Canterlot High Magic Club

by Luminous Comet

School Night

Dear Sunset Shimmer,

I know that this is a difficult time for you.
But it can be a hopeful time, too, if you let it.
I'm proud of the new direction you are taking
and I want to help you along in finding your way.

This book contains my notes on all I've learned.
I do apologise for the handwriting on some pages.
Not all of it might be easy to figure out,
but I have the utmost faith in your abilities.

Best Wishes,
A Close Friend

Sunset didn't know how many times she had read the letter ever since finding it between the first few pages of the old notebook. It had been a few weeks since then and much of that time had been spent going through the hand-written notes, drawings, and pasted-in cut-outs.

Magic. The notes were on magic. Theory, practical application, encyclopedic entries, the thing was a more inconsistent mess than a teenager's diary. Sunset should know, she had burned hers a few days ago.

If anyone had asked her if she believed in magic this summer, she would have laughed in their face and probably called them a mean nickname. But considering the method in which this notebook arrived, she had been willing to give this "close friend" the benefit of the doubt.

Weeks of work led her to some understanding and some successful experiments, but most of the contents were still impenetrable. And the mystery that was nagging at her the most was the letter. Or rather, the identity of its sender.

She folded it up and tucked it back into the desk drawer. Picking up the notebook, she slipped it into the inner pocket of her leather jacket. She wasn't going to find any more answers by staring at the same papers over and over again. At this point, she had to go out and investigate. And as of today, she had a good idea of where to start.

=====***=====

Sunset looked up at the school building, looming against the night sky. It seemed a lot less welcoming at this time of day, devoid of students. She stood by the monument on the front lawn, her hands in the pockets of her jacket, zipped up against the nightly chill. She could try and go in straight through the front door, or see if there was an easy window somewhere. The last time she sneaked into school this late had been for a ridiculously petty reason, in hindsight.

Tonight was more important. Or so she hoped. There was no guarantee she wasn't just following an imaginary lead, given how little experience she actually had at this. The faint, thumping feeling in the back of her mind had returned as soon as she had reached this side of the road, but for all she knew, it was just the early sign of a migraine.

As she contemplated, another sound caught her ear. Wheels halting on the gravel-covered parking lot just around the corner and a motor stalling, then turning off. She quickly darted around the monument to hide around the other side. She didn't run into anyone last time. Was Mister Doodle coming in this late for work?

She carefully peaked around her hiding spot and watched the path leading around the corner, listening for the heavy steps. But who came walking around, briefly illuminated by one of the sparse street lamps, wasn't a teacher. Though she was certainly tall enough to be mistaken for one.

Sunset's tension shifted but didn't go away. Getting caught by another student wasn't going to be as bad as being seen by staff, but still not ideal. She ran through her options while she watched the tall girl head up to the front doors. Really, sneaking around the school was trouble enough, not having to evade another person was probably for the best.

But that meant having to talk to her. And considering their previous encounters, that almost made her want to turn and leave entirely.

With a sigh, she stepped around the stone monument. If she wanted to repair her reputation even a little bit, this needed to happen sooner or later anyway. She just needed something to say, something casual. "Hey, AJ. Small world, huh?" Yes, like that, except not at all.

As Applejack turned around, startled, Sunset had to shield her face from the sudden bright cone of a flashlight. "Sunset Shimmer? What in tarnation are you doin' here?" Her tone was surprised, but Sunset didn't miss the irritation that came with it.

"I'm looking for something," she said honestly, but evasively, "I didn't think anyone else would be here." Way to make yourself sound less suspicious.

Finally, Applejack lowered the light, pointing it at the doors instead. "Well, fine. I ain't got time for arguments," she said seriously, putting one hand on the door bar and pushing it open, as it was surprisingly unlocked.

"Wait, why are you here?" She quickly followed the taller girl up the steps to the entrance. "I know I'm not one to talk, but I didn't think you a rule breaker."

"If ya must know, I am looking for someone," Applejack said firmly, pressing on into the entrance hall.

"Who?" She wanted to shrink away from the distrustful gaze Applejack shot over her shoulder, but didn't. "Maybe I can help?"

With a sigh, Applejack turned back to the hallways, starting down one, letting her flashlight glide over the doors. "Rarity. She was stayin' behind to work on costumes for the drama club. But her lil' sis called my home, sayin' she never came back and wasn't answerin' her phone."

Sunset followed a few steps behind her, biting the inside of her cheek. She knew Rarity, not especially well, but well enough for the news to be distressing. Especially if the feeling in the back of her mind was what she thouht it was. "Okay, that's definitely more important. If she was working on costumes, I'll check the Crafts classrooms."

