The Rainbooms sat idly on a school bus, looking out at the world as it passed them by. All of them had their bags stowed underneath their seats, even though they had plenty of room to share on the bus. The sun in the sky was just beginning to dip for the night, still poking through the various pillars of bark and leaves.
"Ya know, for a field trip, this is a pretty long way out, Principal Celestia." Rainbow Dash was the first to break the silence, tipping her hand out towards Celestia as her legs were crossed. "I mean, I know this is extra-curricular stuff we're talking about, but it's almost sunset. And I don't know about you, but I'm not sure they're gonna want to work with us after nightfall."
"That's why I told you to pack the coffee, didn't I?" Celestia spoke back, her eyes still fixated on the road ahead of her. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Rainbow Dash. I'm sure that once you and the girls are all settled in, you'll all do wonderfully. You do have a lasting effect on people; no matter who or what they are."
"Still. She does have a point." Sunset Shimmer spoke up, lifting one of her fingers. "I mean, we've been on the road for a long time. It's a good thing we all bought food with us, or we wouldn't have lasted as long as we did. That, and I'm sure the restroom trips weren't on your itinerary."
"'Specially with Pinkie bringing along all them sodas. Poor girl's bladder went through a heck of a lot on this trip." Applejack folded her arms.
"I didn't know what I was putting into my body, okay? How was I supposed to know that soda goes right through me?" Pinkie whined with hunched arms from the seat behind her. "It's just so delicious that I don't even bother to think about the other stuff."
"Tell me about it." Spike popped his head out of Twilight's backpack. "But really, Pinkie, it should be a lesson on how you shouldn't drink that much; even if it's good for you."
"I know... But it's so good!" She despaired, letting out a whine that would rival Rarity for over-dramatics.
"Such is the burden of pleasure, isn't it? The things that we adore are always so bad for us, yet that which we do not enjoy is good for us," Rarity remarked from the seat behind Twilight. "But, that being said, business and pleasure can go hand in hand, so in case this whole trip gives me inspiration, I've packed my sewing equipment and some fabric. Besides. I've always wanted to try making some designs for young ragamuffins; branch out a tad, if you know what I mean."
"Focus, Rarity. We're not here to make some dresses. We're here to take care of some little kids for a night." Fluttershy tapped Rarity's shoulder from across the other side of the bus. "Now, I'm not sure exactly what their needs and preferences are, but I'm sure that it'll be a welcome change to everything else we've had to put up with so far."
"I agree. When your life's full of nothing but magic, demons, magically-infused items, power-mad magic users, and time loops, you kinda just want a break from it all." Twilight pushed her fingers together. "I mean, not that I don't like a good study session into all the ergonomics of magic, but it can get very tiresome when it just happens over and over again."
At long last, the trees seemed to spread apart as the view of a village came into sight. For the most part, many of the houses looked as the girls expected them to; detatched, with the same coloured walls, and whatever trimmings that the inhabitants used to spruce it up. But there were some oddball exceptions to that, with one house looking akin to that of a gingerbead house with all the candy and colours lining it, another house looking like it had massive bones as the frame, and a third house that looked suspiciously like a cathedral with how it had a belfry poking out of it.
"Well... this is a rather quaint little place, isn't it?" Sunset remarked at the houses passing her by. "Truth be told, I was kinda expecting some more grounded designs."
"Oh, that's just the tip of the iceberg, Sunset." Celestia grinned as she drove the bus towards a cul-de-sac and the large building at the end of it. "But anyways, we're here, girls. Pick up your stuff, have some coffee, and get ready for an awfully long night." She parked the bus at the curb and opened the doors.
The girls had barely even noticed the mansion-like house as they collected their gear and exited the bus. It was only when they finally touched the ground again and stared up at the site that the truth dawned on them. Of all the places to be doing this whole kid-care stuff, it was inside this. It looked like something out of a cartoon with how different it was to the rest of the village.
"Sweet stars above! This is a pre-school? It looks nothing like one!" Rarity was the first to blurt out. "I mean, with such an elegant and exquisite exterior, I should have come dressed to have afternoon tea with some crumpets on the side!"
"Principal Celestia? Are you sure that we're in the right place for this?" Fluttershy tugged on Celestia's shoulder, attracting her attention instantly. "I mean, this doesn't look anything like a pre-school to me..."
"I'd tell you the whole deal, but it's a surprise. And what fun is there in a surprise if it's ruined before you even get in there?" Celestia walked towards the door, which caused the other Rainbooms to follow after her. She knocked on the door twice and turned back towards the girls. "Now, girls. I want you to behave as best as you can. These kids are still just kids, so try not to upset them."
"We'll try our best, Principal Celestia." Sunset gave a nod, then turned to the other girls, who nodded as well.
"Very good." Celestia turned back to the door, which finally opened.
"Ah, Principal Celestia! Welcome!" said a man on the other side of the door. He had a long blue shirt on with a pair of jeans. His hair was all white, and he had a long, lustrous beard that completely concealed his mouth. "So glad you were able to come after all."
"It's a pleasure to see you too, Igor." Celestia held her hand out and shook his. "How are you and Ms. Esmy doing? Still working around the clock?"
"Yep." A second voice came, belonging to a woman with a plain shirt on, with black hair running down the back of her head. "But hey, when you're working with everyone, it feels more like playing than work." She stepped over and shook Celestia's hand as well. Then, she noticed her teenage guests just behind her. "Oh! Are these the students you were talking about on the phone?"
"Yes. They are." Celestia stepped aside. "I'd like you to meet Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash." Celestia pointed each of the teens out, who all gave light hand waves as they walked into the building. "Everyone, this is Igor and Ms. Esmy. They run the place here and act as teachers for the children."
"Hi there." Sunset greeted herself by shaking both of their hands. "I know that it's a little bit late and that the sun's about to set and all, but we'll all do the best we can to look after your class."
"Oh, it's no harm done at all, Sunset Shimmer. And in fact, you're not late at all. You're just in time, I think." Igor gave her a little wink, as his smile was concealed.
"In time? But the sun's about to set. Is this like... a boarding school or something?" Sunset asked as she followed Igor and Esmy down on of the corridors.
"Patience, patience. All in good time, everyone," was the last thing that Igor said before the group behind him fell silent. Celestia still had a smile on her face, but the Rainbooms had been shaken by the things that had been said. How could a school operate when the sun was about to set?
The Rainbooms walked into the room and it was as they had expected. There were two cubbies at the entrance with bags inside each of the holes, presumably one for each of the kids. The floor had smoothened wood floors and one of the corners had a large scattering blocks littered around. A chalkboard could be seen on the wall on the right, with various crafted objects laid on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. A small hamster habitat could be seen, with one such hamster inside.
As for the children in the room, a quick head count revealed eight children. Four boys and four girls. They were all busy talking to one another about various things. It wasn't until they saw Igor and Esmy leading the Rainbooms in that they broke off from their chat and came over to meet them.
"Everyone. I'd like you to meet Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle." Igor pointed out each of the Rainbooms out to the eight kids, before each of them gave their own little waves back to them. "They're going to be our guests tonight, so make sure that you treat them as you'd do anyone else here at Pitchfork Pines."
"Hello, everyone. It's nice to meet you all." Rarity walked forward and squatted down so that she was eye-level with the children. "My name is Rarity. Or Miss Rarity, if you prefer."
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!" She blurted out, poking through Rarity. "And let me tell you, we're gonna have tons of fun together tonight! Even though it's totally weird for kids to have pre-school in the middle of the night, I'm not against that idea at all! Nuh-uh! No sirree bob! Nothing's gonna stop us from having the best time of our lives!"
"You're full of energy tonight, aren't cha?" A brunette boy with a green jacket decided to walk forward. "Nice to meet ya, Pinkie Pie. My name's Lobo. And these are my friends. Drac, Katya, Frankie, Zoe, Cleo, Spike, and Vida." He pointed each of the others out for her.
"It's wonderful to have you here." A blonde girl with a night-time pattern on her clothes stepped forward; the one that Lobo had called Katya. She gripped a small plushie of a black cat in her hands as she put on a smile. "You're not from around here, though, right? Won't you fall asleep somewhere along the way?"
"Nah. We brought something that'll keep us going." Rainbow Dash pointed at her backpack before kneeling down to meet the kids. "Name's Rainbow Dash, by the way. Captain of the sports teams back home at Canterlot High."
"Pleasure to meet ya." Drac stepped forward next. He had hair that spiked up at the back, with a plain red shirt to show for it.
"And I'm Cleo. It's also a pleasure to see you." A girl with her hair tied up in a bunch stepped forward. Her shirt was orange with a yellow zig-zag pattern running across it. "Now, you're from out of town, so don't freak out okay? What's about to happen is gonna blow you away."
"Speaking of which, it's almost time!" A black girl with two buns in her hair, who had been referred to as Zoe pointed over towards the setting sun in the distance and ran towards it.
"Almost time? What's so special about a sunset?" Applejack asked, watching as all of the kids went over to join Zoe.
"You'll see." Igor watched as the sun slipped beneath the edge of the horizon, blanketing the place more and more in the veil of night. "Well, Ms. Esmy? Shall we?" He held out his hand.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Esmy smiled and took his hand, before they both turned to the sun, which shed its' last little slivers of daylight.
"Sun Down..." They both said together.
"Monsters Up!" All of the children said in response, before becoming enveloped in a wave of bright purple and white light that engulfed the room.
"Drac!" was the first one to change. His hairstyle split from the one straight point upwards to two separate points that stretched out behind him. His skin turned a pale white, his ears grew and contorted to look like a bat's ears, he grew a pair of fangs, and his clothes changed into vampire attire with a cape forming on his back.
"Katya!" was next. She took out a magic wand with a star at the end of it, twirled on the spot, a spiral of magical energy changing her in seconds. Her blonde hair exploded out in all directions and turned pink in the middle of each strand. Her skin turned cyan and she gained a curly magic hat with the same starry pattern as her clothes, with a crescent moon on the belt around it. The cat plushie that she had been carrying also changed into a living cat with bright, cosmic-blue skin, pointy ears, and an amethyst and lilac heart-shaped jewel on its' collar.
"Lobo!" changed next. His jacket changed from green to indigo with orange accents. It was also unzipped, in comparison to the one before. Any skin that he had was also non-existant, as now there was nothing but the fur of a brown wolf in its' place. A couple of fangs of his own and a howl afterwards proved this.
"Frankie!" was next in line to change his form. In a surge of green lightning, he had changed from his regular humanoid form into that of a miniature frankenstein-esque creature, complete with bolts on the neck, a stitch on his forehead, and enlargened hands and feet sticking out like a sore thumb. The glasses on his face had also vanished from sight. He had also changed his shirt into a green and dark indigo pattern with a small patch on the left-hand side that showed the picture of a lightning bolt.
