It was nearly night time over a lonely highway. The gang has been traveling on the road in their tour bus for many hours without stopping just to get to their destination as soon as possible and in fear that the agent from before might catch up to them. Even so, everyone was more tired from traveling than fear of getting caught.
Applejack was still in charge with the wheel, although her eyes suggested that she was getting tired of staring at the road for too long. The CMCs and Sonic were trying to play a game of "Eye Spy" for the hundredth time to keep themselves from getting bored. Fluttershy and Rarity fell asleep on each other's shoulders, while Spike was still fast asleep in her arms. Twilight was busy reading one of her books while Sunset, who was sitting next to her, was writing on her journal to Princess Twilight.
Dear Princess Twilight,
I know you're busy right now, but so much has happened since the last time we talked, I don’t know where to begin!
Turns out, it was much worse than I feared. A man named Dr. Robotnik, who is another member of G.U.N. agents have been tracking the same traces of the energy wave from last night. To make matters worse, he showed up at Twilight’s house unannounced while we were all together and interrogated us. He acted like some total weirdo, and yet... he’s also very sinister to the point that he made me feel very uncomfortable. And on top of that, when we didn’t give him what he wanted, he almost killed us with his drones, despite the fact that we’re teenagers! We would have been done for if Sonic hadn't stopped him at the last second.
Oh right, I forgot! I finally met Sonic, but not what I’d expected.
You remembered that I told you earlier about rumors that there’s a Blue Devil living in our town near the woods? Well, as it turns out... Sonic is the Blue Devil! Only he’s not a devil… he’s an oversized talking blue hedgehog! Not only that, he turned out to be the same Sonic who wrote me those letters this whole time!
Yeah… I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.
Anyway, back on topic. Sonic showed up in Twilight’s home before anyone else showed up. When Dr. Robotnik arrived, he pleaded Twilight and I to help him, even though I didn’t know about him at the time. While I had my suspicions, I couldn’t just ignore him, so we agreed to help him by hiding him in Twilight’s attic and trying to get Dr. Robotnik to leave without any suspicion.
Spoiler alert: It didn’t work.
Thanks to Sonic’s distraction and our magic, we took down Robotnik’s drones and made our escape even while Tempest Shadow was on our tails. However, we became fugitives in the process. Right now, we are hoping to get to Dean Cadance in Manehatten so that she could help us get out of this mess without getting caught by G.U.N. And on top of that, we also promised Sonic to go find his rings somewhere on top of the Crystaller Building in that same city.
You see, he was trying to find a new home with his magical rings, which allowed him to make portals so that he could cross dimensions between different worlds. They’re kinda like our portal, yet... different… it’s the only thing I can describe. Anyway, he ended up losing his rings through the portal to Manehattan... and it was our fault that it happened. To make up for our mistake, we agreed to help him get his rings back.
For most of the ride, he seems to be sassy, yet harmless. In fact, he acts like a little kid who was excited about every little thing, even just anything involving us. But despite his innocent nature and all those letters he sent me in the past… a small part of me wasn’t so sure about him. He admitted that he’s been spying us for a long time and he was also the one that Robotnik was after. I feel like there was something else he wasn’t telling us... and me and the girls are going to try and find out. And most importantly...
Sunset looked up the moment he heard the CMCs, who were at their seats with Sonic, laughing heartily about some joke that he just told them.
To see how honest he was about his friendships with me. Sunset finished in her mind with a forlorn expression.
Elsewhere, Rainbow Dash was sitting at the front of the seat with Pinkie Pie with an irritated look. Sitting next to her friend isn't what bothered her, it's the fact that Pinkie still played with that stupid toy is what bothered her. Pinkie’s been paddling away with that thing for hours and it nearly gave her a headache. What really didn't help much was that Pinkie kept bouncing that ball near Rainbow’s head. Granted, Pinkie did stop a bunch of times, only because she missed, leading her to start all over again. Rinse, lather, and repeat for the next hour or so.
After hours of nonstop bouncing, Rainbow Dash let out a low growl.
"Pinkie…" Rainbow Dash spoke slowly. "How much longer… are you playing… with that thing?"
"Until I beat a world record Dashie," Pinkie answered, oblivious to Rainbow’s tone. "So far, I was only able to reach two hundred and twenty-two times!"
Rainbow Dash felt one of her eyebrows twitched. "And... what was the current world record?"
"Oh, around three thousand and four hundred times."
Rainbow’s eyes widened. "Oh, hay no!"
In one swift action, Rainbow Dash caught the paddle-ball with her hand and yanked the ball and the string towards her, snapping the string from the paddle in the process. For extra measures, Rainbow Dash threw the ball out of her open window so Pinkie wouldn't fix her toy and use it again.
"Hey! I was just getting the hang of it!" Pinkie yelled angrily, waking up Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike in the process.
