01: Suspicion. (Re-edit)
Chapter 01: Suspicion
Rain poured down all over Canterlot city; lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the sky above. Cars drove by on the wet roads, and the streetlights glowed on the sidewalks and roads, illuminating the street and lighting the way for all who walked by. The sound of a child's coughing filled the ears of all who walked by with their umbrellas open to keep dry, oblivious to the turquoise eyes that watched them pass from a cardboard box, close to a bench which sat by a wall.
The child whose eyes watched the adult pass, hugged her knees, her hair a tangled mess which covered her face, and her clothes like rags. She had no emotion other than sadness, despair and loneliness. She was as silent as the dead, and if noticed, would surely look like she had died. But no one noticed, no one cared.
The girl simply sat there, unwanted, unloved, neglected, abandoned and alone. Her eyes grew heavy, and slowly the child's head came to rest on her knees, there she fell asleep. The rain continued to patter down all through the night and into the morning, where it was slowly coming to rest.
It was at this time, out in the countryside suburbs of Canterlot City, close to the Apple farms and orchards, that the girl with fire-colored hair had gotten up and out of bed.
Sunset Shimmer yawned and stretched her arms, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the light of her room. Her hair was a tangled mess, her clothes creased and loose. Her digital alarm clock beeped, its lights flashing until she brought down her hand, hitting the top of it with her fist before letting out another yawn.
She sighed and got up out of her bed, and showered quickly. She paced herself, a stop watch was running on her bedside table. She finished, dried and dressed in her usual attire.
“Ah! Much better.” She sighed, turning to a mirror to look at herself. Though cleaned and dried, her hair was still a mess.
She cringed at this, slowly but carefully with gentle care, she brushed the long strands of fiery hair which shone brightly in the light. Once it was finished, she turned to her bedside table and hit stop on the watch.
“Twenty five minutes…” She sighed. “Better, but not perfect.”
She left the stop watch where it was once writing down her time on a piece of paper with all sorts of times written in rows on it. She left her bedroom and sat against the railing of her staircase. She slid down it, laughing while she did than finally hopping off when she reached the bottom. A cell phone rang on the kitchen table, and as she was entering, she reached for it and flipped it open.
“Good morning, Pinkie Pie,” Sunset said in a cheerful tone of voice.
“Good Morning, Sunset!!! I wanted to ask if you were going to come shopping with us this afternoon? Are you up for it? Are you? ARE YOU?!?!” Pinkie spoke very loudly and very quickly.
Sunset blinked and thought about it. "Well... I suppose I could... But don't expect me to spend a lot. I’ve only got so much left.”
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie replied with much joy.
“What was stopping you from asking me at school?” She leaned against the counter, her arm wrapped across her stomach.
“Well...” Pinkie started. “At first I was, but then I thought ‘What if you forget, Pinkie?’ So listening to my own advice, I decided to call you and ask instead!”
Sunset chuckled. “Sounds like an idea.”
“It does, doesn't it?!” the over enthusiastic teen asked. “Oh! By the way, did you manage to beat Rainbow’s wake up preparation time?”
Sunset sighed and banged her forehead on the table. “No, I got twenty five minutes... again…”
“And that’s all you’re gonna get, sleepy head! I hope you’re ready for our new song set to debut today!”
“Rainbow Dash?! Uh.. yeah I’ll be ready, don’t you worry.”
“Good, that’s what I want to hear. Catch you at school.” What followed was the sound of Pinkie reaching for the cell phone and giggling loudly.
“Sorry about that, Rainbow came by this morning. Anyway, I'll see you at school. Byyyeee!!!” And with that, Pinkie Pie hung up.
Sunset closed her phone and sighed, letting out a slight chuckle. “Guess I can't argue with them once plans are made, and now I have to go shopping with her, can't bail now.” She smiled brightly, putting her phone away and prepared a simple breakfast.
While she ate her mind turned to the emptiness of her home and how quiet it got. It brought on feelings of loneliness which bothered her greatly. She swallowed what she had scooped into her mouth and held her head between her hands.
“Maybe I should go back to Equestria, my Equestria... I haven't been back there in a long time…” She shook her head. “No, no, you have friends here, Sunset Shimmer. Though admittedly, it’s starting to feel even less exciting without you, Twilight.”