The next child to change was "Zoe!" Her black skin erupted into a shade of cool blue, but her hair was the more noticeable change. The two buns on her hair had burst into dreadlocks of many colours. Cyan, purple, orange, and green respectively, with some golden ribbons within. Her dress mostly stayed the same shade of yellow, only now in her new form, it was covered in paint splatters of many different colours, like an painter's apron after a long day's work.
"Cleo!" changed after that. Her bunched-up hair split and hung down straight, with a golden headdress with green tips at the end of it. She wore blue and golden clothes that looked more like armour than anything, but one thing that was noticeable was the many bandages on her arms and legs. Only her hands and face went unchanged.
There were only two more kids who hadn't changed form, and the next one to do so was "Spike!" His skin changed in a heartbeat, as it turned orange and scaly, with the spiky hairstyle he had being replaced with that of cyan-tipped quills. Claws replaced his hands and feet, while his face twisted into that of a dragon's muzzle. He now sported some cyan robes tied together by a golden rope, with a pair of wings with golden webbing sprouting out of his back.
And lastly, "Vida!" changed her form. Her brunette hair turned purple instantaneously, and her skin turned white, with patterns on it. It made her look like a skeleton as a result. WIth special face-painting that looked straight out of Dia De Los Muertos. The last little change was her shirt, which now was purple as her hair and had three flowers bunched up.
"Super Monsters!" The kids all said together with their transformations complete and the room back to its' proper lighting.
"Super Monsters?!" The Rainbooms all chorused together in response, before Fluttershy ended up fainting on the floor of the room.
Shortly after the initial reaction, the hamster within the habitat befekll the same burst of light, albeit it much smaller than usual. It changed from a hamster into a small, orange creature with pointy ears, miniscule wings, and a tiny jumper with a diamond pattern on it. Chittering, it flew out of the box.
"Okay. Now THAT was a cool trick." Rainbow Dash finally let off a grin as the reactions subsided. "Like, seriously. What kind of magic ya got? Equestrian Magic? We're experts at that." She folded her arms, before she felt a sharp tugging sensation on her ears.
"Rainbow Dash! That is not in any way acceptable behaviour..." Rarity dragged Rainbow back a few steps. "Not every magic has to be Equestrian, you know." She relinquished her grip on Rainbow, then walked forward towards the newly transformed Super Monsters. "Besides, I think this is one of the sweetest changes I've seen yet. And that's saying something, considering what I've seen at CHS."
"Aww... Thanks." Katya grinned at Rarity's compliment.
"Ah still don't quite understand it. Not the whole magic stuff, I got that down pat. But it's the fact that you've completely changed." Applejack took a few steps forward. These were not the same children she saw a moment ago, yet they bore the same names and voices. "Not that ah'm against it, personally, but it's just gosh-darn confusing."
"Well, I'm pretty hyped for this!" Pinkie Pie squealed in delight before sliding over to the kids. "Not only are we looking after kids, but it's monster kids at night! It's like a super-spooky sleepover!"
"Gotta be honest here. You're taking this a lot better than we expected." Drac tipped his hand towards the girls. "Well... most of you, anyways."
"Huh?" Sunset looked back and noticed the fainted Fluttershy on the floor. "Oh! Right. Sorry about that. Fluttershy in name, Fluttershy in nature." Sunset shuffled backward and laid her hands around Fluttershy's body. "I'm sure that she'll be fine."
"In the meantime, what's this whole Super Monsters deal all about?" Twilight asked, taking her own steps forward towards the children. "It's not like anything I've ever seen before either."
"Allow me to explain, Twilight." Ms. Emsy approached Twilight, laying a hand on her shoulders. "The Super Monsters have the ablity to change what they look like depending on what time of day it is. By day, they're as human as you or me. But by night, they're what you see now." She stretched her arm out towards the eight children.
"Plus, we get to use all our powers at night!" Spike chimed in, already flapping his wings. Sure enough, he started to fly before everyone else's eyes. Drac followed suit, but didn't need any other appendages to fly.
"You have powers?" Pinkie Pie asked. "What a coincidence! We've got some powers of our own too!" Pinkie pointed to the geode around her neck.
"Really?" Zoe's eyes widened as she took a closer look at the small necklaces draped around each of the Rainbooms necks. "What kind of powers?"
"Hold on a second now. I think it'd be best if we take this whole thing outside, don't you, Igor?" Celestia asked, knowing full well what the Rainbooms were capable of. "The last thing we want is a mess in here when the night's just started. Looking at you, Pinkie..."
"What?" Pinkie snapped back to Celestia's gaze and just shrugged. "Look, if you're still mad about that whole exploding sprinkles thing we did on Sloppy Joe Day, that was totally not my fault."
"It's fine by me, Principal Celestia. In fact, I was just about the suggest the same thing myself," said Igor, still as jolly as ever.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy finally came to just as the others were heading outside to play. The only thing in her sight was Sunset as her eyes slowly opened up and she pushed herself off of the ground. "Ugh... Sunset? Is that you?" She asked, before her vision focused up and she saw the girl behind the blur. "I just had a crazy dream where we went to this town in the forest, went into a pre-school and met these kids who all turned into monsters right before my eyes..."
"Well, Fluttershy. I think you might want to pinch yourself, because that wasn't a dream. It's really happening." Sunset gently turned Fluttershy's head so that she got a view of the Super Monsters.
"Oh... oh dear." She despaired at the sight of them, even though she could only really see their backsides. "Sunset. Whatever you do, PLEASE don't let them do something nasty to me. I can't handle this. Not one bit!"
"This from the girl who's faced down multiple demons, sirens from Equestria, and more?" Sunset just smiled as she picked Fluttershy up and patted her back. "Come on, girl. They're just kids; very young ones at that. I'm pretty sure that they've got no intentions of harming you."
"You think so? I know they're just kids, but I know a monster when I see one. If I end up getting put under a spell, turned into a vampire, or having my brain get eaten out, don't say I didn't warn you..." Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Sunset's back.
"Come on. You're overthinking this far too much. Let's just head outside and join everyone, shall we?" Sunset started to walk Fluttershy over towards the outdoor playground, but the resistance Fluttershy was putting up by driving her feet into the ground made it harder for her to do so. Eventually, Sunset picked Fluttershy by her legs and bridal-carried her out the door, with the moonlit air hitting their lungs in seconds. "And hey. You have my word. I'm not gonna let them hurt you. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
When Fluttershy heard the Pinkie Promise being recited, she couldn't help but feel slightly more at ease. It wasn't enough for her to overcome the worry of having to work with monster children, but it at least gave her something to fall back on. Smiling, she put her hand on Sunset's cheek before climbing out of her hold and strolling out towards the playground.
Even underneath the guile of moonlight, everyone still had a pretty good view of the playground. With a massive climbing area with tunnels, a slide, and a sandpit to go with it, coupled with a hidden mini-basketball court behind the side of the building, there was plenty of room for everyone. The trees surrounding the area were also a nice touch, with shades of orange, green, and purple leaves strewn on the branches.
"So, all of you have powers in addition to your new forms?" Rarity asked Zoe and Cleo.
"Mmhmm." Zoe nodded. "Here. Let me show you." She turned from Rarity and ran towards the slide. However, instead of going up the ramp as Rarity expected, Zoe instead radiated a blue, twinkling aura when she collided with it and phased through the slide itself, vanishing from Rarity's sight until she poked her head out of the side. "With my zombie powers, I can walk through, see things through, and grab things through walls and other things. I think all the grown-ups call it... trans-paren-cy? Or something like that? I just prefer calling it my zombie powers." She came back over to Rarity's side. "Actually, ever since I made my match with Luna, I can do this!"
Zoe grabbed Rarity's hand and ran with her towards the same frame that she had once walked through. Only this time, when she phased through everything, she took a slightly aghast Rarity with her mouth agape and legs without control through it all with her, with her emitting the exact same order as Zoe. By the time that they both made it through the frame, Rarity couldn't even muster up a single word as to what she had experienced. The sheer fact of her phasing through a pre-school's climbinf frame was enough to have taken all of the words out of her mouth.
"Did... did I just—"
"Yep!" Zoe chuckled with her mouth closed. "Now, I can take someone with me through all this stuff."
"Well, I must say, that was something I wasn't expecting, to say the least." Rarity finally mustered up the ability to close her mouth and regain her composure.
"All of our powers are different, and there's no two that are ever the same when it comes to us." Cleo came back up to Rarity, walking underneath the frame. "As for my powers, well..." With a flick of her hands, a small gust of chilly wind ran across Rarity's legs and arms. Added with the low temperatures of the night, it caused her to shiver. "Is that too much for you?"
"N-no, dear. It's fine." Rarity knew she should have packed an extra coat for the night. "S-s-so, you can windbend?"
"That's right." And that's not all I can do." Cleo pulled out a scarab and tossed it airborne. With a blast of light, it took the shape of a pointy surf-board style object with bandages all around it, with a small chevron-covered top for Cleo to stand in. Instead of crashing into the ground, it floated inches off of the floor. Cleo climbed on shortly afterwards, with her headdress's top closing up with gold plating. "Ever heard of a hoverboard before, Rarity? If you haven't, then this is your lucky day." Cleo smirked as she bent her knees, causing the board to lift higher off of the ground. "Thanks to my own friend, Griffie, I can fly like this!" She leaned forward, causing the board to fly off in the same direction.
Rarity was taken aback once again by the fact that Cleo was flying. Not only that, but she was flying very high at that. She pulled off some spins in the air as well, before swooping back down to Rarity's side.
"You fly that board really well, Cleo. I'm impressed." Rarity clapped her hands slowly as Cleo clambered off of the board. It turned back into a scarab which she tucked away, as her headdress's top opened back up as well.
"Thank you very much." Cleo bowed gracefully before Rarity.
"I can't really compete with that, as the best I can do with my powers is this." Rarity tapped her geode, grew her ears, tail, and hair extensions, then tossed out diamond-shaped disks to form a staircase, which she quickly ran to the top of. She threw more to make another staircase downward, then watched as they all vanished. "Not really as glamorous as your flying skills, but it's still something. And those things can be used for a bunch of different things," she said, though the only times she had used them outside of her leisure was to fight off the forces of evil.
"Well, I actually think it's really pretty." Zoe came up to Rarity once again, taking notice of the new features on Rarity's body. "Especially with those new things on your head, Rarity."
"What, these old things?" Rarity modestly brushed her pony ears and extra hair. "Oh, that's just when I Pony-Up."
"Can you do that at night too, like us?" Cleo also took notice of the new changes on Rarity's body.
"Actually, I can Pony-Up whenever I want, so long as I'm wearing this little geode." She knelt down to the two Super Monsters, letting them get a close look at her white necklace with three diamonds on it. "My friends have their own matching ones and they've got powers all of their own, just like you and your other friends."
