//------------------------------// // Volume I - Chapter 4: Sunset's Mysterious Pen Pal // Story: Equestria Girls: Sonic the Hedgehog // by sonicfan05 //------------------------------// "Whelp Dash, looks like ya ran out of cash!" Applejack said smugly as she beckoned her friend to hand over her gaming money. "Oh come on!" Rainbow Dash whined. She threw her “cash” to the floor near the board game that they just played and then crossed her arms with a huff. "I hate this game! I wouldn't have lost all that money if it weren’t for those last two spaces before "Go"!" Fluttershy gave her friend a guilty look. "Oh um… you don't have to pay me anything for this turn if you don't want to." Rainbow Dash sighed and gave Fluttershy a small grin. "No Flutters, it's fine. Fair is fair! Though I'll admit, I'm a little jealous that you are making the most money out of all of us! Just what's your strategy?" "Oh there's no strategy involved," said Fluttershy with a shrug. "I was saving up the best I can before investing something that could make the best profits." "...sounds like a strategy to me!" Rainbow Dash commented with a skeptic look. She then smirked. “Well anyway, I don’t know about you girls, but I am stoked for our first ever tour as the Rainbooms!” “We toured before Rainbow Dash,” Applejack pointed out. “Yeah, but never outside of Canterlot City!” Rainbow Dash responded. “Not only that, but we’ll also be performing at Manehattan of all places!” “Ah, Manehattan~!” Rarity swooned. “One of the greatest cities in the country! Oh, I always wanted to go there! The fashion, the sites, the romances...” “And food!” Pinkie Pie interjected with a grin. “I heard they have so many great restaurants there, including the Grape Garden!” Rainbow Dash let out a loud groan. “Pinkie… the Grape Garden is just a typical standard restaurant! There's nothing special about it!" “But they got the never-ending pasta bowls Dashie!” Pinkie Pie insisted. “What could be more special than that!?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Applejack shook her head at Pinkie’s antics before facing Twilight. “Ah can speak for all of us that we appreciate you and Cadance fer givin' us a chance to perform for this year's annual Garden Party Twilight.” Twilight grinned. “That’s Cadance for ya! Always love to help others and gave them opportunities, including students!” She then blushed. "That… and she always wanted to hear me sing." Applejack chuckled. "I wouldn't worry Sugarcube. Your voice is as sweet as honey!" "I agree," Fluttershy added. "You have a beautiful voice!" Twilight was touched by her friends' words. Besides her brother and Cadance, she never received praise from anyone, not even after she won the first part of the games for her old school. It felt good to belong and she was lucky to be friends with them. She beamed. "Thanks girls!" As everyone was talking among themselves, Sunset was on Twilight’s bed reading one of the old letters with a smile on her face. She was reminiscing when she first received those letters many moons ago after she was fallen from grace. They helped her through her most difficult times and became the person she is today; all because of her secret pen pal. She really wanted to meet this person, just to tell them how those letters met to her, and to finally say thank you in person. If only she could convince this guy to show up for once. And before her upcoming graduation. "Whatcha got there Sunny?" Sunset yelped and turned towards Pinkie Pie while quickly hid the letters behind her. "Nothing!" Sunset squeaked with a blush. "I-It was nothing!" Rainbow Dash smirked. "Oh really?" Before Sunset could do anything, Rainbow Dash went behind her and snatched the letters from Sunset’s hands. "Yoink!" "Hey! Give those back!" Sunset shouted as she tried to take her letters. But Rainbow Dash used her speed ability to move further away from Sunset as she was reading her letter. "Hey check this out!" Rainbow Dash announced with a cheeky grin, ignoring Sunset's death glare at her. "Hey Sunset, just the other day, I saw you wearing your new outfit and I think you look really cool with it! I also saw you helping out that girl in her garden near the school and the two of you did an amazing job! As always, your actions of helping others are admirable and continue to amaze me. Be sure to stay awesome! Your friend, Sonic." Rainbow Dash turned towards her embarrassed friend. "I don't know who this person is, but I like him already!" "Um… who's Sonic, Sunset?" Fluttershy asked. "Uh… nobody important!" Sunset replied while trying to look away from her friends. "Ooooooh, was it a letter from your secret admirer?" Rarity teased. Sunset blushed. "W-what!? No! He's not my admirer!" "Oh really?" Rainbow Dash teased with a huge grin. "Then why are you hiding him from us then?" "Now now girls! Let's not torture the poor gal!" said Applejack. Sunset sighed in relief. "Thank you, AJ!" Applejack smirked. "But Ah am mighty curious of who this feller is that yer all uptight about." "...I hate you AJ!" said Sunset with a glare, causing everyone to laugh at her expense. "Do you know him Sunset?" Twilight asked. Seeing how everyone was giving her curious expressions and couldn’t escape, Sunset let out a sigh of resignation. "Well yes… and no," Sunset answered. When