Magic is introduced into the world from Equestria, drawing the attention of those who would seek to keep it secret.
When Sunset Shimmer brings the element of magic into another world, and introduces magic into the main six, she gathers the attention of a secret world of magic of which she hadn't known of, sending them all down a path that none of them could have foreseen.
Now the girls are being sent to school, to learn about their new magic, and their newly expanded world. No one knows for sure what the consequences of these newcomers to the magical world will be, but there is someone who may.
This is a Harry Potter / Equestria Girls crossover story.
The story's setting begins at the end of the first Equestria Girl's movie, taking a different direction from subsequent movies.
A basic understanding of My Little Pony and Harry Potter may make the story easier to follow or enjoy, but should be accessible regardless.
Sunset Shimmer's chest tightened as her hands closed around the crown she had been seeking. Finally... after so long, magic. It had been an eternity since she had been forced into this stupid world without magic. She turned around to confront her opposition once more after finally achieving her goal. A way to use my magic again. Her hands shook violently as she held the crown out before her, not sure if it was the anticipation or... fear?
Raising her arms, Sunset dispelled all her thoughts of doubt as she set the crown gently upon her fiery red hair. What would there possibly be to fear. This was her goal from the very beginning, commiting herself to all kinds of terrible actions for so long. It was far too late for second thoughts now. Drawing a deep breath, she probed out with her mind, reaching out through her crown to find that which she had always known, Magic... and found it.
Her heart fluttered in excitement and anticipation; it had been years since she had lost the ability to use her magic after escaping into this dreaded world. That dreadful mirror deceived her, it showed her as a princess, an alicorn. She deserved to be great, she deserved the power she had, she deserved more. Yet the only thing that mirror had done, was taken it all away! Celestia abandoned me to this fate...
Fear, anger, and anguish swirled in her heart as Sunset pulled in as much magic as she could. She could feel the world around her in a way she couldn't before. She could feel each blade of grass swaying in the harsh wind, the clouds as they swirled and toiled unnaturally, and the dread exuding from each of the humans as they stared at her in horror from beneath her. It was intoxicating.
She released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Taking a moment to shake off the euphoria, she turned back to regard the six girls who had been keeping the crown from her, delighting in their terrorized expressions. Any other lingering students took that opportunity to flee and hide. It may have taken much longer than she would have liked, but the mirror delivered its promise in the end.
Now that she had her promised power, Sunset could return to Equestria to retake what was rightfully hers. After dealing with this little rodent standing before her. "You lose, 'princess' Twilight Sparkle," she spat out disdainfully, "You, who have gotten everything you've ever wanted, handed to you on a silver platter. Now watch as I take it all away." She brought her hands together, forming an orb of fire between them, and launched it at the obnoxious brat.
Glee. That was the closest thing Sunset could describe to having felt at that moment. It sent a shiver down her spine. She was ruthless and underhanded, but she wasn't a killer. A part of her battled with these foreign thoughts, but it was useless. She felt lost in her own mind, dominated by something that wasn't her, as she watched the explosion she created envelop the six girls cowering together beneath her.
Sunset perked up at the feeling of foreign magic. Whatever doubts she had were overshadowed by fear and curiosity. How can I feel other magic in a world with no magic? Unmistakably there was a bubble of some kind that was erected around the school. It was baffling. The only magic in this world came from this crown... right?
"You know nothing of the magic you use Sunset," Twilight's voice pierced through the smog of the explosion, "The element of harmony you are using have recognized their former owners and have come to our aid. You may have the crown upon your head, but you cannot wield its power, because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all, friendship!"
Sunset stared at the group before her with wide eyes as they started to float off the ground toward her, glowing with a faint light. She hadn't even the opportunity to flee before a prismatic beam overcame her.
"And what happened then?" the old man who had introduced himself as Albus Dumbledore spoke from across the table. He had a gentle expression resting on a wrinkled face framed by long white hair, an equally white beard cascading down his chest.
Sunset sank back into the comfort of her chair, avoiding his gaze. His demeanor reminded her too much of her old teacher, her only family whom she had ever known. "When... the light... overtook me," she began awkwardly, "it felt so warm. I felt comfortable. Like all of the mistakes I had made in the past were forgiven. That I no longer had anything to prove, because I was okay the way I was." She jerked her head awkwardly to the side, trying to hide her tearful face from the kindly man.
"Everyone makes mistakes Sunset. It's what we decide to do after them that decides who we become."
"I turned into a power hungry demon!" she snapped at him bitterly, "How can you be so understanding...?" She bit down on her tongue to stop herself from crying in front of him. That would be the worst outcome out of all of this. How pathetic. All it takes is one person showing me compassion, and I turn into a sobbing mess.
"You need not think you're alone, Sunset. I too have made terrible mistakes," he replied sadly, sounding even older than he looked, impressively. "I know the pain of committing evil for the sake of those you love. I also know that you are not the evil you are making yourself out to be. Alas, you are young, and still possess the power to become whatever you want. It's not too late to change with the help of your friends."
"Huh? What friends?"
"The six girls who vouched for you to the aurors," Albus replied passively, arching his eyebrow slightly.
"I... what?" Sunset couldn't have stopped herself from crying then if she had tried, "Why? I... have only... made their lives... miserable," she managed to choke out while sobbing. "Why?"
"I assure you, they don't see things that way." He leaned forward slightly. "Each of them have been questioned separately immediately following the incident, and each of them have defended you. If it weren't for them, I think we'd be meeting under much different circumstances."
The unfinished thought sent a shiver down her spine, but regardless, she felt thankful for them. She'd never once considered that friendship could be worthwhile, but for the first time, she could see how beautiful it was to have someone to help her. "Um... what's an auror?" she asked, wiping the tears from her eyes.
He considered the best way to explain before replying, "An auror is the policing force of the wizarding world."
"You mean there is magic in this world too?" Sunset spurted out in shock.
Albus chuckled softly at Sunset's expression. "I would think that you of all... people... wouldn't be as shocked as the others."
"What do you mean?" Sunset asked guardedly, noticing the hesitation in his wording.
"I had the opportunity to learn a great deal of things from Twilight before our conversation," he stated matter-of-factly, "She had a great deal of interesting information to cover that the other five did not. You have no need to be afraid, only I know this information, and advised Twilight to keep it that way too."
Sunset was speechless. "That girl is FAR too trusting," she said testily, "How could she share something like that with a stranger."
Albus took the remark in stride, "I'm sorry to say, but we're running somewhat short on time. I need to know what you want to do moving forward. You have two options. You can head home in around an hours time with Twilight, or you can stay here with your new friends. I have the ability to give you a comfortable life here, if you so choose."
Sunset looked down at the floor sadly. After what she had went through with Celestia, she didn't know if she could face her again, even if it had been three years. "I... I think I'd like to stay..." She looked back up at him hopefully.
He just smiled warmly at her, standing slowly. "Very well. You may wait here, and I will be back as soon as I can. I have to return another certain pony back to her home. I'll have someone send you a decent meal while you wait for me to return."
"U-um... sir?" she asked, as he started for the door, "What does 'obliviate' mean? I heard the aurors say it earlier."
Twilight and Dumbledore stood facing the statue before turning back to the rest of the girls gathered around them. "I might not have known you all for long, but I'll miss you all so much," Twilight said sadly, drawing them all into a hug. The group shared a long tearful hug before finally splitting off, and returning to the statue with Dumbledore.
Twilight's dog, Spike, bounded up next to his owner before adding a comment of his own, "I'm really gonna miss them." If Dumbledore thought a talking dog were strange at all, he never let it show.
Twilight smiled down at him. "Yeah," she replied sadly, looking over at Dumbledore who was waiting politely for her to finish her goodbyes. "I'm ready now." The two walked together up to the open face of the statue, and stepped into it.
They fell. One couldn't tell which direction they were falling, just that they were moving uncontrollably somewhere. Dumbledore compared it mentally to a more jarring and violent form of apparition, an already taxing form of transportation. The feeling only lasted a few seconds before they lurched forward, hooves connecting loudly on marble as they stepped out of the mirror.
Dumbledore shuffled his limbs uncomfortably. Looking down at his hooves awkwardly. If he didn't have four hooves on the ground, he was sure he would have fallen. Normally he wouldn't let his age get in the way of things, but he was probably too old for an experience like this. He moved his legs awkwardly, stepping after Twilight who had bound over to a group of her friends, noisily reuniting. Now that he had noticed them, they had a striking resemblance to the friends they had just left on the other side of the portal, despite these being ponies. It took him a moment to realize that he had gained an audience of some sort, a large line of ponies staring at him curiously.
The two largest of the ponies appeared to have a much different reaction from the others. Their jaws hanging open as they stared at him in awe, "Starswirl?" the larger of the two asked incredulously.
Dumbledore looked back at Twilight, who now stared at him with the same expression as the other two, eyes as large as saucers. They must be referring to me. "You must be Celestia," he bowed his head respectfully, "I fear we have much to discuss."
Any amount of surprise she once held was quickly replaced by a much more mature and collected demeanor, "Of course. Come, I will show us to a place we can speak in private." Even with such a short interaction, Dumbledore could tell that they would get along quite well, sensing the maturity of the pony.
"Lead the way, majesty," he replied, garnering a light chuckle from the rainbow colored mare.
"You always were one for formality."
He stepped slowly and methodically, getting used to his new pony body. He chuckled softly as he stepped past Twilight whose face was still frozen in place, staring at him in wonder. "You'll have to tell me who this Starswirl is," he jested as the two stepped out into the grandiose hallway, away from the group of ponies.
Celestia smiled over at him, her eyes almost glowing with warmth, "We will have plenty of time to talk after I lower the sun." She continued down the hallway a few more steps before she realized she was no longer being followed.
After Albus had left Sunset alone in the room, she looked around the room for the first time. She was still a little anxious about what was happening, even if she wasn't to be punished for what had happened. Breathing a deep breath, she tried to relax slightly, and occupied herself with looking around the room for the first time since she was sat in the chair she just stood up from. Tucking her hands in her leather jacket, she glanced around the room casually.
It really was a comfortable little room, off to the side was two chairs on either side of a nice wooden table of good oak where she had been sitting at. It felt slightly like an interrogation room were it not for a comfortable looking lounge area off to the other side of the room with it appeared to be a kitchenette across from it. The lounge consisted of a few comfortable looking blue couches, and two matching cushioned chairs, all circled around a simple coffee table, of the same oak as the other furniture. She found herself wandering over to the lounge in favor of a more comfortable seat, even if she weren't tired in the slightest, she could at least try and relax.
Why would those fools defend me? She thought to herself in wonder. I literally spent the last three years breaking their hearts and spirits. Even bringing a few of them to tears in a regular occurrence. And then... the first time I slip up, and they have an opportunity for revenge... She grimaced and hid her face behind her hands. It would have been preferable to her had they enacted revenge on her. She felt so dirty now. She had spent the last three years treating the inhabitants of this world like objects. As pawns she could use for her eventual return to Equestria. But now she wasn't even going home, and all she had done was sabotage any relationship she ever had in this foreign world. The only solace she had was that everyone she had wronged had their memory of her erased completely, except for six people, one of which had went back to Equestria, leaving five. She sighed, leaning back into the couch. Obliviate... She thought idly, how terrifying it was that these humans had memory altering magic and use it so casually. If I had that spell, how easy it would have been for-... No, I should focus on atoning for my actions and building a new life for me to live.
Her mind wandered back to Albus Dumbledore. His presence was so calming, yet when it came down to it, she knew nothing about him. It was difficult to know how much was hidden behind those mysterious blue eyes. He really did remind her of Celestia; they both had the kind of eyes that exuded wisdom without any effort. He offered me a new life. Had he noticed that I had no family, or was it simply coincidence? She sighed again as she rubbed her weary eyes. Too much had happened within the last few hours, it was as overwhelming for her as the moment she first entered this world through the mirror. She used another breathing exercise to help her calm down, but nothing could calm her beating heart.
A sudden thought made her sit up uncomfortably. Am I being watched? She glanced nervously at the door, curious if there was an auror standing by on the other side. Her curiosity urged her to check, but fear kept her rooted to the couch. Glancing over to the clock, she realized only about an hour had passed by. Now is about the time when Twilight is heading back home. Back to spend time with 'her' teacher. She frowned bitterly thinking about it, before relaxing again. She had her chance with Celestia, and she ruined it, just like she ruined everything. As much as she wanted to throw the blame at someone else, it wasn't Twilight's fault. She had to start owning up to her own failures, as difficult as that was.
A sudden noise burst into the otherwise completely silent room, as the door was roughly opened, causing Sunset to jump to her feet with a yelp. There were several women entering the room with an array of different platters that made Sunset's jaw drop. One of the ladies looked over to her. "Sorry we startled you, dear," one apologized as they began laying out the food across the table she had been sitting at previously.
"I... that's... there has to be some mistake, that's enough food for ten people," she remarked incredulously.
The lady just smiled back at her as two others brought in a few more chairs, bringing the total chairs around the table up to six. Sunset realized the implications immediately, causing her heart to drop a little. I'm not ready to meet with them so soon. She thought fearfully. She had expected another day before seeing them all. She mentally prepared herself as best she could, as the various people finished their job and exited the room politely. What do I even say to them? Hey! Sorry I tried my hardest to make your life a living hell, forgive me? She scoffed at herself. Even more anxious than before, she began pacing back and forth in the room, providing a small amount of comfort to her. Oh, hey guys! Sorry I- She turned around to see a girl with poofy bright pink hair not even a foot from her her, grinning widely at her.
"AAAAAH!" Sunset shrieked, jumping back away from the sudden breach of personal space.
"AAAAAH!" the girl mimicked, somehow making a flying tackle toward Sunset look like a natural reaction. She collided with Sunset, wrapping her arms warmly around Sunset, her momentum carrying the two of them onto the couch. Sunset was too startled to know how to react, just staring at the girl sprawled out on top of her.
"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity scolded, "You scared her half to death!"
"Then that means she's still half alive!" Pinkie retorted, climbing off of Sunset and giving her a wide smile.
"Oh my," Rarity continued, catching sight of Sunset, "You look positively awful." She approached suddenly, being the second person to breach Sunset's personal space. Sunset was still in shock as to what was happening, as Rarity pulled out some cleansing wipes and started cleaning up Sunset's face. Sunset decided it would be best not to protest, any way she could postpone saying anything to this group was time well spent. She wasn't usually one for procrastination, but there was a first for everything...
Laughter abruptly filled the short silence as Rainbow Dash caught a good look at Sunset. "Baaahahaha! You're still all messed up when we made you eat dirt." Sunset scowled at Rainbow, accomplishing nothing other than a, "Stop moving, darling," from Rarity, which prompted Rainbow to laugh even harder. Sunset sighed and resigned herself to her fate, it could be worse, she supposed. A few minutes passed, as Rarity continued from cleaning, to brushing Sunset's hair, while the others talked and bantered among themselves, knowing better than to interrupt Rarity. Sunset spent that time observing the others, noticing Applejack and Fluttershy join in with the others when she was preoccupied. She could almost thank Rarity for the extra time to think.
