//------------------------------// // S4 CH 11: Not Today // Story: The Story of Twilight Glow // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// “Power… was all I desired,” Sunset sang, letting the words come from her heart. “Pfft, and she failed,” Adagio said with a smirk before she started to walk towards the stage. “Come on, girls, let’s show her the real show.” “But all that grew inside of me was the darkness I acquired,” Sunset sang, her hands gripping the microphone so tightly they were going white. ------ Rainbow lightly bounced the soccer ball with her knees, moving it easily from side to side in rapid succession. Far faster than most could even imagine, let alone ever try to match. Yeah, she was awesome. Nobody could ever deny that. “Hey, Rainbow?” Sunset called out. “GAH!” Rainbow yelped before instinctively kicking the ball. It flew at the girl’s head and she barely managed to duck down in time to avoid it. “Y-yeah, I probably deserved that,” Sunset said sheepishly. “Do you have a moment?” “Ugh, what do you want, Sunset?” Rainbow asked before walking past her to get her ball. “Going to go all demon-like and try to mind control me again? Cause wasn’t really a huge fan of that the first time.” “No,” Sunset said. “That was… I… I need to tell you about something I did.” “Worse than the whole flying demon thing?” Rainbow asked. “Cause that’s a pretty big bar to jump, even for me.” “Yes,” Sunset said. “It’s about your friends.” Rainbow paused for a moment, holding her ball in her hands but not bouncing it yet. “Who?” “I guess I should start with Applejack,” Sunset said before sighing, a hand lifting up to rub her arm nervously. ------ “When I began to fall and I lost the path ahead,” Sunset sang, a few small tears in her eyes. She looked out over the sea of silent, green-eyed people. So many people she’d hurt. So many who hated her. She’d done so much wrong, could she do this right? “That’s when your friendship found me and it lifted me instead.” ------ “Rarity?” Sunset asked. “GAHHHH!” Rarity shrieked, nearly tearing the fabric she had been sewing. “Sunset? What do you want? Whatever… whatever madness, whatever scheme you’ve got in mind I want NO part in it. None. Are we clear?” “I… well, no,” Sunset said. “L-listen, I know after the… whole, err. The mind control thing…” “What?” Rarity asked. “Oh, that. Yes, I suppose that was… quite the ordeal. Though only the second worst thing you’ve ever done to me. I really must get back to--” “Please,” Sunset said. “This is important. I know I’m… really not your favorite person right now. Especially, err, after… the uhhhh… when last time we competed against each other. Listen, if you never want to talk to me again after this, I understand.” She put down the yearbook, opening it to a picture of Rarity and her friends. “I need to talk with you about them.” Rarity gave a light hmph. “I’m not sure what you have scheming in that--” “It’s my fault,” Sunset said. “All of it. The reason you five don’t talk anymore.” Rarity blinked a few times before cocking her head to the side and eyeing her. “How could you be responsible for that?” Sunset sighed before nervously clearing her throat, she supposed soon the mind control thing would be known as the third worst thing she’d ever done to her. Oh, this one was going to hurt too, wasn’t it? She’d rather have gotten hit by another soccer ball. ------ “Like the phoenix burning bright in the sky,” Sunset sang. She’d shown them all the monster she could be. The hurt she could cause. But now she had to show them she could be better. She would be better. She wasn’t that person anymore. “I’ll show there’s another side of me you can’t deny.” ------ “AHHHH!” Fluttershy yelled shrieked, nearly falling out of her chair. “Fluttershy? I haven’t said anything yet,” Sunset said. Fluttershy let out another, even louder shriek. “S-Sunset? I… I’m not… I didn’t, I-I’m sorry!” Sunset gave a soft sigh and wished she could do this one in a letter. She actually wished she could do them all that way. “Trust me, if anybody here should be apologizing, it’s me. I… have something I need to tell you. Then I’ll leave, okay? You’ll never have to see me again. I promise.” “O-okay,” Fluttershy said softly. “It’s about your friends,” Sunset said. “And what I did to all of you.” ------ “I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say,” Sunset sang. She would be better. She refused to be that person again. She’d learned from her mistakes. She would never, ever make anyone feel that way again. “That my past does not define me. Because my past is not today.” ------ “Hey, Pinkie?” Sunset asked. “Hiiiii Sunset,” Pinkie said. “Want a cupcake?” “I uhhh, I don’t think I deserve a cupcake,” Sunset said. “Probably not,” Pinkie said. “But they’re called cupcakes, not deserved cakes.” Sunset took a slow, deep, pained inhale. “Ow. Yeah. Uhhhh. I’m… kind