O: Operation Movie Magic / That's a Wrap!
The bell rang as students began moving through the halls and to their next classes, some stayed near their lockers and mingled with their friends before heading off, and others were just switching out books. However, today was no ordinary day as a young man stood before the hallway. He was a troubled kid, well, to be more precise, trouble had been thrust upon him. Constantly the object of the school’s resident bully’s wrath and having been used for his intelligence by other students for homework assignments and the like.
In his right hand he held a blue USB device with the letter “F” printed onto it. The young man’s finger hovered over the button of the USB, ready to press it. But before he could, a lone hand reached out and grabbed him firmly by the wrist, his head shot up and his gaze fell on the girl who had been, practically, the only friend he had in this school.
“S-Sunshine?”
“Don’t do this, you know what those things do to people, don’t become a monster,” said Sunshine.
“What else am I supposed to do, Sunshine?! And I told you not come here today! Why are you here?!”
“Because I’m not going to let my friend make a big mistake that will get him, and other people hurt, you’re better than this, and better than them!”
“Hey look everybody, it’s the nerd and Sunshine.”
Sunset (or rather Sunshine) and her friend turned around to see four kids sporting letterman jackets approaching them. The lead boy, who was pretty much the stereotypical jock pretty boy, walked up to the duo. He leered at the smaller boy, but then smiled suavely at Sunset.
“Sunshine, why don’t you ditch the loser, everybody knows you just hang out with him out of pity.”
Sunset let go of her friend and turned to face the boy. “Well, gee, Brick, maybe I enjoy the company of people who aren’t total jerks and self-absorbed and are just themselves. Ever thought of that?” Sunset asked in a snarky tone.
Brick laughed, and his cronies joined in as if on cue. When he stopped, so did they, making Sunset roll her eyes at how mindless they were.
“Look, Sunshine, that’s just a front. You’re popular, you’re smart, and a killer athlete. Hell, you used to hang out with us, why the high and mighty act all of a sudden?” Brick asked.
Sunset closed her eyes in a moment of self-reflection, she then turned a stern gaze to Brick and said, “Because I learned that there are more important things than being popular, things like, honesty, loyalty, kindness, generosity, and being able to laugh with genuine friends who won’t abandon you when times get tough. I learned I need real friends, not just some social ladder climbing stuck ups.”
“What’d you call me?” Brick asked.
“I didn’t stutter,” said Sunset as she leveled her gaze with Brick’s, “or do you need me to repeat that in words you can understand?”
“You little–¬!”
“Brick, wait!” the young man interrupted.
“Butt out you little nerd!” Brick threatened as he pushed the smaller teen away and into the lockers, knocking down several others in the process.
“Brick what the hell?!” Sunset shouted as she grabbed him by the jacket.
Brick instinctively swatted at the one who dared grab his prized jacket, and in so doing struck Sunset across the face, sending her falling into some students. The smaller teen watched this with wide eyes as his friend held her left cheek, while the other students helped her up and glared at Brick.
Rage consumed the smaller teen as he stood up and pressed the button on the USB.
* FANG! *
Sunset heard the activation of the device and tried to rush her friend, but it was too late. The smaller teen raised the device up and struck it against his wrist.
“Aaaaaaaaand…CUT! Beautiful! Got it in one!”
Sunset’s serious expression fell as she stood up, the boy playing Brick patted Sunset on the shoulder and said “Nice work” before moving on. The boy who had the fake Gaia Memory reached out and shook her hand before heading off the set. Sunset herself released a sigh of relief. They had rehearsed the scene a couple of times, but she was amazed that they got that scene down.
Cine Max stood up from his chair and walked towards Sunset as he said, “Marvelous Miss Shimmer, I could feel the intensity, and conviction from over there! You’re a natural talent!”
Sunset rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. “T-Thanks, but I was so nervous I felt like I was going to mess up or forget a line.”
“Ha! Every actor has those fears, amateur and professional alike, the main thing to remember is just to make sure that your heart is in it, and you make that audience believe your words!” Cine Max stated. He then turned around and announced to the crew. “Alright everyone, we’re moving to the green screen next, and prepare for the transformation sequence! Sunset, get to props and then make up, we shoot in ten minutes!”
Sunset did as she was told, running to the props department and getting her fake Unicorn Memory. Sunset had to admit, for a prop, it felt very much like the real thing, even had the stylized unicorn “U” at the center. Sunset took out her own and indeed they were almost exact replicas. “They really put in a lot of detail work.”
After pocketing the fake device, Sunset hurried over to make up where she was given a bit of a touch up to make it look like she was bleeding from her mouth where the actor playing Brick had mock struck her. The whole thing took about five minutes, so Sunset decided to pop in on the Daring Do set.
There she spotted her friends standing near Canter Zoom where another scene was going on. Rarity turned around just in time to see Sunset waving at them, she was about to wave a “hi” back but then gasped when she saw the blood coming from the corner of her mouth, and the red mark on her left cheek.
“Good heavens, Sunset, what happened to you?!” Rarity asked.
The other girls turned around and also released gasps of horror at the sight of their friend’s appearance.
Applejack rushed up to Sunset and held her by the shoulders. “Who in tarnation hurt ya, Sunset?! Ah swear Ah’ll–!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down! This is makeup for the next scene! I’m not hurt!” Sunset assured.
Twilight got close to Sunset and asked worriedly, “Are…Are you sure?”
Pinkie Pie strode up to Sunset, took her pinkie finger, and lightly dabbed the spot where the fake blood was to not disturb it. She then took a few licks, much to the disgust of the others, and then smiled. “Yep, that’s corn syrup alright! She’s okay, unless your blood is supposed to taste like that?”
“No Pinkie, I guarantee my blood is just as bad tasting as anyone’s else’s. How’s it going by the way?” The girls all had a pensive look on their faces. “What’s wrong?”