She split from her down another hallway, briefly getting illuminated by the flashlight again. "By yourself?"

"You're by yourself too. Don't worry, I have my own light."

=***=

Tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak

The quiet, steady beat of the sewing machine was the only thing she could hear now. Her ringtone had stopped a while ago. Good. She needed to work. This was important.

Tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak

Her phone had turned off entirely. So did the ceiling lights. That was fine. She only needed the little bulb in the machine, illuminating nothing but the fabric and her trembling hands. She didn't remember why, but this was important. She had to keep going. She couldn't stop now.

Tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak

=====***=====

The first magic trick Sunset had gotten the hang of was making fire. The second was putting it back out so it wouldn't burn down her apartment, arguably a more important skill. But after some practice, she felt confident enough to make proper use of the flame. Dancing in her open palm, it illuminated part of the hall in front of her, bathing the walls in orange light.

A flashlight would have absolutely been preferable. She could have brought one, easily, but no, she needed to show off how great she was at making flames now. Show off to no one but herself. She groaned at herself and closed her palm, smothering the flame, before pulling out her phone instead to use its light.

The softer, clearer light showed her more of the hallway ahead. Around the bend in front of her were the Crafts rooms. She didn't take any Crafts classes, but she did pass through here to take a shortcut this afternoon. Which is when she noticed the thumping, which was just becoming more intense again now.

She slowed down to quiet her own steps and lowered the light a little when a steady, mechanical sound caught her attention.

...tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak...

=***=

Tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak

-tak.

A shuddering breath escaped her dry lips as she pulled the tangle of fabric away from under the needle. No time to inspect her work, she had to keep going or she'd never be done.

"Rarity?"

She didn't recognise the voice. It didn't matter, she was busy. They needed to come back later. Or never. She'd never be done.

The door was pulled open. Immediately, her work moved, rustling and shifting as it went to keep them from interrupting her. She ignored the voice as she set a new ribbon against the central piece.

Tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak-tak.

=====***=====

Applejack was a woman of clear priorities. Family came first and close friends might as well be family. She didn't like Sunset Shimmer, simply because of how she had treated her friends. It was true that she had stopped that behaviour, and that she seemed to be feeling guilty enough, but she had yet to apologised. That's why she didn't like her still, even if she didn't feel as hostile to her as Rainbow Dash did.

But all that wasn't important right now. Finding Rarity and making sure she was okay was the only thing at the front of her mind right now. And if Sunset genuinely wanted to help, then that was alright in her book. And any questions over why she was even here or how much she had changed didn't have a place in the here and now.

She had gone through half the main hallways on the first floor now. Maybe Sunset's idea had been right. If anything had happened to Rarity, the first clues would probably be at the Crafts rooms. Once she had reached another empty hallway, Applejack turned to double back. Even if she didn't find her yet, maybe it was best to meet up again.

Just as she turned, the cone of her flashlight clipped something moving around the corner. She fell into a short sprint, whipping the light around the corner when she reached it. "Rarity!?"

She got a better glimpse this time, as the figure darted up the stairs. The girl was wearing a short skirt, much shorter than the one Rarity had worn this afternoon, and a plain grey hoodie, with the hood pulled over her head, the kind that Rarity wouldn't be caught dead in. Then who--

A sudden shout carried down the hallway to her left. Applejack followed the sound with her eyes, then looked back to the stairs. Without losing more than a second, she turned and followed the voice.

=====***=====

Her first flame had caught one of the ribbons and burned through it. The second had gone wide, splashing against the corner above the door. It had all gone downhill from there quickly. Her phone was on the floor, a few feet away. It had landed on the back, leaving only the screen as a dull light and the rest of the hallway in darkness.

Several ribbons and a long band of fabric had wrapped around Sunset's wrist and arm, pulling it back towards the room. She tried to snap her fingers to light another spark, but her thumb being covered in fabric made that impossible.

Her other hand was busy trying to get a finger or even just a nail between the ribbons and her throat, but they had wrapped around tight and no amount of clawing and scratching made breathing any easier.

She had rooted her feet firmly against the linoleum floors, trying to keep herself from being dragged into the room. She had only caught a short glimpse of the writhing mass of cloths and ribbons, before realising she did not want to be in there.

Something snatched her leg, but only wound around once, before it reached the other, forcefully pulling them together. Sunset could only just turn her head and raise her free arm to avoid smashing her nose on the floor. Landing on her chest should have knocked the air out of her, but her throat being squeezed closed worked both ways.