She sighed and looked at a picture of Princess Twilight, giving the peace sign while posing with Flash and the girls not long after the defeat of the Dazzlings. Putting the picture back, Sunset thought about sending a message to the princess; she looked over to the book which bore her cutie mark emblem and sighed.
“You know, as tempted as I am to ask you to take me back for a little while, I don't think I'd fit in anymore.”
Sunset drank the milk in her bowl and smiled in melancholy. She picked up the old book and set it into her bag before washing up. She slung it over her shoulder and went upstairs quickly to brush her teeth. A knock came at her door downstairs, twice in a row. This quickly caught Sunset's attention, who managed to gargle: “I'll be right there!”
She spat out the water that was once toothpaste and wiped her mouth. Another two knocks came and with those knocks, Sunset came running down the stairs, jumping the last four steps to reach the door. She opened it to see Flash Sentry on the other side.
“Uh… Hey Sunset. Would you like to walk to school with me?” he smiled.
“Hey, Flash.” Sunset smiled. “Sure, I’d… I’d love to.”
~~~
“So,I heard you’ll be playing a new song during that concert you girls have planned for the day. Are you excited?” Flash asked Sunset as they walked along the path.
The leaves of trees dripping with rain water loomed overhead, there were plenty of gaps to view the sky and sun which were covered by gray, dreary clouds.
“Excited isn’t the term I would use.” Sunset replied. “I’m not nervous either, I’m actually concerned. The song we’ll be performing isn’t quite finished.”
“Really? I thought you were the one writing it, did Rainbow Dash rush you?”
Sunset looked at Flash like this was nothing new. “She’s just as excited for the concert as we are, and while I don’t want to use the song in its present state, we can’t exactly back out now.”
“That’s right, you promised that the Rainbooms would have a new song ready by today's concert.” Flash looked at her.
Sunset nodded. “Yeah, but like I said, I haven’t finished it yet. We’ve rehearsed what’s been written already, mostly out of desperation. I just needed a little more time.”
The two teenagers passed by a pond with Koi fish swimming about, and Draconequus statues overgrown with vines which marked Tree Hugger's house. As they passed by Sunset took a quick glance at the statues, only to shudder with a chill up her spine.
After almost a full hours walk, Flash and Sunset left the countryside suburbs behind, and entered into one of the outer districts of Canterlot City. Cars whizzed by on the roads and buildings towered high in the distance, including the mountainside ruins of Castle Nightstone, visible in the distance along the Canter hills; some ways beyond the city limits.
Flash and Sunset, now only a few blocks away from Canterlot High School had stopped by the Cake family cafe for a quick bite. Yes, upon entering into the store the smells of fresh pastries, hot, cold or lukewarm wafted into the nostrils of Sunset and Flash, as did the smell of coffee and tea enjoyed by small group of Canterlot High students.
“Did you want anything, Sunset?” Flash turned to look at Sunset and awaited her reply, but she shook her head.
“No, I’m fine, Flash. Thank’s anyway.”
Flash smiled and Sunset and turned back to Mrs. Cake whom took Flash’s order.
Meanwhile, Sunset took a seat by the window and waited. At the table across from hers, Sunset’s ears caught wind of Lyra, Bon Bon and Minuette discussing something they must’ve heard on the news. It grabbed at Sunsets attention, and while she knew eavesdropping was rude, she couldn’t help but get closer to the girls, if only to hear what is was they were discussing, but all she could make out was something about the Metroplex Mall.
“I highly doubt that, Lyra.” Bon Bon replied to her ‘best friend’. “There’s no way a child that young could have a self sustained lifestyle in an environment like that. Stuff like that happens around the Metroplex Mall anyway, so the odds of a child committing crimes would be nothing too unique, or realistic.”
The conversation came to a sudden end upon the interjection of Lemon Hearts.
“Schools going to start shortly, we should get going.”
And without another word, the girls gathered their belongings and left the store, just as Flash returned to a rather curious and somewhat concerned Sunset Shimmer.
“Hey, Flash?” Sunset called to as she followed him outside.
“Yes?” He replied with a little bit of coconut slice in his mouth.