“Uh, well, Ms. Magnifico seems to be having some trouble,” said Fluttershy.
“What kind of trouble?” Sunset asked.
The girls parted to allow Sunset an unobstructed view of the set. The scene that was setup was an Arabian bazaar, Chestnut was fitted into a beautiful dress, and her hair was now that of a realistic wig of jet black hair with charcoal gray streaks. This was the nightclub scene that she remembered Canter talking about yesterday, but for some reason Chestnut didn’t seem as confident as one would assume a professional actress to be. She was glancing about nervously, and trying to find her balance in her heels, every so often catching herself on a nearby table to stop herself from kissing the floor.
“Is she okay?”
“Ms. Magnifico said she wanted to continue the movie, even though I said she can take some time after her ordeal, but she refused and said, ‘the show must go on’,” said Canter Zoom.
Just then, Chestnut missed a step and ended up faceplanting, causing some of the other actors to come and help her up.
Canter sighed and announced over his megaphone, “Chestnut, why don’t you take a break and we’ll shoot the action scenes in the meantime. DeeDee you’re up!”
Chestnut gave a disappointed sigh and began to carefully walk off the set, another woman entered, and the girls couldn’t help but notice that she had a striking resemblance to the character of Daring Do.
“Whoa, who’s that?!” Rainbow asked.
“One of the conditions for the movie that Ms. Yearling made was that DeeDee would do all the stunts for Daring Do in this movie. At first, I was skeptical, but considering how close she looks to the real deal, I couldn’t pass that up. That would eliminate a whole lot of camera and editing work to keep her face from showing, not to mention the girl has real skills according to her resume.”
DeeDee approached Chestnut and patted her on the shoulder, giving her a confident smile as she said, “You’ll be alright, just take it easy Ms. Magnifico.”
“T-Thank you,” said Chestnut as she went on.
There was something about DeeDee that Sunset couldn’t put her finger on, but that was something left for another day. “So, have you been able to search the set?”
Spike nodded. “We did, I sniffed around and looked anywhere something small like that could be under, but I couldn’t find it. Sorry…”
Twilight bent down and brought her dog into her arms. “You did your best, Spike, it just wasn’t there. Which means, our worst-case scenario might be confirmed.”
“Someone else has the Gaia Memory, but who?” Pinkie asked.
“It must’ve been someone who was still in here durin’ the fight. That Hazelwood fella may’ve taken it out and passed out after that punch ya both gave him, and then someone else swopped in and nabbed it before you two got there,” said Applejack.
The girls looked around them, anyone one of the cast and crew could be the one now holding the Gaia Memory, it was a bit nerve wracking to think that the actors or film crew could at any time transform into a Dopant and go on a rampage for whatever reason. If this was a T1 then the side effects would make a stable mind unstable with prolonged use, and an already unstable mind would just become more warped.
“And I still couldn’t figure out what the Memory was, I did a Look Up last night, but there were too many choices as to which one it could be, the closest I came to the one we’re looking for were, ‘Gene’, ‘Doppelganger’, ‘Monster’, and ‘Dummy’,” said Twilight.
Sunset checked the time on the nearby stand and cursed. “I have to go back to set, we’ll meet up later and come up with something to find it.”
***____________<U>____________***
Chestnut went back to her trailer and closed the door, with a heavy sigh her body began to glow, and in the next moment a Gaia Memory rose from the top of her left hand. When the light faded, it was no longer Chestnut Magnifico, but Juniper Montage. The young teen girl grabbed the device, but quickly raised her hands up to catch the dress before it slid off her body. The dress had been made to fit the real Chestnut, and unfortunately, Juniper did not have the right…ahem…proportions to fill out the dress. A fact that slightly irritated Juniper.
“Dammit!” Juniper cursed as she turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. “You’re messing this up, Jun! You got your hands on a device that can change you into anyone or anything, this is your chance to be in the Daring Do movie!”
Juniper looked upon herself in the mirror, carefully striking a pose before haphazardly keeping the dress from falling and leaving her in nothing but her underwear.
“But it’s not you…it’s just you pretending to be Chestnut…” Juniper knew this to be true. She liked helping out on set, but all she really wanted to do was be in a movie, to act and be adored by people all over, and looked up to. But what she was doing, it wasn’t her, she was only coasting on the fame that the real Chestnut Magnifico created over her career. “So what! if I can prove that I’m just as good as her out there, then Uncle will realize that I can play any part just as good – if not better – than the older actors!”
Juniper looked at the Gaia Memory in her right hand, the device had a ribcage design, and at the center was a “D” made up of a sickle and a crosshatched shadow of the sickle beside it.
< DUMMY! >
Juniper pressed the Gaia Memory into her chest, and in the next moment her body morphed until it had taken on the form of Chestnut Magnifico again. Juniper struck a pose and admired herself in the mirror before giving a wink to herself and strolling out of the trailer.
***____________<U>____________***
Sunset was now in wardrobe again, she was being fitted for the fake armor of Kamen Rider Unicorn, all while Cine Max looked on with a bit of worry. “Sunset, I don’t know about this, maybe you should let the stuntwoman do this.”
The fiery haired girl was dressed in a loose, black tank top and black pants. She had seen the stuntwoman playing Unicorn, while she liked her combat skills, she was not really selling the Unicorn feel as she was. The movements felt stiff and not with enough flare and flow, so Sunset suggested that she’d don the costume and show how she would do it, or rather how Unicorn would.
“It’ll be fine,” said Sunset as the helmet was placed on her.
The next scene took place outside, where there were several pyrotechnic devices set up. Once everything was in place, Cine Max called for action.