she saw the confused looks from her friends, Sunset explained further. "I first received a letter from him back when I was still recovering from… the Fall Formal." At the mention of that particular day, her friends gave her looks of understanding and pity. They knew how sensitive of a topic that was for Sunset, considering what she had to go through to redeem herself. Sunset continued. “I was alone one day at the park after going through yet another hard day at school.” It was just another miserable day for Sunset. She was sitting all alone on the bench within Canterlot park. It was somewhat cloudy and looked like it was going to rain at any given moment, but Sunset did not care about getting soaked. If anything, she’ll just let it rain for all she cares. Anything to help distract her from her pain. It was less than a week since the fall formal and things have been rough for her. For the past several days, she endured all the insults and hateful glares coming her way because she knew she deserved it after how awful she treated everyone. She was surprised however that the five girls she had hurt the most were the only ones who were trying to reach out to her. However, Sunset wasn’t sure if they were being genuine or they did just for the sake of keeping Princess Twilight’s promise. Would they want to be her friend or would they get back at her when she was at her most vulnerable state just like all the others? Not wanting risk to get hurt more than she was already, she decided to keep her distance from them. But even so, she was lost, hurt, scared, and alone; and she doesn’t know what to do. Sunset sniffed, tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. She wasn’t even sure why she bothered staying at CHS. Everyone hated her. No one would ever accept her after her stunt and no one would ever want to be her friend. I don’t belong here... Sunset thought. I don’t belong anywhere! Even when the portal reopened someday, I doubt that I belonged to Equestria again after everything I did. Sunset let out a sad sigh. Perhaps it would be better if I… Suddenly, she felt a strong wind blowing past her, which shook her from her depressed state. She was confused since there were supposed to be no winds today from the forecast. She then felt a piece of paper, which somehow appeared in her hand from out of nowhere. Feeling curious, Sunset decided to take a look at the paper. When she saw that the letter was addressed to her, she felt nervous and dread, thinking it was probably another nasty letter from a random student like the others she found in her locker daily. Preparing for the worst, Sunset began to read it. Dear Sunset, You probably don't know me, but I've been watching you from the sidelines for quite some time. You may think I was writing you this letter just to put you down like the others. Well, you are wrong. I've seen the look on your face since lately after that night and I can tell you really are sorry for what you did. Even when you were bad, I don’t think you're an evil person at all. You are just a girl who made some bad decisions. I don't know what happened prior to that incident or most of the things you've done to others, but what I do know is that I'm not looking at the person who bullied others, I'm looking at a lonely girl who needed a friend. I know you're scared and that the whole world is against you right now, but don't let them wear you down and don't let your past define you. Show them that you've changed and be the better person because your past is not today! And you can start by letting those five girls in. Let them help you! Let them guide you! And most importantly, let them be your friends! And I'll be honored to be your first friend. Don't ever give up Sunset and always smile, even when things are tough. Your friend, Sonic Sunset was in shock after she read that letter. Even after she read it six more times, she still couldn't believe it. She was so used to insults and mockery, she already grew numb and let them come at her. Aside from those five girls who wanted to befriend her, this was the first time that anyone ever said something so nice to her despite her past. And it was from a stranger. Sunset tried surveying the park to find the person who left her the note, but there was no one around. She didn't know who this person was or if this person was even from her school, but these kind words have lifted every doubt and self-loathing from her heart. While she was still uncertain with herself, but she was going to give this advice a try and not let it go to waste like what happened between her and her former teacher. With tears of joy in her eyes, Sunset had a watery and grateful smile on her face. "Thank you… Sonic," she whispered. “After that,” Sunset concluded. “I followed his advice. It was a long bumpy road for me, but I’m glad I did it. You girls became the best friends I thought I never have, I was no longer hated and became the best person I can be… and it was all thanks to whoever wrote this letter to me.” The girls had somber looks after hearing her story. They know things weren’t easy for Sunset after that very night, but to hear how truly alone their friend felt during that time was truly heartbreaking. “Oh Sunset,” Fluttershy said softly as her eyes were welling up in tears. “I know you had it