Band Practice and Exhaustion
The girls had all assembled in the band room where they had been practicing their music for the past few weeks. If they were going to really show the best that they could do at the music showcase. They’d already been working really hard to get where they were, but Rainbow Dash specifically prompted to practice even more than necessary. She wanted to look as awesome as possible. Not that anyone was complaining much, they all enjoyed playing music together and were very optimistic about their upcoming performance.
Sunset however, was not in as cheery a mood as everyone else. After the way the students had looked at her in the gym, she unsurprisingly wasn’t feeling her best. “Uugh, I am never going to live that down” she sighed, sitting on the piano in the room.
“You WERE pretty bad at the Fall Formal.” Fluttershy said, getting her tambourine ready for practice.
“Yeah but…I stopped Screwball from being a menace, that’s something admirable right? I mean come on, the school won’t throw me a bone here.” Sunset said uneasily. She hoped to Celestia that Screwball didn’t hear that last statement as she looked over at her. Luckily, she hadn’t. Screwball had passed out against the wall after eating a few tubs of frosting Pinkie had given her from her locker. She had done that in hopes of keeping Screwball from devouring the poster she made earlier.
And Screwball had gone through all of the frosting.
Without a spoon.
This of course resulted in Screwball’s entire face being covered in it as she slept. The messy sight alone made Rarity cringe in disgust. So she went to her purse, pulled out a baby wipe, and wiped the offending substance off Screwball’s face. “She really can be adorable when she wants to be, but goodness gracious her eating manners are atrocious.” She said.
Screwball winced a little bit from Rarity touching her face and seemed to grunt a little in her sleep. “R-Rgh. Y-You gotta get s-schwifty…” she mumbled, followed by a slight burp.
Sunset only rolled her eyes. She had no clue what Screwball could be dreaming about, but she could guess whatever it was, it was not normal. Then again, normal was boring. She gently nudged the little girl, trying to see if she’d wake up. “Hey, Screwy. Wake up.” She said softly.
Screwball winced again and slowly opened her swirled, purple eyes, blinking a little bit. “Ngh….Sunny, whyyyyy? I’m so tired and I have pig syndrome from all that frostiiiiing.” Screwball whined.
“What? Yer NEVER tired. Yer usually so full of energy and hyper as all heck.” Applejack said with a questioning face.
“That’s only most of the time.” Screwball yawned. “See, I was going home to chew dad out for losing my hat last night and….well….I caught him watching some…very inappropriate things on the internet and…the computer apparently froze on a…very naughty part.” She said with an uneasy face.
Pretty much every girl in the room’s face turned bright red except for Rainbow Dash’s, who was already bursting out laughing. “PFFFHAHAAHA OH MAN THAT’S TOO GOOD! USUALLY IT’S THE DAD WALKING IN ON THEIR KID WATCHING THAT STUFF! PFFF OH MY GOD!” She howled with laughter.
“To be completely honest that’s not what had me disappointed in him the most. No, what DID was the fact that he’s so technologically impaired that he couldn’t get it off the screen….so he had to ask me to get it to go away.” She said with a deadpanned expression. Rainbow’s laughter heavily increased after that, and she had already fallen on the floor trying to contain it.
“O-Oh goodness…is that why you’re so tired? Because you spent all night fixing that?” Fluttershy asked with a consoling hand on Screwball’s shoulder.
Screwball nodded tiredly. “Yeah. I mean, I get the just of how to fix that kind of stuff but news flash dad, just because I’m a kid in this generation doesn’t mean I’ll be able to fix your screw ups on there every single time it happens…nor do I WANT to.” Screwball said, yawning after her last statement.
“Awww. You gonna be alright Screwy? You look like you could just collapse any minute now!” Pinkie Pie asked.
Screwball again nodded tiredly, only this time it was so unmotivated that it looked like her head was attached to her neck only by a thread. “Yeah, I just need to wake myself up and I’ll be golden.” She said, attempting to get up but finding she did not have the strength to do so. “….Um…my legs aren’t listening to me…” she said.
Sunset rolled her eyes and helped her stand up, Screwball nearly stumbling forward and knocking both of them over. If Sunset hadn’t managed to hold her steady she probably would’ve broken something. “Jeez you’re exhausted. Look, just go to the bathroom and throw some cold water on your face, that outta wake you up.” She told her.
‘Because there is no way in heaven, hell, or on Earth that I’m letting Screwball of all people near coffee.’ Sunset thought to herself.
Screwball stumbled her way out of the band room and into the hallway. For a moment it looked like she was gonna collapse right then and there from how aimlessly she was wandering, but she did eventually make it into the bathroom.
