunset nodded as she wiped a tear away. “I can’t believe you all!” She took off running and I watched her fling my car door open and sit down with her head in her hands. I glared at the others in front of me. “I hope you’re happy. You all disgust me. Especially you Applejack and Pinkie. Consider our business together over.” “B-but I can’t host any parties without my DJ!” The pink girl stammered. “You are the main attraction to my parties!” “Too bad,” I said nonchalantly. “You are gonna give me a toxic reputation and I can’t have that. Goodbye.” “Please wait!” Pinkie begged as her eyes turned misty. “Hmm no,” I announced before spinning on my feet and walking away, fishing my phone out of my pocket. “Hey Lyra it’s me.” ”Hey V. Shit didn’t go to plan since you’re calling me,” Lyra said. She always knew how to hit a nail right on the head. “You could say that,” I admitted. “Bring the cupcakes tomorrow. It’s time for plan B and possibly plan C. Things are only gonna get worse from here I think.” ”You got it.” I hung up and shoved my phone in my pocket before opening my car door. Sunset sat in the passenger seat shoving tears off her face and I gave her a sympathetic look. “I’ll take you home.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “So we are really are on our own here?” Bon Bon asked incredulously as we sat huddled in the library. Sunset was with her mom in her classroom. We decided the best thing for her was to stick close to her mom unless she was with one of us. I’m just ready for school to start so we can start retaliating. Sunset is too down in the dumps to take part. Hell, it takes us a few times saying her name to even get her attention. “It looks that way,” I sighed as I looked around the library warily. My prediction of things getting worse was unfortunately right. “It’s not only the Rainbooms getting secrets exposed. It’s everyone.” “And it’s all getting pinned on Sunset,” Octavia said bitterly. “But why?” Derpy mumbled. “She changed!” “We’re surrounded by idiots that’s why,” Lyra scoffed angrily. “A bunch of fucking idiots.” “She’s right,” I sighed. “We are completely cut off. I cut off ties with Pinkie last night.” The group stared at me incredulously. “But she was your business partner!” Bon Bon exclaimed. “Not no more,” I folded my arms. “I’m not even gonna bother with how weird that sentence sounds,” Bon Bon grumbled. “So we use the cupcakes now?” Lyra gave a nod and pulled the baked goods out of her backpack in a plastic container. “I’ll give them to Fluttershy,” Octavia announced. “She knows Vinyl is on Sunsets side. Same with Lyra and Derpy. It has to be me. She won’t suspect a thing.” “Okay if you’re sure,” Lyra slid them to Octavia and she held them up in her hands. “But you don’t have to. If you want me or Bon Bon to, we will.” “I got this.” We all gave a nod as the warning bell rang. “We all meet in Cheerilees room after school to go over our plans,” Lyra said. “Good luck Octavia.” The cello player gave a confident smile and waved as she walked away. Bon Bon tugged Lyra’s hand as we started walking our separate ways. “Let’s go before we are late.” > Chapter XXXVIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I spedwalk down the hallway, making sure to avoid the multiple arguing students. They were arguing over the most petty of things, like crushes being revealed and such. Stupid things really. I had zero interest in gossip but I was interested in finding my target. We had chosen Fluttershy because she was the most gullible of them all along with Pinkie. Typically I’d feel terrible for this but they treated Sunset poorly so all bets were off the table. I passed Trixie and her two friends, the lavender one wiping away tears because of some embarrassing secret of hers away. Trixie and the other looked furious as they tried comforting her. I didn’t get along well with Trixie. Granted I didn’t know much about her but I did know she was very egotistical like a certain rainbow haired girl I knew. I still felt a pang of sympathy for the magician and her friend. I saw a flash of pink hair and I grinned. She was alone with made this so much easier. We had planned ahead if she was with any of her friends to try again later. If she was with Pinkie we would try to get her to take the cupcakes instead. She’s gullible too. We also made brownies but I accidentally left them with Lyra. Thankfully our lockers are all in a row so she had left them sitting in my locker. “Fluttershy dear!” I called out as I finally caught up the girl. The shy girl turned around slowly and stared at me. “Oh uhm hi Octavia,” she whispered. “What’s up?” I will admit, I always did like her. Not like that of course but you know what I mean. She used to be a walking model of kindness. “Oh nothing,” I gave a laugh. “I have a gift for you and the Rainbooms. I heard about the secret of yours that got revealed and I felt very sympathetic so me and Vinyl baked you these cupcakes! We also made brownies for the others if that’s more their speed!” Fluttershy stared at me curiously as she brushed a strand of pink hair out of her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I can’t believe Sunset found out about it. I only told Rainbow and the others. Well Rainbow knew because she was the one I kissed.” I resisted the urge to defend Sunset when I thought of a better idea. A way to earn her trust for now. “It was absolutely awful of her wasn’t it?” I lied as she widened her eyes. “Such a fake friend.” “Yeah,” Fluttershy shivered. “I will take these to the others. I appreciate it.” She hesitantly took them and I smiled internally. I felt disgusted with what I said about Sunset but it got her to take them so I can apologize later. To Sunset, I mean not Fluttershy or the other members of her band. They deserve everything they got coming. I watched her walk away, with the plastic containers held firmly in a hand. With a smile, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. “Hey, Lyra it’s me. She took the container. Yes, both of them. Plans a go. See you at lunch.” I shoved my phone in my pocket after hanging up and ran to class. ------------------------------------------------------------- I carried my lunch tray with a second one balanced on top. I had offered to get Sunset her lunch today. We all agreed to rotate lunch duties so that way Cheerilee could keep an eye on Sunset just in case anyone tried to attack her. We all also agreed to eat in Cheerilees room from here on out till this thing blew over which hopefully was soon. “Hey are you really British?” A random kid asked me. I paused and looked at him. “Uh yes, yes I am. Why?” I asked curiously. He held up his phone for me to see and I grimaced. Octavia isn’t really British. I read the most recent anon a miss post and I rolled my eyes. That was the stupidest made up secret I ever heard. “Yes I am British. I was born in Cambridge and emigrated to Canterlot. I left when I was five to attend school here,” I grumbled as I started to walk past him. “Any other questions?” “Do you smoke cigarettes? All British, smoke right?” He asked curiously. I spun around and glared at him, barely keeping the trays balanced. “No I don’t smoke cigarettes. Not all British do and I’m offended you would imply that we all do!” I scoffed. He held up a hand and stepped back. “Jeez I was just asking about your country. Quit being a prick over it.” I turned bright red and growled. “Why you little bloody bugger!” I fumed. When mad, I sometimes used British insults. I didn’t even bother to hear a response as I stormed out of the the lunch room and into the hallway. I stormed down the hallway as people moved out of my way. I shoved the door to Cheerilees room open with my back and stepped inside. “The nerve of some people!” All my friends stopped eating and looked at me. Cheerilee paused her writing and glanced over with a raised eyebrow. “Is this about the anon a miss post about you?” Vinyl asked as she took Sunsets tray and slid it to her. She gave a grateful nod and started eating. I had tried to find the most pony friendly diet I could find. “Yup. Someone implied I smoke cigarettes!” I growled. “Absolutely revolting!” “While I would love to go beat his brains out, me and Vinyl have to go to the band room!” Lyra finished inhaling her lunch and grabbed Vinyls hand. “I do?” Vinyl asked as she spun her empty tray around on one corner. “Why?” “Because I saw the Rainbooms going there to eat their lunches and I want to watch them eat the brownies and cupcakes! I wanna see their reaction let’s go!” Lyra dragged Vinyl out the room and gave us a wave. “What is she talking about?” Cheerilee asked us. “Nothing!” Bon Bon hastily said as the teacher narrowed her eyes at us. “Alright.” > Chapter XXXIX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Can you believe this?” Rainbow grumbled. She sat cross legged on the floor next to Pinkie’s drum set, eating her lunch. “We’ve been laughed out of the lunch room! We lost our table to the egg heads!” “Ah ain’t got a problem with eatin in here,” Applejack commented. “It’s nice n quiet compared to the screaming war zone we call a cafeteria.” She shoved some of her apple sauce in her mom as Pinkie half heartedly played the drums. “This sucks,” Pinkie mumbled. “I can’t believe she up and turned on us. I thought we were besties forever! We had the music show coming after the Friendship Games we were looking forward to!” I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “I’m sure this will get sorted out,” I reassured her. She stared at me and tried to make her hair poofy. She sighed when she failed and slid off her drum sets seat. “Thanks Flutters. I hope so.” “Ah don’t get why she did it now,” Applejack muttered dejectedly. “She had months to pull a stunt like this. Why now?” “Who gives a damn about the why?” Rainbow grumbled. “All that matters is she turned her back on us. She’s a traitor!” “Hear, hear!” Rarity agreed as she crossed her legs.” She is a no good backstabber!” I gave sigh as I laid on my back. I wanted to just hide in bed and cry. “I have cupcakes and brownies,” I mumbled. All eyes shifted to me and I wanted to hide. “What?” Pinkie asked curiously. I held up the plastic containers for all to see. “Can I have one?” Rainbow asked eagerly. “They are for us all,” I answered as I sat back up and opened them. “Huh they smell mighty interesting,” Applejack sniffed her cupcake. “Let’s all bit into ours at once!” Pinkie suggested as she held up a white cupcake. “You’re weird,” Rainbow muttered as we all bit into the cupcakes we held. “What the fuck?” “Ew! What on earth is this?” Rarity screamed and rushed to a trash can. “Oh mah gawd!” Applejack spit hers into a napkin. “Mine had mustard in it!” “Mine had fucking mayonnaise inside!” Rainbow gagged. “I hate mayonnaise!” I panted as my mouth immediately was on fire and I wanted to cry. “Mine had egg salad!” Rarity shouted as she kept vomiting into the can. Pinkie was gagging on the floor. “I had ranch for frosting,” Pinkie moaned. I ran and grabbed Pinkie’s chocolate milk from her lunch and started drinking. “It won’t stop burning!” I screamed as I felt tears running down my face. “My tongue is on fire! Help me!” Rainbow and Applejack stumbled to the feet and rushed to me. “Get her more milk!” Rainbow shouted as Rarity tossed hers to Rainbow. “Mine had different types of pepper!” I cried. “This is awful! I wanna cry more!” I hated peppers with a burning passion. I couldn’t stand spicy foods. “Drink this sugarcube,” Applejack held the chocolate milk to my lips and I started drinking greedily. “That helped a bit,” I mumbled as I sat down and held my stomach. “I wanna vomit.” Rainbow passed me a trashcan and thankfully it wasn’t the one Rarity just got done vomiting in. “That was hilarious!” We all glanced to the door and my eyes widened. Lyra and Vinyl were rolling on the floor laughing. Vinyl wiped a tear away and kept laughing. “We got your asses!” Vinyl pointed at us. “Ahaha!” “Oh jesus!” Lyra screamed. “That was fucking gold.” She and Vinyl fist bumped as they shakily helped each other up to their feet. “Great plan Lyra!” Vinyl burst out laughing again and doubled over with her hands on her knees. “Think we can get them to do it again so we can record it?” “Go on!” Lyra leaned against a locker laughing. “Take another bite!” “Try the brownies!” Vinyl encouraged. “There’s a surprise in em!” We all glared at them and I wiped the tears away. “That’s so not okay!” Rarity shouted. “I hate egg salad! It’s disgusting!” The two girls looked at each other and started laughing even harder. “Vinyl I can’t breath!” Lyra giggled. “I’ve been laughing too hard!” “You messed with the wrong girls today!” Vinyl growled. “Don’t ever fucking talk to Sunset again bitches.” I gave a flinch at the language and shivered. Just because I was friends with Rainbow and Applejack doesn’t mean I liked cussing. “Seriously?” Rainbow fumed. “Get on the right side. Quit supporting a traitor. She will backstab you too. It’s all she knows.” Lyra and Vinyl gave each other a look. “You should show some respect,” Lyra said coldly. “That girl went through hell and back in Equestria for us. She saved us all more than once. She went through something I think one of you can relate to.” “Yeah!” Vinyl chimed in her support and flipped us all off. “You all are gullible and annoying. It was so easy to give Fluttershy those rigged cupcakes.” “See you losers around!” Lyra chuckled. “Don’t ever come near me or Sunset or any of our group again.” The two walked away as their laughter faded. “Did you see their faces!?” Vinyls laugh echoed down the hall. “Damn right!” Lyra exclaimed. “They were crying and vomiting oh my God!” “What the fuck is wrong them?” Applejack grumbled furiously. “Fluttershy was cryin!” “And Rarity was vomiting!” Rainbow snapped. Pinkie moaned as we all glanced over to her worriedly. She grabbed her stomach and moaned again. “I gotta go to the bathroom!” She exclaimed as she rushed out of the room. “Not pee!” “Did she eat the brownies?” I asked quietly. We all glanced around nervously as Rainbow picked up a empty container that had held the brownies. “Yeah it looks like it.” We heard Lyra and Vinyl laugh harder again as Pinkie ran crying down the hall. “What did they do the brownies?” Rarity asked in confusion. Rainbows eyes widened as she dropped the container. “They put laxatives in the brownies! Ew! Ex lax is evil!” > Chapter XL > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Did it really go like that?” I asked with a smile as I laid on a bed with my head on Sunset’s lap. She was laying on her back and idly stroking my hair with a blank expression. “Yep!” Lyra grinned as she and Vinyl were playing blackjack on Sunset’s carpet. “Rarity was vomiting, Fluttershy was crying. Rainbow and Applejack were really close to vomiting and Pinkie was groaning. She also ate the brownies!” Lyra and Vinyl laughed while they gave each a half five. “That is disgusting,” Octavia commented as she flipped through her magazine. “But funny.” “It’s just me serving out justice the only way I know how!” Lyra proudly exclaimed. “Putting my skills as a prankster to putting bitches in their place.” Bon Bon gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I for one am I very proud of you for standing up for Sunset. Hopefully they don’t retaliate against you or Vinyl,” Bon Bon said. Vinyl and Lyra looked at each other and scoffed. “Please,” Vinyl scoffed. “They are so busy defending themselves against the other students they won’t even be thinking about us. Unless they are secretly behind the account.” A silence fell over us all as we all looked at each other. “That....is plausible,” I admitted. “It’s hard to believe that Fluttershy would go through with it.” “Unless she doesn’t know it’s them,” Lyra commented. “Rainbow does seem like she would be a manipulator.” “But Applejack?” Bon Bon asked. “That doesn’t seem her style. It doesn’t seem like anyone in her family’s style either.” “Bon Bon is right,” Sunset finally spoke up. It broke my heart to hear how resigned she was to all this. Based on the others expressions, they were thinking and feeling the same thing as me. “I don’t think it’s any of their family. It’s probably some one still with a grudge. Probably Trixie or Cherry Crash. She’s most likely angry still I beat her up freshman year. Or it could be her friend Mystery Mint.” “Was she the girl with the beret you threatened that one day when I was sitting under the staircase during freshman year before me and Lyra started dating?” Bon Bon inquired. I tilted my head in confusion. I hadn’t heard this story before. “No that was Watermelody. She might be mad about that too. She hated me before the battle of the bands,” she muttered as she hugged me. “Can we stop talking about this? I just wanna cuddle my girlfriend while eating chocolate and spending time with my family.” “Yeah we will stop,” Vinyl said. “Sorry Sunny.” “It’s fine. We can talk about it later just now tonight. I hear about it all the time,” she muttered. “It’s frustrating and depressing.” “We know,” Octavia mumbled as she joined in on me and Sunset’s hug. We sat like that for a good amount of time while Lyra and Vinyl played card games with Bon Bon encouraging Lyra. “Hey girls pizza is here,” Cheerilee stepped in with two boxes in her hands. “I got a surprise for you Sunset too.” “What?” She looked up with bored expression. “I’ve had enough surprises this week as is.” Cheerilee sighed and sat down next to us with paper plates. I assume she had them under the boxes. She was a thoughtful women and I really liked her. “Fine. Your aunts and cousin are coming next week to spend time with us,” Cheerilee admitted. Sunset gave a rare smile and we all instantly brightened up at that. I hadn’t seen that smile in a god knows when. It was the type of smile that automatically made a room seem brighter. “When?” Sunset asked eagerly. “Next Friday.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I sighed as I closed my locker and hoisted my backpack on my back. It had been a long freaking day. Dad had spent all day shadowing Sunset to make sure nothing happened. Of course she didn’t know about that at all. She only knew Bon Bon was with her most of the day till Lyra took over for her part of the day. I personally liked my turn for watching over her. I can’t do much to protect her but she did say she felt safer with me there in general and that’s important to me. Hell, I had sex with her. You can’t get much more important than that to me. “Hey you are Sunset’s girlfriend right?” I glanced back at Cherry Crash staring at me. “Uh yeah? Why?” I asked curiously as she gave me a shove and I fell on my ass. I gasped and rubbed the back of my head. “Why?” I asked in fear as she stood over me. “Because you’re covering for her and I’m tired of it. You said I was fucking Mystery Mint! Get her to delete the account.” “I can’t get her to delete something she isn’t responsible for. Do whatever you want to me but I won’t betray Sunset. You could learn a lot about staying loyal considering you cheated on Lyra,” I growled. “You little shit.” “Hey!” We both glanced back as Sunset punched Cherry in the jaw. “Leave her the fuck alone. You can do whatever you want to me. Punch me, kick me, slap me and insult me but you don’t lay a fucking hand on her.” Cherry was on her hands and knees gasping while blood dripped out of her mouth. “I-I’m sorry. Just get rid of the account please!” Sunset gave her a swift kick in the stomach and Cherry gave a loud cry as she fell on her stomach. Sunset yanked her up and slammed her head against the lockers before tossing her to the ground and kicking her in the face. I watched with a slackjawed expression as Lyra and Bon Bon ran up and pulled me up to my feet. “Are you okay?” Lyra frantically asked me. She and Bon Bon were running their hands up and down my body in what I assumed was an attempt to look for injuries. I gave a nod as Cheerilee and my dad were pulling Sunset off Cherry. “What the fuck was that?” Bon Bon growled and I stared in shock. I never heard her cuss like that before. My two friends dragged me to Cheerilees classroom where Sunset and dad were with her mom along with Octavia and Vinyl. Sunset tackled me in a hug and gave me a kiss. I quickly kissed her back and winced at my back hurting. I'll need medication when I get home. “I’m so sorry about that.” > Chapter XLI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “You can’t go around attacking students Sunset,” I sat in front of Principal Celestia’s desk. Mom sat next to me with Vice Principal Luna behind her with her arms crossed her chest. Mr. Whooves stood behind me. I actually really liked him. He was a nice guy and plus, we both liked science. He surprisingly liked me too and was supportive of me and Derpy. So was his wife Evening Tide. “She was defending my daughter. She shouldn’t be punished!” “I agree!” Mom snapped. The two glared at their bosses and a silent argument happened. “Fine,” Celestia sighed. “It can’t happen again or you will be suspended.” “There wouldn’t be a next time if you expelled Cherry Crash years ago after she was caught smoking cigarettes in the bathroom. Imagine being good at your jobs. Can’t be you two,” Derpys dad whispered. “Watch yourself,” Luna warned. “Don’t say anything you would regret.” Derpys dad rolled his eyes and sighed. “Sorry it won’t happen again.” I stood up and sighed. “Now can I leave?” I muttered. “I want to go check on my potentially injured girlfriend please.” “Yeah you can go,” Celestia said. “Just please come to us next time and bring Derpy or any of your group with you. We will solve the problem, I promise you.” “And what about anon a miss?” Mom asked pointedly. “My daughter is getting dragged through the mud, her girlfriend and friends are getting caught in the crossfire. I want results before I get the police involved. And that’s a promise, not a threat.” “We have a few leads,” Luna admitted and I looked over curiously. “Like who?” Mom demanded. “I can’t say. You’re her mom. Mr. Whooves is Derpys dad. Sunset is in the room. It’s a conflict of interest,” Celestia answered. “We are both also teachers here. Our kids are students here. It’s to keep them safe so can we know now?” Mom asked. “Fine. Mystery Mint, Rainbow Dash, Scribble Dee and Starlight,” Luna admitted. I stared in shock and rubbed my eyes. I didn’t even know who the hell Starlight was. My fist hurt from punching Cherry repeatedly but I don’t regret a damn thing. Fuck around with Derpy, you get knocked the fuck out. If murder was legal, I’d have gutted the whore for laying a finger on Derpy. And I knew she was a whore because of what Lyra told me about her. Especially since I walked in on Cherry one day last year in the bathroom with someone. I’m not really violent unless you mess with important people in my life. Derpy is definitely one of those people. “Can I go now?” I asked with a bored expression. I quickly lost all interest. The only thing that was on my mind was making sure Derpy was okay. “Yes. Your girlfriend and friends are in my room. She’s staying the night tonight so she’s bringing spare clothes,” Mom smiled as I edged out of the room. “I will be there shortly to take you guys home.” I shut the door behind me and started walking down the hall, trying to ignore the angry looks I was receiving. At first they thought it was funny when it was just the Rainbooms but when their own secrets for revealed, they all turned on me. I don’t even get why they all believed it was me. “Bitch,” I heard someone mutter as I tried to make myself seem small. “Can you believe she turned so easily on them? We should have seen this coming!” Watermelody whispered to Scribble Dee as I walked past the two. I hated this. I worked my ass to be trusted and now I was the enemy again. I just wanted to curl into a ball and cry. If I did that in front of the school, I’d get made fun of even more. I think the last time I cried in front of them was during the Fall Formal. That seemed like so long ago. “Oh uh excuse me Trixie,” I muttered. “Can I get past?” She and her two friends were blocking my path and I groaned internally. I just wanted to get to my mom’s classroom. “Be gone anon a miss!” Trixie shouted as she reached into her pocket and threw the same dust in my eyes. I braced my self for the burning sensation but nothing came. I didn’t have enough time to ponder why or ask her. I took off to the bathroom as the hallway burst out in laughter. “The failed magician