Finally after Sunset thought there was no more Rarity could do with her, she noticed her pull out her make-up, and decided she needed to draw the line, "Uh, no. I don't need make-up," she denied adamantly.
"If you're sure," Rarity sounded doubtful, but thankfully seemed to accept Sunset's preference, putting away her make-up and scooting over on the couch to an acceptable distance from Sunset.
Sunset gathered her courage before speaking up in what seemed a suitable gap in conversation, "Hey everyone," she froze up when all five of them stared at her at once, but forced herself to continue, "I wanted to say... I'm so sorry, I've been-"
"A bitch?" Rainbow finished for her.
"Rainbow!" Applejack growled.
"No..." Sunset interrupted, "She's right, I have been. I spent the last three years making your lives miserable. I never expected to stay here, so I treated everyone like an object to further my goals before I left. I was afraid to form connections with others, because I knew I would eventually leave." She bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say next. "But... now that I've been offered a future here, I've decided to stay, and my actions have come back to bite me. I never deserved your kindness when you all defended me, and I just hope that I can eventually make all of my mistakes up to you."
"Well Ah'll be," Applejack said in wonder, "That was a mighty fine apology."
"Everyone deserves kindness, Sunset." Fluttershy finally joined in, stepping toward Sunset, seeming emboldened by her apology.
If there was one of five here Sunset didn't know if she could confront. It was the one she had been able to bring to tears on a daily occurrence. "Fluttershy..."
"Up up!" Rarity interrupted, "We don't want to hear anything of it. You've made your apology, and we all accept." She smiled warmly at Sunset. It was probably the context of it, but Sunset decided it was the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. Do I really have friends now? Just now noticing the delicious smells of the food across the room, her stomach let out an long growl of protest, drawing laughs from the girls gathered around her. "Come now, darling, we can talk more when we all get a bite to eat," Rarity toned in lightly as she led Sunset over to the table with little protest.
Sunset spent the next few hours in the room, eating delicious food, and laughing with her new friends. When she thought about it, she decided this was the best moment of her life.
Six heads turned toward the entrance of the small room, when the door opened, revealing Dumbledore smiling warmly at them. "I see you have all gotten along quite nicely while I was away," he jested coyly.
"Yup!" Pinkie blurted out before the others could respond, followed by a semblance of similar responses. Sunset merely arched an eyebrow at him, getting a small chuckle in response.
"Come," the man continued, "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and you'll all be needing your sleep." The six girls followed him out into the hallway where they greeted with the same group who delivered the food earlier. He sent each girl off with a different person to show them to a room to sleep in, leaving Sunset with him. Giving her a strange look out of the side of his eyes, he gestured down the hallway as they began walking together. "She misses you, you know," he said, once there were none in earshot.
"You talked with her?" she hissed in vexation, before curiosity got the best of her, "Does she really?"
"I had quite a thorough conversation with her after I got Twilight back safely," he chuckled to himself, "Did you know there was another version of me in your world that went by the name of Starswirl the bearded? Quite a mouthful of a name, if I may say," he jested, noting her same shocked reaction as the others across the portal, causing a small smile to reach his wrinkled face. "Our conversation covered many topics, but it always found itself returning to you. She truly does care for you."
"I..." she choked out, trying not to cry in front of him again.
"It's not too late for you to go back to her. I can lead you back home, just as I have done for Twilight."
The reminder of Twilight taking her former position of Celestia's student brought a wave of bitterness that she dismissed immediately. Celestia is capable of having more than one student, but... I don't know if I want to leave when I've finally made friends. She really was grateful to Twilight. If it hadn't have been for her, Sunset would have led her life down a road there was no coming back from. "I... think I'd still like to stay." She looked up at Albus again, with hopeful eyes, getting a chuckle and a warm smile in return.
"You are welcome to lead your life in whatever direction you would like. I will even be able to arrange visits for you, if you would like to keep in touch."
"I would like that," Sunset smiled warmly at him.
Dumbledore stopped abruptly in front of a door on the right side of the hallway, opening it for Sunset. It was a nice room, if a small one. "Now get some rest, we have a long day ahead of us."
"You said that earlier, what is happening tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow we're preparing you and your friends for school."
"School?" she asked incredulously, "After everything that has happened, we're just... going back to school?"
"I think you'll find this school a much different experience," he voiced mysteriously, "Rest well."
Sunset watched him as he walked down the hallway for a few seconds, before entering the room and shutting the door. She lay sprawled out on the bed, staring at the ceiling, just thinking. After everything that happened today, she was far too worked up to be sleepy. Starswirl the bearded? Did I seriously just go from being tutored by Celestia to being under Starswirl's care? There was a point where things became so unlikely that it had to be some kind of elaborate joke. There was no way that someone with no home could end up in situations like this. She sighed to herself in frustration. Staring at the ceiling lost in her thoughts, she didn't even realize when sleep had taken hold of her.
Sunset awoke with a start at the sound of a sharp rapping on her door. She hadn't realized she even fell asleep and didn't feel even particularly rested. "I'm awake," she called out grumpily, as she pulled herself out of bed. Trudging over to the door, she opened the door, squinting at the contrast of the brightly lit hallway. She found herself face to face with the lady who had apologized for startling her the other day. She felt a little guilty she didn't even know her name yet, but she decided it was far too early to care. She covered her face with her hands before mumbling miserably, "Hey..."
The kindly lady did her best to mask her amusement at Sunset, and fell short. "Not a morning person, are ya dearie?" she asked sympathetically, "There's some coffee in the lounge at the end of the hall, same room you were waiting in last night." She gestured in the direction. "Would you like me to show you the way?"
"No... that's okay, I can manage," she groaned as she shambled through the entirely too large and bright hallway. Who designed this place anyways, she scowled angrily. It took only a few minutes, and a few people walking a little quicker after passing her, before she pushed through the door at the end of the hallway. Four pairs of eyes glanced her way, and seemed to understand she didn't want to be bothered at the moment. Even Pinkie was respectful of her space, which came as a surprise to her. Sunset glanced over at the corner, and noticed Rainbow slumped over on a couch, nursing a cup of coffee of her own. Pouring a cup of black coffee of her own, she went and sat next to Rainbow in the "don't bother me" zone. The two glanced at each other, a form of kinship building between them, as they continued to mind their own business.
Even in the morning Rarity was perfectly polite and presentable, hair curled, make-up applied and ready to take on the day. She was sitting with Fluttershy, each enjoying a cup of tea together. "Pinkie..." Rarity started, "you really don't need that much sugar..." She had lost track of how many cubes of sugar Pinkie had put in her small cup of cocoa. By the time Pinkie stopped adding them and began stirring, it was a sludge. She fought a strong gag reflex as Pinkie took a... drink? Is she chewing? She wondered in disgust.
"Mmmmm!" Pinkie exclaimed happily. Applejack, sitting next to Pinkie just grimaced before turning away and taking a drink of her coffee. Ignorance was bliss in this case.
"So what do y'all reckon this 'busy day' we all have ahead is gonna be?" Applejack prompted the group, trying to change the subject from Pinkie's horrible taste. Sunset briefly considered answering, but decided against it, considering it to be far too much effort than she was willing to expend at the moment.
"Oh, there's no use thinking about it now," Rarity countered lightly, "We may as well just enjoy each other's company and the lovely concessions provided to us." She glanced over at Fluttershy, whom she noticed was even quieter than usual. "But whatever happens, we'll all go through it together," she followed up, earning herself a smile from Fluttershy.
"Ah guess..." Applejack sighed. Sunset looked down at her empty cup of coffee, and sighed. She glanced over at Rainbow, and was shocked to see that she had fallen asleep sitting up. How does someone even do that? She spared a glance at Rainbow's hands, hoping she didn't end up dropping the half finished coffee, before standing up and joining the others.
"Apparently we're all going to be shopping today. Something about preparing us for some kind of special school," Sunset piped in, as she rinsed her mug and sat it in the sink, earning herself curious looks from the group. "Albus told me yesterday."
"Albus?" Rarity teased, "You're on a first name basis, now?"
"Wha-?" Sunset stammered out in surprise, "He told me to refer to him as such."
"He's just being polite, darling," she chimed.
"Surely someone else here refers to him that way too," Sunset countered, looking to the others for support, but found herself at a loss as they all stared at each other blankly, indicating otherwise. She sighed in frustration, "Well it would be weird if I stopped now..."
"Aw, well don'tcha worry about it too much, Sugar Cube." Applejack wrapped her arm around Sunset's shoulder, drawing her into a light embrace. "Ah bet he's got all sortsa others who do the same."
"Thanks Applejack," Sunset replied awkwardly to the friendly breach of personal space. It was really hard to break old habits. Perhaps she wouldn't ever get over the awkwardness of having friends. She glanced over at Pinkie in time to witness the girl pop a sugar cube in her mouth, after having apparently finished her cup of sugar. "What is wrong with you?" Sunset asked in horror.
"What?" Pinkie asked, looking legitimately confused, somehow. "Want some?" she asked, pushing the basket of sugar toward her.
"No... I'm good," she grimaced, filtering the thought out of her mind. Sunset had been used to drinking her coffee black for years now. She never really had much of a sweet tooth, and her... circumstances... led to her to cut out as much unnecessary components in her life as possible. Coffee was rather expensive in the first place.
A loud snore cut through their conversation, causing each of them to look back at Rainbow. A few of them shared a small chuckle of amusement. "I better wake her up again," Fluttershy said softly, walking over to Rainbow, gently prodding her, and urging her with her soft voice. Sunset looked over with envy, of all the ways to wake up, that seemed like a pretty good way. What am I even thinking? Luckily she never had think about it too long before the door opened, revealing a small group, led by Dumbledore. She glanced over to Rainbow again, noticing that she was awake again, looking now at the new group they had in the room curiously.
"Good morning, ladies," Dumbledore began to the group, "This is rather late-coming, and somewhat unconventional, but I would like to personally extend the invitation for each of you to attend Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The group was keenly interested, but only Rainbow was shocked. He gestured to his left to a tall, stereo-typically dressed, witch, "This is Hogwarts' professor of transfiguration, Minerva McGonagall."
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," McGonagall greeted them politely yet succinctly. She had a business like manner, that gave the impression of being strict.
Dumbledore then gestured to his other side, toward a taller, goofy looking, red headed man. "And this is Arthur Weasley, a leading member of London's Ministry of Magic, with an explicit interest in magical muggle relations. I feel his expertise in the area may provide comfort."
Arthur gave an embarrassed laugh, "Oh you give me too much credit, I'm not nearly as important as you make me sound. I'd be happy to lend any of you my assistance." He smiled jovially at them. Sunset gaped at the difference between the introduced man and woman, they couldn't have been more different than one another.
"Assistance with what?" Rainbow blurted out, still having trouble following.
"London?" Rarity stammered at the same time. "Why, that's half the world away."
Arthur looked between them, looking somewhat confused as to which to answer first, before settling on one, "Why... shopping, we need to get you ready to attend school if you're to attend Hogwarts in a few days." After deciding that question he turned his attention to Rarity. "Well yes, we'll be shopping for your supplies in London, you'll find that the wizarding world has much more convenient forms of transportation, as interesting as the former methods are," he replied excitedly, giving a small wink to accent his enthusiasm. Even coming from a world filled with magic, Sunset had no idea how they could cross most of the world in less than a day. She could only imagine what the other girls were thinking right now.
Dumbledore took this moment to continue, "Each student attending Hogwarts may optionally bring a familiar, which you may think of as a pet. Any of you who already have a pet are welcome to bring them."
McGonagall gasped, sounding scandalized at the implication, "First years are only permitted-"
"Which I choose to ignore," he said lightly. McGonagall just glared at him for a few moments before dismissing the subject, returning her attention to the rest of them again. "Before we get started, I have something for you all," he said suddenly, pulling a small bag out of his pocket and handing it to Sunset.
Sunset looked inside the bag curiously, noticing six identical crystal pendants. "What are they?"
"Consider them a gift from your old mentor," Dumbledore responded as Sunset took one of the pendants from the bag. She turned the diamond shaped crystal dangling from a silver chain curiously in her hands. "It is common for children to show their affinity for magic at a young age. Usually the latest a child ends up showing signs of magic is around the age of ten to twelve. While it's not unheard of for our school to receive first year students of your age, they are extremely rare, and the few cases we have had were isolated throughout their schooling." He looked around at the group, fixing each of them with a calculating stare. "I know not what caused so many of you to suddenly show signs of magic so late, but we luckily have been presented with an alternative. My recent visit with Equestria has proven to be bountiful to our knowledge of magic, even with the distinctive differences."
Sunset looked at the pendant with newfound interest, "These are enchanted?"
"It was not too difficult a request for the two I had met, one of which was particularly outgoing with completing them," he mentioned, smiling at Sunset warmly.
The entire group was deathly silent, intently staring at the pendant Sunset had held in her hands. She looked around to each of them, before sighing and slipping the chain around her neck. A strange feeling washed over Sunset as she did. She had a vast experience with magic, but the feeling was new even to her. She looked around curiously. Did everything else get... bigger? The group stared at her in shock. Her clothes sagged on her noticeably, her blouse hanging almost to her knees. She awkwardly held her skirt up to keep it from falling to the ground.
Fluttershy was the first to break the silence, "Oh my goodness! You're so cute!" She jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around a younger and completely stunned Sunset Shimmer. Sunset struggled to free herself from the grip of the fanatical girl. She had never seen Fluttershy act this way, especially around her. A part of her was a little happy, but it was still extremely embarrassing.
"Huh..." Dumbledore commented idly, "It appears that the clothes won't quite work anymore." He turned to McGonagall, "Minerva, would you mind helping them with their clothes?"
"Certainly," she replied calmly, taking her wand from her robe and pointing it at Sunset's clothes, "Reducio." Almost instantly Sunset felt her clothes tighten on her once more. She still had to adjust them slightly, but otherwise felt her clothes fitting much better.
"I... thanks..." Sunset said, still somewhat in shock at the situation unfolding before her.
"Now us! Now us!" Pinkie shouted excitedly, grabbing the bag and passing the pendants out to the rest of them, and throwing hers enthusiastically around her neck, shrinking down in size substantially. "Wow! I'm an itty bitty twinkie Pinkie!" Sunset gaped at the change in her, assuming how it must of looked on her now. The rest of the group followed suit, each putting on their pendants on. An excited bubble of laughter and joking passed around as McGonagall adjusted the sizing of each of their outfits. After their excitement had died down somewhat, Dumbledore continued his explanation.
"Now that we've finished with that, we'll divide you up into pairs, one of us taking a pair to guide you through preparations for school," he paused slightly to make sure they were following the plan, and to make sure there wasn't any objections. "Furthermore, I will be fully funding each of these young women's supplies, along with a stipend to cover some unforeseen purchases in the future." It was Arthur's turn to stare at Dumbledore with wide eyes, but unlike McGonagall, he said nothing. "Given the circumstances, it would be difficult for them to be able to afford supplies without a sponsor, and I won't let my personal guests to the school enter shorthanded." He looked around at each of them consideringly. They stared back silently, at a loss of words to say, figuring it would be best to just let the situation play out and follow along. "Arthur," Dumbledore turned to him, "Would you mind helping Applejack and dear Fluttershy gather their supplies?"