“I just overheard Lyra, Bon Bon and Minuette talking about something, I didn’t catch enough to get an idea about what they were saying something about the Metroplex Mall.”
Flash swallowed his ‘breakfast’ and Looked at Sunset dumbfounded. “You haven’t heard?”
Sunset held her arms out to her sides cluelessly. “Heard what?”
“Well.. it’s just a rumor that’s been going around the school lately, but apparently, a little girl has been sighted in the Metroplex area, in rags and with wild hair. Not much older than four or five. Mostly sneaking into stores and taking whatever she can. She always seems to get away.”
Sunset looked shocked. “A homeless little girl? Who would abandon a child like that?”
“I don't know, but if you ask me, I think it's wrong. Nobody's doing anything about it either. No police, no child care services, nothing.”
Sunset was too shocked to even say another word. It was a very big surprise to her, to have heard of a child that young committing petty crimes. This shock lasted until she arrived at Canterlot High School. Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Applejack all sat around the fully repaired horse statue where the portal to the other Equestria lay dormant. Flash passed them, waving to Sunset Shimmer, who didn't wave back. She simply stared off into space, thinking. She pondered what sort of circumstances could have put a girl in such a position, but her train of thought would soon be broken.
“Did we miss a starin’ contest or somethin’?” Applejack asked jokingly with a snicker.
Sunset blinked and shook her head. “Huh? N-no, sorry. I was just wondering…”
“Wondering what, darling?” Rarity inquired.
“W-well... have any of you girls heard of a four or five year old girl committing petty theft around the Metroplex Mall?”
A majority of the group simply shook their heads at Sunset Shimmer, except Fluttershy and Applejack.
“I've heard a thing or two about it, the poor dear must be so lonely out there…” Fluttershy said in a sympathetic tone.
“If Ah had mah way, Ah'd find the parents, and string ‘em up by their hair for abandonin’ the poor thing.” Applejack's tone was more angry than that of Fluttershy's.
Sunset looked down, placing her hand on her free arm in thought. “I just feel sorry for the girl. Four years old, no parents. I'm surprised she's not... you know…”
“That’s just luck, she probably scavenges. Eat out of the bin, stuff like that,” Rainbow theorized.
“Maybe... Even so it seems very cruel to just disregard her and pass her off as a nuisance. Authorities won't even look for her, apparently…”
The five teens noted Sunset's feelings toward the topic and looked at one another to decide on what to say next to change the subject.
“Hey, you’re not going to let this distract you from playing that new song of ours in the gym, are you?” Rainbow Dash smiled.
Sunset shook her head, her face brightening with a smile. “No way, I’d never let anything distract me from this. It’ll be the only time we can play for a crowd before the school festival. I don’t want to see our time setting it up put to waste on account of my feelings.”
The girls smiled at Sunset who felt a tonne better now. Thunder rumbled loudly in the distance, making the girls jump. They all looked at each other and laughed as the rain started to fall, forcing them to make a run for the door. Rainbow Dash held it open just long enough for the teenaged girls to come in, closing it when there was no one else in sight. The whole foyer area was crowded with almost all students from all walks of life. Yet the staircase was surprisingly empty, save for three shapes hunched over and staring hatefully toward the Rainbooms.
Sunset quickly noticed the three, and kindly waived, only for her to be met with cold stares from the Dazzlings, Adagio and Aria. Sonata, however, was scooping up chocolate chip ice cream from a small tub and eating it. Sunset Shimmer put her hand down, unfazed by the Dazzlings’ stares, though she was cautious about them. She turned to her group who were talking among themselves.
“So, anyone else going shopping with me and Pinkie this afternoon?”
“Naturally I'll be tagging along, darling. I wouldn't pass up the chance to get new clothes, if only to get some ideas,” Rarity chimed.
“Ah need to get some gardenin’ tools fer Apple Bloom.” Applejack said with a smile
“I ain't interested.” Rainbow shrugged with disinterest, a tone of uncaring in her voice.
“I’ve got to go to the animal shelter later this afternoon.” Fluttershy frowned regretfully.
“That’s cool, we'll each buy you something, if you'd like?” offered Sunset.
“I’d like a bunny plush, if that's okay…” Fluttershy smiled.