strikes again!” Someone laughed as I kept running. I could barely see but I knew this school like the back of my hand. After all, I ran this school like an evil dictator. This school was like my castle at one point. I don’t know what it is know. “About time that bitch got stood up to!” Someone else shouted before laughing. Why does this always happen to me? Why does it always have to be Trixie and her cohorts making my life miserable? I always tried to stay out of their way, be nice when I come across them in the hallway. They sometimes were nice to me, sometimes they avoided me. Everyone has bad days so I don’t blame them for avoiding me. I was absolutely awful fo them when I was a bitch. Derpy would kill me if she knew I referred to myself as a bitch. She was completely against me insulting myself. Especially during this anon a miss incident but it was hard not to. I stepped inside the bathroom and immediately went to the sink. I had to get this shit off my face. If Lyra was here, she would make a dirty joke. I paused and glanced behind me. My eyes slightly widened at Trixie standing there with Lavender Lace and Fuschia Blush. “What are you three doing in here with me?” I asked nervously. Trixie snapped her fingers and her two friends went to the entrance of the bathroom with their backs to me. “So no one sees what’s about to happen.” > Chapter XLII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I nervously stepped back and stared at Trixie with wide eyes. “Please don’t hurt me! I’m sorry people call you a failed magician! I know you’re not a bad one. It wasn’t me. You have to believe me!” I begged as Trixie stepped to me and raised a hand. I quickly closed my eyes and waited for a slap or punch. It shockingly never came and I opened my eyes. “A-are you hugging me?” “She’s fucking observant, isn’t she?” Lavender snorted with a smirk as she kept standing guard. Trixie kept hugging me before stepping back with a warm smile. “The Great and Powerful Trixie knows you are innocent!” She kept smiling at me. “And yes I was hugging you. Hugging is a sign of affection!” I gawked at her in shock. I didn’t expect this. I expected to be jumped or slapped by Trixie. “Y-you really know I’m not behind the account?” I stammered. Trixie rolled her eyes and placed a hand on my shoulder. She gave me a squeeze on the shoulder and nodded. “Trixie trusts you. She watched you turn into a really good person. Same with her friends,” Trixie announced. Fuschia glanced back with a reassuring smile. “But you threw powder in my eyes and said be gone anon a miss,” I said in confusion. Lavender grinned at me. “It’s called acting Sunset. We saw what happened to Derpy and were afraid it would happen to us if we had this conversation in the hallway in front of everyone,” she explained as she crossed her arms. “Cherry crossed a line.” “It doesn’t burn either like last time. Why?” I inquired. Trixie sighed and stepped to the sink, turning the water on. “Trixie didn’t realize it burned. She felt really bad she hurt you, so she and her friends searched tirelessly till they found a non burning disappearing powder!” The magician announced as she pulled a wash cloth out of her backpack and got it wet, starting to wash my face off. “Trixie and her friends want to meet you friends. Group meeting.” I took a deep breath. “Okay.” ------------------------------------------------------------- Lyra stood up instantly and hugged me. Vinyl and the others crowded around me. “Oh my god you’re okay!” Octavia announced. “We were afraid you got arrested for assault!” “Is Derpy okay?” I asked nervously. Lyra gave me a grin. “She’s okay. She has a bruise on her back but that’s it. She was worried about you more than herself,” Lyra answered as my friends made way for Derpy. She shoved me against the wall and kissed me. I quickly returned it and sighed. “I have some one who wants to meet you. Three people actually.” The others looked at each other curiously and shrugged. “Alright. Where are they?” Bon Bon asked. “Come in now. It’s okay!” I called out as Trixie, Lavender and Fuschia stepped in with smiles. “Hello,” Trixie waved with her trademark grin. “Trixie and her friends are here to be awesome and help Sunset!” My friends stared in shock at the three. “I did not see that one coming,” Bon Bon admitted after a moment of silence. Trixie gave her a smug smirk and placed a hand on her hip. “Trixie is full of surprises, isn’t she?” Trixie smirked. “Trixie is currently going on her Humble and Apologetic Trixie’s Repentance Tour for the people she hurt! Starting with Sunset. Trixie was awful to her and she knows Sunset isn’t behind anon a miss. Trixie and her friends want to help clear her name!” “That’s a long title,” Vinyl commented as she pushed her glasses up, revealing her red eyes. “It’s a working title!” Trixie declared. Fuschia gave a chuckle. “Yeah we are working on it. But yeah, we wanna help out any way we can. Sunset doesn’t deserve this treatment from the other students.” “Okay I trust you if Sunset does,” Derpy admitted. “She’s my life. We don’t really know what to do to prove her innocence. We’ve just been staying with her at all times on school property unless her mom or my dad is with her.” “We know. We’ve been watching while the three of us tried to figure out how to best approach her or Derpy,” Lavender answered. She shut the door behind her and pulled the blinds down. Presumably so no one saw us all meeting. “After what that bitch did to Derpy, we knew we had to get creative on how we talked to Sunset. So we did acting.” “It was pretty good acting,” I admitted as three girls sat down. “We know we aren’t the most trustworthy people after our actions at the battle of the bands,” Fuschia admitted. “Especially me after I locked Sunset and the Raingoons in the stages basement so we could take their spot but we wanna be better also.” “Trixie and her powerful friends watched Sunset change into a great and powerful person of her own. She is awesome!” Trixie turned red and coughed. “She’s a very inspiring leader.” “Agreed,” Octavia chuckled as she stood up and started pacing back and forth. I watched as the others looked at each other and had a discussion purely based on facial expressions. “Alright we will let you guys join us,” Vinyl announced with a warm smile. “We need as much help as we can get. Especially after the Rainbooms because they are bitches.” “They always were,” Fuschia grumbled as she glanced at the window. “We thought it was just us who thought Sunset was innocent,” Lyra admitted. “It’s good to know there’s more with brains in this damn school. Other than Sunset’s mom and Derpy’s dad of course.” “Yeah it’s stupid how the school has became a war zone,” Lavender snorted in anger. “When I find the fucker involved with this account, I’m gonna insult them.” “I really thought that was going somewhere else,” I admitted. “That’s what she said,” Lyra smirked. Lavender laughed and grinned at her. “That was a really good one.” “Thanks. So what do we do now?” Lyra asked. Trixie stood up and held out a hand to me. “Easy! We work together and find the real culprit.” Her friends stood up and grinned at us eagerly. I had a feeling they were being honest and I trusted them now. I reached out and accepted Trixie’s outstretched hand and she pulled me up to my feet. > Chapter XLIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- With a frustrated sigh, I shoved a pair of arguing students aside so I could get through to my locker. “Excuse you bitch. Don’t you shove me!” One shouted at me and I slowly turned around, giving him a cold grin. “I suggest you don’t talk to me like that or things could get ugly for you.” He rolled his eyes and groaned. “I don’t see your sisters around so they can’t protect you.” That was true, Adagio and Sonata were elsewhere at the moment but I didn’t actually need either of their help in a fight. I can easily hold my own. “It’s adorable you think I need their assistance in a fight,” I stepped forward and stroked his cheek. “Unfortunately for you, you’re wrong.” I quickly drove my knee into his stomach and he fell to the ground gasping. “Have a good day.” I kept walking to my locker and smirked as I put the combination in. This whole school was turned upside in a matter of a week. If I knew the chaos this school was capable of, I never would have agreed to attend. I’m only here because Adagio said we needed high school diplomas if we wanted to make it anywhere in this world now. At least Sunset trusted us when the others didn’t. I grimaced when I thought about her. We had been gone all week trying out our pendants in the mountains where we could be alone. Imagine our surprise, and anger of course, when we found out all this shit had gone down. I wasn’t surprised the Rainbooms had betrayed her so quick. It seemed like something they would do. For being a group that is all about friendship is magic and other shit, they aren’t the greatest models of displaying it. Especially since they kicked Sunset out within the first day. “Hey Aria,” I glanced back at a turquoise girl with golden hair standing behind me with her arms crossed. “Oh hey Lightning. How’s it hanging?” I asked as I started tossing books inside. “Been better,” Lightning admitted. “I’ve been watching Sunset and her group like you guys asked of me. Pretty torn up about this thing.” “They abandoned her too? Seriously?” I raised an eyebrow. Lightning quickly held up a hand and shook her head. “No they are on her side. Same with Trixie and her group I think because they have been sitting with her the past few days. It took me a while to find where they eat lunch at but I quickly found them in Miss Cheerilees room.” “Makes sense. It’s probably the safest area for them. No one would dare do anything with Cheerilee in the room.” That made sense why the typically cheerful teacher was furious looking around the school. Honestly, even I was nervous seeing that and that should tell you a lot considering I don’t get nervous. “Especially since Rainbow Dash slapped her in the hallway in front of everyone,” Lightning casually said as she watched a teacher separating a fight. My head whipped over to glare at her. “She did what?” I snapped. “The nerve of that walking pride flag.” “Yeah I wanted to do something but I was outnumbered at the time. I’ll beat her skull in with a baseball bat next time,” Lightning announced. “Be careful who hears you say that,” I warned as I pulled my phone out. “You’re already in anger management for assault. Don’t need you in a jail cell.” “True. What are you doin?” She leaned over my shoulder as I called my youngest sister. “Hey Sonata. I got a plan but I need your help with it. Yes I will get you Taco Bell for lunch.” Lightning snorted a laugh. “Tacos are pretty amazing,” she agreed. “Thanks sis,” I shoved my phone in my pocket and grinned at Lightning Dust. “Wanna help me get even?” ------------------------------------------------------------- “How long are we gonna sit in this storage closet?” Adagio hissed. “My dress is getting dirty and it smells!” We were sitting in the janitor closet behind some boxes waiting for our prey. Lightning was tossing a ball up and down. “Not long,” I promised as I heard yelling. “Sounds like Sonata is keeping her end of the plan up.” I was proud of her not gonna lie. I had told her she could back out if she wanted but she surprisingly refused. The door swung open and Sonata ran in. “Here she comes,” Sonata winked as she tossed a rainbow backpack on the floor and grabbed the key on a nearby box. The door opened again as Sonata hid near the door. “I know you’re in here!” Rainbow shouted. “I want my shit now!” I nodded to my friend and sister as we walked out to face. “Hello Dash,” Adagio smiled coldly. She spun around to face us as Sonata ran out the door. “Nice to see you again.” “Yeah yeah likewise. Why did Sonata take my backpack?” Rainbow demanded as I held up the bag. “You mean this one?” I asked curiously. “You won’t be needing it today.” I tossed it aside. Rainbow glared at me as she picked it up and tried to open the door. “Hey why won’t this door open?” She demanded. “Because Sonata is standing guard and locked it. You’re stuck here with us three.” “There’s only two of you?” Rainbow asked in confusion. I gestured for Lightning to come out and she stepped into the light with a cruel grin. “Lightning Dust? What are you doing with them?” “Hey RD, I'm with my friends after you threw me aside. It’s what you know best after all,” Lightning shrugged. “How is Bitchfire?” “Spitfire is fine,” Rainbow snapped. “What’s the point of this?” “You hurt Sunset. You fucked up which means all is fair game now. She’s one of us, she never was one of you. She spent hella time with you too and you threw her to the wolves,” Adagio explained as she balled her fist. “I’m not afraid of you!” Rainbow exclaimed. I gave a cruel smile of my own. I had to respect the false sense of bravery she was putting on. Unfortunately for her, me and my sister saw through it. I slammed my fist into my open palm as we stepped toward her. “You will be.” > Chapter XLIV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So what now?” Lavender asked as we gathered around a small table in Sugarcube Corner. This was the best meeting place we could all agree on because it was in between all of our houses. Made sense to all gather here. I was just worried if the Rainbooms would come in. Or the Raingoons as Fuschia calls them. She has a deep seated hatred for them, even before anon a miss started. “I’m not sure,” Lyra admitted as she bit into a cookie. “We haven’t done much. Sure the principals are investigating this but they aren’t getting anywhere really.” “Mainly because they have a lot of students to investigate. Apparently Rainbow Dash is a suspect,” Vinyl chimed in. “That’s what Sunset overheard at least.” We all looked at the fiery haired girl slumped over a notebook writing. “What’s she’s doing?” Fuschia asked with a raised eyebrow. Lavender and Trixie shared a curious look as they watched Sunset scribbling in the book. “Writing to Twilight,” Bon Bon explained. “Anything she writes in that book ends up an identical copy back in Equestria. It’s how they communicated after the fall formal.” “You mean the horse world?” Lavender inquired curiously. “Pony. Not horse,” Sunset said softly. She kept writing before closing the book and leaning back with her eyes closed in her seat. “What were you telling her?” Fuschia asked. Sunset let out a breath. “Talking to her about anon a miss. She’s coming through the portal in about an hour with some mutual friends of ours. To say she’s mad with Rainbow and the others would be an understatement of the year. I don’t think I’ve seen her mad before.” “Is she even capable of being mad?” Vinyl chuckled. We all let out a laugh at that. Sunset gave a nod. “She was furious when she was fighting Tirek if what Spike told me was true. She was very angry that day.” “Makes sense,” Lyra admitted as the doors opened and two groups came walking in. We all glanced at the sirens along with the same girl from lunch come walking in, giving the Rainbooms dirty looks. We all gawked at the black eye on Rainbows face and the multiple bruises. “Sunset!” Adagio waved at us as she and her sister came walking over. “We’ve been looking all over to talk to you!” “Why what’s up?” Sunset asked curiously. My eyes drifted down to their hands. Aria, Adagio and the mystery girl had bruises all over their hands. “We just got back from our trip to the mountains when we heard about this anon a miss shit show. How ya holding up?” Aria asked as she gave Rainbow a cold smile and I had a faint idea of what happened. “Pretty shit. I’m not okay,” she admitted as I hugged her. “Thanks Derpy.” “This is Lightning Dust,” Adagio nodded to the girl who gave us a nod of acknowledgement. “I was trying to remember her name. Hey Lightning,” Sunset waved shyly. The girl was joining Aria in glaring at Rainbow before she glanced back. “Hey Sunset.” “I’d love to stay and chat but I have to get to the portal. Twilight is going to be here shortly and I promised I’d be there to greet her,” Sunset announced. We all stood up with her, glaring at the Rainbooms who were watching us like hawks. “We will tag along,” Adagio announced as she stepped past the other group. “Hey Dash hope the eye heals quick.” Aria and Lightning Dust laughed as we followed them outside. ------------------------------------------------------------- We stood in front of the wondercolt statue, Sunset pacing back and forth checking her phone often. Lavender and Fuschia were playing a game on their phones while Trixie was talking to Lyra. Sonata was laying on top of the statue while Aria was laying in the grass snoring with Lightning and Adagio sitting next to her, balancing sticks on her head. The two often laughed when it looked like Aria was about to wake up. “Who do you think she’s bringing with her?” Vinyl asked as she was messing with a app on her phone and making music. “I have no clue. Probably Spike or Starlight,” I admitted. Apparently she didn’t tell Sunset who was coming with her. That was slightly concerning. “Nah it’s not Starlight. She is busy with her friendship lessons with my worlds Applejack right now. Something about scrapbooking I think? I’m not sure. She also has to do something called chillaxing with Rainbow. Whatever the hell that is,” Sunset shrugged as she placed her hands on her hips and stopped in front of the portal as Adagio joined her at it. The statues surface started to ripple as Twilight shot out of it. A yellow skinned girl, a blue one, a mint green girl, white one and a light yellow one joined her shortly after along with a cream skinned girl with pink and blue curls along with Spike. “What the buck was that?” Minuette moaned as she pressed a hand to her head. “I don’t even know,” Twinkleshine grumbled. “If someone could get their hoof off my plot, that would be greatly appreciated.” “Sorry!” Lemon Hearts exclaimed as she looked at her hands and screamed, scrambling backwards. “What in Luna’s name happened to my hooves?” Moondancer glanced at her and screamed herself. “What the hay is wrong with your body? Your mane and tail is gone!” “So is yours!” Lemon Hearts shouted. The two clung to each other and screamed. “My god,” Fuschia muttered. “Gonna have a migraine after this.” Twilight looked up and froze at Adagios out stretched hand as Equestrian Lyra and the others stared at us. Primarily at Sunset with shocked expressions on their faces. “S-Sunset?” Minuette stammered. “Is that you?” “Yep,” Sunset admitted nervously as she helped them up. “It’s me.” “I think I’m gonna vomit!” Equestrian Bon Bon commented. “Just give me a- blergh!” She painted the sidewalk half eaten hay fries and we all looked away in disgust, Octavia covering her mouth with a hand as she turned slightly green. “Hey there Princess,” Adagio purred as Sunset gave Twilight an encouraging nod. Twilight hesitantly took her hand and was pulled up. “Been a long time.” “It has. Where is the Rainbooms at?” Twilight demanded. I guess she was furious as Sunset had said based on her expression. “Sugarcube Corner,” I announced. “Thank you Derpy. I’m gonna go have a conversation with them.” “Twilight wait!” Moondancer called out and the girl stopped walking. “Where are we gonna sleep? Is there a stable or something?” “You can stay with me I guess,” Sunset shrugged. “And Twilight can stay with us!” Adagio announced. “Are you sure?” Twilight asked cautiously. Adagio gave her a grin and waved her hand. “Oh I insist.” > Chapter XLV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Are you absolutely sure they are in there still?” I asked as calmly as I could muster. Inside I was absolutely furious. We stood outside this worlds version of Sugarcube Corner. “Yes,” Derpy announced as my friends from Equestria were taking in the new environment around them. Equestrian Lyra was going crazy with everything around her. Both Bon Bons seemed to be getting a head ache from her. It didn’t help this worlds Lyra was encouraging her I suppose. I typically would find it funny and a bit irritating but not now. “Thank you. You guys can leave or stay outside. That is entirely up to you,” I announced as I pushed the doors open and stepped inside, feeling the warm air. Mrs. Cake watched nervously as I approached the girls from behind and I could hear parts of their of conversation. “Why was Trixie and her two friends with them?” Rarity wondered aloud. “Who knows?” Pinkie shrugged. “It’s obvious other people out there think she isn’t the secret stealer.” “It’s weird I admit. Hell if they threw their weight in with Sunset, that’s what? A lot of people?” Applejack grunted as she bit into an apple. “Lyra, Bon Bon, Vinyl, Octavia, Derpy, Aria, Adagio and Sonata. Add Trixie and her two friends, that’s eleven people plus Sunset,” Rainbow added a finger with her name as she groaned and held her side. “Plus her mom and Derpy’s parents,” Fluttershy whispered as she gave Rainbow a concerned look. “Are you okay?” “Yeah it’s hurting from where I fell in the shower,” she grumbled. “I’ll be fine.” “Looks like ya took a mighty hard fall. A few hard falls,” Applejack commented. “We should probably think about how we are gonna tell Twi about this.” “Yes how will you tell me about this?” I folded my arms as they spun in their seats and stared at me with wide eyes. Or one wide eye on Rainbows case. Her right one was black and closed. “Twilight darling!” Rarity smiled warmly as she stood up. “You should have told us you were coming!” She opened her arms to presumably hug me and I stepped back, watching her face fall. “Is everything okay? Ya here about Sunset, ain’t ya?” Applejack asked. A wave of anger washed over me at how she said Sunset’s name. “Yes I am. And I’m here about how utterly stupid you all are!” I snapped. “What?” Rainbow asked in shock. “What are you talking about, Twilight?” “You know damn well what I am talking about! I know all about you guys and this account smearing Sunset’s name!” I shouted. The girls flinched and looked at each other. While I was here last time, I picked up on a lot of earth words. “She is the only one who could have done it darling!” Rarity said. I stepped forward and slapped her across the face, leaving a red mark on her cheek. It got deathly silent inside as everyone looked over and the other Rainbooms gasped. “How dare you. I entrusted her to you girls! You promised me you would look after her! Not throw her away like yesterday’s trash!” I fumed. “But we-” Pinkie started to speak. “Silence!” I shouted as my voice echoed. It typically wasn’t that loud. “Do not interrupt me! You gave me your word you would look after her and teach her friendship yet the ones who fucking need it are you all. I’ve never been so disappointed in all my life! You disgust me in all honesty. My worlds Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have done this. She would have worked her flank off to get to the truth and stayed loyal to her! My worlds Applejack would have seen she was telling the truth! My worlds Fluttershy would have been kind and given her the benefit of the doubt! My worlds Rarity would have been generous and helped her! My worlds Pinkie wouldn’t have taken her happiness away! Do you know what happened to her in Equestria? She watched her mother die in front of her and you all pull this shit less than two weeks later? She needed you all! And not just Lyra and the others! The ones who promised to protect her! You are all so lucky she has friends in this world because if she didn’t, I would have cut off all ties and made you deal with magical problems on your own because quite honestly I do not think you are worth saving. If I had known you would have done this to her at the fall formal, I wouldn’t have left her in this world. I would have brought her straight back to Equestria and teached her friendship myself with your guys counterparts. They surely would have done a better job than you all did!” I shouted angrily. My ears got larger and my hair fell down my back. “W-we didn’t know that!” Applejack muttered as she looked away. “It shouldn’t have mattered if you fucking knew or not! She was your friend, not a God damn charity case yet all she told me was that is exactly what you treated her as! Not as a friend but a god damn parolee! And then you made jokes about her past to her face and yes I will admit I made a comment too but I regretted it instantly! I immediately apologized