"Of course, of course!" He nodded enthusiastically, looking between the two girls with a warm smile. Fluttershy breathed a large sigh of relief, tension visibly draining from her as she was paired with the most comforting presence of the three mentors. Applejack put her arm around Fluttershy comfortingly, sharing a small nervous smile before they both stepped up to Arthur. "Come, come," he said comfortingly, leading them out of the room, "Let's go grab your things." The three disappeared from the room, leaving the tension that lingered in the room behind.
Dumbledore remained passive, looking between the rest of the girls, causing the rest of them to look between themselves awkwardly. "Minerva," he finally said, smiling widely, his eyes twinkling mischievously, "Would you be a dear and help Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie with their shopping?" She glared at him suspiciously, noticing something was off with his tone. "Come Sunset, Rarity. We have a busy day ahead of us," he began, leading the other two out of the room.
"Oh my gosh, we're going to have so much FUN!" Pinkie shrieked happily, clinging onto the poor woman's arm. "Do they have joke shops?!" She gasped loudly as a new idea occurred to her, "MAAAGIC joke shops?! Candy? Magical candy?! EXPLOSIVE HATS!" Pinkie rambled excitedly of all the things she wanted to shop for, leaving McGonagall staring at Dumbledore with wide eyes as he walked calmly out of the room.
"You did that on purpose," Sunset jabbed at Dumbledore playfully, sounding impressed. They were almost halfway down the hallway and they could still make out Pinkie's voice. He looked down at her in surprise.
"Why, I'm afraid I have no idea what you could be referring to. I merely asked her help for two students in need of last minute preparations."
"Uh-huh," Sunset grinned, completely unconvinced, just now noticing the small smirk Rarity was giving the two of them as they bantered back and forth.
"It did seem a little cruel," Rarity contributed, "She hardly seems the type to handle someone like Pinkie very well."
"I have the utmost faith in the professor," he countered loyally, "Now, do either of you have any belongings you'll need to grab before we head out?"
"Ah! Yes," Rarity started at the reminder, "Give me five minutes, and I'll be back." She jogged off down the hallway toward her room.
Dumbledore watched her leave for a moment before turning his attention back to Sunset, "And you?" he added softly, almost appearing to know the answer already. Sunset wasn't really sure how he did that.
"Nothing I don't have with me already..."
"Anything you'll need will be supplied for you at Hogwarts already," he explained to her, "Anything else we can pick up today." He gave her that warm smile again. Sunset stared back at him sadly. He really is like Celestia.
"Why are you helping us?" she asked bitterly, "You seem important enough to not be concerned for the well being of six random girls in some silly school." She clenched her fists at her sides. "So why us?"
"I do things for a great many reasons," he said sagely, eyes unfocused, staring as if at something far away, "Some because I have to, others because it is expected of me," he returned his attention to her before continuing lightly, "and some because I want to."
Sunset's eye twitched in irritation. That could have meant anything!
"Also, you meant to say 'eight' girls in some random school," he continued softly.
"Eight?" she asked in shock, "Who else?"
"You'll recognize them when you see them."
She rubbed her eyes in vexation, trying her best not to scream in frustration. This guy is even worse than Celestia! She can at least answer SOME questions with a straight answer. Sunset shot a nasty glare, her target seemingly oblivious to her ire. The two of them together have to be the most frustrating pair in existence. I pity whatever fool is forced to sit in the same room with them for more than a minute. Noise brought her attention to Rarity, who was approaching with an almost comically large suitcase. She was almost surprised the girl could carry it.
"Alright," Rarity sighed dramatically, "I'm all packed." She turned toward Dumbledore before continuing, "Except for my cat. It is still alright for me to take her, yes?" She looked fragile, ready to break at any sign of protest. Luckily, she received none.
"Of course, but first, let us move out of the hallway," he suggested, leading them past the lounge again, which Sunset noticed the other three still hadn't left the room. Rainbow appeared to have joined in the onslaught by now too, McGonagall unable to get a word in at all. Sunset seemed to notice a slight smile edge onto Dumbledore's lips, as if he just now realized how effective his prank actually was. She shook her head disbelievingly, realizing she just couldn't get a read on Dumbledore. Every time she thought she had him down, he showed another layer underneath that made her question everything again. He led them into a small room with nothing but a small table with a vase on it. "Now give me just a moment to collect your cat, and we shall continue." He stepped away from them before adding gravely, "Also... do not touch the vase."
He vanished.
Sunset rubbed Rarity's back comfortingly, as Rarity was doubled over, retching violently on the ground against the side of a building. "Th-thank you, darling..." she mumbled miserably, "You... m-make this a much more t-tolerable experience." The three were currently located in the back alley of a street in London, after having traveled by a particularly unsettling method. After Dumbledore had returned with Rarity's cat, Opalescence, he had prompted the two of them to lay their hands on the vase in the room they were in earlier. It had only been a moment, but the three found themselves in London after having done so.
"Anytime," Sunset said sadly. She may not have been friends with Rarity for very long, but it was painful to see such a proud woman in this state. "Here, drink some water," she suggested, offering a glass of water she had been holding for her.
Dumbledore stood passively on the side. "Travel by Portkey is a difficult experience for those not used to it," he added sadly, bringing Sunset's attention to him. "I am, however, surprised that you handled the trip so well. I'm not sure if I've ever seen anyone handle their first experience that well." The unasked question was ignored for a moment as Rarity emptied herself onto the pavement again, bringing Sunset's attention back to her. She rubbed Rarity's back again, showing silent support.
"It didn't feel very different from a crudely implemented teleportation spell, back in Equestria," Sunset finally commented. If he had been expecting that answer or not, he never let it show. She leaned forward, offering Rarity some more water, who decided to just drink and stay quiet. "I'm used to the feeling, I guess." The three passed the time in silence. Rarity, over the worst of her nausea, sat glumly on the top of her cat's kennel with a sour expression. Observing herself in a small hand mirror, she dabbed at her face with a cleansing towelette to remove the streaking of her make-up. There was something about the tenacity that Rarity went through to maintain her appearance that impressed Sunset. She herself spent minimal effort on her appearance, figuring she already looked pretty good, and anyone who didn't agree could eat dirt, literally.
At some point while they were resting, Dumbledore excused himself from the group to grab the two girls carts to carry their supplies, even if Sunset had none currently. The sounds of busied chatter filled the street at the end of the alleyway. Sunset noticed groups of people, chatting excitedly, passing by the head of the alleyway frequently. A large majority of them seemed to be dressed in a similar fashion, with black robes and pointed hats. Luckily, the alley which they were in appeared to gain no traffic. She doubted anyone would be interested to see someone vomiting, even if it was someone as pretty as Rarity... She shook off the thought, and glanced over at Rarity, who she noticed seemed to have just done the finishing touches on her make-up and appeared to be satisfied with the result. Taking a deep breath, Rarity stood up slowly, and gathered her belongings, setting her suitcase and kennel neatly on one of the pushcarts. It must have been about an hour they had spent for Rarity to regain her stomach, but even so, the method of traveling was, indeed, much faster than their alternative. They must have saved at least of a full day of traveling time, though if Dumbledore was looking forward to them being impressed, it was ruined by Rarity.
"Thanks for waiting." Rarity still sounded a little off, but definitely seemed much better than earlier. "I'm ready when you two are." Dumbledore took her up on her offer, silently leading the pair out of the alley and into the street.
"Now that we are ready to continue, allow me to formally welcome you to Diagon Alley." Sunset realized it was even busier than she thought it would be, people almost completely crowding the street. This would be a pretty difficult area to navigate, especially with a large cart. She found, though, that as they entered out into the crowd, that it seemed to part politely for them. In fact, it seemed like they were the only ones whom it did part for. Sunset began picking out people nodding to Dumbledore respectfully, some even saying his name in greeting as they passed by. Whaaat? How do I end up in the company of people like this?! One other thing that stuck out to her, much to her irritation, was that none called him Albus. Curse you, Rarity...
"I think a good place for us to start would be getting the two of you a nice new case for storage," Dumbledore suggested, leading them through the throng.
"Us two?" Rarity inquired, "I already have a suitcase." The comment only drew a smile from him as he continued toward a small shop on the side of the main street.
"These are not your average suitcases. In this case, I believe an example would be more effective than explaining." He gestured off to the side in front of the shop, "You may leave your carts here. You need not fear they will be taken." They did as they were told before following him into the shop. It had a bright and pleasant atmosphere, scattered with children and adults alike. It was empty enough that there was no problem navigating the store, but had enough people to show that it was popular. Instead of leading them further in, he led them to the bags they were showcasing at the front of the store. Wasting no time whatsoever before showing the best they had to offer. Sunset figured it was to prove a point. He gestured toward a large purple case propped open on display in the front window of the store, "Go ahead, take a look inside."
"Inside?" Rarity arched her eyebrow at him before stepping toward the case and following the suggestion, bending over the suitcase, "It's... what?!" She stuffed her head and most of her upper body down inside, leaving only her backside wiggling around awkwardly in front of Sunset. Sunset found herself fighting between focusing on Rarity or the magical bag, blushing slightly. Finally after having spent a good portion of time looking around the bag, Rarity pulled herself out of it and confronted Dumbledore, "Why, how is this possible? I could fit my entire boutique in there."
"Really? After everything that happened the last two days, this is where you draw the line?" Sunset teased, earning her a scowl from Rarity. Though to give her credit, Sunset, having come from a world filled with magic, hadn't seen anything like it either. Having now learned the usefulness of these bags, they spent the next half hour browsing the shop. Sunset found herself attracted to a cheaper, average sized, plain brown suitcase near the back of the shop. It opened revealing an area that appeared to be a little smaller than the trunk of a small car; however, the case had a dial with four different settings, which would apparently make the bag open to a different storage depending on which setting it pointed to. It was just the right amount of crazy for Sunset. Rarity, meanwhile, found herself unable to leave the purple bag at the front of the store, and after confirming it was okay to get the most expensive bag in the store, settled for that. Though Sunset couldn't imagine a bag that required you to have to climb inside of it as anything but frustrating.
After having made the purchases, the group found themselves back out in the alley with their carts once more. Sunset finally had something to put on her previously empty cart, while Rarity climbed inside of her new bag, with her other bag. It was a little bizarre seeing a suitcase going inside another suitcase, but no less bizarre than a person crawling inside one. Sunset's curiosity got the best of her, and she found herself approaching the bag and looking inside. Rarity was unpacking her things, organizing them around her new space, making the place look impressively welcoming in almost no time. Sunset started to doubt her purchase. This is like having a portable home. She shook her head in disbelief before backing away from the bag. Rarity was quick about her work, Sunset noticed, as she climbed out of her bag awkwardly in only a few more minutes. She seemed extremely pleased with her purchase, which Sunset could imagine why.
After a moment to prepare, the small group pushed their carts out into the parting crowd again, following Dumbledore's lead. "Perhaps we should prioritize getting your wands earl-" he thought aloud, just before being interrupted by a massive explosion from across the street. The entire street's traffic stopped, complete silence filling the normally loud street, as everyone stared in shock at the source. Smoke billowed out the open door and shattered window of a small unassuming shop, as Sunset noticed three familiar faces rush out of it, coughing from the smoke. Sunset wasn't sure whether to be surprised or not that Pinkie and Rainbow were the cause of such a spectacle.
"That... was AWESOME!" Rainbow exclaimed ecstatically, throwing her arms into the air, one of which gripped a small piece of wood. McGonagall didn't seem to share the same opinion, seemingly torn between scolding the pair or fixing the damage.
"Or we can get our wands later..." Dumbledore suggested, unfazed by the scene before them, "Come along now."
Sunset felt guilty as the three walked away from the scene. It may not have been them exactly who had caused it, but she still somehow felt partially responsible. It must have shown on her face, since Dumbledore addressed her a moment later. "You would be surprised how often an incident like this occurs in a wand shop," he mused, "The owner has become quite proficient at cleaning up the mess. It's become a requirement of a sort..." Sunset didn't exactly feel like the words were particularly comforting. She just felt nervous now for when she and Rarity now had to shop for a wand. Not that she would admit as much. Minutes passed as the group found themselves entering a popular shop by the name of "Flourish and Blotts". It appeared to be the go to store for books, Sunset noted to herself. The store was jammed full of books of all sorts; excepting a small section which lay seemingly empty, conspicuously labeled, "The Invisible Book of Invisibility". She resisted the increasingly powerful impulse to approach the section and feel around the empty seeming shelf to see if there were, indeed, books there. Luckily, Sunset didn't have to fight the urge for long, as the manager of the store caught sight of the group quickly and hurried over to them, smiling widely.
"Professor Dumbledore!" the man greeted them jovially, "What brings you to this little hole in the wall?"
"We're in need of some last minute shopping, if you wouldn't mind grabbing us two sets of books for first year students?" Dumbledore requested lightly, sending the man scurrying around the shop, amassing an impressively large stack of books in his arms in moments.
"Last minute, indeed!" he chattered, efficiently moving from book to book, "Why... doesn't the train leave tomorrow? Well... you wouldn't be the first, either. Why, just today I had several other pairs come in, requesting the same books." He laughed to himself, throwing another few books onto the stack that started to pile over his head. "You'd think people would be more prepared attending such a prestigious school..." Sunset sighed in irritation, and tried her best to tone him out. She hated chatterboxes. Dumbledore seemed to notice her mood, winking and smiling apologetically. Luckily, the manager of the building worked as quickly as he talked, and Dumbledore was paying for the books only a few minutes later.
"Well, that should do it for us," Dumbledore concluded hastily, "As you said, we haven't much time, and still have quite a deal of shopping left to do. Thank you for you assistance." He ushered the girls out of the shop before the man had the opportunity to start another conversation. Safely back outside, Rarity and Sunset took a few moments to put away their books. Sunset finished minutes faster, as Rarity had to take the time and effort to climb inside of her bag to put away the materials. As much as Rarity didn't seem to mind, Sunset couldn't help but think that would be a tedious experience to go through, each time you needed to grab a book.
Finished organizing their books, the group set out to the streets again to continue shopping. They stopped by several more stores, grabbing a small assortment of goods at each. Their bag and cart began filling up with various supplies like vials, reagents, paper, quills, scales, a telescope, and even a cauldron. Each were small purchases, not requiring more than a few minutes for each stop. The stores themselves were just as small, even being a booth on the side of the street at times. Regardless, they efficiently worked their way through the shopping list, eventually winding up in front of a large boutique. "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions" was displayed neatly in gold letters over the display window, showcasing several fashionable outfits.