Screwball stood at the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair looked like it was a complete mess to the point where she almost would’ve thought a bird had built its nest in there, and her swirled purple eyes were bloodshot and had bags under them. “Jeez, I look like someone’s old, chain-smoking, alcoholic aunt when I don’t get my sleep. Dad you fix your own computer problems from now on.” She said to herself.
She then turned the sink’s water on as cold as it could go. She reached down to it and splashed some of the water on her face. It was absolutely freezing cold, but in this case that’s not a bad thing. The blast of cold water in her face immediately perked her up, though it did make her shiver a little. She then looked back in the mirror and tried to get her hair in order by patting it down with more water.
As she looked at herself in the mirror though, she could hear her friends in the band room across the hall practicing their music.
There was a time we were apart
But that's behind us now
See how we've made a brand new start
And the future's lookin' up, ah-oh, ah-oh
And when you walk these halls
You feel it everywhere
Yeah, we're the Wondercolts forever, ah-oh, yeah!
We are all together
(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)
Now it's better than ever
(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)
You can feel it, we are back (You... can... feel... it...)
And I'm so glad that we're better
Better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
Oh yeah, we're better than ever
Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh
“Heeeey…are they singing a friendship song without me?...granted it sounds sappy as hell but it’s the principals.” Screwball said with a grumpy pout. Truthfully she was really offended they’d start practice without her. She was just about to stomp out and give them a piece of her mind, when she looked back in the mirror and saw a teenage boy come out of one of the stalls and look at her, giving her a very confused and surprised look.
“…..Um, what are you doing in here?” He asked.
Screwball looked at him and deadpanned. “Well duh, I needed to use the sink. And by the way, you’re in the wrong bathroom, you know.” She said.
“…This is the boy’s bathroom.” He responded.
Screwball was about to make an objection of her own but stopped when she realized something terrible. She had been so unbelievably tired that walking into the wrong bathroom was actually in the realm of possibility for her.
And the fact that she had just looked to the side of the bathroom had confirmed her fears. There were urinals there.
Of course, Screwball didn’t waste any time in getting out of there and running back to the band room, with a deep blush on her face from embarrassment. She couldn’t believe she just did that and she was just glad nobody but her and that guy knew about it.
‘O-Okay not my proudest moment’ she thought to herself. She looked up at her friends who had just finished their song and were all looking at her with a confused expression. Screwball returned the same expression when she saw that five out of six of her friends had acquired pony ears, longer hair, and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had wings. The sight didn’t last long though, as all of these disappeared from the girl’s person in a matter of seconds.
“…What the heeeeell?” Screwball asked.
“OH MY GOSH IT’S SO AMAZING, EVERY TIME WE PLAY MUSIC WE GROW PONY EARS AND STUFF, YOU SHOULD’VE SEEN IT!~” Pinkie squeed happily.
Screwball then remembered what she was thinking in the bathroom when she heard them practicing and scowled a little bit. “Yeah. What you couldn’t wait for me to get back?” she asked bitterly.
Sunset could almost immediately tell something was up with Screwball now. She hadn’t seen that kind of sarcastic hostility in her voice in a while. “Hey…Screwball are you alright?” she asked concerningly.
“…Yeah I’m cool.” Screwball said, though it wasn’t quite that convincing.
“…Yeah well uhh…any of ya wonder why that happens? Princess Twilight took her crown back to Equestria, so shouldn’t that mean she took the magic back with her?” Applejack asked.
Rainbow only scoffed. “Who cares why it happens? It makes my band totally awesome!”
“YOUR band?” Rarity asked Rainbow, looking a little offended.
“Duh, it was my idea to start the Rainbooms so we could be in the showcase…plus I’m the lead singer and guitarist.” Rainbow said, pointing to herself and smirking.
Sunset and Screwball both looked at each other with looks that silently said something along the lines of “This can only lead to bad things.”
At that moment, the door to the band room knocked a few times before opening, revealing Flash Sentry on the other side. “Heard you outside. You guys are sounding really tight.” He said, complementing the Rainbooms on their earlier music.
Screwball looked Flash over a little. She wasn’t all that familiar with the guy, though back when she still acted like an evil menace to the school, she had pulled his pants down in the hallway in front of everyone when he wasn’t paying attention. It was one of those things that Screwball kept trying to forget ever happened. Plus for some strange reason whenever she looked at Flash, she could always seem to hear a bunch of loud, angry, prepubescent voices in her head yelling probably the most horrible and grotesque insults she had ever heard in her lifetime.
She hoped to God it was just her subconscious being stupid.
“We’re getting there. Rarity’s still coming in a little late on the second verse, and Applejack’s base solo could use a little work. They’ll get it together in time for the showcase.” Rainbow Dash said confidently. Rarity and Applejack meanwhile had pretty offended looks on their faces at Rainbow’s remark about their music skills.
