It had been weeks since the fiasco that took place with the Gigabyters, the Enigma, Doom Raizer, and the alternate Trail Blazer. The City of Canterlot had more or less recovered from the harrowing ordeal and life had returned to normal...relatively. In the Canterlot Mall, repairs had been completed and citizens were able to browse and shop once more.
For one Juniper Montage, however, it was just another day at work at her part-time job at the cinema. Begrudgingly, anyway, as she disliked her current job. Not only was her boss a jerk, but tonight was the premiere of the Daring Do movie her uncle directed. The very same movie where she got kicked off the set for sabotaging in order to get a recast so she could be the star of the film.
At least...that was what happened until Blood Stalk took her hostage, killed off the security guards, and turned her into one of those Smash monsters. She still had no idea what had happened while she was transformed, only that it really hurt and her mind was in a fuzz. The next thing she knew was that one of the Riders, Cross-Z, had saved her and she was hospitalized for a few days. Her uncle was relieved that she was okay. But he was still adamant about having her banned from the set until further notice. He claimed it was also for her safety as that monster might return, but it was mainly to stop her from interfering with production anymore.
But at least he wasn’t that angry with her anymore. She loved her uncle, and she felt guilty for exploiting those feelings to give her a chance for stardom. When he would visit, they would both watch clips regarding the Masked Riders, as their appearance stirred the public and gave Canter Zoom ideas for another project. Juniper, on the other hand, simply admired her blue savior.
Imagine her shock to learn that a few days later, he and Build revealed their identities as the fighter Sol Burner, and Flash Sentry respectively to save their school and classmates. Not only was her savior a hero, but someone famous in the MMA circuit.
She felt horribly conflicted emotions from it. On one hand, she was grateful that he saved her and still admired him. But she couldn’t help but be envious how he and the girls got a taste of the attention she craved.
And it didn’t help that the girls were on every single screen at the mall through their music video. Even though it had been months since the premiere, they were still widely popular. There were also showings of the Masked Riders fighting monsters and saving people from the ‘World Crossing’ event that happened weeks prior. That had been terrifying.
But now everything was back to normal. And she fit right in by being absolutely mediocre. An average nobody. She stopped in front of the cinema, glaring at the promotional sign for the movie.
“Grr!” She picked up the sign and shook it, ignoring the strange looks she received from the other shoppers. She ceased her episode when her boss contacted her via walkie-talkie, requesting her to return to the popcorn stand. She responded by faking static to delay that order. She just wanted to be alone at the moment.
She ended the call and walked to the sunglasses booth in front of the theater. “If only things went differently. If I had been casted, tonight would’ve been about me. I would’ve been a star, just like Cross-Z.” She replaced her glasses with a pair of red, glittering, star-shaped frames.
The clerk lowered his own sunglasses to look at Juniper and silently shook his head. The glasses did not fit her.
She looked at herself in the hand mirror. “Yeah, you’re right. They’re a bit much.”
However, as she picked out another pair of sunglasses, she did not notice the glowing ball of magic that descended from the skylight above and into the hand mirror, changing it from mere plastic to crystalline. When she picked it back up to look at her newly chosen pair, she saw her reflection….before it quickly changed to an image of her with a different look.
Juniper yelped as she dropped the mirror. She glanced around, wondering if anyone else saw what just happened. “What...what was that?!” Gingerly, she touched the reflective surface, witnessing a small flash that resembled dark green flames before picking it back up. Her reflection changed back to the glamorous image of her blowing a kiss. “...incredible…”
She pulled out a few bills and placed it on the counter. “Keep the change. Something tells me this thing’s worth it.” She walked away whilst staring at the image, unaware of her eyes flickering green.
XXXXX
Within the food court of the Mall, Sunset Shimmer sat alone at a table. Her focus was preoccupied with the magic journal she wrote into.
Dear Princess Twilight,
Tonight is the premiere of the big Daring Do movie and all my friends are really excited for it. And I should be too, except I can’t seem to keep my mind on anything aside from our new powers, the rogue magic that lives in this world, and the incidents with Faust and Blood Stalk.
Things have finally settled down after the incident with the Enigmas and the alternate Earth. It was sad to say goodbye to our new friends, but it had to be done for the dimensional stability. On a more positive note, our magic has recovered a few days after the events. But even so, I can’t help but be worried. The Enigma incident affected all of us. Flash especially, given how he had to fight an alternate version of his deceased dad that went mad from grief. But I think he’s gotten better after spending much deserved time with family and friends.
On the other hand, aside from his brief appearance, we strangely haven’t heard anything from Gizmo since the incident. Just waiting around is suspenseful, and that’s only on the Smash side of things. I know Flash and the others can take care of it, but I can’t help but be worried for them. They went through so much without any of us even knowing. Not just that, but I’m also worried about the rogue magic I mentioned earlier. It’s a scary, yet exhilarating prospect. Like, how does it work? How will we be prepared for it? When will it show up again? Not to mention the fact our magic seemed to have gotten stronger lately from the Faust attacks. But so far, things seem pretty calm.
Well, I guess you see the problem from multiple fronts.
With the weight of Equestria on your shoulders, you must have some advice on how to…
She turned the page to continue her excerpt and promptly panicked.
“Oh no! Shoot!”
“What’s the matter, Sunset Shimmer?” Pinkie Pie asked as she set a plate of burgers on the table, accidentally, knocking one off onto the table.
“Oh, I just ran out of pages in my journal. That’s all.” She replied with a nervous smile.
“Chillax, Sunshim.” Rainbow winked as she sat at the table next to theirs.
“Um, who’s Sunshim?” Fluttershy asked.
“That’s Sunset Shimmer’s new movie star nickname.” The athlete answered with a sip of her drink. “I just made it up.”
“For Sweet Apple’s sake, we only had bit parts in this flick. We’re not movie stars.” Applejack said in exasperation.
“Yet, darling.” Rarity interjected. “Yet.”
“There’s more bothering you than just journal pages, isn’t there Sunset?” Twilight asked, shifting back on topic.
The bacon-haired girl sighed in contemplations before Pinkie came in and squished her cheeks.
“Come on! Share your troubles and soothe those stressed nerves!”