of a monster, huh?” “Well, not anymore,” Pinkie said with a light giggle. “You were for a bit, though. Well, more a demon actually. Wings were a nice touch, though.” “Thanks,” Sunset said, barely suppressing her sarcasm. “I uhhh… need to talk with you about your friends.” “Oh, I know,” Pinkie said. “They told me already.” “They did?” Sunset asked. “So… you’re talking again?” “Yup!” Pinkie said. “That’s a relief. I guess this means I don’t need to tell Applejack then, huh?” Sunset asked. “Well, you don’t need to,” Pinkie said. “But you probably should. You didn’t NEED to tell any of us, did you?” Sunset gave a soft sigh before nodding. “Yeah. I… I guess I should, huh? Pinkie?” “Yeah, Sunset?” Pinkie asked. “I know it won’t ever be enough, but I’m sorry,” Sunset said. “Eh, it’s fine. We’re a really forgiving group,” Pinkie said. “So, cupcake?” “You know what? I’d like-- grrk,” Sunset said before choking on the cupcake nearly forced down her throat. Yeah, she figured she’d probably deserved that one too. ------ “Ambition. It’s what I believed,” Sunset sang, closing her eyes though she felt the tears go down her face. She’d been so lost, then. So trapped. So… stuck in her beliefs. So wrong. “Would be the only way to set me free.” ------ “Sunset,” Applejack said, her arms crossed and glaring at the other girl. “Applejack,” Sunset said, her eyes lowered. She couldn’t look the girl in the eyes, not now. “I hear you have something you need to tell me,” Applejack said. “Yeah,” Sunset said before sighing. “I uhhhh, heard the others told you? So ummmm…” “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me everything you did?” Applejack asked. “Just in case they forgot anything.” Sunset let out another sigh. So much for getting off light this time. Not that she didn’t deserve it. ------ “But when it disappeared and I found myself alone,” Sunset sang. “That’s when you came and got me and it felt like I was home.” ------ Sunset sighed, slowly cleaning the remains of the smoke bombs out of her locker. She’d done the right thing, she reminded herself. She’d done what she had to do. As far as she knew, there wasn’t anyone else she’d tricked and needed to confess to. Granted, it still included like half the school. She really wished there had been a less painful way to go about it. About the only people who would even look at her anymore were Snips and Snails. That and she was really tired of having to dig her gym shoes out of the trash, or finding her locker filled with sea weed or whatever other ‘prank’ she found herself the target of. The old her might have been angry and tried to destroy whoever was doing it, but she didn’t feel mad. She just felt sad. Alone. Maybe she could request a transfer. Crystal Prep was a nice enough school. It might be nice to have one person who didn’t hate her, even if that girl was usually so busy they barely saw each other anymore. It might be worth it to not walk into a room and have everyone look at her like they wished they could peel her off their shoe. Then again, after what happened she could barely work up the courage to talk to Sparkle anymore. All of their meetings were so awkward. She knew they should talk about what happened, but neither of them seemed able to work up the courage. She really wished she had somebody, anybody, she could ask advice from. Maybe that one weird girl. Glow. She’d seemed nice. She supposed she’d need to tell Glow how she’d tricked her too, though. “Oh Celestia,” Sunset said softly. “What I wouldn’t give to be able to send you a letter.” But telling everybody here what she had done was one thing. Even if Celestia was back, she didn’t think she could face her again. Not after all she’d done. The only place worse than here right now would probably have been back in Canterlot. “I don’t know,” Rainbow said, making her jump. “Sending letters to the principal seems a bit weird.” “Rainbow?” Sunset asked. “Sorry. Whatever else I did, I’m sorry.” “We know, we get it,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “We were all here for the ‘Sunset’s a giant, obnoxious, pain in the butt apology tour’. And, well… I gotta admit. That took guts. Going through everybody in school, knowing we’d all hate your guts after? That we’d want to throw you down the stairs? Doing it anyway? That’s some determination. Annnnnd… kind of awesome. A little awesome.” “What’s she’s trying to say,” Rarity said with a small smile. “Is we wouldn’t mind if you’d like to have lunch with us today.” “On account of nobody else wanting anything to do with you,” Pinkie said. “As a… thank you for doing the right thing,” Applejack said. “Even if it took you a while to get there. A long, long while.” Sunset sighed before closing her locker. “I… appreciate it. Really, I do. But you don’t need to force it. This is all my fault, anyway. If I didn’t want to have everyone