Doomwar

by Boltstrike58

Chapter 11: On the Other Side

Earth EQG, Canterlot City

The blaring of the alarm clock was silenced by Sunset Shimmer's fist slamming down on top of the snooze button. Again. The Equestrian girl rolled backwards onto her bed, her eyes drifting closed again. She didn't know why she even bothered to set that thing so unbelievably early. Despite her association with the sun, Sunset wasn't crazy about the morning. Waking up with the sun was for the birds...and maybe Twilight and Rainbow, but that was beside the point. Anyway, it wasn't a school day, so Sunset figured she could afford to drift off for ten more minutes. She relaxed under the covers, letting herself drift away from consciousness...

Only for the alarm to go off once again, jolting Sunset back to reality. She silently cursed the person who'd managed to invent alarm clocks on this side of the mirror as well as in Equestria. Rolling back over to the side with the clock, she reached for the snooze button yet again before a sudden thought struck her.

Was today...? Silencing her alarm, Sunset reached for her phone, checking her calendar app, and finding out that it was, in fact, that day.

With a small squeak, Sunset leaped out of bed, dashing over to the dresser and yanking out a set of day clothes. She hurriedly threw them onto herself, tossing last night's pajamas into the hamper. Fully dressed, Sunset scurried about the small apartment, rushing through every preparation she needed to get done for the day.

Sunset wasn't as obsessive about it as Twilight, but she hated being late all the same. And today was a very important day, considering what she and the rest of the Rainbooms had planned. The thought of being late for it made her stomach churn with anxiety. Of course, she trusted her friends not to get infuriated with her, considering Sunset was usually so dependable, but anxiety wasn't always logical.

Grabbing her phone, Sunset ran through her text messages, trying to recall where the meeting was set up. She breathed a small sigh of relief as she discovered it was located at Pinkie Pie's house, as the distance between it and Sunset's place was negligible. Grabbing her bag, with the two-way journal to Princess Twilight nestled inside, Sunset, pausing only to feed Ray, hurried to the kitchen to scarf down a quick meal before heading out.

---

Meanwhile, at Pinkie Pie's house, the remaining members of the Rainbooms were already gathered, patiently awaiting the arrival of the missing Sunset Shimmer. At the current moment, everyone was drowning their boredom in whatever activity they found pleasurable. Pinkie was in the midst of baking some sorely needed refreshments, assisted by Applejack, Rarity had her sketchbook out and was working on whatever inspiration had suddenly hit her in the last five minutes, Fluttershy was brushing Angel Bunny's coat, Twilight Sparkle was working on a project on her laptop, assisted by Spike the dog, and Rainbow Dash was napping, despite the others' attempts to waken her.

Also with the group of girls were three special guests, who were in fact the reason for this little get-together. These three were Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk, otherwise known as the Dazzlings. Formerly power-hungry sirens who fed off negative emotions and sought to use their powers to rule the world, the three had been previously defeated by the magic of the Rainbooms and Princess Twilight, leaving them incapable of singing, or manipulating feelings. However, despite this, the three had eventually gotten over their defeat, and were now on friendly terms with the Rainbooms.

Well, sort of.

"Will somebody tell that prism-haired numbskull to stop snoring?!" yelled Aria, as she typed away on a borrowed laptop. "Seriously, it's driving me up the wall!"

"Aria, I don't think one can exactly control whether or not they snore," said Adagio, casually filing down her nails. "Surely you of all people would understand that."

"Yeah, Ari, you sound like an elephant panting at night," said Sonata, who was busy texting somebody.

Aria grunted, shutting her eyes as Rainbow continued sawing logs. She mentally forced herself to let it go, reminding herself that she was supposed to at least tolerate these people now. In truth, they weren't that bad, just kind of annoying. Besides, after living with Sonata for so long, Aria could probably withstand anything.

The Dazzlings were the focal point of this little escapade the Rainbooms were embarking on. Since their defeat at the Battle of the Bands, the trio had lost all of their magical abilities, and with them, their ability to sing on key at all. Sure, Adagio had taken up singing lessons, but the three were from Equestria. They were magical creatures by nature. They just felt incomplete without any of their powers. The Rainbooms had held a meeting, discussing the issue, and come to the conclusion that the Dazzlings could be trusted. Thus, Sunset and Princess Twilight had come together, planning a short trip to Equestria, where they'd research ways to at least partially restore the Dazzlings' magic.