"A boutique?" Rarity questioned, seeming relatively confused at the newest stop, "We're browsing for a new ensemble?" To be honest, Sunset thought she would have had more enthusiasm than that. Wasn't she the one obsessed with clothing and dressing up in silly outfits for every occasion? Dumbledore took it all in stride, having the two leave their carts outside the shop once more, and leading the group inside.
"It is required for first year students to have three plain work robes, a plain pointed hat, a winter cloak with a silver fastening; all of which must be black," He recited in a practiced manner, "Furthermore, students will also need protective gloves of dragon hide or similar quality..." He led the group toward the back of the shop to a section of the store holding nothing but plain black attire. There was a noticeable difference in style from the rest of the shop, even for Sunset who didn't feel particularly knowledgeable about fashion. Living the majority of her life as a unicorn from another dimension, who rarely wore clothes, tended to make discerning fashion slightly more difficult.
"I can't wear this," Rarity gasped in horror, "The cut is hardly flattering. It would just hang off of me as if I were wearing a potato sack!"
"It won't look nearly as bad as you think it will." Dumbledore comforted her, "All the other students will be wearing the same. I assure you, none will think about the style of the robe."
None... except one, Sunset noted, watching the dilemma play out on Rarity's face.
"I..." Rarity began, clearly still conflicted, "Surely there is another option...?" She peered up at Dumbledore with hope radiating from her.
"I suppose if a student were to... show up... with all of her school requirements, I'm sure no teacher would question the methods. Not that someone in my position would be aware of something like that occurring." He glanced over at Rarity, giving her a coy smile. "I'm sure if a student were interested, they could learn much about what is necessary in a fine wizarding robe by speaking with the lady who runs this establishment..." He chuckled slightly as Rarity scampered off toward the register excitedly before turning his attention to Sunset, "Now... I believe we have some shopping to do..." Sunset wasn't nearly as difficult to work with, only needing to find a robe that fit her comfortably before she was satisfied. After grabbing a few more pairs of robes, a winter cloak, a silly looking hat, and a few pairs of protective gloves, the two made their way to join Rarity at the register.
"-simply great that a beautiful young witch, like yourself, is showing such an interest in fashion," they overheard the lady behind the register say, coming into the conversation partway through. "Most young witches and wizards nowadays are only interested in action and adventure," she continued, a small amount of scorn seeping through her pleasant seeming attitude. On the counter between her and Rarity lay two bolts of black fabric, an incredibly fancy silver buckle, odd looking shears, and a spool of glittering silver thread. Noticing that she had customers waiting, she concluded the transaction quickly. Rarity paid using a generous portion of her stipend for her tailoring supplies, before heading back to her cart to start organizing her purchases. "Dumbledore!" the lady greeted him in surprise, "What brings you to my establishment?"
"Madam Malkin," he nodded to her politely in greeting, "I am assisting a young student in need of some last minute shopping." Sunset lay out the array of clothing on the counter, earning the scrutinizing appraisal of the lady behind the counter.
"Assisted by the headmaster himself..." she mused, bagging up and tallying the cost quickly and efficiently, wisely keeping any future comments to herself.
Headmaster, huh... Sunset thought to herself, she really wasn't surprised at all about his fame at this point. It was nice to finally know what his occupation in this world though. There has to be more to it than that. The headmaster of a simple school won't turn the heads of everyone in the street. She frowned to herself, finding herself even more puzzled than she was before. Actually, now that I think about it... why did the headmaster of a school travel halfway across the world only to take them back across the world with him? It makes almost no sense... Luckily she wasn't needed for the purchase, since she was lost in her own thoughts. When she finally took notice of the situation, Dumbledore was leading her outside to reunite with Rarity, who was waiting patiently for their return.
Dumbledore knuckled at the small of his back as they moved down the street once more, finally showing some signs of his age. "Only one last stop. Unless you'd like a familiar?" he addressed Sunset.
"No, not really," Sunset sighed regretfully, "I'm really not much of an animal person." She had briefly considered lying about wanting one, if only to procrastinate on going inside the building where they might blow up, but she was tired too. It had to have been sometime during the evening now, judging by the location of the sun, meaning they had probably spent around six hours so far shopping and hauling around their cart. Dumbledore merely fixed her with an icy stare in response.
"Obtaining a wand is not nearly as painful of an experience as some would make it out to be," he commented absently, causing Sunset to give him a dumbfounded expression. She really needed to work on her body language if she was that easy to read. "It's as simple as showing up and following a few simple instructions," he added comfortingly, as he led them up to the shop which had, only several hours ago, exploded. Somehow during their absence, the shop had returned to how it had looked previously, which is to say it looked like a broken down hole in the wall... again. Even the small sign that read "Ollivanders" was faint and unassuming. "I trust the two of you will be able to obtain your wands without me?" he questioned suddenly, drawing worried frowns from the two girls, "I fear there is something that requires my attention elsewhere. I will be back in time to meet you when you have your wands."
"Why, of course," Rarity responded confidently, "The shop is right in front of us. We can hardly get lost now..." She glanced over and gave Sunset a warm smile.
"I..." Sunset began hesitantly, before pretending to pick up some of Rarity's confidence, "Yeah. We'll be fine."
"Excellent," Dumbledore smiled at them comfortingly before he began walking toward a small alleyway. "I'll be back before the two of you are out." He disappeared into the alley, leaving Rarity and Sunset staring after him.
A minute of silence passed as the two of them turned their attention to the small, yet strangely intimidating store. Sunset was starting to get a few second thoughts about the whole situation. The two of them were completely clueless as to what was even happening, or how the world even worked anymore. Until only a few days ago, Sunset hadn't realized magic even existed in this world, and now the two of them were supposed to wander, unsupervised, into a shady looking shop, which only hours ago, had exploded.
"No point in waiting, is there, darling?" Rarity broke the silence, taking the initiative to lead a mentally cursing Sunset into the building.
It was a cramped and musty building, consisting of a desk with a man behind it, and boxes. A lot of boxes. In fact, the two had a harder time seeing a single surface inside the narrow shop that wasn't concealed by a mountain of boxes. Even if the place had exploded earlier, it showed no sign of it, even having a layer of dust lay over most of the interior. Rarity grimaced at that, the place could definitely use a good cleaning. The man looked up at them from behind his desk as the door closed behind them, and stood politely.
"Ah, welcome. Welcome..." Ollivander approached them from around his desk, favoring them each a glance with his pale eyes. Messy white hair spilled haphazardly from his head, framing a wrinkled face. "Curious that I find myself assisting so many young witches today... in pairs, no less..." He stared off into the distance blankly as if recalling a distant memory. "Red oak with a dragon heartstring core, twelve and a quarter inches, with a rigid flexibility... a curious little thing she was, with rainbow colored hair, ended up blasting the windows out when she... well, never mind," he dismissed his rambling, "You're here for your wands, and if I'm not mistaken, you're low on time. So which one of you fine young witches would care to be first?" He favored each of them with a small smile and an expectant glance. Sunset took the opportunity to showcase her generosity by allowing Rarity to go first. She didn't seem to mind, and Sunset wanted the opportunity to observe the process before going through it herself. "Hmmm," he hummed to himself, plucking a box out of the wall of boxes. He opened it with a practiced hand, presenting the wand to Rarity, "Holly, with a unicorn hair core."
Sunset ended up choking on her saliva after hearing that, bringing herself into a coughing fit, drawing the attention of the other two to herself, much to her embarrassment. Did he say unicorn? She thought to herself as she got her coughing under control. I thought unicorns were just some myth in this dimension... If they do exist, then why am I human? The sudden knowledge had too many implications, many of which she didn't necessarily wish to think about. She apologized to the other two weakly, letting them get back to their business, after an awkwardly long silence.
Rarity took the wand offered to her into her right hand, "What do I do with it?"
"Just give it a wave... Any way you like..." he instructed, snatching the wand out of Rarity's hand abruptly after she had done as he asked, "No... I thought not..." He returned the wand to its casing with a practiced hand and traded the box with another, handing another wand out to her, "Alder, dragon heartstring core." Rarity once again elegantly waved the front before her, as if she were conducting an orchestra. The action was, however, cut very short as he ripped the wand from her grip almost immediately. "Willow, unicorn hair core," he toned absently, replacing the previous wand with yet another one.
Sunset had no idea what the strange man was looking for exactly, but the strange interaction continued on for minutes more. They have to have gone through at least twenty other wands by now. She thought bitterly, wondering exactly what the old kook was even looking for. "Surely you can choose a wand faster than this?" she complained bitterly, watching from the side, causing Rarity to give her an apologetic look. Sunset felt a little bad for letting her impatience get the best of her. It wasn't Rarity's fault this was happening after all.
Ollivander merely gave her a level stare. "Why, we aren't choosing a wand," he explained, "The wand is the one who must do the choosing."
Sunset stared at him, dumbfounded. How can a little stick of wood choose an owner? Well, whatever. Dumbledore had led them here, so she'd trust in the man's expertise. It is unlikely that this is some elaborate prank. She stuck her hands into the pockets of her worn leather jacket before leaning against the wall, near the front of the shop, casually. No sense getting worked up over the situation, this world only stopped making sense a few days ago. It was difficult to get used to the changes of this world in the first place, but now she was finding out about a whole new world hidden within that world. She had become somewhat good at rolling with the punches.
Back when Sunset had lived in Equestria she had been a prodigy of a sort, only needing to see or hear something once before she could pick up the knowledge. It had garnered her fame, even so far as earning her the attention and respect of the highest power of Equestria. She grimaced as she recalled the memories of her old mentor. Enough time had passed since her falling out with Celestia that she could recall it with a more rational mind. In that time there was something she had come to realize: Celestia was right... about everything. Her head drooped as a slight frown formed on her lips. I miss her... She sighed sadly, as she began watching Rarity try out wands again to distract herself from her mind.
It was a short distraction, however.
"Pear... with a unicorn hair core, eleven and three quarter inches long, with a yielding flexibility..."
"Oh my... what's this?" Rarity asked in wonder as she took the wand, perking up at some foreign sensation. She extended her arm holding the thin, ornately carved, golden wand outward from herself. She flourished the wand elegantly causing a dazzling array of sky blue light. It formed at the tip of the wand and danced around the room weaving a graceful pattern before them. Rarity's eyes were wide, glittering like diamonds. "That was beautiful!" she exclaimed happily.
"Well done! Well done!" Ollivander cried out at the show, presenting Rarity with the box for the wand and leading her to the counter. "A pear wand will be a fine companion for you, my dear. A fine companion indeed."
Rarity smiled radiantly. When she looked back at Sunset, however, Sunset noticed her smile slip a little. "How much do I owe you?" Rarity asked brightly.
Ollivander displayed only a minuscule amount of shock when he wasn't going to immediately fit Sunset with a wand as well, but recovered quickly. "Seven golden galleons, my dear," he prompted to Rarity as she dug through her purse for the currency and handed it to the man.
"Thank you very much," Rarity thanked him kindly, "But if you wouldn't mind excusing the two of us though, I could definitely use some fresh air after that excitement." She smiled warmly at Sunset before continuing, "We'll be back in a little while for the other wand, if that wouldn't be too much of a problem."
"Not at all. The shop will be open late tonight, with school starting tomorrow," he replied as Rarity herded Sunset through the door, back into the busy street.
Rarity looked around the street before deciding to lead Sunset to her bag, and motioned for Sunset to go inside. Realizing she probably didn't have a choice in the matter and didn't feel like causing a scene around so many people, just decided to do as she was instructed. Sunset stepped into the bag, and began descending a comfortably sized stairwell that led further down. For how seemingly small the bag was, it felt remarkably spacious when she went to enter it. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she found herself in a very comfortable looking room. The room was scattered with various furniture: cushioned sofas, chairs, dressers, tables, clothing racks, and even mannequins. It was comfortably lit, even though Sunset couldn't see anything providing the light. Sunset was even shocked to see several doors leading to more rooms in the already spacious room.
Rarity entered moments after, and turned around to close the bag behind her before continuing the rest of the way down. "Come, darling," she said, putting an arm around Sunset and leading the two of them over to a sofa. They sat down together before Rarity looked over to her. "Sunset, dear," she began comfortingly, "whatever was the matter in there?" Whatever Sunset had been expecting, that was not it.
"What do you mean?" Sunset responded defensively.
"Oh, don't be silly," Rarity retorted dismissively, "you looked miserable." She rested her hand on Sunset's shoulder lightly before continuing, "Sunset, I know that we haven't been friends for long, but I want you to know that you can share anything with me and know that I will never judge you. Now I don't know what it is that is bothering you, but I want you to know that I am here for you if you want me to be."
"It's just-" Her throat caught as she turned to confront Rarity, and caught sight of her warm blue eyes. "It's-..." She bit down on her tongue to hold back the flood of emotions that were welling up in her. No... not now... She thought to herself in panic. She had spent the last three years alone. She had been strong and dealt with her problems, alone. Three years, alone, in a terrifying world, after having lost the only family she had ever known. But after three long years, she was no longer alone...
Her vision became blurry as Sunset tried once again to speak, instead only choking on a lump that formed in her throat. Panic filled her as she realized she wasn't able to hold back her emotions. Tears streamed down her face as she stared into Rarity's concern filled eyes. Sunset never offered any resistance as Rarity pulled her to her chest, wrapping her arms around her in a tight embrace. She rested her head on Sunset's, using one arm to stroke Sunset's hair comfortingly. It only took a moment before Sunset's resistance completely died, as she sobbed into Rarity's arms, letting out the ugliest noise she had ever made.
As Sunset's head lay against Rarity's chest, she took comfort in the sound and feel of Rarity's heartbeat. She had long since stopped crying, but had dared not move on the chance that the two might separate. She smells nice... Sunset thought to herself idly, still relishing in feeling each individual heart beat against her head. Any form of embarrassment she may have had for this situation had long since drained from her, still experiencing the wave of apathy that came after her long emotional outburst. All she cared about now was holding onto the one piece of warmth she had in her life right now, knowing that she would have to separate soon to finish shopping. Letting a few more minutes pass by, she finally gathered the willpower and pulled herself upright. "Thanks..."
"Anytime, darling," Rarity smiled at her warmly before appraising her wet blouse. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to change into a new blouse. White does not handle being wet very well," she winked at Sunset jokingly before heading through one of the side doors, closing it behind her. Sunset probably would have been more embarrassed about the see-through blouse if she hadn't spent the last hour crying into it.
Sunset leaned against the back cushion of the couch, staring blandly at the ceiling. She couldn't decide if this was the best day of her life or the worst. After having spent her whole life alone, she had been able to come to terms with the feeling of loneliness. It had never hurt her or bothered her before, she didn't know anything else. She pushed others away without a thought, they were a hindrance. After today though, she knew she could never feel the same way again. She felt changed. The life she had led up to this point suddenly felt lonely and drab, and now she felt afraid of losing the friends she had somehow obtained. She didn't deserve these friends, and she never wanted them, but now she was terrified of being alone again. She felt like crying again, but her eyes were completely dry from her earlier outburst. The silence was killed by the opening and closing of a door as Rarity entered the room again wearing an entirely new outfit. Apparently just changing her blouse wasn't enough for her.