hate me, I shouldn’t have been so easy to hate.” “Probably,” Fluttershy said softly, earning a few glares from her friends. “But you’re trying to be better. And everyone makes mistakes, yours were just… bigger.” “And explosive,” Rainbow said. “And apparently involving other worlds,” Applejack said. “Honestly you’re lucky you weren’t expelled or anything,” Pinkie said. “Celestia’s reallllllly forgiving. Maybe you SHOULD send her a letter.” “The point is, darling,” Rarity said. “Is we’re extending an olive branch. You don’t have to take it, but… you may need to.” Sunset gave a soft sigh. Well, it wasn’t like anyone else was going to give her a shot. “Okay. That sounds… nice.” “Who knows?” Applejack said. “Maybe we can get to know each other. You can tell us about that weird place you were from.” “Equestria?” Sunset asked. “It’s… a little weird. I was a pony there.” “Oh, that sounds much nicer than being a demon,” Fluttershy said. “I’d have liked you more if you were a pony.” “I wasn’t a good pony,” Sunset said before giving a sigh. “Trust me.” “Well, there’s no time like the present,” Rainbow said. “So enough of this sappy stuff. It’s just lunch, no big deal. Okay? Okay.” But it had ended up being so much more than that to her. ------ “Like the phoenix burning bright in the sky,” Sunset sang, opening her eyes again. Was it her imagination? Had some of the green left their eyes? Were they staring at her, seeing the real her? Some of them knew her. Some of them she had hurt. Could they forgive her? “I’ll show there’s another side of me you can’t deny.” ------ Sparkle hugged her books to her chest, keeping her eyes down. It had been almost a week since that other version of her had left. She wanted to ask so many questions. But there were none she could ask. It all felt so normal now. She felt mundane. There was a whole other world, one with magic and things she could never imagine. She’d finally found someone she could really understand and even bond with. Talk with. Yet it had all disappeared after only a few short days. Most of which was sent preparing to help her. Sparkle couldn’t deny it. She felt lonely now. Like she had lost something she didn’t realize she’d wanted. She wanted to bother her brother about it, but he and Cadence had enough to worry about without her bothering them with her little moments of loneliness. Crystal prep had never felt so empty. Surrounded by students. Maybe it was time she tried to learn in a different way. Having a study buddy had been fun. She took a slow, deep breath before her eyes fell on Sour Sweet. The girl had been… Well, she wasn’t exactly nice. But she had let her come with them on their little prank of Canterlot High. Probably only because she’d caught them. And she’d been left behind… again. But that was kind of like bonding, right? Sparkle took another deep breath before walking towards Sour Sweet. “H-hey. Ummm, Sour--” “And then I was--” Sour Sweet stopped and glanced over towards Sparkle, before rolling her eyes. “Oh, gee. It’s soooooo great having the teacher’s pet just butt in the middle of my story. What do you want?” she asked. “Err,” Sparkle said softly. “I-I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just, um, I-I was, sorry. I’ll wait.” “Oh nooooo,” Sour Sweet said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I wouldn’t want somebody as important as you to have to wait. What do you want?” “I, I thought, err, maybe you might, I…” “Can you get on with it?” Sour Sweet asked. “I was curious if, ummm, later you’d like to… maybe… study together or something?” Sparkle asked softly, her cheeks going a little red. Sour Sweet stared at her for a few moments before rolling her eyes again. “Oh, gee, aren’t you so sweet willing to offer your brilliance to someone as stupid as me? However would I get by without someone as generous as you to help me?” she asked in the most fake happy voice. “You hear that, girls? Aren’t we sooooo lucky that Principal Cinch’s star pupil is willing to lower herself to help us?” “W-what?” Sparkle asked. “I-I didn’t mean it like that, I, I just thought, I… I just…” “What?” Sour Sweet asked. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt the little protege’s feel—” She was cut off when she was grabbed by her shoulder and turned around. She stared up at a very annoyed looking girl who was looking at her as if she was contemplating how to tear her apart. Physically and emotionally. Sour Sweet wilted, just a little, and wished the girl would let her shoulder go. “You got a problem with Twilight?” Sunset asked. “Uhhhhh… who are--” “I asked you a question,” Sunset said, yanking the girl a little closer. Sour Sweet opened her mouth to say something backhanded, only to pause. Unlike Sparkle, this girl looked like she was ready to throw down already. Worse, she didn’t recognize her at all. “What, a problem with lil miss perfect? Gee wiz, not at--” The words died in her throat when Sunset leaned in closer and gave her a not at all friendly grin. “No… no problem, ma’am.” “Good,” Sunset said before letting her go. “Now how about you run along. I need to talk to someone smart and you obviously don’t fit the bill. While you’re at it, why don’t you lay off Twilight? Otherwise, you and me? We’re going to have a problem.” Sunset walked around her, pausing when they were side by side. “And trust me. You don’t want us to have a problem.” She then walked to Twilight and smiled. “Hey, Twilight Sparkle, right?” “Uhhhh, y-yes. Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said nervously. “Err, Sunset Shimmer, right?” “Yeah. I want you to have a look at some things for me. Just a little favor for your new friend,” Sunset said before putting an arm around her shoulder and walking away with her. “You really kind of chickened out there,” one of Sour Sweet’s friends said. “Shut up, Sugar Coat,” Sour Sweet said before shaking her head. ------ “I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say,” Sunset sang, throwing everything she had into this last moment. She begged for them to wake up. To snap out of it. She’d made so many mistakes, messed up so many times. Please, please let this be the time she did things right. “That my past does not define me. Because my past is not todayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” ------ “Sunset?” Sparkle asked, staring at her friend. “I’m not so sure about this.” “I know,” Sunset said with a small smirk. “That’s why I’m doing it.” “But—” Sparkle said, before getting cut off. “I get it,” Sunset said. “You’ve never really handled magic. But me? I’ve been doing it since I was a foal. I like to roll up my sleeves and really get my hooves, err, I mean my hands dirty. This right here? This is going to get messy.” She held up the compact. She could feel the magic, the power, inside. Waiting for her. It was time for her destiny to finally come. She really had to give it to Sparkle, she’d have never managed it without her. “But what if it’s dangerous?” Sparkle asked. “What if you get hurt?” Sunset paused and glanced over at her. She gave a small smile and then reached out, flicking her nose. “Relax, Twilight. I know what I’m doing. Don’t… worry...” She trailed off and felt, for the first time since she’d arrived here, doubt. She looked down at the compact. She then glanced to the other girl. They’d had so much fun together. Studying, learning, experimenting with the old Equestrian artifacts. For the first time she wondered if, just maybe, she didn’t need power. What if it wasn’t what she had been looking for all along? She then rolled her eyes. Right. As if she’d ever chicken out at the last minute. She was many things, but she was NOT a quitter. She was not going to let a bit of jitters stop her from getting what she deserved. “Twilight, relax. I’ll be fine. We’ve come too far just to stop now. Besides, don’t you want to know what’ll happen?” “I… I guess,” Sparkle said. “Good,” Sunset said before opening the compact. The magic formed a small, red sphere for a moment. Perfect. She could-- Then the magic enveloped her arms. She could feel it. She could feel all of it. It hurt. It hurt so much. It grew and began to envelop her, wrapping her in its burning light. Tears started to flow from her eye. She couldn’t control this. No, she wasn’t ready. She’d never been ready. Not for this. Was this what Celestia had tried to protect her from? Was this what her mentor had tried to teach her to control? She could feel it washing over her, soon covering all over her and burning away her tears. Then it felt as if it was burning away her very soul. She would have more. She would bind all of them to her will. She could see the students starting to come out, curious as to the commotion. No. No no no. Run away. Run. Bow. She’d wanted power. Now she had it. Now it was time for her to take everything she’d ever desired. Below she caught sight of Twilight and realized her friend wouldn’t be spared. She desperately tried to regain a little control. “R-run,” Sunset begged her. “P-please, run.” The red light glowed brighter and the power took hold, focused on the thing she had wanted more than anything else. Where once Sunset Shimmer had stood, now she flew above all. A monster. A demon. A power none of them could understand. So beyond what she had been. Sun Shatterer. She laughed before holding out her hand and unleashing her wrath on the world around her. She would have control. She would have power. She would be glorious. ------ Sparkle stared at her friend. This was her fault. This was all her fault. She knew this was wrong. She knew this was a bad idea. Why hadn’t she stopped it? She’d never forget that look of pain on Sunset’s face. The way the magic burned away her tears. Wasn’t