//------------------------------// // Episode 95: Life's a Beach // Story: Equestria Girls: Friendship Souls // by thatguyvex //------------------------------// Episode 95: Life's a Beach “Nice of your brother to let us borrow his truck for this,” Sunset said, squeezed between Applejack in the driver’s seat and Clover in the passenger seat. Thankfully the deep, apple red truck’s cabin was spacious enough that she didn’t feel too cramped while the truck veered down a winding, well forested road between tall hills. Canterlot City was shockingly close to the continent's west coast, and all of an hour drive could get one to any number of pristine, sandy beaches. On an early afternoon summer drive, the air was fresh and warm, having shaped up to be the perfect day for exactly the kind of trip the girls intended. In the back of the truck Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie sat alongside their one other Soul Reaper chaperone, Lieutenant Posey. Both her and Clover were wearing gigai false bodies designed to look like their spirit bodies, and Sunset knew they both carried gikon artificial soul candies so they could assume Soul Reaper form in case of danger. In Clover’s case, Sunset had invited her along, while Posey had been invited by Fluttershy. Her friend seemed uneasy with the Lieutenant around, yet also appeared to be making an effort to be open and friendly with Posey. Sunset supposed she could understand that the two still had some issues to work out, considering the odd nature of their relationship. She hoped Fluttershy would be able to sort things through, and not hesitate to ask her friends for help if she needed anyone to talk to. At any rate, while the legality of her friends sitting in the truck bed was questionable at best, Applejack assured Sunset that the local police were pretty lax on this kind of thing, especially during summer when more than a few groups of kids would do this exact same thing. Sunset wasn’t too concerned on the safety front, either, given all of her friends were able to protect themselves in case of an accident, or a Hollow attack. You’re worrying again, Sunset. Stop it. Today is the start of a week of decompressing. Don’t ruin it before you even get to the beach, she told herself, hugging the plushie rabbit sitting in her lap. “Hey, not so tight there, boss, I’m not all stuffing, you know?” said Chappy, and Sunset patted her on the head. “Sorry. You remember you need to keep out of sight when we get to the beach, right? Don’t go talking to people or walking around where others can see.” “I know, I know. I’ll be good and keep out of sight. I’m just looking forward to checking out an actual beach with a real ocean. I bet there’ll be so many hotties out there to feast my eyes upon! Mmm, is a real shame Big Mac isn’t coming with us, he’d look great in trunks.” “Sunset, could ya do somethin’ about yer plush doll droolin’ on the seat over fantasies o’ my brother?” Applejack asked through tight lips, taking a turn a tad sharper than she had to. “Chappy, fantasize about somebody other than Big Mac, and save the drool until we actually get to the beach,” Sunset said, and Chappy let out a saddened sigh. “My natural instincts are being unjustly curtailed...” “You really shouldn’t have such instincts in the first place,” said Clover, glancing at Chappy with a curious eye, “I still wish we could examine you more closely to determine just what’s gone off about your programming. I know the Chappy model isn’t supposed to have any kind of hedonistic streak.” “It’s fine as long as she doesn’t do anything rash,” Sunset said, eyeing Chappy sternly, “Especially when using my body.” “How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” said Chappy, folding her squishy plush arms across her chest. “More, but we’ll leave it at that for now, I think I see the beach,” Sunset said, leaning forward and squinting as she caught sight of a flash of blue and white through a break in the trees. This particular stretch of coast was called Dreaming Shores, and consisted of a gently curved, two and a half mile long bay nestled between two short peninsulas, it’s shore covered in a pristine beach of white sand. The heavy pine forests went up nearly to the beach edge, providing a verdant backdrop to the picturesque setting. Resort cabins dotted the hillsides on either peninsula, and small but well appointed strip mall and several restaurants serviced the beach itself and its regular visitors. Parking was available all across the beach front, and predictably for the first week of summer, the place was already looking packed. Sunset could spot a veritable forest of beach umbrellas lining the shore even as Applejack pulled the truck down the last bend in the road to reach the street where the parking lots were located. Luckily she and the girls had left early enough after school that day, that while the beach was already swarming, parking was still only half full. As everyone piled out and moved to the back of the truck to start unloading beach gear, ranging from an elegant white tanning chair for Rarity to a dizzying array of colorful inflatables for Pinkie Pie. Sunset saw both Clover and Posey looking at the beach with naked curiosity. “You know it never occurred to me to ask, but is this both of your first time to a beach?” “Oh, um, sort of?” said Posey, “Our Division sometimes trains near one of the lakes outside Soul Society, but we don’t have anything quite like this.” “The spirit realm has an ocean, but its pretty far from Soul Society,” explained Clover, eyes never leaving the shining waters beyond the beach, “I’ve never been there, myself, so this is my first time seeing the living world’s ocean, or any ocean for that matter. Wasn’t expecting it to be quite this... big.” “Yer spirit world’s got some odd geography if it’s only got the one ocean,” commented Applejack, shouldering a bag with her swimsuit packed inside. Most of the girls were still in their regular summer clothes, but would change when the mood to swim hit them. Rarity had actually provided some new swim suits for everyone, save for Clover and Posey, who were sort of last minute additions. Still, even the two Soul Reapers had been able to acquire suitable garments for the excursion. Clover sporting a forest green two piece swimsuit under a teal waist-skirt and loose, short sleeved shirt, which Clover left open since she had the swimsuit top on. Posey was more conservatively dressed with a pale white and yellow trimmed skirt and blouse, along with a wide, light blue sunhat. “Our ocean is, from what I researched at the Academy, somewhat larger than this Pacific Ocean,” Clover replied, perhaps a tad defensively, “Since souls don’t require water, we’re not as dependent on it as living humans are. Mostly we just don’t have a reason to pay much attention to our ocean. It’s loosely connected to the Beast Realm, and is filled with dangerous predators. Not to mention the weather is often stormy and unpredictable. There’s almost no reason to have settlements near it, and its far enough away from Seireitei that Hollows can frequent the area as well.” “Now now, let us have no talk of Hollows or anything else spiritual oriented today, shall we?” said Rarity, “We are here to enjoy ourselves, girls, so I say we get right to it!” “Heck yeah!” Rainbow Dash said, spinning a volleyball on one finger, “Who’s up for a game?” “I’d be down fer some competition. Hey Clover, Posey, why don’t ya both pick a team, an’ we’ll show you Soul Reaper gals how humans play volleyball?” Applejack said, standing beside Rainbow Dash. Clover gave Sunset a questioning look, “What’s volleyball?” Sunset chuckled, “C’mon, we’ll show you.” ---------- While the vast bulk of the Everfree Forest stretched for scores of miles beyond the city limits, branches of it still touched the edge of the Canterlot City outskirts. Camp Everfree itself wasn’t particularly far from the city either, but smaller, more public forest paths and campgrounds were accessible within the span of a short bus ride. It was one of these forest paths that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had selected for their use, going off path for a brief hike until they found a small hill that overlooked the gleaming blue lake Camp Everfree was nestled up against, still several miles distant. The girls had packed lunch and other supplies into their backpacks, and were enjoying the view while eating a quick snack before they got down to business. Once that was done, Scootaloo opened up a sporty red duffel bag she’d brought along and started to remove various objects; several frisbees, a stack of rolled up target sheets, a bag of golf balls, a can of green spray paint, a pair of white blindfolds, and a pair of small dummies made out of paper mache that were mocked up to look suspiciously like Hollow masks. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle watched as Scootaloo used a staple gun to attach the bullseye target sheets to several trees, the rest of the equipment set off to the side. “Figure today we’ll go over all the basics we’ve figured out about your powers so far, then test out a few new ideas I’ve had,” Scootaloo said, “Since Sweetie Belle seems furthest along, we’ll start with her.” “Now wait a’ tic, I should go first!” Applebloom piped in, “Since Sweetie Belle’s further along, I oughta get a’ chance ta catch up!” “We’re not competing,” Sweete Belle said, “We’re just figuring these weird powers out.” “Yeah, well, I wanna go first then, if that’s okay,” Applebloom said, finishing off a juice box and tossing it into a small trash bag they’d brought along, in order to avoid being litterbugs. The farm girl stood up from the log she and Sweetie Belle were using as seats and went over to where Scootaloo had finished setting up the targets. “I suppose its fine if you really want to go first,” Scootaloo said, going over and picking up one of the blindfolds. “What’s that fer?” asked Applebloom. “We’re trying something different today,” Scootaloo said, “You ever see that one movie with the space ships and laser swords?” “Ooooh yeah, ‘feel the Force’ or something, right? Ya thinkin’ if ya blindfold us, that’ll help us figure our powers out better?” “Beats me, but figured it was worth a shot,” said Scootlaoo, going up behind Applebloom to tie the blindfold around the other girl’s eyes, “I’ve heard Rainbow Dash and her friends talking about ‘spiritual pressure’ and stuff, and it sounds like they learn to sense things without even seeing them.” “Uh, Scootaloo, even if that’s true, how are we supposed to ‘sense’ the targets? They’re made of paper, not spirit stuff, right?” asked Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo just shrugged. “Was thinking more that using your powers while blindfolded would just help you feel them out better. It’s not really about hitting the targets, just getting more familiar with what you feel when you use them rather than what you see.” “I got it, I got it,” said Applebloom, “Now lemme try this out.” Scootaloo joined Sweetie Belle by the fallen log while Applebloom reached up to touch the pink bow tied into her hair. She took a deep breath, stilling herself. Applebloom reached within, grasping a deep rooted desire and cherished memory, the only memory she had of her mother. It was a vague thing, painted in streaks of fuzzed out color. Applebloom couldn’t have been more than a toddler, possibly less, but she remembered the sensation of warm hands that smelled of farm dirt and grass patting her head and tiring this rose pink bow into her hair. If she focused, she could almost remember her mother’s voice, sweet as a fresh apple and strong as an oak tree. Her power had first manifested the day after Applejack had vanished for those few days she’d been gone to Soul Society. Applebloom had been fearing for her sister, and had chanced upon an old photo of her parents. Amid all the confusing feelings that had welled up, she’d touched her hair bow and fervently wished her mother and father were still around. She’d silently prayed for the strength to look after her family, the same way Applejack looked out for her. And now, as then, the bow in her hair came alive at those feelings, swirling into a torrent of radiant red colors. They flowed in numerous strands of light to form around Applebloom’s right arm, encasing it and then flashing into solid form. What appeared there was a hefty leather bracer the same rosy color as her bow, along with a deeper red leather handle that appeared in her hand and extended to a long, curled whip made of tightly coiled metal strands. The whip was capped with a small spike at the end, shaped almost like a pointed, miniature shield with an apple mark on its metal surface. “Looks so cool, every time I see it,” Scootaloo said, “Okay Applebloom, just do like we did before, only this time try to feel out where the targets are, and just get used to what using your whip feels like.” “Right then! Let’s do it!” Applebloom took up a perhaps overly dramatic stance as she snapped the whip out and lashed it towards where she imagined the trees and targets to be. Without any sight to work with, she instead tried to mentally visualize what she wanted the whip to do, and pulverize the target furthest to the left. Much as she’d already discovered, the whip reacted to her impulses as much as her physically swinging. It all but shot forward like a missile, snapping around wildly to try and smash through the target in question. Applebloom’s mental focus was off, however, and the whip sailed past one tree, then smashed hard into anther. The shield-shaped spike on the end of the whip hit like a high caliber sniper round, blasting through the other tree and the whip kept right on going, it’s metal length seeming to infinitely extend from the handle Applebloom was holding. She let out a bit of a squeak as she grabbed the handle with both hands and tried to reign the whip in as it continued to pierce through about a dozen more trees across a length of a hundred yards down the forest length. “I, uh, think you missed,” Sweetie Belle said, and Applebloom grunted. “I noticed. Who’s idea were these stupid blindfolds!?” “Jeeze, relax Applebloom, just try again,” said Scootlaoo while Applebloom struggled to pull her whip back, which was currently lodged in numerous trees. “Dang it, git back here whip!” Applebloom yanked and yanked, not quite able to get the whip to contract back to her. Then with a frustrated shout from her, the whip’s length blazed with scarlet light, coating itself in searing energy that burned through the tree trunks it was stuck in. It spun around wildly, cutting through yet more trees. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle wisely hit the deck, covering their heads as the searing whip flailed around until it finally contracted back to normal length in Applebloom’s hand. “Hey, did it work? Did the whip come back?” asked Applebloom. Her query was followed by the creaking sound of a dozen sliced in half trees toppling to the forest floor in a series of heavy crashes. “Uh... is that a yes?” “Is it my turn yet?” asked Sweetie Belle. ---------- Summer heat made the ‘friendly’ game of volleyball a swiftly sweaty affair, especially given that any time Rainbow Dash and Applejack were on opposite teams, the term ‘friendly’ rapidly got reinterpreted into ‘fiercely competitive’. Fortunately both girls had met their match in the unlikely combination of Clover and Posey, the former on Rainbow Dash’s team and the later on Applejack’s. For two girls who’d never played the game before, they were both proving dangerous naturals at it, although for completely different reasons. “Coming at ya!” Applejack shouted, leaping prodigiously to spike the ball down with a lot more force than a girl her size ought to be able to. The ball skewed towards the side, but Rainbow Dash leaped to knock it upwards before it could hit the sand. Clover, standing in just the right spot, managed to strike the ball to send it sailing at an unusual angle over the net, faster than Applejack could compensate for. Clover wasn’t athletic, but she was quite good at calculating angles and knowing just where the ball was going to go at any given time. “Posey, get it!” Applejack shouted, seeing Posey was starring off towards the ocean at the crowds of swimmers, barely paying attention. Yet the moment the pleasant faced girl turned and saw the ball, she held up a hand. “I, um, got it,” she said quietly, and hit the ball. Whether she was just her father’s daughter or if her gigai was unusually modified for strength, her light ‘tap’ on the ball sent it blazing across the net, near scorching the top of it. Luckily for Rainbow Dash and Clover, the ball kept right on going until it exploded into a trash can across the street. Sunset Shimmer, carrying over some freshly purchased snowcones for everyone, eyed the flaming ball and was thankful everyone else at the beach seemed distracted enough by their own fun not to notice. “I see the competition has, uh, gotten hotter the past few minutes. Why don’t you guys take a break?” “No way! We’re tied, and I refuse to accept a tie!” Rainbow Dash said, but Clover, fascinated by the snowcones Sunset was holding, had already walked over to check them out. “What are these?” she asked, “They look a little like rice balls made out of colored ice.” “They’re snowcones,” Sunset said, offering one up, which Clover took carefully, as if afraid to drop it, “That one’s mango flavored.” Clover took an experimental bite, and her eyes widened with pleasure as she took another, “Mmm, this is really perfect for this weather.” “I know, right? The rest of you guys want some, or what?” Applejack and Rainbow Dash eyed each other with that smoldering look of heated competitiveness, but after a second they both shrugged, Applejack saying, “We’ll settle the score some other time, Dash. I’m more parched than a desert jackalope, an’ thinkin’ its high time we tried out Rarity’s new swimin’ duds anyhows.” “Yeah, I could dig some swimming right now,” Rainbow Dash agreed, “But snowcones first.” “So has anyone seen where everybody else has gone off to?” asked Sunset as the girls each grabbed a snowcone, “I brought enough for everyone.” “Rarity’s getting her tan on over there,” Rainbow Dash said, nodding a few dozen yards down the beach where Rarity was laid out upon her white beach chair. She was wearing her own striking two piece swimsuit, a purple that matched her hair but with bright blue frills. Both pieces covered just enough for the get-up to be just the right, tantalizing shade short of immodest, as if Rarity knew exactly how much her appearance drew attention but was still maintaining an aura of innocence about it. Given she already had a few of the local beach going men serving her drinks and providing fanning via large, novelty eastern-style fans, Sunset imagined Rarity knew exactly what she was about. "Any sign of Chappy?" Sunset asked with a hint of concern. She'd told to artificial soul to do her best to stay out of sight, but still, it was worrying that she'd