//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirteen // Story: Equestria Girls: Reimagined // by Candle Light //------------------------------// Equestria Girls: Reimagined Chapter Thirteen by Candle light based on a story by Meghan McCarthy “Do we have to wear these?” Rainbow Dash complained. “Oh just put them on, you’ll like it,” Rarity told her. Rarity had insisted they all meet up at her house, and they were each holding a dress she was quite insistent that they wear, or else. The sun had set, and in only one hour, the Fall Formal dance would begin. Spike had taken the opportunity to stretch his legs while the girls got spiffed up, which Twilight found strange; why would he pass up a chance to see Rarity get dressed? Although right now, despite her success, Twilight was far too nervous to worry about stuff like that. In the end, what seemed like most of the students body had shown up to help fix the gymnasium, but did that really translate to solid votes? What if there were more of Sunsets followers she didn’t know about? What if she got so desperate she abandoned the ‘fair and square’ part and started to downright threaten people? “Actually, you know what, I think I look pretty good,” Rainbow Dash commented, her Fall Formal dress in place. “I’m not much for skirts, but it does show off my toned muscles.” “I like how simple this is,” Fluttershy said, admiring her own dress in the mirror. “It doesn’t stand out, but it’s nice to look at. Almost too nice for someone like me…” “You look gorgeous,” Rainbow Dash complimented, which sent Fluttershy straight down to blush-ville. “The guys will be all over you.” “I-I hope not,” she said, her posture shrinking. “Speaking of which,” Rarity said, “it really is too bad you’re a talking horse from another world, Twilight; we all saw how Flash was looking at you.” “Looking at her how?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Well, most of us saw how he was looking at you,” Rarity scoffed. “He is sweet,” Twilight said. “And I owe him a lot. But once this is over, I do need to go back to my own world.” There was a collective ‘aaww’. “I know, but my friends are waiting for me.” “You’ll come back and visit, won’t you?” Applejack asked. “I’m not sure. The truth is, the portal isn’t all-powerful; using it too many times could end up breaking, unleash all the energy that binds this world together into Equestria.” “And, uh, that’s bad?” “Imagine two suns colliding.” “Holy smokes, that’s like straight out of an epic fantasy novel,” Rainbow Dash commented. “It’ll suck not being able to see you again, but I guess it’s better than… that.” “Then let’s make tonight count!” Rarity said. “Girls, it’s time to save the world from tyranny, high school style!” *** The music was blasting from inside the wall when they arrived at school. Twilight liked dancing, though according to some, she had never been very good at it. Dancing was all about having fun, anyway; the fate of the world on her shoulders or not, she intended to enjoy herself tonight. “Twilight, wait!” Flash Sentry called, right as they were about to enter. He was wearing a tuxedo that, even to Twilight’s pony standards, made him look incredibly handsome. Spike, who was being carried by Rarity, gave them a knowing smile. “We’ll see you inside.” Flash jumped up the stars in two long leaps. “So… ready for the dance?” “Oh yes,” she said, smiling. “It’ll be a great way to calm my nerves for the vote.” “Heh, good thing you feel that way. I’m the opposite; I think you got the votes in the bag, but dancing? Never been my strong suit.” “Mine neither. It’s all about moving your legs to the music and having a good time.” Flash chuckled. “That’s a good way of looking at it. So, how about it? Could I have the first dance with you?” He held out his hand, blushing deep enough to give Fluttershy a run for her money. “Uhh, you know I’m a—” “—pony from another dimension? I know. But still… I’ve had a lot of fun with you. I thought this would be a good way to say goodbye.” When he said it like that, it was hard not to feel somewhat guilty. After making such an impact on all these people, she would just up and leave, and probably never come back. “Of course I’ll dance with you,” she said. “Sweet! Well then, shall we?” Locking arms, they entered the school together. The lamps were dimmed in the corridor, both to conserve energy and lending the place a good mood, and when they entered the gymnasium, it became clear to Twilight that the joint effort of every club in the school had resulted in a party Pinkie Pie could