"Doubt it," Rainbow scoffed as she shut her window.
Pinkie pouted. "Meanie…"
“Are we there yet Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked while yawning. "It’s getting dark out here.”
“Yeah, this whole car ride is making me sleepy,” Sonic added as he rubbed his eyes with his arm.
“Hmm… good question, Sugarcube,” Applejack responded with a look of pondering. She glanced at her friends with the rear-view mirror. “Anyone here knows where we at?”
“Well, gee, I probably would’ve known the answer right away with a GPS app," said Rainbow Dash in her fake cheerfulness before glaring at Twilight. "If we weren't told to destroy our phones!”
“For the last time, Rainbow Dash, it was for our own safety,” Twilight replied before taking out her map from her bag. “Besides, I got all the answers we need with this map.”
Rainbow Dash stared at Twilight as if she had grown a second head. “Maps!? Who uses maps anymore? A pirate?”
“Daring Do used a map when she explores islands in her movies Sk– I mean, Dash!” Sonic pointed out.
Rainbow Dash huffed at the hedgehog's answer. "That only exists in movies! No explorers use maps in real life!"
"Actually Rainbow Dash, many explorers use maps all the time, especially while recording unexplored unknown areas of the world," Twilight interjected. “Regardless, it’s always good to have a paper map on you in case of emergencies and to study certain routes that not even most GPS knows about.” Twilight then reread her map. “Anyway, according to this map, we have about a day, maybe a day and a half before we reached our destination.”
Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. “And… how long until we reached our next pit stop?”
Twilight hesitated for a moment before replying, “About approximately... two hours.”
“Two hours!?” Rainbow shrieked, nearly standing up from her seat. “You’re telling me that we’ve been on the road all day and into the dead of the night… and we’re still not even close to the next pit stop!?”
“Hey, don’t blame me Rainbow Dash!” Twilight retorted. “I’m not the one who created these roads! And complaining about it isn't gonna make this trip go faster. So, you're going to have to suck it up like the rest of us!”
“But this ride is taking forever!” Rainbow complained.
“I’m with Ski- I mean, Dash here!” Sonic spoke up. “If it was just me, and if I knew my way, I probably would’ve been there by now!”
Rainbow growled as she turned to the blue hedgehog. “Fine, then take Egghead's map and go!”
“Knock it off Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy cried. "There’s no need to be so hostile towards him!”
“Fluttershy's right," Sunset added. "We’re just as tired and stressed as you are, but there's no reason to take it out on him.”
“But we’re still two hours away from a nearby town for us to crash for the night!” Rainbow argued.
“She does have a point darlings,” said Rarity with a yawn. “A lady needs her beauty sleep, and I doubt we’ll get any while we’re still on the road.”
“Even if we arrived in town, then wat?” Applejack inquired. “It’s not like we can stay at some hotel without dem G.U.N. fellers to track us with our credit cards.”
Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. “So what are you suggesting then?”
No one said a word. Each of them was pondering what to do until Pinkie spoke up.
“I know what we should do!” Pinkie announced.
“What’s that, Pinkie?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie let out a huge grin. “Camping!”
Twilight blinked. “Camping?”
Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Since we're in the middle of nowhere and our next stop is really really far away, why not just camp out somewhere around here so we can tell stories, eat some s'mores and sleep under the stars for the night."
"That's… actually not a bad idea Pinkie," said Twilight. "We're getting closer to our destination and Agent Shadow is far behind us, so we should be safe enough to camp for the night."
Sunset nodded. "I agree. Anyone else?"
"Um… I'm okay with it if everyone else is okay with it," said Fluttershy.
Rarity shrugged. "While I prefer to be in a nice hotel room, take a nice bath, and sleep in a nice warm bed… but I suppose camping will have to do."
"You know ah'm always down for campin' Sugarcube!" said Applejack with a smile.
"We definitely would love to do campin' with y'all!" Apple Bloom said excitedly, not feeling tired anymore.
"Yeah, it's been a while since we have last done it!" Scootaloo agreed.
Sweetie Belle faced Sonic. "Have you ever been camping before Sonic?"
Sonic shook his head. "No. I never went camping before, but I always wanted to try it!"
Pinkie let out an excited grin. "Well, then you're in for a treat there cutie! I Pinkie Promised that we'll make your first camping experience so much fun that you won't ever forget!"
Sonic grinned. "Sweet! I can't wait!"
Everyone, sans Applejack, turned to Rainbow expectedly. While she normally would love the idea of camping with her friends, she doesn't want to do it with that suspicious creature around. But seeing that she's in a losing battle, Rainbow signed in defeat.
"Yeah sure, whatever," Rainbow said reluctantly.