all but vanished altogether the moment they'd hit the beach. Rainbow Dash grinned at the question, "Oh, last I saw of her, she was using a toy bucket as a hiding pot and was slowly cruising around the beach, checking out... well... you know." Rainbow jabbed a thumb towards a nearby group of young men, wearing nothing but bathing suits, who were engaged in rigorous construction of a sand fort. Sunset, looking, couldn't help but notice that all of the men were at least 7s or higher, but that there was a conspicuous blue sand bucket nearby that every now and then scooted about, as if trying to get a better angle on the men. "What is wrong with that rabbit?" Sunset said with a hefty sigh. "Might have something to do with her having a personality based on a rabbit," Rainbow Dash suggested. "Well, whatever, she can't do any harm in a plushie body. Where's everyone else?" “An’ last I saw o’ Pinkie Pie an’ Fluttershy, they were off lookin’ fer some sea turtles down the other direction,” Applejack said. “Guess I’ll go look for them and bring them the snowcones before they melt. One of you mind bringing Rarity hers?” Sunset asked, and Applejack was quick to nod. “I’ll take care o’ it. Once ya find Pinkie and Fluttershy, bring ‘em on back an’ we’ll all hit the water together.” “Sounds like a plan,” Sunset replied, moving off down the beach, and noticing both Clover and Posey were following her, “Oh, you two want to help?” “Honestly I’m just curious what these ‘sea turtles’ are,” said Clover, while Posey coughed and hid part of her face behind her hair. “Um, I... just wanted to see Fluttershy, if that’s not a problem. I mean, if it is, that’s okay, I can go try swimming.” A thought struck Sunset like a quarrel from a crossbow as she glanced back at the two Soul Reapers, “Do either of you actually know how to swim? I mean, if oceans and rivers aren’t common back in Soul Society...” The two girls looked at each other as if they didn’t get the question, and Clover asked, “Do you actually have to learn how to swim? It looks pretty easy.” “Right, well, let’s just say its a bit more complicated than it looks, but Pinkie Pie brought a lot of floaties, so I think we’ll manage. Just, uh, make sure you don’t try swimming without one of us around to help out. Just in case.” Up the north end of the beach there were a number of short, sandy bluffs, some of them sporting tufts of tall, green grass. Sunset found Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy on the other side of these tiny bluffs, kneeling around a small depression in the sand between bluffs. “Hey guys, got you some snowcones. Better get them before they turn into flavored watercones,” Sunset said, coming up to the pair and peering curiously over their shoulders, “What are you looking at?” The depression in the sand was filled with an assortment of broken eggshells, and milling about in all their tiny, adorably glory was around two dozen baby sea turtles. Sunset wasn’t even all that into cute things, but could barely suppress an ‘aww’ as she looked at them. Posey was not as restrained. “Awwwwwwww! They’re so cuuuute!” The girl knelt down beside Fluttershy, not noticing the other girl’s look of distress, and reached out to touch one. Fluttershy’s hand moved quickly, halting Posey’s and causing the Soul Reaper to look up in confusion. “I’m sorry, but its best not to touch them right now,” Fluttershy said, and Posey, face flushed with embarrassment, pulled her hand back and nodded, silently chastised. “Is something wrong?” asked Clover with clear curiosity as she gazed upon the sea turtles, “Surely they’re not dangerous?” Fluttershy shook her head, “Of course not. It’s just that when Pinkie and I found them, these poor babies were still here in their hatching nest, even though they must have hatched some time ago. I don’t know why, but they won’t leave the nest.” “Afraid I don’t know much about sea turtles, but I’m assuming this isn’t normal?” asked Sunset, quirking up an eyebrow. “It’s isn’t,” confirmed Fluttershy, frowning in thought. Meanwhile Pinkie Pie, smelling sugar, snatched up the two remaining snowcones, passing one over to Fluttershy. “Mena said the little baby turtles smelled afraid,” said Pinkie Pie as she bit into her snowcone, then spoke around the mouthful, “Su ah sunt hur oot tu unvushtugate.” “Huh?” Pinkie Pie gulped the snowcone down and repeated, “I sent Mena out to investigate. Take a peek around. See if there’s anything out there to spook the babies.” “Got it. But what could be scaring them?” Sunset closed her eyes and focused, letting her spiritual senses spread out around her. “I’m not sensing anything out of the ordinary.” “Neither am I,” said Clover, having similarly started searching around with her spiritual senses, “If there was a Hollow in the area, it’d have to be extremely crafty to be avoiding detection.” “Not everything weird around here involves Hollows,” Sunset said, “This might not even be anything unnatural. For all we know there’s a more rational, scientific explanation for some scared baby sea turtles.” A pensive look toughed Fluttershy’s features, but she slowly nodded, “I suppose you’re right, but I still worry for the poor little dears. If they just stay in their nest, they won’t be able to survive.” “Why not just pick them up and carry them to the water, if that’s where they need to go?” suggested Clover, but Fluttershy shook her head vigorously. “No, we can’t do that. It’d disrupt their natural instincts. Furthermore, since we don’t know why they’re scared, simply carrying them to the ocean might make their fear worse.” “Look,” Sunset said, kneeling next to Fluttershy and putting a hand on her shoulder, “I understand you’re worried about these little guys, but you’re not going to fix anything just sitting here. Why don’t we take our time and try and enjoy the day, and while we’re doing that keep an eye out for anything unusual? Whatever’s spooking them might go away on its own. If they’re still here in a few hours, we can take the time to do a more thorough search.” “I...” Fluttershy paused, eyes struggling with some internal debate, eventually leading to her saying, “Okay.” As the group all stood and got ready to move, Pinkie Pie pointed towards the beach, “Oh hey, Mena’s coming back! Hey Mena, over here!” Sunset turned and blinked at Pinkie Pie’s doppelganger, wondering just where Pinkamena had gotten a hold of a swimsuit that had spikes on it. Then again, Pinkamena tended to manifest with her own clothes, so maybe this was just her idea of a proper bathing suit for a day at the beach? But seriously, black lace and spikes? Also while Rarity had been going for tastefully tantalizing with her suit, Pinkamena seemed to be going for ‘threatening the PG-13 rating’. Not that Pinkamena seemed to notice or care about the stares sent her way as she approached them with a bored gait, glancing at all of them gathered there with a critical eye. “Sea turtles sure are popular, aren’t they? And here I was thinking they simply looked tasty, like cute little chicken-nuggets.” “Meeenaaa!” Pinkie Pie chided, and Pinkamena rolled her eyes. “Joking. So about that look around you wanted me to do? Didn’t find any big, obvious flashing signs saying ‘Scary Thing Over Here’. I sniffed around, and aside from a tantalizing amount of yummy looking people walking around all sweaty and scantily clad, I didn’t smell anything that seemed too weird. Water doesn’t have a lot of fish in it, though.” “No fish?” Sunset asked, and Pinkamena gave her a flat look. “I didn’t say ‘no fish’, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to grab a snack as I was swimming around,” she flashed a toothy grin entirely too much like a shark’s, “But there were a lot fewer than I would’ve expected to see out there.” Sunset wasn’t sure what to make of that, and by the looks on her companion’s faces, neither did anyone else. She sighed, “Be nice if Twilight were here. She’s the one with the extensive mental library and head for theory.” “You’re pretty smart too, Sunny,” said Pinkie Pie, “I bet you could solve the mystery.” “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I’m the kind of gal who prefers to be able to experiment and get my hands dirty to solve scientific problems. I’m not so much on theory-crafting without a chance to screw around with evidence... but this is starting to sound like a real mystery.” She shook her head, “But we’re here to relax, people, and that’s what I plan to do.” “I can get behind that,” Pinkamena said, licking her lips, “Besides, looks like that Twilight girl is busy screwing around with her other friends, anyway.” “Yeah, I... wait, what?” Sunset said, looking at Pinkamena in confusion. The doppelganger just gestured with a thumb over her shoulder, pointing towards the opposite side of the bluffs. “Saw her down the beach a ways, hanging out with some other group of chicks. Not sure what they were doing. Looked like some kind of swimming lesson. I didn’t really bother taking a closer look.” Clover and Posey exchanged meaningful looks, Posey saying, “You mean Twilight Sparkle, right? Isn’t she, um, working with the Quincy now?” A flash of concerned looks also passed between Sunset, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Clover and Posey might know about Twilight being with the Quincy, but only Clover had known about her having contact with Twilight since then. Of course while keeping that a secret had advantages, it would also be suspicious if Sunset tried to act like she had no interest in talking to Twilight. If