A wave of guilt rushed over Sunset as Rarity returned. "Rarity," she began, "I'm so... so... sorry." Sunset cringed as she recalled back to her school life with Rarity. "I've done so many terrible things to you..."
Rarity interrupted her with a forceful hug, "Stop Sunset... you've already apologized, and I accepted." She smiled at Sunset warmly, "Don't beat yourself up over your mistakes." The two pulled away from each other and Rarity started leading Sunset to the stairwell, "Come darling, we need to finish getting our wands."
"My wand you mean," Sunset griped, as she ascended the stairwell with Rarity.
Chapter Seven The Wand Chooses the Wizard Part Two
"Did you two just crawl out of a bag?" Applejack asked in confusion.
Startled at the sudden question, Sunset's head whipped around noticing that she had an audience now. Sure enough, Sunset's and Rarity's carts were joined by four more, creating their own bubble of space on the street. Her throat caught and she shuffled around nervously when she noticed that there were seven sets of eyes staring at her. It was a little awkward to be thrown into a group after having spent the last hour crying, not that she would have been comfortable in that moment otherwise.
"That's awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed excitedly, drawing an exasperated sigh from McGonagall. Similar murmurs of appreciation were shared among the group.
"But... how does it work?" Fluttershy asked softly. Sunset was a little surprised she was heard over the commotion of the street and the group.
"I'm not entirely sure..." Rarity responded truthfully, "But I do know I was able to recreate my boutique inside of it." A stunned silence fell over the group as they processed the information.
"It's hardly a bag fitting for a first year student," McGonagall stated, targeting Dumbledore with a level stare.
"On the contrary, dear Minerva, it is precisely the kind of bag necessary to encourage the growth of a certain creative mind," Dumbledore countered, giving Rarity a reassuring smile.
"Let's trade," Pinkie remarked glumly, "I wanna go shopping with him..." An unreadable glance was passed between Dumbledore and McGonagall, before she finally scowled at him and turned her attention to Pinkie and Rainbow.
"Come along you two, we have yet to finish our shopping."
"We do?" Pinkie asked in confusion.
"I believe we have yet to visit that joke shop."
Rainbow's mouth hung open in shock, "But you said-"
"That we have shopping to finish," McGonagall finished forcefully for her, as Rainbow and Pinkie shared a wondrous look. "I assure you, I am not so devoid of a sense of humor that I can not appreciate a good joke. It has merely refined with age," she explained, leading the two off, as a wide grin formed on Pinkie's face. Sunset didn't think she had ever seen Pinkie so excited before, which was quite an impressive feat, considering her usual nature.
Sunset glanced over to Dumbledore curiously, who winked at her mischievously. She didn't know whether to be impressed or terrified of the guy. The levels of subtle manipulation he was continuing to show was nothing short of genius. It was shocking to her how he could be so in control of a situation, and not have to resort to fear. It made her question the methods she had used back in Canterlot, but she wouldn't even know how to begin using this man's methods. Half of the time nobody knew they were being manipulated, and the other half they knew, but didn't mind. In both cases he was loved and respected.
"Well!" Arthur blurted out cheerfully, breaking the silence, "That was unexpected!" He glanced around at remaining group awkwardly before settling his attention on Applejack and Fluttershy, "So... uh... it seems we have a little extra time to waste. Was there anywhere in particular you two wanted to visit, while we have the time?"
"Oh... uh... well I wouldn't mind visiting with the animals at the pet shop again..." Fluttershy suggested bashfully, "That is... um... if that's not a problem..."
"Not at all!" Arthur replied jovially, "And you, my dear?"
"Ah'm good, sir." Applejack responded. "Ah got everythin' I need on that there cart. Ah'll stick with these three until y'all get back." She gave Fluttershy a wink, earning herself a smile.
"Very good." Arthur said kindly as he began walking off with Fluttershy, "So which animal did you like the most at the shop?"
"Oh, I couldn't choose between them, they're all just so cute..." Their voices trailed off as they disappeared into the crowded street. Silence fell over the remaining four as they stared after where the two had disappeared for a short time. It was an oppressive kind of silence that seemingly discouraged one from breaking it, growing more powerful as time passed.
Applejack seemed oblivious to it, however, "So, uh, what should we do now?"
Sunset sighed at the blunt reminder of what was to come, "I... still have to buy my wand..."
"Well what're we waitin' for then? The shop's right here!" Applejack gave her a toothy smile as she gestured toward the building they loitered in front of.
Sunset wished she had just bought her wand earlier when there would be less people watching. Instead she now had extra pairs of eyes that would observe the process. Resigning herself to her fate she started to enter the shop with the other two... Two? She looked back to see Dumbledore hadn't moved from where he had been standing before, giving her a knowing smile.
"I'll remain out here to watch the carts. The shop is much too small for a group such as ours," he suggested casually, earning himself a suspicious glare from Sunset. She had been in the shop before and it had plenty of room for a group their size, but decided against questioning further, celebrating the small victory.
The musty shop was no different from it had been hours earlier, making her question if the man kept the shop dusty on purpose or not. Surely it would be a simple task to clean with magic. Even without magic the place could be easily cleaned, it didn't appear to get enough traffic to prevent the man from having the time. Admittedly it did give the place a mysterious feel to it, but it was also rather gross. She felt sympathy for Rarity, knowing how she must feel about it with her compulsion for cleanliness. Knowing she had put up with the shop for a second time to show moral support really made her happy.
After having noticed that Rarity would go nowhere near the dusty chair near the entrance of the shop, Applejack merely shrugged and sat on the rickety seat and smiled encouragingly at Sunset. Rarity meanwhile, stood next to Applejack, showing the same amount of enthusiasm for Sunset. Emboldened by her friends being there for her, she turned to confront the man who approached her.
"Ahh, back again, I see..." Ollivander greeted her, "I assume you are here to be paired with your wand?"
"Yes," Sunset told him, glancing one last time back at her friends before stepping a few steps further into the shop toward him. "I'm ready to begin whenever you are," she said resolutely.
"Ahh, eager as ever..." he commented bemusedly, wasting no time before navigating through the back of the shop to grab a specific box. Sunset had the impression that the man knew where every single wand was located in the jumble of thousands of wand boxes. Assuming that were the case, the man had a frighteningly accurate memory about him, a genius in his own right. Plucking the box he was looking for from the mountain of boxes, he approached Sunset again, deftly removing the wand from it and holding it out for her to take, "Sycamore, unicorn hair core, ten and a half inches, with a yielding flexibility..."
She took the wand and frowned slightly before waving the wand back and forth, feeling like a fool. Luckily the man seemed satisfied with the result quickly enough, and snatched the wand from her, and resumed his search. The process resumed through several more wands before Sunset decided that this was possibly the single most agonizing experience in her life. This entire process was tedious, nonsensical, and simply time consuming. There had to have been a quicker way than trial and error. If there was, Sunset didn't notice any kind of trick to it. Just get handed a new wand and wave it around like a fool. How does this shop even get customers...
Sunset went through wand after wand, waving them a few times, before having a new one take its place. Each time she did, her irritation and embarrassment slid further and further to fear. This was taking far longer than it did for Rarity. What if I don't end up getting chosen by a wand? The thought hung heavily on her, as she continued to wave wands. She looked back at Rarity and Applejack uncomfortably, and noticed their mixed reactions. Applejack merely smiled encouragingly at her, while Rarity seemed to be of a similar mindset to her own. She chose to take comfort in Applejack's reaction, assuming that she also had taken as long to receive her wand as Sunset had so far.
"Larch, dragon heartstring core, nine and three quarter inches, with a bendy flexibility."
"Rowan, unicorn hair core, eleven and a half inches, unyielding."
"Cedar, phoenix feather core, thirteen inches, with a yielding flexibility."
Sunset's eyes widened when she grabbed onto the latest wand presented to her. It can't be... She never bothered waving the wand before her, too lost in her own mind at the feeling she was experiencing. This... it feels like my horn... She shook her head. Like it did... It was hard to remember that she no longer had a horn, instead becoming one of these strange creatures. She had acclimated somewhat over the change over the few years she had spent here, but there were many challenges she had yet to overcome, mostly mentally. She still didn't really feel like a human. She held up her wand before her. I have to see... She focused her concentration on her wand as she would her horn. A focus. She focused on the wand. She focused on magic. She focused on the image in her head, an image of herself standing in front of Dumbledore, and then she was there.
Dumbledore gaped at her, stunned, mouth hanging agape. She returned his stare, equally astonished. Under normal circumstances she would have relished in the fact that she had broken through his unwavering calm, but there was something unsettling in his look. A moment of shock overtook her as she realized what she had done. I... I just teleported! She thought in wonder. Excitement battled with the fear that was eating away at her inside. I used magic in this world with no magic! I used magic without the elements of harmony...
Dumbledore recovered quickly to his usual serenity. "Sunset..." he began uncertainly, "I'm aware of your peculiar circumstance, but the magic you have just used seems to be a variation of a spell which is illegal without proper licensing. I must ask that you refrain from using that particular magic again." His gaze on her softened after a moment before he continued in a much gentler tone, "Come, perhaps you should also refrain from disapparating from the wand shop without first paying for your wand." She was at a complete loss of words, having no idea what to say in response, instead staying quiet and following him into the building.
"There y'are!" Applejack shouted at her in relief when she entered the shop.
"Are you okay?!" Rarity cut in concernedly.
"I'm fine..." Sunset replied sheepishly, not quite sure what to feel at the moment.
"Ahh..." Ollivander approached the two entering the building awkwardly. Sunset could tell he had been thrown slightly off by her, it probably wasn't every day that someone teleports away with one of your wands accidentally. "Professor Dumbledore," he nodded in respect.
"Ollivander. I must apologize for the accidental use of magic by a student of mine."
"Accidental apparition?" Ollivander looked doubtful for a moment, peering at Sunset with unsettling pale eyes. Sunset shuffled awkwardly, having no idea what he even said. She would have to ask Dumbledore what apparition was when she had an opportunity. He smiled abruptly, handing the wand's box to Sunset, "Congratulations on your wand, miss Shimmer."
A strained silence hung over the room as Sunset paid for her wand, laying seven golden galleons out on the counter before her. She considered just walking about the shop, but instead decided to confront the situation, and turned to regard Ollivander, "Thank you so much for helping me with my wand." When she thought about it, she was dying to see what else she could do with it, it had been years since she had lost her magic. She thought it could almost be compared to losing a limb and having to live with it, maybe worse... She never knew how much she had relied on magic until she no longer had it. "And... I'm really sorry for... whatever I did."
"Think nothing of it." Ollivander replied to her resolutely, eyes twinkling with amusement, "I can say that it's a first for me, though... I've been running this shop for longer than you have been alive, and I believe this is the first time I've had a student disapparate from the shop." He chuckled to himself, before regarding her with an appraising look, "You'll make a name for yourself one day, I can see the potential in you... One day, I'm positive I will be hearing your name again."
Sunset swelled with pride, giving the man a smug grin. "Count on it." This was the kind of attention she had always sought from Celestia, but had never been given. It wasn't that she wasn't praised, she was, but it was always in a way that had strongly encouraged her to be humble. It wasn't that she was unfamiliar with humility, but she was better than everyone else. What was the point of hiding it behind false modesty. She turned around to the three behind her, finding a mix of amused looks, and even a raised eyebrow from Applejack. She shot a little glare at the latter before leaving the shop to put her wand away.
"Well..." Rarity remarked suddenly, "That was... an interesting conversation, to say the least."
"Miss high an' mighty may need some help unswellin' that head o' hers," Applejack winked at Sunset playfully.
"Hey, I can't help it if people notice how amazing I am."
"Uh-huh..." Applejack rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.
"I'm the greatest student that's ever attended that silly little school of yours, and you know it."
"Are ya even serious right now?"
"Yeah, I am. You got something to say to me?"
"Oh, Ah got a good deal o' things to say to ya."
"Well how about we hear some then?"
"How 'bout the fact that yer bein' arrogant and conceited."
"I am not conceited, and I'll prove it."
"Ah don't think provin' anythin' is the problem at this point."
"Well, I don't see a problem in the first place."
"The problem is that ya don't see it."
"And what's that supposed to mean," Sunset scowled at Applejack.
"It means yer fulla yerself!"
Rarity stepped in between the two of them, drawing both of their glares to her. She seemed unphased by the sudden intense emotions directed toward her, "Applejack, darling, would you and Dumbledore mind finding a nice place to eat? I'm getting very hungry for dinner."
Applejack stared at her, stunned, processing the large jump of subject, "Uhhh, sure Rares..." She looked over at Dumbledore, noticing he was all ready to go, and joined him. The two disappeared down the street, leaving the two in silence.
"Okay..." Sunset sighed, turning her attention to Rarity, "What was that about?" Rarity just sat on her remarkably empty flatbed cart before gesturing for Sunset to take a seat next to her. With Rarity's bag Sunset wondered why she had a cart in the first place, seeing as it was the only thing on it and never even took up a fifth of it. She sighed and took a seat.
"Sunset, dear. If you're going to get along with others and make friends, you're going to need to adopt a more humble mentality."
Sunset frowned at the direction the conversation turned, immediately reminding her of the many conversations she had had with Celestia years ago. Instead of tackling the problem the same way as she did with Celestia, she took a different approach, "Why do I need to make friends when I already have you girls?"
Rarity frowned at the deflection before pushing the problem, "The same can be said if you'd like to keep the friends you have." Rarity took a lighter tone noticing how hard that last comment had hit Sunset, "Rainbow has issues with humility too, you know. You'll have more than one chance to improve, and if you make a mistake, you'll always be forgiven if you continue to make an effort."
Sunset sighed, leaning back on her palms, she found herself staring up at the sky. "I just don't understand the point. I usually just end up concluding that I'm better off alone."
"Nobody is better off alone, Sunset." Rarity scooted toward Sunset, putting an arm around her shoulder, "The point of humility is to downplay your accomplishments and let your actions speak for themselves. Do you enjoy spending time with me?"
"I..." Sunset blushed at the hidden implications to the question that she knew weren't intended. It didn't help that Rarity currently had her arm around her. "Uh... yeah, I do."
"I'm sure you can assume that I wouldn't be nearly as nice to spend time with if I were to act superior to you, simply because I can make my own clothes and coordinate an outfit. Everyone has qualities that set them apart from another, some more than others. The point is to celebrate our differences and not lord our achievements over others. Our relationships are more important than any satisfaction we can gain from bragging about our exploits." Rarity smiled at her comfortingly, "Trust me darling, you're amazing, and people will know that without needing a reminder. Sometimes the best course of action is to let others figure out your worth for themselves."