“Well, I don’t want to take out any fun from our big night-”
“JUST! DO IT! SUNSHIM!” Pinkie snapped while standing over her.
“Okay, okay!” She replied while easing Pinkie back in her seat. “It’s just things have been calm around here.”
“Calm? Well we just finished rebuilding after the Enigma Incident.” Twilight pointed out.
“Well, yes. But I was referring magic wise. We haven’t really encountered anything magic related outside of our geodes at Everfree.”
“And that’s bad...how, precisely?” Rarity asked.
“It’s not. But instead of me enjoying the fact that things are calm, I’m constantly thinking about things going wrong even when they aren’t. Not to mention the fact that we haven’t heard anything from Blood Stalk or Faust for weeks now, and who knows what they’re planning...”
“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked.
“I don’t know. But I shouldn’t be thinking things like that right now.” Sunset did not notice her journal pages glowing. “And neither should you.”
Pinkie snatched the journal and stood up. “Ooh! Look! Twilight’s writing you back. Hey everybody! Sunset’s getting an Equestra-text!” Sunset snatched the journal back with an amused smirk before it became a confused one upon reading the response.
“Princess Twilight wants me to come to...Equestria.”
XXXXX
Back at the Cinema, move goers hung around the lobby waiting for the premiere to start. At the snack counter, Juniper kept staring into her mirror, showing her visions of what she wanted: her as a movie star and the center of attention. She was dressed in a glamorous purple dress and her hair was styled with multiple curls on the end. She even wore the arm gloves movie stars wore.
There were even cameras flashing in the background to take her picture within the picture.
“Wow...it’s like this mirror is showing me my dream come to life. This is so amazing. This is so...me…” She smiled, unaware of the green light in her eyes. But the trance was broken when someone else spoke up.
“Ahem.” Her boss cleared his throat, causing her to shift focus on him. He held out a broom. “Popcorn spill at the condiment counter.”
Juniper felt a wave of irritation flare up. “Does this look like someone who cleans up popcorn spills?” She held out her mirror to show him her image, but all he saw was his confused reflection.
“...No. It looks like someone about to fire somebody.” Grunting, Juniper took the broom and dragged it and the catch pan to the mess. She was about to clean up the mess, but couldn’t help but feel the chore to be a drag.
“...maybe a little mirror me time.” She set the cleaning tools aside and pulled out her mirror. This time the image showed her signing headshots of her. The sight of her fame immediately brightened her mood. “Oh, I wish this popcorn would just clean itself up, so I could stare at you all day.”
Just as she wished, the mirror surface glowed in a swirling vortex before a beam struck the mess of popcorn and sucked it back up. In a matter of seconds, the floor was spotless. Juniper had no idea what just happened. Her boss walked by and saw the clean floor.
“You’re done? Already? Wow, I’m shocked.” Without anything else to say, he continued his patrol.
The bespectacled girl was equally shocked. “You and me both…” She stared at her mirror, wondering what it did.
“Hey!” The sudden shout nearly made her drop her mirror. She scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. She spun around to see who yelled and froze. A hooded figure with strands of familiar blue and orange hair peeking out was hunched over, panting after running straight from home to the cinema. “I’m...I’m not too late, am I?!”
“L-late? Late for what?” She quickly hid the mirror behind her back, an action made out of anxiety.
“The premiere of the movie! I wanted to reserve my seat. Are reservations and tickets still open?” He asked as he finally caught his breath. “Whew...that was a lot of running.” He pulled back his hood, revealing himself to be Sol Burner.
“You...you’re Sol Burner! Masked Rider Cross-Z!” Juniper exclaimed in recognition.
“Yeah, that’s me. Well, actually, we’re calling ourselves Kamen Riders now. Sounds better.” He then squinted his eyes as he looked at the girl, then they widened in recognition. “Wait...aren’t you Canter Zoom’s niece?”
“You remember me? Really?” She was surprised. She didn’t think a celebrity like him would recognize her.
“Of course. I turned you back to normal after you attacked the studio as a Smash. How you doin’?”
“W-well, after that stay in the hospital, I’ve been better.” She answered nervously. Who would’ve thought she’d be speaking with someone so famous like this?
“That’s good. So you work in the movie theater?”
“Not by choice.” She scoffed. “But since I’m not a movie star, this is the closest thing I can get until I get my big break.”
“I guess that makes sense. But why do you want to be a movie star so bad?” Sol questioned. He had heard from the girls that Juniper had sabotaged the filming of the Daring Do movie in order to force a recast in hopes of her uncle making her Daring Do. Sol thought it was a pretty crazy plan to begin with.
“Because I want to be noticed. To be heard, to be seen on the big screen!” Juniper exclaimed, arms spread wide. “I’m always known as the plain jane girl. I just fade into the background. But I want to shine like a star. The center of the attention. The celebrity that everyone loves.”
Sol Burner heard her answer. Going unnoticed. Wanting to be heard and seen. For some reason, his friend Wallflower Blush came to mind. Now that he thought about it, he really should meet up with her sometime. He enjoyed their conversations. “...I see. But Juniper, take it from me. Even though you may be seen everywhere, you get hounded by the media, asking details about your life and what you plan to do next.”
“But aren’t those typical questions that the public wants to know? They just want to know how you plan to take your career. And your plans for the future.”
Sol winced as he had experienced it before, even back in the junior league. Since his father was a renowned fighter, the world kept their eye on him, casting expectations on him. Sure he strove to surpass them and move away from his dad’s shadow, but they wouldn’t leave him alone. Even when the questions grew personal.
One time, when Knuckle Blaze was still alive, some pushy reporters wanted to talk about his comatose mother and questioned if they had any hope for her or moving on, claiming her to be a lost cause.
Both father and son made it clear that those questions had crossed the line, yet they remained insistent on pestering them. Tensions and emotions gradually escalated. Then it erupted with a small shove from pushy tabloids.
It spiraled into a brawl that sent the paparazzi in the hospital. They wanted to sue, but the news outlet the reporters worked for recognized that they were in the wrong, denied those orders, and promptly fired them. The newly freelance reporters tried to stalk them for the tabloids, but they were found to be in violation of newly made restraining orders and promptly arrested.