“I uh, don’t suppose any of our friends from uh…out of town might come? It being a special charity event and all.” Flash asked, looking at the group a little nervous and awkwardly.
The raging voices in Screwball’s head intensified, and it was honestly really starting to wear on her nerves.
“Sorry Flash, I don’t think Twilight’s gonna be back at Canterlot High anytime soon.” Applejack responded.
“Hehe, oh yeah. Okay, just ya know, thought I’d ask. K-Keep on…rockin’ it.” Flash said, trying to back towards the door, but missing and accidently backing into the wall. Flash blushed in embarrassment before finally making his way out of the room..
“…Nobody’s gonna question the fact that that guy basically wants to date a horse?...no? It’s just me then?...m’kay.” Screwball said shrugging. She then quickly realized her mistake when she looked at Sunset, who had a pretty upset look about her now. “…OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY YOU KNOW I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!” Screwball practically yelled frantically, looking really panicked that she might’ve just made her best friend sad. She didn’t know if she made Sunset sad because of mentioning her previous relationship with Flash or if the word “Horse” was a racial slur towards ponies where she was from, but she was really not good seeing her friend like this.
Sunset flinched a little at how sudden and loud Screwball was being over this. “Woah woah, it’s fine! I never actually liked Flash like that. I only used him to get more popular.” Sunset said, immediately looking sad again.
Applejack put a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Hey, what’s important now is that you’ve turned yerself around. Don’ go dwellin’ on the past.” She said, smiling.
Sunset returned her smile, only a little uneasily. “Thanks Applejack, but I’m not sure everyone else at CHS feels the same way.”
Screwball stood next to Sunset and put an arm around her side, pulling her close in for a sort of hug. “Hey, people don’t like me either. So at least if we’re gonna be hated, we’ll be hated together!~” Screwball said with a smile.
“…Gee now I feel complete.” Sunset said sarcastically.
The intercom suddenly came on line with a loud squeak, followed by the sound of Vice Principal Luna’s voice. “Sunset Shimmer, please report to the main foyer” the speaker announced.
Sunset Shimmer perked up a little bit and walked over to the door to the hallway. “Gotta run. I volunteered to show some new students around the school. Thought it’d be good for them to get to know the NEW me before they heard all the stuff about the old me.” She said with a little nervous smile. Before Sunset got the chance to leave the room though, Screwball tugged at her skirt.
“Heeeey, my PR sucks too Sunny. Can I help?” she asked.
Sunset chuckled a little and patted her head. “Of course you can. I can use all the help I can get when it comes to making new friends.” The two of them then smiled at each other as they left the room and headed toward the main foyer. “…By the way, what the heck does it mean to “get schwifty?” Sunset asked.
Screwball only shrugged. “Pfff I dunno.”
“But…you were….never mind.” Sunset said as they approached the main foyer, where they saw a three girls, who appeared to be about Sunset’s age slightly hidden in the darkness. One of them was a blue-skinned girl with a dark blue ponytail who seemed to be smiling giddily, another was a purple-skinned girl with purple hair with light blue highlights in it, and in the middle of them was a yellow-skinned girl with curly orange hair with yellow highlights; both her and the purple skinned girl were smirking maliciously.
“Hi, are you the girls we’re supposed to show around?” Sunset asked them.
The girls stepped forward out of the shadows and into the light. “We are~” the yellow girl said, her smirk growing ever-wider.
As Screwball looked onward at the three girls, instead of intimidation of the yellow girl’s smile or being disturbed at how they were just threateningly waiting in the shadows for them, only one thought came to mind.
‘Wow…their hair is ridiculous.’
Fun fact: A lot of the humor that comes out of Screwball in this particular story, as well as the prequel to it, is thought of on the spot as I write.
Anyway, the Dazzlings have entered the picture now. 
As usual, comments are appreciated. 
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and now that the Dazzlings are here...
Da Magicks may begin.many of my favorite characters in the same area. WOO!
Get Schwifty
Now you MUST have her sing another certain dong during the showcase
I believe it goes
"Head bent over! Raise that posterior!"
She has a point.
Heh.
Oh geez.
That'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic.
Good idea.
Quite.
Sadly, no.
Relax, you can say you were just horsing around.
Of course.
It really is.
6693004 no have her sing the moon men song!!!!!!!!!!!!
6694890 No, Head bent over
BUT! Have Discord sing Moon Men!
6695040 his voice WOULD be perfect for that song...
Didn't know Screwball was connected to the internet
You know what time it is?
TIME TO GET SCHWIFTY.
Noice rick and morty reference