be proud of. Neon lights strobed across the floor, the music was bass heavy and thumbed through the body, and it seemed every single student in CHS has shown up for tonight. Many were dancing, others were chatting together in groups of friends, and one glance was enough to see that all clubs were mingling freely. Applejack saw them both, and winked. “Well,” Flash said, “this is as good a song as any.” He started flailing his arms to the rhythm. “Let’s do this!” *** Like any good Pinkie Pie-approved party, Twilight was completely bushed afterward. Flash had seemed very impressed with her ‘funniest dance he’d ever seen,’ and more than a few had mimicked her. This wasn’t the end of the party—as Pinkie put it, the night was still young—but the time had finally come for the voting. As such, the lights were turned on, and Principal Luna stepped onto the stage. “Please form and orderly line,” she announced, “so that those who hasn’t had the foresight to do so already can step forward and leave your vote for either Sunset Shimmer or Twilight Sparkle. Can both candidates please step up.” Here it was, the moment of truth. Sunset Shimmer stepped up first, that same unreadable look on her face. At least she wasn’t smirking anymore; that was a good sign, right? She was mad because she knew she wouldn’t stand a chance now, right? Twilight on the right hand side of Luna, Sunset on the left, they waited as the students left pieces of paper in a big box in front of the stage. To Twilight, the process was taking forever; each minute felt more like an hour. If only she could have been down there with her friends… But eventually, the Principal went to pick up the box, then carried it backstage. The crowd resumed their mingle, though the atmosphere was still tense. “So uh, what happens now?” Twilight asked. “The Principals—well, just the one, now—count the votes, then announces the winner,” Sunset told her. “It’s an old tradition… of course, they usually skip this part, since it’s been just me for the past four years.” “Must’ve been boring for you, eh, Sunset? No one to match your wit?” There came the smirk. “I know you’re trying to provoke me, Twilight, but you’re absolutely right. You’ve put up a good fight, just like I knew you would. I’ve had a… more rewarding time than then usual.” “So what’re you gonna pull next? Or are you finally ready to admit defeat?” “I thought I’d let things play themselves out, for now.” After what seemed like an eternity, Luna reappeared from behind the curtain. Carrying the Element of Harmony crown. The gymnasium quieted, all eyes on the stage. The tension was electrifying. “I have tallied the vote. And…” Luna paused. And from the look on her face, Twilight knew what she was about to say before she said it. “Sunset Shimmer wins this year’s Fall Formal.” She presented the cushion with the crown to Sunset, who picked it up with the biggest grin on her face. “WHAT?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, louder than all the other times combined. And much to Twilight’s surprise, so did most of the room. “How? Who voted Sunset Shimmer?” “I know, right? I thought Twilight was gonna win for sure? She had my vote.” “Same here!” Twilight would have been devastated, if it wasn’t for the fact that all the pieces fell together just then. The crowd was in an uproar. Most of them had voted for Twilight. She had won by a landslide! “You set this up!” Twilight said, pointing at Sunset. “You had no intention of having a fair competition from the beginning.” “Of course I did,” Sunset replied in that silky voice. Luna took a step back, sensing the animosity. “I always intended for a fair competition. But I never said anything about playing by the old, tired rule book. Come now, Twilight, do you honestly think I wasn’t going to take the crown by myself in the end?” “Yes!” exclaimed Twilight, who was really starting to lose temper. “I thought you had some pride left in your body!” “Oh!” Sunset suddenly had a look of surprise on her. “Oh my gosh, you mean you haven’t figured it out yet? Hah!” The smugness on her face increased tenfold. “Oh, this is better than I imagined! Okay, so let me spell it out for you: remember when I said that magic in this world is a horse of a different color? And I wanted the Element of Harmony? Wanna try to put two and two together?” “Did she say ‘magic?’” someone from the crowd said. “What’s an Element of Harmony?” “Dropping the pretense, are we?” Twilight said. “I’ve no more use for secrecy. I’ve already got what I needed: for you, the people of this school