“Maybe a new pick for my guitar?” wondered Rainbow Dash.
Sunset nodded. “Easy enough.” She smiled widely.
Over by the stairs, the Dazzlings continued to watch their enemies like vultures. Though mostly Adagio and Aria, the leader had her arms folded whilst leaning on the railing, while Aria was sitting down, hunched over and resting her arms on her knees.
“Look at them, all happy and cheery as if everything was alright,” hissed Aria.
“But it is!” Sonata exclaimed with positivity.
“No it isn't. Our pendants are broken, and we’re starved and powerless. Would you get a clue for once…” Aria gritted her teeth in frustration toward Sonata.
“Cut it out you two. It doesn't matter that much, even without our pendants we can still get our power back. If their magic is strong enough to destroy our pendants, then it is more then likely to repair them. We just need to figure out how to make it work.” Adagio interlocked her fingers and flattened out her hands between her mouth and nose.
Aria rolled her eyes, while Sonata dug into more of the ice cream.
“Even if that was so, and we figured out how to fix our pendants, we still don't have enough power to sing everyone back to their negative selves.” Aria folded her arms.
Adagio caught sight of Sunset Shimmer as she approached them. The lead siren motioned to her sisters to keep quiet, to which they did.
“Hey… Adagio, Sonata and Aria... I know we don't get along but Pinkie Pie wanted to know, and I wanted to know, if you three would like to come shopping with us this afternoon, to make up for beating you a while back?”
Adagio scoffed at this. “Why would we want to mingle with you and your pals after foiling our plans!”
“You brought that on yourselves.” Sunset kept her calm.
“I’ll come along.” Sonata offered, only to be whacked on the back of the head by Aria. “Ow…”
“Idiot…” Aria turned away and folded her arms.
Sunset sighed. “Be that way. But the door is always open if you want to make amends.” She turned around and walked back to her friends while Adagio sneered and sighed.
Pinkie looked over at the returning Sunset Shimmer and smiled. “Any luck?”
Sunset sighed. “No, they're still bent on hating us.”
“That's a strong word, sister,” Tree Hugger said as she passed.
The girls watched the hippy pass by harmlessly before sighing.
“Well, that's their decision. Too bad for them.” Rainbow Dash folded her arms and closed her eyes.
“I can't help but feel Adagio has it out for me personally. It's worrying, like she'll suck my power right out of me in my sleep.” Sunset hugged herself and shivered.
Applejack put a hand on Sunset's shoulder. “Relax, Sunset. Without their gems, they're powerless. And besides, Ah don’t think they’d be able to do much with voices as bad as manure.”
Sunset blinked with a sudden realization and looked around. “By the way, where is Twilight?”
“She called in sick. I don’t think it’s too bad for her.” Rarity folded her arms. “ After all, she’s always caught up in all those books, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was hardly a thing left for her to learn.”
“Such is the life of an egghead,” sighed Rainbow.
The bell rang loudly for the first period of the day. The girls looked at the bell and started to disperse, each to their different classes. The Dazzlings stood up and descended the remaining three steps, each one tossing a quick glance at the other before going off in a different direction to three separate classes.
~~~
The day went on as it usually did. Sunset was like a grade A student, the rest of the Rainbooms were themselves for much of their lessons, except the ones they were good at, in which they excelled.
The Dazzlings did as best they could in their lessons, despite the scorn they got from their classmates. At random points during the day she thought back to that conversation she had with flash earlier that that morning, the little homeless girl, for some reason bothered her. She would have kept this train of thought had she not caught Aria humming a tune to herself and mumbling some lyrics. It was a slight instance of paranoia that kept her eyes fixated on the siren.
Aria could tell Sunset was watching her and rolled her eyes. She turned back to look at her enemy with exasperation running rampant.
“Would you not look at me when I'm trying to work?!” she hissed.
Sunset turned her eyes back to her textbook while Aria turned back to her own book.
“They’re beaten... There’s no more need to worry, Sunset... As if that were easy to believe,” Sunset thought to herself.
Aria sighed and rested her forehead against her wrist as she wrote down in a book, she then moved her free hand to where her crystal had once been, and she touched her neck as if caressing the now destroyed jewel. The siren sighed as if to be in total disappointment at the loss, but not too disappointed as to be discouraged from future plans.