Sunset stared intensely ahead of her, making the crew get chills. The fiery haired girl then went into a series of motions that were fluid and sharp, ending with Sunset striking a pose as she proclaimed, “The Magic of Friendship unleashed! Kamen Rider Unicorn!” At the moment the devices went off, creating a large explosion behind her, tinted with some green smoke, yet Sunset didn’t flinch in the slightest from the heat or sound. The costume’s eyes and horn glowed as she entered her final pose and said, “I will not let you continue your rampage, you heart is hurting, and I will heal it! It’s time to restore harmony!”
The entire cast and crew just stared at Sunset with gaping mouths and wide eyes. Sunset noticed this and nervously chuckled. “Uh, heh, heh, did…uh…did that work?”
The entire cast and crew just began applauding, which surprised Sunset. Cine Max jumped from his seat and shouted in excitement, “THAT WAS INCREDIBLE! Did you all feel that?! Because I did! That focus, that intensity, that showmanship! It was nothing short of BRILLIANT! Look at this!” Cine Max rolled up his sleeves and showed them his arms. “I have goosebumps people, tell me you didn’t get goosebumps!”
Everyone eagerly agreed, some admitting to getting chills.
Sunset was glad she was wearing the helmet, otherwise they would be seeing her blushing face.
“Sunset, my dear, you are a natural – nay – you were born for this role!” Cine Max proclaimed as he walked up to her. “I would like it very much if you would contract with us for more movies, do you have an agent – oh wait, you said you didn’t! We’ll find you one! You’re still in school yes?”
“Wait, what?! I mean, yes I am, next year will be my senior year, but –!”
“Even better! We’ll be done soon before the summer ends and once you graduate, you can come and do more!”
Sunset was stunned by the offer. “Wow…Uh…I-I need to think about it.”
“No problem, it’s almost lunch anyway, let’s get you out of that suit.”
It took a couple of minutes to remove the suit from Sunset, once she was out, the young teen walked into the lunch area and made herself a plate. Sunset had a knack for this, but obviously that’s because she was actually Kamen Rider Unicorn. But, maybe she did have a knack for acting. She certainly could play the innocent well meaning girl next door if she so chose, Sunset did have to adopt that persona a few times during her tyrannical reign of CHS. She fooled the teachers and Celestia, well for the most part, and back in Equestria, Princess Celestia did take her to see a lot of different plays. In fact, Celestia got her involved in a few acting classes as part of her curriculum. Although, Sunset believed that her adoptive mother was trying to be an actor vicariously through Sunset. It wouldn’t be such a stretch of the imagination for Sunset to take up a career in acting. Hell, before her plans for Dimensional Domination were dashed to pieces, Sunset had no other plans beyond high school.
“Well, aside from going to college – most likely whichever one Twilight’s going to – I really had no idea where to go from there,” said Sunset to herself.
Just then Sunset spotted a girl coming to sit at her table, she had blue-green hair tied into pigtails. Sunset watched as the girl sat down and let her head thump against the table. Sunset winced when she heard the sound, the girl hadn’t even tried to slow herself. After a second Sunset began to recognize her from Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s description.
“You’re Juniper Montage, right?” Sunset asked.
The girl raised her head slightly and looked at her with tired eyes. “Um, sorry, do I know you?”
“I’m Sunset Shimmer, I was invited as a VIP to the Daring Do set, you met my friends, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash,” said Sunset.
A lightbulb clicked on in Juniper’s head. “Oh, yes, I remember, you’re a Daring Do fan too?”
“Oh yeah! You alright there, you look a little beat.”
Juniper waved off the Sunset’s concern and chuckled lightly. “I’m fine, I help out around my Uncle’s set, and I’m a little out of it today.” Juniper noticed Sunset’s badge and tilted her head slightly. “That’s not the VIP badge that the other girls have, and you’re kinda dressed differently, more loose fitting.”
Sunset chuckled. “Oh yeah, this director, Cine Max, he apparently asked me to be the star for his Kamen Rider Unicorn movie.”
Juniper blinked. “Wow, I…I didn’t know you acted too!”
“No…not really,” said Sunset sheepishly. “I’ve never acted, but he said I was perfect for the role.”
The bespectacled girl adjusted her glasses as her brow furrowed a little. “Really, he offered you an acting position? You haven’t, like, studied at any schools for acting, not in any theater troupes, or taken acting lessons, or have stared in any commercials or such?”
Sunset rubbed the back of her head nervously. “N-Not entirely, I took a few lessons as part of my curriculum back in my old hometown, but nothing extensive. But now he’s offering to have me stay on as the main actress for Unicorn, and possibly more after I graduate. It’s kinda overwhelming to be honest.”
“‘Overwhelming’? Are you kidding?!” Juniper lashed out. “You were given a chance to work in a major movie, and you’re practically an amateur?!”
Sunset recoiled at the vitriol in Juniper’s voice. “Um…I…”
“I asked my Uncle – I don’t remember how many times – to cast me as Daring Do! I read all the books, I know all the lines by heart, I could do it if he just gave me a chance!” Juniper shouted. “But then Cine Max will just give the star role of his movie to some girl who literally just waltzed onto the studio?! That’s just, just…UGH!”
Sunset wasn’t sure what to do here, she really couldn’t blame the girl for her anger, if this was her passion then she could see how this would infuriate her. It was practically the same way Sunset herself felt when she learned about Princess Twilight being Celestia’s new protégé.
“Whoa, whoa, Juniper, I never said ‘yes’, and I’m not sure if that’s something I want to do as a career,” said Sunset in an attempt to assuage Juniper’s temper.
Juniper stood up from her seat and glared down at Sunset Shimmer. “Is that so?! So, you’re saying you’re soooo good, that you’re above this, huh?! Is that what you’re saying?!”