"Whoa..." Both Cleo and Zoe saw a small sheen of light as the crystal reflected the moonlight off.
"Speaking of my friends, I wonder what Rainbow Dash and Lobo are getting up to over there..." Rarity looked out towards another area of the playground.
"Ya know, I always thought that werewolves were these things from books, but seeing that you're the real deal, that's totally flipped my view, Lobo." Rainbow Dash squatted down to match her eyes with that of Lobo's.
"I know, right? It's just so cool to be able to Monster-Up and be me!" Lobo gave a small little howl to the moon, before dashing off around the place with his speed. "That, and, ya just can't go wrong with this super speed!"
Rainbow whistled as she watched Lobo dashing around the place, leaving nothing but a contrail of his fluffy body in his wake. He was so fast to track that Rainbow nearly ended up losing sight of him until he stopped back at her knees with perfect control. "So, what do ya think, Rainbow?"
"Eh, it's pretty good, but I'm sure I can keep up." Rainbow Dash tapped her own geode, performed her own Pony-Up and grew wings in addition to everything else that came with it. "Check this out." Rainbow lifted her leg for a run, and just like Lobo, she sped around the ground leaving a rainbow-coloured contrail in her wake. She zipped past the others with ease, before she too came right back to Lobo's side. "And you're totally right. Speed is awesome."
"Whoa..." Lobo was more in awe of Rainbow's speed more than she was of his. "I thought that only me and my family could go fast-fast-fast like that, but you're pretty good too, Rainbow."
"Yeah. I know it." Rainbow flicked her hairstyle. "Actually... how about you and I have a little race, Lobo? See who's really the fastest of the fast?" She tousled his furry head. "And don't worry. I'll go easy on ya, since you're a kid and all."
"Oh, I'd be glad too! But I'm pretty sure I'll be able to beat you." Lobo howled again before he bent down onto all-fours. "So, where do ya wanna head to? The park? Museum? Library? Luigi's?"
"Whatever you want, Lobo. I'm down for it." Rainbow Dash grinned.
"Alright then! Let's head on over to the library! First one to get there and back here wins. Onyourmarksgetsetgo!" With no time wasted, Lobo sped off, with Rainbow Dash in close pursuit. They left nothing behind as they burst out of the gate behind the other side of the school and rushed off down the street towards the library; their two trails clear for a second before they both vanished.
"You sure they'll be alright?" Sunset asked Ms. Esmy as she witnessed Rainbow and Lobo speeding off.
"Of course I do. Lobo knows Pitchfork Pines like the back of his hand. He'll be back before you know it, with Rainbow Dash too." Esmy grinned, turning her sight back towards the gate. "Wait for it... And three, two, one." When she stopped, both Rainbow and Lobo shot back into the playground, giggling giddily.
"No way! I totally beat you!" Rainbow Dash still had a smile on her face as she contested the results.
"Nuh-uh! I was definitely faster than you!" Lobo also had a grin on his own face.
"Okay, okay. How about we just agree to disagree and call it a draw?" Rainbow Dash held her hand out. "If you wanna make it best two out of three, that is?"
"Oh, it's on!" Lobo leapt up and took Rainbow's hand, before they both took their marks again. "How about you count down this time?"
"Sure. Three! Two! One! Go!" Rainbow sped off first this time, with Lobo mere milliseconds behind her. It took the same amount of time, but Lobo just managed to arrive first by mere fractions of a second with Rainbow right on his tail. "Okay... not gonna lie. That time, it was definitely you, Lobo." Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily as her stance got wobbly.
"Thanks. It's even more fun when you race in slow-motion." Lobo was also breathing, but not as hardly as Rainbow Dash was. "But you're pretty quick too. Even when I was using my slo-mo powers, you're still pretty fast."
"I've had some practice with it." Rainbow Dash rubbed her finger across her geode. "But you? You've got raw, unfiltered awesomeness in your werewolf powers, Lobo. I gotta give props for that. I can't even go that fast if I don't have this thing on me."
"Let me see that." Lobo craned his neck up and locked his gaze on Rainbow's necklace. "Ya think I could try it out? Imagine my speed and your speed together. I'd go so fast, well... well, I don't even know how fast that would be.."
"As much as I'd love to see that, there's a couple of problems. Ya see, Lobo—" Rainbow Dash took her geode off, which immediately reverted her back to normal. "I don't think this necklace is your size and I think it only works for me. I guess the whole lightning bolt deal on the front is kinda obvious..."
"Oh well, that's alright. At least I was able to have a race at full speed with you, Rainbow Dash." Lobo held out his hand.
"Heh. You too, kid." Rainbow shook Lobo's hand, then slipped the geode back around her neck.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Pinkie Pie had decided to speak with Spike and Vida.
"I still think that the whole thing is very interesting," said Twilight as she looked on at Spike's beating wings. "This whole concept of Super Monsters; children tied to a solar/lunar cycle, it's like something out of a fantasy novel! I've got so many questions but I don't want to weigh you down with it all right now..."
"I've got some questions, but they're not all super-sciency like what Twilight's." Pinkie had a smile stretching to both of her cheeks. "First of all, how cool is it to stay up all night? How much fun do you have with all those powers? And also, what's your superpowers? You can answer with whatever you like but I just have to know the first one since I never had the pleasure of staying up all night when I was a little kid like you..."
Spike just chuckled at Pinkie's rapid dialogue. "Wow, Pinkie. I don't think I've ever met someone that's like you."
"I agree. Pitchfork Pines has plenty of people, but I don't think any of them have as much energy as you have." Vida nodded in agreement.
"And if you wanna know my powers aside from flying, well, I can make clouds like this." Spike billowed a couple of clouds that hung in place. "You can do anything with these dragon clouds. Just watch." Spike flew to some of his own creations and started shaping them, even making some more when he realised that there wasn't enough. Once he was done, he made rather accurate, if someone puffed and less-detailed models of Pinkie and Twilight. "Ta-da!"
"That's... not too bad for someone so young." Twilight walked up to her purple-skinned cloud doppelganger. She could forgive the fact that Spike didn't add the important details in due to his youth, but the rest of it did look messy up close. It didn't take long before the clouds blew away on a gentle breeze, catching Twilight off-guard.
"I gotta say, we've seen our fair share of magic back in Canterlot, and I don't think I've ever seen someone who can make cloud sculptures like that." Pinkie watched as her own cloud counterpart took to the skies on an epic and grand voyage unlike any she had seen before. "And that's saying something, considering we've had demon magic, siren magic, tree-spirit magic, mirror magic, even phone magic if you can believe it. Magic's weird back home."
"You have magic back home?" Vida's eyes shimmered as she waddled closer to Pinkie Pie. "How does it work? Does it happen at night like all the magic here in Pitchfork Pines?"
"Well... not really. See where we come from, magic is... unpredictable. It can be transmuted into things to make them magical, it can hide within someone giving them superpowers, or it could even transfer into some of the stuff you see in every day life such as plants, boxes—"
"Your pet dog." Spike the dog burst out of Twilight's backpack again, before leaping onto the grassy ground. "Yeah, I don't really know how it happened either. Ya can't pin down magic back home in Canterlot."
Both Vida and Spike gasped at the sight of Spike by Twilight's legs.
"Is... is that..." Spike jabbed a finger at Spike.
"A talking dog?" Both Spike and Vida said in harmony with each other."
"Yes. Indeed." Twilight dropped and patted Spike the dog's head. "Vida, Spike, I'd like you to meet my pet dog, Spike. Just as normal as you and me until Equestrian Magic gave him the power to speak." Twilight scratched Spike's chin and showed him off to the two of them.
"Hi. Nice to see ya." He walked over and stretched a paw out towards the two Super Monsters.
"Hi, Spike! I'm Spike too!" Spike shook Spike's paw vigorously, catching the dog off-guard. His pupils were shaking as he readjusted to the dragon kid's tight grip.
"You're named Spike too?" Spike tilted his head. "Man... that's gonna get confusing."
"Aww... I think he's cute." Vida wrapped her arms around Spike and gave him some belly rubs. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good talking dog? You are! Yes you are..."
"Oh, stop it." Spike blushed as he let Vida continue to pet him.
"It's really lucky that you've got a talking pet, Twilight. The closest we get to something like that is all the chittering coming from our school pet, Glorb." As soon as Spike said that, the same orange creature that had once been a hamster flew onto Spike's shoulder. "Oh, look. There he is now."
"Glorb doesn't talk as well as Spike does, but we still love him all the same," replied Vida.
Pinkie wandered up to Glorb, noticing his plump belly as one of his features, and how the jumper he was wearing didn't cover his whole belly. "I'm guessing by this little guy's belly that he loves eating." Pinkie poked Glorb's tummy, which caused him to giggle. "Which, I don't really blame him. There's so much good food to eat these days. Candy, cake, candy cake, and that's only the cold stuff. I tell ya, I could down all the fast food you could ever see if you give me the chance. Especially if you cover it with pudding, pancake syrup, and other such delicious things like marshmallows and exploding sprinkles!" Pinkie drooled at her food fantasies.
"I hear you there. But Glorb's got a very strict diet. He only gets one scoop of food once per night. Anymore than that and he won't be able to fit in the preschool anymore."
"Literally." Drac glided down towards Spike and Vida's side. "If he eats too much food, he gets really big really fast. We're just glad Dr. Jekyll was able to fix him back then."
"Dr. Jekyll?" Twilight tilted her head. I'm also assuming there's a Dr. Hyde as well, by that logic...
"She's the woman down at the petting zoo. She's in charge of looking after all of our Furever Friends when they're not with us. She's real nice once ya see her in action." Frankie trudged his way over to the group. "I'm sure right now, Jerry and the others are having the time of their lives with her."
"Well, I'm sure that, if your teachers allow it, we could go and check up on them." Twilight pushed her glasses towards her face. "But anyways, I want to get back onto a topic that Pinkie brought up. "About Vida, Drac and Frankie. What kind of powers do you have?"
"Apart from the flying? Well, I can do this." Drac thought of a destination, and within seconds, he vanished as red energy popped out and sucked him in. Another pop and he was right behind Twilight. "Surprise." He tapped her shoulder, causing her to jump in shock. "Thanks to my own friends at her zoo, I." He popped again, this time to their feet. "Can." And again, to the top of a climbing frame this time "Teleport." one more time, back to his friends. "Like that! I just think it—" Another burst and he was at the top of the pre-school "—and I'm there! Pretty nifty, right?" With one final teleport, he went back to the ground.
"Neato burrito!" Pinkie couldn't help but smile yet again.
"I know. I think it's fangtastic too." He brushed himself down. "Those moves are courtesy of my own Fuirever Friends, Bubble and Trouble."
"They're Drac's pet Winggoats. They're pretty good at flying too. Just like me and my own Furever Friend, Phoebo." Spike looked back at his wings.