to her the moment I got the opportunity at that sleepover at Pinkie’s! Yet none of you can even muster the fucking courage to walk up to her and say we fucked up. Because you are cowards! All of you!” My face was burning red hot. “I honestly can’t even help you guys make it up to her for this. You girls are lucky that she is not Princess Celestias daughter because she would have raised hell. She is furious about this just as Princess Luna is. She wanted to come here herself and burn this world to the ground but I barely convinced to let me come instead! You’re honestly very fucking lucky Luna is not her mom. She can be quite archaic and violent with her punishments when she gets angry like she is.” It stayed quiet as I took multiple deep breaths and took in Fluttershys crying as the others stared at me in fear, making themselves seem as small as they could. Mrs. Cake was hiding behind the register along with her husband. “Do you have anything to say for yourselves? Speak now!” I demanded. They stared me with slackjaws and I rolled my eyes. “You guys are absolutely pathetic. Goodbye.” I spun on my heels and stormed to the door. A man rushed to get out of my way as I shoved the doors open. Behind them stood Sunset, the sirens, my Equestrian friends and Sunset’s friends. They all stared at me in shock with their jaws open wide. Aria and Adagio had their eyes open wide as Equestrian Lyra and Bon Bon reached out and closed each other’s jaws. Lemon Hearts and Moondancer stepped back nervously as I started walking forward. “Let’s go.” I started walking away and faintly heard Aria speak up nervously. “Watch out for the kind ones.” > Chapter XLVI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Dear Celestia,” Equestrian Lyra mumbled into a pillow as she laid face down on the couch. “I’ve never seen Twilight angry before.” “Yeah me neither,” Minuette mumbled back. “That was scary.” “Why was she so loud?” Trixie asked hesitantly. Me and all the other Equestrians in the room made eye contact. “The Royal Canterlot Voice,” I said simply. “Celestia used it a few times to get attention of her subjects. It’s very rare it gets used. Twilight must have gotten angry enough to use it.” “Looked like she didn’t even know she was using it,” Equestrian Bon Bon commented as she stared at her hands. Twilight had already gone to the sirens house and I hope they weren’t scaring her with their movie choices. Aria liked horror, Adagio liked soap operas and I’ll let you decide what Sonata liked. And no, it isn’t Taco Bell commercials though I can see her watching them for entertainment. Or because she was hungry. Either of those work to be honest. “Yeah for real,” Moondancer commented. She and Lemon Hearts sat on the floor staring at the TV remote. Moondancer squinted at it and pointed a finger at it. “What the hell are you doing?” Vinyl asked with a smirk. “Trying to use my magic to levitate whatever this is to me. I want to look at it,” she said simply. “I’m assuming it’s a tool for helping blind ponies based on the sensory buttons on it.” I let out a rare giggle and stood up. “You don’t have magic here. You don’t have a horn either. Thank God because that would be kinda creepy. And it’s called a TV remote. It’s not a sensory tool or whatever you think it is,” I explained as I picked it up and gave it to her. Moondancer ran her fingers over the buttons and pressed one. She let out a cry and threw it at Minuette when the TV came on. “Ow Moondancer! That hurt!” Minuette snapped as she rubbed her head. “How did the black void turn on?” “It’s called a TV, not a black void. She must have pressed the on button,” Trixie explained as she leaned forward. “Trixie likes this show. She watches it in her free time. It’s always fun watching the police catch the killer.” “Agreed,” Earth Bon Bon smiled and shared a popcorn bowl with her double. “I never thought we would have anything in common Trixie.” “Trixie is full of surprises.” “How does a TV work?” Moondancer asked eagerly as she pushed her glasses up. “What does it stand for?” “Television. A television basically consists of three parts. The TV camera that turns a picture and sound into a signal; the TV transmitter that sends the signal through the air; and the TV receiver, the TV set in the home that captures the signal and turns it back into picture and sound,” I explained. “That’s it in simple words. I’m sure there is books about it.” “Fascinating,” Moondancer mused as I heard knocking. “I’ll get it,” I announced. I walked to the door and peeped through the door. “Mom!” Mom walked into the room and looked out the window. Her face hardened and she narrowed her eyes. “Sunset get in the room with the others now. I’ve had some things I wanted to say to these girls for a while now.” I gave a nervous nod as I stepped in the living room. “Who’s here?” Vinyl asked curiously as she set her glasses on the table. “The Raingoons,” Fuschia fumed as she peered out the window. Mom flung the door open and glared at them. “You girls have some nerve coming here like this. Get the hell off my property now!” Mom growled as we all looked at each other in shock. Derpy had been asleep next to me but quickly woke up. “I don’t think she can speak to us like that,” Rarity mumbled nervously. “I can speak to you however the fuck I want. You’re on my property and we are outside of school. Typically I wouldn’t use this language but you girls have made me so mad for the last time. I will only say this once and you better pray to God it doesn’t come in one ear and go out the other. Stay the fuck away from my daughter. Stay the fuck away from me unless we are in school. I will not allow you to come onto this property and hurt my daughter one more time. Ever since this has started and you all abandoned her, she has been in her room bawling her eyes out over this and that hurts me deeply as her mother. So get the hell off my property now before I call the police and have you all arrested for trespassing. We always close that gate before we come inside and I watched Bon Bon close it. Now get the hell out of here!” Mom slammed the door shut angrily and locked it. “Angry Cheerilee is scary too,” Lavender whispered to me. “Is she always that protective of you?” “Yeah she is,” I admitted as we watched the Raingoons leaving. “She does her best to keep me safe. Especially now with anon a miss. I’ve never heard her cuss before though.” Mom grumbled incoherent words as she stepped into the living room. We all stared at her and didn’t say a word. “They are gone,” Mom reassured me. “I’m very sorry you all had to hear that. I’m just so angry about all this.” “It’s okay mom,” I smiled as we hugged. “Thank you. I didn’t want to see them anyway. They would have wanted to scream at me anyway.” “They wanted to talk to Twilight. Rainbow just posted that on her Mystable account,” Earth Lyra held up her phone and showed us all. “Idiots must have thought she was here. Honestly they are lucky she wasn’t. She might have screamed at them again.” “Hey what’s that?” Equestrian Lyra asked excitedly and pointed at the phone. “Is that a small tv?” Her counterpart let out a giggle. “Nah it’s called a phone. Come here and I’ll show ya how to use it!” > Chapter XLVII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I can’t believe we got screamed at by two people in the span of thirty minutes,” I grumbled and took a step. It hurt like hell to walk after the beating I received from the two sirens and Lightning. I may have lied and said I hurt myself falling in the shower. The truth was my pride refused to admit what truly happened but I think my friends knew the truth. “I think they are mad at us,” Pinkie mumbled as she played with her straight hair. It had lost it’s poofiness a long time ago since this started. We all stared dejectedly as we walked away. I can’t believe I’m even thinking this but furious Twilight scares the hell out of me. Rarity was terrified of her after she slapped her. Hell I was scared Fluttershy or Pinkie was next. No matter how mad or scared I would have been, I wouldn’t have hurt Twilight. I would have just yanked the two away from her. “Ah think that’s an understatement sugarcube,” Applejack admitted. She had left her hat in the car. She sighed as she hugged Fluttershy and wiped a tear away. “It’s gonna be okay. This will blow over and will get sorted out. Ah ain’t sure how but it will.” “I left my shake at the shop,” Rarity muttered with a shocked expression on her face. “I would go get it but what if Twilight is still there waiting for me? She scares me.” We opened the doors to Rarity’s car. “I’ll call my boss. I’ll ask her to put ours in the fridge or freezer or something,” Pinkie mumbled as we stepped inside Rarity’s suv. “I’m gonna sleep when I get home,” I admitted and rested against the seat. ------------------------------------------------------------- I jumped on my bed and laid down, resting my hands on my chest. I stared at the ceiling and closed my eyes, feeling sleep take me. I stood in a dark field and glanced around in confusion. “Where the hell am I?” I muttered as something in the distance moved and I squinted. “Hello?” “Hello there me,” a voice said coldly behind me and I spun around to face whatever was behind me. I stared in shock and a mix of fear. I stared into the eyes of myself. She had rainbow hair with a white streak in it and magenta flakes in her gold eyes. Her green skin had blue specks in it. “What are you?” I asked curiously. “Easy. I’m you. Or well, the Element you represent of course. Not that you have been doing a really good job of displaying loyalty recently now have you?” She asked pointedly as she pointed at a chair. “Sit down. We have a lot to talk about. This isn’t a request by the way. It’s a fucking order.” With a frustrated sigh, I sat down across from her. She snapped her fingers and a table appeared between the two of us. It had a chess board on it and she moved her white pawn a spot on the board. “So let’s go over what we know shall we?” She smiled coldly as an invisible force moved a knight on my side of the board. “Sunset was a bitch. She got hit by the power of friendship and worked to better herself. She stood up to the sirens alongside you and the others even though you guys made fun of her past. And then the whole school accepted her. Am I right so far?” “Uh yeah?” I raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Where are you going with this?” She stood up suddenly and flipped the table and glared at me furiously. “Then why the fuck would she betray you all huh? Why the fuck would throw away another friend group that she called a third family?” She shouted and punched me in the jaw. “Are you fucking stupid? Are you that stupid, Dash? She worked her ass to get where she is. All it took was a few posts and a few days for you to betray her.” I rubbed my jaw in shock. Even if this was a dream, it felt like I gotten slugged in real life. I honestly hoped to God I couldn’t get killed in the dream verse or whatever the fuck this was. “It makes sense!” I finally said. “I can’t think of anyone else! Who would be stupid enough to do this?” Loyalty scoffed and gave me a flat look. “You should look closer in your own circle before you jump to conclusions. I’m just here to say goodbye one last time,” she admitted. I stared at her and tilted my head. “What the hell does that mean?” I demanded. “Goodbye? My own circle? What are you talking about?” “You willingly betrayed your element. You pushed me away and I can’t be with you anymore. You did this, not me. And it’s time for you suffer the consequences,” she said as the last bit of blue skin was completely taken off by green. The magenta eyes were golden and bright as the rainbow hair disappeared. It was replaced with green and white hair. “I hope my next bearer isn’t as dumb as you. Maybe she will really understand how to stay loyal to those around her because you sure as fuck can’t.” “Wait! What did you mean my own circle?” I shouted as she started to fade away. She gave me a sad smile and I started to see through her. “Help me please. I’m confused.” “Sorry Dash. I truly am but I can’t help you anymore. You’re on your own from now on. Be grateful Princess Luna isn’t in your dreams. After all, the dream realm is hers no matter what world it is in,” she announced before disappearing completely. My eyes opened quickly and I sat up panting in bed. My sheets were covered in sweat and I wiped a tear off my face. I had a bad feeling things were only going to yet worse from here on out. > Chapter XLVIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I stepped into an orchard and picked one of the apples off the lowest branch I could reach. Buckets surrounded the trees that went on as far as I could see. “Damn! We gotta up our game this season. Lot of apples to harvest!” I grumbled as I tossed the apple into. A fist connected to my jaw and I stumbled back into a full bucket and fell on my ass. “What the hell?” I stared into the furious light purple eyes of me. She had green flakes in her eyes and her orange skin was mostly grey . Her orange hair had specks of blackish grey in it. “Get up. I’m pissed at you!” She snapped or is it I snapped? “Ah ain’t even sure what ya are!” I said as I stood up and dusted my jeans off. “Why did ya hit me?” “Because ah’m hoping to knock sense into ya ass that’s why! Ah am the Element you once represented. Ah’ll give a few moments to think on that before ah hit you again,” she fumed and cracked her knuckles. “Ah don’t understand,” I admitted. She swung and hit me in the jaw again. I staggered backwards till I was pressed against a tree. “Do you think ah like doing this? This hurts me AJ! Ah don’t like having to hit ya girl trust me. Ah can’t think of any other way to help ya see the truth,” Honesty growled and tossed her hat aside, wiping a tear away. “Girl you betrayed everything around ya. You betrayed yourself damn it!” “What is this even about?” I demanded as I rubbed my aching jaw. “Sunset,” Honesty said simply as she punched me again. “You betrayed her. Simple as that. And you lied to her. You called her family. Your mom preached to you as a kid that family doesn’t turn it’s back on family.” “Ah ain’t family with a snake in the grass! She hurt me too damnit! Do you think ah like this? If she had just admitted to being behind the account, ah would have taken her back in a heart beat! Ah don’t care if the others did but ah woulda!” I replied. “You’re lucky ah know you’re telling the truth with that last bit. At least you would have done that for her,” Honesty admitted. “More than what you guys did for her. What would she gain from doing this AJ?” “Ah don’t know. Ah can’t think of anyone else it could be. It ain’t Rares or any of us. If Trixie wasn’t jumping on board her train, ah would have guessed her. Even then this ain’t Trixs style. She never did anything like this to anyone.” Honesty gave me a flat look and wiped some blood off on her shirt. “Seriously? So you automatically blame someone else? Have you guys ever stopped to think you helped make anon a miss? That you guys are partially to blame?” She asked pointedly. “How would we be to blame? We ain’t airing everyone’s dirty laundry out for everyone to see!” I defended my self. I slumped down against the trees base. “Look. Ah don’t know what to tell yah but ah have nothing left to say. Ah don’t know what ya want from me!” Honesty gave a sigh and stood up. “I tried. I’m sorry about this AJ. Hopefully the next bearer is more truthful with her self. Here’s some advice, keep a close eye on those around you. Observe everything,” her eyes turned completely purple as the last bits of green faded. Her hair turned black and skin became grey as the orange fell off. Almost like shell or something along those lines. She disappeared and I opened my eyes quickly, rubbing my eyes. “What the hell was that?” I muttered to myself. Felt like a part of me left and wasn’t going to be coming back. ------------------------------------------------------------- I gave a sigh as I pushed the applesauce around my plate before I dipped a biscuit into it. The door swung open and Apple Bloom stumbled. “Hey big sis!” She beamed at me happily. “Ya ready to go watch some movies and hang out?” I gave her a grin and rubbed her head. Ever since this thing started, me and Bloom had been spending a lot more time together. I missed it honestly. Me and her usually do everything together but I kinda got caught up in other obligations. “You betcha!” I announced as I accepted the cup of coffee she handed me. Most people called me weird, but I preferred my coffee black. Mainly Rainbow is the one who called me weird. She doesn’t even drink coffee that often. She prefers pop I think. “Ah missed spending time with ya AJ,” Apple Bloom admitted as she bit into some toast sitting at the plate I had made for her. I usually make her breakfast before I make my own whenever I know she’s here in the house. If she’s at her friends or anywhere else, I’ll bring Granny or Big Mac breakfast. They used to do it for me all the time. “Are ya feeling alright? You seem pretty tired and out of it.” “Ah missed you too Bloom. I’m just tired is all,” I admitted. “Ah had trouble sleeping last night. Ya know what ah mean. How you can’t get back to sleep no matter how hard you try?” That dream from last night was still driving me crazy. My jaw still hurt for some reason. What kind of dream makes me feel pain? “More than you know. It sucks. Ah usually just count to a thousand and ah fall asleep around one hundred and forty seven!” Apple Bloom said proudly as I fixed the bow in her hair. “Ah didn’t even know ah could count that high! Pretty impressive, right?” I let out a long whistle and put my hat on. “Got that right. Hurry up and eat your breakfast. It ain’t gonna eat itself. If ya hurry up, ah might even let ya drive us down the dirt road for a bit!” Of course I didn’t let her take the truck on the asphalt but dirt roads were fine for teaching her how to drive. “Alright!” > Chapter XLIX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “My room looks oddly different,” I mumbled to myself as I sat up in bed. I looked around with a raised eyebrow and sighed. I had my typical baking supplies all over my room and posters of cupcakes and cake on the walls along with pictures of my sisters and I. But it still seemed different in a way I couldn’t describe. Like I wasn’t alone. I heard faint movement to my left and glanced over at it. I was hoping Limestone didn’t accidentally let her pet lizard out again. As much as I liked Scales, I didn’t like waking up with him on my face or chest. The wall shimmered and I poked it curiously and it rippled. “Oh it’s a dream!” I giggled and clapped my hands. A large cake appeared in front of me and I grinned. “I don’t think you should be happy when Sunset isn’t. After all, you took her smile.” I glanced back to the left and stared in fear as multiple clones of me started to melt out of the darkness. “W-what the heck is that?” I mumbled as more and more clones started to appear. They all were repeating the same phrase. “Why would you do that?” They kept getting closer and I pressed my hands to my head, covering my ears. “Because I was scared!” I shouted. The clones froze and stared at me. “So that’s the reason? You were scared?” I looked forward and a copy of me stepped to me. She had blue hair among her pink curls and white skin with pink. Her eyes were mostly red. “Imagine how Sunset feels. She’s literally been turned into a target and you did nothing to help her.” The other clones disappeared as she waved her hand and she glared at me coldly. “You wouldn’t understand,” I mumbled. “I thought all of the times we had together were fake. I love her for God’s sake! I’m happy she and Derpy are happy don’t get me wrong but still. I wanted that to be me, damn it! I wanted to be the one with her in Equestria. I wanted to be the one sharing a bed with her and yet here I am. Alone as always.” “I do understand because I am you. That’s the stupidest thing ever. If you loved her, then you should have stuck with her. Because that’s what people do. Instead you turned your back on her like the other former elements did.” “I was afraid of losing them. I was afraid of getting hurt by the other students. I’m not like Rainbow or Applejack or Sunset! I’m not brave. I’m not strong and I’m not a hero. I’m Pinkie Pie for crying out loud. I’m a coward who let’s others take the lead. I always watch from the back and follow orders!” I shouted and wiped a tear away. “I’m not strong enough to stand up to anyone! I sure as heck didn’t stand up to Gilda when she was bullying me and Fluttershy!” “Sunset was afraid of losing you guys. She has been getting hurt these past few weeks and you’ve all watched,” my clone countered angrily. “I honestly can’t help you any further. You and I aren’t the same anymore. It takes courage to stand up to friends.” “I don’t have that! I’m not like the others. I’m the entertainment of the group, that’s all!” I defended myself. “It’s not easy being the laughingstock of everything twenty four seven!” “Then change their opinion!” She shoved me off the bed and I fell with a thud on the floor. “Make them see you differently? You think Sunset just stood by and did nothing? Hell no. She bent over backwards for you and the rest of the school. Shows how much you all actually believed in her.” “I’m sorry! I’ll figure it out myself. I’m not sure how though,” I stood up and sighed. “My rear hurts.” “Sorry about that. I may have gone overboard,” she admitted sheepishly as her hair turned blue. I took a nervous step back as her eyes turned red and the pink skin was completely white. “I’ll see you around. You’ll need me in the future.” “What does that mean?” I asked as she walked out of my room. I quickly chased after her and the hallway stretched on forever it seems. A dark hole opened under me and I screamed as I fell. I shot up in bed, panting and crying. “Oh my god that was terrifying,” I mumbled as I fearfully looked around my room. I really hated the idea of falling. It was the scariest thing. People laugh at you and all. And if you fall from high enough you will die and I like living. Living is good. If I was dead, I couldn’t eat cake or cupcakes or share them with my friends. I haven’t been giving out baked goods recently after the most recent anon a miss post said both me and Bon Bon had a feeder fetish whatever the heck that was. I was probably the most innocent of the group along with Fluttershy. The others still haven’t told me what a feeder fetish was. I curled into a ball and cried. ------------------------------------------------------------- “You girls looked awful! Are you sleeping well?” Rarity asked as I idly played the drums. What once was a happy activity for me rarely makes me happy anymore. Rainbow had dark bags under her eyes and Applejack looked utterly exhausted. “I’m fine. Just tired is all,” Rainbow mumbled. “Haven’t been sleeping well these past few days.” “Ah’ll be fine,” Applejack muttered as she tossed a chocolate milk container into the can. “Two points.” All eyes fell on me as they stared at me worriedly. I hadn’t been talking since I got to school. I’ve been just avoiding everyone. I quickly stood up and threw my lunch away. “I’ll be back. I’m going to the bathroom. Don’t wait for me guys. Totally not going to cry again.” > Chapter L > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So what do you girls wanna do now?” I asked curiously as my group strode through the mall. Fuschia and Octavia had surprisingly hit it off well while Trixie and I became close which none of us expected. Lavender and Vinyl were close as well. Twilight and Moondancer were at one of the libraries in town. Minuette and Equestrian Bon Bon were at a donut shop while Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts and my counterpart were with us. It was kinda funny watching people do double takes at two of me in the mall. “I have no idea,” Sunset admitted with a smile. She had an arm wrapped around Derpys waist and looked happier than I’ve seen her recently which is always good. “We can go to the toy store!” Sonata giggled and jumped on her feet. I was the most distrusting of the sirens in all honesty of my group. Sonata was pretty cool and funny though. “They sell all sorts of stuff! Statues of mythological creatures and stuff. I love buying them for my collection.” “Uh sure?” Aria grumbled. “Me and Adagio can find something to do.” “Just