Sunset considered herself a calm person, most of the time, but Juniper was starting to chip away at that calm. “Look, Juniper, I understand how it feels when someone swoops in and takes something that you believe is yours, even though you may’ve wanted it more or felt that you were more deserving but trust me when I say that that kind of thinking only leads you down a dark path!” Sunset stood up as well and met Juniper’s glare. “I understand you’re angry, but you can believe me when I say that I’m not sure if this is the path I want to take in my life.”
Juniper growled as she slammed the table with her fist. “At least you were given the chance!” No sooner had she done that did something fall from her jacket pocket, clattering on the table between the two of them.
Sunset looked down and had to steel herself from reacting to seeing what had fallen onto the table. It was a Gaia Memory, with a ribcage design, and a stylized “D” on it. This explained a lot right now, the tiredness, the heightened aggression and agitation from Juniper, they were side effects of the T1 Gaia Memory. Sunset knew she had to snatch it now and smash it, but the moment she did that would just make Juniper lunge for her and try and take it away. Although she was fairly certain she was stronger than Juniper, it would be hard to explain why she needed to smash it and why Juniper had it.
Juniper looked down, eyes going wide as her hand shot towards the device, which forced Sunset to do the same. Juniper’s hand landed on the Gaia Memory first, but Sunset pressed her hand firmly atop Juniper, pinning her there and earning herself a glare from Juniper.
“What the hell are you doing, that’s my property?!” Juniper spat.
“No, it’s not,” said Sunset firmly. “I know what that is, Juniper. It’s dangerous, it turns you into a monster and messes with your head the more you use it.”
Juniper’s eyes widened with fear. “H-How do you know what it is?!”
“That’s not important, what is important is what will happen to you if you’re caught using that! The police will take you to prison, you’ll throw your whole future away, is that really what you want?! Because then you can kiss any hopes of acting goodbye!” Sunset scolded in a harsh whisper.
Juniper tried to lift her hand up, but Sunset Shimmer had a surprisingly strong grip. “What I do with it is my business! Not yours!”
“It will be my business if you endanger my friends, but…” Sunset released Juniper’s hand, allowing the other girl to pull back quickly and message her wrist. “You’re right, it’s your choice. I didn’t listen, and I learned the hard way how wrong I was and had to crawl up from the bottom to earn the respect of my friends and my peers the right way, not through fear or intimidation. But with respect and kindness. Whatever you’re using that for, it means nothing if it isn’t your own talent and skill.”
Juniper looked at Sunset critically, paranoia starting to seep into her mind. “S-So, are you going to tell my Uncle, or call the police?”
“I should, but I’d rather you did the right thing on your own, before the police or the Kamen Riders step in. See you later,” said Sunset as she began to walk away.
Once Sunset was far enough away that she was sure Juniper couldn’t see her, she took out her phone and sent a quick text to Twilight. {Twilight, Juniper Montage as the Gaia Memory, it’s a T1 type and had a D on it. Have Rainbow keep an eye on her, I think she’s been using it a lot.}
***____________<U>____________***
Juniper slumped against a wall, sliding down until her rear met the floor. Sunset Shimmer knew about her, knew she had the device which could transform her into a monster, well, to be fair, she hadn’t changed into a monster, only into Chestnut Magnifico. Juniper held the Dummy Memory in her hands and stared at it, contemplating Sunset’s words as she did so.
“Maybe she’s right, I mean, if I have to rely on some strange device to be a good actress, am I really any good at acting?” Juniper asked herself.
You are! It just means that you can play any role that you jump into! You can play Chestnut, you can play anyone!
“That’s true…I can…if I can fool everybody into thinking I am Chestnut by my acting skills, then the form I take is just a costume, I do have real skills!”
Sunset Shimmer is just jealous of my talent, she’s probably going to lord this over me, and blackmail me into doing whatever she wants, practically holding my fate in her hands…!
The image of Sunset Shimmer appeared in Juniper’s mind, but in her mind, she saw herself as a marionette doll, her strings being controlled by a maniacal Sunset who grinned with sinister delight at having her under her control. Juniper tightened her grip on the Gaia Memory, she wouldn’t let that happen, she wouldn’t be controlled by someone who couldn’t care less about something Juniper herself was passionate about.
“If she wants to pretend to be a hero, then let’s see how she does under pressure,” said Juniper.
< DUMMY! >
Juniper pressed the Dummy Memory into her arm and immediately her body began to glow, transforming her into Chestnut Magnifico. Juniper walked down the hallway she was in until she came to a door, after selecting the correct key, Juniper opened the door and smirked at the tied-up woman whose image she had stolen, Chestnut Magnifico.
“Hello, Chestnut,” said Juniper.
“Hazelwood, leave me alone!” Chestnut cried.
Juniper rolled her eyes. “I’m not that creepy fanboy! I took the device that turned him into a monster, he just never went further than just monsters.”
“What do you want?!”
“I want to be what you are, and I’ll prove it by acting as you! If I can manage to fool several people into making them think that I’m you, then it will only be a testament to my actual skills as a future actress!” Juniper proclaimed. “I just need you to stay down here a little bit longer while I take care of another nuisance.”
Juniper reached into her pocket and tossed a few candy bars in front of Chestnut.
“I saved you some, so don’t say I didn’t do anything kind for you,” said Juniper.
As Juniper turned to leave, Chestnut asked, “How long am I going to stay here?”
Juniper stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Depends on how well you can keep a secret, and if you’re willing to let someone else step into the limelight.”
With those parting words, Juniper walked out of the room and proceeded down the hallway. She continued until she exited into the main hall and cut across stealthily, confident that no one saw her. However, someone did see, or rather something. Rolled up next to where Juniper had exited, was a round case. This case began to wiggle around until it unrolled itself and revealed the mech-animal, Dillo. The robot armadillo hurried down the hall that Juniper exited, Dillo shuffled along the hallway, using his scanners to see where it was that Juniper had been. After about three minutes of shuffling about, Dillo found the door that held Chestnut. The mech-animal’s eyes lit up with excitement as it began to release a signal, broadcasting its location to its creator.