After the second period finished, Sunset Shimmer hurried to the gym to play with the band, the rain outside having subsided for the time being. Sunset pushed open the Gym doors and walked over to the other five Rainbooms who were setting up their instruments and checking the mics.
“Yo! This is a mic check, helloo!!!!” The whole room shook as the microphone rang out loudly from the feedback with Rainbow's voice.
Everyone had covered their ears as a result and Vinyl pulled off her headphones. They all shot a bemused glare at Rainbow Dash who grinned and blushed in embarrassment.
Rainbow laughed and shrugged. “Hehe, whoops.”
Sunset picked up her guitar and strummed on the strings a little before adjusting them and trying again. Pinkie beat on her drums for a moment, Rarity played a small tune on her keytar, Fluttershy shook her tambourine, all together making a rather unique tune. Vinyl stood by the soundboard and made sure the girls were set at the right tune and frequency.
In due time students started entering the gym. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna came in to see the performance as well and stood by the back behind what was becoming a massive crowd. The Rainbooms looked out toward the large audience and smiled at each other and the audience.
“Good afternoon Canterlot High!!” Rainbow shouted into the mic, a cheer came as a result.
Sunset spoke into her microphone next. “A big thanks to Canterlot High’s favorite Gym teacher, Iron Will, for letting us borrow the Gym for this! As well as smelling like a jock.”
The crowd laughed, even Principal Celestia couldn’t help herself except stifle her oncoming giggle as Iron Will lifted his arm up and sniffed.
“And a big thanks to our principals for allowing us to go through with this performance!!"
"You ready Rainbooms?!" Applejack asked the band.
The answer came with the sound of Rainbow's guitar starting off, followed by Fluttershy's tambourine and the rest followed each confirming with their sound, Sunset leaned into the mic swaying and moving as she did.
“I sat in my bed
And it was late at night,
And I look up at the bright stars.
Maybe we can make a wish
On one just like the sun!
I lost all my hope in the following void
as dark as a moonless night!
Then I found it again with my friends,
That’re by my side!
Can you stand in darkness,
with the light gone out
Could you stand to stare
with no one in sight!
Can't for once we hope
In this world of hate!
Where the darkness is like a blanket.
The people call for us to wash away the dark.
The group's instruments seemed to pick up the tempo. Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s strummed multiple times, Pinkie Pie beat on the drums while Flutteshy and Rarity provided back up sounds Each of the teens pony features appeared.
“And as I sit alone
In my bed at night!
I look up to the stars.
And I smile, as they shine down on me.
I can see a brighter world
Without a shred of taint.
One we can go without fret.
I wish upon the brightest star
To hope and dream again!”
The band replayed the same sound as before, than they joined in with Sunset, all five of them.
“And as I sit alone
In my bed late at night!
I look up to the stars.
And I smile while they shine down on me.
I can see a world that is bright,
One without a shred of hate,
and one without the dark!”
And the song concluded with the guitars playing, and the band was quickly met with a roar of applause which filled the room. The Rainbooms took a bow and thanked everyone for coming and thanked the principals and gym teacher once again.
“Thank you everybody for coming! Stay awesome!!” Rainbow Dash shouted over the mic, everybody cheering once more.
~~~
Adagio, Sonata and Aria sat around on the roof of the main school building, overlooking the gym where their enemies sang. The three were training their voices to be nearly as perfect as they once were. So far they had only managed to get it a fraction better than it was before their gems broke, but the difficulty proved to be exasperating. Adagio was hell bent on learning to sing once more, so much so she would keep going until her own throat burned. And Aria quickly grew tired of it. She groaned out load and clenched her fists.
“Why do we even bother doing this, Adagio?! Learning to sing is even worse than having our necklaces broken! We’ve barely managed to attain natural perfection, and it's starting to look like a lost cause!”
“Now, now Aria, this is only temporary, at least until we can find a substitute for our old necklaces.”
Adagio held her hand to where her pendant once hung, only to clench her own fists which cracked and hurt from her finger nails.
“As if we'll find others like them. Our gems came with us from Equestria, remember?!” Aria gritted her teeth.