nothing else, Clover knew just how close Twilight was with the group, and was as much her friend as anybody else. Sunset decided to take the lead, saying, “She is, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still friends. Try to remember, guys, my friends and I aren’t part of Soul Society, so there’s nothing that says we can still hang out and talk with Twilight on occasion.” Clover nodded, “Of course. You’re under no obligation to ignore a friend, just because she’s a Quincy. Posey and I won’t interfere if you want to talk to her. In fact I wouldn’t mind saying hi, myself.” Posey looked less than enthused by this, but she glanced at Fluttershy with a trusting gaze before saying, “I suppose as long as they’re not engaged in any Hollow hunting activities then I can overlook their presence. Our primary goal is to guard you girls and the portal research project, but as long as the Quincy make no aggressive moves, we’re not authorized to engage them anyway. I’ll, um, go back and see that your other friends know what’s going on, if you want to go talk to this Twilight?” “Actually, how about the rest of you go on back to the others?” said Sunset, “I think everyone’s planning ot hit the water for a good swim, and I’ll join you all shortly. Clover and me will talk to Twilight, see how she’s doing,” and what she’s doing out here, “And hey, maybe she and her new friends will be up for hanging out together?” “That’d be super-duper niffy!” said Pinkie Pie, “We can make it one big beach party!” “That would be nice,” Fluttershy agreed, “Everyone together, enjoying a nice, quiet day. I just hope these poor sea turtles eventually overcome whatever is making them scared and they go to the ocean.” “Only time will tell. Come on Clover, let’s go say hi to Twilight,” Sunset said, and the group split, with Sunset and Clover following the direction Pinkamena had indicated. It took a few minutes, but eventually they found Twilight, who was quite a ways up the north side of the beach, at the curve where it started to become the ‘south’ shore of the northern peninsula. This part of the beach was narrower than the rest, and hence wasn’t particularly populated by local beach goers. In fact Twilight and the group of familiar girls around her had a large stretch of beach all to themselves. As Sunset and Clover got closer, she recognized the girls that were with Twilight. “The Shadowbolts...” she said, and Clover glanced at her questioningly. Quickly Sunset elaborated, “They were the girls from Crystal Prep who competed against us during the Friendship Games. I haven’t really seen much of them since then.” Clover tensed slightly, nodding, “Crystal Prep. You do know that that school is essentially a preparatory academy for some of the most influential and powerful Quincy families, right?” “I didn’t, but I’m not exactly shocked, either,” Sunset said, “In fact it makes perfect sense, all things considered. Chances are, each of them is a Quincy.” Looking at the group, Sunset wasn’t sure what Twilight and the Shadowbolts were doing. Twilight herself was standing on the water’s edge, holding a device in her hand that looked like a large scanner of some sort, with multiple twirling antennae and several glowing crystals embedded in it above a circular screen. An irate looking Sour Sweet was sitting nearby on a beach towel, a half drained water bottle in her hands as she stared out at the water. Beside Twilight stood Sugarcoat, her ‘eyes’ focused on a point in the water where air bubbles were rising. What caught Sunset’s attention was that Sugarcoat’s usual glasses were replaced by some high tech looking visor, and that Sour Sweet had several prominent, nearly impossible to miss burn scars covering one side of her face. What in the world...? Sunset wondered, then heard sputtering from the water. Turning to look, she saw that the spot where there’d been bubbles now burst with the appearance of the three other Shadowbolts. Indigo Zap was coughing and sputtering, supported on either side by Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare. Three girls started to awkwardly swim to shore, looking as if Indigo Zap was having trouble swimming and needed the other two to help her. “Indigo,” Twilight said, concern deeply rooted in her voice, “I’m sorry. I thought the calibration was ready for a water test, but it looks like I still need more data.” Indigo Zap, still coughing a bit, said past clenched teeth, “I’m fine, so stop apologizing! It’s... it’s just hard, that’s all. I can do this! We’ll just do another run. I think I’ve worked out what’s-waaaaa!” She bleated out a haphazard shout as she tried to stand in the shallows, and her legs buckled beneath her. Sunny Flare and Lemon Zest were quick to catch her, and help Indigo walk out of the shallow water and back to shore. Sunset couldn’t quite tell, but it looked as if something was wrong with Indigo’s legs. She was wearing a full body scuba diving suit, one that covered her whole body down to her toes, leaving only her head and hands exposed. Yet even then, something looked off about her legs. Too bulky, not quite as toned and streamlined as Sunset knew the athletic girl’s legs to be. In fact, it’s not too different form how off the gloves Twilight’s wearing look, Sunset realized, noting that while Twilight was wearing lighter clothes for the beach, she still had those same gloves on from before. As she was puzzling that out, her and Clover’s approach was finally noticed, Sugarcoat turning towards them with that odd visor seeming to glint under the sunlight. She said something ot Twilight that Sunset couldn’t hear, but in short order Twilight had turned to spot them, Sour Sweet had jumped to her feet, standing as if ready for a fight, and the other Shadowbolts stumbled out of the shallows, eyeing Sunset and Clover with clear suspicion. Gulping, Sunset walked into conversation distance and raised a hand in a friendly wave, “Hey there Twilight. Surprised to see you out here.” Sugarcoat spoke first, fingers adjusting her visor much as she once had with her glasses, “It’s equally surprising to see you here. Especially with your Soul Reaper friend.” Clover blinked, opening her mouth to make a denial, but then appeared to think better of it and asked, “How could you tell?” Sour Sweet smirked, “Oh it was just a lucky guess... do you think we’re idiots!? Even half trained cadets are taught how to spot a gigai! I don’t know if you know this, but you Soul Reapers walk around in those fake bodies like you don’t know what walking even is!” “Hey now, let’s just relax,” Sunset said, “We’re not here for a fight. I just saw you guys here and thought I’d say hi to my friend and see what she was up to. Twilight?” Twilight looked nervously at the Shadowbolts and said, “Girls, settle down. Sunset and Clover are good people and can be trusted.” “They’re both still Soul Reapers,” said Sunny Flare, eyes narrowing, “So what we’re doing here isn’t any of their business.” “It’s also not a secret,” said Twilight, but her eyes flicked towards Indigo Zap, “Although given its a personal matter as well, it’s up to you whether you’re comfortable with it being explained to them, Indigo.” To Sunset it still appeared as if Indigo Zap was having difficulty standing, partially leaning on her friends. The girl’s eyes held a wealth of frustration and buried pain, but she grit her teeth and appeared to force herself to let go of Sunny Flare and Lemon Zest, making herself stand on her unsteady legs. It was then that Sunset started to sense the spirit energy stemming from Indigo. Not a lot, but small stings of it that seemed to be concentrated around her legs. “I’m never going to get over this if I’m just going around hiding it,” Indigo Zap said, “And it’s not like it’s some big Quincy secret we’re revealing, right? So screw it, you two wanna know what we’re doing here? Fine, take a look...” Indigo, with some difficult, bent over and pulled up the edge of one of the legs of her suit, where a zipper could be unzipped to reveal the leg beneath. Only instead of human flesh, what was there looked like a combination of metal, ceramics, and plastic with smooth, articulated joints. As Indigo unzipped the pant leg more, it became obvious the artificial prosthetic went all the way up to her thighs. Sunset was stunned for a moment, unsure of how to respond to such a sight. Indigo Zap certainly hadn’t been missing a leg the last time she’d seen the girl, and given that she was clearly having trouble with both legs, Sunset didn’t need to see the other one to imagine it was also a prosthetic. Immense sympathy welled up in Sunset and her voice became very soft and understanding, “I’m sorry, Indigo. You don’t have to say anything else. We’ll go.” “It’s fine,” Indigo said, zipping the diving suit leg back up, “I don’t want to be pitied, here. And you don’t have to go anywhere. Like Twilight said, what we’re doing here isn’t some classified Quincy thing. She’s just helping me get used to these artificial legs, and working on making them better.” “Is the spirit energy I’m sensing being used to manipulate the legs?” asked Clover,and at the less than friendly looks from most of the Quincy girls she blanched and added, “Just asking.” “Yeah...” Indigo said, glancing at Twilight, “Twi here knows all the details and stuff. I’m mostly just following her instructions on how to move reishi strings to get the legs to move.” “It’s a variation on the Ransotengai technique,” Twilight said, “Individual reishi strings can be used for a Quincy to control their