Something, anything, any word, any spell, anything to grab. Her eyes darted around wildly, trying to see some hope in the dark. Rational thought had left her, now that panic had set in, all she could do was struggle.

Then, light flashed, engulfing her for a moment.

SLAM!

The tendrils shuddered and loosened. Sunset gasped for breath and quickly pushed herself a foot away from the door, coughing loudly.

"You mind tellin' me what the hell is goin' on!?"

She quickly struggled to her feet and looked behind her. Applejack had pushed her weight against the door, trapping the mass of fabric snakes between it and the frame. They were motionless now, but their assault was still evident by how entangled they still were around her limbs.

Now that they had come this far, she might as well bite the bullet. Sunset quickly pulled herself out of the ribbons, muttering a single word. "Magic."

"Come again?"

In the half-light, Sunset made firm eye contact with Applejack as she snapped her fingers, lighting a small flame, hovering over her palm. "Magic," she repeated as seriously as she could.

...tak-tak-tak-tak-tak...

Something slammed against the door from the other side, making Applejack tense her body again and ripping her out of the short stupor. "Right. Okay. Magic. Now what do we do?"

Sunset took a deep breath. Now that she could think clearly, she quickly put together what she had seen and connected what dots she could. "Rarity is in there. We open the door, I burn as much as I can, and we get her out."

=***=

As far as rescue operations went, this one was a mess. AJ tore open the door and the first thing that came through was a torso mannequin. She instinctively braced and let it slam against her raised arms. It was hollow and not very heavy and she could push forward.

Rarity was sitting at a desk, in front of an old sewing machine. The only light in the room was the small bulb set above the needle. She looked tired, her eyeliner having run down her cheeks and dried again, her hair a little frazzled, her hands trembling.

Magic or no magic, that was enough to motivate AJ. She held up her arm when the tendrils leapt for her, gathering as many as she could to yank at them, pulling at the centre of the mass somewhere in the middle of the room. A bright flame leapt into the mass, singeing and snapping a good number of the ones she had a hold of.

"Rarity, get over here!" Her eyes darted aside, seeking Applejack's own, but they snapped back to the fabric under he needle. Her lips trembled but no words came out.

Anger gripped her, but she grit her teeth and pushed herself back in-between the sewed hydra and Sunset, catching what she could, while some wrapped around her waist and her thighs, trying to drag her in. Another hissing flame, more of them snapped.

"Applejack...?" Rarity's voice was hoarse, like she hadn't spoken all day.

When the next leap came, AJ raised her leg and stomped down on the ones slithering on the floor. She turned the flashlight in her hand, grabbing a firm hold of it, and dragged herself several steps further into the room, against the grip of the ribbons.

Raising the heavy light, she slammed its butt into the housing of the sewing machine. It cracked, tipped, and clattered straight off the desk. With the crash, it came to a stop, silencing the incessant beat of its needle.

A long, tense moment passed, before the ribbons loosened and slipped off of her. With an exasperated sigh, Rarity slumped forward. Applejack quickly had her arms around her and her friend's weight shifted against her chest.

"I am so tired," she whined quietly. "I wanna go home."

Comments

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

Weeks of work led her to some understanding and some successful experiments, but most of the contents were still impenetrable. And the mystery that was nagging at her the most was the letter. Or rather, the identity of its sender.

I have a good feeling who it might be, but I'm not gonna jinx it.

Sunset followed a few steps behind her, biting the inside of her cheek. She knew Rarity, not especially well, but well enough for the news to be distressing. Especially if the feeling in the back of her mind was what she thouht it was. "Okay, that's definitely more important. If she was working on costumes, I'll check the Crafts classrooms."

what she thought it was.*

A flashlight would have absolutely been preferable. She could have brought one, easily, but no, she needed to show off how great she was at making flames now. Show off to no one but herself. She groaned at herself and closed her palm, smothering the flame, before pulling out her phone instead to use its light.

Wait, did she make that flame from her bare hands!?!?

Now that they had come this far, she might as well bite the bullet. Sunset quickly pulled herself out of the ribbons, muttering a single word. "Magic."

I'm guessing the Magic affected the outfit Rarity made or her fabrics that ended up attacking Sunset?

"Rarity, get over here!" Her eyes darted aside, seeking Applejack's own, but they snapped back to the fabric under he needle. Her lips trembled but no words came out.

under the needle.*

A long, tense moment passed, before the ribbons loosened and slipped off of her. With an exasperated sigh, Rarity slumped forward. Applejack quickly had her arms around her and her friend's weight shifted against her chest.

Ok, maybe it was the sewing machine that did it.