there anything she could do? Sparkle slowly walked towards the compact, kneeling down to pick it up. She’d been so happy, so excited. She’d finally had a friend. A person who seemed to not just understand her little tangents, but enjoyed them. More than that, Sunset had even reached out to help her. She’d always been one to wilt away and hide. Sure, Sunset wasn’t always the nicest person around, but she definitely had that softer side. Even if Sunset sometimes talked down to her, she never let anyone else do it. She’d also shown an odd amount of care whenever Twilight got a bit too absorbed in work, making sure she’d eaten and got sleep. Those moments were always interspersed with comments like ‘what would you do without me?’ and ‘geez, you should be smart enough to take care of yourself’, but they were still there. Twilight clenched the compact. She’d even started to question some of the things Principal Cinch had said to her. Told her. Demanded of her. She knew she was being used, but she’d become used to that. But Sunset had been the first one to seem to see something beyond what she could get from her. Or maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe she’d just been blinded by so many questions about magic and wanting to understand. In the end was this the real Sunset? This demon? This thing taking over the minds of the students of this school? She looked down at the compact and then up at her friend. ‘Run,’ Sunset had said. No. There was good there. This demon wasn’t her friend. Her friend was in there. Her friend had tried to save her. Maybe… Sparkle stared down at the compact once more. “SUNSET!” “Sunset?” the demon called before laughing. “No, no longer. I am Sun Shatterer! Future princess, no, a queen!” Sparkle gulped before holding the compact up and opening it once more. She’d captured the magic once, she could do it again. Sun Shatterer laughed. The device tried to take her power, but she resisted its pull with ease. “I see. I suppose I did need to deal with you eventually, didn’t I?” Red magic gathered around her hands. “You’ll serve me well.” Twilight’s legs began to shake. Only a few wisps seemed to be going into the compact, not nearly enough to stop this. So this was her friend after all. In the end, she’d just been used again. She closed her eyes and waited, not sure what would happen now. “Twilight,” Sun Shatterer said, her voice strained. Twilight looked up. Sun Shatterer stared down at her, her eyes sizzling from tears that burned away as fast as they fell. “R-run,” Sun Shatterer pleaded with her. “I-I can’t… control… Please. G-get out of here.” Twilight stared at her and, despite the situation, her heart soared. Sunset really had been her friend. “Sunset! I know you’re in there! I know you can fight this!” she yelled. “Please. Fight this! I know you can do it!” Sun Shatterer raised her hands and gave a furious roar before throwing down a blast of red magic at her friend. At her minion. At her friend. ------ Sunset stared out over the sea of faces staring back at her. Glowing green eyes showing their bound wills. She supposed it made sense, though. If there was one thing she’d learned about magic, it was that she shouldn’t be using it. She couldn’t control it. Without her friends, she was helpless. Last time she’d tampered with it, Sparkle had been there to save her. She didn’t entirely know how the egghead had done it, but she knew she’d never be able to thank her enough for stopping her. Now she’d never get the chance to return the favor. She sunk to her knees. “I’m so sorry… everyone. I can’t do this.” “Oh, a decent enough attempt,” Adagio said waving her hand dismissively. “Alas, your song was just passable. Though that’s being generous.” “Oh, I don’t know,” Sonata said. “I kind of liked it.” “Ugh, you’re the worst,” Aria said. “Now, girls,” Adagio said before climbing up the steps onto the stage. “As much fun as this has been, why don’t we show her real music?” She held up the compact. “If it’s any consolation, nobody will ever remember just how badly you failed.” Pinkie’s hand darted out, swiping the compact from her and leaving the girl standing there for a few moments, staring at an empty hand. “Oh, I don’t know, I thought it was pretty good!” She then tossed the storage device over her shoulder. “Sunset, catch!” “W-what?” Sunset asked before giving a yelp, barely managing to catch the compact, nearly dropping it twice before getting a solid grip on it. “P-Pinkie? Where did you, when did you, what? You’re… free?” “You know, you never told us you could sing,” Rainbow said before tapping her on the shoulder and then offering her a hand when she turned around. “Cheesy, a bit sappy, but I guess I kind of liked it. I would have gone with something a biiiiit more awesome, but phoenixes are good enough.” “R-Rainbow? O-oh, right. Here,” Sunset said before