“I remember! Probably better than the both of you!” Adagio shouted and stood up. She walked over to the railing, and looked down at the Rainbooms with their music blaring through a sky window.
“Equestrian magic is spreading throughout this world, each time the portal opens and only small strands of it barely escape when the bridge is closed. I can feel it like warm wind on my bare skin. The magic is seeping through and will fill this world to the brim. But by then we will have our powers back, and this world will finally be ours.”
Adagio turned back to her friends and approached them with a sinister smile. "Until then, we must ensure that we aren’t too hasty, and not so rash in our actions; until the time comes.
“In the meantime, we must do what we can to strengthen our voices. We are of Equestria after all, and our powers will work to some degree, even without the necklaces.” The siren smiled as maliciously as ever.
Aria rolled her eyes and stormed back inside just as it started to rain. Adagio and Sonata got pelted with raindrops and followed Aria inside as quickly as they could. Aria waited for them. She leaned against a wall with her arms folded and a somber expression on her face.
“Nice of you to join me, you two.” Aria’s tone sounded more depressing than usual.
Adagio simply gave her an unphased look, her mouth became crooked and her eyes formed an unpleasant stare before she and Sonata headed down to the school foyer. Aria followed silently, keeping her eyes fixed to the floor. During this time the Rainbooms met up in the music room, smiling and cheering for each other as the energy was high.
“That was awesome! We’ve totally got to revamp it for the school festival!” Rainbow practically screamed and suggested in her hyperactivity. She flapped her wings and did a mid air backflip despite the small space.
Sunset put her guitar away in its casing and turner her head to look at the group behind her. “I'm still kind of figuring out which lyrics fit, hope, moon and dark don’t really fit together you know? I was lucky enough to have a working version in time for the debut.”
Sitting on a stool nearby, Rarity read the lyrics out of Sunset’s book. Her eyes moved scross the pages and occasionally she would cringe. She put it down and looked at Sunset whilst rubbing the back of her neck.
“Well, while it is rough around the edges, I for one adore this song. Give it some some time, and though and I’m certain it'll be beautiful. However I feel that it's a tad unsuited for our band.”
Sunset cheeks went red. “I-I know, I still have a lot of work to do on it. I figured it would be a fine addition to our growing number of songs.”
“That may be, darling, but doesn’t it seem a bit…odd?”
“And Ah suppose ears, wings and pony tails ain’t?” Aj asked from nearby.
Rarity paused and closed her eyes. “Fair enough.”
Rainbow came to land and her wings, ears and ponytail vanished. “Odd choice of words or not, the song was liked well enough, and it's our first original piece since the Battle of the Bands. We have Sunset to thank for that.”
Sunset blushed further as each of the Rainbooms praised her for her good work. Just as the group stepped out of the music room, they paused in their steps as they caught sight of the Dazzlings passing by.
“Princess Twilight told us to keep an eye on them in case they decided to stick around,didn’t she?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“She did,” replied Sunset. “And I think she was right to tell us. I get bad feelings watching them, there's nothing all too foreboding, but it's sometimes good to be on edge, especially when you have an unshakable hunch.”
“Guess we ought to start takin’ heed to Twilight's suggestion, one can never know if they are really up to anything or not,” Applejack said with a furrowed brow.
“In any case, our suspicion may seem needless. they might truly be powerless,” said Fluttershy.
Sunset sighed. “Maybe... Maybe not... It’s pointless to just watch them after all. They’re harmless.”
“Ah know you want to find the good in them, Sunset, but Ah think they’re far from harmless” Applejack sighed. “Still, we should still be careful.”
Suddenly the bell rang, and everyone began to split up and head to their respective classes. Just before she took off, Sunset stopped and turned her sights on Aria. Something seemed off about her, her posture and body language seemed to suggest something was wrong with her. But Aria didn't take kindly to being looked at. She grit her teeth angrily toward Sunset and barged past Adagio and Sonata down the hall and out of sight.
This left Sunset to wonder if Aria was stable at all. Meanwhile, Adagio seemed to give off a spiteful aura toward Aria, potent enough to feed on.
They didn’t linger long. Adagio and Sonata parted, and it left Sunset to wonder.