"Welp, guess that's settled!" Applejack nodded. "Ah'll see if Ah can find us a road leading to the woods as an extra precaution in case we're followed."
"Good idea AJ," said Sunset. "The last thing we need is to be found by the authorities, especially by G.U.N."
"Yeah, while you do that AJ, I'll play us some tunes while we're at it!" said Rainbow Dash as she got up from her seat.
She made her way to the radio at the front of the bus and turned it on. As soon as she hit the switch, music began to play through the speakers, which were riveting and very atmospheric. Already familiar with the song, Rainbow Dash started lightly nodding her head along with the music. As everyone seemed captivating by the song, Pinkie Pie immediately snapped to attention. Her eyes widened as she heard the first few notes of the song. Before the singer could utter the first lyrics of the song, Pinkie Pie zipped towards the front of the bus, nearly knocked Rainbow over, and changed the station. The first song was then replaced with a different song, as the riff of the guitar blurred out from the speakers instead of the rhythm and beats.
"Hey! Why'd you change the station?" Rainbow complained with an irritated look. "I like that song!"
"No! We are not playing that song!" Pinkie yelled with a look of disapproval.
Rainbow Dash, as well as the others, were taken aback by an angry tone coming from their usual cheery friend.
"W-why not?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Pinkie then turned towards the fourth wall with a serious expression. "They know why!"
Rainbow blinked in confusion. "O...kay?"
Despite Pinkie’s randomness, they all decided to leave the station the way it is for the remainder of the ride until they find a safe place to camp.
Dr. Robotnik let out an irritated huff as he read over the documents on his computer for the hundredth time from within his portable lab. Ever since his visit to Miss Sparkles’s house, he and Agent Stone traveled back to CHS. Robotnik had a hard time getting access to the files no thanks to the school board, but after one of his agents kindly persuaded them, he eventually got all the information he needed about the current students.
He located and read over the records of the seven students who are currently on the run along with that creature who escaped from him earlier. He already got a good idea of who most of these girls are after studying their history, likes, and their background. However, there was only one student who gave him the most trouble and a complete mystery to him. Despite how advanced his tech he got in his arsenal, he couldn’t make heads or tails with this individual.
It was at this point, Agent Stone stepped into his lab and walked right by him. Despite that he was facing the screen, Dr. Robotnik already knew who entered his lab and he let out a loud huff.
“Agent Stone?”
“Doctor?”
Dr. Robotnik smacked his lips. “Tell me… what do you see on this screen in front of you?”
Agent Stone stared at the screen, which contained seven documents, with a quizzical look. “Uh… they’re documents of all the students from CHS, sir?”
Dr. Robotnik rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Yes... they are. Not only that, I only have seven of them from that school, and those are the same seven students who are currently on the run with that thing! But that’s not the only thing...”
With a few taps on his keyboard, Dr. Robotnik opened all the documents of the seven teenaged girls in question, including an image of each girl.
“Tell me Stone,” Dr. Robotnik began. “Do you know which one of these things is not like the others? One of these things just doesn't belong?”
Agent Stone tried to study the seven documents to the best of his ability, but he couldn’t find a single odd thing his boss mentioned.
“I… don’t see it, Doctor,” Stone replied.
Dr. Robotnik sighed, shook his head in disappointment. “Typical! Even at an elementary level, you can’t seem to figure things out without a little guidance.”
Robotnik started typing again, causing his computer to zoom in on one of the Students' documents and photos.
Agent Stone cocked an eyebrow at the image of a student his boss selected.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
“Yes… her,” Robotnik growled, still a bit peeved from that punch she gave him. “I want you to take a closer look at her bio.”
As Stone did as his boss instructed, Robotnik continued his explanation.
“It said here that she’s a resident of Canterlot City. Fourth-year student at CHS, works as a waitress and cashier at a sushi restaurant and currently living alone at her apartment.”
“Okay? And what’s wrong with that?” Agent Stone inquired.
“Everything!” Robotnik emphasized. “It’s everything that’s wrong!”
Agent Stone tilted his head in confusion. “How so?”
Robotnik breathed through his nose to calm himself before he explained further. “This document claimed she’s a high schooler and still a teenager... and yet, she somehow lives in that apartment by herself… and I doubt her earnings from her minimum wage job will be enough to pay her rent, among other things!”
“Maybe her parents are covering her?” Stone theorized. “This apartment is part of the school dorms.”
“Impossible!” Dr. Robotnik shook his head. “She’s an orphan… or so it claimed.”
Stone turned to Robotnik, now even more confused. “I don’t understand, Doctor.”
“I’ve been to many different foster systems in my lifetime, believe me, and I never heard of someone named Sunset Shimmer in my life. I even looked up every single one of them just to confirm my suspicions. Even if she was and somehow not on the record, an orphaned individual cannot live a life of their own without a guardian until they’re eighteen. And yet… this girl has somehow been around that school a couple of years ago without a guardian!” He then rubbed his temples. “This makes no sense!”