moving to put the compact into her hand. Rainbow ignored it and instead grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet. “You know, Sunset,” Rarity said from behind Rainbow, her arms crossed and looking quite huffy. “You’re quite an awful person to make an enemy of.” “Buuuuut you ain’t half bad to have on our side,” Applejack said, stepping up besides Rarity, a smirk on her lips. “Did… you really mean all that?” Twilight asked. “When ummm… did you really feel… like…” Sunset stared at her friends, trying to stop new, happy tears from falling. “I-I’m so sorry I caused all this. If I hadn’t… if I hadn’t tampered with magic like that… none of this would have happened.” “And we forgive you,” Fluttershy said before glaring at the three sirens. “We’ll forgive you too AFTER we kick your butts for being such meany heads!” Adagio stared at them for a few moments before glancing to the instruments set up on the stage and then the compact. Slowly a grin formed on her lips. “Do you really think you’ve got us beat that easily?” “Ummmm, Adagio? They have the stored magic now,” Sonata said. “So? They can’t use it,” Adagio said before glancing out over the crowd. “You managed to free some of your friends, which I’ll admit is… annoying. But you weren’t strong enough to break the entirety of our spell and I don’t think you’ll be having an encore.” She lifted her hands up. “Now then. I believe it’s our turn. Ah ahh…” “Ah ahh…” Aria and Sonata sang in unison. “Uhhhhh,” Pinkie said nervously. “I don’t suppose you have another song in there, do you Sunset?” “W-what?” Sunset asked. “T-that was supposed to be all of you! T-that was why I had to free you! So you could use the magic and save everyone!” “Welcome to the show,” the three sirens sang in unison. “We’re here to let you know. Our time is now. Your time is running out.” The waves of magic music washed over them, making their knees shake. “G-get to the instruments!” Sunset yelled. “I-it’s their magic. We need to sing over them!” “Feel the wave of sound as it crashes down,” the sirens sang. Waves of magic rippled off from them while their necklaces glowed bright red. “You can’t turn away. We’ll make you want to stay.” Waves of magic washed over the seven, driving them to their knees. “We will be adored, tell us that you want us. We won’t be ignored, it’s time for our reward. Now you need us, come and heed us. Nothing can stop us nooooooow!” The three sang while Adagio smirked and walked towards the girls, her amulet glowing even brighter red while the girls struggled to get near the instruments. Sunset struggled to reach for the microphone, only to have a foot pushed against her shoulder and then shove her back into her friends. The compact fell from her hands and landed in front of the siren and she didn’t hesitate, scooping it up in a single movement before opening it. Red magic washed over her and then spread to the three, their amulets glowing ever brighter as their singing cries filled the air. “What we have in store? All we want and more.” The three began to float in the air, wings of magic appearing on their backs. “We will break on through! Now it’s time to finish you!” The magic rippled between the three amulets as their voices rose higher and higher. The three sirens rose their hands up and over their heads. Three finned pony-like creatures materialized from their amulets and rose up above them a moment later, circling in the sky and reveling in their new power. Moondancer stared, her eyes wide. She thought Sunset had done it. Her friends were free, all they had to do was counter sing. But they needed time. That was the whole reason to bring her friends here to being with. Now? They needed help. There had to be something they could do. She looked to Bon Bon for a moment before reaching out and grabbing her hand. “Bon Bon?” “Huh?” Bon Bon asked before shaking her head. “What?” “Come on!” Moondancer yelled before running forward, holding her friend’s hand. She reached into the bag once more, pulling the Elements of Harmony out. All five gems were glimmering now, though some of them kept flickering in and out. She didn’t know what that meant, but she knew she had to do something. They had to do something while the sirens were distracted by their new power. She couldn’t use the Elements, fine. But maybe they could. She ran to the edge of the stage and held out the Elements to her. “Sunset!” Moondancer yelled. “Take these!” “W-what?” Sunset asked. “I can’t! I told you, I’m not supposed to have magic! Last time I almost hurt everyone!” “You have to!” Moondancer yelled. “You’re the only one who can!” “Well, somebody better!” Rainbow yelled. “Twilight, you stopped me,” Sunset said, turning to her friend. “You can do it.” Twilight stared at her, her mouth falling open. “W-what? No… no I didn’t.” “What?” Sunset asked. “I never stopped you,” Twilight