~~~
The remaining hours flew by and in turn, so did the lessons. Adagio, and Aria felt as if they were being watched with the carefulness of a lion stalking its prey. Aria was bothered by it, Sonata was oblivious to it, but Adagio was amused. She had anticipated that the Rainbooms would keep an eye on them, per Twilight's instruction in case they decided to stick around.
The bell rang for the end of school and the Sirens each came to meet one another in the foyer as The Rainbooms came from their lockers to meet in the same place. They started talking amongst themselves when the Dazzlings arrived. Both parties exchanged cold glances toward one another, but Adagio kept her cool, a confident smile plastered on her face. Meanwhile Sunset watched on with neutrality, her eyes mostly fixed on Aria.
“I’m so sorry we can't go shopping with you, Rainbooms. Maybe next time.” Adagio laughed to herself as she and her cohorts passed them by and left the school.
Rainbow showed great dislike toward them, her anger at a simmering point. “I really don’t like those girls, why do they even hang around here, anyway?”
Rarity shrugged at Rainbow's words, while Sunset started to think long and hard.
“I’m not sure if they’re trying to spite us, or just be unpleasant. I’m all for forgiving them and all, but it’s almost annoying when they do that...” sighed Sunset.
“Come to the darkside, where the dazzlings are despised,” Rainbow said in an old man's voice while she twiddled her fingers and laughed.
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Very funny…”
Pinkie hopped and skipped and twirled over in front of Sunset. “So are you ready to go?”
“yeah, I have my shopping bags ready and waiting.” Sunset held up enough bags for herself, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity.
“Great! We can get going now!!” Pinkie Pie said loudly and dashed out the door like a pink lightning bolt.
“Guess we’ll catch you later, girls.” Rainbow waved and walked out, Scootaloo followed not far behind.
Fluttershy waved to them and followed Rainbow Dash with a smile. Sunset, Aj, and Rarity glanced at each other and started walking out through the doors. They looked around for Pinkie Pie, only there was no sign of her. That was until they heard the beep of a car horn.
“Hey girls! Over here!” Pinkie called out and waved from the window.
“Least we won’t be walkin’ in the rain.” Aj hurried over to the car. “C’mon you two.”
“Best not to waste any time. Wait for us!” Rarity called out and ran over to the vehicle with Sunset in tow.
~~~
The four teens laughed at each other’s jokes and looked at all the clothes on sale. Many of the students from Canterlot High frequented the Metroplex Mall whenever school was out, and Sunset was no exception. She looked around in windows at clothes and shoes, while Applejack had gone off to get those gardening tools for Apple Bloom. Meanwile, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were off staring at their own interests, though not too far.
“These boots look cool, What do you think, Rarity? Would these look good with my jacket?”
Rarity thought about it for a second. “Hmm... if they studded knee length boots with some chains attached to the neck than maybe. But personally, I think these would look nice as casual wear”
“Fifty-five dollars?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she examined a showgirl style looking dress.
Sunset and Rarity looked at Pinkie then at one another.
“Maybe we should look in another shop,” Sunset suggested.
“Oh! How about Hoity Toitys Metroplex branch Boutique. I believe they’re having a sale.” Rarity looked out toward an extravagant looking store just over yonder.
“I don’t see anything wrong with just a look.” Sunset said with a smile.
“Splendid!” Rarity cried. “Pinkie Pie, we’re going over to Hoity Toity’s store, won’t you join us?”
Pinkie seemed to instantaneously snap to attention at the mention of another store and eagerly joined the two. Thunder rumbled above outside. A storm that had been predicted earlier that day was coming closer and closer.
“Hopefully we'll be out of here before that storm hits.” Rarity said, while she looked up at the ceiling and frowned.
“Hopefully…” Sunset whispered.
Rarity lead the two over to the clothes store; in the windows there were clothes on display, the likes of which made Rarity green with envie.
“Waahh! Look at how finely made they are... Oh how I wish I could make outfits as grand as those... Those frilly skirts, flower petal sleeves, the large bows that look like wings, the—”
“Massive ego that went into makin’ them?” Applejack put in quickly after having rejoined the group.
Sunset and Pinkie Pie burst into laughter, but Rarity was not amused.
“Say what you will, Applejack. Hoity Toity's works are classics and works of art!”