Sol had no idea how that even happened. Weren’t there certain regulations that would’ve interfered? For some reason, he thought someone influential had a hand in it. But he certainly did not miss those story-scavengers.
All in all, it was a huge mess that left him completely drained. Fame was definitely not worth dealing with that type of crap.
And as of now, Juniper did not understand any of that.
“Well, all that media focus, and the potential mess that gets tied up in it, is something I can live without.”
“But why?” She did not understand. “You’re famous. You’re the Rookie Fighter of the year and now a Masked Rider that saved our city several times. You have millions of people looking at you.”
“Kamen Rider. Yeah, well, stardom isn’t quite cracked up to be. I’m fine with people watching me in the ring, but my private time is my private time. I don’t want any of the press stalking me 24/7. Trust me Juniper, having the press pry into your private life and asking unwanted questions is just not worth it.”
The girl frowned in thought. Sol...technically had a point. She wouldn’t mind the attention. But if the media kept hounding her, would she even be at peace?
“Oh, that’s right!” The fighter yelled, causing the girl to flinch from his outburst. “I just remembered!” He fished into his pocket to pull out a voucher. “I just wanted to turn these in. Apparently, director Canter Zoom gave this to me as thanks for saving you. He also sent in extra for my friends. They’re like reservation seats for the premiere.”
Juniper took the vouchers, and realized they were VIP seating vouchers. Those were usually reserved for people personally invited to movie premieres in town. Which was usually due to their roles in the film. Her uncle gave him four? “I...see.” She accepted the voucher and nodded. “I’ll log them in and get your seats ready. Is...will that be all?”
“Actually, Canter Zoom said he also wanted to talk to me about something. He said he’d be here by the time of the premiere. He told me to ask you to set his seat next to mine so we could chat.” He answered.
Now the girl was even more surprised. Her uncle was coming? Here? Tonight? He never told him about this! “Uh, sure. I can. But out of curiosity, do you know why my uncle wants to talk to you?”
“Well, he didn’t really provide details. Just something about another project of his.” At the answer, Juniper felt her heart drop. Another project? That could only mean one thing. Another film. And he wants Sol and his friends in it? Not her? Well, given how she was banned from the set, it made sense. But before she could ask more, Sol’s phone rang. He saw the ID and frowned.
“Sorry, I gotta take this.” He turned away and answered. “Hello?...Flash?....Yeah?...Wait, why?...But why do we need to be there?...Security? But what about the movie? Okay, okay. I’ll be right over.” He hung up. “Sorry about that. I gotta head out. Friend’s calling. See you tonight!” With a quick goodbye, he rushed out of the theater.
“...just what was that about?” Juniper questioned in befuddlement. The version of her in the mirror shrugged.
XXXX
Later…
Sunset, Flash, and Sol had walked across school grounds and approached the statue. Even though school was not in session at the moment, several teens were seen loitering the school grounds as a means to hang out. Sol thought it was weird.
“By the way, any idea when I can get my Crozz Phone back? I had to run all the way from home to the mall to hand in those vouchers.” Sol said.
After the Enigma Incident, the Build Phone replica, or Crozz Phone as Sol nicknamed it, had actually shorted out and broke down after his first time use in battle. While Sunset said they completed it, they had yet to fully test it and work out the final kinks. Fortunately, it didn’t break down during battle. After which, Sunset and Twilight took it back to complete it properly and work out all of the bugs to prevent further malfunctions.
“It should be ready soon. Twilight and I will be able to finish it after the movie.”
“But why were you running? Why didn’t you use your motorcycle or take the bus?” Flash wondered.
Sol opened his mouth to retort….only to close it as the realization hit him like a flaming semi-truck to the face. He then smacked his palm against his face. He never thought of doing that.
Seeing as their friend had a startling revelation, he decided to shift the topic. “...So the Princess wants you to come to Equestria to pick up a new magic journal?” Flash asked for clarification.
“That’s right.”
“Couldn’t she deliver it herself? Or...use a magical courier or something?” Sol wondered.
“Given how she’s one of Equestria’s Princesses, she’s too busy with responsibilities to make random trips to our world. The incident a couple months ago was an exception because it was an emergency.” Sunset answered.
“I guess that makes sense. But why do you need Flash and I here? Wouldn’t one of us be enough if we were to stand guard? Speaking of which, why do you think Faust would try to take the portal when you’re gone?”
“It’s more of a precaution fueled by paranoia. We already know Faust did some research on other worlds, given the Enigma project Doom made. But what they don’t know, at least I hope they don’t, is the portal to Equestria. I have no idea how they would exploit it once they learn of its existence. And frankly, I don’t want to. We already had a disaster with magic portals during the Friendship Games.”
“You mean when our Twilight got possessed by magic and became a she-demon named Midnight Sparkle?” The fighter asked.
“Yes. But please don’t bring it up. It’s still a sore subject.” Sol nodded in agreement.
“So in short, we’re both here to make sure no Smash, Guardians, or Blood Stalk appears to take, destroy, or harness the portal?” Flash spoke.
“That’s right. I shouldn’t be gone too long, but better safe than sorry.” The trio reached the statue, and the fiery haired girl took a deep breath. “Okay, here I go.” She pressed her hand on the portal, allowing herself to sink through as she walked into it, leaving the two teenagers alone.
“...okay, that was pretty cool.” Sol hummed.
XXXXX
“Whoaaaaagh!” Sunset yelled as she spiraled into the rainbow lights that composed the portal. Before she knew it, she was shot out to the other side into a stack of books. Disoriented from the trip and impact, her vision spun. She blinked her eyes open and saw the blurred figure of a lavender unicorn. “Twilight? Is that you?”
Suddenly, her vision cleared and realized it was someone else. “Nope. Starlight Glimmer.”
“Ehehe. Oops.” Sunset went to stand back up, but due to the nature of her new body, she grew unbalanced standing on her hind legs. After waving her forelegs around, she managed to stay upright, much to the confusion of Starlight. After seeing her weird look, she realized this and went back on all fours. “Sorry. It feels kinda weird after all this time. But you must be Starlight Glimmer. Twilight’s student, right?”
