In the Canterlot High gym the students chat as they are making posters for their musical groups. Sunset Shimmer walked over to a group of younger girls and picked up a paint brush.
"Want some help?" Sunset asked the girls.
"Uh, no thanks. We're good." Apple Bloom said, unsure.
"Oh. Okay." Sunset said as she put the paint brush back.
"Sunset Shimmer!" Yelled Pinkie Pie. "Over here!" Pinkie waved her hand so Sunset could see her. She was standing next to her friends Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.
As Sunset made her way over to her new, and only, friends, the other students whispered about her as she past them. Sunset sighed. "I had no idea the whole school would be here."
Rarity held up a poster for their band, The Rainbooms. "Quite the eye-catching advertisement, if I do say so myself."
"And it smells like cake!" Pinkie said, joyfully.
"It does?" Fluttershy asked as she sniffed the poster.
Pinkie shoved the poster into Fluttershy's face. "I used frosting instead of paste!" Pinkie explained.
Fluttershy ended up getting frosting and glitter on her nose.
Applejack chucked. "Uh, Fluttershy, you've got a little somethin', uh..."
Fluttershy wiped her cheek getting only a little bit of the glitter off. "Did I get it?"
"Heh, not exactly." Applejack chuckled again.
Sunset got out a napkin and wiped Fluttershy's face, as that happened Principle Celestia came in.
"Good afternoon, students." She announced. "I just wanted to tell you all how pleased I am that so many of you are going to participate in the first ever Canterlot High School Musical Showcase!" The students cheered. "This is a wonderful opportunity to raise money for all our after-school programs here at CHS. So keep working on those signs and posters. I think it's going to be one of the most exciting events we've had at CHS since the Fall Formal."
All the students, excluding the Mane 5, glared at Sunset. Sunset sunk down to her knees and hid her face in shame.
The next morning in the music room…
"Ugh! I am never gonna be able to live that down." Sunset said. She was sitting down on a piano, the Mane 5 and Sunset had be using to the music room to practice for the musical showcase.
"You were pretty bad at the Fall Formal." Fluttershy said as she grabbed her tambourine.
"A demon. I turned into a raging she-demon." Sunset crossed her arms.
"And tried to turn everyone here into teenage zombies for your own personal army!" Pinkie Pie pretended to be a zombie for emphases.
"Oh, darling, you have us, and we've forgiven you for your past... ahem... booboos." Rarity reassured.
"To be honest, I'd say the whole experience brought everyone at Canterlot High closer than ever before!" Applejack said as she held her bass guitar.
Pinkie hit hit her drumsticks together as she shouted. "One, two, three!" And they began to sing.
[The Rainbooms]
There was a time we were apart
But that's behind us now
See how we've made a brand new start
And the future's lookin' up, ah-oh, ah-oh
And when you walk these halls
You feel it everywhere
Yeah, we're the Wondercolts forever, ah-oh, yeah!
As they played, they started to transform into their half-pony forms, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity got the longer ponytails and pony ears, then Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy got the longer ponytails, pony ears and wings.
[The Rainbooms]
We are all together
(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)
Now it's better than ever
(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)
You can feel it, we are back (You... can... feel... it...)
And I'm so glad that we're better
Better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
Oh yeah, we're better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
[Rainbow Dash]
There was a time we couldn't see
Past the differences
[Applejack]
That separated you and me
And it left us on our own
[Pinkie Pie]
But now you walk these halls
And friends are everywhere
[The Rainbooms]
Yeah, we're the Wondercolts forever, oh, yeah!
We are all together
(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)
Now it's better than ever
(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)
Now that we are back on track (Now... that... we... are...)
Yes, I'm so glad that we're better
Better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
Oh yeah, we're better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
Oh yeah, we're better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
Oh yeah, we're better than ever!
Sunset clapped at their performance and smiled.
