This Is Me – The Greatest Showman Ensemble
"...Sunset... Sunset..."
The fiery girl blinked her eyes open and finds herself gazing into the colorful eyes of her friends.
"Maddie..." Sunset gasped. "Rainbooms! Spike...is...is it really you?" The girls helped their fiery friend up to her feet, as she struggles to process all that had happened. "I just had this crazy dream and it...felt so real..."
"It wassss a nightmare, SSSSunsssset," Maddie hissed, as she coiled around Sunset. "But thank goodnesssss you're alright," With that, the cursed gorgon didn't hesitate to pull Sunset in for a hug, with the Rainbooms and Spike joining in.
"Wait...so it really happened?" Sunset asked. "I was really turned back into a demon sorceress? I was leading an army of monsters?"
"Yeah, and you nearly conquered the world too!" Pinkie Pie added. "If it hadn't been for Maddie, we wouldn't have saved you and the world. She's the hero!"
"I...me?" Maddie asked, blushing a shade of pink. "A hero?"
"Yeah! Just like Spider–Man, Maddie!" Rainbow Dash smiled. "You're a real a hero!"
"Darn tootin'!" Applejack added.
Maddie turned to look at her two sisters, Stheno and Euryale, who both smiled proudly for their sister.
"Congratulations, Medusa," A voice spoke up, revealing herself to be Athena. "You did what I always knew you could do. You've made a difference."
"Athena?" The friends gasped.
"Well done, Medusa. You have proven yourself honest, loyal, compassionate, and a true friend, in spite of your monstrosity," Athena spoke, "But alas, your curse remains. You shall forever remain as the monster you are many years ago, and for many years to come."
Medusa dipped her head, mildly disappointed to hear that her enchantment will remain for all time, and that she may not be well-received in the modern world.
"Y'know, what Maddie? Forget it," Applejack frowned. "Because I don't care if you're a monster or not! You're still our friend."
"Yeah! And as a fanatic for adventures, everybody knows that it's not the treasure that matters. It's the journey." Rainbow Dash lectured. "We've had an adventure of lifetime with you, haven't we? So what's that compared to what some Greek Gods have to say against you?"
"We love you, Maddie," Fluttershy added.
"You're a diamond in the rough, darling," Rarity joined in.
"You're our friend!" Pinkie chirped.
"And for the record, out of all of us, you were the most determined to saving Sunset Shimmer!" Twilight added.
"If that doesn't make you a hero, then I don't know what will," Spike barked.
Stheno stepped forward and spoke on behalf of herself and Euryale, "We don't care if you're a human, or a monster, Medu-Ahem...Maddie. Euryale and I have waited centuries to finally hold you in our arms again, dear sister." Euryale nodded in agreement.
Medusa's eyes widened, and tears ran down her eyes, overwhelmed by the love and the warmth from her friends, and family,"My friendssss," She hissed uneasily, until the corner of her mouth curled up into a loving smile, and she wraps her arms around Sunset, pulling the fiery girl and the whole group in a loving group hug, courtesy of her long coil. "What would I ever do without you?"
"We're you're friends, Maddie," Sunset Shimmer replied. "Friends are forever!" the Rainbooms and Spike all joined in, sharing the same. "We love you, Maddie."
"I love you too, my friendssss!" Maddie hissed.
Then, without warning, a bright light started to pulse as it shines itself free from the gorgon's chest.
Fluttershy was the first to notice, "Oh goodness!" she exclaimed, to which everyone, including Medusa all noticed.
"Whoa, Maddie! What's happening to your body?" Sunset asked.
"I...I don't know..."
Medusa found herself glowing in blazing coat of a magical aura that's brighter than the sun, as she levitates into the air, where the magic works its mysterious way. Everyone all watched as the gorgon's claws grew shorter, until they were no longer claws, but fingers. Furthermore, her long serpentine tail slowly began to shrink, to the point where it splits up into a pair of legs. Then, for the finishing touch, a crack was formed on Medusa's skin, where a beam of light can be seen leaking through, followed by another, until the reptilian scales on Medusa's entire body were covered in cracks. Then, with a burst, they peeled away to reveal the natural human flesh underneath.
The curse has been lifted. Medusa is once again human.
There, lying on the floor is Medusa, still wearing the same hoodie and pleated skirt which has now become overgrown, and her hair no longer a mass of living snakes, but was returned to its long, natural, and wavy form of dirt brown. The snakes themselves have all fallen off of her head, and they all caressed themselves around their unconscious mistress.