rough after the Formal, but I never thought it was that bad!” She craned her neck down in guilt. "I just wish I could do more to help you." Sunset placed her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. "It's okay Fluttershy," said Sunset with a smile. "That was a long time ago. Besides, you've done more than enough by being my friend." Fluttershy smiled back in response. “I can speak for everyone Darling is that we're glad to be friends with you too," said Rarity with a gentle tone. "And your past actions don’t change our views of you.” Everyone nodded in agreement with caring smiles, while Sunset responded back with her thankful smile. “So have ya found out who this “Sonic” feller was Sunset?” Applejack asked, hoping to change the topic to a much lighter tone. Sunset let out a long sigh. “I didn’t. To this day, I still have no idea who he is. After the Battle of the Bands, I tried asking everyone around if they knew who this person was, but nobody knew a thing about him.” Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. “Hmmm, you think it could be from someone who had a nickname Sonic? Like maybe from an athlete student?” Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “Um… why an athlete Twilight?” Twilight adjusted her glasses. “Well, the term "Sonic" generally means, a speed of sound. Logically speaking, Rainbow Dash aside, someone may have earned that title who does a lot of activities that involve speed.” Twilight then grinned. “Ergo, it could be someone from the track team!” “Hate to burst your bubble Egghead," Rainbow Dash interjected while shaking her head. "But I know everyone from every sports team in our school! And I can assure you, there isn’t anyone with a name Sonic. Nickname or otherwise.” “Yeah!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “I even have files of ALL the students at CHS and Crystal Prep... for party purposes! And none of the schools have Sonic anywhere!” Pinkie gasped. “Unless I somehow missed one! Oh, that would be terrible if that was the case! What kind of a party planner am I if I never planned a party for him! But what if I missed more than one party!” Her eyes then teared up. “The poor guy could be the only kid in the world who never has a party and it’s all my fault!” After listening to Pinkie, everyone had disturbed reactions on their faces. They had so many questions they wanted to ask from her statements, but they didn't want to because they were afraid of the answers. In the end, they all silently agreed that it was just Pinkie being Pinkie. Twilight awkwardly cleared her throat. “Well… Pinkie’s questionable methods aside… I can confirm that there was no Sonic from my old school either.” “Well, how do we know if he's even a student?” Rainbow Dash questioned with a skeptic frown. “He could be some creepy stalker as far as we know!” “Well in one letter, he claimed to be fourteen years old,” said Sunset. “Or so he claimed!” Rainbow Dash remarked. Sunset rolled her eyes before looking at her letter. “Regardless of who he is, I'm grateful for his kind words. Despite knowing what I've done, he wanted to be my friend. I still wanted to meet him someday… so that I can thank him in person. Without him… I wouldn't have the courage to be who I am today." "I still have doubts about this guy, but whatever you say Sunset," said Rainbow Dash as she tilted her head. “But there's one thing I don’t get! Why didn’t you mention him to any of us before? I know we are all allowed to have different friends on the side, but you usually talk about them! This “Sonic” guy… you never talk about him once until now! So why were you trying to keep him a secret from us?” There was a sudden pause within the room. With all the distraction about figuring out Sunset’s mysterious pen pal, it never occurred to them until Rainbow Dash brought up that Sunset was deliberately hiding this person from them until now. Curious, everyone turned and stared at Sunset expectedly, making her froze. Sunset felt like a deer who was caught in the headlights. This was the one topic that she was desperately trying to avoid. It was not that she didn't trust them about her letters. If anything, she trusts them all with her life. But if she told them her true reason for hiding those letters, she feared that this may hurt them. She rather not want to answer Rainbow's question, but from the looks of all her friends’ faces, she had nowhere to escape. Sunset swallowed nervously. “W-well…" Suddenly, all of their geodes began to glow brightly, catching everyone by surprise. Not only that, but their geodes were also glowing in a light blue color. Before anyone could comment, a blue energy wave randomly went through the walls and went directly into the girls. By the time they felt a brief jolt, the wave continued past them and out through the other side of the room. At the same time, the lights suddenly went out. Their geodes were the only thing that illuminated most of the room. After a few seconds, their geodes stopped glowing, leaving them in total darkness. "W-what the heck was that!?" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Hey! Who turned out the lights?" Pinkie exclaimed. Fluttershy began to whimper nervously, clutching around Spike as her life depends on him. "Now now Fluttershy, everything is okay,” Rarity soothed while patting on her friend's back to comfort her. “Rarity's right Fluttershy," Applejack added kindly. "Dat’s just a power outage. There ain't nothin’ to worry about!” "Hang on girls, I'll go check on the breakers," said Twilight as she turned on her flashlight app from her phone before leaving the room. "I'll be right back!" The girls also used their phones to lighten up the room, much to Fluttershy’s relief. As they stood there waiting for Twilight to return or for the power to turn back on, whichever comes first, Rainbow Dash decided to address the situation. "I don't know about you guys, but I don't think this is an ordinary power outage!" said Rainbow Dash. "I felt something really weird when that happened!" Applejack sighed heavily before giving Rainbow Dash her stern expression. “Rainbow Dash, if yer goin' to repeat what you did from our yacht trip last time, I sware–” "I mean it guys!" Rainbow Dash urged. "I really felt something before we lost power! C’mon guys, don't tell me I'm the only one here!" "Rainbow Dash is right!” Sunset spoke up for her friend’s defense. “I… felt something strange too!” “See! I’m not crazy!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Rarity furrowed her brow with worry. “What did you feel Sunset?” Sunset closed her eyes as she grasped her hand around her geode. “Before we lost power, I felt some kind of... strange force that just courses through my body and then just… vanished, but only for a millisecond.” "Ya think this may be from Equestrian Magic?" Applejack inquired. Sunset hesitated for a moment with an unsure expression. "I… don't know." Rainbow Dash balked from Sunset’s answer. "You don’t know!? What do ya mean, 'you don't know'?" Sunset slowly turned to face her friend with an uneasy expression. "Rainbow Dash, I was raised in a world filled with magic all my life, so I’ll know Equestrian Magic when I feel it. But this…" Sunset swallowed nervously. "What I sensed... wasn't anything I ever felt before. Almost as if... this was from a completely different entity." Everyone in the whole room stood silent with shocked faces. While the girls dealt with crazy things involving magic many times before, but at least they know what they were dealing with, especially with a former unicorn friend with knowledge about Equestrian magic on their side. But for the first time dealing with an unknown source that even Sunset couldn't identify, the girls felt a mixture of fear and uncertainty. "Ugh! Where is that flashlight?" Twilight muttered as she was walking through her house within the darkness. She carefully walked into the kitchen to retrieve the flashlight from one of the cabinets while trying not to accidentally bump into anything in the dark. As she walked past the kitchen window, Twilight noticed a light source coming from outside. At first, she thought that the light was simply coming from the full moon. But then she quickly realized it wasn’t the case because there was no full moon tonight. And that the light source was blue. "...what the heck?" Twilight whispered. She slowly leaned towards the window and was shocked to discover that whatever was glowing right now was coming from her lab. This baffled Twilight; she made sure she turned off all her equipment before leaving. Even if she somehow missed one, they're in the middle of a power outage. How could there possibly be any trace of power right now? Fearing that something was wrong with her lab, she quickly rushed through the back door and ran outside towards her lab. When she eventually reached and entered her lab, she was relieved that there wasn't anything damaged or stolen at all. However, the room was filled in blue light and much brighter now. Twilight surveyed the room in confusion. None of her equipment or anything for that matter appeared to be on or activated. She wondered where this strange light source came from. Then her eyes set on her desk and noticed something very bright coming from one of the drawers which was partially opened. Twilight widened her eyes in shock. No way… Twilight thought. It can't possibly be from that! ...can it? Twilight slowly made her way to that drawer from her desk. With shaking hands, Twilight gently reached for the knob of the drawer and pulled it open. She was shocked to discover that the strange light source came from that quill. The very same quill she found from the woods. On top of that, not only the quill was glowing, it glowed the exact same color as that mysterious energy wave before the power outage. Twilight slowly reached out and picked up the quill. It felt very warm like last time, except she felt more energy coming from it. There were even some small sparks coming out from that tiny thing. She then remembered that creature before she found this quill. Was that creature somehow connected to this quill and that sudden energy surge? And even if that was true, how was it capable of this energy and why? So far, she kept receiving more questions than answers and was not any closer to the truth. It was then that Twilight decided that she was going to do some major research and experiments on that quill to get to the bottom of it, even if she has to spend all night doing it. But first, she was going to try to fix the breaker from this blackout… and wait for the girls to fall asleep.