Sunset immediately thought of Dumbledore. She respected him so much, it was obvious he was an accomplished and incredible person, yet she had never once seen him point it out. She had never really taken the time to think about it, always having the intense desire to prove herself. I wish I had Rarity with me back when I was tutoring under Celestia, but... If I hadn't have had that falling out, I would never have met my friends now... Her eyes burned when she thought of the alternative, instead focusing on how well things had worked out for her in the end. Sometimes the way things worked out made you question whether it was meant to be this way from the beginning. "You're right..." she groaned in frustration, "I've probably been really frustrating to deal with..."
"Perhaps at times... but you've made remarkable improvement from a few days ago. I, for one, am glad you want to change for the better."
"Thanks Rarity," Sunset replied, a small smile creeping onto her face, "Me too..."
The two looked up noticing Applejack and Dumbledore approaching from the street. Noticing they had noticed her, Applejack waved at the two of them enthusiastically, clearly having calmed down since the previous conversation. "Howdy you two, we found a nice little restaurant a little down yonder."
Rarity removed her arm from Sunset and stood smoothly before replying to Applejack, "Thank you, dear, but I've decided I'm no longer hungry." Applejack's mouth hung agape incredulously.
"Rarity, you just asked me to find ya somewhere to eat."
"And I changed my mind!" Rarity responded dramatically, "Oooh! I think it would be delightful if we all had pizza together when we're all together again."
Sunset took the opportunity to interrupt the flow of the conversation, "Applejack. I just wanted to say that you were right, and that I'm really sorry for the way I was acting." Applejack looked conflicted, still wanting to continue her conversation with Rarity, but deciding that Sunset took precedence.
"Aw, Sugarcube, Ah forgive ya. Ah can tell yer tryin', an' that's all ya can do," Applejack grinned widely and gave her a friendly slug on the arm.
"Get a room!" Pinkie called out mockingly, drawing everyone's eyes to the newcomers instinctively. Pinkie led the way, skipping happily ahead of Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Arthur.
"Where is Minerva?" Dumbledore asked Arthur, speaking up for the first time in a while.
"She dropped the girls off with me after saying that she had to finish preparing for the start of the school year."
Dumbledore nodded slightly before flashing his mischievous smile. "I'm surprised she lasted throughout the entirety of the day," he commented before turning to Pinkie and Rainbow, "How has your day of shopping been?"
"Fantasteriffic!" Pinkie blurted out excitedly, "She helped me brainstorm ideas for all sorts of pranks and jokes!"
Dumbledore looked taken aback, "She did?"
"After lecturing us on what jokes were and were not acceptable," Rainbow scoffed, "That lady really needs to chillax."
"Well that certainly does sound like her," he chuckled heartily before turning to Arthur, "Thank you so much for your assistance today, I can take the rest from here."
"Please! Think nothing of it, they behaved perfectly. It was my pleasure," Arthur commented, sharing a warm smile with Fluttershy and Applejack.
"Even so," Dumbledore retorted, "Thank you for taking a break from your busy schedule to assist with the matter. Are you still able to assist them tomorrow morning?"
"Of course, of course!" Arthur turned to consult the six girls, "You all behave for Professor Dumbledore alright? I'll see you all around eight in the morning. Make sure to get a good night's rest, you'll have a large day tomorrow."
There was a scattering of goodbyes from the group as the man left the group, giving them one last hearty wave before disappearing from sight. The group turned to Dumbledore. "Well, no sense standing around here any longer. Come along, I'll show you to where you'll be staying." He set a generous pace unfitting of someone his age, the group pulling their carts along behind him as he led them along quietly. It was late enough in the day that the street traffic was almost nonexistent, making the trip both quick and easy. It wasn't even ten minutes or so before the group was led into a large hotel.
Sunset looked around the lobby curiously as Dumbledore approached the clerk and struck up a conversation. The lobby was spacious with a floor of marble. A fountain lay in the center of the grand room, various flora scattering the room at even intervals. She found her mouth wanting to hang open at the luxury of the place presented to her, it seemed way more than was necessary for their group. It reminded her of the time she had lived in a castle in Equestria. When she had been invited to be Princess Celestia's private student, she had been given her own quarters in the castle, along with a level of luxury she had never forgotten. Moving from being an orphan to living in luxury in the royal castle of Canterlot was a jarring experience. When she had been dismissed as Celestia's protege, she was too scared to go back to living in the orphanage. In her last act of defiance, she had escaped into this world, hoping it couldn't have been worse than the alternative. It was... until now.
She sighed uncomfortably at the place as Dumbledore made his way back to the group and led them toward the elevators in the back. Sunset having had limited experiences in this world, had never actually been in an elevator before, but had heard mention of them a few times. The group had to take multiple elevators because of the size of their carts being told to regroup at floor six. The first group to go up was Dumbledore, Pinkie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy; leaving Sunset to wait for a second elevator with Applejack and Rarity. She drew a long shaky breath as the numbers of the elevator count down toward the lobby.
"Are you doin' okay?" Applejack asked her concernedly.
"I've... never been in an elevator..."
"Aw, well don'tcha worry 'bout it one bit. It ain't nearly so bad as ya think it'll be," Applejack winked at her in an attempt to lighten her mood. It did seem to help a little bit, finding it a little easier to breathe now. "Rares and Ah will be right there with ya too."
"Thanks..." she replied, her breath catching as the elevator door opened before her. Applejack pulled her cart into the large elevator first, and motioned for Sunset to follow after her, which she did after taking a moment to gather her courage.
"Hold on just a minute, dears," Rarity toned, pulling her cart out of the sight of the open door of the elevator. She appeared again moments later, entering the elevator holding her bag. She pressed the button with a "6" labeled on it before setting her bag on Applejack's cart.
"Did'ja just ditch yer cart here?" Applejack appeared scandalized.
"Oh, don't worry about it so much, there was a cluster of identical carts just a little down the hall a short distance."
"Ah... guess..." Applejack conceded as the door of the elevator closed. Noticing Sunset's white knuckled grip on the elevator railing, she took a few steps and put an arm around Sunset comfortingly, "Don'tcha worry, it's gonna be okay..."
Sunset was about to reply when the elevator kicked into motion. She sunk further into Applejack's embrace instinctively, nervous about the awkward new sensation. After a few moments, she separated from Applejack, giving her a thankful smile. It wasn't nearly as bad as the anticipation. The rest of the elevator ride was shared in silence, only lasting a few moments longer before a sharp noise announced their arrival and the door opened for them. The three stepped out into the small lobby, joining the rest of the group.
"Did you book us for a private suite?" Rarity asked wondrously, noticing there only being two large rooms on the floor.
"With such a large group, I thought it appropriate," he responded dismissively, leading the group over to the room on the left, opening it up and allowing the group to funnel in. It was a massive room sporting three massive beds, a small lounge area, a moderately sized kitchen, and some beautiful tapestries and plants scattering the room. It was definitely not the kind of space one could expect from a normal hotel room. The group scattered into the room, wasting no time making themselves comfortable, leaving Sunset at the door with Dumbledore. He turned his attention to Sunset, "Pizza has been ordered and paid for already, the clerk will bring it up when it gets here." He handed Sunset the key to the room before asking, "Is there anything else you need before I take my leave?"
"I, uh... what kinds of pizza were ordered," she asked awkwardly.
"We ordered four pizzas, two of which contain no meat, don't worry..." He smiled at her comfortingly.
"Thank you," she replied sheepishly. After spending a lifetime as a unicorn, she found the thought of eating meat unsettling.
"Arthur will be here for you all in the morning, make sure to get some rest before then," he gave her a small smile before shutting the door, leaving Sunset staring at the door in silence.
Struggling with the guilt of the events she had caused earlier in the day, Sunset leaned back against headboard of the bed closest to the corner and sighed heavily. She knew it was silly to care so much over what happened in the wand shop, as she never technically knew about any of the wizarding world's laws, and no one had expected her to know any magic already. There was just something about the face Dumbledore had made that had unsettled her. It was hard to place what was bothering her. Perhaps she was just used to him as an unwavering pillar of strength, it was just uncomfortable seeing him when he wasn't. It was actually very similar to her opinions of Celestia. Her head hung glumly as she found herself returning to her mentor. It was only-
"Are-"
Sunset jumped at the sudden noise beside her, slamming her head violently into the headboard behind her. A moment of shock entering her before pain began to bleed through it. She held her head protectively breathing out in pain, "Tch! Haaaaa..." she moaned, rocking back and forth, dealing with the impact caused by her startlement. The sudden noise had brought the attention of each of the girls, minus Rarity, to her. Rarity had disappeared into her bag when they had reached their hotel room, saying she had a busy night ahead of her.
"I... I'm so sorry," Fluttershy gasped in shock, "I didn't mean to startle you..."
Damn you Fluttershy, how can you be so quiet? Taking a minute to breathe deeply in and out, Sunset finally reached a point where the pain was bearable enough to let go of her head. "I know Fluttershy... It's not your fault," she comforted the distraught girl, who seemed very shaken by the situation, "I was lost in thought and let my guard down. So what did you want?"
"Oh..." Fluttershy paused, looking embarrassed, "I, um... I actually came over here to see if you were okay..."
Sunset and Rainbow burst into hysterical laughter as she finished explaining herself, appreciating the irony in the gesture. Applejack appeared amused, but refrained from an outburst for Fluttershy's sake, who had withdrawn into her hair by now. Sunset rubbed the tears from her eyes as her laughter began to die down. A moment passed in silence before she started to get a bad feeling. Wait... where is-
"HI SUNSET!" Pinkie shrieked from behind Sunset.
"Whaa!" Sunset squawked, flinging herself off the bed away from Pinkie and right into Fluttershy. The sudden weight of Sunset sent the two toppling to the ground, with Sunset sprawled over the top of the pink haired girl. She pushed herself up slowly, having received entirely too much physical abuse in such a short amount of time, before registering she was still laying atop someone. Sunset stared down at Fluttershy about a foot from her face. She froze uncertainly, noticing Fluttershy's face flush a deep shade of red, causing a level of horror to enter her. Crap! I made her mad! She jumped up from the ground carefully, trying not to make the situation any worse than she had made it. It had been years since she had first met Fluttershy, and not once had she seen her angry before. "I'm so sorry!" Sunset sputtered, thrusting her hand out, offering Fluttershy assistance.
Fluttershy merely stared at her hand as if petrified. Her mouth worked as she appeared to be forming words that never ended up escaping her lips. Unsettled by the awkwardness of the lack of response, Sunset withdrew her hand and took a few steps back to give Fluttershy some space. "Sorry..." Sunset said again deflatedly. It had only been a few days since she had been trying to reform herself, she wasn't very surprised that any of them would have any leftover resentment to her. Especially Fluttershy. She had done terrible things to each one of them, but Fluttershy was the only one who wouldn't fight back and took whatever abuse was directed at her in silence. The ease of it had ended with her going much too far at times. Recalling those memories brought an unbearable wave of disgust for herself. I really am the worst...
Fluttershy stood up slowly, her mood seeming to fall along with Sunset's. "It's okay..." she said sadly, seeming unsure what else to say. She made her way over to her cart silently took her pet rabbit, Angel, from his cage, cuddling with him on the far bed. Rainbow went and sat next to Fluttershy, and the two whispered back and forth with each other for a moment.
"Uhhh..." Applejack began awkwardly to fill the silence, "Did anybody get anythin' interestin', when they were out shoppin'?"
"I pretty much just bought the necessities," Sunset replied dully, still a little down from what had just happened, "I honestly don't have anything I'm interested in."
"What? Seriously? Nothing?" Pinkie asked in confusion, before smiling coyly. "Not even... Rarity?"
"What?" Sunset sputtered, her face burning in embarrassment. Where the heck did this come from? She shot a nasty glare at Pinkie, causing her to wither back slightly. After dealing with the troublemaker she returned her attention back to the others. Fluttershy seemed to have stopped whispering with Rainbow, instead seemingly paying attention to the conversation now, watching Sunset out of the corner of her eye. She unsuccessfully tried to hide her interest, pretending to be absorbed with Angel. She seemed tense for a reason Sunset couldn't really explain. "I like her the same way I like all of you. She just has a very comforting presence..." Sunset trailed off, unsure of what else she could say.
"Uh-huh..." Rainbow joined in, unconvinced, before walking over to her cart. "Right... So you bought nothing interesting," she changed the subject, pulling a broom from her suitcase, "Unlike me!" She showed the group her purchase proudly.
"You bought a broom?" Sunset asked in confusion.
"You, uh... plannin' on cleanin' or somethin'?" Applejack asked, equally unsure how to take the object in question. Rainbow seemed irritated and taken aback by their reactions, while Pinkie was rolling around on the nearest bed giggling in amusement.
"What? No!" Rainbow denied adamantly, "It's for flying!" Now that it had been pointed out, it did seem a little ornate for a common broom. The bristles coming to a clean and smooth point, with bright golden letters artistically splaying across the head of the broom: Nimbus 2000.
Sunset still seemed a little shocked by the revelation, "How come we were never told about this?"
"Well, technically first years aren't allowed brooms," Pinkie answered the question drawing a scandalized response from Rainbow.
"Pinkie!"
"What?"
"Ya broke the rules already?" Applejack responded in horror, "It's not even been a single day yet!"
"Professor McGonagall let you buy that?" Sunset asked skeptically.
"Well... not exactly," Rainbow responded uncomfortably, "I kinda, sorta... maaaybe... had Pinkie Pie distract her while I went and bought it."
Applejack sighed in annoyance, "Well I ain't defending you if yer caught..."
"Awesome! Thanks Applejack!" Rainbow responded quickly, putting her broom back into her pack.
A sudden knock at the door interrupted the group. "That must be the pizza," Sunset commented, standing and walking over to answer the door. Sure enough, the lady at the door was holding four pizza boxes stacked atop one another. The exchange took only a few moments, before Sunset brought the stack over to the kitchen and lay them out across the counter, propping each box open to showcase the contents: Vegetarian, Cheese, Pepperoni, Supreme. Applejack made her way over to Rarity's bag, opened it, and called out inside.
"Rares! Pizza's here!"
A moment passed by before Rarity called back, "That's okay, darling, I'm not hungry. You all go ahead and eat without me."
Applejack just stood there at the bag, trying to process what she had just heard, before giving up, closing the bag, and joining the others in the kitchen. Each of them seemed to gravitate toward different pizzas: Applejack grabbing from the meat pizza, Rainbow from the pepperoni, Pinkie from the cheese, leaving Fluttershy and Sunset who took from the vegetarian. The latter of which shared a small smile at their choice in food. Sunset was relieved that Fluttershy had calmed down enough to be on pleasant terms with her again. She would try her best to make everything she had ever done up to her, no matter how long it took her. The group spent the time joking and conversing, as they each ate their fill, before making their way over to the lounge, each taking a moment to stop by their carts to take their animals out, and give them some love.
Applejack's dog, Winona, wagged its tail excitedly, but was too well trained to go wild, instead sitting at Applejack's feet waiting for a command, which she happily gave him. Rainbow for some reason had a pet tortoise, which she named Tank. Pinkie though, had the most bizarre pet of the group, sporting a toothless alligator, which she had unsurprisingly named Gummy. Fluttershy brought her rabbit, Angel, over to the lounge, leaving just Sunset without a pet. Seeing the group enjoy their pets made Sunset feel a little lonely and envious of their interactions, but she had always rationalized that she would be better off without the extra responsibility, as it would cut down on the amount of time she could spend on more useful activities.