body, not unlike a puppet. The original technique was for Quincy to fight while still having broken limbs, or being paralyzed by an enemy ability. The same basic concept can be applied to a prosthetic limb, too, but it requires a bit more fine control given the prosthetic isn’t a Quincy’s natural limb, so its harder to control. That’s why I’ve made adjustments to the leg designs to make reishi flow better through them, and I’ve added something extra to hopefully make limb movement smoother, that being a touch of magic.” “Magic?” Sunset said, tilting her head curiously. “How, exactly?” “Well,” Twilight adjusted her glasses and turned her attention to her scanner, motioning Sunset and Clover to come over and look at it’s screen, “As you can see here, I’ve embedded several gems into the legs at key points. Certain gems channel different magical energies, I’ve discovered, and if manipulated by reishi, the energy of a spirit particle and that of a magic particle can interact. The gems I’ve put in the legs act in two fashions. One is a gravitational spell that negates the extra weight of the materials to better simulate the weight and density of real flesh. The other is a propelling spell, in very minute amounts, that allow limb movement between the artificial joints to be smoother and more natural. Right now we’ve been doing swim tests with Indigo to make sure the magic continues to function when under continuous stress, and to help calibrate the legs so Indigo can manipulate them more naturally. I’m really hoping we’ll make enough progress today that the next set of adjustments will let her walk like normal again.” “Be nice to say goodbye to that damn wheelchair,” Indigo said, sighing. For Sunset, while she found what she was seeing on the scanner screen fascinating, and was also intrigued by what Twilight was saying, she was also a little concerned. “Twilight, you couldn’t have done this without having access to a source of magic, right? So, don’t take this the wrong way, but how are you using magic?” Twilight blinked at her, then seemed to pause as if listening to a voice only she could hear before nodding, as if in reluctant agreement with that voice, “This might be a little hard for you to hear, Sunset, but please don’t freak out, okay? Promise me you won’t?” “Uh... okay? I promise I won’t freak out, whatever you say,” Sunset said, raising a hand over her heart for emphasis. Twilight gulped, and said, “The, uh, day you purged Midnight Sparkle from me? Well, it, er... turns out she wasn’t really ‘purged’ so much as just weakened. She’s still inside me, along with a lot of magical energy leftover from the Friendship Games. We’ve been working together for awhile now.” “What!?” “You said you wouldn't freak out!” “This isn’t me freaking out! This is me having a very loud and concerned reaction! Twilight, do you remember what happened when you were like that!? Reality started getting holes punched in it like cardboard! Wait... waitwaitwait, when you say ‘working with her’, are you telling me this other you is, like, some alternate personality? Because last time it was sort of like you drunk on magic, but this is sounding like what Pinkie Pie’s got with her Fullbring.” The other girls were all now starring at the pair of them, although from the looks on the Shadowbolt’s faces they already knew about Midnight Sparkle. Clover looked more confused. Although the Soul Reaper knew about the Friendship Game’s incident, she didn’t really grasp the implications of Midnight Sparkle’s return the way Sunset did. For Sunset, this was a frightening prospect. Twilight had been wielding magic on a level that had matched the alicorn Princesses, possibly even surpassed them, and had had zero restraint while doing so! Midnight Sparkle was a horrifying incarnation of pure magic without any rational or moral constraints, and it’d only been Sunset’s own ability to harness the harmonious magic inside herself and her friends that had let her even confront Midnight on even terms. Even then, Sunset may well have lost if Spike hadn’t brought Twilight back to her senses. To say this news was unnerving was an understatement, and Sunset prided herself on the fact that she hadn’t made more of an outburst. Still, Twilight looked at her with obvious hurt, but also a sort of steel will that hadn’t been there before she’d left for the Quincy. “I understand you’re worried, Sunset. It’s entirely understandable. Please, try to listen to me first, without pre-judging. Midnight is... is a little different than what you might think. She’s a part of me, and while she is a tad reckless when it comes to magic, she’s been nothing but helpful to me since I agreed to cooperate with her. She’s given me a chance to use and study magic, in the right way, cautiously and with proper experimentation rather than using it haphazardly. I... I’m heading up research on magic for the Quincy, Sunset, and helping Indigo here is just part of that.” “Twilight, this may be straying beyond what we should be telling them,” Sugarcoat said, “I appreciate Sunset and Clover here are friends of yours, but that doesn’t mean they’re our allies, either.” “Sugarcoat, trust has to begin somewhere,” Twilight said, and raised her gloved right hand. It clearly was something she was hesitant to do, from the pained look on her face, but she removed the glove, and Sunset gasped at the sight of a prosthetic hand in place of Twilight’s flesh and blood one, “We’ve all lost things precious to us because of this war. If its ever going to end peacefully, we have to start letting go of that pain and let trust take the place of fear.” Sugarcoat sighed, touching her visor as if remembering something, and it occurred to Sunset that it was entirely possible that Twilight was the one who built the visor. “I don’t disagree with your sentiment, Twilight. I do, however, think that a lot of other Quincy aren’t going to be as on board with it.” “Quite frankly I’m not sure how much I am, either,” said Sour Sweet, shaking her head, “But Twilight’s the one with the unique perspective. If she wants to play nice with the Soul Reapers, I’ll keep my mouth shut about it.” Sunset was still starring at Twilight’s artificial hand, her voice going quiet, “...How did...? I mean, when...?” Twilight smiled sadly, shaking her head, “Not long ago, fighting the Hollows.” “I’m so sorry, Twilight.” “The hand was the least of what I lost, Sunset, but that’s not what matters right now. Please, I just want you to trust me, okay? Midnight isn’t bad. She’s helping me.” Sunset swallowed a lump in her throat. She still had her doubts, but she couldn’t deny the sincerity in the plea in her friend’s voice, “Alright, I trust you.” “Good,” said Clover suddenly, “Because I was going to bonk you on the head if you didn’t. Twilight, if I may take a closer look at that device of yours?” “Oh, um, sure?” Twilight said curiously, handing it over to Clover, who looked over the readings on Indigo’s legs with a sharp pair of eyes. “Hmm, yes... yes, I think I see what you Quincy are doing with those reishi strands. It’s funny, Soul Reapers can’t really control reishi that well, just our inborn reiryoku. Yet the actual function of the spirit energy remains the same when its contained inside a body’s reiatsu field. Soul Society’s artificial limb technology is more advanced, in some respects, but I think part of that is just that we use spirit particles cultured from the body of the person receiving the new limb instead of artificial parts. Still, I think our research might help you out here. If you want, I can acquire a copy of Soul Society’s artificial limb research. That should help you with the refining process.” Twilight’s eyes were wide as she said, “You’d do that?” “Wouldn’t that get you into hot water with your superiors?” asked Indigo Zap, wariness in her tone, but also hope. Clover shrugged slightly, “The information isn’t classified, although I could get into trouble, yes. But Twilight is right. Trust has to start somewhere. You may be Quincy, but I have no reason to wish harm or difficulty on any of you. So if a little Soul Reaper research might help you get your legs back under you, so to speak, then I’m happy enough to help.” A choked silence followed form Indigo, who’s expression showed too much gratitude for her to get any words out, but Twilight spoke for her as she said, “Thank you, Clover. I’ll owe you one.” “Think nothing of it. I can only hope this might be a step in the direction of the peace you want to make between our people.” “That’s going to be a long, bumpy road,” Sugarcoat said, but she was smiling, ever so slightly, “But if anyone is stubborn enough to walk it, it’s Twilight.” “You make it sound like I’m too mule headed to know any better,” Twilight complained, and Sugarcoat chuckled. “You’re the one that insisted we come all the way out to the beach to test out Indigo’s legs in salt water, because salt channels magical energy better than fresh water.” Sunset’s eyebrow shot up, “It does? So, magic has been seeping into the water from the experiments here?” “Hm?” Twilight perked up, “Only a little. According to my readings it hasn’t expanded very far, and only in trace amounts. Why?” “I don’t know. Fluttershy is worried about the sea turtles. Seems like a few of the young are freaked out about something. Do you think your magic has anything to do with it?” “I can’t imagine how. There’s so little of it that it couldn’t be having an adverse effect on the environment,” Twilight said, tapping a finger to her chin as she glanced