Several rows of chairs had been placed outside the front lawn of Canterlot High, all facing towards the front entrance. The interior of the school could no longer be seen from the outside, now that construction on the front had finally been completed. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna finished their conversation with the head of construction, and after Celestia checked her watch, the two made their way to the podium outside the doors. Celestia tapped the microphone to ensure it was working properly before speaking.

“Good morning students, and staff” She greeted them all warmly. “As I'm sure you've all noticed, the construction on Canterlot High has officially come to an end. I would like to personally thank Mr. Rick Shaw and his team for their diligent work, while also keeping the site safe and accident free around our students.” Following her lead, the crowd of students applauded while one man in the audience, adorned in carpenter jeans and an orange vest, walked up to the front and tipped his construction hat to them.

“Now, the next person I would like to point out is someone you should all be more than familiar with, as it's hard not to notice her if you've been to the school more than once. She's brimming with energy, always smiling, and dedicates every fiber of her being to helping everyone in the school have fun. And in the wake of the damage caused to the school, she put together the means to pay for the repairs, to prevent us from cutting back on your favorite activities. Everyone, please put your hands together for the hard work that Pinkie Pie went through to make this happen.”

As the applause started once again, a few students at the front of the crowd parted to allow the pink-haired girl herself to emerge. Pinkie Pie raised her hands, and tilted forward as she cartwheeled to the stage, her pink dress doing well enough to keep her thighs concealed. Getting close to the podium, Pinkie forced herself to stop on her right foot, her arms rotating forward to keep herself from falling. Keeping her balance, Pinkie stood on both feet, and pulled her arms behind her back with an eager smile.

“Nailed it.” Luna muttered with a laugh as Pinkie stepped in front of Celestia

“Hey guys!” Pinkie Pie waved excitedly to them before their applause died down. “Wow, I can't believe how fast the repairs went by! I mean, it feels like only yesterday there was this big, huge gash in the wall, and all the birds were flying in and stuff- oh, right.” Pinkie Pie cleared her throat before she continued. “Well, I know I'm the one who was handling the money and stuff, but I wouldn't have had anything to sell you guys if it weren't for Mr. And Mrs. Cake! I came up to them a few weeks ago and told them about how I wanted to help, and they got to baking right away. And they did it all for free! Wasn't that nice of them? Oh hey, there they are!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she pointed them out in the crowd.

A tall lanky man stood up with his more round wife, both of them still dressed in their customary aprons. They both had in their arms their two babies, Mr. Cake holding their daughter Pumpkin, and Mrs. Cake holding their son Pound. Once the two were on stage, they each took a hold of their childrens' little hands and waved them at the crowd.

“And last but not least, we want to thank all of you who bought something from us! Every time you bought one of their delicious treats, you've been helping us reach our goal for funds, and you guys hit it dead on! You guys rock! Woo hoo!” The entire crowd stood up and cheered as they applauded themselves and everyone around them.

A skinny little boy with dark orange hair flashed a buck toothed smile as he held a camera up to his eyes. The principals, Rick Shaw and the Cakes all gathered around Pinkie Pie, and smiled towards the camera. With the press of a button, a snapshot of all of them in front of a newly repaired Canterlot High was captured.

A few yards away, near the equine statue at the center of the school's walkway, Sunset Shimmer stood behind the base of the stone marble, applauding softly as the students far away from her did. A blue hand reached out and rested on her shoulder.

“It's all covered up now” Rainbow Dash said to her softly with a smirk. Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy all nodded in affirmation. “You sure you don't want to go over there?”

Sunset looked towards the audience, their applause just beginning to subside. She wished terribly that she could be among them, and savor the victory their school had achieved altogether.

“No, that's okay,” Sunset replied meekly. “I'd rather enjoy this without hearing what they're whispering, or getting a bunch of death stares.”

“They're gonna let up one day, sugarcube.” Applejack reassured her. “You just gotta bare with it. It ain't gonna be easy, and it might take a long time. But it's gonna pay off.”

