//------------------------------// // First Verse // Story: Rainbow Rocks (feat. The Cavalry) // by Authora97 //------------------------------// It was a normal, relaxed, peaceful day in Equestria. Or it had been, before a mighty goat called Tirek came and fucking Kirby’d the entire population. All of it, except for one tiny group. Twilight Sparkle, and Raspberry Stardust.  After a fight worthy of a Super Saiyan, Tirek was defeated. All the stolen power had been returned to the creatures of Equestria. Raspberry Stardust walked into her home. A simple, Ponyville style cottage. Raspberry gave it upgrades over the months. Now the house was just a little bit bigger on the inside, and a lot more magical. Wards that locked out any threat kept the residents safe, and magical spells that made it easier to change your shape. Once in the safety of the cottage’s wards, and the disguising magic, Raspberry let herself be changed into her more normal form. Soon, the pink alicorn vanished. In her place was a human woman. Morgan Stardust. She fixed the little details of her disguise as she walked into the new family room. Waiting there was the members of her family, also wearing their natural forms. Darcy Anderson-usually disguised as a pegasus named Killjoy- lounged on a couch. A changeling named Thorax was sitting on a chair. Her youngest daughter was playing with a ball of yarn. Another daughter, Dynamite Berry, was clearly working on plans for some kind of explosive device. She knew her two other children were safely tucked away in their bedrooms, up to their own devices while this impromptu family meeting took place. Her eldest daughter stood in the middle of it all. Lilac Stardust stood up. She was taller than she’d been at eight. Her dark blue hair was grown out to her shoulders, though a lot of it had been brushed to one side. Her matching blue eyes were big with dreams, full of the light Morgan knew was gone from her own at that age. Her skin was a dark natural tan, free of freckles or blemishes. Dragons don’t get zits apparently. Though she was young, she stood with all the authority of a child ready to explain just exactly why Mom and Dad should let her get a puppy. Complete with power point presentation, twelve point paper, and a kickstarter. “No.” Morgan stated. “Whatever this is, no.” But Lilac was a Stardust. That didn’t let that bring her down. “Mom, during my three month stint in Manehattan I managed to survive on my own, get my own apartment with no help from your funds or your fame. I used my own merits for it.” “No. This isn’t happening.” “You gave your word.” Thorax reminded her. “Show me that in writing.” Morgan accused. Dynamite Berry pulled out a sheet of paper from a folder at her side, not looking up from her design plans. “I should’ve left you on the street corner where I found you.” “But you didn’t.” Dynamite Berry replied dryly. “Boo-hoo. Just give Lilac what she wants. We all know you’re going anyway.” Morgan huffed. “No.” Thorax sighed. Cookie continued to play with the yarn. Dynamite shrugged, deciding she would just go wait in her room. She’d done what she could here. Besides, her family liked plausible deniability in Dynamite’s schemes. “She’s passed every test you’ve given her.” Darcy remarked, sitting up on the couch. “She survived for three months on the streets of Manehattan without any of your money, or access to her royal status.” Darcy assured. Morgan bit her lip, clasping her hands over her mouth. “Manehattan is so much nicer than Manhattan. You could die in Manhattan. People die a lot in that city, every day.” “Which is why you set her up in that big virtual room where she’s been training whenever she wasn’t working.” Darcy countered. “Yes, exactly! Virtual! Not real people!” Morgan argued. “I taught her myself. You did too.” Darcy reminded. “...we could’ve gone easy on her.” Morgan argued, now clearly grasping at straws. “Didn’t you want her in the life at ten?” Darcy asked. “In the life, knowing about it and helping Plan!” Morgan excused. “Not actually doing anything! Not putting herself in danger!” “She’s fourteen!” Darcy argued. “We were doing way more dangerous stuff at fourteen!” “I was an idiot at fourteen! You were a psycho killer half the time, and having sex the other half.” Morgan argued. “She’s better than both of us. We raised her better than us.” “She’s...she’s my baby.” “Mine too. I raised her too, Morgue.” Darcy reminded her. Because it was the truth. Because Darcy had