don’t spend all your allowance in one go,” Adagio warned as she handed the young girl some money. “I’m serious Sonata.” “Okay Dagi,” Sonata grumbled as she took the green bills and the older two wandered of, giving the youngest of the three a worried look before disappearing around the corner. Sonata led us through the mall, dodging people and service animals before stepping into a store I recognized. “I come here all the time for comics and statues!” I exclaimed as a look of surprise crossed Sonata’s face. “Really? I do too. It’s my favorite place on earth!” She paused in front of a display case. “Well second favorite place. Taco Bell holds a special place in my heart always.” I let out a chuckle as we all separated to do our own thing. Me and Sonata sat at a table and started play arguing about which Greek God was better while Derpy and Sunset sat down next to us and listened. Bon Bon and Vinyl were looking at instruments while Octavia and Trixies friends were talking near the cds. Lightning and the three Equestrians were discussing video games it looked like. This place sold it all honesty. It was amazing. “Here comes trouble,” Derpy mumbled as she stared behind me. Sunset got tense as I glanced back, instantly standing up. Applejack stood there and gave us a timid wave. “H-hey yall,” she said as Apple Bloom stepped out from behind her. As soon as she saw Sunset, she immediately got tense as the rest of my group converged on us. She looked she had a deer in the headlights look as she glanced at all of us. Her eyes widened when my double stood there next to me. “What are you doing here?” Vinyl demanded as the two stared at each other. “Bloom wanted ta check this here store out,” Applejack said as her young sister walked away but kept an eye on us. Mainly Sunset. Vinyl balled her fists as the two maintained eye contact. Bon Bon and the others watched cautiously, evidently waiting to see how this would play out. I finally slammed a hand on the table and everyone jumped, quickly staring at me. “You,” I pointed at Applejack. “Come with me. I got a few bones to pick with you and this is too public a place to pick at them.” Applejack gulped and nodded. “Trixie is coming with,” Trixie announced as her two friends nodded. “Me too,” Vinyl chimed in. I sighed and rolled my eyes in frustration. “Fine but no throwing the first punch. I’m doing this to keep the peace, not start a fight,” I warned as I stepped to the counter. “Hey Day Trader. Can I borrow the back office for a bit?” He gave a nod as he opened a drawer in his desk, procuring a golden key and handing it to me. He didn’t really talk much because of his lisp. He only really talked to me and Bon Bon. I gave him a grateful nod and gestured for the others to follow me. I led them down a hallway, unlocking a room and they all walked in. I closed the door behind us and quickly sat down at table, steepling my fingers. “Sit,” I gestured to a empty seat at the table across from. Trixie and the others stood behind me and glared at Applejack as she sat down nervously. “You know, when you aren’t really good at something, most people tend to not do that or get better at it. I’m guessing you never tried to be good at lying.” “It wasn’t a total lie,” Applejack muttered. “We really did wanna check this store out. Ah knew Sunset and ya both liked mythology.” I allowed a faint smile to tug at my lips. “Well that’s good for her but what do you want with us? Why even come up to us?” I asked curiously. “Ah wanted to see Sunset,” she admitted. “Seriously?” Fuschia asked in anger. “After how you all treated her? Why should we allow you to see her?” “Ah’ve been thinking about all of this. Ah sat down and thought long n hard about all this. She wasn’t as stupid as this back then. She woulda been way more smart and hid it was her behind this,” Applejack admitted. “About time you pulled your head out of your ass. Must have taken a lot of lube,” I commented. I ignored the shocked looks I received and stared at Applejack, leaning forward. “Can ya tell Sunset ah wanna talk to her? Ah’ll leave the store with Bloom and let her approach me,” Applejack asked hesitantly as she put her hat back on. “I’ll let her know. But don’t get all upset when she refuses. You all fucked up majorly here.” “Ah know. Thank ya kindly Lyra.” We all made our way to the door and I held it open. “Remember leave. Don’t talk to Sunset. Don’t even look at her,” Lavender growled. “Ah promise we won’t.” > Chapter LI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- With a sigh, I flung my backpack onto my couch and collapsed next to it. I grabbed the TV remote off my slightly worn out stand stand and started flicking through channels. While my apartment may be on the older side and run down on the rough part of Canterlot, it was home. My parents and I never really saw eye to eye, especially when they found out I wanted to be a magicians assistant. Don’t even get me started when me, Trixie and Fuschia started The Illusions. I thought dad would have blown his head off in anger. They wanted me to go into business like they did. Business sounds boring. Magic sounded way cooler ever since a magician came to my seventh birthday party. I still remember how me and Trixie met. Freshman year in the cafeteria. She was working on card tricks and had a small crowd of five or six people around her. That’s also where I met Fuchsia. We had both been blown away by her card tricks. We’ve been friends ever since. Say what you want about Trixie, but she’s a good person. She had felt pretty bad she couldn’t pay either of us for being in the band or helping with magic shows. Not that many people showed up but hey, it was fun and a good experience. We didn’t care about the money. Sure, she wasn’t always this way but people can change. Hell it got so bad once, me and Fuchsia debated going it alone and doing tricks as a two women show but Trixie had gave us properly the greatest apology I’ve ever seen. Fuchsia planned most of our shows while I mixed and created our fireworks. I will admit, most didn’t go to plan but a majority did and that’s what matters. Anyway, after my parents found out about the whole magic show side business thing if we could call it that, they had been less than happy. So ya know, got a job as soon as I could and got legally emancipated as soon as was possible. Surprisingly the judge agreed and boom, I was living on my own and supporting myself. It’s a great feeling really. “Well this is boring,” I mumbled to myself. “I wonder what Brawly is doing.” I mainly kept to my small group so it was a freaking wonder I got a boyfriend. Especially one in Flash Sentrys band. One of the most liked people in the school. I will admit, I did find the anon a miss post calling him a horsefucker pretty funny. Maybe Fuchsia would be down to go hang out with him too. We haven’t really hung out because we were working double and triple time to clear Sunset’s name. I reached for my phone as I smoothed down my black leggings, brushing some dust off them. ”Hey Lav,” Fuchsia’s voice came from the other end. She sounded cheerful as usual. “Hey you up to go hang out with Brawly? I got a key and everything after all.” I glanced out the window at the setting sun over my little suv sitting on the street. I waited while I heard her humming in the background. She always hummed when thinking for some odd reason. ”Yeah I’m down. I’ll be there in ten minutes to come get you.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I sighed as I brushed a strand of my blonde hair out of my eyes as I stepped out of my apartment, locking it with my key before continuing down the street. I quickly opened Fuchsia’s car down and sat down. “Hey thanks for picking me up.” She smiled warmly as she turned her car back on. Why she turned it off, I’ll never know. “Hey no problem,” she glanced both ways before going straight. “I needed some excitement.” I gave a nod as a faint cough got my attention from the back seat smd I looked back. A girl with messy green hair and jeans sat with a striped sweater. “Hey Wallflower!” I grinned at the girl. She flinched and stared at me in shock. “Y-you can see me?” She asked quietly in awe. I tilted my head and gave her a confused look. “Uh yeah? We both can,” I said in confusion. “Why?” “Nobody ever sees me,” she mumbled and stared out the window. “Well we can,” Fuchsia reassured her as she glanced at her in the rear view mirror. I gave her a smile before turning back to look out the front windshield. “I didn’t know you were bringing your sister,” I commented as Wallflower kept watching the trees and buildings out her window. “Yeah sorry. I just wanted to get her out the house. I worry about her, you know? She spends so much time in her room with her plants and never goes outside unless it’s to buy more plants or get gardening supplies. I caught her talking to her cactus the other day,” Fuschia admitted as she kept driving. “Interesting,” I mumbled. I barely saw the green haired girl whenever I went over. She was so quiet she just snuck around all the time. “If I didn’t see her at dinner and when we had to go to school, I honestly wouldn’t know I had a sister. She’s scarily quiet,” Fuchsia commented as we parked outside my boyfriends apartment. “Wanna come with Wally?” She pocketed the car keys and looked in the back seat. “No thanks. I’m gonna be reading back here,” Wallflower said quietly as she held up a gardening book. Me and Fuchsia looked at each other and shrugged as we opened the car doors and stepped outside. We quickly bounded up the stairs and I unlocked his front door, walking in. “What is that noise?” Fuchsia asked with a confused face at the moaning coming from his room. I rolled my eyes and sighed. “He’s probably masturbating. Let me go in before you,” I told her as I pushed open the door to his room. “Hey Brawly what’s up-” I paused as he quickly covered himself as the girl in his bed fell off the side. “What the fuck?” “Lav? What’s going on?” Fuchsia peeked over my shoulder and her eyes widened. “Woah.” “What are you doing here?” Brawly Beats shouted. “You should have called!” My ears turned red as I felt anger wash over me. “You cheating bitch! Who is that skank?” I demanded furiously as I stepped forward and yanked the blanket off her.”Aqua Blossom, you whore!” “I’m sorry!” She screamed. “Please don’t hurt me!” “Oh I’m gonna hurt you after I cut his dick off!” I fumed as I felt Fuchsia grab my shoulder. “What the fuck dude? Why cheat on me man? I gave you everything!” “You’ve been gone for God knows how long doing God knows what!” He grumbled. “Just because you decided to not have sex until marriage or whatever doesn’t mean I can’t!” “We’ve been helping Sunset prove her innocence!” I screamed. “Are you kidding me?” He scoffed and looked away. “Oh that bitch. Fuck her. She ain’t worth it.” I would have slapped him if Fuchsia wasn’t holding me back with a angry expression of her own. “Let’s go Lav. He ain’t worth the jail time.” I nodded as she pulled me back into his living room. I paused and yanked the key to my apartment off his car keys and shoved it in my packet. I quickly threw my key to his apartment on the counter and stormed off down the stairs after Fuchsia, slamming it behind me. “Take me to Trixie’s please.” > Chapter LII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So does Trixie have to go bury a body or does she get to stay at home?” Trixie asked me as I laid on her bed, tossing a soccer ball up and down in the air. I rolled my head to look at her as I let the ball bounce on the ground. Fuchsia stopped it with her foot before it rolled away. “No he’s not dead. Wish he was but I don’t have the energy to kill him and Aqua,” I grumbled. “Glad I never had sex with him.” “Me too,” Fuchsia admitted as she picked up a rubiks cube and started playing with it. That girl was insanely good at solving them. Me and Trixie specifically bought her complex ones and she gets them done. “I don’t even know why you dated him. He did have reputation to be a womanizer, Lav.” “I don’t know!” I threw my hands up in frustration. “I thought I could change him given time. Plus he was nice to me.” “He was nice to you because he wanted to get you to drop your dress,” Trixie grumbled. Fuchsia glared at her. “Trixie!” “What? It’s true! Trixie could tell he was no good. She just didn’t want to hurt Lavenders feelings.” “Thanks Trixie. I appreciate it. In a way, I knew he was only nice to me because of that. I guess I was stupid,” I mumbled. Trixie rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around me in a hug. I quickly leaned into it with a content sigh. “None of Trixie’s friends are stupid. Her friends are very smart people and she is glad to know them. You aren’t to blame. He is to blame because he was manipulative and annoying,” Trixie proclaimed. “You’re not infallible after all.” “Big word for you,” I smirked. Trixie rolled her eyes and gave me a gentle push. “Shush. Trixie is glad you are joking again.” The three of us had a unique way of talking to each other. Mine was making jokes about each of us, even me. Of course I knew to not cross a line. Fuchsia’s way was just being quiet and listening while Trixie’s was to get angry and try to punch her way through whatever was bothering us or her. “I just don’t know what to do. I’ve already blocked him and her on everything. I’ve already changed my relationship status to single. You girls got any advice?” I looked at them hopefully. The two looked surprised at my request. While Trixie was technically our leader in a way, I was the one who helped make a decent amount of decisions in the group. I also was the one who tried to solve her problems herself. But if Trixie and Sunset could change, so could I. “Honestly yes,” Trixie admitted as she pulled out her phone. “Uh what are you doing?” I asked curiously. Trixie winked at me as she held the phone to her ear. “Calling Lyra.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I sat in the music room in the basement of Lyra’s house. We all three stared in surprise at the immense amount of instruments in the room. Ranging all the way from the piano Lyra and Bon Bon had used in the battle of the bands before we had defeated them to a harp to a bright red guitar on the wall. Octavia sat in a corner with a violin she was idly playing. Even when she wasn’t trying, she did pretty good at it. Bon Bon was sitting at the piano as she pressed a few keys with a smile. Lyra stepped into the room with a frown, Vinyl right behind her. “Hey guys. So I heard about your predicament,” Lyra continued frowning as she pulled a chair next to us. “Firstly, I wanna say sorry. That’s a shitty situation to be in. I know what it’s like to be cheated on.” “What do you-?” Fuchsia started before she nodded. “Cherry Crash.” “Cherry Crash,” Lyra agreed as a look of rare anger crossed her face. It was rare for the girl to get angry. Mad yes, angry no. “And I got the perfect solution to help you.” “What’s that?” I asked eagerly. I was desperate at this point. “We write a song and you sing it. If you’re comfortable enough, we upload it to YouTube,” Lyra answered, her frown becoming a smile. “What?” I asked in confusion. “That’s it?” “Music is a great way to express your feelings,” Lyra explained as she stood up and walked to the guitar. She handed it to Trixie who stared at it. “Who’s guitar is this?” Trixie asked curiously. “Mine,” Lyra said simply as she sat down next to Octavia, picking up a pen and paper. “You can play the guitar?” I asked in awe. I had a whole newfound respect for her that keeps getting added to every day. “Well duh. I’m a musician,” Lyra said smugly. “I can play more than one instrument. I can play the lyre, piano, the harp, the violin, flute and guitar. Octavia can play the cello, harp, lyre, violin and trumpet. Vinyl can play the guitar and keyboard. Bon Bon plays the flute as well the piano. Derpy plays the drums and harmonica sometimes for fun.” “Most of us can play more than one instrument. Lyra knows a bit more than us because of her family’s music background and her parents band. I only took the classes my mother demanded I take,” Octavia chimed in. She set down her violin gently in it’s case and closed it. “That’s super impressive,” Fuchsia admitted with a smile. “Wish we could play more. All me and Lav know is the sampler and guitars. Trixie knows the guitar and drums.” “I-I don’t sing!” I finally exclaimed nervously. They glanced over at me in confusion. “Uh we heard you and Fuchsia doing back up vocals for Trixie’s band,” Lyra pointed out. “You have a good singing voice.” “Yeah!” Bon Bon chimed in. “You can sing very well.” “So are you in?” Lyra asked me eagerly as they all looked at me hopefully. I took a deep breath. “Yeah sure.” > Chapter LIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Alright so here,” Bon Bon placed a piece of paper next to me before pulling up a chair with Fuchsia. “Me and Fuschia sat down and wrote these lyrics for you, her, Trixie to do. We sat thinking long and hard about the situation you got going on and came up with this song. We feel it fits you kinda. We circled your parts, Trixie’s and Lyra’s. Fuchsia is back up vocals for you three. I didn’t know she wrote tricks up my sleeve so it’s nice to have a fellow writer to help with this.” I picked up the paper and looked at my parts. I glanced at them in confusion. “Why would Lyra want those lyrics as her part?” The two looked at each other and shrugged. “We felt you wouldn’t want the topic of sex in your lyrics considering what happened,” Fuchsia admitted. Bon Bon nodded her agreement. “We can change it if you wish.” “No it’s fine,” I said before taking a sip of water. I didn’t really think we would ever get along with Lyra and Bon Bon. I thought they would have held a grudge against us for beating them in the battle of the bands but they surprisingly didn’t. They had been mad at the time but I assume that was the heat of the moment plus the sirens influence. “I’m down.” “Perfect!” Bon Bon beamed at me. “After lunch, we’ll go down to the studio in the basement.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “So typically we would have Derpy here to do the drums but Sunset’s family is coming to visit so she’s staying there to meet them. We can just use a drum sound effect online,” Lyra explained as she adjusted the microphones to match our heights. “Are you sure you want this recorded and put online?” “I’m sure. Besides, The Illusions haven’t done a song in a long time,” I reassured her and hoped my nervousness was hidden well. Octavia gave me a confused look. “Don’t you mean Trixie and The Illusions?” She asked. I shook my head with a smirk. “After the battle of the bands, Trixie removed her name from the bands title to be more inclusive to me and Fuchsia,” I explained. “That’s nice of her,” Octavia mumbled in surprise. “Didn’t see her doing that ever.” “Trixie is full of surprises,” Trixie commented as she stood up with her guitar. “The Humble and Kind Trixie is supportive of her friends!” “That she is,” I chuckled and wrapped an arm around her in a hug before stepping to the mic nervously. “Trixie can do the song solo if you wish,” Trixie whispered and I shook my head. “I got this.” “Okay,” Trixie stepped back and Vinyl lifted her camera before giving me a nod and I took a deep breath. “I miss the misery, I’ve been a mess since you stayed. I’ve been a wreck since you changed. Don’t let me get in your way, I miss the lies and the pain. The fights that keep us awake. I’m tellin you, I miss the bad things, the way you hate me. I miss the screamin, the way that you blame me. Miss the phone calls when it’s your fault. I miss the late nights, don’t miss you at all. I like the kick in the face. And the things you do to me. I love the way that it hurts, I don’t miss you, I miss the misery,” I inhaled and saw Bon Bon giving me a reassuring grin. “I’ve tried but I just can’t take it. I’d rather fight than just fake it,” Trixie grinned as she stepped forward for her part. “Cause I like it rough,” Fuchsia quickly interrupted. Apparently Trixie and Bon Bon had wanted her to have more parts so they gave some Trixie’s parts to her. “You know that I’ve had enough. I dare you to call my bluff. Can’t take too much of a good thing. I’m telling you,” Trixie continued. “I miss the bad things, the way you hate me. I miss the screamin’, the way that you blame me. Miss the phone calls when it’s your fault, I miss the late nights, don’t miss you at all. I like the kick in the face and the things you do to me. I love the way that it hurts. I don’t miss you, I miss the misery.” I will admit, I did miss me and the other Illusions singing together. Especially Trixie. “Just know that I’ll make you hurt,” Trixie sang softly. “I miss the lies and the pain, what you did to me,” Fuchsia took over and the pair kept doing the swapping thing we agreed on as I watched. “When you tell me, you’ll make it worse.” “I’d rather fight all night than watch the TV.” “I hate that feelin’ inside.” “You tell me how hard you’ll try.” “But when we’re at our worst I miss the misery,” the two finished together as Lyra smirked and stepped to her microphone she had set up next to me. She had been surprisingly good at the guitar in the background with Trixie. I stared in shock and a bit of concern as her hair grew longer along with mine, Trixie’s and Fuchsia’s. I had no idea what the hell was happening. “I miss the bad things, the way you hate me. I miss the screamin’, the way that you blame me,” Lyra surprisingly had a really good singing voice. I hadn’t focused too much on it at the time but yeah I was surprised. “I miss the rough sex, leaves me a mess. I miss the feeling of pains in my chest. Miss the phone calls when it’s your fault. I miss the late nights, don’t miss you at all. I like the kick in the face. And the things you do to me. I love the way that it hurts. I don’t miss you I miss the misery.” Vinyl waited a few seconds before she gave us a thumbs up and set her camera down. I sat down on a nearby chair and held my hair in my hand. Trixie and Fuchsia were looking at their own hair curiously. “Uhm what happened?” I finally asked. “I guess we ponied up,” Lyra commented. “It’s a term Sunset came up with for the Raingoons. They did it when they played music. Looks like we aren’t that different in that regard.” “It looks gorgeous!” Octavia announced as she admired my longer blonde hair. I had to admit, it did look really nice. I stepped in front of the mirror and noticed my ears had changed shape too. “How long will it stay like this?” Trixie asked curiously. “It should go away in a few moments according to Sunset,” Bon Bon replied as she and Vinyl looked at the video on the camera. “What now?” Fuchsia asked. “We pick a background for the video and upload it,” Vinyl answered as she plugged the camera into her computer. “Now come here and let’s pick one you three like.” We all crowded around and started browsing. I had a feeling that this was a pretty damn good start. > Chapter LIV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Are you sure they will approve of me?” Derpy asked as she paced back and forth of the living room worriedly. I gave a frustrated sigh while Mom chuckled. Today was one of the few days I wasn’t depressed over anon a miss. Mainly because of my family coming to visit. “For the tenth or so time, yes they will,” I grunted as Derpy paused and looked at me. “Was I this worried about meeting my aunts and cousin?” “Yes,” Mom said simply with a smile as she stood up and walked to the door, looking out the window. “Looks like they are here.” I gave Derpy a smirk as she started sweating. “Well time to see if I’m right. After all, they are gonna love you just as much as I love you,” I said with a wink as Derpy turned bright red and started sputtering like a car trying to start and utterly failing to do so. I crossed my legs as the front door opened and I heard excited yelling. A short carnation girl came running in the room and tackled me. “Oof!” I grunted as I hugged her back. “Hey Ruby!” “Hey my favorite cousin!” Ruby chirped with a grin. “I’m your only cousin!” I exclaimed. “I hope at least. I don’t think Aunt Cherry has been hiding a child of hers from us.” “God I hope not,” Aunt Cherry grumbled with a smile as she entered the room. “I think I’d have a lot more questions than you guys would if that was the case.” “Hey kid!” Aunt Berry chuckled at her sister as she ruffled my hair. “Been a minute, hasn’t it?” She gently pulled Ruby off me and I could finally breath. I sat up and nodded. “That it has,” I agreed. “Can’t remember the last time I saw you guys.” “Battle of the bands,” Aunt Berry supplied with a head nod. I tilted my head to the side in confusion. “Uh you guys weren’t there?” I pointed out in confusion. “Actually we were. We didn’t make it to the beginning and middle of the showcase but we showed up at the end. That was something right there,” Aunt Cherry admitted as she took her boots off. Me and Derpy shared a surprised look. “So you guys were-?” “Under those three girls spell yes,” Aunt Berry admitted as she sat on the couch next to me. “If we weren’t there, we really wouldn’t have believed Cheerilee.” Now it was mom’s turn to receive a shocked look from me. “You told them?” I asked in confusion. “And they believed you? How?” “Trust me, seeing what we saw made what she told us believable,” Aunt Cherry chuckled as she gave me a serious look. “You are really from another world?” “You’re a unicorn?’ Ruby asked me excitedly. I chuckled at how excited she was. She was practically vibrating a hole in the floor. Much like a certain mint green girl I knew. “Uh yes?” I said cautiously. “That is awesome!” Ruby shouted as she pumped a fist in the air. “My cousin is a mage! Let’s go!” We all chuckled at her as Aunt Cherry glanced over at Derpy. “Well hey there,” Aunt Cherry smirked as she stood up and walked to her. “You must be Derpy.” “Uhm yes. Yes I am,” Derpy said with surprising confidence. It sure was completely different from how she was acting ten minutes ago. “You’re Cherry Berry, right?” “Indeed I am. Heard a lot of good things about you.” Aunt Berry gave me a wink along with a smug grin. “Well looks like we found out what way you swing, now didn’t we? I have someone I want you to meet as well,” Aunt Berry grinned. “You can come in now!” A blue woman slowly walked in the room and gave me a timid wave. Me and Derpy shared a shocked look as she sat down. “Meet my girlfriend Minuette,” Aunt Berry grinned as the two hugged. “Hi!” Earth Minuette smiled. Thank God her Equestrian counter part was with the other girls Twilight had brought over at the sirens house. I might be a rumor but according to Lemon Hearts, a certain someone had taken quite the interest in Twilight. “Heard a lot of good things about Sunset. Nice to finally meet you.” “Yeah likewise,” I replied after a second. In all honesty, I didn’t know much of anything about the older woman. “Why didn’t I see you guys at the battle of the bands?” “We wanted to talk to you but we kinda wanted to let you have fun with your friends,” Aunt Berry admitted sheepishly as Ruby wandered around the house. “Hey Ruby. Why don’t you ask your cousin if you can play with her Xbox upstairs? I’m sure she would love to let you.” Instantly Ruby’s eyes were level with mine. “Can we please play some video games together? Please please please!” I chuckled at her begging and nodded. “Yeah sure. I’m sure we can find something child appropriate for the two of us. You like minecraft?” I asked as we started to walk up the stairs. “I love it. Me and mom and Minuette play it together all the time!” Ruby giggled as we entered my messy room. Thank God they hadn’t got here when me and Derpy were having some adult alone time. That would be embarrassing. “We’ve beaten the Ender Dragon a dozen times!” “Wow!” I gasped and feigned shock. I should get a acting job in all honesty. “That’s pretty hard to do. You sound like you are way more experienced than I ever will be!” Ruby gave me a confident grin as the young girl sat down on my blue beanbag I had on the floor next to my bookshelf. “I am! Mom says so, Minuette says so, Aunt Cherry and Aunt Cheerilee says so and you do too! So it must be true!” I turned the Xbox on and handed her the controller. I sat down on the floor next to her with a grin. “Then show me!” > Chapter LV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So Derpy,” Sunset’s youngest aunt smiled at me. “How did you meet Sunset?” “Oh uh after the fall formal,” I answered. “Do you guys know about that too or?” Her two aunts looked at each other and nodded. “Yeah we do,” Cherry Berry admitted. “Cheerilee laid it all out on table after the battle of the bands. It doesn’t change our opinion of Sunset by the way.” “Just makes us like her more,” Berry Punch chimed in. “Not a lot of people would be able to get up after something like that and better themselves.” “Yeah and look at what happened to all her hard work,” Cheerilee said bitterly. “She gets backstabbed by her so called friends.” A dark look crossed her two sisters faces. “Oh yeah I got opinions about that,” Berry growled. Based on her facial expression, this wasn’t the first time it had been brought up between the four. Minuette looked slightly annoyed too and she literally just met Sunset. I suppose she has a right to be mad too. Sunset is her girlfriends niece after all. “Careful sister,” Cherry warned as she placed a hand on her shoulder. “Ruby is still in the house.” I glanced up the stairs and listened to the laughing coming from Sunset’s room. It was a good sound to hear. Haven’t heard Sunset legitimately laugh in ages. “Trust me, being in the house with Berry when she first found out about this anon a miss thing was something. She was shouting swear words for about two hours or so. Luckily Ruby was in school,” Minuette chuckled as she wrapped a hand around her tea cup. “So how well do you know my niece?” Berry Punch focused on me as she sipped from her wine glass. “Uh pretty well I’d say. I’m practically here all the time,” I admitted with a red face. As long as I didn’t say what we got up to most of the time, I should be good. “Got plans to get married?” Berry smirked and I turned even redder. “No!” I said quickly and she raised an eyebrow. “What, my niece not good enough for you?” She smirked. “”I mean no not right now! I’m only eighteen! I love her don’t get me wrong but we are both in high school and don’t even have jobs yet or have college degrees or cars or houses or even drivers license!” I hastily said. Berry Punch held up a hand and I stopped. “Relax kid. I was only teasing,” she said with a smile. “You’re good in my books. You wouldn’t be liked by us if we didn’t taunt you a little. Good natured teasing is healthy and all.” I let out a breath and sighed. “Oh okay,” I said. “I haven’t heard Sunset laugh in a while. I missed the sound.” “Me too,” Cheerilee admitted. “It’s good to hear. Ruby has a way of doing that to people. Why do you think Berry suggested Ruby ask Sunset if they could play video games?” “I thought it was to tease me to be honest,” I admitted. “That too.” “Sunset still doesn’t know how to drive?” Berry asked incredulously as Minuette smirked. “Seriously?” “I’ve never shown her,” Cheerilee admitted. “Maybe in a few days I will.” “At least Cherry isn’t teaching her how to drive!” Minuette laughed. Cherry Berry shot her a dirty look. “I’m a good driver!” She exclaimed indignantly. The three older women stared at her. “What?” “When you were sixteen, you backed up on the shoulder of the highway because you missed your exit,” Berry Punch said flatly. “That was one time!” “You also did it when you were twenty. The state trooper said he had never seen someone do something so dangerous in all his life.” “Can you believe he wanted to take me to jail for that?” Cherry Berry scoffed. “He should have!” Minuette shot back. “I would have if I was him. You’re lucky a car went flipping down the highway and he went to go help them.” I watched as the four stared at each other before laughing. “Uhm muffin?” I offered weakly and held up a basket. “Yeah sure,” Berry Punch shrugged and took one. Her eyes lit up and she swallowed hers. “Derpy, you have my full permission to marry Sunset if it means I get to have more muffins like this.” I turned a bright shade of red for what felt like the fifth time this evening. “Hey!” Cheerilee said as she took her own muffin. “Isn’t it my job to give Sunset away?” “Like slave trade?” Berry smirked at her. “Think that went out of style years ago sis.” “God you’re a freak,” Cherry Berry rolled her eyes. “I hope to God it isn’t transmitted by air because if so we are all dead.” “Berrypunchitis,” Berry whistled approvingly. “I like it. And if you got infected, it would just make you like me.” “That’s a scary thought right there,” Minuette chuckled. “I’d turn into a blanket hogger in bed.” “I do not hog the blanket! You do!” Berry Punch retorted as she stared at the blue woman. “You’ll have to excuse them,” Cherry smirked as she watched the two continue their play argument. “They are like this all the time.” “Oh okay,” I said. Cherry nodded as she focused back on Cheerilee. “Does anyone else other than us and Derpy support Sunset?” She asked. Cheerilee inhaled and nodded. “Yeah. Lyra and the others. Trixie and her band mates along with the sirens.” “The sirens?” Berry raised an eyebrow as she and Minuette calmed down. “What the hell is that?” “The girls that had us all under their spell,” I explained. “Sunset is friends with them and forgave them.” “See? Another reason why Sunset is awesome,” Berry nodded. “Not many people would do that.” “Especially after what they said to her,” I agreed as Berry narrowed her eyes. “What did they say to her?” Me and Cheerilee made eye contact and I pulled out my phone, bringing up a saved video of Sunset confronting the sirens on her own that Vinyl had recorded in an attempt to break Octavia from the spell. ”You’re never gonna get away with this,” Sunset said firmly as the others watched my phone. ”Why? Because you didn’t?” Adagio asked pointedly. ”We know all about you,Sunset Shimmer. Turns out you got quite the reputation at Canterlot High.” ”I’ve changed! I’m in a much better place!” ”Sitting in the wings while your friends have all the fun?” Aria asked. ”Oh yes. You girls are so tight. And yet, they didn’t ask you to be in the group.” ”Probably afraid no one would want to see them play if she was in the group.” ”Too bad! So sad!” ”If it’s any consolation at all, no one is even gonna remember you by the time were done,” Adagio smirked as she and Sonata hip checked Sunset as they walked past her and I shut my phone off. Me and Cheerilee looked at each other as the three others sat with stunned faces as Berry chuckled. “What’s so funny?” Minuette asked in confusion. Berry grinned at her and leaned back on the couch. “I have a bad ass niece.” > Chapter LVI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Hey Bons,” I smirked at my girlfriend as I slid onto my bed. She was sitting on the bed writing in her notebook and occasionally chewing on the end of her pencil in thought which I found adorable. “What ya doin?” “Writing a song,” she answered. “It’s for Sunset we can all sing. I have lines, you do, Derpy does, Vinyl does, Octavia does. Lightning and The Dazzlings do and so does The Illusions. If Sunset is in the mood for it, I have lines for her.” She quickly erased some before writing again. I peeked over her shoulder. “You find out who your friends are?” I read the title out loud and squeezed her shoulders as I read some of the lyrics and smiled. “I think it’s a great song Bonnie.” “I got some of the stage designed too. Think you and the others are gonna like it,” she grinned back. “Woah hold on. Stage?” I asked curiously. “What are you talking about?” “After we prove Sunset is innocent, I was thinking we could sing it in front of the school on the stage the Illusions won the battle of the bands on. Great outdoor setting and space. Enough seats for the whole school. It would really stick it the school and the Raingoons for how they treated her!” Bon Bon exclaimed as I relaxed onto the bed. “I approve,” I said as a smile grew on my face. “This is a great idea.” “Thanks Lyra,” Bon Bon gave me a kiss and I gave her a sultry look. “Now why don’t you show me how grateful you actually are?” She smirked at me and tossed the notebook and climbed on top me. I gave her a quick kiss and slide my hand up her shirt. “Someone’s eager,” Bon Bon teased. “You have no idea.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “So what do you have us all here for?” Vinyl asked as we all sat in the breakroom of my job. Technically, it was Bon Bons job as well. Benefits of dating the owners daughter is you can get a job easier. “I have an idea,” I said. Trixie tilted her head to the side curiously. Lavender and Fuchsia looked at each other before focusing on me. “Okay we are listening,” Lavender answered as Octavia nodded her agreement. Bon Bon sat next to me as I pulled my phone out. “Alright so the song we did talking about Lavenders ex got a lot of views right?” I showed them the video. “Right,” Lavender nodded with a grin. “Even a few people from Crystal Prep said it was good. Think their names were Lemon Zest and Coco Pommel. And this is Crystal Prep we are talking about. They never think anything someone from our school would.” “Stuck up pricks,” I folded my arms and looked away. It was common knowledge our group hated the rival school with a burning passion. Well technically the whole school did, but minor detail. At least one thing united the school during this anon a miss shit. “Trixie is confused,” Trixie announced. “We did good as a group yes but where are you going with this?” “Since we got a lot of views and music can send a message. It can say a lot of things. Feelings and such. So what I propose is we do the exact same thing we did. Except we get a little bit more personal this time,” I explained. “Yeah I’m still confused,” Bon Bon said after a moment of silence. “You want to make another song about Brawly? He already is getting ridiculed by the school and Flash Sentry kicked him out of the group for what he did. How far do you wanna take this, Lyra?” “Not that. I feel we got our point across on that lowlife scum. Bet his birth certificate is an apology letter from the condom factory.” Lavender burst out laughing and high fived me. “God I love you Lyra. You know the right stuff to say.” “Love ya too fam,” I smirked as the room quieted down from laughing. Even Octavia had a smile on her face after that. “But no, I’m saying we make a song about a certain group. I don’t think we truly have gotten our revenge.” “Trixie is listening.” I knew she would be down for whatever I came up with. “I’m surprised you three are down for whatever it takes to bring down the Raingoons,” Vinyl commented as she tossed some caramel popcorn in her mouth. Bon Bon gave her a flat look. “Please keep it clean in here. We don’t need the city in here again complaining about us living upstairs.” Vinyl gave her a thumbs up and Bon Bon nodded. “We have modest goals in life,” Trixie admitted. “Be the best magician’s in all of Canterlot.” “Be the best magician’s assistants!” Lavender chimed in with a smile. “Crush the Raingoons under our purple and blue boots and be the best band at Canterlot High!” Fuchsia exclaimed with a clenched fist. “You know, modest goals.” I rolled my eyes with a chuckle. “So what do you have planned now Lyra?” Vinyl as she crossed her legs and pulled her glasses on top of her head. “Easy. We make a diss song. Kinda like what we did before but take it all the way.” “A what?” Octavia asked with a raised eyebrow. “It’s a song to purposefully insult a person or a group of people. The point is to be as rude and insulting as possible,” Vinyl explained. “Yeah I uh don’t think I’m insulting enough,” Octavia admitted. “Yeah me neither,” Bon Bon agreed. “We can record you guys though. We’re a group after all and we can still support you guys.” We all looked at each other and nodded. “Trixie is in,” Trixie announced smugly as she and her other band mates stood up. “We will bring our lyrics if you guys bring yours. We should get the sirens involved. Strength in numbers.” As much as I didn’t want to work with those three girls, Trixie had a point. I let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine.” > Chapter LVII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I gave a smirk and crossed my legs, brushing some orange hair out of my eyes. Aria and Lightning Dust wore surprised expressions. “So let me get this straight,” Aria finally spoke. “You want us to do a diss track like we are NWA?” Octavia tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Who?” She asked and Aria rolled her eyes. “Jesus Christ. Kids these days,” she grumbled. I snorted a laugh and sighed. “It’s not important right now.” “Uhm okay,” Octavia still looked confused and quickly shook her head. “So are you in? Vinyl plans to upload this one again to YouTube. Lyra wanted to insult the Rainbooms directly in musical form. I will leave the address to Lyra’s house with Adagio,” she handed me a piece of paper. “If you show up we will know you’re interested. Arrivederci!” She walked away with her lunch tray and Sunset’s on top and we all looked at each. Sonata gave a faint muffled sound and I rolled my eyes in faint frustration. “Sonata please swallow your food before trying to speak. You’re gonna die one day if you don’t,” I rolled my eyes. Sonata nodded and I patiently waited. “I say we do it! We can be like one of those old school groups and pull up with a glock on those bitches!” Sonata stood up on the table and crossed her arms after throwing up a sign. “Brap! Driveby motherfucker!” Aria hastily yanked her down and looked around her. “Are you stupid?” She hissed. “Don’t throw up random gang signs! Are you trying to get shot?” “And we are not pulling up with a glock to anyone’s house Sonata,” I grumbled. Sonata brushed us and rolled her eyes. “Stfu mf. You might not but Lightning will,” Sonata said. “Would you quit talking in acronyms please? This isn’t a freaking text message. Just say the word,” Aria rolled her eyes. Sonata opened her mouth. “Don’t,” I cut off Sonata and she closed her mouth. “You’re the youngest. You shouldn’t be cussing anyway.” The bell rang and my other two sisters stood up to go to their class, arguing the whole. I glanced at Lightning who was laughing and I rolled my eyes. “Those two are gonna be the death of me one day.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I stared at a large white house and glanced at my other companions. They wore the same surprised faces that I’m sure I wore. I gave a shrug and entered the code Octavia had given us into the gate and pushed it opened after a few seconds. “Lyra lives here?” Aria asked incredulously. “Damn.” Lightning let out a whistle as we walked along the path. “You know I’m not gay or bi, but I can pretend if it means I get to visit this place often,” Lightning commented as the front door opened. Lyra stood there with her arms crossed and an unreadable expression. “Come in,” she said simply and stepped away from the door. I rolled my eyes as Sonata bounced through the door. “Take your boots off at the door Sonata,” I chided. “Don’t trek mud through her house please.” She let out a grumble and yanked them off before tossing them in a pile near the door. “Thank you,” Lyra said simply as she led us down the stairs into the basement. “We have instruments if you play. Or you guys can just do vocals like you did before.” She pushed the basement door open and everyone stared at us as we quickly sat down. Sonata bounded up to Vinyl and the two started talking about God knows what. “Hello again,” Bon Bon nodded to us. “It’s uh nice to see you again.” She looked away uncomfortably. “Indeed it is,” I agreed. “So what do you all have planned again?” Lyra handed us a all sheets of paper and I raised an eyebrow. “Who wrote these?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. Bon Bon and Lyra sheepishly raised their hands. “Wow. I can see Lyra writing these but not Bon Bon. Some of the language in here is very vulgar.” “What does that mean?” Lyra demanded as she leaned back in her chair. “I’m not all that vulgar!” “I’m not even gonna bother to say some of these out loud right now. When do we get started, I have to make dinner for my sisters after this.” “Now but first I have something to say.” “Lyra now is not the time,” Bon Bon said warningly. I held up a hand and she stopped talking as everyone stared. “Let her talk,” I said simply and leaned forward. “We are adults and can handle some criticism. Say what you have to say.” Lyra nodded and clenched her fist. “I don’t trust you. Either of your sisters too. You tried to brain wash us into being probably slaves because of some adoration power trip you three were on,” Lyra grumbled. “But Sunset trusts and likes you so that has to count for something. I may not like you three all that much right now, but that doesn’t mean that can’t change in the future. We don’t have many people on our side right now as is.” “Are you done?” I asked and she gave a nod, sitting back down in her chair next to Bon Bon. “Okay. For starters, it’s what we knew. After all, we had to survive too. We weren’t able to eat physical food and survive off it for long like you guys can until recently. That’s like trying to take a lion and leave it in a cage with a zebra and tell it to not kill the zebra.” “You can’t get rid of instinct,” Aria chimed in. “We’ve been alive for a thousand years. We’ve instigated some of the bloodiest revolutions in history. The revolutionary war, the French executing Louis the Sixteenth. Don’t even get me started on Gettysburg. This is all we knew. You can’t throw three sirens into a new world and not resort to their most basic way of survival.” Lyra and Vinyl made eye contact before nodding. “You have a point,” Lyra admitted. “It makes sense.” “Now if that’s out of the way, let’s get to work.” > Chapter LVIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Okay so how we want it is Lyra goes first, then Vinyl, then Aria, Adagio, Sonata, Trixie and her group, then Lightning,” Earth Bon Bon explained as I adjusted my witches hat. Fuchsia sat next me and tossed her phone on the basements couch with a smile. Twilight was sitting on the floor with a book with Moondancer as Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine were trying to play a game on Earth Lyra’s phone. Equestrian Lyra and Bon Bon were watching us curiously set up. “The Great and Powerful Trixie understands,” Trixie proclaimed with a grin. Earth Bon on Bon gave a satisfied nod and stepped back as she accepted the camera from Octavia. Octavia peered over her shoulder and gave a thumbs up. “Who can stop us now? While the whole world bows, watch us share this crown. Every time you step in, we push you out. Who can stop us now? While the whole world bows. Try and bring us down, every time we step in, we push you out.” “You heard us before, but that was just a little sample. We’re back for more, here to set the worst example. Murdered out, pitch black grin, still white skin. You know I’m hard to kill but real I’m moving in. I’m putting twenty two down while I’m puking up blood. You know I’m here to stay or fuck I’m gonna die young. Now my posses getting bigger and bigger, it’s one eighty eight minus one you know the figure.” I stared in surprise at Vinyl and smirked. I didn’t expect someone so quiet to be so violent. “I spew hate in every direction I spit I’m tearin it down, everything you built. I already found my niche, bitches. Ain’t never gonna stop this is it. This punk ass better go home or retire, with her mom. Cause its already too late to stop what I did. It hurts when I rip this mic up, slap you upside and call you my bitch, if you can’t play the game fucker. Better stand outside it. You ain’t never gonna have no fame again, both you and your boyfriend in bed. Look at these fuckers, how we beat them with just a touch of a pen. I could’ve smacked you hard, but I tapped you bitch and we wrote this song instead.” “Feel the wave of sound as it crashes down,” Adagio stepped forward. “Ever since Sunset left, your band went to shit. There’s no more Rainbooms, no more talent no more show business. You’re a bunch of fucking jokes, if you get hurt feelings oh well.” “You’re a spineless, pathetic lot, and you haven’t got a single clue about anything. Secret stealer? Please, Pinkie Pie is getting too fat to be calling names. You hear the crowd, they know you’re down. Your time is running out,” Sonata sang coldly.”We will break on through, now it’s time to finish you.” I’ve never seen the happy girl mad or insult anyone. It was a bit scary. “You think you’ve got what it takes to go toe to toe? We’ve got more moves than you’ll ever know. We own the