Sunset looked towards Applejack and nodded. “I know. I trust you.” She turned to walk behind them, looking at all of them, including Pinkie Pie in the distance.

“I trust all of you.”

“No way! You mean Canterlot's a city in Equestria!?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, dropping her veggie burger onto her lunch tray.

“Yup!” Sunset Shimmer peeled off a slice of orange and took a bite before she continued. “And it's beautiful, one of the most esteemed in the country. I didn't really get to explore it that much when I lived there, but I remember that there were golden spires, and rivers and waterfalls running all over the place. It's where most of the unicorns live, and also where all the noble ponies live. Anypony who's anypony lives there.”

“Anypony?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“What? That's how we talked there.”

“Oh, that is just precious.” Rarity chided her, as Sunset took another bite of her orange. “But go on, tell us more about Canterlot! The place sounds absolutely divine.”

“I didn't really spend a lot of time walking throughout the city. Most of the time, I was just studying and trying to improve my magic, so I could be the best protege' Celestia had ever taken in.” Sunset noticed that her friends wore rather puzzled looks on their faces. “Oh, Celestia's the princess there.”

“I thought that Twilight was the princess?” Applejack asked.

“She's A princess; Celestia is THE princess, as in, of the whole nation. She's been around the longest, and she's the one who makes the big decisions.”

“So, Principal- or rather, your Celestia's the head honcho. And Twilight's a princess, but not on the same level Celestia is.” Applejack stirred around her macaroni and cheese as she contemplated the idea. “Just how many princesses y’all got over there?”

Sunset raised her hands and counted on her fingers. “Celestia, Luna, uh... whatsername. There was another one, but I don't remember if she was princess of anything particular when I was there.” The five girls exchanged confused glances with one another as Sunset counted. “So, Twilight would make four.”

“Oh no.” Fluttershy murmured, turning her eyes towards Rarity.

“What's the matter darling? Oh, oh dear.” Rarity turned her eyes away from the front and put her hand over her face. “Don't come over here, don't come here, don't come over here.”

Sunset's right brow raised in confusion before she turned around, and a collective sigh of frustration followed. The sight of a boy with blue spiky hair and an open sports jacket walking towards them made her stomach twist in knots, and she felt her face go rigid.

“Hey ladies!” The boy said once he was close to their table.

“Hi, Flash.” All of the girls said in mock-enthusiasm, excluding Sunset. She felt her left eye twitch involuntarily as he nodded politely at her.

“So, you girls heard about the Mane Event?” Flash asked, with a smug look on his face.

“Yes Flash,” Applejack replied, letting her agitation slip for only a moment. “Principal Celestia made the announcement about the musical showcase right after they finished talking 'bout school repairs. The whole school was there.”

“Well, I don't know about you girls, but I'm stoked for it! Me and my band the Sentries are gonna enter, and we're gonna help rock the school!” He said, motioning his hands in a display of an imaginary guitar. He looked at the table inquisitively for a moment. “Say, you wouldn't happen to know the whereabouts of... uh... you know.”

“Twilight's out of town, Flash.” Rainbow Dash said, before taking a sip from her can of cola.

“Oh, that's too bad.” Flash said dishearteningly. “I just thought if she was around, she might wanna come over and watch us practice for a bit?”

Sunset barely caught it, but she could no doubt hear Fluttershy whisper under her breath “Flash, please leave”. She herself was wishing for the first time ever that she could regain her demonic powers for just one instant, enough to blast the boy in front of them to smithereens. After the deed was done, she could relinquish them and go back to being a good-hearted girl like she intended to be.

“Well Flash, if Twilight comes around, believe you me, you'll be the FIRST to know.” Applejack reassured him with a forced smile.

“Awesome! Alright, well, you girls have a rockin' day, alright?” He pointed his fingers at them and backed away, bumping into a cross-eyed blonde girl and knocking her food off of her tray. "Oh, heh, sorry," He said, before rushing off. The girl's eyes were fixed straight towards him for a moment in an angry glare, before she stepped back in line for a replacement meal.