been there from the start on raising Lilac. With how much she had been a part of her niece’s life, she deserved some of the credit in claiming her. It takes a village to raise a child, especially when it’s a dragon-child. “But you of all people know how much trouble they get into, and what you’d rather they know what they’re doing.” Darcy stressed. Morgan let out a long sigh. Thorax stood up. He walked up to his wife’s side, pulling her in for a hug. “I don’t even like that you’re coming with.” Morgan admitted. “And we’ll talk about that later.” Thorax promised. “Right now, you need to tell Lilac what we all know you’re already going to say.” Morgan sucked in a pained breath. Thorax made a show of exhaling slowly, then continuing to breathe through his nose. Once Morgan started copying him Thorax moved to stand at her side. He put a wing over her back for more assurance. “Princess...” Morgan’s shoulders slumped as she sighed. Lilac’s dropped too. “Welcome to the Cavalry.” Lilac gasped, suddenly smiling. She clapped. “Woohoo!” “It’s not time to leave, yet.” Morgan reminded Lilac. “There’s a movie up first. Until then, you need to get ready.” “A movie? What movie?” Lilac asked. Morgan reached in her bag. She pulled out a journal, glowing and shaking. “This movie.” ==RRFTC== The Mane Six were settled in the Palace of Friendship. Or Friendship Castle, the name was still up for debate. The friends helped move Twilight into her new home. Completely by chance, Raspberry kept the treehouse from exploding in Tirek’s attack. The ponies helped Twilight move her belongings into the palace. She enjoyed the large space. It felt nice. Sure, she would miss her home. Her friends insisted on moving in. Raspberry and Thorax declined- wanting to keep their kids in their home. Twilight should have a quiet library- not the mania of five kids. Raspberry insisted their six-month project be moved to the palace. Twilight understood why. The palace came with more space- way more than Twilight’s tiny basement. They only moved personal effects today. So now, the friends settled in the throne room. Twilight read over her science notes. A pony knocked on the door. Twilight looked over. A delivery pony stood at the door, pulling a cart stacked high with precious, precious books. “Excuse me, Princess. Where do you want all these books from Princess Celestia?” “The library. Third door on the left.” Twilight explained. Rarity wanted to make that another closet for all the princess dresses Twilight and Raspberry would surely need. Applejack- bless her- kept things practical. Rainbow Dash had the library set up before Rarity could even complain. “Thanks!” The delivery pony walked away. As he left, Raspberry ran in. Thorax and Killjoy on her tail. “Emergency!” Raspberry called out. “What is it, Morgan?” Fluttershy asked. “Sunset Shimmer is suffering.” Raspberry explained. “She’s writing to me.” “About what?” Rarity asked. Raspberry beamed. She walked up to Twilight. “You remember the project I asked you to move?” Twilight paused. “You mean the d-” “Yeah. That one. Time for a test run!” Raspberry cheered. “But we could never get it right. It always needed a tether.” Twilight reminded her. Raspberry held up the still glowing book. “Sunset gave us one.” Twilight’s eyes widened. Then she beamed. ==RRFTC== Twilight brought the rest of their friends to the library. The delivery pony left all the books behind. Twilight pulled a couple books from the stacks. “Yes, I’ve known for months about this. However I couldn’t come because I need probable cause to start assaulting teenagers.” Raspberry explained. “Right now, the students at Canterlot High are under attack from sirens.” “Not the sirens!” Pinkie exclaimed. She leaned towards Twilight. “I don’t actually know what that is!” Twilight put down a book, explaining. “The sirens were three beautiful but dangerous creatures who had the power to charm ponies with their music. But to maintain this power, they had to feed on the negativity and distrust of others. The more of this negative energy they consumed, the stronger their voices became, and the farther they could spread their dark magic.” “I don’t think I like this story very much.” Fluttershy wilted. “I think it’s awesome.” Killjoy laughed. “You guys need to get your feathers ruffled more often. A good old fashioned fight fixes everything!” She eyed Thorax, who hadn’t spoken since they left the house. “If the sirens had their way, they would have divided