stage, we’re all the rage. You’re from the past,we’re from the Space Age! Come on, you’re just making noise. Listen how our music destroys. Anything you throw at us, we’re gonna throw back, just wait and see. Ya better believe we got tricks up our sleeves and we captivate, cause we’re powerful and great.” “We’re just here to bring you down a peg,” I sang and Trixie gave me a reassuring grin. “By the time we’re done, you’re gonna beg.” “Don’t mean to brag, don’t mean to boast, but we’re a six-course meal and you’re just burnt toast. Think we’re gonna ever give up? No, never, ever, ever, ever!” Fuchsia sang and I gave her a subtle approving nod. “Do something, you couldn’t fade me on your best day. The Wiz Kid’s gone, that’s why you get less attention. Still remember when your first song dropped. Skipped it to the chorus, the rest of y’all flopped. Whack ass lyrics, I mean garbage. Leaky like a faucet, your whole entourage. Wish on a star? Bitch, you’ll never make a million. Rest in peace alone. I wouldn’t put a fuckin’ flower on your gravestone if you died. I grew up by drivebys and gang signs so what the fuck you know about being in danger? Mad at all of us because all our songs are a fucking hit. To Rainbow Dash I’m mean but I’m not mad at the girl. Lyra just put me in the booth, I’m better and faster than her,” Lightning smiled coldly as Earth Bon Bon stepped back to keep the athlete in frame. Or that’s what I assumed was happening. Earth Bon Bon gave a nod as she pressed a button on the camera and set it down. The Equestrians or I think that’s what they were called, gawked at our longer hair and pony ears. Well not Twilight I guess. She already knew about this. “Well?” Earth Lyra grinned. “What do you all think?” “I think it’s a message no one is going to misunderstand,” Aria smirked. “Especially for someone as thick headed as Rainbow Crash.” Lightning chuckled at that and nodded her agreement. “I definitely think that it’s a really good shot at them. And we don’t gotta worry about any retaliation either. First off, Fluttershy is too shy for that, Pinkie wouldn’t either,” Lightning commented. “And Rarity would call it uncouth,” Vinyl chimed in with a smirk. “And Applejack doesn’t care enough about this type of thing.” “And Rainbow can’t write any songs,” Trixie added with a smile. “Sunset told Trixie that she and Fluttershy wrote all their songs for the band.” “So we won the war before it even started,” Fuchsia said. “Feels good to finally talk bad about the Raingoons and get away with it.” “All we gotta do is pick backgrounds for each individual singer and we are done,” Octavia announced as she sat down at the computer and we gathered around her, Equestrians included. > Chapter LIX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I sighed and pulled the trench coat closer around me. Ever since the picture of me in that bunny suit got posted online, I haven’t had a moments peace because of that accursed Sunset being a traitor. Not only are guys asking me to join them in bed for fun the females are too! Cherry Crash had been bugging me until Rainbow threatened to punch her face in. So I designed a trench coat to hide my identity. Complete with sunglasses and hat. Inspired by none other than Shadow Spade. “Rarity!” Rainbow shouted as she ran up and grabbed my arm. “We have to go now!” “I am not Rarity,” I said softly in an attempt to make my voice sound different. “I’m uh Shmrarity! Her cousin from Vancouver!” Rainbow rolled her eyes in frustration. “I know it’s you I’m not stupid! You don’t even have a Vancouver accent!” Rainbow snapped as she dragged me to the band room. She slammed the door shut behind me and threw my hat on the piano. “You don’t even have a cousin in Vancouver!” “Hey!” I glared at her. “Now people will know my identity!” “We already know your identity Rarity! The whole school does! Who else would dress in a trench coat and hat and sunglasses like they just stepped out of a sixties mob novella?” Rainbow grumbled as she closed the blinds on the door. “There! Happy now?” “Yes thank you. Now what is so important that you dragged me in here?” I demanded. “Why she dragged us all in here is a better question.” I glanced back and sighed in frustration. Applejack sat on the floor eating an apple while Pinkie and Fluttershy were sitting quietly on the floor. Pinkies hair had gone flat as usual for some reason and Fluttershy looked drained. “Listen!” Rainbow snapped as I shifted my gaze back on her. “Trixie and the others made a diss track about us! I’ve been getting laughed at all day!” “Ah can’t believe ah’m gonna say this but Lightning Dust can rap,” Applejack admitted as she tossed the eaten apple into the trash can. “Two points. Vinyl and Aria can rap surprisingly well too. Ah ain’t expected that from Vinyl.” “That doesn’t matter! We gotta shoot back!” Rainbow exclaimed. I had already seen the rock rap music video from Rainbow at least a dozen times. Can’t believe they actually went to a street and sang in public. “Shoot back?” Fluttershy whispered. “I don’t think shooting anyone is nice or something we should do.” Rainbow groaned and rolled her eyes. “Not literally Shy. Make a song of our own!” Rainbow pointed out. I rubbed my forehead and started to feel a head ache forming. “In the music industry, letting a diss like what they did go without a answer back is a sign of cowardice! We don’t want that reputation trust me.” “Ah don’t care enough about that sorta thing Dash,” Applejack commented as she placed her hat on her head. “When we started the Rainbooms, we started it to have fun not insult people.” “I agree,” Fluttershy whispered. “It’s not nice to be insult people.” “I’m not a member to go insulting people,” Pinkie mumbled as she rolled a drum stick around next to her. “I don’t like being a meanie.” “Same here,” I proclaimed. “It’s uncouth to go around and insult people.” Rainbow stared at all of us in surprise before she nodded and slumped down. “You guys are surprisingly right. But that doesn’t mean I can’t say they suck on Mystable. Any form of response is a good response right?” Rainbow pulled out her phone before she paused and stared at Applejack. “Wait, you listen to rap?” “Nah. You and Pinkie play rap in the car around me all the time. Worst sounding music ah ever heard but yall like it so ah tolerate it,” Applejack admitted. “Sunset liked some rap songs not much.” “I’m going home and going to sleep. Head hurts,” I announced as Rainbow stared at her phone in thought. ------------------------------------------------------------- I sat at my bench with a frustrated sigh, chewing on my pens end. It was a weird sort of thing I did when I couldn’t think of clothing designs to draw. I pressed the tip of the pen against the paper and screamed when it moved on it’s own. “What in the world?” I shouted and stared at a small me that had been somehow drawn on the notepad. She had weird curly hair that didn’t seem like something I’d ever draw myself with. Not that I was the best at drawing pictures. Designing and drawing were two different ball games. “What are you?” “Well I was your element but that kinda crashed and burned so you know. We gotta talk about Sunset,” Generosity announced as she sat down on the letter A in my name at the top of the note book. “I have nothing to say about that traitor,” I scoffed. “I would like to leave her in the past, thank you.” “You aren’t stupid. Clearly you can see you’re being railroaded,” Generosity sighed. “You don’t actually believe it was her, now do you?” I gave a sigh and glared at the drawing. “It’s the only logical conclusion,” I explained. “This was just her style, have blackmail and post secrets. Cause chaos.” “You know, you shouldn’t think that. After all, do you seriously think someone who had nothing for the longest would throw away a group that meant everything to her?” Generosity asked pointedly as a door opened on the paper. “Wait you don’t mean-?” I asked hesitantly. “Funny, the most generous thing you ever did for her was call her a traitor.” I shot up in bed and rubbed my head with a groan, my eyes flicking to the wine bottle hidden behind the trash can. I had a habit of drinking heavily from moms secret stash of wine when dealing with stressful situations. Or well, secret to her at least. I sighed and flopped back onto my bed. “Maybe I had too much of that.” > Chapter LX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Well that went surprisingly well,” I commented as I pressed my head against Lyra’s neck and kissed it. “I’m surprised Rainbow only posted an insult about us being morons.” “That’s all she said?” Lyra asked as she kissed my forehead before trailing them down my cheek to my neck. “That’s kinda tame for her in all honesty.” “Well she uhm said more than just that,” I admitted sheepishly. Lyra paused her kissing and stared at me curiously. “Well, what else did she say?” Lyra asked. “Uh maybe you should read it,” I handed Lyra my phone. “What? She says our song sucked and we can’t sing! That song has a hundred and ninety thousand likes and views last time I checked damn it! And she said the writer sucked too!” Lyra kissed me. “You did great writing that song! I was very proud of you Bons.” I turned a bright shade of red as I kissed back. “Thanks LyLy. So what now?” I asked as I hugged her. Lyra gave me a mischievous grin that my inner self was screaming to not trust. “Oh you’ll see.” Because that didn’t sound ominous at all. I had a feeling I was in for a crazy day when she said that. ------------------------------------------------------------- I groaned as I prepared for a long five minutes of holding a camera. We really should get a tripod so all we had to do was press a button and boom, I could sit back and enjoy my girlfriend singing with our friends. Maybe I’ll talk to Lyra about it. Can’t really solve a problem if she doesn’t know it exists. It feels kinda weird to call the sirens my friend. The battle of the bands had just been a little while ago as is. Aria and Adagio sat down with Lyra and Vinyl and a random guy. Apparently he was Vinyls friend. Thunder Bolt I think she said. “Alright so we are seriously doing another diss song?” Octavia asked with a raised eyebrow as she sat next to me. I gave a nod. “She was pissed when Rainbow insulted my writing. And the fact that she insulted me and yours camera work,” I answered as Lyra glanced over and smiled at me. I gave a wide smile back and sighed contently. It was kinda nice to have a partner who got mad at things like this. “She’s a good person,” Octavia said. “You’re damn right,” I agreed as I lifted up the camera. “We really need a tripod for this.” “Agreed.” I waited until Lyra picked up her microphone before hitting record. “Lights out, you’re talking too loud. So just shut your mouth, who the fuck are you now? Lights out, can you feel it now? We’re calling you out, who the fuck are you now?” Lyra sang and I closed my eyes. Lyra had a surprisingly soft singing voice considering what she is singing. “Lifestyles of the young and the reckless checked in the real world that don’t ask questions. Dodging ‘em bullets like a fucked up western. Drag you on a rope till you’re choked out senseless. We are crowned, we’re the best around. Got an underground army, yeah, we’re holding it down. We built our base and what we found. It takes blood and sweat and always moving a crowd. No skill when you’ve gone the fast way. Let me see you dance, run from the AK. Bullshitting, though I’m dropping names. Till you know what you do, it all sounds the same. A piece of advice, quit dropping mine. You’ll be gone way before it even hits your time. Like a stripper in a cage making minimum wage. You’ll be gone like a dollar bill hitting the stage,” Aria sang angrily. Apparently Rainbow had went after her too and she was pissed. “Lights out, you’re talking too loud. So just shut your mouth, who the fuck are you now? Lights out, can you feel it now? We’re calling you out, who the fuck are you now?” “I’m gonna light your ass up cause you ain’t got what it takes. You’re riding my nuts, you can tell your friends how my dick tastes. Yeah, I’m shitfaced in all black, looking creepy. This shit is way too easy. I might give it to you quick, go straight to your throat. Or put the burner in your mouth and turn you into a ghost. All these people making music with nothing to show. Who doesn’t have a band? Shit, I don’t know. What kinda sane person drops her own friend? What kinda sane person boos a great band offstage? What kinda sane person drops a verse like this? These damn meds ain’t working, I’m just too damn sick. Just you coming out here has got me provoked. Now I’mma cut your ass up like a line of coke. I’m gonna roll your crew up like a fat ass roach. And put you in my ashtray ‘cause you just got smoked,” Thunder Bolt sang just as mad as Aria. I was kinda impressed he could fake being angry. “Lights out, you’re talking too loud. So just shut your mouth, who the fuck are you now? Lights out, can you feel it now? We’re calling you out, who the fuck are you now?” Lyra sang her part again. “Another classic case, you crash and burn. And it’s true, you’re dead wrong. It’s lights out, your last words. The world has turned its face, you’ll never learn. And it’s true, you’re dead wrong. It’s lights out, your last words. Walls closing in, they’re falling down,” Adagio sang before Lyra sang the final part for the song we had wrote together. It was a pretty fun past time for the two of us. I was still writing that one song for Sunset. “Lights out, you’re talking too loud. So just shut your mouth, who the fuck are you now? Lights out, can you feel it now? We’re calling you out, who the fuck are you now? Lights out, can you feel it now? We’re calling you out, who the fuck are you now? Lights out, you’re talking too loud. Who the fuck are you now? Who the fuck are you now?” I took a deep breath. I covered the camera lens with my hand to make everything go black before singing my part. “Lights out!” > Chapter LXI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So Dash,” Applejack began smugly. “Ya gonna make Lyra mad again?” I stared at my slackjawed rainbow haired friend and giggled. “No I don’t think I will. Wanna know the weirdest thing?” Rainbow asked as she sipped her milkshake. I tried to ignore the loud people in the mall walking around us. I didn’t like loud crowds but Rainbow wanted to try this shop. “What’s that darling?” Rarity asked as she read her book. I always found crime romance novels to be weird. Why would they go together? “I don’t hate her. I don’t hate any of them in the song. I respected Lyra and Sunset’s friends way before Sunset even came into the picture. I still do,” Rainbow admitted. “I had hoped one day we could all be friends but it seems that ship has sailed. It’s filled up with gas, left the harbor and is going out to sea.” “Ah think that’s an understatement.” “I agree,” I whisper as they glanced over at me. “Sonata even called Pinkie fat.” Rainbow had shown us both videos and I wanted to hide when I heard the language used. Pinkie had just deflated even more when she had seen the video. “Don’t remind me,” Rainbow shot Pinkie an apologetic look. She had burst into tears and ran off after Rainbow had shown us all it. Applejack and Rarity went in on Rainbow for that. “It’s okay,” Pinkie mumbled as she scrolled on her phone. “According to anon a miss, Lyra doesn’t believe in narwhals.” “What the fuck is a narwhal?” Rainbow asked. Rarity gave her a glare as she set her book down. “It’s an under sea unicorn,” Rarity explained. Rainbow stared at her in confusion before snickering. “Uh first off, under sea isn’t the proper way to call it,” Rainbow pointed out. “It’s underwater. And secondly, we have Fluttershy here. She’s the animal expert. We should let her tell us what it is.” “It’s a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large tusk from a protruding canine tooth. It lives year-round in the Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada and Russia. It is one of two living species of whale in the family Monodontidae, along with the beluga whale, and the only species in the genus Monodon. The narwhal males are distinguished by a long, straight, helical tusk,” I clarified. “The narwhal tusk contains sensory capability and up to ten million nerve endings inside. Some narwhals have up to two tusks, while others have none. The spiraled tusk juts from the head and can grow as long at ten feet.” “Wait hold on,” Rainbow stared at Pinkie. “Did you just say Lyra?” “Uh yes?” “Why would Sunset go after someone in her crew?” Rainbow asked pointedly. “Didn’t Bon Bon, Octavia and Vinyl get posted about too?” “Yeah they did,” Applejack answered. “Ain’t they in Sunset’s little group too?” “Yeah,” Rarity confirmed. “They hang out all the time. Sunset is dating Derpy after all.” I glanced at Pinkie and she shrunk down even more. I was the only one she told she had feelings for Sunset. “That pissed me off when Cherry Crash shoved Derpy,” Rainbow scoffed. “That would have been the one time I would have helped Sunset attack someone.” “You think they let her post about them?” Pinkie mumbled. We all paused and stared at her. “I don’t know,” Rainbow admitted. “They are just like us with their own feelings after all. And no one likes to be made fun of or embarrassed.” “It is pretty weird,” I agreed. “And if it is her, Derpy would have convinced her to stop. There’s no posts about Derpy after all.” “Well Derpy is widely known as one of the kindest girls in school,” Applejack pointed out. “No one would go after her because the retaliation by the others would be crazy. Especially after Sunset attacked Cherry Crash.” “I don’t know,” Rainbow muttered as she stared at her phone. “Something feels weird. Have you guys been having the same weird dreams where you talk to yourself and have trouble sleeping the next few days?” “Yep,” Applejack said. “Yeah.” “Mhm.” All eyes focused on me and I shook my head as Rainbow chuckled humorlessly. “You’re in for a trip.” “What makes you think Fluttershy will get them?” Rarity asked. “If we all got them, the likelihood of her getting one is pretty damn high,” Rainbow reasoned. That did make sense and made me slightly worried. That explained why the others looked exhausted these past few days. “Now enough depressing talk. Let’s go do something fun. The arcade or something. Maybe catch a few movies.” “Maybe later,” Applejack said. “Ah got work to do on the farm.” “I agreed to go sew with Sweetie Belle.” “I guess I can go play soccer with Scootaloo,” Rainbow sighed. “Wanna come with Fluttershy?” “Maybe another time. I have school work to do.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I smiled warmly at the birds flying around me. This was probably my favorite dream of all time. Just hanging out with a bunch of birds and other animals. “Hello.” I spun around and stared at a strangely colored me. Her yellow skin was mixed with grey and her pink hair had grey highlights in it. “Uhm hi?” I mumbled as she smiled, sitting on a blanket. “Sit down. Want some tea?” She offered warmly as I shrugged and sat down. “Excellent. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurt you like Loyalty and Honesty did with their bearers. I am a pacifist after all and you are one of my favorite bearer. But that doesn’t mean I’m not upset with you.” “About Sunset,” I guessed and she nodded as she handed me a cup. “Bingo. Why exactly do you think it’s her?” “I thought it was Rainbow Dash playing a prank at first,” I admitted. She raised an eye brow and waved her hand. “Go on.” “I guess I wanted it to be Sunset you know? Rainbow is one of my oldest friends and having to end my friendship with her would hurt me. I guess I just took the easier option in front of me,” I admitted sadly. “Because if Rainbow had admitted to what she did, I probably would have ended our friendship.” A hand was placed on my shoulder as she turned completely grey with blonde hair and golden eyes. She gave me a sad smile. “I understand.” > Chapter LXII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “This feels weird,” Lyra told me as I helped her button her jacket back up. “Having to wear clothes and all twenty four seven. What happens if we don’t wear any and walk down the street?” “You get arrested to public indecency and nudity,” I explained as the others looked nervous. The sirens had offered to house us for a bit while Sunset and her group were busy. Mainly because it would be a lot to explain to their worlds Minuette about why there was suddenly two of her. “Damn. They don’t play here,” Minuette whistled. “Damn is a word they use right?” “Yes. It’s a low level cuss word,” I explained as I finished buttoning Lyra’s coat. “Thanks Twi. These hands are way more complicated than I thought,” Lyra shot her marefriend and other friends a smirk. “I told you all humans existed and you all never believed me. Twinkleshine even said I was crazy.” The girl flinched and looked away. “We’re sorry,” Moondancer commented. “You were right all along.” “And you’re not crazy,” Twinkleshine reassured her. “No more than Twilight here is when she is late on delivering a lesson to Celestia’s students.” “She’s right,” I nodded before I realized what she had said. “Hey!” The others chuckled as my face turned red. “So get any closer to finding anon a miss?” Bon Bon asked me curiously as she rolled her eyes as Lyra poked her repeatedly. “What Lyra?” “Nothing just wanted to poke you.” “No I haven’t,” I let out a frustrated sigh that was shared by the others. I was a bit surprised the others in the room had wanted to come with and help me. Especially Minuette. She and Lemon Hearts had been the most vocal in voicing in their opinions about letting them come with. “Didn’t your guys daughter do something similar?” Minuette asked Lyra and Bon Bon. “With the two other little terrors?” “Uh yeah,” Lyra commented. “The foal free press issue. When it came out that Scootaloo was involved, Bon Bon spanked her with a hoof. And then it just got awkward when Scootaloo started liking it.” We all looked at each other with uncomfortable expressions as it got quiet. Moondancer turned red as she coughed into her hand. “Yeah that was a uncomfortable conversation,” Bon Bon admitted with a red face. “I thought we had a few more years left with her and Liza before we gave them the sex talk.” “Poor Liza looked traumatized!” Lyra chuckled. “Poor filly.” “Yeah,” Lemon Hearts chuckled. “But yeah I remember you guys telling me about that. I’ve never seen Bon Bon so mad or disappointed in all the time I knew her.” “Well yeah I was mad. She knew better than to air the towns dirty laundry,” Bon Bon scoffed and I slowly faced her. “What was that?” “Uh what?” Bon Bon asked in confusion. “What you just said. What was that?” “Uh air the towns dirty laundry? I know you take things literally sometimes Princess but they didn’t actually hang out ponies clothes.” I quickly got up and darted for the door. “Where are you going Twilight?” Twinkleshine asked me worriedly. “Come on. We have to find Celestia.