towards the ocean, “Although I have noticed an unusual lack of sea-life out there.” “Pinkamena said the same thing when she went swimming to look around for anything weird,” said Sunset, scratching her head, “I just can’t figure what might be going on.” “We could always keep an eye out,” said Sunny Flare, “It’s not like we’re going anywhere.” “Hey, when you guys are done testing Indigo’s legs, why don’t you come over to where everyone else is and hang out?” suggested Sunset, “Pretty sure the rest of the girls would be happy to make you all feel welcomed.” “That might not be too bad,” said Indigo Zap, and Lemon Zest was fast to nod her enthusiasm. “I’m always down for some fun. It’s been nothing but work, work, and more work lately. We’re at the beach, I say we cut loose.” The rest of the Shadowbolts glanced at Twilight, who looked a bit unsure, but then looked to Sunset and managed a small smile, “I suppose we could spend some time relaxing. I just want to run Indigo’s legs through a few more tests, then we’ll be along. We’ll also keep an eye out for anything strange.” “Sounds good to me,” Sunset said, letting a smile finally light up her own face. She still felt a twinge of sympathy for her friend. The missing hand, the reveal of Midnight, and the hint Twilight left that she’d lost even more precious things, this all sparked worry inside Sunset. Smiling or not, it was clear Twilight was hiding a great deal of pain. But then, maybe spending time with her friends would help lessen that pain? Sunset could only hope, and with a quick hug and set of ‘see you laters’ exchanged, she and Clover went back the way they’d come, returning to the central portion of the beach. Meanwhile Indigo Zap went back into the water with the help of her fellow Quincy, Twilight taking readings as she used the artificial legs to try and tread water. Small traces of magic flowed from the gems embedded in the legs, aiding Indigo’s control, while radiating small amounts of magical energy like radiation. And several miles off shore, deep within a canyon-like drop off in the ocean, that magic continued to stir something. Something large, that moved through the deep waters like a hungry shadow, scaring away all other sea life, and even keeping the baby turtles on shore planted firmly in their nests, too terrified to approach the water. ---------- Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had now switched places, after Scootaloo had hung up the targets again. Scootaloo had also added in the two Hollow-mask training dummies, hanging them from small ropes suspended from two different tree branches. She’d also collected the frisbees and was standing a few meters to Sweetie Belle’s side, while Applebloom watched from the sitting log, her brace and whip still summoned. Having the whip out felt kind of draining after awhile, but Scootaloo said that the longer Applebloom and Sweetie Belle got used ot using their powers, that tiring feeling would eventually go away. “Okay, we’re going to start with the frisbees,” Scootaloo said, spinning the first one on her finger in a fashion very reminiscent of Rainbow Dash. Sweetie Belle nodded and reached into her dress pocket. She pulled out a small, white compact, the kind that contained a mirror and makeup powder. It was old and a little faded, but the way Sweetie Belle held it spoke of how precious it was to her. She clasped the small makeup compact between her hands and closed her eyes, focusing her feelings upon the object. When she’d been much younger, not even into double digits, she’d stolen some of her sister’s makeup and tried to pretty herself up on her own for a birthday party. Her lack of skills had left her looking more like a clown than a beauty, and many of the children at the party had laughed at her. Sweetie Belle had spent hours crying over it, but Rarity had kindly cleaned her up and brought Sweetie Belle into her room. There, she showed Sweetie Belle how to properly put on makeup, and at the end of the lesson had given Sweetie Belle one of her makeup compacts as a final birthday gift. Well past the point she’d used up the makeup in the compact, Sweetie Belle had kept it as a precious reminder of how great a sister she had, and how much she loved Rarity. That feeling bloomed into power in much the same manner it had with Applebloom, with Sweetie Belle thinking of her sister one night during the time Rarity and her friends had been gone. The desire to protect her irreplaceable sister had brought out the power in the compact, transforming it as it was transforming now. Bright sparks of white and soft violet glitter flowed out of the compact in a pixie dust wave. The dust churned about in a concentrated tornado around the compact until it flared brightly and elongated. In the blink of an eye a staff appeared in Sweetie Belle’s hands, bright purple in color, with pearl white wings spreading from the top around a shining, mirror-like orb that caped the top of the staff. The staff was about a foot taller than Sweetie Belle herself, as if made for someone of adult proportions rather than her still somewhat short and scrawny teenage years. Scootaloo nodded in satisfaction at Sweetie Belle’s ready stance, hefting a frisbee, “You ready?” “Yup!” “Hey, why doesn’t she put on a blindfold?” asked Applebloom. “Oh, nearly forgot that! Lemme grab one,” Scootlaoo said, but Sweetie Belle was fast to interject. “I don’t know, I think I need to see what I’m aiming at, otherwise the power might not work.” “Only one way to find out!” Scootlaoo chirped energetically as she snatched up a blindfold and went over to tie it around Sweetie Belle’s eyes. The other girl sighed in resignation as Scootlaoo went back to her original spot and held up the frisbee. “Ready?” “Ready.” Scootaloo threw the frisbee at a high angel so it’d soar over Sweetie Belle’s head and fly out in a gentle arc above her. Sweetie Belle tried to listen to the sound of the frisbee passing over her, and mentally tried to visualize what she wanted to happen as she pointed her staff upwards. The mirror orb flashed with a gleam of light, then shot a thin, sparkling beam that flew up into the sky, completely missing the frisbee. “Ugh, see, I told you I need to see what I’m aiming at, otherwise the beam just goes wherever!” Sweetie Belle said. “Don’t get discouraged. Let’s try again. Just keep holding the staff like that and I’ll tell you when to shoot,” Scootaloo replied and tossed the next frisbee. A moment later, when its arc took it in line with the staff’s orb, she shouted, “Shoot!” This time the small beam of incandescent white sparkles struck the edge of the frisbee. The moment it made contact, the beam became like a bungee cord, yanking the frisbee back towards the mirror orb. The frisbee bent and twisted like a swirl of water, then was absorbed into the orb. Sweetie Belle peeked out from under her blindfold, “Hey! I got it!” “See!? I knew you didn’t need line of sight for the beam to work!” Scootaloo cheered, but Sweetie Belle was frowning. “Yeah, but if I can see what I’m aiming at...” she said, pointing the staff at one of the targets off to her right. This time the beam actually bent and curved on its own, hitting the target dead center, even though Sweetie Belle was only roughly aiming at it, “I can hit without even trying!” As the target was sucked up into the orb, Applebloom shrugged, “I figure Scoots is just tryin’ ta make sure we know what does or don’t work. I mean, least now ya know if yer blind or in the dark or somethin’ ya can still hit stuff.” “Huh, good point. Okay, well, might as well try the other powers,” Sweetie Belle said, and touched the staff’s mirror-orb, “Mirror, mirror, change-up!” “Do ya really need ta chant?” Applebloom asked, but Sweetie Belle wasn’t paying attention as a wash of glittering energy flowed over her body. Her body flattened out, morphing in a poof of smoke and glitter until a small, purple and white frisbee with cartoonish Sweetie Belle eyes was blinking up at them from the ground. “So, uh... how do I look?” said the disturbing Sweetie Belle frisbee, which had no visible mouth, but was speaking like normal. “Like a frisbee,” Scootaloo said, picking the frisbee up. The staff had vanished into Sweetie Belle’s changed form, but from previous experimenting the girls knew Sweetie Belle could change back any time she wanted, “It’s kinda creepy you can still looking around and talk like this.” “Hey, it really helped me sneak into Rarity’s room the other night,” Sweetie Belle said, “I used it on a fly and buzzed right on in without her noticing a thing... well, until I changed back and tried to sneak out with some makeup.” “Why’d ya do that?” Applebloom asked, “Ya coulda gotten us all caught!” “I just wanted to test it out!” Sweetie Belle protested, face reddening, “And I really like her makeup. She buys the best brands, the kind I can’t afford with my allowance. Anyway, she didn’t learn anything. She just kinda of... I don’t know, freaked out a bit, but calmed down when she saw it was me. And she didn’t learn about my power, she just thought I snuck in normally. It's super handy I can change the staff's size, otherwise I might not have been able to hide it.” With that the frisbee poofed with a burst of sparks and smoke, returning to Sweetie Belle’s natural form, staff still in hand. Sweetie Belle spun the staff around with a flourish, as if to show off, and with a glow of light the staff shortened in size and length to the size of a hand-held wand. Scootlaoo looked at her with curiosity, rubbing her