and conquered all of Equestria. But a certain Star Swirl the Bearded wasn’t having it. Rumor has it he found a way to banish them to another world– one where he believed their magic power would be lost.” Twilight closed the book. “By Morgan and Sunset’s reports, that world was where our Canterlot High friends live.” “But Star Swirl must have sent them there ages ago. How come they’re just surfacin’ now?” Applejack asked. “Our fight.” Raspberry answered. “When Twilight’s crown used magic last time, it brought a big burst of Equestrian magic into that world. The Sirens noticed it. It’s taken them months to get close enough to Canterlot High to cause problems.” “The spell they’ve cast is just the beginning.” Twilight warned. “Our friends need us. We have to get back to them.” “I hate to burst your bubble, Twilight, but the connection between their world and Equestria will still be totally cut off for a super long time.” Rainbow Dash reminded them. “Okay, first of all, if there was bubble-blowing going on, why wasn’t I told about it?!” Pinkie exclaimed. “And secondly, if the connection is totally cut off, how was Sunset Shimmer able to get a message to Raspberry?” “As always, Pinkie, you’re a genius!” Raspberry praised her. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash. “Now about those bubbles-” ==RRFTC== The project had been kept very secret for the past few months. Raspberry approached Twilight with an idea. They spent the time working to make a magical, functional door. Long ago, Raspberry got a message from her future self that she would build a ‘magic door’. A door that could appear in any time or place, regardless of universe or timeline. It’s easier said than done.  She and Twilight worked a lot of trying to just make one working door. A door that crossed between one world into another. They had no luck. All tests required something already there on the other side. It’d be like…you could teleport. But only if you put a teleport pad wherever you wanted to visit. Raspberry needed it to work without that. But...it was useful this one time. The door they built looked basic. Simple. A plain wood door of wood from the Everfree Forest. Twilight and Raspberry added large technical bits and bobs, trying to break through the barriers of reality. Nothing worked. Except today. Because now, the door got a destination. “...And the interval between the two points is defined as the square root of the sum of the squares of the separation between the points along three spatial dimensions.” Twilight finished with cheer. Everypony blinked. “Say what now?” Spike asked. “Duh!” Pinkie hopped up, pointing T the portal. “She’s gonna take the magic in here and put it in there. That’ll make the portal open up so that whenever she wants to, she can go from here to there. There to here. Here to there. Here there! Here there! Here-” Killjoy stuffed her hoof in Pinkie’s mouth. “We got it!” Pinkie giggled. Killjoy pulled out her hoof, shaking off the spit. “Geez.” “See? She’s always a genius.” Raspberry held up her hoof. Pinkie slapped it. “Now to see if it actually works.” Twilight stated. Raspberry floated Sunset’s journal into a large receptacle in the portal. Twilight flipped a switch. The door buzzed. It whooshed and whirled as it powered up. The ponies ooh’d and aah’d. The door activated. The door opened, recreating a wall of gray. “Does it work?” Rainbow Dash asked. “That’s the statue from Canterlot High. It’s how their portal works.” Twilight assured. “Don’t suppose we could join you this time around?” Applejack asked. “Better not. It could make things pretty confusing if Canterlot High all of a sudden had two of all of you.” Twilight explained. Her friends agreed.  Raspberry, Killjoy, and Thorax were noticeably silent. “But I still get to go, right?” Spike asked. “There isn’t another one of me at Canterlot High. And you never know if you might need your trusty assistant.” Twilight beamed. She nodded. Spike fist-bumped. “Yes!” “Killjoy and Thorax can come too.” Raspberry stated. Twilight looked over. “They can?” “Killjoy was never around last time. We’re gonna need her. Thorax too.” Raspberry replied. Twilight tilted her head. “But wasn’t there a Thorax there?” “You think he looks like that now?” Raspberry nodded back at Thorax. Taller, green, and with antlers. Twilight understood. “What about the kids?” Raspberry and Thorax looked at Pinkie. She excitedly gasped. “Really?!” “They asked if it could be you.” Thorax admitted. “It’s you or Discord.” Raspberry admitted at the same time. Pinkie squealed. “PARTY AT RASPBERRY’S!!” “We won’t be gone long.” Twilight reminded Pinkie. The party pony was already long gone. She pulled out her party planner, plotting out details for the party. “Oh, you be careful, everybody.” Fluttershy asked them.  