“Uh-huh.” She smiled with a nod before levitating another journal copy in her blue magic aura. “She wanted me to give you this.” Sunset reached for it only for it to drop on the ground. The two stared at each other awkwardly before the fiery-maned unicorn tried to pick it up with her fingerless hoof. After struggling for a few moments, Starlight gestured to her own horn. Sunset got the message and picked up the book with her own magic aura, relishing the familiar feeling after so long.
“She wanted to give it to you herself, but then she and her friends got called away to solve a Friendship problem.” Starlight explained in disappointment as Sunset flipped through the pages, getting used to her magic again. “It happens a lot around here.”
Sunset Shimmer pocketed the journal in her bag. “It must be stressful, huh? Never knowing when you might be called to save the day...dropping everything at a moment’s notice? Just...how does she do it? I mean, I’ve seen my friends do it all the time against Faust, but how do they do it too?”
“Sorry. She just told me to give you the journal.” The lavender unicorn apologized. “And I don’t know what your friends are thinking.”
“Heh...well, are you sure she won’t be back anytime soon?”
“Pretty sure.”
“Oh…” Sunset replied dejectedly. “Okay. Yeah. I guess I’ll be going now.” She made an attempt to stand on her hind legs before flailing again. Instead she trotted back to the portal. Yet Twilight’s apprentice could no longer contain her curiosity.
“What’s it like back there?” Starlight questioned. “I’ve heard from Twilight about what the organization Faust did. But aside from that, what’s that world like?”
“Well, it’s pretty different. Yet, not so different at the same time. Kinda hard to explain.”
“Huh. Guess you kind of have to go there to really get it, huh? I don’t suppose you could…”
“I’m sorry Starlight. But I can’t.” Sunset shook her head after realizing what she was about to ask.
“But why not?” She absolutely did not whine like a filly.
“If Twilight told you what happened on her last visit, then she also told you how dangerous Faust and Blood Stalk are. They held our entire school hostage and were willing to kill us.” She emphasized. “To make things worse, Equestria magic doesn’t affect them and we have no idea how.”
“But you all know the dangers. If I stick with you, I’ll know what to avoid!”
“Maybe, but you don’t know Blood Stalk. If I had to make a comparison to someone from this world...I’d say he’d be like Discord, based on Twilight’s descriptions of him...only more bloodthirsty and sadistic.”
Starlight actually paled and winced. “That bad, huh?”
“Yeah. And we just made it through a multi-dimensional conflict a few weeks ago. Everything finally calmed down and we haven’t seen or heard anything from Faust since then.”
“But doesn’t that mean it’s safe right now?”
“We don’t know when they’ll attack. It could be today, tomorrow, or even right now as we speak.”
XXXXX
Meanwhile…
Flash and Sol leaned on either side of the portal keeping watch. They had no idea when Sunset would get back and they quickly grew bored of waiting with nothing going on. So they decided to delve into discussion to pass the time when Sol brought up a curious topic.
“...So why would you even think they would make steak-flavored ice cream?” Flash asked incredulously.
“Hey, it could happen. All they would need is to mix gravy and beef bits in it. Maybe even some bacon bits and sauteed mushrooms too.”
“That’s disgusting. It totally rebukes the concept of ice cream being a dessert. It’s supposed to be sweet, not savory.” The musician said in disgust. “That just sounds like a frozen pureed dinner.”
“Actually, isn’t anything made of frozen milk and cream considered ice cream? Like how some people say hotdogs are sandwiches? Or how sherbet is still ice cream despite being fruit and ice?”
“Okay, first of all, ice cream is a soft, frozen dessert made of sweetened and flavored milk fat. Which is why people don’t stuff a carton of milk into a freezer and call it ice cream. Second, that’s a whole different can of worms I’d rather not open. And three, at least fruit is sweet, not savory. Plus, sherbert is still made with frozen cream, so it still counts. Steak ice cream sounds completely disgusting. Who would mix red meat into frozen cream?”
“Nah. It’s steak. It'll probably still be delicious!” Sol grinned.
“...you must have an iron stomach, huh? No wonder Micro calls you a protein-junkie.”
XXXXX
“But if what Twilight said is true, then your friends would be more than capable of handling them.” Starlight argued.
“I don’t know. It’s still too risky.” Sunset kept trying to deny her.
“But I’m sure Twilight would let me as long as I’m with you and your friends!”
“...So you really think Princess Twilight would be okay with that?” The unicorn raised a brow.
“I don’t know for sure that she wouldn’t say no.”
“That’s not a particularly compelling argument.” She deadpanned.
“She wants me to learn as much as I can about friendship. And I’m not learning a whole lot just lying around here in her castle.” Starlight reasoned. “I’ll likely learn more about friendship by being with you and your friends. And if Faust does attack, I can always just run and hide.”
“Hm...Well, I haven’t ever seen you in that world, so chances are you aren’t gonna run into yourself-”
“-is something you don’t hear everyday-”
“-so just lay low. Don’t draw too much attention.”
“Pft. You’ll barely even notice I’m there.”
“Introducing you to my friends could be a nice distraction-”
“But you’ll also totally notice I’m there. And it will help keep your mind off other things that might be bothering you!” Starlight smiled adorably with sparkling eyes before she hopped excitedly. “So? What do you think? Could I go back with you?”
Sunset put a hoof to her muzzle in thought as her eyes trailed back to the portal behind her.
XXXXX
“...Okay, I will admit that it's theoretically possible to use protein powder to make ice cream, but that doesn’t mean it would taste good.”
“What are you talking about? There are protein bars and shakes that taste delicious!” Sol argued.
“Maybe to you. But I’m not a fan of the chalky aftertaste. I mean, what if-” Flash’s rebuke was cut off as the portal came to life and Sunset stumbled through.
“Oh hey, you’re back. You sure took a while. How was the chat?” Sol asked.
“Well…” Sunset tried to explain. But the portal glowed again and an unfamiliar figure tumbled through before falling flat on her face.
“Whoa!” The two males backpedaled from the portal as the figure fell on her hands and knees. She was a girl around their age with tattered jeans, a green t-shirt, and a black vest over it. She wore a pair of knee high black boots over her pants while her purple, teal-streaked hair was covered by a beanie. On her left wrist was a black watch. She seemed disoriented after the landing. But as she regained her senses, she stared at her hands in confusion and fascination.