"Pardon me, but what is a Furever Friend?" Twilight tilted her head to the side. "Surely, there's gotta be more to it than just the name, right?"
"A Furever Friend is a very special pet that monsters like us can make friends with. If we match with our pet—like we all did—we not only get to keep those pets, but we both get new powers." Frankie made a slight wave of his hand. "Check mine out. Mega-Size!" Growing an eerie green aura for a split second, Frankie grew in sinze in the blink of an eye, to the point where he was just as tall as Twilight and Pinkie. "What do ya think?"
"Wow, Frankie. That's impressive." Twilight gushed as she reexamined Frankie's new size and proportions. "I'll have to write all this down at some point. A celestial cycle, symbiotic relationships where both sides benefit, and with each of the Super Monsters completely different in many ways... the whole thing reeks of a scientific voyage!"
"That, or you could just live in the moment. Like this!" Pinkie threw herself into Frankie's hands and leapt onto his head. "Hi ho, Frankie! Away!" Pinkie speared her index finger forward, prompting Frankie to charge with a laugh of his own.
Twilight watched both Pinkie and Frankie playing together before turning her gaze back to the other three. "What about you, Vida? What's your powers?"
"Why don't I show you?" Vida asked, noticing a small tree around the edge of the playground. "Follow me!" She beckoned with a wave of her hand before darting off towards the three. It didn't take any of them long to make the journey to the small oak; especially not with how slender Twilight's arms and legs were. "Now, watch this tree closely, Twilight. It's pretty small when you look at the other trees, right?"
Twilight blinked, then rapidly frisked the other trees. Despite the colour, firmness, and other attributes that the tree Vida was at shared with the other trees, it was indeed smaller by comparison to the others. When she looked back at Vida, she noticed a change in the skeletal Super Monster.
Where Vida had her skeleton patters on her body and her Dia De Los Muertos face paint, there was now a bright, neon green glow emanating from them and her hands as she laid them on the tree. Her touch gave the tree the very same magical glow, before the tree started to grow at an extremely rapid pace. Within the span of a couple of seconds, it was now as big, tall, and strong as the other trees in the area.
"Ta-da!" Vida exclaimed. "My power is plant magic. And it's not just for trees, no no. I can use it on flowers, fruit and vegetables, anything that grows, I can help it grow faster." She clasped her hands together as she stopped glowing, now that her little trick was over.
"Well then..." Twilight was still stunned by the sight of Vida and her powers. "That's way better than the last couple of times I've seen plant magic before. Usually, whenever we got involved with trees and flowers growing like that, it all goes horribly wrong." She vividly recalled the Gaia Everfree and Celestia's Greenhouse incidents, still remembering the feel of nature coming crashing down on top of her.
"Gee. I'm sorry to hear about that, Twilight. But... does this makes you feel better?" Vida asked, looking into Twilight's eyes. She'd only seen the upside to her own plant magic, that she hadn't even thought of any concept where it went out of control. And since she was so young, the thoughts that she had about Twilight's old experiences were so vivid that they nearly bordered on what actually happened.
"Y-yes. It does, Vida. Very much." Twilight did manage to regain her composure, but she could tell by Vida's new tone that she said something she shouldn't have said. "I'm sorry if I feel I've knocked your confidence, or given you any bad images. I didn't mean to knock down the idea of plant-based magic in any way." Twilight held out her hand towards Vida. "No offense, Vida?"
"None taken." Vida shook Twilight's hand back in response.
It was then that Twilight noticed Sunset from the distance, with Fluttershy still clutching her side. Noticing Fluttershy's timidness on display, she gave a wink to Sunset, before turning back to the others. "Hey, Super Monsters? What do you like doing most of all? Out of everything?"
"Everything?" Drac blinked over and over again. "Well, that's kinda hard, Twilight."
"Hard? How so?" Twilight still had a sassy smirk on her face.
"Because, to be totally honest with you..." Spike started.
"When we're together, everything is fun!" Spike, Drac, and Vida said in unison with each other.
"Ya hear that, Fluttershy?" Sunset turned to her when she overheard the answer to Twilight's question. "These kids just want to have fun. They don't want to hurt you. That, and they've said that they've got pets. Surely, that's gotta make you feel happier, right?"
"Well... I am usually a fan of all creatures great and small, but who's to say that those pets aren't monster pets?" Fluttershy just coiled herself up again. "I don't even know if my geode would allow me to talk to them." She rubbed her yellow gem, mainly the bevel butterflies bursting out of it.
"Geode?" Katya wandered over to Sunset and Fluttershy's side. "What's a geode?"
Fluttershy let out a yelp as her eyes locked with that of Katya's. She still shivered and shook on the spot, but Sunset was there to hold her shoulders.
"Well, Katya. A geode is a rock that looks like a rock on the outside, but on the inside, it's covered with crystals." Sunset kneeled before Katya, showing hers off. "When we went to Camp Everfree, we found seven geodes. And when we did, they transformed into our necklaces. And like you and all your other friends, they give us our powers." Sunset showed off her sun-shaped symbol on her geode. "Mine gives me the power to read someone's mind, Rainbow's gives her super-speed, Applejack her strength, Pinkie Pie her exploding sprinkles trick, Twilight some magic, Rarity her crystal powers, and Fluttershy's one allows her to talk to animals. No matter what they are."
"You can do that?" Katya took more and more steps over to Fluttershy, who couldn't even bring herself to look at Katya. "For real?"
"I'm gonna get cursed by a witch, I'm gonna get cursed by a witch, I'm gonna get cursed by a witch..." Fluttershy whimpered over and over again as Katya eventually managed to lay a hand on Fluttershy's back. Just when she thought she was going to be freed from the mortal coil, she opened her eyes and looked down. There was a cat looking up at her; the same one that had been given life when Katya had transformed. "Huh?" Fluttershy leaned in towards the cat. "Oh. Hello, little guy. How are you doing?" Her other hand drifted towards her necklace, which caused her to Pony-Up as well.
"Oh my..." Katya took notice of Fluttershy's own transformation. "You can do that too?"
"We all can, Katya. It's our Pony-Up. Just like you and the other Super Monsters have a Monster-Up," said Sunset in a warm, loving voice.
"Oh? You don't say. Go on..." Fluttershy spoke to the cat, who simply meowed in response. "Well, I mean, I am rather nervous that I'm gonna get a spell cast on me, but other than that, this is all fine." She went on and on with her conversation with the cat. "Really? You think so? Well, I'll be sure to take your word for it." Fluttershy finally turned away from the cat and watched as he skittered back to Katya.
"Are you... alright?" Katya finally summed up the courage to ask when she saw Fluttershy stand properly for the first time that night. "I mean, if you really are afraid of us, then it's alright. We won't bother you if that's the case."
"Oh, well, I'm still not entirely comfortable with this whole Super Monsters idea, but I had a bit of a talk with your cat and he says that you're all actually just monsters by name; not nature." Fluttershy took one step, then another. In her mind, she was mad as a hatter. But in her heart, she knew otherwise. "Does he have a name? The cat, I mean?" She lifted one of her fingers towards it.
"Mmhmm." Katya cooed. "His name is Henri, and he's been my Furever Friend since I was a baby." Katya stroked Henri's furry body, listening as a soft purr came out of him. "He's by my side every night I become a Super Monster."
"Really? Well, he's a real sweetheart." Fluttershy leaned down and stroked her hand across Henri's fur. “And I suppose that it fits; given that any good witch needs a cat."
"That necklace you're wearing." Katya pointed towards it. "It allows you to talk to animals, right?"
"Yes. I've had quite a lot of time with it, so I'm very well-versed in the animal kingdom." Fluttershy showed off her necklace to Katya. "I often use it to talk to Angel Bunny and my other friends at the animal shelter back in Canterlot."
"Wow... I bet that's wonderful. To be able to talk to your pets." Katya thought to herself, still with the thought of Fluttershy's magical necklace on her mind. Then, a thought struck her. "Actually... okay, this is pretty out of the blue, but I want to try something." She held her wand tight in her hand.
"Ooh... what kind of spell are you cooking up, Katya?" Sunset asked, noticing the wand clutched in her hands.
"I want to talk to animals too, just like how Fluttershy does. I've been trying out a new spell in my spare time, but I've never really had a good chance to use it. And... to be honest, I'm not even sure if it's gonna work." Katya looked down to the ground for a brief instance. "But... there's no knowing for sure unless we try, right? Now, let's just hope I've got the words right." Tightening her grip on the wand, she started to incant a rhyme. "With Henri I walk the walk, but now I want to talk the talk!" She flicked her wand out, causing a small dart of magic to shoot out of the star-shaped tip, before it danced around and brushed Henri's throat.
"Well? Did it work?" said Katya, but her voice came out of Henri's voice, while a stunned Katya could only make cat noises.
"Uh, I don't think so, Katya. Sorry about that." Fluttershy shook her head as she watched the witch shoot off another magical dart that had the same choreography, but reversed the effects.
"Well, it was worth a shot. Guess I still have a lot to learn, don't I?" Katya tucked her wand away, disheveled that her spell had gone pear-shaped.
"At least you tried. And nobody can fault you for that." Sunset grinned and gave Katya a pat on the back. "Maybe next time, after some more practice, you'll have it down pat for sure."
"You really think so?" Katya picked her head back up.
"I know so. Trust me, I speak from experience." Sunset remembered the Time Turner incident all too well.
"So... you really aren't going to cast any spells on me to turn me into a frog or something?" Fluttershy asked, finally having summoned the courage to ask Katya.
"Only if you want me too." Katya regained her lost smile as she looked up into Fluttershy's eyes. "Don't worry. Mom taught me how to turn someone back."
"That's alright. I wasn't going to say I wanted it anyway." Fluttershy clasped her hands together, then bent down to Katya's height. "And... you know, it's actually kind of funny. Now that I think about it, you sound exactly like me."
"Oh! Do I?" Katya asked, then covered her mouth when she realised it as well. Her voice was identical to that of Fluttershy's voice. "So I do... That's strange, but it's kinda funny too." She giggled with a closed mouth.
Principal Celestia looked on with Igor and Esmy, folding her arms as she watched the ongoing fun and games. With the Rainbooms alternating between the different Super Monsters, the night seemed to progress without a hitch. And the night had only just begun for them all. It seemed like everything was going perfectly for all.
Except one.
Applejack was leaning against the wall with the heel of her boots and her back against the bricks. Sighing to herself, she pulled her hat down over her face and just stood there dormantly, letting only the noises of laughter and merriment cover the silence up. She sighed once, thinking that it would all be over soon and that she could go back to Canterlot and go back to the life that she once knew.
Applejack's solidarity eventually caught the eyes of Principal Celestia, who wandered over to the cowgirl. She wasn't alone, as Igor and Esmy also took notice and came with her.
"Applejack? What's wrong?" Principal Celestia asked, reaching her hand out. "Don't you want to play with your friends?"