Rainbow Dash waved them off. “Take care!” Applejack winked, waving too. “Y’all be safe now.” “And don’t forget to dress well.” Rarity asked. Pinkie was too focused on party planning. “Ready, Spike?” Twilight asked. Spike cracked his knuckles. “Ready!” Twilight turned. “Raspberry, Killjoy? Thorax?” Raspberry grinned. She patted her Bag. “We’re ready.” “I wanna punch a siren in the face!” Killjoy fist pumped herself.  Thorax rolled his eyes at her. They stepped through. ==RRFTC== Outside a stone statue, humans waited. Six humans, to be specific. All waiting for Princess Twilight and Princess Raspberry to walk through the portal. Rarity did Fluttershy’s nails. L Applejack and Pinkie played cards. Rainbow Dash kicked a ball up in the air. Sunset Shimmer waited, doing the equivalent of twiddling her thumbs. She kept opening and closing the journal. She waited for a reply. None came. Dash sighed. “I’m starting to think they’re not coming.” At that exact moment, the portal spat out people. Twilight and Spike fell out in a barrel roll. Raspberry came out on her legs, then Killjoy knocked her down. Thorax came in last, bumping and knocking down Killjoy into a pile. “Twilight! Raspberry!” The humans cheered. Sunset held out her hand.  Twilight smiled at Spike. “Oof. I’m back.” She eyed Sunset’s hand, unsure. “Of course we’re back.” Raspberry let Sunset help her up. She and Sunset became something like penpals over the months. Sunset wrote more and more lately about trying to redeem herself in the eyes of her classmates. Raspberry tried offering advice. Mostly by talking about all the ways Raspberry failed at it, so Sunset could learn from her mistakes. The human girls excitedly huddled around Twilight and Raspberry. They all excitedly giggled and welcomed back their old friends. She brushed dirt off her hoodie. She paused to stare at the other two of their group. “Wow.” “Umm. Who are they?” Human Rainbow Dash asked. Killjoy and Thorax stood up on their feet.  Killjoy (her skin now a washed out blood red) wore a baby pink crop top, a dark violet jacket, blue jean shorts, and knee high black boots. Her silver gray hair was the same sort of straight, reaching her elbows.  Thorax’s changes kept Raspberry’s attention. He still stood taller than her. This time, he had bright green skin like back home. His hair was a vibrant orange, sticking any which way it wanted. The human form of Thorax wore a pastel blue cover jacket, a white shirt with a gray watermark of a honey jar, blue jeans, and red sneakers.  Raspberry liked it. Raspberry liked it a lot. “That’s my sister.” Raspberry explained. “And that’s Thorax.” Thorax made a face at his introduction. Killjoy waved her fingers. “Wasn’t your sister-” Rarity began. “I told you. She came back.” Sunset reminded them. “Morgan told me everything.” The girls all eyed Sunset. Each of them gave a look of ‘can you blame us for not believing you?’ “We got news about the Dazzlings.” Raspberry promised. All the Canterlot High students frowned. ==RRFTC== Raspberry handed a cherry smoothie to her sister. Killjoy elbowed her sister. “I said I wanted the strawberry.” “They were out.” Raspberry replied. She handed Thorax his order.  Killjoy scoffed. “Pinkie is drinking one right now!” “That’s bubblegum.” “It’s got a strawberry on it!” “It’s strawberry bubblegum.” “Thorax. I am being bullied.” Killjoy whined. The humans giggled at the antics at the twins. Raspberry talked to Sunset about losing Killjoy, and getting her back. Apparently none of the Canterlot High girls believed it. Killjoy’s presence shocked them. “I am too.” Thorax held up his drink. “I wanted soda.” “The kind you like doesn’t exist there.” Raspberry told him. “That drink will do just as good.” Thorax pouted. Raspberry grabbed it, poking the straw in his mouth. Thorax yelped before actually trying it. He hummed, delighted. Killjoy looked at Twilight. She rolled her eyes, gagging. Pinkie handed Twilight her root beer float. Twilight accepted it with a smile. Fluttershy passed Spike a dog biscuit. “Oh, I do hate that you had to return at a time of crisis. There’s so much catching up to do!” Rarity dipped at her tea. “For