***____________<U>____________***
Sunset stood on the set, a look of deep thought and worry was evident on her face. Most of the cast and crew took it as Sunset focusing on her part, they had seen plenty of actors with different methods of concentration, and more often than not they don’t like to be disturbed. In respect of that, the crew stayed a respectable distance to allow her time to “get in the zone”. However, it wasn’t the scene that Sunset was focusing on, it was Juniper Montage. She knew that Juniper would eventually do something she would regret the more she used the Gaia Memory.
A text had arrived earlier from Twilight and she verified that the T1 was the Dummy Memory, which gave the power to transform its user into any monstrous or humanoid form they so choose. Which now correlated with the way Chestnut Magnifico was acting strangely around the Daring Do set according to what her friends told Sunset and from what she had witnessed with her own eyes. Now that only made Sunset wonder what Juniper did to the real Chestnut.
She doesn’t strike me as the kind of person to hurt Chestnut, if she did then she’d be stuck playing her for the rest of her life. And if you go by her logic, she wants to prove that she’s the best actress. So, the real Chestnut must be around here somewhere.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to worry about that, Twilight no doubt figured that would be the case and would have concocted a plan to find the real Chestnut. “All I can do now is just wait and be ready in case things go south.” Which, knowing my luck, it will happen soon.
Sunset stood on her mark, ready for the scene to take place. But then became vaguely aware of a presence. She watched as the monster for the scene was arriving, it was near perfect replica of the Fang Dopant, the very first Dopant she ever fought. The beast walked by her, and as it did, Sunset felt a strange sense of nostalgia, and not the good kind either. When the Fang Dopant breathed, she felt its breath. The costume itself looked a little too real.
Oh crap, thought Sunset.
“Okay, we’re in position! Begin in three, two…one! Action!” Cine Max shouted.
Sunset entered an aggressive stance, getting ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. “I know who you are, and you don’t have to do this!”
“Wrong, I have to, I can’t afford you telling anyone my secret,” said the Fang Dopant.
Cine Max looked to his PA and whispered. “That’s not in the script, right?”
His PA flipped through the pages and shook her head vigorously yet nervously. “No, it isn’t!”
“Hmm…I like it! Keep rolling and let’s see where this goes!”
“Believe me when I say you don’t want to go down this road, you’re still not too far gone to not come back!”
The Fang Dopant’s eyes burned red. “Trying to play the role of the heroine, trying to make me believe that you’re right and I’m wrong?! I know what my path is, and I’ll pursue it, even if it means going through you!”
Sunset’s eyes widened as she yelled, “EVERYBODY RUN!” The blades on the Dopant’s arms shined bright, Sunset ran towards Cine Max and tackled him out of the chair, “DUCK!”
Juniper released crescent blades of blue light that slashed at everything around her. Many of the cast and crew hit the deck, managing to avoid the slash beams of the Fang Dopant. The blue raptor glared at Sunset, and Sunset met its gaze knowing full well who it was targeting.
Sunset shot up and shouted, “HEY SCALY, COME AND GET ME!!!”
The Fang Dopant roared as it sprinted towards Sunset. The former unicorn mare ran in the opposite direction in a full sprint, leading Juniper away from the bystanders. Several blades of blue light were sent flying at Sunset, each one narrowly missing her. One sailed just past her left calf, clipping her a bit and making Sunset tumble onto the ground. She rolled for several seconds before coming to a stop outside the large doors to another studio warehouse.
Sunset coughed and groaned in pain, her left calf burned as she felt blood begin to seep from the wound, on top of the scrapes from the asphalt and bruising she got from the tumble. Despite this, Sunset managed to pick herself up and duck into the warehouse. The Fang Dopant saw the small blood trail and followed it inside.
The studio was a set done up to look like a tropical forest, quite perfect for a stalking super dino. The Fang Dopant sniffed the air and looked down, following the blood trail that Sunset was leaving. “You can’t hide from me, Sunset Shimmer! You may act brave and fearless, but right now you’re scared!”
“Yeah, I am,” Sunset’s voice echoed through the faux trees. “But not because of you, I’m afraid what this will do to you. And everybody you love.”
Juniper snorted through the flared nostrils of the Fang Dopant and added a snarl. “I won’t need your pity, not once you’re out of the picture!”
“And you’ll kill me to keep me silent, because after that you’ll be just a murderer.”
“The monster I play will be the murderer, I will still be innocent Juniper Montage!”
The Fang Dopant exited the forest and came to a clearing, where Sunset was standing and waiting. “Then you leave me with no choice, I know your secret, now it’s time for you to know mine!”
Sunset reached behind her back and summoned the Uni-Driver, she then placed it against her waist where the straps shot out and wrapped around her waist. Sunset reached into her pocket and pulled out the Unicorn Memory.
* UNICORN! *
“Henshin!”
Sunset inserted the Gaia Memory and pushed it down into the slot.
{ ERROR! }
The slot popped back up.
“Huh?”
Sunset pushed it back down.
{ ERROR! }
{ ERROR! }
{ ERROR! }
{ ERROR! }
“WHY THE HELL IS THIS THING NOT WORKING?!” Sunset took out the Gaia Memory and inspected it, and then her blood ran cold. “…Oh eff me…it’s the freakin’ PROP?!”
Juniper blinked and then shook her head. “Well, that was heroic, but if you were just trying to show me up…THEN IT WAS A MISTAKE!”