Sunset had been hopeful at their prospects, especially considering Princess Twilight was bringing along some assistance for this little project. For the past few months, the journal had been filled with recounts of Twilight's experiences alongside heroes from across the stars, the Avengers, who apparently included some of the most brilliant minds that entire universe had to offer. Rainbow Dash had been ecstatic over the whole superhero aspect, of course, but Sunset was more interested in the minds behind such power. The Avengers were apparently in Equestria to help out with a massive Friendship Conference that was being held, so they'd be around to provide input on this affair as well.

If she were forced to tell the absolute truth, Adagio would've said this was all a little overwhelming. Since the Rainbooms had accepted her and her sisters into their fold, they'd been remarkably kind to them, especially considering everything that had happened during the course of the Battle. Now they were even trying to help the Dazzlings regain their magic, the very thing they took away in the first place. Aria, ever the cynic, had claimed they were just easing their own guilt, but Adagio wasn't so sure guilt could overpower one's instincts. After all, most wouldn't be willing to return that kind of power to those who'd once been enemies, even if they felt anguish over it.

"So, um, has anybody heard from Sunset?" Fluttershy spoke up. "It's almost the time we agreed on, and she hasn't shown up yet."

"I wouldn't worry, Fluttershy," said Twilight. "Sunset's pretty punctual, and she usually manages to show up by—"

Suddenly, the front door of the house swung open with a sudden bang, and a familiar red and yellow haired figure charged inside. Rainbow Dash bolted up in her seat at the noise.

"I'm here! I'm here!" she announced to the entire room, as though they somehow hadn't heard her come in. "And with..." she took a quick glance at her watch, "two minutes to spare! Yes!"

"See? What did I tell you?" said Twilight.

"Pf. Whatever," replied Aria, going back to what she was doing.

"Aw come on, Ari!" protested Sonata. "You said you wouldn't be so sarcastic around the Rainbooms anymore!"

"No, I said I wouldn't outright insult them," Aria retorted. "Asking me not to be sarcastic is like asking me to stop breathing."

"I'd say that's an exaggeration, but I've lived with you long enough," said Adagio, putting down her nail file. "Anyway, Sunset, good job arranging this little affair."

Sunset smiled at bit at the honest compliment. If she were asked to give her honest opinion, she'd say that she was getting on fairly well with the Dazzlings. They hadn't tried to kidnap her yet or anything, at least. All things considered, they'd been remarkably mellow following their defeat, and she thought they could be trusted with their magic again. Though, if she were truthful, she did feel a little guilt she wanted to erase, especially considering she'd never meant to break their pendants in the first place. Sunset sighed as she looked down at her own geode, still sitting in its proper place around her neck. She was glad nobody had brought them up yet.

"Glad to do it, Adagio," said Sunset. "Now, are you sure you want to go through with this? I know, going back to Equestria won't be easy for you, especially considering how long you've been gone—"

"What's there to worry about?" asked Sonata. "A chance to get our magic back, and all we have to do is hang out with a couple of ponies for a while? Is there a downside?"

"I can think of a couple," Aria snarked. "We've been gone for over a thousand years. And didn't you say that Star Swirl douche was still around?"

"Well, sorta," said Sunset. "He and the other Pillars of Old Equestria were released from limbo a while back. Twilight says you might not have to see him, but if our magic research doesn't get us anywhere—"

"Oh, relax, Sunset," replied Adagio. "We're not that thin-skinned. As long as he doesn't try to banish us again, we can take a little time in his vicinity."

"Yeah! And besides, we had to spend a thousand years in this world. We're not expecting Equestria to be like it was when we left," said Sonata. "Can we take a trip to the beach, though? I really miss those waves..."

"We'll see, Sonata."

"There's another thing," Sunset continued. "See, the way you got here, and the way back home are gonna be pretty different. The spells used to maintain the bridge are formatted differently than the simple vortex Star Swirl created to banish you. The portal might turn you back to your original... forms, I don't know what they're called, or it might turn you into ponies. I just don't know. I just want you to be prepared."

"Yeah! The portal turned my counterpart into a dog, and he's a fire breathing dragon!" chimed in Spike.

"We were hippocampi, for the record," said Aria.

"Well, it'll certainly be a bit of a culture shock," Adagio said, thoughtfully resting her chin in her fingers, "but we'll live, I suppose."

"Okay, good. That reminds me." Sunset reached into her back, pulling out a box and handing it to Adagio. "I picked these up after the Battle of the Bands. Haven't been able to get them fixed, and as far as I can tell, they don't have any power left, but I figured they at least hold some sentimental value for you."