chin in thought. “You know, if it works on living things like bugs, I wonder if you could turn into bigger stuff, like a bear?” “I don’t know,” said Sweetie Belle, “I let the fly out after I was done, but I kinda feel bad for trapping living things in here. I don’t even know where they go once they’re inside the orb? It’s one thing to trap a bug, but a big fuzzy bear? Or a person?” “Jeeze, I hadn’t even thought of trying that power on a person. I wonder if you could copy their whole form?” Scootaloo said, shaking her head in wonderment. “Not sure I want to find out...” said Sweetie Belle, looking more than a tad uneasy at the prospect. “Hey,” Applebloom said, standing up and going over to Sweetie Belle to put a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t worry ‘bout it so much. Ain’t like ya’d ever do that ta someone who’s a good person, right? Just bad guys.” “Assuming it’d even work on people, or those Hollow things Rainbow Dash and her friends fight,” said Scootaloo, “Anything with enough spirit energy might resist getting pulled in.” “How do you know that?” asked Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo was quick to cough and glance away. “I heard Rainbow Dash talking about some of her fights, is all. She said powers, no matter how they work, can always be resisted by something with more spirit energy than the one using the power.” “Huh, AJ barely ever talks ‘bout her own fights,” said Applebloom, looking at the ground with a sullen cast to her features, “Wish she’d say more.” With the sudden sharpness of a knife tearing through silk, all three girls heard a keening, hungry howl echo through the forest. The Cutie Mark Crusaders all looked at each other, sweat beading their foreheads. “Did ya’ll, um, hear somethin’ just now?” Applebloom asked, and the second the words left her mouth, there was another howl, much closer now, followed by several answering cries. ---------- All was fair in love, war, and water polo. What had started as a simple enough game of aquatic athleticism had gradually dissolved into a splashing melee, where girls riding on the shoulders of other girls rapidly lead to plenty of toppling into the warm waters and general laughter from everyone participating or watching. Sunset was one of the last standing, or rather ‘riding’ on Clover’s shoulders while she wrestled with Rarity, riding on Applejack’s shoulders, both girls sparring to try and get at a big multi-colored beach ball floating between them. “Please, darling, that ball is as good as mine!” Rarity declared, proving a rather canny opponent to Sunset. Rarity was much more athletic than she appeared at first glance, and was remarkably good at deflecting Sunset’s attempts to dislodge her from Applejack’s shoulders, or to make a reach for the ball. “That right? I don’t see it in your hands yet!” Sunset shot back, her fiery competitive streak flaring up as she made a feint for the ball while swiftly reaching behind her to scoop up a huge splash of water to spray at Rarity’s face. What Sunset might lack in Rarity’s graceful technique, she made up for with raw enthusiasm, and Rarity caught a face full of water that nearly unseated her from Applejack, who was acting as a solid pillar beneath her friend. Sunset made a grab for the ball, Clover side stepping to give her a closer reach, only for something to grab Clover from below and yank her legs out from under her. Both Clover and Sunset went tumbling into the water. The black and maroon two piece bathing suit Rarity had made for her fit like a second skin and left nothing dragging, so swimming was a breeze, and she quickly turned herself right-side up in the warm summer water and surfaced, spitting out salt water. “The heck was that? Clover?” She looked around a moment, then spotted Clover surface awkwardly nearby, barely getting her feet under her in the five feet of water. Clover was sputtering, spreading her arms out to keep buoyant like Sunset had showed her. Clover was learning the ropes of swimming fast, but they’d kept their game to shallow water just in case, to let Clover stand on the sandy sea bottom if she needed to. “You okay?” Sunset asked, and Clover nodded. “Yes. Someone grabbed my legs,” Clover said, looking about for the culprit. Most of their friends were swimming about nearby, having been waiting for either Rarity or Sunset to get their hands on the ball, but now they all were looking behind Sunset and Clover to where several forms surfaced. “Heh, sorry about that, couldn’t help myself,” said Lemon Zest, wiping water from her face. The other Shadowbolts had surfaced as well, Indigo Zap being supported by Sunny Flare. Twilight Sparkle surfaced last, looking a tad apologetic, but also smiling. “Sorry, when you said we ought to come over, I just intended to let everyone say hi and relax a moment, but the girls wanted to have a bit more fun.” Seeing Twilight, Rarity smiled brightly, “Oh that’s fine, Twilight dear. A little prank never hurt anyone. It’s just good to see you. And the rest of your friends from Crystal Prep as well.” “An’ since yer all here, an’ apparently feelin’ frisky, how ‘bout we make this a bigger game?” said Applejack, grabbing up the beach ball, “Think of it like a rematch fer the Friendship Games.” “Never been one to say no to some competition,” Indigo Zap said, though her expression dampened as she added, “Not sure I can do much, though.” “Nonsense,” Sunny Flare said, dipping beneath Indigo and then raising the girl up on her shoulders, “For now, I’m your legs.” Indigo Zap’s face flared rose for a second, but she steadied herself on Sunny Flare’s shoulders and said, “Yeash, you’re sappy.” The other girls swam over, all eager to greet Twilight and the Shadowbolts. Pinkie Pie nearly had to be pried off of hugging Twilight, mostly by Pinkamena, who’d remained manifested and seemingly eager to play. “What can I say, there’s a real smorgasbord of flavors here, and I’ve never tried Quincy before,” the doppelganger said, much to the Shadowbolts nervous glances. “Oh she’s kidding!” Pinkie Pie said, lifting Pinkamena up onto her shoulders, “And if she gets bitey, I’ll make sure it isn’t too serious. Right Mena?” “Suuuuure.” In short order the girls split into teams, using some of Pinkie Pie’s foam floaties as makeshift goalposts for their impromptu game. Tension melted away amid the intense laughing and splashing of chasing the ball around the water. For a short time, concepts like ‘Quincy’ and ‘Soul Reaper’ were set aside, and they were just a group of young women enjoying a fun, sun warmed day at the beach. An hour later, after they’d forgotten who was supposed to be winning the game, the girls were now just enjoying catching their breath on the beachfront. “Heh, gotta say, you girls are a lot more fun when we’re not competing in some school games,” Pinkie Pie said, wiping sweat off her brow, “I’ve got some major munchies now, too. Anybody up to go with me to grab some food?” “I’m all over that,” Lemon Zest said, “There’s an seafood truck that’s got killer fish n’ chips. You game?” “Let’s do it! Anybody else taking any orders?” asked Pinkie Pie, and a round of requests went up from the gathered young ladies. As Pinkie Pie and Lemon Zest went off to fetch the food, Rainbow Dash was looking over at Indigo Zap, who was laying on her back and breathing hard. “Looked like that took a lot out of you,” commented Rainbow, “Ain’t trying to pry, but felt you using up a lot of spirit energy.” “It’s nothing, just the legs, even when I’m not using them as much, take up plenty of juice...” Indigo Zap replied, lacing her hands behind her head, frowning, “Chances are, even if Twilight tweaks these things to work like my old ones, I’m never going to be as good in a fight as I used to be.” “That bites.” “Tell me about it.” “Ugh, let’s not even talk about fighting right now,” said Sour Sweet, “I get stomach issues just thinking about it these days.” “Ya’ll can say that again,” agreed Applejack, tipping her stetson over her face as if she were ready to take a nap right there on the sand, “Fer a spell I’d say it’s nice ta just chat ‘bout nothin’. Though I am kinda curious how you lot ended up bein’ part o’ Twilight’s posse.” “We’re not really a ‘posse’ per se,” Sunny Flare said, “Semi-official assistants would be more accurate. It’s a tad odd, really. We were cadets not so long ago. We’ve officially graduated, and would be rated as either third or second-class soldats, only we’re basically part of an unofficially ranked special unit at this point.” “Sunny, stop talking about work!” Sour Sweet complained. “To be fair, we don’t have much else to talk about,” said Sugarcoat, “In case you haven’t noticed, we don’t really have a social life these days.” “That sounds terrible,” commented Rarity with a heavy note of understanding, “Don’t the Quincy ever get proper breaks or time off for family and friends?” “Sure we do, but not when things are as messed up as they are now,” answered Indigo Zap, who then shrugged, “I can’t complain, though. Working with Twilight is a breeze compared to how things could be.” “It's not that different for Soul Reapers,” said Clover, “We might get time off, but when everything is as tense as it is now, there isn’t a lot of opportunity to take days for yourself. Even being here with everyone is still technically supposed to be work for me and Posey, making sure they’re guarded.” “Hmph, from what?” Sunny Flare asked, and the two Soul Reapers gave each other wary looks. “Well... even before they got as strong as they are now, the