Sunset chuckled nervously at the situation, realizing that when she took that tumble, her real Unicorn Memory must’ve been launched from her jacket, leaving her with only the prop and staring down a very ticked off Dopant. Juniper, as the Fang Dopant, lunged for Sunset Shimmer, ready to end her. But at the last second, someone swung down from the rafters and grabbed Sunset, getting her out of the way as the Fang Dopant barreled through several trees before coming to a stop.
Sunset rubbed her head from yet another rough tumble, she looked up and saw that it was DeeDee, the stuntwoman from the Daring Do set. “Miss DeeDee–!
“Just DeeDee,” she interjected.
“DeeDee, thanks for the save!” Sunset stated as she rose, only to return to the ground on one knee. “Damn it.”
DeeDee looked down at Sunset and saw the gash on her left calf. “You’re hurt.”
“It’ll be fine, I just need to rest up for a minute and–”
The sound of DeeDee ripping the hem off her shirt cut Sunset off, the stuntwoman motioned for Sunset to present her leg to her. Yielding to the older woman’s experience, she carefully lifted up her leg and allowed DeeDee to wrap it up as she tied it tight to apply pressure to it. “That’ll keep it from bleeding out.” DeeDee reached into pants pocket and tossed something to Sunset.
The former unicorn mare grabbed it in midair and gasped when she saw it was the real Unicorn Memory. “Wha – huh – what?!
“I saw that on the ground when you took a fall and led that monster in here. I figured you were trying to limit the number of casualties as well as witnesses to your stunt, right, Kamen Rider Unicorn?”
Sunset was at a loss for words right now, she didn’t know this woman, and now she knew it was her.
“I’d hurry up and do whatever it is you do to change, before that thing sniffs us out and attacks.” DeeDee saw the suspicious look on Sunset face and smiled. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”
“How can I trust you? I don’t even know you,” said Sunset.
“Let’s just say that you’re not the only girl around here with secrets that keep the world from being plunged into an abyss,” said DeeDee cryptically.
Sunset took a moment to digest that, and then it struck her like a lightning bolt. “Y-You’re–!”
The roar of the Fang Dopant echoed in the studio as she released crescent slashes that began to tear up the set. Without another moment to lose, Sunset pressed the button on the device.
< UNICORN! >
“Henshin!”
> UNICORN! <
A flash of turquoise light caught Juniper’s attention and she quickly ran towards its direction. However, upon arrival she was greeted by a swift kick to the face, sending her flying
backwards and landing on the ground in a heap. Juniper shook her head and looked back to see what had hit her. It was then she beheld the sight of Kamen Rider Unicorn.
“That’s better,” said Unicorn.
Juniper shook her head, but then she snarled as the reality dawned on her. “Sunset Shimmer, you’re Kamen Rider Unicorn, for real?!” Unicorn nodded. “Okay, that is so wrong and unfair! Of course, you’re perfect for the role, you’re playing yourself!”
“Trust me, I understand the irony of the whole situation. But, that still doesn’t negate the fact that what I said was true. You need to stop now before this gets too far out of hand!”
The Fang Dopant rose back and growled. “I can’t let you, my dream to become the best movie star, I won’t let it fade!”
Unicorn sighed as she took out her Fang Memory. “Then I guess I’ll have to beat some sense into you.”
< FANG! >
{< FANG! MIMETIC DRIVE! >}
The symbol of the Fang Memory appeared behind Unicorn, and the broke down as it merged with her armor, transforming her into Unicorn: Fang Edge. Sunset crouched low as she too gave a growl, allowing the more feral nature of the Fang Memory to unleash her wild side.
\ ARM FANG! /
Once the blades extended, Unicorn dashed towards Juniper. The copycat Dopant was unprepared for how fast Unicorn was as she came in slashed her in an X patter across her chest, causing sparks to fly from her body.
\\ LEG FANG! //
The blades on Unicorn’s arms disappeared and the ones on her legs elongated. Unicorn balanced her on her hands as she performed a windmill kick, hitting the Dopant several times with her leg blades before hitting it once more and forcing Juniper back.
Juniper grunted the several blows she received, panting as she said, “How?!”
Unicorn jumped up and landed on her feet, dismissing the Leg Fangs and deactivating her Fang Edge form. “I fought the first Fang Dopant, and he was a lot tougher than you. You’re only a copycat, and a not good one at that. Now I’m going to get a little more serious.”
< QUEEN! >
{< QUEEN! MIMETIC DRIVE! >}
The Q symbol appeared behind Sunset, and the wrapped her in its power. In the next moment, a shell of pink had formed around Unicorn and shattered, changing her into super form, Unicorn: Empress.
***____________<U>____________***
“What’s going on, there’s screaming and explosions going off?! Is Cine Max on another one of his explosion kicks?!” Canter Zoom asked.
As if to answer his question, something slammed through the wall of the studio and crashed into the set. Followed close behind whatever it was, was Unicorn, floating in with her two Knight constructs flanking her. “Everyone, stand back, we have a situation!”
Unicorn glanced in the direction that the trail of destruction had created and immediately pointed her finger in that direction. The Knight constructs zoomed for that spot and readied to attack their opponent, but amongst the rubble and debris, they could not find their opponent. Unicorn looked around and saw her friends, along with Canter, and rest of the cast and crew of the Daring Do movie.
Damn, she could be anyone in here, thought Unicorn. Wait a minute…
Unicorn’s compound eyes brought her to look at Chestnut Magnifico, who had appeared next to her friends as she walked from behind the set. Unicorn pointed her finger at Chestnut and the Knights immediately surrounded the movie star, causing everyone to gasp.
“What are you doing?!” Canter asked.
“That’s not the real Chestnut Magnifico, it’s an imposter! A monster that can take the form of other monsters, and other people,” said Unicorn.
“This…This is outrageous! Someone help me, she’s clearly lost her mind!” Chestnut wailed.