The group continued to play with their animals to pass away the time, Applejack taking some time to take Winona outside to let her relieve herself, before they each decided to put their pets back in their kennels. It was mutually decided as a good time to retire for the night, as they each decided the sleeping arrangements. Pinkie seemed disappointed that she was given a bed all to herself, on the grounds that she cuddled whoever she ended up sharing a bed with. She had fought the accusation, but eventually admitted that it was true. It didn't take entirely too long before it was decided on Rainbow and Fluttershy taking one of the beds, while Sunset and Applejack could sleep on the other.
Sunset stared at the ceiling dully, counting the seconds that passed by with the sounds of the clock in the room. The sound aggravated her to no end. Each tick making her anger rise further, making it impossible to sleep. Not to mention Rainbow snored like a thunderstorm was gracing the room with its presence. Eventually she climbed out of bed, trying her best to not wake Applejack with her movement, before making her way over to Rarity's bag, and climbing inside. Taking a moment to close the entrance behind her, she made her way down the stairwell into the grand room. Rarity had her back to her, across the room, completely absorbed in the fabric laid out before her. Sunset heard a gentle mewling, drawing her attention to Rarity's cat who sat perched on a ledge to her right, staring at her glumly. The thing was eighty percent hair, and twenty percent attitude. It was by far the ugliest cat Sunset had ever seen.
She dismissed the poor critter from her mind before making her way over to Rarity, "Hey Rarity."
Rarity jumped in shock before turning to regard Sunset, "Sunset, darling! I never heard you come in. I really ought to install some kind of chime at the entrance... Is that even possible?..." She wondered for a moment before focusing on Sunset again, "What's the matter?"
"I just can't sleep, between the day tomorrow and Rainbow's obnoxious snoring." Sunset flopped back on the couch nearest to Rarity. "I was wondering maybe if you could use some help."
"Oh." Rarity seemed a little shocked, "I wouldn't know entirely what you could do to help me, really." She mulled over the thought for a moment before changing the subject, "I've already finished one of them." She got up and put on the finished robe hanging from the clothing rack beside her, "How does it look?" Sunset stared at her in surprise. She had no idea how she had done it, but she had made a robe not particularly feel like a robe, but it still seemed a robe? She shook her head in wonder. It just barely fit the category of a "plain black work robe", but it fit her very well, hugging her in areas that made the entire piece seem much more flattering, yet still maintaining the basics that made the robe what it was. Not knowing too much about fashion, being from another world less concerned with clothing, she could only really tell that it looked great.
"It looks amazing..." she breathed out in wonder, "How did you do that?"
Rarity chuckled in amusement, "Perhaps you would like me to help you make your robes a little more flattering? There are simple adjustments I can make to help it fit your figure."
"Only if you can somehow make my jacket an acceptable replacement for a robe," Sunset said sadly. She loved her leather jacket for as long as she had it. It was a shame she would have to start wearing those robes instead.
Rarity thought for a moment, considering some possibilities before finally conceding, "I can't think of a way to really make that work. Luckily you'll still be able to wear your jacket after classes are over and during the weekends."
"Yeah..." Sunset said sadly, before standing up and turning back to the stairwell, "Well I guess I'll try to get some sleep again, good luck!"
"Good night, darling." Rarity smiled at her warmly before turning back to her work station.
Chapter Nine and Three Quarters Platform Nine and Three Quarters
A sharp rap at the door, brought Sunset sputtering awake from her deep slumber. She didn't remember being able to get any sleep, but realized she must have if she had woken up. Each of them had decided to sleep with their pendants on, making it much easier to share the large bed with no conflict. She wasn't particularly surprised, since their clothes had been adjusted to fit their new size. Had they decided to go without them they would have had to sleep naked, which was probably a little strange in a room full of people. They hadn't particularly been explained how the sleeping situation in Hogwarts would be, but she had assumed the students slept in dorms. It would probably be best if they got used to wearing them at all times.
Noticing Applejack crawl out of the bed beside her, she decided to let Applejack get the door, taking the opportunity to lay back on her pillow and ignore the inevitable for another few minutes. It was only a moment before the door clicked open.
"Well, howdy, sir," Applejack's enthusiasm made Sunset want to punch her; the urge grew substantially as the lights were flipped on abruptly. She groaned in anguish as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Similar sentiments were shared around the room at the brightness, except Pinkie who seemed to easily adjust her mood with the lighting.
"Good morning, Applejack," Arthur said chipperly, stepping into the room, "Ready for the big day?"
"Ready as Ah'll ever be, Ah guess..." Applejack said uncertainly, "Uh... anythin' we need t'do before we go?"
"Nope. Just dress how you like, and make sure you bring all your things. Once you board the train, just have fun," Arthur said excitedly for her, "Just make sure that you're wearing one of your robes by the time the train arrives at Hogwarts." He looked around the room at the girls who were crawling out of their beds at various speeds, Pinkie and Applejack being the two who seemed completely awake at the moment. "Wait, we seem to be missing one of you. Where is Rarity?"
The last comment removed the last bit of sleepiness that was clinging to Sunset. She stood up quickly and looked around the room. She couldn't have... She quickly made way over to Rarity's bag. "Uh, hold on. I'll look for her," she commented before crawling inside. Sure enough, she found Rarity at her desk, absorbed in her work. The clothing rack beside her containing a large assortment of clothes. "Rarity..." she began across to room so she wouldn't startle her, "What's all this?"
"Sunset, dear," Rarity sounded exhausted, "I finished making the required couture, but then I figured that if I already had what was asked of us, it wouldn't matter if I also made a few more... creative ensembles in my free time." Sunset looked closer at the clothing rack, noticing an assortment of decorative clothing next to the smaller section containing the plain black uniforms. "Why, dear? You still not able to sleep?"
"Rarity..." Sunset began uncertainly, "It's morning, we're all getting ready to leave soon."
"What?!" Rarity jumped up from her seat, horrified. "I... I have to get ready!" She rushed over to her mirror to analyze herself, "And look at these bags under my eyes..." She pulled out her makeup kit and began cleansing her face to prepare herself. "You can go ahead, darling, I'll be up as soon as I'm ready." Sunset took her leave, as a frenzied Rarity began her daily rituals. She made her way back up the stairwell, shortly finding her way back up to the hotel room, where the rest of the group were busy taking turns in the bathroom to prepare themselves for the trip.
"Did you find her?" Arthur asked curiously.
"Yeah, she is getting ready," Sunset replied with a sigh. The bustle and excitement of the day finally arriving was enough to pull her from her usual morning slothfulness. She found herself waiting several minutes for a turn at the bathroom to take a shower, and change into one of her other few pairs of clothing she owned. Being stranded in a foreign world didn't particularly help someone come by material possessions. She had only been able to get these extra outfits by extorting money from her classmates at Canterlot high scool in the first place. That thought didn't particularly bother her, it beat the alternative, and she felt no particular attachment to anyone other than the current five girls she was with. After drying herself off and brushing her hair, she made her way out of the bathroom to be replaced by Pinkie, who took her turn after Sunset. It took about an hour for the group to be fully ready, each girl having a turn to freshen themselves up in the bathroom before all six of them found themselves ready to leave.
"Alright..." Arthur began to the group, who had their carts with them gathered around him at the door. "You all have your things... wait, where is your cart Rarity?"
"I left it downstairs in the lobby. All of my belongings fit inside my bag, so I'm sharing a cart," she winked at Applejack.
"Well... I suppose it does utilize the space nicely..." he began, at a loss to the fact that she had such an expensive bag in the first place. "Alright..." He glanced at his watch. "The train leaves in a few hours. It's only a few blocks from the hotel, so we have plenty of time to get you all boarded," he explained, giving each of them a meaningful look, "You all excited?"
"More like nervous..." Fluttershy mumbled to herself.
"Nervicited!" Pinkie blurted out energetically with an uncomfortable looking smile.
"Don't worry," Arthur comforted, "I'll make sure everything goes smoothly." A moment of silence passed between them before Arthur finally led them out of the room. "Okay, it's a short trip, but let's all stay together."
It was, indeed, a short trip, the group finding their way to the station in about a ten minute walk. Arthur led them into the station and down the walkway leading from one platform to the next. Sunset was extremely glad Arthur was there to guide them, the station was large enough where she figured that the group could have easily gotten lost trying to find their way. They all walked single file, pushing their carts behind one another, except Rarity, who walked beside Applejack, chatting with her as they walked, every once in a while the two of them burst out laughing at something they had said. Sunset, who took up the rear of the line, couldn't make out the conversation, instead deciding on looking around the station as she followed along behind Fluttershy. She stifled a curse, almost hitting Fluttershy with her cart, as the group abruptly stopped in a small area between platform nine and ten. She made a note to pay more attention as the group approached another small group already there.
"Molly dear!" Arthur said warmly, walking over to the woman who seemed to be in charge of the other group.
"Arthur!" she greeted him back in surprise before giving him a warm embrace. "I thought you had some special work to do today." She looked past him toward the group of girls behind him curiously.
"I do," he nodded in emphasis before turning back to the rest of them. "Girls, allow me to introduce you to my other half, Molly Weasley," he gestured to the woman beside him. "Molly, allow me to introduce you to my special work," he chuckled slightly before continuing, "We have Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie, and the two in the back are Sunset and Fluttershy." He pointed each of them out as he named them, each of them greeting her with varying degrees of enthusiasm as he did.
"My... those are certainly some... odd... names," she commented lightly.
Arthur leaned into her before whispering, "They're American."
Molly gave her husband an exasperated look, "Honey, that doesn't... never mind." She shook her head in bewilderment, before putting on a warm smile again. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."
"And boys..." Arthur said happily, embracing several red headed boys, two of which being twins who stood beside Molly uncertainly. "I'm so happy I got to see you off on your big day," he looked around uncertainly, "Where is Percy?"
"He already went through," Molly replied, "You just missed him a few minutes ago."
"Oh..." Arthur looked sad at the news, but perked up again, continuing his introductions, "Girls, allow me to introduce you to my sons." He gestured to one of the twins. "...Fred," he said uncertainly.
"George," the boy corrected.
"Right, George," Arthur continued, "And the other is Fred."
"No, I'm George," the other boy corrected. Pinkie giggled madly at the situation playing out before her.
Arthur stared at the two of them uncertainly before continuing awkwardly, "Allow me to introduce you to Fred and George, whichever they may be..."
"Nice to meet you," they both said at the exact same time. It was pretty impressive, in a creepy way.
Arthur gestured over to the youngest of the three boys, "And this here is Ronald, my youngest son." He rustled the boys hair getting an irritated response. "This will be his first year too."
"You can just call me Ron," the boy greeted them awkwardly. Sunset felt slightly sorry for him, suddenly meeting six strangers like this, but he handled it pretty well.
"And that one over there hiding behind my wife is my little girl Ginny," he continued proudly, "She'll be starting school soon herself."
"Hello..." she greeted them quietly.
"Okay! Now that we go introductions out of the way, let's head through to the train. Fred, George, if you wouldn't mind going ahead first?"
"Fine with me," one of them shrugged.
"See you on the other side," the other continued. The two gripped grabbed their carts and pushed it straight through the wall in front of the group, seemingly sinking into it, the spectacle drew a collective gasp from five of the girls. Sunset had just been through too much at this point to be surprised over something like this. The magic was certainly new to her, but was rather mundane in function. Once the surprise had worn off the group somewhat, Arthur and Molly began directing the rest of them one at a time through the wall.
"Excuse me," an uncertain voice came from behind Sunset. She turned around to find a young boy with jet black hair and emerald green eyes staring at her. He seemed worried and stressed. "Um... do you perhaps know how to get to platform nine and three quarters?"
Sunset gave his cart a glance, noticing it containing the same things as the rest of the group. A cage with a snowy white owl perched atop one of the boxes on the cart. She returned her attention back to the boy before answering his question, "To be honest, I'm not surprised you're lost if you never had any instruction." Sunset shrugged and gestured to the wall behind her, just as Pinkie disappeared through it. The boy's expression was so comical that she was almost happy the boy had approached her.
"Did... she just walk through the wall?" he asked in confusion.
"Yup," Sunset responded blandly, "Here, you can go ahead of me, that way those two can help you get through for sure. Seeing as that man's job is to help us get to the train for today, he won't leave us until we're all through." She returned her attention to the group ahead of her. It appeared that only Fluttershy, this new boy, and herself were left to travel through.
"Oh, my name is Harry, by the way," his voice brought her attention back to him, noticing his hand was outstretched to her as a greeting. She looked at it consideringly before shaking his hand.
"Sunset," she responded in greeting.
"That's a pretty name," he followed up politely.
"Uh-huh," she responded dismissively, gesturing to the wall behind him, "It's your turn, lady-killer."
Rainbow emerged through the other side of the wall, finding herself in a completely new, and very busy platform. A large golden plaque on the brick wall read out "Platform 9 ¾" in flowing script. Almost immediately a man called out to her, instructing her step out of the way of the entrance so she wouldn't get hit by any newcomers entering through. She followed the directions, approaching the attendant who stood next to a large passenger train. On her way to the man she overheard the two Weasley twins she met earlier as she passed by them.
"-ready for the Quidditch match this year?"
"I'm not sure. If we can't get a decent seeker, we'll be in the same place as last year."
She froze, finding herself listening into the conversation. Are they talking about Quidditch? Ever since she had seen the broom store in Diagon Alley, she had asked question after question to McGonagall, learning all she could about Quidditch and flying. It had only been a few days since the incident that happened out front of her old school, but she had never forgotten the feeling she had felt during it. She didn't know how, but during the incident she had somehow ended up with wings. The feeling of freedom she had when she flew through the air had plagued her mind, even finding its way into her dreams both nights since. She couldn't help be think that it was her calling, somehow.
"Miss!" the man called again, "If you'll make your way over here, I can help you board your luggage onto the train."
"Uhh, give me a second!" she called back, pushing her cart over to the twins instead. "Hey!" she greeted them brightly. "I heard you talking about Quidditch. Do you two play?" The two turned to look at her curiously.
"Oh, hey Rainbow." The one on the left greeted her.
"We're the Gryffindor team's beaters," the other answered her. Rainbow searched her memory trying to place the positions. That was the position who focused on keeping their team safe. Gryffindor. She thought she had heard the name before, must be the name of the school team.
"So... I take it you're pretty good at flying..." she continued the conversation coyly, excited at the revelation.
"We're not as good as our brother Charlie was,-"
"-but we're better than most."
"Good, good!" Rainbow could almost laugh with excitement. "Say, how would you two want to teach me how to use this thing?" she asked as she pulled out her prized broomstick. The two looked at each other uncertainly.
"First years aren't allowed..."
"Is that a Nimbus 2000?" The two stared at her in shock. "How did you afford that?"