“Wh-wh-what happened?” She questioned blearily.
“It’s okay.” Sunset assured her whilst helping her back up. “It’s all pretty weird at first, but try and roll with it.” But as she stood, she immediately lost balance and would have fallen if Sunset hadn’t been supporting her.
The two boys looked around, noting the odd looks from passing people before shrugging it off. Apparently, with all the craziness that happened, this occurrence seemed normal in comparison.
“Are these-?!” She gawked at her newfound fingers.
“Hands.” Sunset replied. Starlight then glanced at her lower half. “And what happened to the rest of my hoo-”
“Feet. Those are feet.”
“...is this one of your pony friends? Who’s she?” Sol asked.
“This is Starlight Glimmer, Princess Twilight’s student.” Sunset introduced.
“H-Hello.” She waved with a balled hand.
“...I thought you were just going to grab a new journal. Not bring back a visitor.” The musician shot a look at his ex-girlfriend.
“Well...the plan...sorta changed. She was just too curious about our world.” She sheepishly explained. “And the Princess was absent. We both thought this would be a good chance for a Friendship Lesson, given how she’s Princess Twilight’s apprentice.”
“And you thought it was a good idea to bring her here now? With Faust and all that jazz?” Sol asked.
“Especially just after the incident with Enigma?”
“Guys, trust me. I had the same reservations. But we agreed that if anything happens, Starlight would stay out of the way and we’ll bring her back to Equestria immediately.”
“You guys won’t even know I’m here. So please let me stay.” She begged while giving them the same cute expression she gave Sunset earlier.
“...This might come back to bite us, won’t it?” Sol remarked, trying to remain composed and not topple over from the cuteness overload through sheer force of will.
“Oh yeah.” Flash nodded before sighing. “But given how everything’s said and done...just gotta roll with it. Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m-”
“You’re Flash Sentry, right?” She then turned to the fighter, visibly delighted by the approval. “Then you must be Sol Burner.”
“Yeah. Are you psychic or something?”
“Well, I am...or at least was...a unicorn. But I can’t read minds if that’s what you’re asking. No, Princess Twilight told me all about you guys.”
“Gotcha.” Flash nodded. “How’s she doing by the way? Is she getting better after that takeover incident?”
“She is. She told me all about what you guys went through back then. In fact, I should be asking you that.”
“We’re holding up. But we still haven’t seen or heard anything about a certain snake for a while now. Until then, all we can do is wait and prepare.”
“Sounds like you two have it rough.” Starlight commented.
“Maybe. But nothing we can’t handle as long as we have the others to watch our backs.”
“So...what do we do now that she’s here?” Sol had to ask.
“Well, I was thinking we’d meet up with the others and call over Micro and Sandalwood. We have some time before the movie, and I think it’d be great for Starlight to get acquainted with everyone.” She then turned to the beanie-wearing girl. “So for now just try and lay low and play it cool.”
“Oh, right. Play it cool...Play. It. Cool.” Starlight nodded. She moved to take a step...before crawling forward on all fours, earning more odd looks before Sunset chased after her.
“...well if anything else, she can make a good distraction.” Sol deadpanned.
XXXXX
Meanwhile…
Juniper stared into the mirror once more. She had been trying to recreate the event where the handheld vanity piece sucked up popcorn like a vacuum.
Unfortunately...nothing had happened. She experimentally dumped popcorn on the floor and tried to have the mirror suck it up to no effect. She tried telling it what to do. Ordering it. Nothing worked.
All she got were strange looks from other patrons who thought she was crazy. She wasn’t crazy. The mirror actually did something. The best she had been able to do since then was making two annoying moviegoers go away...which kinda worked. They left her alone.
“Well...that kinda worked…”
“Juniper Montage?!” A familiar voice exclaimed, startling her and nearly made her lose her grasp on the mirror. Her attention was then focused on the Rainbooms minus Sunset Shimmer.
“What in blazes are you doin’ here? Weren’t ya recoverin’ in da hospital?’
“Were you invited to the Daring Do premiere? Ooh that’s exciting! No! Crazy! No! Concerning! No! Just NO!” Pinkie rambled. “...No offense.”
“I...wasn’t invited to the premiere.” Juniper tried to calmly adjust her glasses and not react. “As for your other question, I was. But I was let out a while back. And my uncle Canter Zoom felt bad for firing me so he pulled some strings and got me this job at the Cinema.”
“You work here?” Fluttershy asked.
“...as little as possible.” The aspiring actress admitted whilst kicking at fallen popcorn kernels.
An awkward silence settled in for a moment. “...you know if you hadn’t tried to sabotage the movie, you could be celebrating with us.”
“Well, I realize that now.” She grunted. “And all it took was for me to get caught, fired, and turned into a Smash Monster and nearly killed all for that to sink in. I just really wanted to make my big debut as Daring Do! It’s my favorite series!”
The girls looked at each other uneasily, now realizing they were prodding a sore spot.
“Well...nothing’s set in stone, dear. Things can always change for the better.” Rarity tried to console her.
‘They took everything from you.’ An odd, yet familiar voice rang through the bespectacled girl’s head.
‘Huh?’ Juniper blinked. That didn’t sound like any of the Rainbooms. And what was this feeling welling up in her chest. The words then continued
‘It’s their fault…!’
‘Make them pay!’
‘Make them disappear!’
Each and every sentence stoked the flames of envy and frustration within her. She was deaf to the reassurances of the girls as the jealousy and anger grew.
“Uh...Juniper? Are you okay?” Twilight had to ask upon noticing the girl’s gritted teeth.
“Just...leave me alone!” From the Mirror, a wave of energy shot out and washed over the Rainbooms. Like the ocean waves, the flow of power receded back to its source, dragging the girls into the handheld object. Unbeknownst to Juniper, a small burst of energy flowed into her.
Juniper picked up a fallen Butterfly accessory and attached it to her collar. Once again, she stared into her reflection, her eyes a glowing green, her lips twisted into a grin. “Looks like I’m getting the hang of this.”
The image rippled into her desired form. “Hi me!”
XXXXX
Later...