said. “But… you had the stored magic,” Sunset said. “You saved me!” “No,” Twilight said. “I didn’t. You stopped yourself. When everything went wrong, I couldn’t save you! I couldn’t, only you could!” A cry from above told Moondancer they’d run out of time. She turned to see the sirens now looking at them again, cruel smiles on their faces. She couldn’t believe it. They were going to be destroyed or worse if Sunset didn’t do it. “SUNSET!” Moondancer yelled. “Stop being an idiot and take this! You used the magic, I know it’s scary! But you’re not doing it alone! Your friends are here!” She looked up and saw the three sirens combining their magic before unleashing waves of magic at them. Sunset reached out and took the Elements. Finally. Moondancer only barely managed to suppress the urge to yell at the girl for being so daft. So what if she failed once? With her friends she could-- The magic washed over them and she collapsed against the stage, letting out an agonized scream as it washed over her. She could see Sunset clutching the Elements, trying to get them to do something. “JUST WORK!” Sunset yelled. “DO SOMETHING!” she yelled before slamming the Elements on the ground. The Elements sparkled for a moment before, finally, there was a flash of light. Suddenly they were falling. Moondancer landed on a coffee table, though it collapsed a moment later. “O-ow…” she said softly. A moment later she heard the sound of others dropping into the strange room with her. It was better than being crushed under magical siren music, at least. She laid there for a few moments before looking around. She was a pony again. She looked up and saw a strange, circular rift in the ceiling above, opening to the sky of the human world. The three sirens had landed on top of each other in the strange living room with them, no longer human but instead in their actual siren forms, staring down at her and the others. “O-oh dear,” Moondancer said. “O-okay, everypony! S-stay calm, it… what?” she said when she focused on the others. Bon Bon was a pony. So was Sunset Shimmer, who was holding the Elements in her hooves. She had also, to Moondancer’s mild annoyance, managed to land on a couch. The six girls, however? They were human. Then, after a moment, Sunset was a human. Then after a few more moments she was a pony. Then a human. “C-can somebody--” Pony. “Please make this--” Human. “Stop?!” Pony. Okay, so they weren’t in Equestria. Or the human world. Where were they? “I swear,” an all too familiar voice said before the Elements were picked up, out of Sunset’s hooves. The blue gem started to shine before going entirely dim. “It’s bad enough the tree starts bothering me for help, now this overdone decorative piece?” Discord asked before shaking his head. “I can’t solve all of your problems, you know. I’m not some deus ex draconequus.” “Ahhhh—” the sirens started before zippers appeared over their mouths. “MMMMPH!” “Make—” Sunset the human said. “It--” Pony. “Stoooooop!” Human. Discord rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. A moment later Sunset was just a pony. She groaned and collapsed, falling off the couch. “Better?” he asked in a mildly annoyed tone. “M-much,” Sunset said before looking up at him. “Wait. I recognize you. You’re… you’re...” “Discord, Lord of Chaos and Disharmony?” he asked with a smirk. “One of the palace's lawn ornament?” Sunset asked. Discord blinked a few times before sighing. “And this is what happens when you leave the best character out of the script. Well, then. Since it seems I now have a bunch of uninvited guests, I suppose I’ll put some tea on.” He snapped his fingers and an apron appeared on him. “Do try not to clean up or anything, I just dirtied the place up and it’s so hard to keep things properly messy around here.” He then tossed the Elements back onto Moondancer, the tailring bouncing off her head and rolling along the ground before she grabbed it. “Oh, and congratulations, Moondancer. You apparently did slightly better this time. I’ll give you a, ohh… D+. Not a passing grade, but shows improvement.” “W-what? I’ve never gotten a D before!” Moondancer said. “I-is there any extra cre-- wait, what? I… what? I… I didn’t even do anything.” She blinked a few times before glancing to the annoyed sirens who were trying to unseal their mouths. This… this was better, right? Sunset just looked confused, staring at her. “Is this… better… or worse… than the demon thing?” “Better, I think,” Moondancer said. “You really ARE unicorns!” Fluttershy said excitedly. “Maybe better,” Moondancer said with a little squeak. “At least nopony landed on me this time.” She then glanced down at the Elements. They’d only kind of worked this time, but they had done something. Yet Discord said she’d done better. Was that just more of his taunting? Or was this the first step towards finally understanding them?