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “Are you sure about this?” Principal Celestia asked in confusion with her hands on her desk. “They cause trouble sometimes yes, but this is a bit extreme for them.” “Listen,” Bon Bon stepped forward. “My daughter and her friends did the exact same thing in Equestria. We didn’t think it was them until they came out about it publicly and apologized to the whole town. It made sense after why they left me and Lyra alone.” “She’s right,” Lyra announced as someone knocked on the door. “Come in!” Principal Celestia called out and the door opened. A white women with brown hair stepped in with a gun on her hip and a badge on her belt. The words TARU spelled on the back of her shirt. “What’s a taru?” Minuette whispered as the woman glanced at her with a paper in her hand. “It stands for Technical Assistance Response Unit. It consists of the planning unit, information and technology unit, crime analysis unit, and the national incident based crime reporting unit. We are responsible for ensuring the collection, processing and transcoding of digital evidence including video and cellphone data. We investigate cyber crimes,” the woman explained. “We can trace any of the posts by tracking the ip addresses. Multiple of the posts came from computers here in the school.” The other Equestrians looked at each other stunned. “You can use magic to do that?” Minuette asked. The police officer gave her a confused look. “Uh it’s not magic. It’s technology.” “But how does it work?” Moondancer pressed. “Typically we would need to get a warrant to track an ip but Celestia and Luna gave us permission to track the ips. After all, this is school property and not the students private property. They technically have no privacy when they use school property,” the officer answered. “Your phone number does not point out the exact details of your location. It is a different case if GPS is actively working or an application is providing the details. The concept of triangulation is used for this purpose. Three satellites determine your location roughly. They together determine the area of that device. If the crime is taking place on social media, these social media platforms provide the details as well.” She handed the paper to Principle Celestia and her eyes narrowed as she picked up her phone. “Luna come to my office,” she set the phone down after a second. “Thanks Quick Response.” The appropriately named officer sat down on a chair and brushed some hair off her dark blue pants as Vice Principal Luna stepped in. “Hey sis what’s up?” Luna asked my friends looked at each other hesitantly. Principal Celestia handed her the paper and she groaned. “Oh lord.” Celestia picked up the phone again. “Miss Cheerilee, bring Scootaloo Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to my office please. Thanks.” We sat and waited as the moments passed. It felt like an hour until the door opened. Cheerilee lead in the three confused girls. “What’s up Principal Celestia?” Sweetie Belle asked cautiously as Celestia handed Cheerilee the paper as I peered over her shoulder. Cheerilee narrowed her eyes as her expression hardened. “You three better start explaining. Now.” > Chapter LXIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Well?” I tapped my foot impatiently and folded my arms. “Start talking. We don’t have all day.” The three girls were sitting in chairs across from Principal Celestias desk. Twilight and the other girls from her world stood next to her. Vice Principal Luna and I stood next to the seated police officer. “We were jealous,” Scootaloo admitted. “Jealous? Of what?” I fumed and glared at her. “Sunset and the others were stealing our sisters attention away from us. They barely hung out with us! Sunset this Sunset that. Never Sweetie Belle getting bragged about. Never Scootaloo getting bragged or Apple Bloom. Only Sunset!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “We had talked about shutting the account down.” “But then the other students started sending us secrets,” Apple Bloom admitted. “And by that point we were in over our head,” Scootaloo sighed. “So we kept going.” “And framing my daughter,” I snapped angrily. “Do you know how serious this is?” Quick Response sighed. “People kill themselves over this. A girl in Canada hung herself over something like this after pictures of herself got posted online. She got physically assaulted because of the stuff posted online. Sound familiar?” The Equestrians stared at each other with stunned expressions. I forgot they didn’t really deal with stuff like this. “If you were older and Sunset had killed herself, we would be having a completely different conversation that would end up with you three in handcuffs. I could take you girls in now for identity theft but no judge will sentence you for it. But they can assign you community service. If Sunset had killed herself, that would be a involuntarily manslaughter charge. That doesn’t go away like a speeding ticket after a few months. That stays on your record for the rest of your life. That doesn’t disappear. Every job you apply at will see that.” Quick Response held up her pair of handcuffs by a finger and dangled them as the three girls eyes widened in fear. “We are sorry,” the three girls said in unison as Lyra stepped forward and hugged Scootaloo. “Sorry she uh reminded me of my daughter,” Lyra admitted sheepishly as she hastily stepped back. Scootaloo stared at her in confusion as she glanced at Twilight and slow look of realization crossed her face. “Here’s what gonna happen,” Principal Celestia announced. “On Friday, you’re gonna tell the whole school what you three did. You’re gonna tell your family what you did. We are doing it on Friday so you girls will be safe from a justifiably angry student body.” “And after that you’re gonna do whatever community service we need done around Canterlot,” Quick Response added as she put her handcuffs back in the case on her belt. “You three are honestly very lucky that no one committed suicide during this. Otherwise this would be a much harder and longer conversation down at the precinct with your families.” “We are sorry,” Scootaloo whispered as she looked at me. “Don’t apologize to me,” I snapped. “Apologize to Sunset. Do you know how terrified I’ve been these past few weeks that I would come home and find her dead in the kitchen or in the tub or hanging from her ceiling fan in her room? Do you know how little sleep I’ve gotten these past weeks because I’ve been randomly checking on her throughout the night? You have no idea what you’ve done to me.” “You said students gave you girls secrets,” Luna spoke up finally and gave them a hard glare. “Show us. Give us all their names and then on Friday, you will delete the account at your speech in front of everyone.” “And while you do that, I’m going to find my daughter and tell her this over,” I announced. “I’ll make an announcement saying we will be revealing the real anon a miss friday,” Celestia said as I stepped outside her office. “Good.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I briskly walked down the hallway and students got out of my way. Probably because of my furious expression tends to scare people away. Mainly because I don’t get angry like this. I spotted a mint green teen that I recognized very well. “Lyra!” I shouted as everyone in the hallway froze and Lyra stepped back hesitantly. “Come with me. Have you seen Sunset?” “Uh I saw her this morning with Trixie and Derpy but that was about it,” Lyra said cautiously. “Why, what’s up?” “I’ll tell you when no one is in the hallway,” I looked around the busy hallway and everyone bolted. “Well, that problem quickly solved itself. We just found out the true identity of anon a miss.” Lyra perked up and grinned. “That’s why you’re so scary looking. Have I ever told you that you’re scary when mad? Because you are. Who is it?” “Tell no one. It’ll get told Friday for the others to learn. It’s Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle,” I admitted as Lyra stared at me before she started laughing. “What’s funny?” “Oh that’s fucking rich. It was their own sisters all along. Oh God I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces after this,” Lyra chuckled. “Let’s go find Sunset.” We started searching up and down the hallways till we heard pounding and shouting. We both paused and glanced at each other before focusing on a licker. “You don’t think-” Lyra started to ask worriedly. “I do,” I grumbled as I opened the locker and we quickly stepped back. Sunset and Trixie came tumbling out of the locker and her magician’s hat went flying across the floor as the two girls fell on each other. “Sunset?” “Trixie?” Lyra asked as we knelt down to help the two up. “Who did this?” “Rose Hearts and Tennis Match,” Trixie said simply as Lyra put the hat on her head. “They were shoving Sunset inside so Trixie intervened and tried to stop them. They shoved me inside there with her.” I quickly hugged the two and Trixie stared in shock before hesitantly hugging back along with Sunset eagerly shoving her head in my neck and I heard faint sniffling. I quickly rubbed the back of both of the girls heads. “We got anon a miss.” > Chapter LXIV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So kid how do you feel?” Berry Punch asked with a grin as she wrapped an around Sunset. “This all over in a short few days.” “Thank god,” Cherry muttered. “I went to bring Cheerilee lunch one day and thay school was a warzone. I overheard someone insult Sunset and I wanted to raise heck.” “Now it’s just super tense,” I added with a smile. “At least since Celestia’s announcement, it’s gotten quieter. Just one more day till we win.” Derpy smiled and nodded as Berry pulled the car over on a dirt road. “Uhm what are we doing?” Sunset asked in confusion as Berry put the car in back and opened her door. “Cheerilee is gonna teach you how to drive,” Berry announced as she walked to Sunset’s door and opened it. “Out. You get the driver seat, she gets the passenger seat.” “Oh uh okay,” Sunset mumbled as she and got out of the car. I stepped out of the car and sat in the passenger as Berry sat down in the back seat. “Feels like we just did a Chinese fire drill.” I gave a chuckle as I put my seatbelt on. “Alright so that is the shifter. Right now the car is in park. You have four gears in this car. Drive, reverse, park and neutral. Some cars have a manual option which means you shift gears on your own but this suv doesn’t,” I explained. “That pedal right there is the gas pedal. The other one is the brakes.” “Okay,” Sunset said as she reached for the radio and I gently swatted her hand away. “No radio. This way you can focus better on the road,” I chided. “What’s the first thing you do?” “Uh swap places with you because I’m nervous about driving?” Sunset nervously laughed. “Wrong. You got this. Put the seatbelt on firstly,” I instructed and Sunset did so. “Put a foot on the brakes and shift the car into drive. Keep the foot pressed down on the brakes until I tell you to stop.” “Okay,” Sunset said and complied as Ruby shoved her head between us. “You can do this mage cousin!” She shouted and we all chuckled. Berry pulled her back and whispered in her ear and she solemnly nodded. “Alright now gently rest a foot on the gas. When you do so, slowly turn out onto the road after you remove your foot off the brake pedal,” I instructed. Sunset cautiously pulled onto the road and I clapped. “Great job! Now apply more pressure on the gas pedal.” Sunset nodded and the car lurched forward and started speeding down the dirt road. “Sunset!” ------------------------------------------------------------- “I don’t think I’ve been so terrified in all my life,” I admitted and Berry chuckled. “Well other then when I was scared to find Sunset dead or close to death at home.” Berry’s smile disappeared and her face darkened. “That didn’t happen. Sunset is alive, she’s a strong person. Sure she may have thought about it a few times but she never acted on it. When you go through something to this magnitude, bad thoughts are to be expected,” Berry pointed out as she laid on my bed. “What you do with them is the important part.” “True. I didn’t know Sunset had told you she was suicidal over this,” I gave her a flat look. “You should have told me.” Berry gave me a sheepish look and rubbed the back of her head. “I know but she begged me not to. I really wanted to but I couldn’t betray her trust like that. She told me because she knew I could relate given what happened to me and all,” Berry explained. “I didn’t know you told her about that.” “Well yeah. It was when you guys came to visit for Christmas. We stayed up late, talking and getting to know each other. I figured it would help her knowing I got out of a stressful situation. Looks like I was right,” she smirked. “I love being right.” “I love you,” I chuckled. “You may be the youngest but you are definitely grown up.” Berry rolled over and grinned at me. “You’re damn right. In fact, I think I should be the one in charge of the family instead of Cherry. I’m awesome and all,” she announced smugly and winked. “We can overthrow her, me and you.” I stared at her till we burst out laughing. “Oh man that was good. Yeah no we aren’t overthrowing Cherry,” I snickered. “I heard that!” She shouted up the stairs and we started laughing again. “Oh man that was golden! You’re right we can’t. I may make jokes about her but I love her. And you of course,” Berry admitted. “That was pretty good,” I agreed. “I love you too by the way.” We fell into silence as I started reading my book. I couldn’t wait for this anon a miss thing to be over. Felt like a long time coming in all honesty. “Can I ask a weird question?” Berry suddenly asked and I put my book down. “Yeah go for it. You don’t even got to ask.” “If Sunset forgave them, would you forgive the Rainbooms?” Berry asked and I tensed up. Berry quickly held a hand up to stop me from talking. “Before you freak out, let me explain. Sunset has a past of forgiving people. She forgave the sirens. Sure, what they did isn’t even close to this or as bad as this in my opinion but forgiveness is her personality. She does represent empathy she said. So who is to say she won’t forgive the Rainbooms? It might not be right now but things change. People change their opinion.” I took a deep breath and thought about my words. Berry started rubbing Ruby’s hair as she slept and stared at me. “I hate them right now. I’ve never hated anyone except our parents and the guy who you know. But if Sunset asked me to forgive them for her, I would. You know I cussed those girls out.” “Woah,” Berry raised an eyebrow. “You never cuss. What did they do?” “They showed up on my doorstep.” Berry chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Yeah that would do it.” > Chapter LXV > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I gave a sigh as I walked down the hall with a arm around Sunset as we walked to the auditorium where the CMC were going to confess. Students were giving us dirty looks but I gave them glares back. We had Sunset’s friends with us along with my two sisters and niece. “What do you think this special school meeting is for?” Lily whispered to Daisy. “Maybe Sunset will apologize,” Roseluck said hopefully. “Hope so. She should after what she did,” Daisy scoffed quickly as I gave them a glare. They all three paled at my glare and Derpy’s disapproving look. Derpy had put her friendship with Roseluck on hold during anon a miss. We entered the auditorium and worked our way to the stage. We quickly sat down on the chairs Celestia had made the cmc set up. Twilight folded her arms and regarded the students with cold indifference. I had specifically requested the Rainbooms get a first row seat and I gave them cold looks. Sunset stared at them sadly and quickly shook her head. I gave her a reassuring hug with one arm and smiled. Earth Minuette and Equestrian Minuette made eye contact and froze. Both Lyra’s and Bon Bons were sitting next to each other and talking, occasionally glancing out at the student. They were obviously enjoying the stunned looks they were receiving from the students. “You got this,” I whispered. Sunset gave a nod and stepped to microphone on the table set up and instantly people were booing and yelling insults. We all glared at them as I covered Ruby’s ears so she didn’t hear the words. I opened my mouth to speak but Twilight beat me to it. “Silence!” She shouted and we all froze. So this was the feared Royal Canterlot Voice Sunset had spoken fearfully about. The Rainbooms flinched and looked away as students stared at her with mixed reactions of shock and fear. Sunset gave her a grateful nod. “Hello. You all know who I am. These past few weeks I’ve been insulted, abused verbally and physically. I’ve been stuffed in a locker along with one of my friends Trixie. All because she tried to save me and she chose to suffer the same fate as me even when told to leave. I tried to tell you all that I wasn’t anon a miss but no one believed. My friends abandoned one by one except for a certain few that I’d like to name. Both worlds Lyra, both Minuettes, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, Twilight, Moondancer, Octavia, Vinyl, Adagio, Aria, Sonata, Trixie, Lavender Lace, Fuchsia Blush. My mom, my family and the principals. Why would I make anon a miss? There’s a lot you don’t know about me. I was homeless for God sake!” Sunset shouted as shocked expressions crossed the students faces. “Cheerilee adopted me after she found me in a bush outside our school! Even when I was a bitch to her in her own house, she still gave me a chance! Do you know what I did for money? I was a prostitute on the freaking corner!” Rarity turned slightly green as Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other. Fluttershy pressed a hand to her mouth as Pinkie slumped in her seat. Her friends behind her stared at her in shock as Derpy and Lyra looked to each other. “Lyra you knew about that?” Earth Bon Bon hissed. “Yes,” Lyra admitted. “Me and Derpy both knew. We were in the car when Cheerilee caught her. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Sunset didn’t give us permission.” “We will talk about this later,” Bon Bon grumbled. “I had to fight every day to survive!” Sunset continued her tirade. “In this world and in Equestria! I grew up poor in a farm town with nothing. I watched my mom die for God’s sake. I had to steal so my mom and siblings could eat. If I had to, I’d do that everyday of the damn week! If I was really anon a miss, would I have done this?” She yanked up the sleeves of her shirt and I wanted to vomit at the sight of cut marks on her wrists. I pressed a hand to my mouth and felt tears in my eyes. Some were clearly old but a majority were new. Pinkie turned even paler as a loud gasp went through the crowd. “I thought I was forgiven after the battle of the bands. But clearly not since you all threw me aside like yesterday’s trash. Like I meant nothing. I have nothing more to say. I just hope you all are happy with yourselves.” She quickly sat back down between me and Cherry. I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead as Cherry squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. “I’m very proud of you,” Cherry whispered as Celestia stepped to the microphone. “I have nothing more to add on what she said. I’m going to call the real anon a miss to stage. Can Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo please join us?” She asked and Rarity looked confused with Applejack. “It can’t be them!” Rainbow stood up. “They are just kids! They wouldn’t ever do something like this!” “It was us,” Apple Bloom announced. “We did it,” Sweetie Belle admitted. “We were jealous Sunset was spending so much time with our sisters and stealing her from us. So we created anon a miss to keep them away from each other. We wanted to delete the account but soon enough, other students started sending in secrets and we were in over our heads,” Scootaloo sighed. “Prove it’s you!” Mystery Mint stood up and shouted. “The password to the account is cmconetwothreefour. Numbers, not spelled out,” Sweetie Belle clarified and looked down. It went dead silent as a few students pulled their phones out. It exploded as they started shouting at each other and the three girls. “Fuck you!” Amethyst Star shouted angrily. She glared at Bright Ideas with a clenched fist as Dinky started pulling on her leg worriedly. “Don’t you ever insult either of my sisters!” “Amethyst!” Derpy snapped. “Dinky is sitting right next to you!” “I stole Sunset’s phone and sent the pictures to myself,” Sweetie Belle admitted and Rarity turned angry red. “Ah told them Applejacks nickname!” Apple Bloom announced as Applejack looked away. Rainbow stared at Scootaloo with a slackjawed expression. “Scootaloo?” She asked quietly. “I told them Rainbow was having trouble with her grades,” Scootaloo looked down. Rainbow glared at her before looking away from her. “It wasn’t just these girls!” Luna snapped. “It was you all too. We want to see Bright Ideas, Blueberry Cake, Aqua Blossom and Rose Hearts after school. Those are just a few students who gave secrets about their friends!” “Now Lyra and the others have something they want to say at the outside stage. You are all required to attend,” Celestia announced. We sat and watched as the students glared at each other and started shoving their way out. ---‐--------------------------------------------------------- I smiled as I sat down in my seat at the edge of the stage where the battle of the bands had concluded. Ruby sat on my lap as Berry and Cherry sat on either side of me. Minuette sat next to Berry and held her hand. I could see the Equestrian Minuette in the back of the seating with her Equestrian friends. Their worlds Lyra and Bon Bon sat with curious looks as they talked, looking around. The Rainbooms sat a few seats away looking dejected. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were sitting behind me. I nudged Ruby to look ahead as Earth Lyra stepped forward on the stage. “Recently one of my best friends went through something nobody should ever go through. She was scorned, abused, assaulted repeatedly, insulted and framed for something she didn’t do. Not only did she get a target on her back, but we did too. Her friends. Only a few of us stuck by her and that shouldn’t have been the case. I for one am very glad I know Sunset and I am proud to call her my friend. So this is for her. Bon Bon wrote this,” Lyra announced into her microphone. Everyone quietly stared at her as she lifted her guitar and started playing it. Surprisingly, we had gotten the whole school here for this. How, I don’t know. I expected a few to sneak out. “Run your car off the side of the road, get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere. Get yourself in a bind, lose the shirt off your back, need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare,” Lyra sang as her soft voice flowed over me. “This is where the rubber meets the road,” Bon Bon stepped forward and sang into her microphone. “This is where the cream is gonna rise,” Derpy sang into her microphone set next to her drum set as she played her instrument of choice. “This is what you really didn’t know,” Vinyl sang as she stepped next to Bon Bon and Lyra. “This is where the truth don’t lie,” Octavia sang as she stood next to the three standing girls and Derpy’s drums. “You’ll find out who your friends are. Somebody’s gonna drop everything, run out and crank up their car. Hit the gas, get there fast. Never stop to think “What’s in it for me?” or “It’s way too far.” They just show on up with their big old heart. You’ll find out who your friends are,” the five girls sang in unison. “Everybody wants to slap your back, wants to shake your hand when you’re up on top of that mountain. But let one of those rocks give way, then you slide back down. Look up and see who’s around then,” Aria sang as she stepped forward from the wings on the opposite side of the stage. “This ain’t where the road comes to an end,” Sonata sang as she joined her sister. “This ain’t where the bandwagon stops,” Adagio sang as she stepped forward. “This is just one of those times when,” Twilight sang as she joined them. “A lot of folks jump off,” Lightning finished as she stepped forward into the light. “You’ll find out who your friends are. Somebody’s gonna drop everything, run out and crank up their car. Hit the gas, get there fast. Never stop to think “What’s in it for me?” or “It’s way too far.” They just show on up with their big old heart. You’ll find out who your friends are,” the ten girls sang in unison. “When the water’s high,” Trixie sang as my eyes flicked up to look at her. She sat with her arms around Lavender and Fuchsia as the three sat on a suspended moon above the stage. “When the weather’s not so fair,” Lavender sang as she smiled at the two girls next to her. “When the well runs dry,” Fuchsia sang with a warm smile. “Who’s gonna be there?” The three girls sang together. Ruby turned around and looked at me. “I like Sunset’s friends singing but when is her part? She gets to sing right?” Ruby asked impatiently. I chuckled and gently turned her head back to the stage. “Right now,” I reassured my niece. Sunset stepped out on the stage as she played her guitar. “You’ll find out who your friends are. Somebody’s gonna drop everything, run out and crank up their car. Hit the gas, get there fast. Never stop to think “What’s in it for me?” or “It’s way too far.” They just show on up with their big old heart. You’ll find out who your friends are,” the fourteen girls sang together as Berry and Cherry started grinning at Sunset. Minuette smiled and clapped softly. “Run your car off the side of the road,” Lyra and the four other girls on the middle of the stage sang. “Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere,” Aria and her group on the left side sang. “Man, I’ve been there. Get yourself in a bind, lose the shirt off your back,” Trixie and the girls sitting with her sang with in perfect unison with Sunset below them. “Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare. Man, I’ve been there. Man, I’ve been there.” A firework exploded above the girls in what I instantly recognized as Sunset’s cutie mark and face. Lavender gave a triumphant smile as I joined my sisters and Minuette in clapping. Berry smirked at me. “Now that was my bad ass niece and her friends.” > Chapter LXVI > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I groaned softly to my self and brushed a strand of rainbow hair out of my eyes as I walked through the school. To my left and right were students screaming at each other and the occasional shoving. Better than them attacking Sunset at least. I know that sounds hypocritical now but it’s the truth. “Hey Dash,” Applejack muttered as she stepped up next to me. “Ya feelin alright?” “No God damn it I’m not!” I snapped and she flinched. “AJ I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I’m just frustrated.” “Ah know. Ah am too. Ya don’t gotta explain,” Applejack hugged me as we stepped into the band room. Fluttershy laid on her back crying along with Rarity. Pinkie laid on the top of the piano with a dead look in her eyes. “Hey guys,” I sighed and half heartedly greeted the other members of my group. “Hello darling,” Rarity sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Can you believe she was homeless?” Pinkie asked with a flat tone of voice as we all stared at her. “Or a prostitute? We don’t even know what it’s like to be that desperate for money. And we wondered why she was so evil these past few years.” “If I could, I would go back in time and slap myself for being so stupid,” Fluttershy wailed. “I hate this. We did this to her. Did you see her wrists?” “Yes Fluttershy. We all saw them,” I laid in between her and Rarity, placing an arm over them each. Rarity had a faint smell of wine on her clothes and I scrunched my nose in disgust and sadness. I guess she went back to old habits. “I know Flutters,” I sighed and kissed her forehead before kissing Raritys. “One way or another, we will make this right.” “We have to,” Rarity agreed as I stood up and started to walk out the door. “Where are ya goin sugarcube?” Applejack called out after me. I paused and looked back at her. “Going to start making this right.