"Huh?" Applejack pulled her hat back up and noticed the three adults looking her in the eyes. "O-oh! Sorry. Didn't see ya'll there." She made some lame, half-hearted laughs until she eventually just groaned and turned her gaze to the grass.
"You know, Applejack. If you have a problem, you can share it with us." Igor laid a hand on Applejack's shoulders. "Are you scared, perhaps? It can be a bit daunting to see something out of the ordinary like this when you come from so far away."
"No, Igor. It's not like that whatsoever." Applejack shook her head. "See, me and my friends, the Rainbooms, we've handled magic stuff before. Look. I get it. The Super Monsters are happy to be themselves. They've got their powers, they're chipper as squirrels with a treasure trove of nuts. What's really getting to me..." She couldn't even finish the sentence as another weary sigh escaped her lips. "Nah. Forget it. It'd probably sound ridiculous anyway."
"Ridiculous? What do you mean by that?" Esmy asked.
"See, the thing is, I'm not shuttin' myself out of this because I hate it. Far from it, in fact. But... I'm just so gosh-darn sick and tired of all these twists and turns in mah life." She took off her hat and let it drift down to her shoes. "I used to have a normal life back home. Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith were all the surprise and change I needed, really. But then magic found its' way into Canterlot and since then, the whole place became as crazy as a cartoon. And alright, ah'll be the first to admit that it ain't all bad, but it's just downright confusing. And confusion is something I don't do very well with, thank you very much."
"Things are only confusing if you don't choose to accept them, Applejack." Celestia walked forward. "Back when we first saw magic at Canterlot High, me and Vice-Principal Luna were just as shocked as you were. It completely flipped the world upside down." Celestia took Applejack's hat off of the ground and put her own back against the wall. "But... as time went on and you girls started to use your magic in controlled ways, I figured that maybe magic isn't so bad after all. You just have to learn to roll with the punches; go with the flow. Leave any kind of inhibition at the door and live life to the fullest. Otherwise..." She put Applejack's hat back on her head. "You'll be living in a black and white world with no imagination whatsoever."
"Now, hold on, Celestia. ya'll are teaching a lesson that I already know already." Applejack's somber expression was warped by Celestia's words. "I've accepted that me and my friends all have powers of our own. And I ain't livin' in some old-timey western flick without any excitement." She took one more look at everyone else in the playground. They all seemed to be doing fine. Even Frankie had gone back to his original size. "Guess what I'm really feeling is a bad case of culture shock."
"So now, we simply have to handle that shock with you; get you and the others settled in nice and well," said Igor. "I know the feeling all too well. Most people who first come to Pitchfork Pines usually do feel it, but when the initial scare comes and goes and they settle down, it can be rather thrilling to be here; whether you're a monster or a human."
"If ya'll say so." Applejack just rolled her eyes and pushed herself off of the wall. "Still, this ain't something that's gonna come and go like that." Applejack snapped her fingers. "See, this is culture shock of a whole 'nother level. Not only is it a whole new place I'm in with different rules, but these here Super Monsters are actually real! It's like I've fallen down the rabbit hole and wound up in Wonderland."
"But see, that's what your problem is, Applejack. You're choosing to deny it all because it's too much for you to handle." Esmy wrapped her arm around Applejack. "You're so well-adjusted to your normal life and your own rules that you think anything that goes against it is bad. Just give us all a chance and I'm sure that you'll come around."
"Well..." Applejack took another sigh and watched the Rainbooms Pony-Up, using their new forms in tandem with the Super Monsters' powers to play around. Little things like Spike and Drac flying to avoid getting tagged, to Zoe phasing through the walls to tap Cleo on the other side, even a little light-speed chase between Rainbow Dash and Lobo. "Aw, what the heck? I'll give it a shot." She made a fist and laid it by her hip. "So, where do I start?"
"Actually, I think we should all take a little trip down to Dr. Jekyll's petting zoo, since I've been hearing all this talk about the Super Monsters' Furever Friends." Igor said, making light hand gestures to accent his words. "Applejack? Could you go and round everyone up for us?"
"Sure thing." Applejack jogged over to the others and once she did, all eyes were on her. "Come on, everyone. Igor wants us to take a trip!" Beckoning them with a wave of her hand, she shepherded the group back to Esmy and Igor's side, while still fighting back her own insincerity and doubt. There was going to be a lot more of this, that much was for sure...
As the Rainbooms and Super Monsters approached an area of the park with haybales serving as a makeshift fence, the Rainbooms finally started to take their drinks of coffee, as did Celestia. It was closing in on midnight and Sunset and her friends were feeling the drowsiness begin to take its' toll on them. Small bags began to form under their eyes as they tried to stay awake. If not for the drinks, they would all have been asleep by then. Meanwhile, Esmy, Igor, and the Super Monsters barely looked tired at all; as they were all used to the concept of a night shift; as was the woman standing at the entrance to the petting zoo.
"Good evening, Super Monsters!" She gave a wave to the approaching children and teenagers. She was dressed in a green shirt with her brunette hair tied up into a ponytail, wearing jeans and equipped with a couple of packs on her belt. "Here to see your pets?" She asked.
"Hi, Dr. Jekyll!" Spike—the dragon, not Twilight's dog—was the first to greet her. Then, he swiftly turned back to the Rainbooms. "Girls! Come here and take a look! You're gonna want to see this!"
When the Rainbooms saw the animals within the petting zoo, they could not believe their eyes. Many different creautres of varying shapes, sizes, and colours roamed the enclosure. Two goats with wing-webbed ears dressed in matching blue and red clothing, a lavender unicorn with hair akin to Zoe's, a small orange sloth, a tiny with red feathers and pair of turquoise arches on its' breast, a purple rabbit with a pair of twisted antlers, and a brown-furred griffon chick were all on display.
"Oh? Who are your new friends?" Dr. Jekyll took notice of the Rainbooms immediately. "I've never seen them around here before."
"Dr. Jekyll, these are our guests from Canterlot. They're here as part of their schoolwork." Ms. Esmy replied, tipping her hand out towards them. Principal Celestia. And her students; Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Sunset Shimmer."
"Hi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Jekyll." Sunset Shimmer shook Dr. Jekyll's hand. "The Super Monsters went on and on about their Furever Friends on the way up here, so I'm eager to see them myself."
"I'm sure you all are." Dr. Jekyll looked towards the other Rainbooms. "Well, go ahead, everyone. And if you ever need some questions answered, come and find me." Dr. Jekyll stepped aside and let the Super Monsters and Rainbooms into the petting zoo.
"C'mon, Sunset! Let's go see Luna!" Zoe took Sunset's hand and ran her over towards the unicorn by the corner.
"Wh-whoa!" Sunset stumbled with her hand suddenly being grabbed and yanked, but she was able to find her balance again and keep up with Zoe. She was expecting to crash into objects, but as what happened with Rarity before, she phased through them. Gonna take some time getting used to that, I'm sure... She thought to herself as she and Zoe finally stopped by the muzzle of the radiant unicorn.
"Sunset? I'd like you to meet Luna." Zoe waddled over to the unicorn, brushed the fur of its' leg, then started braying and making horse-like noises at it.
"Uh, hi!" Sunset waved almost spastically at Luna. Of all the places to have seen another unicorn outside of Equestria, this had to be it. A blush formed on both of her cheeks, growing redder by the second. "Sorry. You'll have to forgive me. I've never seen another unicorn outside of Equestria before. I'm a little off-guard."
"Equestria?" Zoe's ears pricked up. "What's Equestria?"
Suddenly, Sunset lurched backwards, as her words had fallen on the ears of a girl who had no idea where she was really from. Flaying her fingers, she tried to think of something to sway the conversation a different way. But when Zoe's eyes kept on piercing her soul, Sunset couldn't help but give in and say the truth. Besides, they were just little kids, so she could easily play it off. "Well, Zoe. The thing is, our powers come from another world."
"Really?" Cleo came over with the little griffin chick in tow. "What kind of world?"
"Our powers—and, as a matter of fact, me too—come from Equestria; a world full of talking ponies." Sunset put her hand on Luna's mane and ran her fingers through it. "Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and Unicorns like Luna here. Actually... come to think of it, there's a Luna back home and her counterpart, Vice Principal Luna back at Canterlot. Huh. What a small world this is..."
"Wow..." Zoe's mind filled with wonder at the sound of a world full of talking horses. She then tried to explain the whole situation to Luna, using another round of horse-related noises.
"Zoe? What are you doing?" Sunset asked, curiously lifting her fingers at Zoe.
"I can explain that." Cleo tugged at Sunset's leg, which gave Cleo the gift of Sunset's eyes again. "It's really easy to understand, actually. Zoe speaks Horse."
"You speak Horse?" Sunset cocked a brow at Zoe.
"Everyone in my family can. Me, mom, dad, and maybe even Zane when he grows up." She turned back to Sunset with another chipper grin, then put her fingertips together and twiddled them. "But... I have trouble with the accent."
"I didn't even know there was an accent for Horse." Sunset just snarkily grinned again as she let Zoe return to her conversation in the language of Horse.
"In the meantime, Sunset. I'd like you to meet Griffie." Cleo stepped aside and let Griffie flap his way up to her. "I gave him a little help in flying before he became my Furever Friend. I guess you could say" —As she spoke, she gave her hands a light, slow swing, causing a small gust of wind to brush through Sunset and Griffie— "I was the wind beneath his wings."
Sunset shivered as Cleo's wind brushed her body. It was only a light breeze, but at night, it felt much colder than it had any right to be. When the cold went, she went and brushed Griffie's head, which caused him to chirp and nuzzle her neck.
"Aww... looks like he likes you," Cleo watched as Griffie landed on Sunset's head and began to roost in her fiery hairstyle.
"You could say that, huh?" Sunset got back down onto her knees and lowered her head, letting Griffie clamber off.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were with Frankie and Drac, as well as their pets. The two goats were with Drac while the antlered bunny was with Frankie.
"So... If I'm getting this right, these here Furever Friends get all those new powers that you do, right?" Applejack posed the question to Drac. "As in, since ya'll can teleport, so can Bubble and Trouble?"
"That's right." Drac nodded as both he and his Winggoats took to the skies. "Let me demonstrate." Drac teleported, and as he did, both Bubble and Trouble did the same with the exact same effect as him. "Now, let's see if I can do it like this..." Drac flew towards Applejack like a bullet, but moments before he collided, he teleported again, then popped back up behind Applejack, with the two winged goats close behind him. "Yes! Even my moves have moves!" He fist-pumped in the air.
"Smooth moves, Drac. Now let's see if I can keep up." Rainbow Dash used her own geode once again, but instead of using her speed, she instead started to flap her own wings. Now she was airborne along with Drac and his two Winggoats. "There's plenty of room in the skies for two awesome fliers, right?"