Rarity laughed. "I still can't believe that happens when we play! Ooh! I've got to look into some new accessories! Something that looks good in a longer ponytail. Ooh! Maybe some clip-on earrings for when I get those adorable pony ears."
"I just wonder why it happens. Princess Twilight took her crown back to Equestria. Shouldn't that mean she took all the magic back with her?" Applejack asked, confused.
"Who cares why it happens? It makes my band totally awesome!" Rainbow gloated.
"Oh! Your band?" Rarity exclaimed.
"Duh! It was my idea to start the Rainbooms so we could be in the showcase. Plus I'm the lead singer and guitarist."
Then there was a knock on the door, it was Flash Sentry. "Uh, heard you outside. You guys are sounding really tight." Flash commented.
"Uh, we're getting there." Rainbow nodded. "Rarity's still coming in a little late on the second verse, and Applejack's bass solo could use a little work. They'll get it together in time for the showcase." Behind Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity were steaming up, Fluttershy tried to hid behind her tambourine.
"Uh, I don't suppose any of our friends from, uh... out of town might come?" Flash asked as he blushed. "Uh, it being a special charity event and all."
"Sorry, Flash. I don't think Twilight's gonna be back at Canterlot High any time soon." Applejack explained.
Flash laughed nervously. "Oh, yeah. Okay. I just, you know, thought I'd ask." Flash started to walk backwards. "Uh, k-keep on rockin' it." He ran into the wall, blushed then slid out of the room.
"Well." Rarity giggles. "Someone is quite the smitten kitten." She jumped in realization of what she said and turned to Sunset. "Oh. Sorry. I always forget you and Flash used to be an item."
"It's okay." Sunset said as she sat back on the piano. "Flash is a great guy and all, but I never really liked-him liked him. I was just using him to become more popular." Sunset eyes widened. "Ugh! The old me really was just awful, wasn't she?"
"Mmm... horrid." Rarity said.
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
"Yep!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"But the important thing is that you've turned yourself around." Applejack reassured Sunset as she put a hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks Applejack, but I'm not sure everyone else at CHS feels the same way." Sunset sighed.
The P.A. system beeps then Vice Principle Luna spoke. "Sunset Shimmer, please report to the main foyer."
Sunset got off the piano. "Gotta run. I volunteered to show some new students around the school. Thought it'd be good for them to get to know the new me before they heard all the stuff about the old me." Sunset walked out the door.
"We've still got a few minutes before school starts." Rainbow stated. "What do you say we do "Awesome As I Wanna Be"?"
"Um, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked. "I was wondering if we could maybe play the song I wrote?" She held up her pink notebook with some butterflies on it and smiled.
"We'll get to it." Rainbow grabbed her guitar.
Fluttershy frowned sadly. "Oh. Okay."
Rainbow Dash smiled and played a chord.
At the Dazzlings' home…
Melody was still asleep when sunlight hit her eyes and she woke up. She was still sleepy from a last night's feeding. Her and her sisters were so happy that they got into the school that they celebrated, only they were happy for two different reasons. Melody was happy that she was starting high school since Adagio took her out after middle school so she could fully focus on her Siren abilities. But her sisters were happy because they could finally get to the magic in the school. She looked at her hair and saw that it was an awful mess, minus the small braid she left in it that captures her blonde hair with the red strains. The light from the sun shined off her pendant. She touched it and it gave her a sense of sadness. She didn't know the origin of the pendant, but she felt wrong having it, like it was someone else's. Adagio told her that they've had it since they were banished, but she felt there was more to it than that, like she wasn't telling her something. She even went to Sonata about it several times, since she tells her things that Aria and Adagio don't want her to know by accident, but even she was determined not to talk about it.
"I will get to the bottom of it, even if I have to try and manipulate them into revealing the truth." Melody said. She didn't like to manipulate others like her sisters do, especially them, but she's been waiting ten years for answers and she was going to get them whether they wanted to give them to her or not. She then looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh crap! I'm going to late! And on the first day too!" Melody then rushed to get ready.