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I sighed and took a deep breath as I knocked on the door. “Come in!” Principal Celestia called out and I hesitantly pushed the door open. She glanced up and her eyes narrowed a bit. “What can I do for you Rainbow?” I stepped forward and placed a piece of paper on her desk. “I uhm wanted to give you this,” I mumbled. She picked up the paper and stared at me. “And what is this?” “It’s uhm a list of people who hurt Sunset during anon a miss. Mystery Mint shoved her to the ground, Golden Hazel vandalized her locker with Watermelody. I uh punched Sunset in the face in the beginning when this first started,” I admitted and wiped my eyes. Principal Celestia maintained eye contact before nodding. “Thank you Rainbow. You do realize this gets you detention until you graduate right? I would notify the police but it’s too late for that unfortunately.” I made eye contact. “I know.” ------------------------------------------------------------- I kept walking down the hall after leaving the office. She had called my parents and everything but I don’t care. I did what I did, no one forced me. That was my own decision. A short orange girl with purple stepped in front of me and I groaned internally. I really didn’t want to see Scootaloo right now. “H-hey Rainbow,” Scootaloo stammered. I stepped around her and kept walking. I was too mad to talk to her because I might say something I didn’t mean and I didn’t want to hurt her. No matter how mad I am at her, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings like she did to Sunset. “Please! Just talk to me! I know what I did was wrong. Please don’t leave me.” I sighed and pushed the doors to the field open and kept walking, letting them slam shut behind me. I kept walking to the bleachers and sat down. Cloudkicker was running around the track with Flitter half heartedly. Blossomforth sat on the ground with a blank expression and a timer. “Hey Dash.” I glanced up and stared as Spitfire sat down with Soarin and Surprise. Misty Fly was playing soccer half heartedly with Fleetfoot and High Winds. “Hey Spits. Hey Soarin. Hey Surprise,” I mumbled as I propped my head up. “You doing okay?” Surprise asked hesitantly. I shook my head slowly and her face fell. “You know I knew she was innocent,” Soarin announced suddenly. Spitfire subtly elbowed him. “Hey! After all, she was the first person on the team to stand up for me after Spitfire and Fleetfoot tried to replace me with you. She risked her spot on the team to stand up for me with you. You both did.” I dropped my head into my hands and started crying. “We fucked up dude. We fucked up so bad!” I lifted my head to take in their stunned faces. I never cry around my team. “I shoved the person who was the most emphatic person in my life away to the wolves without a fucking care in the world.” Spitfire stared at me before slapping me. “Spitfire!” Soarin snapped. “We know we all made a mistake but that doesn’t mean have to hit each other!” I rubbed my sore cheek. That was gonna hurt for a few days but I deserved it for everything. “Are you gonna sit here complaining and moaning about fucking up or are you gonna get up off your ass and do something about it?” Spitfire shouted. “Where’s the famous Rainbow pride? The Rainbow I know wouldn’t be sitting here. She would get up off her ass, get out there and make this right. Might I add, I thought she was behind it too. I have to work and make things right with her. And she was my teammate. We all should have been there as a team. Hell, Fleetfoot hated her after the cmc went after her.” I wiped my tears away and hugged the three other soccer players. Spitfire groaned and pushed me off her after a few seconds. “Get off me please. I don’t do hugs often.” > Chapter LXVII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I stood in front of the portal with my family and my friends, new and old. Twilight smiled at me as she gave me a hug. “So this it the portal huh?” Berry asked as she stroked the statue. “Interesting.” “Yep!” I smiled as I smelled lavender shampoo radiating off of Twilight. “Hopefully we meet again under less crazy and life threatening circumstances,” Twilight said as I hugged her back. The other Equestrians shrugged and joined in the hug. “You know, right after I get used to this body we are going back home,” Moondancer grumbled. I let out a chuckle at that as we separated. “You guys are always welcome here,” I said. “After all, the sirens have enough rooms. I’m sure mom wouldn’t mind letting you guys stay for a few days.” “Just tell me a few days before hand so I can make sure we don’t have any other plans,” Mom agreed. “Bet,” Equestrian Lyra said. “Did I use the word right?” Vinyl grinned and wrapped an arm around her. “Yep!” “Well well Princess. We really got to do this again sometime,” Adagio purred as she stood next to Twilight. Twilight turned faintly red as I chuckled. “Wait!” Earth Minuette exclaimed and stared at her double. “Is there a Berry Punch in Equestria?” “Uh yeah. We are good friends,” Equestrian Minuette admitted with a blush. “You guys aren’t dating?” Earth Minuette asked in confusion. “She wants to date Berry Punch,” Lemon Hearts explained. “She doesn’t know if Berry likes her or not but I do.” “How is that?” Earth Minuette asked with an eyebrow. Lemon Hearts smirked and pointed to the two blue hearts and green one on the edge of her yellow dress. “It’s my special talent,” she answered. “I can tell when ponies have feelings for each other. Similar to how Princess Cadence can know when two ponies are in love.” “Fascinating,” Berry grinned and winked at her daughter then her sisters. “Think I can use you sometime to find out if my sisters and daughter likes someone?” “Hey!” Mom glared at her. Lemon Hearts chuckled and nodded. “Yeah sure. Looks like my special talent works here too,” she winked at Twilight and Adagio. “Someone was rather forward to a certain pony princess,” Sonata smirked. “Yeah,” Aria chimed in. “Hurry back Princess. Don’t want Adagio to get cold at night.” “Why you little-” Adagio grumbled before walking around to the other side of the statue with a red face. “Think we were a little too teasing with her?” Sonata asked worriedly. “Nah she’ll be fine,” Aria waved a hand. “It’s time for us to go now,” Twinkleshine pressed her hand against the portal as it disappeared. “You can always come visit. After all, you know where I live.” “Where we all live,” Lemon Hearts added. “Me and Moondancer are gonna try to research why you guys ponied up and the Rainbooms haven’t been able to,” Twilight promised as Twinkleshine and Minuette disappeared into the portal. “Woah,” Berry mumbled as she and Cherry stared with shocked faces. “Didn’t see that one coming.” Twilight and the others quickly stepped through and disappeared. “Alright,” Trixie shrugged. “Shows over. Trixie is going to get a milkshake.” “I’m in,” Lavender shrugged. “Can I go?” I asked mom hopefully. She chuckled and gave a nod. “Go have fun with your friends. Be home by nine.” ------------------------------------------------------------- “So I have something to say,” Lyra said around her straw. “I had this dream.” “Okay Martin Lurther King,” Vinyl snickered as Lyra flicked her. “He said I have a dream idiot not I had a dream. Anyway, I had a weird dream that I was talking to myself and said I represented her or something. It was weird.” “You too?” Derpy asked in confusion. “I had it too,” Bon Bon admitted. “Same here,” Vinyl and Octavia chimed in. “Trixie and her friends had them too,” Trixie announced as I stared at them. “What did the dream say?” I asked curiously. “In Equestria, dreams are a way of being told information by spirits. Hell, Luna can visit people in their dreams.” “Uh said I was Loyalty or something,” Lyra shrugged. I snorted a laugh. “I can see that.” “Something about me being generosity I think?” Bon Bon swirled her milkshake around. “Wait let me guess the rest,” I said. “Derpy is obviously kindness, Vinyl is obviously laughter though Lyra could have gotten that one too. And Octavia is honesty?” The three girls stared in shock before nodding. “Yeah,” Octavia said. “Interesting,” I mused. “Those are the five elements of harmony. I didn’t know they could find new bearers. We don’t really know much about them.” “Trixie’s dream said she represented trust or something. Don’t know what that means,” Trixie admitted. “Well you did say you trusted me that I wasn’t anon a miss,” I answered. “Lavender said she was told she was equality or something. I was told I’m ambition I think,” Fuchsia said with her hand wrapped around a water bottle. I rubbed the back of my head in confusion. “I don’t know what to say about the last three,” I finally said. “Maybe the Elements have sub elements? Like lesser known ones. Like I represent empathy which isn’t as well known as loyalty or honesty. Trixie did show me a lot of trust, Lavender treated me as an equal and Fuchsia does have a lot of ambition when she puts her mind to something.” “Well you’re not lesser known to us,” Bon Bon smiled. “Agreed!” Sonata chirped excitedly. “And if anyone tries to mess with you again, I know karate!” She stood up instantly and I caught her milkshake before it fell. “Hiya!” She started making ninja noises as she kicked and punched around the shop before Adagio caught her fist in her hand. “Calm down girl. Don’t go breaking anything. You know you’re only allowed to do that sort of thing out doors.” We all burst out laughing as Sonata sat down in her seat with a sheepish expression as a blush started to spread across her face. “Okay sorry Dagi.” > Chapter LXVIII > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I stepped outside the Sugarcube Corner and stared at the sun in the sky. Everyone else had already gone home and I sighed as the door was pushed open behind me. “Penny for your thoughts love?” Octavia asked as she and Trixie joined me. “Just tired is all,” I laughed bitterly. “I should be happy that this over. Yet I’m not. I mainly feel exhausted.” “This did take a lot out of us all,” Trixie admitted. “Trixie is glad this is over.” “Me too,” Octavia agreed. “I did cut off ties and canceled all my clothing orders with Rarity. Bon Bon and her mom cut off ties with Applejacks farm.” “Trixie is sorry,” Trixie mumbled. “Trixie didn’t like you after the fall formal. She shouldn’t have thrown the disappearing dust in your eyes and called you a demon. You are Trixie’s friend. She isn’t good at talking about feelings but Trixie loves you all. You’re her great and powerful friends. The other students call Trixie a retard for speaking how she does. She appreciates you all being her friend.” “Careful Trixie,” Octavia chuckled. “Keep this up and people will think you’re going soft as Vinyl would call it.” “Nonsense,” Trixie scoffed. “Nobody has what it takes to go up against the Great and Powerful Trixie.” I smirked and rolled my eyes. “Got that right,” I agreed as I hugged her. “Hey! Unhand Trixie!” “Nope!” I chuckled as Trixie struggled. “Say please.” “Please unhand Trixie,” Trixie said. Wow I didn’t actually expect her to say that. I stepped back and smiled at Octavia laughing. “Wait, didn’t you hug me?” I asked. “Back in the bathroom when I thought you three were gonna jump me.” “Yes she did,” Trixie admitted. “Trixie does like hugs but it’s rare. She does give great hugs, does she not?” “That she does,” I readily agreed. She did give pretty good hugs for someone who wasn’t too fond of touching. “I’m sorry as well for vandalizing your magic show freshman year. It would have been pretty good to see.” “We have another one planned this month,” Trixie proclaimed. “Her great and powerful friends get free tickets! They can be used in the show! Sunset’s mom and aunts and cousin can attend! On the fifth!” “I think I would like that,” I smiled. “About those fireworks, how did you get fireworks that had my cutie mark and face?” Trixie gave me a smug grin. “Lavender makes all of our fireworks. She is a genius when it comes to them. All of our shows and the battle of the bands, she made the fireworks. Chemistry and other science classes are her favorite classes. Only ones she cares about to be honest,” Trixie explained. Me and Octavia gave each other stunned looks. “That’s actually impressive,” I said. “I didn’t know that.” “Yeah same here,” Octavia agreed. “That’s cool. I should ask her how she does that.” “Trixie is sure her friend will be happy to teach you all. Some of Lavenders more risky fireworks tend to blow up in our face. Sometimes literally.” “How haven’t you guys gotten injured?” I asked in surprise. Having fireworks blow up in a person’s face sounds life threatening. “Trixie may not look it but she and her friends can run fast when they need to,” Trixie snickered. “Okay well I’ll see you guys around before school this week,” I waved as I started to walk down the street. “We have the groupchat so I’ll text and call you guys later.” “Where are you going dear?” Octavia called out as she and Trixie watched me walk. “The roof of the school. Going to watch the sunset. It’s my place to think,” I explained. “Alright stay safe,” Octavia said. “Have fun!” Trixie smiled enthusiastically. ------------------------------------------------------------- I eagerly pushed the door to roof stairs open and bounded up them. The schools roof was my favorite place to sit and watch my namesake. Me and mom often sit up here and talk or just watch the sun set. Nobody really comes up here either except me and my group my now. We have chairs and a small coffee table set up on the roof. I remember when Rainbow had helped me record my past is not today up here. She had been eager to help me with it along with Pinkie. The two stayed after school late into the night, recording an editing. We were free up here because like I said no one comes up here. Imagine my surprise when I saw a short young pink girl sitting on the edge of the roof. I cautiously approached her as she glance back, glaring at me angrily. Her expression softened when she presumably realized who I was. “Oh hey Sunset,” the girl mumbled as I sat down next to her. She sounded familiar but I couldn’t place where I remembered why or how. “Hey. What are you doing up here?” I asked. “Same thing as you I would assume. This is a good place to think.” “I know,” I chuckled. “I come up here often.” “I know. Everyone knows. It’s common knowledge. We usually stay away because it’s your area.” I didn’t know that. Maybe that was the real reason people left this area alone. “Got something on your mind?” I asked curiously. She gave a nod and stared at the sun setting, painting a orange and red portrait across the sky as her mouth formed a hard line. “Yeah. When anon a miss posted one of my secrets, me and my sister got into a screaming match in the hallway. When we got home, our mom had heard about and beat us within an inch of our lives. Apparently we messed with her reputation or something with the school by having a fight in front of everyone. If only she knew everyone was busy screaming at each other to care about us.” “I’m sorry. That’s shitty of her,” I sighed. “Did you think I was guilty of anon a miss?” The girl chewed on her bottom lip before looking away. “Do you want the truth or the lie?” She finally asked. “The truth,” I said and braced myself. “I didn’t really have the time to think about who it was or wasn’t. I was busy trying to hide from my mother,” she admitted. “Me and my sister both were.” “Your father didn’t do anything?” I asked. “He doesn’t care as long as he gets money in his pocket,” she clenched her fist before sighing. I growled quietly in anger as we watched the sun set. She hesitantly pressed her head against my shoulder and I slowly wrapped an arm around her. I had no idea who this girl was but I still felt bad for her. “It’ll get sorted out.” > Unreleased Rough Draft Chapter One > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I don’t get why you haven’t taken Sunset out of that school sis,” Berry said as she placed her hands behind her head and relaxed on the couch. “There’s plenty of other schools around.” “I would but I don’t want to talk her away from Lyra and her friends. Sure, they could come visit but still isn’t the same. And I am not putting her in Crystal Prep. She is not like them,” I explained as I drank my coffee. “She’s right,” Derpy chimed in from her spot on the floor as she played with Ruby. “Sunset is nothing like a Crystal Prep student. Stuck up jerks.” I nodded my agreement as the door slammed open. Sunset staggered into the room and I immediately scrunched up my face in slight disgust at the smell radiating off her breath. “Sunset?” I narrowed my eyes. “Have you been drinking?” Sunset gave a nod and leaned against the wall. “Yeah I stole the alcohol from Lyra’s house. Another thing I gotta apologize for. Wanna know what I don’t fucking get?” Sunset mumbled as Derpy quickly covered Ruby’s ears. “Hey Ruby let’s go play outside,” Derpy hastily suggested as she pulled the girl up with her. “Let’s go play tag or hide and seek while they talk. You can show me how good you are at hiding.” Derpy continued ushering Ruby out the back door while Ruby looked conflicted about staying in here or going outside as she was pulled along gently. “Uh okay?” Ruby mumbled as Berry gave Derpy an appreciative smile. The back door shut gently as we focused on a clearly drunk Sunset. “What is going on Sunset?” Cherry asked hesitantly. “What the fuck do you think?” Sunset shouted. “I’ve been betrayed by a bunch of worthless fucks!” “Sunset!” I snapped. “I get you’re upset but please don’t talk to your aunt like that. Anon a miss again?” “Why me God damn it?” Sunset screamed and I flinched back. “What about me is so unlikable that people like doing this to me? I worked my ass to be forgiven and for what? To be backstabbed and thrown out on the corner like it’s trash day tomorrow!” We all looked at each other nervously and Sunset wiped a tear away. “I hate myself dude! I’m just gonna go freaking sleep. Isn’t that what you do when you’re drunk?” I stepped forward to hug her and Berry grabbed my shoulder. Berry sighed and stared at Sunset. “Bad things happen to good people Sunset. Go upstairs, just relax in bed with a bucket to vomit in. I’ll bring up a glass of water,” Berry said softly as Sunset nodded and stumbled up the stairs. She grabbed the guard rail and we all stepped forward to catch her if she fell. Thank God she didn’t and she kept stumbling to her room before slamming the door. “This just got complicated,” Minuette mumbled. “Should I go talk to her?” “Not yet,” Berry said. “Reasoning with a drunk person is a losing battle trust me. I’ll go talk to her myself. I have the best background in this area.” “Berry do you wanna take her back home for a bit while me and the others sort this out? It’ll only be a bit till we get anon a kiss sorted out,” I said hopefully as I looked at my sister. “I’m down. We would like to have her around and Ruby likes her. Minuette would get to know her better too,” Berry answered as Minuette gave a grin along with a thumbs up. “Okay thanks. Cherry can you go get her?” I asked and she nodded as she stood up and stepped to the stairs. “Yeah no problem. We will get this sorted out no problem,” Cherry smiled as she disappeared up the stairs. “God that smelled awful,” I mumbled. This honestly reminded me of when Berry drank heavily in college. A loud scream came from upstairs and we all three looked at each other nervously before rushing up the stairs. Cherry was pressed against the wall with Sunset’s door open. Minuette turned slightly green as Berry’s eyes widened and I pressed a hand to my mouth. Sunset was hanging from the ceiling fan by an old rope. “Oh my god!” I exclaimed as me and Berry stepped inside. “Cut her down!” Berry grunted as she lifted her up as Minuette handed me a nearby knife on the nightstand. I quickly cut the rope and Sunset collapsed on top of me on the floor. “Cheerilee, you okay?” “I’m good,” I groaned as I rolled Sunset over and pressed my head to her mouth. “She’s breathing thank God.” I heard footsteps running up the stairs and panting as Derpy stood in the door way. “What the fuck happened?” Derpy demanded. “I heard screaming.” That was the first time I’ve ever heard her cuss. “Get Ruby out of here!” Berry demanded as I glanced back at the terrified girl clinging to Derpy. “Ruby! I said to stay outside!” Derpy said as she spun the girl around and hugged her. “And call nine one one!” I exclaimed as Derpy nodded weakly as she paled and pulled Ruby along with her. ------------------------------------------------------------- I sighed as I slumped over the hospital chair as Ruby curled up in a shaking ball on Minuettes lap. Berry and Cherry were talking softly in a corner of the room while Derpy stared at Sunset in the bed. We all went quiet and stared as Nurse Redheart stepped inside with Nurse Sweetheart. “She’s going to be okay,” Nurse Sweetheart said reassuringly as Sunset slept in the bed because of some pain medication they gave her. “She’s gonna have some bruises on her neck for a bit.” “She’s gonna have to stay here for a bit till a specialist can talk to her. It’s procedure after a failed suicide attempt,” Nurse Redheart said as she stared at Sunset. “If you all need anything, we are a call away.” I gave a nod as the two left the room, gently shutting the door. “Urghh,” Sunset mumbled as she rolled over in the bed and we all stood up, quickly walking to her. “What happened?” “You gave us quite the scare there kid,” Berry forced a chuckle as she handed Sunset a water. I wiped a tear off Sunset’s face. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m a coward for trying to kill myself.” Cherry glared at her and shook her head. “You are not a coward,” Cherry snapped. “Don’t ever talk about yourself like that again. You’re a strong person.” Sunset stared at her with a dead expression and shook her head. “Strong people don’t attempt to kill themselves.”