and, most importantly, Princess Celestia, to see for yourselves that no matter how well your think your intentions are, no matter how deeply you believe in the magic of friendship, it will never measure up to those with real power!” “They’re both ponies from another dimension!” Twilight heard Pinkie Pie call out. A deafening silence followed. “Y’know, just so you can follow the plot.” “We'll explain later,” Rainbow Dash said. “What's important right now is that Sunset Shimmer is not our Fall Formal Princess!” She pointed dramatically at the stage. “She rigged the whole thing!” There were confused murmurs, but also outcries of agreement. “What ‘power’ are you talking about?” Twilight demanded. “What’s the power source of the Elements of Harmony?” asked Sunset. “Virtues, right? Generosity, honesty, laughter, kindness, loyalty, bound together by the purest force of arcane magic to create an all-encompassing power of good. Now, remember how I called this ‘the Mirror World?’” “Oh no…!” Twilight gasped, realizing her foolishness. “The Element’s power reversed… that was your plan all along, like I suspected! Except, the other element bearers had nothing to do with it; all you needed was the crown, because in this realm, it’s fueled by vices. Lone, solitary vices…” “I suppose you get an A for At Last, Twilight, that took you long enough!” Sunset said. “Though you got one thing wrong. It’s not so much vices that makes this baby tick, more like general negative emotions. Harmony is so complex, and requires all these specific elements to functions, but the opposite only requires your usual suspects: hatred, anger, sadness, frustration. You know, things that every creature of every world understands.” “I see now. You wanted me to win, to use me to raise people’s hope, only to have it crushed before the their eyes, thus creating a powerful surge of negativity to fuel the Element.” “Very good! Of course, none of it would have worked if I hadn’t first spent years systematically sucking every ounce of hope from this school. The greater the despair, the brighter the light of hope will shine… and the bigger the hole in your heart when I snuff it out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just take this crown and—OW!” It happened so fast, Twilight barely had time to see what had happened. One moment, Sunset was carrying the crown in her hands, the next, it was in ther air, Sunset grasping said hands in pain. Then the sound of glass shattering and a liquid spilling onto the stage. “Nice throw, Dash!” Applejack said. Rainbow Dash had thrown the punch bowl at Sunset Shimmer, knocking the crown out of her hands. And Luna was picking it up before Sunset had the chance to. “Principal,” she said menacingly. “Give me the the crown.” Luna looked at the Element, then back at her. “So your story… being related to Mr Rich… was that a lie too?” “Being related, uh, yeah. But you’d be surprised what riches can buy you. Some ultra-rare gemstones from another realm of existence here, some financial advice from a super intelligent brain there, and voila, honorary niece. So you see, Principal Luna, I could still chuck you out on your ears. Give me the crown.” “If… if you are going to enslave us all in any event… Sunset Shimmer, you are hereby expelled from Canterlot High, effective immediately! Twilight Sparkle wins the Fall Formal!” She cast the Principal looks of pure venom. “Oh, you are going to regret that…” “No!” Rainbow Dash said, jumping up the stage. Applejack followed, and shortly after, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, and even Fluttershy. They placed themselves between Sunset and Luna. “You are going to regret messing with our school!” “Give it up, Sunset,” Rarity said. “If I’ve understood this right, your magic negativity powers won’t work unless you have the Element. Go ahead and do what you want, you are not getting this crown back.” Sunset Shimmer was defeated. More and more students were joining her on stage, ready to defend Luna and the crown she was holding. There was nothing more she could do, to the school or the world. Twilight was going to drag her sorry flank back through the portal and make her pay for what she’d put Celestia through. “Hah!” Sunset then exclaimed. “Alright, I think I’ve had enough fun. You’re all too cute.” Twilight realized a moment too late what was happening. “Grab her!” she called, but it was already done. Sunset Shimmer had pulled out the real crown from inside her clothes—its jewels shimmering with an ominous dark light—and placed it on top of her head.