“You know Sunset,” Dash began, as the girl turned back towards them. “We're all more than happy to put the bully-slash-demon thing behind us, but the fact that you dated Flash Sentry is a crime we're never gonna forgive.” Sunset covered her nose to fight the milk that was trying to make its way up her passages, and after forcing it down, let out a powerful laugh. “Seriously? WHY? What did you see in him?”

“Popularity.” Sunset replied, wiping her mouth. “Everyone thinks he's cool, for whatever reason. When I first got to the school, I saw someone at the top to latch onto, so I did. I don't get why Twilight thinks he's so attractive.”

“Well, at least tell me it was YOU who did the dumping?” Rarity asked.

“Tch, definitely.” Sunset took another swig of her milk now that she assumed she wasn't in danger of snorting it through her nose. “Oh, but while we're on the subject; I don't care what he tells you; he cannot play guitar. The other guys in his band are okay, but he's so bad.”

“How bad is he?” The girls asked in unison.

“Flash Sentry is SO bad at guitar,” Sunset giggled before forcing herself to continue. “That the sounds coming out of the bathroom on Taco Tuesday make for better music than anything he plays!”

The five girls joined Sunset in an uproar of laughter, Applejack slapping the top of the table while Fluttershy held her hands up to her mouth in a fit of giggles.

“You know, I'll betcha we could play better than him,” Applejack mentioned, using her hat to fan her eyes of the moisture that had built up from laughing so much. “In fact...”

“Hey guys, we should form our own band!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Applejack's mouth hung open as she watched the girl stand up, with a foot on the table and an ambitious smile on her face. “We'll call ourselves the Rainbooms!”

“Rainbooms?” Fluttershy asked timidly.

“Yeah, Rainbooms! Like rainbows, but with more punch!” Dash pumped her fist in the air excitedly.

“Wow, you guys can play?” Sunset asked, fascinated by Rainbow Dash's resolve.

“Uh... no.” Rainbow Dash admitted, her arms slumped by her sides. “But come on, how hard can it be learn? Pinkie Pie, now that you've pretty much saved the school financially, you're in tight with Principal Celestia and the board. Do you think you could ask if we could use their equipment until we raise enough money to buy our own instruments?”

“Hay yeah!” Pinkie Pie cheered, right before the bell rang to signal that lunch period had come to an end.

“Then it's settled.” Rainbow Dash put her hand out, palm facing the table. “After school, we're all gonna start practicing, and we're gonna find out how hard we can rock.”

“I'm in!” Pinkie chimed in with her hand on top of Rainbow's.

“Me too!” Applejack followed suit.

“Oh, why not?” Rarity placed her hand on top of Applejack's.

“Woo hoo.” Fluttershy cried softly, delicately putting her hand on top of Rarity's.

Sunset watched all five girls keep their hands together, then look at her all at once. “Oh, me?” She asked surprisngly.

“Yeah you!” Rainbow Dash urged. “We need a sound coach; someone to tell us how awesome we sound, and how we can sound awesomer, if that's even possible.”

Sunset wasn't sure if that was the most esteemed spot in the band, but she was happy enough to be included in the groups activities. She nodded and placed a hand on top of the other girls, savoring her place in their big group circle.

“We are the Rainbooms!” Rainbow Dash said, lowering her hand slightly as all six of them dipped towards the table.

“Awwwww YEAH!” All of them cheered, throwing their hands up towards the ceiling in triumph.

Author's Note

Well, there you have it, my 2nd Equestria Girls clopfic, after I spent a majority of a year absolutely hating the first film. Life's kind of funny like that isn't it? I blame Sunset. She was really appealing in the 2nd movie. Still can't believe I was able to crank out four chapters worth of a story in a little more than a week. I swear it was an accident.
Big thanks to RedRover for proofreading this so quickly despite his busy schedule. Also thanks to Lexxi for helping me learn how to look for the good things that are sometimes buried under the bad.