Applejack put her hands up in surrender, smiling in amusement.
“Well let’s not wait around. I want to try on some clothes.” Pinkie Pie grinned.
Rarity put on a grin of her own. “Of course, Pinkie Pie, let's not dawdle, we mustn't wait another moment! Life is a runway when you see it my way, and we mustn't keep the audience waiting.”
And with that, the four of them headed into the store. Rarity was all too eager to force all manner of clothing on the girls, under the pretense that they’d look divine. Of course, Rarity looked through all the available ensembles until a few caught her eye, and like the fashion diva she was, turned to Pinkie Pie and Sunset with two dresses they’d like and hurried them into changing rooms; with herself moving back and aiming her phone at the doors.
“Okay dears, whenever you’re ready!” She called.
“Rarity, is this dress really okay?” Sunset asked; distressed.
“Well of course it is, Sunset. I picked out because I thought you’d look wonderful in it.”
Sunset came out in a purple, sparkling top and white jeans. “I am not a fan of exposing my midriff, it’s embarrassing…”
“Oh please, with all that talk about nudity being common place in your world, one would think you’d have no problem showing off a bit of skin.” Rarity chuckled.
“I look ridiculous!” Sunset retorted, flustered.
“you look ravishing, darling!” Rarity's grin was ear to ear.
“There’s nothing wrong with a little sex appeal!” Pinkie seemed to sing.
She came out of the second changing room in a frilly skirt, pink blouse with a white buttoned up vest that had a candy theme to it. The arms were sleeveless to a point just before it reached the elbow. There were pink leggings that came with the dress and a small top hat.
“Lookin’ mighty formal there, Pinkie Pie. You look like a natural candy girl.” Applejack smiled.
Rarity took photographs of Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer. She marveled at the beauty of the dresses and was almost on the verge of tears. “You girls look simply gorgeous. Applejack, are you certain you don't want to model some of these gorgeous ensembles?”
“Ah’m certain, Rarity. Ah got what Ah came for, and Ah took the liberty of getting what Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy wanted.”
“That was nice of you to do that, Applejack.” Sunset smiled.
Applejack smiled brightly then saw the time. “Five thirty already?! We've been so busy modeling we hardly noticed the time. Probably best if we grab a meal and go before the Mall closes.”
“But we only tried on two costumes...” Pinkie whined.
“Let us change back first.” Sunset turned and walked back into the changing rooms.
“And while you do that, I think I'll buy these!” Rarity held up some beautiful foreign dresses from Hoity Toity's eastern styles range.
Sunset picked up three dresses, and with reluctance, the outfit she wore just then, per Rarity’s urging, maybe having it wouldn’t be so bad. Each dress was scanned and paid for, and finally the girls left the store with something to be happy about. The thunder clapped once more and rain started to fall hard. The stores of the mall started to close for the night.
While she looked around, Sunset wondered if there really was a little girl stealing from the people who came to this place. Having seen nothing of this, she started to doubt whether this child was real.
In only a few moments, the rumor was about to become real.
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I smell a FNaF ref.
6101798 I dont get it.
While its got several errors and the writing did make me cringe at times, this dose look like an interesting tale. Lets see where this goes.
>mfw typo generates unexpected comedy
Please let this be the only time I see this. Once is okay but don't let it become a habit.
Hmmm. Not sure what to think of this just yet. The little girl hasn't really had much to do with the story. If anything, it seems you're setting up a conflict with the Dazzlings. I wonder what their role will be. And how the Rainbooms will go with their original music.
Character voicing is good though; everyone sounds like they should.
Writing's a little sloppy and the pacing seems a bit off sometimes but otherwise this is an interesting read so far.
I only read about two outfits.
Writing seems very telly and full of fluff so far. The premise is a little iffy as well and I think the writing could make or break the story.
6156464 Well this chapter has been rewritten recently. What do you think about it then?
Across Cringe AJ asked
Just thought I'd mention those.
So far; pretty good. No complaints.
But I have to ask, is Sci-Twi in this story? I saw a mention of Twilight and a library so I assume it was Sci-Twi.
But I also assume that this story takes place just after Rainbow Rocks.
Anyway, have a good one.
I love the drawing!