After helping Starlight adjust to walking on two legs, the group of four made it to the mall and met up with Sandalwood and Micro Chips. After a brief round of introductions, they all went for ice cream at Starlight’s insistence upon seeing the parlor.
Sunset abstained from having any, due to being preoccupied with something. So she paid for Starlight’s triple scoop cone of strawberry, pistachio, and mint. Flash himself got a double scoop of red velvet ice cream.
“...So...how’s that steak ice cream tasting?” Flash asked as he stared at his friend licking from his own triple-scoop cone. Coincidentally, the parlor DID have steak ice cream as a temporary promotional item...for whatever reason.
“...meh. Could be better. Sadly most of the flavor comes from the caramelized bacon bits. At least they had Rocky Road too.” Sol shrugged as he licked the second scoop of rocky road while the third was mint chip.
“I have no idea how you’re able to stomach that.” Micro shook his head as he took a lick of his single vanilla scoop.
“Hey, it’s Sol, man. Dude can pack away a bunch of protein like it’s no one’s business.” Sandalwood chuckled after finishing his mint chip cone.
“Yeah. But consuming all those protein supplements can’t be good for you. I mean, those things cause kidney stones and those hurt...a lot.” The intellectual refuted.
“Of course I do. My parents warned me about that all the time. Why do you think I drink so much water and lemonade?”
As the four guys continued their banter, Starlight fell in step with Sunset. “So how’s contacting the girls?”
“Six messages all straight to voicemail.” She responded bluntly.
“Well...I’m sure they’re around.” Starlight tried to assure her. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
“Faust and/or Blood Stalk.” Sunset deadpanned.
“...Oh, right.” The newcomer winced, tilting her ice cream cone and unknowingly spilled over the top scoop.
“On top of that, magic is on the loose here. And it doesn't act the same way it does in Equestria. And lately, I’ve been spending practically 40% of the time thinking about it while the other 40% is about Faust-related stuff.” Sunset sighed. She turned and saw the concerned looks of Starlight and the boys.
“Well...the girls are probably fine. I just might be overreacting...or not? I don’t know anymore.”
“I can relate to that.” Sol nodded as he licked up the last of the steak ice cream, leaving a messy smear around his mouth. “Everything’s gone crazy, we’re still in the dark about Faust, and we have no idea when they’ll strike next.”
“I take it this is the type of problem you wanted to ask Princess Twilight about, huh? Because you can still talk to me about it...if you want.” Sunset debated as she pulled out the journal. “...or you can just journal with Princess Twilight about it. That works too.”
“Sorry. It’s just, I know the girls and I have been given these powers for a reason. And I want to be ready for whatever gets thrown at us...magic-related anyway. We tried against Faust and the Smash, but none of our magic even works on them, and we still don’t know how or why.”
“But that’s why we’re here.” Flash stepped up. “Looking back, it might have been some sort of ploy to use us to purify Fullbottles for Faust, but my mom always said things happened for a reason. Heck, I don’t even know how or why Sol and I are the only ones capable of having a required Hazard Level to use the Rider System. But I do know this. We were given the tools to fight. So when Blood Stalk does pop up again, we’ll be ready.”
Sunset smiled at his reassurance. “Yeah. You’re right. But I guess it’s those sorts of what-ifs that are making me feel like I can’t let my guard down. I can’t really relax. I just end up obsessing over it and can’t get it out of my head.”
Starlight quietly listened while licking her ice scream, processing everything. “Hm...that is a toughie. Guess my advice would be to just trust things will work themselves out in the end. If you spend too much time worrying about the bad things happening, you’ll miss out on all the good things that are happening.”
She then blinked as she noticed her second scoop missing. But then frowned forlornly when she realized it fell on the floor.
“Heh. Like how Twilight’s student is giving me a lesson right now?”
“Yep, like that.” The beanie-clad girl chomped on her frozen treat.
“A-heheh. Come on!” Sunset took her ice cream cone and steered her in the right direction. “Let’s go find the others. I’m sure they’re fine.” As the two went on ahead, the boys hung back, locked in a discussion of their own.
“You know dudes, we should probably take her advice too.” Sandalwood pointed out.
“I wish we could. But things have gotten too quiet. Faust and Stalk might be planning something big and catch us while our pants are down.” Micro pointed out.
“And don’t forget Changemaker.” Flash added. “Remember those Guardians that had their logo? Even though Chrysalis denied it, something just doesn’t sit right with me.”
“You think she’s in on this big conspiracy thing too?” Sol asked as he gobbled up his cone and wiped his mouth.
“It’s possible, but we don’t have any proof. So all we can do is wait.” The musician frowned before shrugging. “Well, at least we get to see the Daring Do movie to pass the time. Plus, the Director said he wanted to talk with us. I wonder what it’s about?”
“Maybe to thank us for saving his niece? She seemed to be doing alright when I last saw her.” The fighter suggested.
“That seems to be the most likely case. But I still don’t know about the private discussion if he just wants to thank us.”
“Maybe it’s an interview about what we went through? Dunno about you guys, but all the craziness that we experienced seems to be something right out of a popular live action franchise.”
“You think that one of the best movie directors in the country wants to interview us for details of all the events, fights, and horrors we had to endure for the past few months?” Micro questioned with skepticism.
“Yes.” Sol nodded bluntly.
“...Sometimes I wonder what your thought process is.”
“Guess we’ll have to see and find out. Just hope everything happens smoothly.”
“I’m sure it’s fine, man...what’s the worst that can happen in the meantime?” Sandalwood asked.
Not even a few seconds later did the screaming begin.
XXXXX
Earlier...
“Um, girls? Do you have any clue where we are or what just happened?” Rarity asked once all six regained their bearings. They were standing in the middle of the cinema lobby. The next thing they knew, they were in the middle of an empty, white void. “...anything?”
“Not to worry girls! Pinkie Pie is on the case!” She reached out and seemed to tilt an invisible panel mid air. “...nope! No wall over here! Come out come out, walls! Wherever you are!” She called as she wandered around the area. She had left the group in one direction, and a few seconds later passed by them again from the other side. “...I don’t get this place. There’s no walls in here anywhere!”
Suddenly, a massive hole opened up in the air above them.
“Somehow, someway, Juniper sucked us all up in that mirror of hers.” Applejack deduced.