Stone glanced at Sunset’s record and furrowed his brow. “Um… but the record said that her current guardian is to a woman named Celestia, a current Principal of CHS.”
“It was forged,” Robotnik answered bluntly. “This record has obviously gone past a lot of red tapes to make it official without actually verifying it!”
Stone blinked. “How can you tell?”
“Let’s just say… I knew a lot about Celestia and her background to the point that she never has kids,” Robotnik answered vaguely. “Even so, the school officials are willing to turn a blind eye to allow this individual to attend their school and live off of their apartment. She could be either an ‘orphan’ who has been living on the streets, an illegal immigrant, or… something else. Even the moment I first laid my eyes on her, there’s something about her that seems… special!”
“Special?” Agent Stone asked almost bewilderedly.
Robotnik threw his arms up. “Well, I don’t know what to call her! All I know is, and especially what happened earlier today, that girl is the key to their mysterious powers.”
“You mean magic sir?” Agent Stone pointed out, only to flinch when Robotnik gave him his most chilling glare.
“Magic?” He scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Agent Stone! Magic only ‘exists’ is when you see some average joe attempting to pull a rabbit out of a hat or playing cards at some child’s birthday party!” He raised his finger. “What they have… is much more than some cheap magic tricks… and I fully intend to study it once I catch them!”
With a sigh, he stood up from his chair and made his way to the door with Agent Stone following him.
“In the meantime, we'll continue to track these fugitives down. And knowing the occupation of Miss Sparkle’s brother, we shall pay a friendly visit to Canterlot's police station. Round up our men!"
Agent Stone nodded. "Yes, Doctor."
Just as they approached the door, they heard voices coming from outside.
"Lyra, you can't be here!" Someone, most likely one of the female students of the school, whispered frantically. "The school is swarming with agents right now! You'll get into big trouble!"
Before Agent Stone could go out to investigate, Robotnik stopped him and silently ordered him to be quiet.
"It's precisely why we're here!" Another female voice replied. "The Blue Devil was last spotted during our game yesterday! I bet he was also the one who caused the blackout in this town too from this field!"
Robotnik stroked his mustache in interest. The Blue Devil? Was she talking about that thing I saw earlier? If what she said is true that he was the cause, then my hunch is correct… as always!
The second female speaker continued. "This makes me want to catch him now more than ever! But if the agency catches him first, I'll never get that chance!"
The first female speaker scoffed. "For the last time Lyra, there is no blue devil! It didn't exist ten years ago, and it didn't exist now!"
Robotnik blinked. Ten years? So this oversized blue rodent has been around for that long?
"I'm telling you, Bonnie, he is real!" The second female speaker retorted. "If you can easily believe that there's another world full of magical ponies, why can't you believe in the Blue Devil?"
Robotnik raised his brow in bewilderment. Another world? Ponies!?
"That's different Lyra!" The first speaker argued. "We all knew that world existed ever since after the Fall Formal incident and we all saw the events that happened because of that world. Heck, we all saw Sunset's homeworld ourselves multiple times!"
Robotnik smirked. So... Miss Shimmer not only holds the key to her and her friends' powers, but she also originally comes from another world? Interesting...
"So you're saying, you'll believe the Blue Devil when we see it, right?"
"That's not the point Lyra! I– ugh, look this isn’t the best place to talk! We gonna get out of here before anyone saw us!"
Figuring now was the good time to act, Robotnik pressed a few quick commands on his glove before he slammed open his door, revealing his presence to the two teenage girls who were standing near his truck.
"Oh shoot! Run!" The blue and pink-haired girl screamed.
Before the two of them could run far, a huge spotlight flashed on them, nearly making them blind. As they were trying to adjust their eyes, they were immediately blocked by a few agents and a dozen egg drones. Robotnik then slowly approached them, causing the two girls to froze in fear.
"Well, well, well," Robotnik purred with a grin. "It seems like we got ourselves a couple of late-night troublemakers... just snooping around as usual, eh, Stone?"
"Indeed Doctor," said Stone with a nod. "And they trespassed our perimeter."
Robotnik immediately frowned. "I think we both know what happens to those who trespass."
Robotnik then snapped his fingers, causing both the agents and his drones to aim their guns at them. The two girls shrieked in terror and hugged each other for comfort.
“Now,” Robotnik said, his voice low with menacingly. “Unless you rather want to become swiss cheese, I want you two to cooperate and tell me everything you know.”
The white-haired girl gulped and hugged her friend tightly. "A-about what?"
Robotnik stepped forward and brought his face so close to the girl’s to the point that their noses barely touch. “What can you tell me about Sunset Shimmer and this… other world?”