//------------------------------//
// Player two joins. 
// Story: shimmering hope. 
// by dragenfire68 
//------------------------------//

((Past))

The holidays came and passed, and with it, Anon-a-miss disappeared, and all thoughts of Sunset Shimmer disappeared, though it didn't stop the stupid and the moronic from trying to discern what happened, rumors circulated that with the loss of her job and home, they would find her on a corner waiting for her next client, and they would be all too happy to show her some fun but unfortunately for them, Sunset was on no street corner, instead she fought for the fate of millions that don't and won't ever know her, on a sunbaked plain.

That being said, we're not gonna focus on them, instead, we'll focus on the five that unknowingly just tipped the scales of a war that soon will eclipse all they hold dear.

"Hey Pinkie does this seem a little too coincidental to you," Fluttershy asked Pinkie, the rest of the girls had fallen very ill, some kind of flu.

"What do you mean shy," Pinkie asks.

"Just before we start winter break Sunset goes missing, and with her everything to do with anon-a-miss is just gone, and then after that nothing, not hide nor peep from Sunset over our phones, or even in the news, something about this isn't right."

"That's because Sunset isn't dead, I know it seems that way, but my pinkie sense is telling me that something big is coming, that we made a terrible mistake, and now we're defenseless."

"Should we tell the others?"

"Shy, I love them, but they will not listen, you and I have known dashie for a long, long time and you know how she is, I doubt her or applejack will listen, as for rarity well I doubt she cares too much."

In silent agreement they both nodded, agreeing in silence to trust this feeling, and if anything changes, to go with it but for now they have the rest of the day to take their minds off of pinkie's near-prophetic feelings, they have seldom been wrong.

Meanwhile, miles away a certain pink-skinned woman was poking around a cave, she couldn't place it but something inside it was calling her, a powerful pull led her towards the very back, where seven little stones glinted on a natural plaque.

"GLORIOSA, what are you doing here," A young man asked, his green hair disheveled, looking like he ran a marathon.

"They call to me, I can hear them call out, they are telling me that I will need their guidance, now if you don't mind, I'll be seeing you later," Gloriosa said as she grabbed the stones, and in a bright flash, She was gone, the only thing left was her shirt and shoes, everything else was gone, Timber simply grabbed the stuff, sighing that his sister had once again left the entire camp to him again.

Gloriosa felt a warm breath move across her skin, which let her know that her upper body is very bare, except for the little bit of fabric that left her modest, but that was wiped from her mind when she opened her eyes and saw the largest dinosaur in her life, its teeth were like razor-sharp buildings, miles high and wide, but they were dwarfed by the rest of it, thousands of miles of muscle and skin, but little did she know it was not alone, because soon an ear-shattering shriek above her let her notice that the clouds above her were, in fact, massive wings to another massive dinosaur pale white but no less threatening.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE," Gloriosa cried and the forest obliged, a thick green vine pulled on her wrist without hurting her, working on instinct she reached out with her other hand and another vine, soon she was speeding through the forest at breakneck speed, with the massive titans behind her, she found that the breakneck speed is exhilarating, forcing out a massive whoop, her cry echoing across the vast forest.

However, it did not go unnoticed miles away on the coast, a group of pirates heard the echoing cry, mistaking it for the sounds of the damned, but a hideous creature with snakes for her hair was not phased, unlike her dim-witted crew, she could sense the power behind the sound, and in her always scheming mind saw much potential, little did she know that she was about to be pitted against a foe that mastered the art of working behind the scenes, still she set out to find this powerful potential ally.

meanwhile, in canterlot, the girls had gotten over the sickness that had been ailing them for a couple of days, when they returned to school, they found that the old rumor mill was indeed indestructible and that now instead of secrets of each other, thousands of little needling rumors about the one in question's whereabouts were running wild, anything from dying a painful death to running off with an unnamed boy from the tech club, or working the dark corners of the streets, they were endless, and none of the girls cared anything for them, they were just glad that they were no longer the center of attention.

Nicol Bolas, on the other hand, was making great progress with his disciple, had he known her potential sooner, he would not have misstepped on Amonkhet, he would have been able to split apart that blasted gate-watch, but he did not account for the girl, her mastery of magic that is on par with his was a wildcard, nor did he account for the fact that the old hag Lillianna had cared enough to become invested, but now he had a disciple, she is naive, malleable, and best of all eager to learn all he knows, and whether she knows it or not, little by little she is helping him slip into this world, but he can't do it too soon, otherwise that blasted girl will find him too soon, instead he needs slaves, since his armies were bested on, Amonkhet.