"Oh, of course. Let's see your moves, Rainbow Dash." He sped off with Bubble and Trouble, prompting Rainbow Dash to give chase.
"Well, seems like Rainbow Dash is having a good time up there." Applejack whistled as she watched Dash and Drac swoop through the skies seamlessly. "But enough about 'em. Let's talk about you. That's a mighty fine jackrabbit ya'll got there, Frankie." At least with rabbits, Applejack knew what she was dealing with. "He got a name?"
"Yep. His name's Jerry and he gave me the power to Mega-Size." As Frankie picked Jerry up, he bounded onto Applejack, causing her to collide with a small bundle of hay stacks. Haystacks which were about to collapse onto her head. Looking up at the tumbling hay, she instinctively went for her necklace, performed her own Pony-Up and grabbed the falling stacks with her hands, before laying them down by her side.
"Phew. That was a close shave. Any later and I would've been ground into somethin' flatter than a pancake for sure." She wiped the sweat off of her brow and let Jerry bounce back to Frankie's side. "Never thought I'd have to Pony-Up tonight, but strange just gets stranger when ya'll really think about it." She plucked off loose strands of hay from her chest as her legs stretched again.
"How did you do that?" Frankie asked, blinking at the sight of Applejack's raw, unfiltered strength. "That hay looked pretty heavy..."
"That's just mah Pony-Up power, Frankie. Gives me super-strength." Applejack gripped the muscle on her arms. "Reckon ah could lift a five-ton boulder if I had one."
"Nice! I've got super-strength as well. You wanna arm wrestle with me to find out who's stronger?" Frankie held his arm for Applejack.
"Arm wrestling? Are ya sure? Mah strength's purdy powerful and ah don't wanna go hurtin' you none, Frankie." Applejack's eyes shifted between Frankie and his hand. Sure, he was a Super Monster, but Applejack both knew and didn't know her own strength, regardless of her magic or not.
"I'm sure. Now, come on, let's do it!" Frankie got down onto his stomach.
"Sunset forbid what I'm about to do..." Applejack prayed to herself, then got down onto her belly as well. "Looks like ya wrangled me, Frankie."
As both Frankie and Applejack laid their elbows onto the grass and locked hands with each other, Jerry hopped over and laid his paw down on top of both of their hands. After which, he stared into Applejack and Frankie's eyes before lifting his paw off and swinging it down, to signal the start of the arm wrestle.
Both Frankie and Applejack gave a great heave as they pushed each other's hands. Both sides were very evenly matched, as neither of their hands budged for a good few seconds once the match started. As they went on, both Frankie and Applejack started to pile on the pressure even more, groaning as they contested the other. Both of the hands started to wobble, and at first, it favoured Applejack as she was able to push down Frankie's hand by a couple of inches, but he managed to meet her strength with his own and turn the tables so that his hand was now pushing Applejack's closer to the ground. Struggle and strain they did, with both of them starting to sweat. In the end, Applejack couldn't hold it and felt her grip loosen, which caused her hand to smash into the ground. Jerry's paw jabbed at Frankie, and he hopped on the spot jubilantly.
"I win!" Frankie's smile came back as he pushed himself off of the ground. After which, he helped Applejack back up onto her feet. "You did great too, Applejack. Sorry about overpowering ya there."
"It's alright, Frankie. No real harm done." Applejack got back up using nothing but her legs. "But hoo-wee! That's the first time anyone's ever managed to beat me at an arm-wrestle! Not even Big Mac did it as well as you, and that was without mah powers!"
"You wanna have another round?" Frankie offered his hand again. "Maybe you'll win this time. Who knows?"
"Maybe later, Frankie. Right now, I've still gotta try and make a lick of sense of the rest of yer friends' pets." Applejack looked around for the other Rainbooms That, and ah need a little bit of a pick-me-up... A yawn after this coupled with her thoughts quite well, and she sauntered off back to Celestia, Igor, and Esmy for a top-up of coffee.
Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity stood by Spike, Vida, Lobo, Katya, and their pets. Katya was with Henri, Lobo and Vida stood with the sloth, while Spike flitted through the air with the red-feathered bird.
"So, how long have Phoebe and the others been your Furever Friends?" Twilight asked, planting her hands on her knees.
"Well, it was the first night of spring, and it was just another regular night." Spike swayed his claws. "I was helping my mom set up a Sparklies Hunt for my friends to celebrate when Dr. Jekyll decided to bring her pets over to play."
"I was the first one to make my Monster Match with Molasses here, then the other Super Monsters made theirs one after another." Lobo brushed Molasses' hair, causing the sloth to slowly crack a smile of its own and show contentment. "And since then, things got a whole lot more exciting around here."
"Tell me about it. I mean, how awesome is it to have a magical pet?" Spike the dog asked before he leaned into Twilight's leg. "Alright, I admit that I was just a regular dog that wound up touching magic, but I still count, don't I?"
"You sure do, Spike." Vida gave a nod, then another sigh. "Wish I could have something like that.”
"Oh? You don't have a Furever Friend yet, Vida?" Fluttershy spoke; her ears pricked up.
"No. I'm still fairly new around here." Vida shook her head, strands of her purple hair swinging as she did so. "I moved in from Ciudad Monstruo a month or two ago."
"It's really far away, girls. Like, I'm not sure if you could even get there by walking." Lobo chimed in. "Before she moved in, the only time I could really get to see Vida was at Christmas. But now, we see each other practically every day! Isn't that sweet?" He asked, before laying his side against hers.
"Ooh? Was she your pen pal before?" Pinkie asked. "With a story like that, you would think she's a pen pal you met on vacation. How did you manage to keep talking to her? Phone? E-mail? Dragon that magically sends letters a really, really, REALLY long way away? Oh wait, that's Princess Twilight back in Equestria. Ah, who cares? What matters is that you two Super Monsters are super-besties and you're finally together!"
"Oh, we're more than just besties, Pinkie." Lobo made a gesture for Pinkie to calm down by flopping his hand downward. "In fact, we're actually cousins!"
"Cousins? Well, that's certainly an interesting little tidbit of information." Rarity compared Vida's skeleton form to Lobo's werewolf form. I would question how it's even possible, since there's no correlation between them, their powers, or anything like that of the sort, but I'm not one to judge. After all, I have a few oddball relatives of my own... "Well, I'm glad that you two have managed to come together."
"Thanks, Rarity. I'm glad that we're together like this too. Though, I kinda feel bad for leaving my old friends in Ciudad Monstruo behind for the super Monsters here in Pitchfork Pines." Vida was still pressing her fingers together as Molasses gave her a delayed, but still very affectionate cuddle.
"Well, I think both me and Sunset can relate to that." Twilight gazed over to Sunset, who was watching Zoe ride Luna. "See, Sunset came from Equestria and had to practically give up her Unicorn magic to live in this new world with us. And I once used to go to Crystal Prep Academy, but decided to leave it for Canterlot High after the last Friendship Games." Fixing her eyes back on Vida, Twilight combed her fingers through Vida's hair. "It's pretty hard to adjust to a new place, with lots of new things to take into account. Even now, me and the others are still trying to digest most of this; Applejack most of all by the looks of things. But everyone finds their place eventually; no matter where in the world it is."
"Yeah! Now that Sunset and Twilight have settled in, Canterlot High's better than ever!" Pinkie Pie blurted out. "Every student's broken down their barriers and they've all got big grins on their faces. It's really opened a lot of doors for them; even me. Now I have lots of new friends that I can show off my Pinkie-Pie-Patented-Pastry-And-Cake creations; instead of just scoffing them all myself."
"We all adjust to things once we know how they work. I'm sure you've already done the same with the others, Vida." Rarity looked out to the others. "Even most of us are starting to accept this whole Super Monster concept that you and the others have so much fun with. It's rather invigorating and good for the imagination."
"That's good," said Katya. "Most of the time, when people first look at us, they often get scared or confused because we're monsters. But knowing that you want to accept us makes us warms my heart."
As time went on and the Rainbooms and Super Monsters continued to spend time in the petting zoo, the time seemed to pass by without showing it at all. The moon still hung high in the sky, the stars accompanied it, and the games played were so enthralling with both sides using their powers. By the time that Principal Celestia checked the time on her watch, it was just about to breach two in the morning for her. How she had stayed up this long with the Rainbooms doing the same was a feat in and of itself for her. She knew that her body clock was going to be wrecked beyond recognition for all of this, but that thought went out of the window with another drink. The feeling of caffeine in her body was blocking out any and all kind of drowsiness that she has previously been wracked with.
Applejack had just taken another drink of her coffee when she had taken the time to think. All of this was crazy, for sure. And it had definitely been a shake-up for her physically and mentally. Not only had she met eight children who were monsters at night, but she had also been given time to take it all in and try to piece it together. That, added with the idea of drinking coffee until the sunrise had taken up most of her thoughts, as there was no way she could have done this all without it. No answer came to her yet, and underneath her smile lied doubt in herself that she was going to see this all through.
"Well, I've gotta admit, I was a bit terrified about this, but now that I've had some time with all of you, I think you're all pretty fun to play with, Super Monsters." Fluttershy stood with the other Rainbooms as they all stood in front of the Super Monsters and their pets.
"I have to agree. For somewhere that's so far out of Canterlot, I didn't think I was gonna be seeing magic. But you've all proved me wrong in all the right ways," said Sunset. "It's been fun, Super Monsters."
"Thanks, Sunset. We try our best." Cleo took one step forward. "Truth be told, some of us didn't think you would be able to handle this, since you're from somewhere where monsters and humans don't exactly live together."
"But you've all taken to us really well." Katya said, with her wand back in her hands again, tip pointing to the ground. "And you've given us some surprises of your own along the way with your Pony-Up powers."
"Heh. You can say that again." Rainbow Dash grinned devilishly.
"Well, I for one would like to think that this has been a very enlightening experience. I'm simply brimming with ideas thanks to this little excursion." Rarity clasped her hands together; her mind already running wild with ideas for her next dress catalogue. "I'm sure that when I have the time, I could even throw something together for all of you the next time I come around to Pitchfork Pines."
"Yeah! And there's still a couple of hours left of nighttime left, so we've still got some things left to do. Right, Applejack?" As Pinkie slung her arm around Applejack's shoulder, she got no response. Only Applejack catching her hat before it fell.
"Pinkie. Ya'll. I think it's time that ah just come out and say it." As Applejack took a deep breath, revolving her shoulders, she couldn't help but feel like all of the world was weighing down on her. "Look, ah'm totally fine with all of this. Heck, ah'll come out and say it that this definitely took me by surprise too. But... Ah'm just not ready to accept any of this; 'specially not with all of the manic changes that's been goin' on back home in Canterlot recently."
"Huh?" The Rainbooms and Super Monsters just stared at Applejack as her face fell to the ground.