Adagio opened the box, knowing exactly what she would see, but wanting to see it anyway. Sitting in the box, in several large pieces, along with many small crumbly bits, were the three rubies the Dazzlings had once worn on their necks. Adagio smiled a bittersweet grin as she picked up the biggest chunk, staring at her reflection in the gemstone. She wasn't certain which one had been hers, but she felt the same connection to them, feeling nostalgia wash over her. Sure, she'd moved on, in essence, from the defeat, but she couldn't escape the empty feeling and the lightness around her neck from where the pendant used to hang. Aria and Sonata looked over her shoulder, and she could tell they had similar feelings.

"Thanks, Sunset," said Aria, resisting the urge to throw out another quip.

"Now darling, I feel I must ask," Rarity spoke up, "are you certain about this little trip of yours? From everything you've told us, Equestria isn't exactly a walk in the park. Are you absolutely prepared?"

"I'm sure," Sunset answered, as she reached into her bag once again. "I'm from Equestria, and I'm pretty sure I can handle anything that we might have to deal with. Besides, we'll have Princess Twilight and the other Avengers backing us up. What could go wrong?"

"Shouldn't have said that," muttered Fluttershy, but she was so quiet nobody noticed.

Sunset pulled out the journal that bridged the gap between worlds. She pressed her pen to a blank page, and began to write. "Dear Princess Twilight; I hope the Friendship Conference went off without too much trouble. Anyway, the Dazzlings and I are going to make our way down to the mirror portal now, and we hope to see you when we arrive. Looking forward to doing research with you, Sunset Shimmer."

Her message complete, Sunset set the journal down, waiting for it to begin its trademark buzzing as Princess Twilight's response appeared on the page.

And waited.

And waited some more.

"Well, somebody's not being very proactive," Adagio chuckled to herself, peering down at the unresponsive journal. "You'd think a princess would know to respond more quickly."

Sunset shot her an annoyed glare, but said nothing about it, having grown used to Adagio's little comments by now. "I guess she must not be near the journal right now," she surmised. "Maybe she's too busy with the Conference."

"So what happens now?" asked Aria.

"I think we should still just go for it," replied Sunset. "She said before that we could come into the Castle anytime, and that she'd have ponies waiting for us. No point in really putting it off, I guess."

"Darling, are you certain we shouldn't accompany you?" Rarity chimed in, but at the look Aria shot her, quickly added. "Not that I don't trust you, or anything, I promise! It's just that we've never been to Equestria for a substantial length of time, and, well..." She mulled over her words, before finally blurting out. "I want to compare designs with my pony self!"

"Yeah! And Pinkie and I could trade party tricks!" said Pinkie.

All the others looked at Sunset, similar pleading expressions on their faces.

Sunset had a brief chuckle. "I'm sure they'd love it, guys, but your counterparts are gonna be busy with the Conference and everything. I promised Princess Twilight we'd discuss having the pairs meet up at some point, but it's just not feasible right now."

"Oh, alright," Rainbow acquiesced. "But next time, we're totally having a joint universe party. And both Pinkies are gonna throw it."

Sunset winced, but concealed it from the others. "I don't know if the fabric of reality is ready for a duel Pinkie Pie party," she whispered to herself.

---

As Applejack's old truck pulled up right next to the empty Canterlot High, Sunset looked around nostalgically. She and the rest of the girls didn't really have much High School left, and would soon be departing for college. It was a bittersweet thought, the idea of leaving the place where she'd learned real friendship behind, but she supposed she could accept it. She looked at the pedestal where the now destroyed Wondercolt statue had once stood, but the portal still remained.

At the same time, Adagio sat quietly to herself, her hands beginning to sweat ever so slightly. She'd missed Equestria, it was true, but the idea of going back after so long was somewhat intimidating. Even after the display of confidence she'd put on for Sunset earlier, she could feel her nerves creeping up on her. Would anything be the same? Would she ever recognize the seas of her home if she saw them again? What would she—

She stopped rubbing her hands together, as two more laid themselves on her shoulder. Adagio turned, finding Sonata and Aria behind the comforting gesture.

"Hey, it'll be alright," insisted Sonata.

"If they try to make us stand trial or something, we'll kick their asses!" asserted Aria, thumping her fist to her chest.

"How'd you know?" asked Adagio.

"You do that thing with your hands whenever you're nervous," replied Sonata. Adagio immediately pulled her hands away from each other.

The van finally pulled to a stop, and Sunset was the first one out, her backpack strapped to her back. "Alright, girls!" she proclaimed, "It's field trip time!"

Comments

[Shadowpony300]

Are you going to put Daredevil and punisher

[Boltstrike58]

9694572
You'll see.

[FolkloreBrony]

Suddenly, the GUARDIANS!

[Bumblebee16]

Anytime now

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

"Hey, it'll be alright," insisted Sonata.

They’re (Dr.) Doomed