“Or maybe some kind of Limbo behind it.” Twilight pointed out.
“I...I think I might be freaking out a little bit…” Fluttershy whimpered.
“....you call that a freak out?” Rainbow questioned, staring at Fluttershy hunkering down whilst holding her arms.
“A deep down inside freak out.” She replied.
“Well….on the plus side, there’s popcorn in here!” Pinkie jumped and several kernels flew out of her hair before landing in her mouth. “Hm...could use some more butter.”
“Oh how could this happen on the evening of my very first movie premiere of all nights?” Rarity lamented. “Curse you, cruel fate!”
“Hey! Not our number one problem here, Rarity.”
“Hm...true. But perhaps we can agree it's in the top five.”
Applejack rolled her eyes before getting back the matter at hand. “Is dere really no way outta here?”
As if to respond, a mass of brown pellets poured through the portal and pelted down on the girls like raindrops.
“Oh my heavens! What’s that?!” Rarity exclaimed as she projected diamond shields to protect herself.
Rainbow used her speed to catch one to examine. “Chocolate covered...almonds?”
Twilight outstretched one of her hands and stopped the almonds mid air.
“Dibs! I call dibs!” Pinkie cheered before gobbling them right out of the air like pac man.
XXXXX
Meanwhile, Juniper used her magic mirror to suck up a box of chocolate covered almonds off the ground. Once she was done, she took another gaze at herself in the vanity piece. As she did, she failed to notice Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer walk into the theater.
Upon seeing her, the bacon-haired girl pulled Starlight to the side out of view. “It’s Juniper Montage…”
“No…” Starlight gasped dramatically. “...who’s that?”
“She’s trouble...sorta...it’s complicated. First she tried to sabotage a movie shoot to try and get the role for Daring Do. But then Stalk came and turned her into a Smash. Things could’ve been worse if Sol hadn’t arrived to stop her. Last I heard she was in the hospital.”
“Well, looks like she’s gotten better.” Starlight pointed out. But Sunset immediately took notice of a familiar item.
“That’s Fluttershy’s beret!” Taking a moment to think, Sunset decided her next course of action. She handed her backpack to Starlight. “Wait here for me.” She ducked out of cover and made her way to Juniper. At that moment, the bespectacled girl saw Sunset approach her through her reflection.
“Oh, Sunset Shimmer. I was wondering when you’d show up.”
“Hi, Juniper. Glad to see you’re up and about. I’m looking for my friends. I don’t suppose you’ve seen them?”
All the aspiring movie star did was giggle in response, her eyes flickering green.
“...Where are they?” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“I’ll never tell~”
“...You don’t have to.” Before she could react, Sunset grabbed Juniper’s arm and her magic went to work.
The first vision depicted a conversation Juniper had with her uncle.
“You’re lucky I managed to get you this job after the stunt you pulled on my set.” Canter Zoom admonished his niece.
“I just wanted to be Daring Do. I just wanted people to like me…” She said dejectedly.
The following memory showed her conversation with Sol. How fame was not it was all cracked up to be.
The next vision showed her what she did to her friends. How they were sucked up in the mirror. And how her eyes flashed a malicious green.
Juniper pulled her arm away. “What are you doing?”
“I know you want people to like you, but you’re going about this all wrong. Trust me, the magic in that mirror is only going to make things worse for you.
“You’re just saying that because you want the mirror for yourself!”
“What I want is my friends back. Please, Juniper. You wished them into that mirror. Maybe there’s a way you can wish them out!”
“And why would I want to do that? So you can ruin my chances at stardom again?!”
“Is that what this is about?” Sunset questioned. “Juniper, we were just trying to help your uncle film the movie. Sure you want to be liked, but don’t you think you went about it the wrong way? And you don’t have to be a movie star for others to like you. Isn’t that like what Sol told you?”
“How...how do you know that?” How did she know that conversation?
“I know you were alone. I was too. Please. Let me and my friends help.” She pleaded.
Juniper wavered. Maybe...maybe Sunset was right. What would Sol say if he knew what she did? He wouldn’t like her anymore. Just when she was about to relent, something stopped her.
‘She’s lying.’
‘She wants the mirror for herself.’
‘She wants to ruin your chances.’
‘Make her pay.’
‘Make her disappear!’
“How...how about you join them?!” With her eyes a glowing viridescent, she activated the mirror and a burst of magic came out. It swallowed Sunset and sucked her into the void.
Starlight, who saw the whole thing, could only gape in horror. “Sunset!” She quickly silenced herself and ducked out of view, narrowly avoiding Juniper’s scanning gaze.
“Well now.” A voice called out. Juniper’s eyes snapped over to the corner of the room. Starlight’s gaze shifted as well in surprise. Where did that guy come from? Was he here the whole time? “Isn’t that an interesting little party trick? Quite useful too.”
“And who are you?” The girl’s eyes narrowed.
“Now now, no need to get hostile.” The man waved his hands in a placating manner. “I was just in the neighborhood and I saw your little fancy trinket. To think it could suck up people you don’t like. I could really use one of those. I’m willing to buy it off you, if you would be so kind.”
“Go get your own. This one is mine.” Her green eyes flared dangerously.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He pushed up his glasses while tossing the wallet away. “That mirror in your hands is undoubtedly unique. I doubt I can find one like it so easily.”
“I said back off, bub. If you don’t want me to make you disappear, go away.” She glared, aiming the vanity piece at him.
“...I see we’re doing this the hard way, huh?” The man sighed as he pulled his hands from his pockets, revealing the items in his grip. Both girls were surprised by the firearm and bottle in his hands. Gizmo Poindexter’s face twisted into a fierce grin. “Now THAT’S more like it!” He inserted a bottle into his newly unveiled Transteam Gun.
“COBRA!”
“Jouketsu!” He held the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger, allowing his body to be consumed by the mist. Any remaining animosity and trepidation vanished from Juniper’s face as the steam cleared, revealing the red-clad figure before her. The only emotion she could feel then was terror, as if she were a small animal being stared down by a predator.
“COBRA!”
“MISTMATCH!”
“CO-COBRA!...COBRA….FIRE!”