"I've been trying to grin and bear it for as long as ah possibly can, so that all ya'll don't lose your smiles. But truth be told, I think I'm just a little bit overwhelmed by all this stuff in Pitchfork Pines. These here Super Monsters, their pets, the magical aspects of it, it ain't harmless, so it's fine by me. But... I guess I'm just completely blown out with all of the surprises that got pulled on me tonight." Still with her head drooping, she turned to Igor, Esmy, and Celestia. "Ya'll expect better than this out of me, ah know. But... ah really can't lie. I was raised to be an honest girl, so that's what I gotta be. Sorry if I let you all down tonight."
"What are you talking about, Applejack? You haven't let us down at all?" Frankie lifted one of his eyebrows towards Applejack.
Applejack just snapped her head over to Frankie's sight. "Say whut now?"
"If you felt uncomfortable, then why didn't you just ask?" Zoe spoke up. "There's always a way to fix a problem, no matter what it is."
"Si. After all, I know exactly how you feel, Applejack. I was the same during my first night at the pre-school." Vida wandered over to Applejack and planted her hand on Applejack's knee. "All the new stuff... it was good, but it was just too much for me. I didn't speak up until I felt really nervous about it, just ike you."
"You... you were?" Applejack felt some of the guilt melt away when she looked into Vida's eyes.
"Mmhmm. It's very scary to have to take in a new world; with new people and new rules. It's fine to feel that way, Applejack," Vida went on. "But everything gets much less scary if you just go along with it; learn to go with the flow."
"There's always going to be something new around the corner, Applejack. But so long as you're open to it, then it doesn't feel that daunting anymore." Ms. Esmy laid her hand on Applejack's shoulder. "But every experience is what makes life that little bit more exciting. It doesn't have to be magical, but as long as you accept it, then you'll be much better off for it."
"And you don't have to face everything alone, Applejack." Twilight Sparkle came over and laid her hand on Applejack's other shoulder. "Stuff like this can completely turn people around, but true friends can handle anything together. We're all here and we were just as surprised as you were when the Super Monsters first transformed tonight, but we've all come to accept that together and we feel much more relaxed now that we have."
"I once thought that I wasn't going to make it through the night, but look at me now," Fluttershy added. "I feel so happy to be working with magical kids like the Super Monsters. And you know me as a girl who's frightfully terrified of a lot of things, Applejack."
"Aw, shucks, girls..." Applejack couldn't help but form a tear in her eyes. "Well, ah feel as dumb as a wagon in deep water." As she felt the arms of the Rainbooms lay themselves down and around her, she felt all of the sorrow begin to fade. "I'm still sorry for how I acted and that ah didn't speak up sooner, kids. Ya think you can forgive me?"
"Of course, Applejack." Drac nodded. "I mean, you're one of the most fun humans I've ever seen. And I've met quite a few."
"That and you're pretty strong too. Almost as strong as me." Frankie said, brushing his hand against the muscles on his arm.
"We all forgive you, Applejack." Cleo watched the others nod their heads in response. "And if you have any more questions about stuff, I'm sure that Igor and Esmy can give you the answers."
"It's true. I know quite a few things about monsterdom, Applejack. Just refer to me if evere you're in need of a little lesson." Igor blinked, furrowing his beard with his fingers.
"There's nothing you have to feel concerned about when we're here, Applejack. Just as we look after the Super Monsters, we'll be sure to fill you in with any details you need," said Esmy.
"Thanks, everyone. That takes a real load off mah toad." Applejack exhaled, her breath much less heavy.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie gasped and felt something surge in her mind. "Ya know what we should totally do right now to celebrate? We should totally play in our band!"
"A band?" the Super Monsters all parroted.
"That's right. Me and Sunset rock guitars, Applejack's got her bass, Pinkie plays a mean set of drums, Fluttershy's got her tambourine and Rarity jams away on that slick keytar of hers." Rainbow Dash boasted, puffing out her chest slightly. "And yes, that also includes singing."
"Anyways... Wishful thinking, Pinkie, but all of our instruments are at home. We can't just go all the way back to Canterlot, come back then perform all in the span of one night. Especially when it's gonna be sunrise in a few hours." Sunset tapped Pinkie's wrist.
"Oh, Sunset. Ye of little faith." Pinkie giggled, then dug her fingers through her hair and plucked out a tambourine, a keytar, a bass, and a couple of guitars. "I've been using my hair to store a bunch of things recently. Buuuut... it's kinda getting a little bit cramped in there." she raked around her fluffy hairstyle as much as she could, until she took every single piece of her drumkit, and the two drumsticks out of it. "Phew... I have gotta ask pony-me how she does it all, stuffing everything in there like that. Must make it real hard for her to bounce around all the time."
"Pinkie... I'm not even gonna question how you did it because it's you, but still... that's a little bit excessive." Rainbow Dash just stared, cock-eyed at Pinkie's bottomless hair capabilities.
"Ah, you worry too much, girls." Pinkie just brushed them off with a wave of her hand. "Now, is there any good spots nearby that we can set up? A good band needs a good stand. Or a stage, depending on where you're playing."
"Well, there is a bandstand nearby that you could use. Come on, I'll take you there now!" Lobo decided to put himself forward, running out of the fence of hay and stopping at the side.
"If you're in a band, you'll definitely need a big audience." Igor turned his attention to the children. "Zoe? Vida? Spike? Cleo? Do you think you could come back with me and help make some things for the girls' performance?"
"Of course, Igor. Happy to help." Zoe nodded and ran to his legs.
"Same here." Cleo strode over.
"Ooh, you think Victoria would like to come too? Since the Rainbooms are in a band?" Vida asked.
"I don't see why not!" Igor gave another festive chuckle. "In the meantime. Ms. Esmy? Could you take Drac, Frankie, and Katya with you and make sure the Rainbooms are all set up at the stand? They could use a little helping hand."
"Right away." Esmy nodded, before beckoning her three designated Super Monsters to follow her. "Lead the way, Lobo." She said to him as she left the petting zoo as well, with the Rainbooms sticking close to her.
"You realy think they'll be able to pull it off that fast?" Spike the dog asked Principal Celestia as the Rainbooms left the petting zoo.
"I know they will. After all, they've handled so much already that they're gonna find this child's play." Celestia chuckled to herself before taking another swig of coffee. By now, she was beginning to twitch from all the excess caffeine within her.
"That, and they've got the Super Monsters with them. Between their strength, flight, magic, and other powers, this is gonna be a breeze to set up." Dr. Jekyll also chipped into the conversation. "And hey, I'm down for the Rainbooms playing. I'll come and join you once everything's ready."
Spike made a gesture with his paw, then hurried on after Twilight and the others.
The minutes went by for both teams as they worked hard at preparing for the concert. Igor had escorted his group back to the pre-school. Zoe was the first out of them to head for the table over by the windows, while Spike and Cleo stuck close to Igor to fetch the art supplies.
"The Rainbooms will need something really eye-catching if they wanna draw a crowd," said Zoe as she took a sheet of paper and laid it down by her. "Hmm... Let's see here." When the colouring pencils finally came, Zoe got to work, scribbling away at the paper, filling it with colour. "We'll also need something that shows who the Rainbooms are..."
"Oh! I think I've got something." Spike drifted over to Zoe's side and began making his own additions to her work. "I've been seeing these pictures on their clothes all evening!" It took Spike some time, but he managed to create a somewhat-close resemblance to Rainbow Dash's lightning-bolt icon. "We should try and fit all of them on!"
"Sounds like a wonderful plan, Spike," said Igor with a grin. "Cleo, while they're doing that, do you think you and Vida could come and help me get Victoria?"
"Of course." Cleo responded. "Come on, Vida."
"On my way!" Vida replied and scurried off with Cleo and Igor out of the room.
As Cleo and Vida left the room, Zoe hummed a little tune to herself as she and Spike continued to create their poster. As she coloured in the paper and created a border around the edge of it, Spike was busy trying his best to recreate the logos of the Rainbooms. She had gotten to work on Pinkie's, making three balloons, then Fluttershy and Applejack's, with three butterflies and apples each. The others came after that, with three diamond, a picture of the sun, and then that of a cluster of magenta stars.
Meanwhile, back in the lobby of the pre-school, Igor turned to the stairs and headed up, with Cleo and Vida chasing after him. They made it to the top of the first flight of stairs and arrived at a tall stand. Igor took hold of the bust on top of it and tipped it over, pulling the secret lever hidden beneath it.
The wall behind the bust opened up to reveal a hidden room with a sunroof pouring moonlight in from above. The room was mostly barren, save for one thing. A large pipe organ at the end of the room with tall valves, with each key on it coloured in various different ways. As Igor, Cleo, and Vida walked into the room, the organ started to wriggle and make noises, p[aying itself without anyone laying so much as a finger on it.
"Hi, Victoria." Cleo waved at the possessed organ. "Do you think you could come and help us out with something?"
"We've got some new friends, the Rainbooms. And they're about to put on a show over by the park. It'd be muy bueno if could come and give them a hand with the music," Vida explained.
Victoria, as the two kids had called it, wiggled, while playing another set of notes all by herself.
“Sounds like she’s on board.” Igor just stepped aside and let Victoria hobble out of the room, using each of its’ four corners as if they were legs. “Now, all we need to do is wait for Zoe and Spike to finis off that poster, then we can send it to the town.”
“I’ll go and make sure Zoe and Spike are alright.” Cleo left the room and rushed down the stairs. She came back into the room and saw Zoe and Spike still working hard at the table. “How’s it going?”
“Great, Cleo! It’s almost done!” Spike was just applying the finishing touches to the poster, being a sprinkling of glitter. Once it was done, he and Zoe showed it off to her. “Ta-Da!”
“Excellent! That’s just what the girls need.” Cleo hurried over and examined the poster. “Now... how are we gonna make it so everyone in Pitchfork Pines can see this?”
Over at the park, there was a lone bandstand sitting in front of a row of trees. It looked serviceable enough,brand new, and very eye-catching, but too small to fit the Rainbooms and their gear inside; especially Pinkie’s drumkit.
“Well, it certainly looms the part, I will admit.” Rarity apprehensively walked up to the stand, then noticed just how compact it really was when she looked inside. “I do appreciate the effort, everyone, but this is just a tad cramped for my tastes. We won’t be able to play our music so freely like this.”
“Oh, we can fix that up.” Drac floated his way over to the bandstand. “If the stand’s too small, then we just have to make it bigger.”
“Right. And I think I’ve got just the spell to do it.” Katya readied her wand once more, clutching the rod tight. “Don’t let these girls play in a cage, let’s make this bandstand big as a stage!” A bolt of magic spat out of the tip and collided head-on with the stage, wrapping it in a milk pink veil of light. Shortly after, the bandstand started to grow in size, prompting Rarity and Drac to skitter away from it. By the time the magic had faded, the stand was colossal, and now had plenty of room for the Rainbooms to perform.