girls got targeted by an Espada,” said Clover, “And it’s not as if the Quincy wouldn’t have a potential reason to look at them as potential targets.” “Hey! We’re playing nice, here, aren’t we?” Sugarcoat said, and Fluttershy swiftly raised her hands. “It’s okay, everyone, please. Clover didn’t mean anything by that. We really appreciate that you’re being so nice, and it’s been a very lovely time today.” “Exactly,” said Sugarcoat, sighing, “It’s far too easy for us to fall back into patterns of distrust because, let’s face it, we’ve got three groups here; one from the Quincy, one from the Soul Reapers, and then there’s Sunset and the rest of you who are kind of your own thing. For us Quincy and you Soul Reapers, bad blood has passed between us for generations. Me, Sunny, Sour, Indigo, and Lemon were raised to think of you Soul Reapers like the boogeymen. But here we are, having a civil conversation, relaxing at the beach. I doubt something like this has ever happened before, and I’m fairly certain the reason it’s happening it is all because of those two...” Sugarcoat pointed off to the side, where Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer were sitting together under a beach umbrella and quietly chatting, a little out of earshot of the others. Rainbow Dash chuckled dryly, “Yeah, Sunset really has brought us all together, and sounds like Twilight’s done the same for you Crystal Prep gals. Without them, we probably wouldn’t be chilling together like this.” “Hmm,” Clover pulled her knees up under her chin, looking thoughtful, “I’ve theorized that there’s a bit more to Sunset than an emphatic personality. That the magic from her homeworld is more at play here than we can really see.” “Wouldn’t surprise me in the least,” said Rarity, “I may never have seen Equestria with my own eyes, but I’ve felt its magic work through me, and it was the power to move heaven and earth, all in the name of friendship.” “Move heaven and earth, huh?” said Indigo Zap wonderingly, “Sounds like the only thing that even could put an end to the war, doesn’t it?” To this, none of the girls had anything to add, but their eyes were drawn towards Sunset and Twilight. As for the pair in question, they’d moved a distance away to talk between them, mostly because Sunset had asked Twilight to do so. Sunset was still worried about Twilight, and felt maybe she’d have an easier time opening up if the talk was just between them. For the most part they’d just been talking about nothing, just silly things like the way Sunset had needed to scramble to be prepared for school finals, due to her overworked training schedule with Discord. “You’re way too bright to let your grades slip, Sunset,” Twilight was saying, admonishing but with a warm smile on her face, “I can’t believe you let yourself get a B in pre-calculus!” She shuddered, as if the very thought of a ‘B’ was some kind of horror tale to be told on spooky nights around a campfire. Sunset snorted a laugh, grinning, “I don’t know how I’ll ever live it down.” “Oh, don’t make fun of me.” A light punch on the shoulder followed by Sunset’s good natured look told Twilight her friend was just kidding. Sunset sighed wistfully, looking out at the ocean as she rested her hands on her knees, “I’ve missed you, you know?” “I’ve only been gone, what, a month?” “Feels like a lot longer.” “Well, it might be more than a month. I’ve been having trouble keeping track of the days...” Twilight said as she suddenly found the grains of sand at her feet quite interesting, “Training was a blur. I... hurt Lemon Zest, my first day.” “You did?” “Umhmm... lost control of my power briefly. I didn’t mean to, and my arrow went right through her. I thought I’d killed her, in that moment. Lucky for me and her both, Quincy medicine can’t be beat,” Twilight let out a weak, humorless laugh, “Then after that, I felt pretty isolated. The other Quincy cadets didn’t really trust me, much. I think part of it had to do with the way Sombra treated me. They all respect him as more than just a ‘king’, he’s more like... I don’t know, something more to them. But to me, he’s just Sombra. It’s strange, I was scared of him at first, too, and a part of me feels as if I can never really trust him fully, but he just seems so... alone. I think I keep acting as casually as I do around him because I feel like he needs a friend.” Sunset shook her head, “I can’t even imagine the guy. I mean, if he’s the Quincy King, he’s part of the reason the war keeps going on. Does he have a good reason for that, or what?” “If I’m being honest, I think he has trouble letting go of what the Hollows and Soul Reapers both did to him, long ago. He seems to truly believe that the Soul Reapers can’t be reasoned with, or the Hollows for that matter, but he’s been willing to let me try a lot of things that might lead to peace. It’s as if he’s daring me to try. Making a bet with me, that I’ll either succeed and bring him around, or fail and come around to the way he thinks... and maybe from his perspective either result is acceptable.” Sunset took a moment to absorb that. So Twilight was Sombra’s toss of the dice for peace? It seemed irresponsible, to her. If Sunset was a faction leader, striving for peace, she’d rely on a bit more proactive action than just letting one of her subordinates do all the work. It didn’t seem fair to Twilight, but Sunset didn’t say so, instead asking, “What happened to your hand?” Twilight flinched, but the blunt question didn’t put her off. After a quiet moment she said, “The same thing that happened to Sugarcoat’s eyes, and Indigo’s legs. Battles with Hollows. Arrancar, each time. I want peace, Sunset, but I can’t deny that the Hollows are so... relentlessly violent that it’s terrifying to see on full display.” “Believe me, I know. I was there when we lost Adagio to Grogar, remember? I also just lost my apartment to an Espada ambush,” Sunset said, suppressing a shudder, “I’ve seen it firsthand how dangerous a lot of them are. Peace might be possible, but I won’t lie... some of those Espada are going to need to go, before we can get the rest around a negotiation table.” Twilight’s voice went awfully quiet and cold for a moment, “I know. I... I’m not... there’s one among them I don’t know if I can ever forgive. Even if I might have to, someday.” There was such raw pain in Twilight’s voice that it cut as thoroughly as a blade into Sunset, and she reached out to hold Twilight’s hand with her own. Twilight didn’t move away from the contact, simply squeezing back. “Twilight... I won’t ask anything. Just know that if you never need to talk, I’m here. Always. No matter what happens, I’m your friend.” A tearful sniff fell from Twilight and she nodded, “I know you are. When I’m ready, I’ll tell you everything. Just... not today.” She then shook her head, taking off her glasses for a second to wipe her eyes before putting them back on, “Enough heavy talk, okay? Let’s switch to something easier to talk about, like how we’re going to rescue Ember.” Sunset almost laughed at that, but held her tongue and nodded, “Fair’s fair, I’ve been waiting to hear from you and Adagio on what the plan actually is. Discord got those communicators to you both, right?” “Yes. Adagio got hers, then she gave me mine after we met up at a secret location. That was just yesterday, actually. We had time to brain storm a few ideas, and the crux of the issues if figuring out where the Soul Reapers are holding Ember. I have good reason to suspect it’s somewhere near, or even in, Camp Everfree.” “Yeah, that makes sense,” Sunset mused, “Captain Celestia has us doing some sort of ‘summer program’ there, and we’re supposed to be helping out with their research on the Equestrian portal. If Ember’s involved with that as some kind of specimen, then if you and Adagio can wait for the first few days of camp, we ought to be able to pin point the lab’s location for you.” “Good, I-” Twilight began to say, but held off a she saw Clover was walking over, “I, uh, really love the new swimsuits. Rarity made them, didn’t she?” Coughing, Sunset said, “Yup, she never fails to impress. Hey Clover, what’s up?” “Nothing much,” replied Clover, “Fluttershy was going to go check on the baby sea turtles again. Figured I’d let you guys know, in case you wanted to do another sweep around the beach for any signs of something strange.” Sunset glanced at Twilight, then shrugged, “Sure, why not? I’ve rested enough, and if it’ll make Fluttershy feel better we can go look for whatever is spooking the sea turtles.” Suddenly Twilight perked up, looking out at the ocean as she stood, “Somehow I don’t think you’ll have to look very far.” “Huh?” Sunset turned around, and blinked in surprise at the sight of something stirring the waves offshore. At first it looked just like another wave, only it was forming a wake that was going in the wrong direction, and a clear hump had appeared in the water beneath a dark shadow that was rapidly approaching the beachfront. Normal beach goers had started to take notice of this, and frightened swimmers started to shout and scream as they scrambled to get out of the way, and those still on the beach itself stood, some frozen in shock, others backing away slowly before turning to run. Sunset, Twilight, and their respective groups of companions only had a few seconds to react before the underwater shadow erupted to the surface in a massive spray of breaking water, and ten massive, black and ropy tentacles each as big around as a pinewood tree shot out of the surf and lashed towards them.