starters, a certain blue-haired guitar player was just askin’ about you.” Applejack waggled her eyebrows at Twilight. Twilight blushed. “Flash Sentry was asking about me?!” She realized everyone was grinning at her. “Isn’t that nice?” “Girl, you got it bad.” Killjoy rolled her eyes. “Bumblebee has been asking for you too.” Rainbow Dash told them. Thorax tensed. Raspberry smiled- so plain and easy, as if it gave her no trouble at all. “Yeah?” Raspberry asked. “Does he go to Canterlot High now?” “No. We actually don’t...know where he goes.” Fluttershy passed Spike another dog treat. “Huh. Guess we’ll see him whenever.” Raspberry leaned on Thorax’s seat. He scooted over. Raspberry stayed still.  “Perhaps you would give us just the slightest bit of gossip from your world?” Rarity asked. “She’s got an official title now.” Spike pretended to play his dog biscuit as a trumpet. “The Princess of Friendship!” “Wow, that’s really impressive.” Sunset twirled her straw in her drink. “Guess you really were Princess Celestia’s prized pupil.” “Got a castle and everything.” Killjoy plucked the cherry off the top of her drink. She dropped the stem in her mouth. “It’s an eyesore.” “She shares the castle with Morgan.” Spike reminded Killjoy. Killjoy stuck out her tongue, showing off the stem tied in a ribbon. “It’s her castle too.” “A castle?! You are sharing a castle?!?” Rarity exclaimed. Her raised voice got the attention of the other patrons. She smiled politely. Her blush was obvious on her white skin. She cleared her throat. “Ooh, uh, lovely.” “What about your world?” Applejack asked. “You had a different one.” “Everything is the same there too.” Raspberry replied. She hadn’t explained much about her human world last time. Not that the high school students asked. Over the months, Sunset talked to Raspberry about it. Sunset liked stories about it all. Raspberry liked sharing them. “Cookie turned into a person, and they have three more kids.” Killjoy countered. She flicked the cherry stem at her sister. Raspberry caught it. “Four. Everyone always forgets Nina.” Killjoy rolled her eyes. “She’s your niece!” “Show me her adoption certificate!” “It’s not ready yet!” “Then she ain’t my niece yet!” Rainbow Dash snickered. “More kids? Seriously? That’s insane.” “It is.” Twilight agreed. “Her kids are...loud.” “How did your sweet little kitten become a person?” Fluttershy asked. “The portal did magic.” Thorax answered. “Got in Cookie to make her...sentient? Conscious? I don’t get it myself.” “None of us do.” Raspberry reached over the chair back. She let her fingers ruffle his orange hair. “Anything else weird happening on your end?” “Actually yeah. This.” Rainbow Dash pulled out her phone. She held it up, showing the Equestrians the video. On screen, Dash played the guitar. As she played, she gained blue wings and a tail.  Twilight snatched the phone. She stared at it, shocked. “Pretty sweet, huh?” Dash beamed. “It happens to all of us when we play.” “You didn’t say anything about this.” Twilight said to Raspberry. The Traveler shrugged. “I think I did. I said that the Element of Magic brought Equestria magic here. It got the Dazzlings attention, yes, but it’s side effects should be more obvious for the humans that were right at the epicenter. Just like I was.” The side effects for Raspberry were mild. Or extreme, depending on who you asked. At first nothing changed. After Raspberry returned home as Morgan, things changed. Her powers lashed out. The magic of the Element merged her Traveler powers with Equestria magic. It started off- well- big. Plants attacked Morgan and her friends via Earth pony magic. Morgan kept summoning clouds or floating in air, thanks to Pegasi magic. Her unicorn magic was a whole other ballgame. It took ages for Morgan to manage it. The human, to manage it. Raspberry Stardust did it perfectly. Morgan Spencer’s magic brought a learning curve. That fight happened when Morgan was barely 200. She was 207 now. She cracked the code. These girls had, what, seven months? Six? They would take a while longer to notice the effects. Even longer to manage them. Magic from Equestria stuck around...unless a centaur ate it. Twilight knew all of this. Morgan’s planet considered Twilight the expert on managing Morgan’s wild magic. She spent a lot of time in the human world, helping the transition. Many of their visits this year were about the magic door, along with checkups to make sure Morgan’s magic was settled. Twilight