“No, she hasn’t!”
Everyone turned in the direction of the familiar voice. From a long corridor, emerged Kamen Rider Nasca, helping the real Chestnut Magnifico walk as Dillo shuffled alongside them. “Dillo here trailed the imposter, and found where she stashed the real Chestnut, she’s been playing everyone the whole time.”
Everyone backed away from the fake Chestnut, the fake screamed in rage as she pointed at Unicorn. “YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll free you from that thing’s influence! Dillo!”
The robot armadillo rolled up into a ball, spun, and the charged forward. Dillo bounced into the air where Unicorn caught him and pressed down on where the Max Drive slot was. She took out her Queen Memory, inserted into the slot, and slammed it down.
>} QUEEN! MAXIMUM DRIVE! {<
“Time to restore harmony!”
The fake Chestnut transformed into another monster from the past, that of the Utopia Dopant. However, the monster was all show, and Juniper didn’t know how to correctly use its power. Unicorn tossed Dillo into the air and followed after him, the robot animal spun faster and faster as it gathered energy and changed into a ball of bright pink light. Unicorn appeared behind Dillo, lacing her right hand with the same energy as she cocked back.
“Royal Spike!”
Unicorn slammed her palm against the ball, hitting like a volleyball and sending it careening for Juniper. The moment it struck, the speed and power carried the Dopant high into the air, sending her flying, the Utopia form vanished and then the real form of the Dummy Dopant was revealed, its power waning as the sphere continued to do damage to it. The sphere continued until they were outside, the sphere carried them both into the air, which then exploded in a plume of pink light and smoke that formed a sparkling Q.
Juniper found herself in free fall, the remnants of the Dummy Memory falling beside her as the wind roared in her ears. She felt that this was the end, but suddenly, the fall stopped, and she was aware of being in someone’s arms. Juniper opened her eyes and saw that it was Unicorn in her Mystic Cyclone form, Unicorn teleported and landed at a secluded part of the studio lot, and gently set Juniper down to lean against a wall. Sunset deactivated her transformation, and then sat across from Juniper.
There was silence for a long moment until Juniper said, “I messed up…bad.”
Sunset sighed, “Yeah, you did.”
“Are you…Are you going to take me jail?”
“I’m not a cop, Juniper. I’m just a girl who helps people and fights monsters. The thing you have going for your right now is that no knows it’s you, besides me. You can turn yourself in or you can move on from this and learn from it, and work to become a better person,” said Sunset.
Juniper looked at Sunset, truly looked at her. Although they were roughly the same age, she could see a wisdom in those turquoise eyes that betrayed her actual age. “Did you…do something like what I did before?”
Sunset nodded. “I used magic to get what I believed I deserved, but in the end, it turned me into a monster. It took someone else to show me the right way, the way to the light. And by extension, I was able to help someone I love and care for come back from a similar dark place. It’s the same for you.”
Juniper hugged her legs and began crying, Sunset scooted over and sat next to Juniper. She didn’t reach for her, she just sat there, hoping her presence would help. “I wanted so badly to become a star, an actress! I saw that that thing allowed that guy to change into and I…I wanted to use it to change who I was, to show that I could play a role as good as any actor…”
Sunset smiled a little. “And to your credit, you did manage to fool a few people.” It was then that Sunset had another thought. “Were you behind the setbacks on your Uncle’s set?”
“Yes…I moved things around, hid others, sabotaged a few pieces of equipment, whatever I could to make Chestnut quit so that Uncle Canter wouldn’t have any other choice but to give me a shot…” Juniper confessed.
“But, you know Daring Do is an older woman, and you’re a teenager.”
Juniper rolled her eyes. “In hindsight I concede to the fact that I’m younger, but it wasn’t just the age, it was the experience he questioned. I’ve seen dozens of his movies being made here, and watched many of the actors practice stunts, rehearse lines, and not to mention the practice I do at home on my own time…I just…just wanted a shot.”
Sunset patted Juniper Montage on the shoulder in a comforting fashion. “Trust me when I say, even if you think you deserve it, doesn’t mean you’re ready to receive it.”
“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…for attacking you, for sabotaging the movie, and for locking Chestnut away, especially after that freak tried to do her.”
“Like I said, those things warp your mind. But you understand what you did was wrong, so we’ll chalk this up to a life lesson and move on. However,” Sunset gave Juniper a stern look, “if I find out you’re messing around like you did, I won’t be the only Kamen Rider you have to deal with. Understand?”
Juniper nodded her head in a very vigorous affirmative.
It was then that Sunset had an idea. “You know what, maybe you weren’t playing the right role…”
***____________<U>____________***
Case Report: Dummy Dopant
The last couple of days have been…hectic to say the least. Sunset and Rainbow defeated a Dopant who could metamorph into different Dopants, monsters, and even people. At first the user was a man called Hazelwood, but it was then picked by a girl Rainbow Dash and I had met earlier, Juniper Montage.
According to Sunset, she wanted to become an actress and felt as though she would never get her shot. I’m so sure that I approve of Sunset letting her go, she did kidnap Chestnut Magnifico, almost managed to kill her, and sabotaged the Daring Do movie.
But then again, I nearly destroyed reality and almost killed all my classmates and fought my girlfriend in a magical death battle. So…I shouldn’t be judging if Sunset believes she deserves a second chance.
But from what Sunset has told me, Juniper understands the error of her ways and promises to walk a path of good.
The girls were once again back at Canterlot Studios after a couple of days. Once inside they were able to see that Juniper was in the middle of shooting a scene with Cine Max. Somehow Sunset had managed to convince the eccentric director to cast Juniper Montage for the role of “Sunshine”, aka Kamen Rider Unicorn. So far it was a good fit, Juniper put her all into the role and it was surprising most of the cast.