“Whoa...” Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped at the sight of Katya’s spell coming to fruition. “Now that’s much better.” And with no other words, she ran inside to find a comfortable spot, with the six other Rainbooms getting into position as well. “Thanks for the upgrade, Katya!” She called.
“You’re welcome!” She replied back.
"In the meantime, we should probably set the place up for your show." Ms. Esmy tore her gaze from the Rainbooms and their new stage and gave it back to the Super Monsters. "Lobo? By now, I'm sure that Igor and his team will have started printing some posters. Do you think you and Drac could spread them around Pitchfork Pines?"
"Of course. Come on, Drac! Let's go!" Lobo leapt at Drac and gave him a high five before saying "Last one there's a rotten egg!" before speeding off howling to himself.
Drac just chuckled to himself. "It's gonna be you, Lobo." And he teleported away.
"We should probably set this place up, Katya. There's gonna be a lot of people coming to this show if we do it right." Frankie just tipped his hand towards Katya.
"Of course. Where should we start?" Katya asked, surveying the area for anything that could use some touching up.
"Why don't you two help with setting up the other stuff for the show?" Ms. Esmy asked. "I'm sure that the Rainbooms are going to need some little extra bits in order to set up."
"Sure thing, Ms. Esmy!" They both replied, then dashed towards the enlargened stand.
Time flew by as everyone got on with their work which seemed more and more like play. AFter Zoe and Spike's poster got photocopied, Lobo, Vida, Drac, and Cleo went around spreading the copies around town, planting them on walls, street lamps, anything that they could see. And when they had run out of places to put them, they started going around town telling the people of the show tha the Rainbooms were putting on.
The Rainbooms had worked hard to write a song during that period, but they soon found time. During their lyric brainstorming session, Victoria had arrived accompanied by Igor and his group. She had been a great asset to the Rainbooms with finding the right kind of music that they wanted, the proper beat, and the other trappings. With everything else forming into place, it didn't take Sunset and co long to write their song.
And while they had been working, Frankie and Katya had been doing their part to make sure that the venue was just right for the Rainbooms' performance. With many things being lifted from the ground by Frankie bare hands and Katya's magic; mostly leaves and twigs. When it was all said and done, the two of them made their way to the entrance of the park, where they saw to greeting the guests that were coming in.
By the time that the crowd had assembled, it was a few minutes past five in the morning. And there was now a crowd of both humans and monsters waiting for the Rainbooms to play their new song. From children to adults, varying in colours, shapes, and sizes, it was a sea of colour unlike any before it. For Twilight, Sunset, and her friends, it was the most exotic audience they had seen yet.
"Okay." Sunset pounded down another coffee, before topping the thermos up again and handing it off to Applejack. "It's five AM, we're about to perform for a crowd of humans and monsters, and we've barely had time to throw this together. Just another day in the life, eh, girls?"
"Indeed." Rarity shot the drink down as best as she could, fretting not over the flavour or the coldness of the drink. "This is probably the only time this is ever going to happen, so let's live this moment up while we still can." Once she finished guzzling, she handed the drink off again.
"Don't worry about it. You'll all do great out there." Celestia looked like she had drank the most, as her eye was shot wide open and her hair messy. "I know you will. And besides. You've got that coffee there, so there's no way you'll be falling asleep now, right?"
"Uh... Principal Celestia? Are you... okay?" Sunset asked, gobsmacked that her principal hadn't crashed under all of the coffee drinks. "You're looking awfully twitchy."
"All in the name of fun, right?" Celestia chuckled manically to herself as she made her way into the crowd. "Now, COME ON, girls! Give Pitchfork Pines a show it'll never forget!"
"Sometimes, ah worry for that woman." Applejack folded her arms. "But anyways, that's an awfully large crowd we've got tonight."
"So let's get up there and play. Once we start jamming, the worries are gonna pop like that!" Pinkie Pie nodded like a bobblehead.
At long last, the Rainbooms took to the stage with their instruments at the ready. Victoria hobbled on after them. Before any of them made any moves, Phoebo flittered inside the stand and spread her wings out, casting a radiant beam of golden light down onto the Rainbooms, serving as a spotlight.
Then, the music happened.
Rainbow played one riff of her guitar, prompting Victoria to come in with the backing track. Shortly after that, the other Rainbooms added their instruments into the mix, before they created a smooth, yet energetic melody.
I used to think about simple days
When everybody they just went their ways
But now I see there's so much more to me
And now I see there's so much more to you.
And when you put it all together
Then there's nothing that we cannot do!
Sunset Shimmer and Twilight lead the opening, but the other Rainbooms chipped their voices in after that, before Rainbow hit a power chord and went into the next section with a mini-solo.
There's a spark in everybody here
And it's one that you've no cause to fear
And when you let out, and let it scream and shout
You'll be having so much fun and that's without a doubt
Open up and it that you care
Because Magic Is Everywhere!
As the beat dropped and the Rainbooms opened up into the chorus, everyone was already beginning to move in time with the music. Including the super Monsters, who had been standing at the feet of the bandstand, only to run onto it and show thier moves.
Magic Is Everywhere
If you wanna find it, it'll be there
And you'll kno-oh-oh oh-oh-oh-ow
Where it'll go-oh-oh oh-oh-oh-oh
Magic is Everywhere
And it's something that ya gotta share
It can be a little, it can be a lot.
But ya gotta understand to learn what you've all got!
Everyone lost themselves in the beat of the music. Every single movement, every single rhythm, every single note that came out was enrapturing and compelling. With arms, hips, legs, and bodies shaking, shuffling, and grooving, it was apparent that everyone was in love with the song. And as they were playing, the Rainbooms all underwent their Pony-Up transformations one more time.
I've got a lot to do, there's a lot I need to see
But when we have our magic, life is like a melody
A song that comes together, uniting you and me
And when it comes together, then life is ecstasy!
An ever-changing life, with lots of mystery
We can be anything and who we wanna be
And there's some kids we have to thank for this philosphy
"Ready, Super Monsters? One! Two Three!"
As each of the Rainbooms came to the last line of that verse, they addressed the Super Monsters with a normal speaking voice, before counting them in with their fingers.
"Super!" TheSuper Monsters all called
"Monsters!" The Rainbooms bounced back their call.
"Super!" The kids went again.
"Monsters!" The Rainbooms repeated their own line before they all howled to the sky.
We're Super Monsters!
We're human in the daylight
We're Super Monsters!
We become monsters at night
Now, the Super Monsters were singing with the Rainbooms and Victoria providing the music and beat for their section of the song. With the Rainbooms saving their breath, Twilight used her powers, causing two magenta auras to form around her hands.
In Pitchfork Pines we learn
And make our powers grow
There's magic in twilight
That's when we start to glow!
Twilight used her own magic to pluck some smoke bombs out of Pinkie's hair. She tossed them at the Super Monsters' feet, then pointed to Phoebe to focus her light on them. The bird nodded and did so , altering her light.
"Sun Down..." The Rainbooms geared up for what was about to happen.
"Monsters Up!" The Super Monsters called in response as the smoke bombs exploded. When they went off with the new light, it created another wave of light; though nothing much happened to the Super Monsters in reality. Except for their next few moves.
Drac flying fast!
Cleo wind powers!
Spike dragon clouds!
Zoe Zoe-vision!
Lobo super speed!
Katya magic spells!
Frankie stomp!
Vida plant magic!
Each of the Super Monsters called out their names and used their powers in a literal sense to emerge from the smoky veil. Drac flew through, followed by Cleo using her wind to blow open a passage. After that, Spike added one of his clouds to the smoke before crumbling his way through, only for Zoe to phase through him. Lobo sped on through his own clouds faster than the eye could see, with Katya using her wand to poke a hole through her chunk of smoke. Frankie changed his size and flattened the cloud with the heel of his foot before shrinking back to normal. After which, Vida closed out the section by jumping from the stage and landing with her hands on the ground, causing the grass to grow and form an arch around her.
We're Super Monsters (Monsters) (Monsters) (Monsters!)
Their tricks done, the Super Monsters all regrouped on stage for the song's climax.
And Magic is Everywhere!
The Rainbooms finished the song with the last few notes, which then prompted Lobo to hold a long howl. Pinkie joined in, then Katya, and then everyone on stage was howling while the audience couldn't help but cheer at the sight.
The show went on until at last, it was just the Rainbooms and the Super Monsters left, along with their respective adults.
"That. Was. Epic!" Rainbow Dash fist-pumped. "We totally crushed it tonight!"
"Yeah! This has definitely been the funnest, bestest, most exciting Super Monsters night that I've ever had the pleasure of being it!" Pinkie let out a fangirl scream, prancing on the spot in delight. "I wonder what else we can do?"
"Me too! I'm ready for more!" Spike was beaming. "You girls really got us in the mood with that show of yours!"
"I've never had that much fun performing before! It's like I've just gone to the best party in the world!" Vida stretched her arms out to the side.
"Well, I'm glad that you all had such a good time tonight, everyone. But sadly, all parties do have to come to an end." Igor walked forward with his hands locked over each other. "It's true what they say; the time really does fly when you're having fun." He pointed over to the horizon, where, with a crow of the rooster, the sun was finally starting to pierce over the edge, bathing everyone in rays of warming light.
"Sun UIp!" The Super Monsters all said together, before they were taken by the same explosion of light that had first transformed them. Once it dissipated and vanished, the children had all reverted to their human forms."Super Monsters!"
"And I think, on that note, we should get going." Sunset walked up to Igor and Esmy once again. "It's been a real pleasure working with you both. You and your class. Thank you."
"If anything, we should be thanking you, Sunset Shimmer. You and your friends have been such a nice breath of fresh air around here. I look forward to when you and your Rainboom friends coming back."
"Same here. I'm sure that we'll meet again someday. There's so much more to see here in Pitchfork Pines. You've all barely scratched the surface," included Esmy.
"Ah'll be sure to swing round sometime." Applejack gave them both a smile.
"Same here. These little angels have been a treat to work with." Rarity did the same.
"Me too," said Fluttershy.
"Me three!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"Me four!" Pinkie waved her arm in the air.
"Sounds like they're game. I'll be back too, then." Sunset lightly laughed.
"I'll definitely come back. There's so much more I've gotta learn about the magic here in Pitchfork Pines. So many new avenues to explore; so many new things to learn, the thought's just giving me goosebumps!" Twilight grew a smile that looked like it had been excessively painted on with how much her teeth showed.
"Come on, Principal Celestia. The trip's over. It's time to head on back to Canterlot High." Sunset turned to face Celestia, who by this point, was writhing on the ground, babbling to herself and holding the coffee thermos in her hand. She had definitely drank too much and now the caffeine was getting to her. "Actually... on second thought, I think we can stay a little bit longer."
To that remark, everyone just shared laughter.