“Recognize me now?” Blood Stalk asked in amusement. The bespectacled girl felt her stomach knot in fear. How could she forget? This was the man responsible for what happened back at the studio. Starlight scooted further back in her hiding spot, hoping he wouldn't see her. She recognized the figure based on Twilight’s description of him. What was he doing here?!
“Wh-wh-why are you here?!” Juniper slowly backpedaled. “What do you want?!”
“Like I said earlier, girl. I want your mirror.”
“You can’t have it! It’s mine!” She yelled with a sense of possessiveness that overshadowed her growing terror..
“How stingy. Well, no matter.” Blood Stalk casually pulled out his Transteam Knife and turned the nozzle. “I’ll get it one way or another. And you’re not needed.” He then swung his arm, creating another cloud of gas.
“DEVIL STEAM!”
The corrupted mist flew and surrounded Juniper Montage, who then flailed about in fright. She remembered the feeling all too well, down to her very bones. She never wanted to experience it again. Through the agony, she called out to her one means of salvation.
“Mirror! Make the mist go away!” Juniper cried in a panic. Obeying her commands, the reflective surface glowed before it sucked up all of the Nebula Gas like a vacuum cleaner. In seconds, the air was clear once more.
Blood Stalk tilted his head in confusion. “...Huh. Whaddaya know?” He knew the mirror somehow sucked things up like a vacuum. Yet he had no idea where the absorbed items went. Maybe a pocket dimension?
XXXXX
A bit earlier...
Back in Limbo, Twilight attempted to reach out to the opening with a boost from Applejack to no avail. She soon noticed a glowing red light that rushed towards them. The light materialized as missing friend, who crashed onto the ground.
“Sunset Shimmer!” Twilight cried in joy. She and the others helped the dazed girl onto her feet.
“Hooray!” Pinkie skipped in cheer before glomping Sunset in a hug. “We’re all together again!”
“Wait, if we’re all together, then nobody out there knows where we are!” The bespectacled girl pointed out in panic.
Fluttershy then noticed that not only her’s, but all the girls’ geodes were flashing. “Um, girls?”
“Starlight Glimmer does.” Sunset continued, not hearing Fluttershy’s words. “And it won’t be long until Flash and the others know about it too.”
“Um, girls?”
“You mean Twilight’s Student back in Equestria?”
“How would she know- Oh~!” Pinkie said in realization, sending a knowing grin to Sunset.
“You didn’t…She isn’t...” Twilight spoke with trepidation.
“I kinda told her she could come back with me.” She answered sheepishly.
“Girls?” Fluttershy continued to try and grab their attention.
“Yah really think Princess Twilight would be okay with dat?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t know for sure that she wouldn’t be okay with it.”
“Um, so sorry to interrupt but-!”
“Whoa, check out our geodes!” Rainbow Dash pointed out the strange phenomenon.
“...that’s what I was trying to say…” Fluttershy frowned in exasperation.
Just then, a portal manifested above the girls. But before they could even realize what happened, a torrent of familiar, gray gas spewed through. All seven of them accidentally inhaled the vapors and started coughing wildly before screaming in pain. Their forms glowed briefly before the geodes around their necks glowed brighter. They covered each of their wearers in a protective aura that neutralized and repelled the Nebula Gas.
XXXXX
“...Oh well.” Blood Stalk shrugged, twirling the weapon around his fingers. “More to study on it later, once I rip it out of your cold, dead fingers.”
“S-stay back…” Juniper backpedaled. “Stay away from me!”
“No can do, kiddo. It’s time for you to exit stage left…” He slowly sauntered over to her, unaware of the events transpiring in Limbo.
XXXXX
After what seemed like several minutes, despite only seconds passing, the pain ceased. The girls lay on the ground, gasping for air.
“What...what the heck was that?!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“Was...was dat Nebula Gas?!” Applejack wondered.
“But how is that possible? Was Juniper exposed to another dose of it?”
“Was...was it Blood Stalk again?” The animal lover trembled.
But all questions ceased as the space they were in started to flash different colors while rumbling.
“This...this hasn’t happened before!” Twilight realized.
“Maybe it’s because all seven of us are together now.”
“Is this a good thing or a bad thing?” Applejack’s question was answered as beams of light shot out of their necklaces and struck the portal. The seven colors spread out to the edge before encircling it in a spectral ring.
“I’m going to go with ‘not a good thing.’”
XXXXX
As Juniper backed away from the approaching psychopath, her mirror started to glow. Both her and her reflection were surprised by the rainbow ring of light that encircled the rim before it snaked up her arm. Her body then began to grow. A layer of magic covered her body, transforming her into a twisted, corrupted version of her magical reflection.
She stood at least two meters tall, wearing a dark dress of purple and dark shades of green. Her hair was also styled differently, flowing freely in curled tendrils. Her glasses were gone, now replaced with dark eyeshadow.
“...Huh. The surprises today just keep piling up.” The snake crossed his arms with a tilt of his head. Starlight was equally surprised. She heard of what Equestrian magic could do in this world. But seeing it before her eyes was definitely something.
Initially confused by the changes, once she peered into her reflection, she smiled. “Now everyone will recognize I’m a real star!”
“Eh. Personally, I’d think they’d see you more as a monster.” Blood Stalk pointed out, earning a glare from her. “I mean, you grew by like a meter and look like a typical villain from an old movie of that one famous franchise that’s monopolizing the entertainment industry. What were they called again? Starts with a D…Dish-key? Dizzy...something? Whatever. Anyway, neat transformation trick you got there, kid.”
“So you still want to try and take this from me?!” The now empowered Juniper questioned with a smug grin.
“Hm….nah.” He refused, surprising her and Starlight. He...gave up? Just like that? “As fun as it would be, I think I’ll let today’s stars handle everything.” He snapped his fingers as if to signal something.
“Gyaaaaaagh!” A bunch of people fled in terror past the movie theater, much to the confused shock of Juniper.
“What was that?”
“You’re about to find out soon, my little studio wrecker. Enjoy the blood and terror! Ciao~!” Blood Stalk vanished in a cloud of mist.
“Tch, coward!” Juniper scowled. More curious than before, she walked out of the theater to see what was going on. Starlight tailed after her, hoping things were alright.
But those hopes were dashed by what she saw.
To be Continued...