“Sorry, Sparky, guess you won’t be dating a future movie star,” said Sunset with a smirk.
“Oh shoot, I was looking forward to riding around in limos and going to different movie shoot locations around the world. Oh well,” said Twilight with a shrug. She then gently hugged Sunset’s arm. “I’ll settle just for having non-movie star Sunset Shimmer as my girlfriend.”
“You two are cute together.”
Sunset and Twilight jumped at the sudden appearance of DeeDee.
“Oh, um, hi, DeeDee,” said Twilight.
“Relax, I’m not going to tell anyone that your girlfriend is a superhero vigilante.” DeeDee adjusted her pith helmet. “It’s not like I have any room to judge anyway.”
The stuntwoman reached into her bag she was carrying and pulled out a book, she then handed it to Twilight who gingerly accepted it. Both girls looked at the book and read its title, “Daring Do and the Tome of Lost Dreams”.
“W-Wait a minute…this is…this is the next Daring Do book that’s supposed to be released in the next three months! How did you get a copy?!” Sunset asked.
DeeDee face palmed herself. “Oh, I completely forgot.” The stuntwoman gently took back the book and opened it the first page. Taking out a pen from her satchel and wrote in the book. “Here you go.”
Twilight took back the book and opened the book again to see what was written. “‘To my two fans, and my favorite superhero. Your friend, A. K. Yearling and Daring Do’. This is…This is A. K. Yearling’s exact signature! But, t-t-that means y-y-y-you’re…!”
DeeDee put her right index finger to her lips and made a shush sound. “There are other mysteries in this world, I may need your help one day.”
Having said that, DeeDee walked away. Leaving Sunset and Twilight to wonder what she meant by that and stunned that not only did they just meet A. K. Yearling, but possibly…Daring Do.
“Uh, Sunset…”
“Yes, Twilight…?”
“I’m not sure what to make of this…”
“Good, neither do I.”
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.....now you see, if we got that bit of mirroring in EQG, fans would enjoy it/lose their minds~
Why do I have a feeling that there is more to Dee Dee than just her being A. K. Yearling and Daring Do. I swear to god if she is a Boukeger or some kind of Kamen Rider/Super Sentai Member/Metal hero...
!!!
I...
Will...
Lose...
My...
Dear Princess Twilight,
This may sound weird, but I think I just met Daring Do for real.
Thoroughly confused,
Sunset Shimmer
Dear Sunset Shimmer,
Oh yeah! Me and my Rainbow Dash met her a long time ago! Glad to hear she's a real person in your world as well!
Trust me, you get used to it,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
You know, I think that "DeeDee" would make a good Kamen Rider. Maybe a version of Beast from "Kamen Rider Wizard" because of the Driver and extra gear being discovered on archaeological digs? I think that it works.
Was...was my comment just referenced!?
9125219
"HENSHIN!"
"Heeeeeeeeennnnnnnn.....shin!"
SET. OPEN. L-I-O-N LION!
*UNICORN*
"The Magic of Friendship Unleashed!"
"The most ancient of Ancient Mages!"
"Kamen Rider Unicorn!"
"And Kamen Rider Beast!"
"It's Lunchtime!"
"And it's time to restore Harmony!"
Veeeery curious thing you have here. Considering the whole Kamen Rider tie in's to certain characters. Hinting to a future EQGxKR War Movie fic?
If not fine. But all things considered with the last few side story fics you've done
Unicorn (Double/Memory theme) - Sunset
Build - Fizzle/Tempest
Beast/Wizard - A.K. Yearling/ Daring Do
That last one considering a certain mayonase-loving rider was an Archaeologist accidentally inheriting the Chimera Phantom. Though I wouldn't be adverse to her being a KR Blade type rider.
Hell, wouldn't be surprised if you had Button Mash as a Ex-Aid themed rider (maybe, probably not).
Gonna love to see Daring Do make another appearance if she ever does.
allowing the other girl to pull back quickly and message her wrist
especially after that freak tried to do her
I’m so sure that I approve of Sunset letting her go, she did kidnap Chestnut Magnifico, almost managed to kill her, and sabotaged the Daring Do movie
1. Massage. Doubt she can message her part of her own body like that.
2. Especially after what that freak tried to do to her.
3. I'm not so sure that I approve.
Extra paragraphing.
During this entire scene, I was just waiting for Gentaro to simply show up and put the guy in detention
Well, we found our Dopant!
Nice, I like that idea.
Well, now I want to see that one.
While I appreciate the effort, I don't think this is going to work. Don't disrespect the stuntman, they really are doing phenomenal work.
Yeah, not buying that in any way shape or form. The real armor should feel completely different than the prop. That she can move in it just like her real armor is not really that realistic. Especially thanks to the very limited point of view.
Huh, so the first Dopant was the actual stalker, interesting. But how exactly is she using the memory? You need a connector port to do that. Only exceptions are T2 memory, which this isn't or there was this one case with the "Bird" memory and that nearly caused the death of the user when it was shattered. If this is the second case... Oh boy, this is going to be interesting.
Oh, wow that is deranged...
Yep, the real deal
You would be surprised how often celebrates that play themselves are seen as less accurate than doubles
And somewhere in the multiverse a certain detective just sneezed
Don't remember me of that episode, I'm liking this too much for something like that ruining it
I think you forgot the "not"
9125202
I hadn't thought of Boukenger. My first thought was possibly Blade, since he was backed by an archaeological group.
But YES to Daring being a toku hero!
So Sunset isn't a movie star after all? Darn. But a great story nonetheless, and Juniper was actually a threatening villain for a change! Good for her.
9125422
Oh, the name for our little cameo at the end of the Ex-Aid crossover could be "Kamen Rider Tempest".
Awww man, she was so hoping to see Sunset on the big screen!