The magic didn't end there as Stheno and Euryale soon found themselves bathed in an aura of light. Before long, their stone shells were shattered and like their younger sister, they were restored to flesh and blood, and became human.
The Rainbooms and Spike were all aghast, "M-Maddie?!" Sunset Shimmer exclaimed, as she got down to look at her friend in concern.
Disoriented from the transformation, Medusa opened her eyes, to reveal they were no longer a piercing green, but have been restored to a natural shade of emerald green, "Sunset?" she asked wearily. "What happened? What's–Oh!" the former cursed woman gasped as she looked at her hand, before she looked down at herself, to see she was fully restored. "I'm..I'm..." Medusa slowly got up to her feet, wobbling as she did so, nearly falling to the floor, had Sunset not caught her.
"Whoa, careful there, girlfriend," Pinkie cautioned. "You just got your legs back, after a thousand years!"
Nevertheless, Medusa was overcome with joy, as she once again looked down at herself, while her snakes continued to caress themselves around her legs, "I'm...I'm human!" she exclaimed. "I'm me again!"
"And you look...well, you look ok," Applejack commented.
"Aw, I liked you better when you're a gorgon..." Rainbow Dash pouted.
"Well done, young ones," Athena congratulated, as the friends all turned their attentions to hear what the Goddess of Wisdom was about to say. "I knew you could do it."
"Wh-What do you mean, mistress?" Medusa asked. "What did we do?"
"Yeah! What gives?" Rainbow Dash asked. "A little while ago, you said that it's no use and Maddie's forever cursed. And now she's human! What's the big idea?"
"The spell was placed upon you, as an act of your jealousy towards beauty seen on the outside," Athena explained. "It is a powerful spell that even we gods do not possess the power to remove, at will. The only way it can be removed was entirely up to you, Medusa."
"Up to me?"
"You bore the curse, because of your jealousy for your beauty to be seen from the outside. All the people who've been turned to stone by you have failed to look past your monstrous appearance to see the true beauty that lies within you. And now, because of the friends you have made and through their friendship, they have broken the curse and restored your humanity. All because you’ve finally accepted who you truly are, not by what others see you for what you are on the outside, but by the true beauty that only exists in your heart.”
“Alright, Medusa!” The Rainbooms and Spike all cheered happily for their restored friend.
"There is one condition, however," Athena began. "Regarding your humanity. You must never be swayed by the opinions of others. Or else your anger will be shown on the outside."
"Sounds like you gotta behave, or you'll end up 'hulking it out', Maddie," Rainbow Dash commented.
"You don't have to worry about a thing, your grace," Sunset Shimmer smiled confidently, wrapping an arm around Maddie. "Because we'll be sure to keep an eye on her."
"And we'll make sure she won't get into too much trouble next time," Applejack added.
"Very good. And now young heroes, and dog, I bid you all farewell," with that, Athena slowly fades away, but not before she said, "Excelsior, Equestria Girls!" With that, she disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the girls and dog behind.
"So what do we do now?" Rainbow asked.
"I'm feeling a little hungry," Maddie said, rubbing her hand over her stomach. "Does anyone want some pizza?" she asked.
“Yeah!” The Rainbooms and Spike cheered in agreement, much to Stheno and Euryale's confusion.
"What is pizza?" Stheno asked.
After a closing chapter to another of their most epic adventures, once again the Rainbooms and Spike have come out triumphant with a new friend they had made on their journey of magic and heroism. For the rest of their trip in Greece, the Rainbooms, Spike, and the newly restored Medusa had toured the country, sightseeing many of the tourist attractions and the modern changes that Greece has to offer for Medusa to see the changes that she had missed out on over the years.
Along the way, the friends have all captured fun and beautiful pictures together, preserving the memories of their magical friendship, in the pages of the Rainbooms' epilogue of their latest story of life, friendship, and adventure. An inspiring tale of how they had accomplished what others perceived as the impossible, to befriend a cursed beast such as Medusa, to look past her monstrosity to see the beauty within her, and to bring life, colors, and joy to a cold heart of stone. In turn, Medusa had at long last come to accept that true beauty is not from appearances, but by acceptance of one's uniqueness and heart.
"What makes you different can also make you strong." – Lauren Faust.
This Is Me – The Greatest Showman Ensemble
"Hello?" Zephyr Breeze called from beneath a statue. "Hey? Anyone out there? Can someone help me out? I'm a little stuck here."