flushed. “I- yes. My bad.” “She’s got Flash Sentry on the brain.” Killjoy excused. “Cut her slack.” The girls giggled. “Now that we’re all back together, we can use that magic on the sirens. Just like when we were able to use it on Sunset Shimmer when she turned into that horrifyingly awful winged monster!” Twilight reasoned. “None taken?” Raspberry asked Sunset. The orange human shook her head. “You know how it is. I’m used to it.” Thorax squeezed Raspberry’s hand. She squeezed back. Thorax never wrote to Sunset Shimmer. Raspberry talked about her letters with him, when she got time to write back. Sometimes he would offer advice, if either Sunset or Raspberry needed help. He liked that his wife had a pen pal. Raspberry was always so excited to get a new letter. “They’ll never even know what hit ’em!” Dash warned. “Alright, sick!” Killjoy held up a fist. Rainbow Dash bumped it. “Let’s punch sirens in the FACE!” “Not very subtle.” Thorax cautioned. “I like the way you think!” Dash praised Killjoy. “We’ve got nothin’ to worry about now that Twilight and Raspberry’re back.” Applejack cheered. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I could find something to worry about. But it won’t be the sirens.” Fluttershy admitted. “The sooner we do this, the better.” Twilight stated. She turned to Raspberry. “Any idea where the Dazzlings might be?” Raspberry looked at Pinkie. Pinkie sipped her milkshake. “There’s a big party tonight for all the bands who signed up to be in the showcase! That would include the Dazzlings.” “They’ll be spying on their competitors.” Raspberry explained. “But girls, hear me right now.” The girls all quieted. The boys kept their ears and eyes wide open. “They will be looking for Equestria magic.” Raspberry told them. “They saw only the large rainbow in the sky last time. They do not know the names or the faces. The longer we keep them from knowing, the better.” “Ah yes! I forgot we are television characters in your world.” Rarity flipped her hair. “Tell me- are my designs popular in your world?” “People love them.” Raspberry confirmed. Killjoy hid a snicker. Raspberry withheld the important bit of info that only people that saw the show liked them, not the whole world. “We cannot use magic, or imply we have any, to the Dazzlings. Then we will be their targets. If we are their targets, they will use the magic they have gathered on us.” “Wow. Did you do this when you were fighting me?” Sunset asked. “Yes. I was quite good at it.” Raspberry replied. Twilight nodded. “She even made sure you were kicked out of the election- that you wouldn’t interfere or cheat to win.”  Sunset nodded. She looked at Raspberry, questioning. Raspberry gave an apologetic shrug. They spoke often about Sunset’s tactics in taking the crown. Raspberry did explain that it wasn’t personal. Sunset threatened her friends and Equestria- she was a threat that had to go away. Sunset made it personal, yes, but Raspberry explained she forgave and forgot. Sunset’s words from the journal showed a willingness to change. Sunset appreciated it more than words could say. Raspberry understood the sentiment involved. “Uh, one problem with your plan.” Dash began. “Their magic doesn’t work on us. Everypony else is fighting, but we aren’t.” “Did Sunset need magic to make you fight last time?” Raspberry deadpanned. Dash winced. “Exactly. They come after your feelings, your relationships. Magic is built off your emotions, your wants and desires. It supports you- it’s based on your personality. They built theirs on causing mayhem and war, by creating battles from nothing. They can and will use those feelings against you. My job, and the job of Killjoy and Thorax, is to be the band’s security.” Killjoy waved her fingers. “We’re very good at keeping people physically safe.” Thorax nodded. “Also emotionally safe!” “Where in the contract did it say that?” Killjoy countered. She sipped at her cherry milkshake. “Nowhere.” Raspberry supplied. Killjoy clicked her fingers, pointing a finger gun at Thorax. “They’re just like this.” Twilight assured the teenagers. “But they’ll help.” Thorax leaned up. Raspberry adjusted on the arm of the chair, her arm still around Thorax’s shoulders. “You said something about a party?” Pinkie squealed in excitement.  ==RRFTC== AN: Welcome to a new fic! Yes, there’s a lot more exposition than expected here. Sorry about that. Anyways- get ready folks! The next few chapters are gonna be a wild ride at Canterlot High!