She hefted the broomstick proudly. "Some old guy named Dumbledore gave me the money for it." She frowned slightly as she noticed their dumbfounded expressions. "What?..."
Sunset blinked several times as she stepped through the barrier. The sensation on her vision was rather jarring but overall it felt rather normal. Illusions were not a magic commonly practiced in Equestria, so it was relatively bizarre for her, but still not too shocking. Illusion magic was generally disregarded from magical studies as being pointless. Not many unicorns found merit in illusion when they could accomplish something more substantial with little effort. She didn't have much time to think on the peculiarities of the barrier before a voice called out to her.
"Please step away from the entrance so you don't get hit by newcomers," the attendant called out to her, prompting her to approach the train. The station was bustling with people and creatures, cats and owls darting in and out of the crowds of students. "First years sit in one of the back two passenger cars," the man continued as she neared him, gesturing further down the train. "There will be more attendants that way to help direct you." His attention turned from her as he called to another student who had wandered through the barrier. After his dismissal, she wandered down the direction he had pointed her in, soon finding another attendant shouting out for first years to board.
"First years here! Only four to a cabin!" the lady called out, before noticing Sunset approach her. "Hello dear, your first year here?" Sunset only had to give a hint of a nod before the lady continued, "You're at the right place then, go ahead and board either of these two cars." She gestured toward the last few cars of the train behind her. "Just go ahead and look for a cabin that isn't full, and go ahead and unload your things in there. There should be space for luggage overhead. Your cart will have to stay out here. Let me know if you need something else," she finished her explanation with a practiced finesse, before returning to calling out for first years.
Sunset took that as closure and began lifting her things up into the train. She was glad she decided against having a pet, giving her less things to have to carry around, not that that was her reasoning. Pets were a waste of time and effort, she was destined for much larger things than cleaning excrement. After she loaded the few things on her cart, she passed her cart over to an attendant who came for it, and boarded the train with her belongings. She could, if uncomfortably, carry all of her things in one trip down the side hall of the train. As she passed each door to the cabins, she looked into a small window to look for her friends. It was still rather odd to her to have friends. It had been a few days now, but it still felt unreal; a few days couldn't dispel the enchantment that she felt over the shift from her lifetime of loneliness.
Her heart sank when Sunset finally found the cabin Rarity was sitting in and found it full already. She recognized Applejack in the cabin, as well as Ron, but there was another girl there, whom she didn't recognize. She briefly considered asking one to leave before she discarded the thought, knowing it wouldn't be received very well with her friends. It was a hard habit to break, her old way of thinking. She could only blame her own habit of always going last, preferring to be able to size up her competition, or just to learn as much as she could before going through things herself. Finding herself walking further down the hall, she began looking for the rest of the group.
It was on the next and last car of the train before Sunset found the next cabin with her friends in it. This cabin, much to her displeasure, was also full, consisting of Pinkie, Fluttershy, Harry, and another boy whom she didn't know. She grumbled to herself, at least noting that she hadn't found Rainbow yet, and continued down the train in search of her. She found herself panicking somewhat as she didn't find Rainbow in any of the cabins she passed, until she reached the very back cabin of the train. Any thoughts of finding Rainbow slid from her mind when she found a pair of girls she had not expected on seeing at all. She slid the door to the last cabin open and stepped inside. "Twilight?" she asked incredulously, "What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Equestria."
Despite appearing much younger and smaller in appearance, it was definitely still the same girl. Twilight adjusted her glasses akwardly, seeming a little put off by the sudden confrontation. "Oh... uh... hello..." she greeted her awkwardly, trying her best to think on what to say. "This is probably going to sound weird, but I'm not the same girl that you met... Trixie explained the situation to me..." She looked over to the girl next to her for support. Sunset's gaze followed her and when her eyes fell on Trixie, she too appeared much younger. The girl stiffened up noticeably under her gaze. Sunset tried looking to see if the two had a pendant as well, but she couldn't see if they did under the robes they were already wearing.
Sunset's mind worked quickly, puzzling out the situation, realizing that this wasn't the same Twilight in moments. So this is this world's Twilight Sparkle... she thought to herself idly, as she looked the girl up and down. Unlike the other Twilight, this one wore her hair in a little bun, and wore thick square glasses. She definitely seems more nerdy. It was going to be a difficult change. She knew the two were different, but they were also so similar that it was hard to think of them as different individuals. They even sounded and acted similarly. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Sunset greeted her formally. "Is it alright if I sit in this cabin?"
"Sure."
"No!" Trixie snapped at her at the same time.
Sunset ignored Trixie's retort, and calmly began putting her luggage up on the rack above them and taking a seat across from them. She toned out Trixie's animosity, and Twilight's confusion, as she stared out the window. "Uhm, I never caught your name," Twilight prompted her, trying to lighten the mood.
"Sunset Shimmer," Sunset replied disinterestedly.
"...Oh..." Twilight finally replied after a moment of silence, seemingly drawing a connection in her mind, and giving Trixie a confirming glance. Sunset noted the reaction out of the corner of her eyes, realizing she wouldn't get an opportunity to start out fresh. It seemed that Trixie had already explained what happened at their last school to Twilight. She sighed softly as she continued to stare out the window in the strained silence that fell over the cabin.
This is going to be a long train ride...
"Aw... Hand-me-downs can't be that bad," Applejack tried comforting Ron as a loud whistle sounded, signaling the departure of the train, before it kicked into motion. The express slowly built up speed before finally leaving the station behind. "Ah always got hand-me-downs from my family, Ah figure it's full of history and love."
"Yeah..." Ron said glumly, staring at his taped up wand, "Love..."
Rarity had noticed his frayed and worn robes from the moment she first saw him in the station. She had refrained from comment or action until she had known the specifics of his situation, but now that she knew, she felt emboldened to a new possibility. She was still tired from all of her work from last night, but nothing gave her energy more than creating a new ensemble, and this boy was in need of her help. "Do either of you know how long the train ride usually takes?" she addressed Ron and the girl who sat across from her and Applejack.
"Oh... uh... I have no idea, I don't usually talk about stuff like that with my brothers," Ron admitted guiltily.
"The train takes around seven hours from leaving the station to arriving in Hogsmeade," the girl, who had introduced herself earlier as Hermione, stated as if quoting a book. "Did you know that the train was only used for the last few hundred years? Before that students had to-"
"Perfect!" Rarity interrupted, jumping up out of her seat. Hermione looked somewhat disgruntled at the interruption to her monologue, but didn't comment. "Ron, darling, come with me." She pulled her bag down from the luggage rack, and opened it up. Ron who seemed somewhat confused, just looked over to Applejack for an explanation, but just got a shrug and a knowing smile in response. Rarity stepped into her bag and began descending into her boutique.
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed in surprise. "How do you have one of those bags? Aren't they incredibly expensive?"
"Shush," Rarity silenced him. "We have limited time and I only need you for a minute." Ron took a moment to recover from his shock before descending into the bag with Rarity. He took much longer than she did, taking extreme caution not to damage or touch anything. When he finally made it down the spiral stairwell, he gaped openly at the ornate room scattered with mannequins adorned with various beautiful outfits and designs.
"Are you rich?" Ron asked suddenly, still trying to take in everything that was happening.
"Hardly," Rarity chuckled in amusement. After putting on her orange spectacles, she approached Ron with a measuring tape. "You'll have to lose the robe if you'd like the measurements to be accurate." She waited a few moments for him to take off the frayed piece of cloth before continuing, "Now, arms out, dear." She worked quickly, measuring each relevant part of his body to fit a new robe, even taking a few extra measurements to make sure. If there was anyone who needed wonderful new couture, this was the person. It needed to be perfect. Finally deciding she had everything she need, she returned back to her desk. "Okay, that should be all I need from you now, you can return to your seat."
"Uh... okay... thanks..." Ron replied dazedly, still processing the situation he found himself in. He sauntered over to the stairwell and began to ascend again, back to reality. He clambered out of the bag back into the train, drawing the curious looks of both of the girls in the cabin, before sitting back down in his seat.
"What was that about?" Hermione blurted out.
The question just got a chuckle from Applejack. "Just Rarity bein' Rarity," she commented fondly. "Ah reckon you won't have ta worry about those hand-me-downs anymore."
Hermione looked at the bag longingly, being the only thing so far that had caught her curiosity enough to take her from her books or talk of her books. She grudgingly forced the bag out of her mind, as the person whom owned the bag wasn't even present for her to inquire about it. She never had to worry about it for long, as a sharp knock on the door interrupted the group. The door slid open revealing an old hunched over witch pushing along a cart of strange candies and snacks. "Anything from the cart, dears?" she asked them kindly.
Applejack looked over the cart in wonder, realizing some of the candy was moving. She looked back at the other two before asking, "You two want anythin'?"
Hermione looked over it curiously but shook her head. Ron shook his head before replying, "I... uh... I brought sandwiches." Applejack smiled at him warmly, seeing much of herself in the boy. She understood having such a modest upbringing, being raised on a farm, but he didn't seem to take it as well as she did. She turned back to the lady with the cart.
"How much for three of everythin'?"
The lady worked quickly, grabbing three of each item, and handing them off to Applejack. It was only a few moments later, when the other half of Applejack's seat was filled with odd, yet tasty looking treats when she got a reply. "That'll be thirteen sickles and four knuts." Applejack hadn't even touched her stipend yet. She had actually tried to return it, but her attempt was adamantly refused, leaving her with a sack of coins she had felt guilty over having.
She pulled out a golden galleon from her bag to show the lady. "How many o' these gold thingies do Ah need?"
"Just the one, dear." She grabbed the golden galleon and returned several silver and bronze coins back, which Applejack just dropped in her bag and put away. After a quick exchange of thanks, the lady slid the door shut and continued on. Applejack figured this way a pretty good use of the money, having had all of her school supplies already provided for her. It was a little redundant, honestly. Why have the stipend if they've no need to spend it.
"Feel free to help yerselves to this, Ah bought enough for all of us."
Ron appeared scandalized. "Is that bag full of galleons?" he asked in shock, getting a nod in return. "Bloody hell..."
Hermione was equally shocked, "That has to be hundreds of pounds worth of wizarding currency."
"Oh... uh... do you two want some?" Applejack asked foolishly, still unsure what to do with it. She felt bad that she should have this money, having done nothing to earn it in the first place. Splitting it with these two would help her conscience.
"No, it's your money," Hermione denied firmly. "I'd recommend putting it away and carrying less with you though. You don't need to carry that much around with you. Even just a small handful of galleons is a bit much to carry around at once..." Applejack put away the bag, feeling a little sick about it. She hadn't known how much money this really was until now. She preferred not knowing.
The door slid open again, revealing Fluttershy and an awkward boy next to her. As she did, several chocolate frogs hopped into the cabin from the hall.
"Hello," Fluttershy greeted the group kindly yet resolutely. "Have any of you seen a toad around? Poor Neville lost his pet."
"Not until now," Applejack commented idly, looking around at the chocolate frogs hopping around the cabin. "What's with these?"
"Pinkie thought it would be funny to release hundreds of chocolate frogs around the train," Fluttershy said in possibly the angriest tone Applejack had ever heard from her, which was not very angry sounding at all. "Except they got loose in the cabin, and Neville's pet got lost in the confusion."
"Wouldn't that leave'm in the cabin? How did they get out?"
"A group of three boys opened the door to the cabin," Fluttershy muttered in irritation. "Didn't even find out what they wanted, between Pinkie and the swarm of frogs, they were scared off. Well, if you haven't seen him, I'll go keep looking."
"I'll help you look," Hermione said, jumping up from her seat. "It's just too sad losing a pet. It will go by much quicker with more people looking." She followed the other two out into the hallway before sliding the door shut behind her, leaving the other two in shocked silence.
Ron took a moment to gather up the chocolate frogs that were in the cabin, and put them with the rest of the sweets, before biting into one of them. Applejack thought it was a little weird to eat something that still moved, but she had seen enough oddities to not have her question it at this point. She herself went for one of the pastries, not being the biggest fan of candy. The two enjoyed some of the food and stared out at the fields that passed by out the window.
"So is there a house you hope you'll be sorted into?" Ron asked suddenly, breaking the silence as he grabbed a pastry for himself.
"A what?"
"Y'know, a house. I hope I'm put into Gryffindor, my whole family was put there," he continued the conversation awkwardly, appearing uncomfortable in sitting in silence. "I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be so bad either. As long as I'm not Slytherin. I've no idea how my family would react if that happened." He shuddered at the thought.
"Ah've no idea what a Slytherin or a Gryffindare is," Applejack responded honestly.
"Oh... uh... well, new students start off the year being sorted into one of four houses," he started to explain awkwardly before deciding against it. "They'll probably explain more when we get there," he finished awkwardly, labeling the attempted conversation as a failure.
The two decided to spend the time quietly, sharing the hoard of treats amassed between them, as the methodical clicking of the train on the tracks helped fill the silence, while the scenery rolled past them on the window. They were around halfway through the confections when the scenery began making a drastic change from the normal fields, finding a dense line of trees obscuring their vision in the window instead. She had no way of keeping track of the time, but several hours must have passed since the situation had happened earlier.
The two jumped at the noise as the door slid open suddenly, revealing Hermione, and a couple more chocolate frogs.
"We found him. You'll want to change into your robes now, we're almost there," she commented haughtily, taking her seat again.
"I don't have my robes," Ron replied, giving Applejack a worried look.
"She'll have finished 'em by now," Applejack responded with a small laugh. "Go down and check on her, she's prolly just makin' extra."
He stepped back into the bag nervously, still concerned about interacting with something so valuable. As he entered the large open boutique at the bottom of the stairwell, he noticed a new line of robes and various outfits beside Rarity. He stared at the line with his mouth hanging open. "Are these for me?" he asked in shock.
Rarity perked up at the voice. "Oh, there you are, darling! I was just putting the finishing touches on a few of them," she commented proudly. "Why don't you try on one of the robes." She snatched one of the robes off of the rack beside her, and began helping him into it.
"It's too small," he griped as he was fitting his arm through the sleeves.
"Oh, nonsense," Rarity countered. "Put it on first before deciding that. I made it to your measurements." He finished putting it on, and buckled a few of the silver clasps on the front. "See? Oh, you look simply divine!" She laughed at her work delightedly. "I told you it would fit fine, you're just used to baggy clothing." He stared at his reflection in the mirror in shock. He couldn't decide whether it looked more like a suit or a robe. It was comfortable to move around, leaving plenty of slack for his arms, yet still fitting snugly around his torso. These robes appeared entirely too expensive for him.
"I can't take these..." he said hoarsely. "These have to be worth a fortune."
"You can, and you will," Rarity insisted firmly. "I made them just for you, as a gift." Rarity smiled at him warmly, before gathering up the rest of the clothes she had made him. "Now take these and pack them away in your bags, these are for you too. I'll follow you up in just a moment." She took off her glasses before turning away, cleaning up her desk, and started slipping into a robe of her own.
Ron took the armful of clothes and wandered dazedly back up the stairwell.
