Where She Encounters Groupies
"There it is, girls: the holy sanctuary of the fiery-haired one."Adagio Dazzle proclaimed, stretching her arms wide to encompass all of Canterlot High.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so excited!" her blue-skinned compatriot squeaked, pulling her arms close to her chest and rocking back and forth in her neon pink boots.
"Just try and keep the fangirling to a minimum, Sonata." the girl on the other side of Adagio muttered. She rubbed a hand on her denim jacket, checking to make sure there wasn’t any grime on her nails she had missed.
"Try to keep the sarcasm to a minimum, Aria." Adagio warned as she started to head towards the main entrance.
Stepping through the entrance, the three girls observed the bustling main hall. It was early morning, and students were rushing to their first set of classes. A few were just hanging around, lucky to have free periods at the start of the day.
Hopefully, the student they had been promised would give them a tour of the school would show up soon.
***
Sunset Shimmer managed to avoid crashing into any of her fellow students as she dashed towards the main hall of the school. She had just been notified that the transfer students had arrived for their tour. In attempting to show that she had reformed, she had volunteered to show any new students around; maybe it would leave a good impression.
As she reached the main hall, she slowed her pace, trying to catch her breath. Running in heeled boots was always the most fun. The hall was starting to empty, and she saw a trio of girls standing in the entrance, trying to look as un-awkward as possible.
Assuming that these were the new students, Sunset walked up and greeted them cheerfully. "Hey girls! Welcome to your new school."
The three girls turned to face Sunset, all smiling -- a bit too widely. They remained quiet, and after a few more seconds of awkward silence passed, Sunset gave a nervous laugh. "I'm supposed to show you around here, are you ready?"
Suddenly the girl in the middle seemed to realise they should be talking. Clearing her throat, she said, "Oh yes! Please show us around; it's not like we know our way around by heart. Yet."
Raising an eyebrow at the rather strange statement, Sunset shrugged and motioned for them to follow her. With a glance over her shoulder, she asked, "So you've heard what's happened here, I'm guessing?"
The three girls nodded.
"Great," Sunset thought as she started walking down the hall. "That much harder to convince them I've changed."
"How did the school get repaired so quickly?" the blue-skinned girl asked, scratching her chin in thought.
Sighing, Sunset replied, "After last year, we've had the budget of a lifetime. Luckily, I've only had to pay back, like, ten thousand dollars."
Faintly, she thought she heard the first girl mutter, "Oh yes, we've seen the first movie, and all the cosplays to go with it."
Shaking her head, Sunset ignored it. Probably just nervous about showing them around.
They walked down the halls, Sunset pointing out various classrooms of interest to the three new girls. When the three remained relatively silent, apart from the occasional snicker or giggle, she asked, "My name's Sunset Shimmer; what're yours?"
"Oh, I'm Adagio Dazzle, and these two are my friends: Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk." she heard the first girl reply from behind her.
They walked on in renewed silence, passing a student lamenting something while running into another room off the hall. Sunset felt the need to fill the dead air with something. Searching her brain for something, anything, she could say, she blurted, "So I found out in biology the other day that the female Black Widow eats her mate after she mates with him."
Before the three girls could respond, Sunset noticed something tacked to the wall, and exclaimed, "Oh this poster!" She dashed up to a poster of a guitar and the words "CHS Musical Showcase: Whoa!!!", thankful for something to potentially break the uncomfortable silence.
"We're having a musical showcase soon, but it basically boils down to: Play a musical instrument and hope to God that you can play it good before you embarrass yourself in front of the whole school." She looked hopefully at the three girls, hoping they would carry the conversation on from there.
Out of nowhere, Adagio mumbled, looking aside at Aria and Sonata, "That's it! I just realized this: her hair reminds me of bacon!" Sonata and Aria shared a quick snicker.
Glancing confusedly at them, Sunset went on, "You know, that would have really bugged me last year. I had a lot of anger issues--"
A random student walked past, overhearing that bit of the conversation and snapped, "No. Really?"
With a quick wayward glare at the student, Sunset finished, "--but I've totally gotten over them."
"By what? Turning into a giant bacon-monster?" Aria chuckled, rubbing a couple of her fingers together before placing her hands on her hips.
Breaking in on the conversation, Sonata declared, "Hello! She turned into a she-demon. I watched the movie, like, ten times!"
"Wait. What? What 'movie'?" Sunset thought. She decided to keep quiet, though; maybe they were just building up for a joke or something.
Adagio whirled on her heels and made a quick cutting motion across her throat with two fingers.
Shrugging her shoulders, Sonata asked, "Aria mad?"
"Actually I'm not mad. I watched the movie over forty times. I even wrote my own... fan... fiction." She hesitated when she remembered that Sunset, who was still looking at them with a confused expression, was right behind them.
Staying oblivious, Sonata replied, "Oh yeah. I remember that one. That was Sonata good fic." She gave a large grin when she finished.
Adagio merely brought a hand to her forehead.
Grunting, Aria shot Sonata a warning glare and muttered, "If you keep making puns out of our names, I'm going to take you out back and break both of your arms."
Her expression falling, Sonata gasped, "You wouldn't!"
"You'll have to excuse them, they're idiots!" Adagio broke in, blocking Sunset's vision of the two girls.
Sunset had watched this whole exchange in silence, unsure of quite what to say or think. Finally, she spotted the school calendar on a nearby billboard and noted it was another one of Principal Celestia's many strange school holidays.
Reaching out a hand towards Adagio’s neckline, she said whilst pointing to the sign, hoping that the girls would notice and observe the school spirit, "It's free groping--"
She squeaked when Adagio snatched her hand.
Realizing what she had done, Adagio let go and laughed sheepishly, "Sorry!" She looked down at herself. "As you can see, I'm flat-chested, so there's not really much to reach out and grab."
She smiled and thanked her for the tour before motioning for Sonata and Aria to follow her. As the three girls walked down the hall, Sunset could hear Adagio mutter, "Although, that does really razzle my dazzle."
Blinking slowly a few times, Sunset finally thought to herself, "What the hell just happened?"
***
Lunchtime had once again rolled around for the students of CHS, and the cafeteria was already mostly full. A few students were still arriving, one of them being Sunset.
As she entered the cafeteria, Sunset spied her friends sitting at their usual table. Grabbing a tray and sitting down at the table, she sighed, "Hey girls."
Instantly, her friends turned their attention to her, slightly confused at her downcast demeanor. Giving a small smile, Rarity asked, "How did the new girls take to the school?"
"I dunno." Sunset replied, folding her arms on the table and resting her head on them. "They acted really weird. Like they were hiding something; I don't know -- some of the stuff they said was just really strange."
"Well, they were probably just nervous." Rarity told her, patting Sunset's shoulder. "It's always difficult moving to a new school."
Out of the corner of her eye, Sunset spied the three new girls wait in line for being served. Pointing them out to her friends, she said, "See what I mean?"
When the trio saw Sunset, they had a short conversation amongst themselves. Sonata gave a quick, overly-enthusiastic wave, and Sunset managed to hear a faint squeak from their direction as well.
"They look like they're just trying too hard to fit in, that's all." Dash muttered, going back to fiddling with her guitar.
"Nothing to worry about, dear," Rarity stated, turning to look back at Sunset. "They look like they're just trying to be friendly."
Sighing, Sunset grudgingly agreed. Slowly, she watched the three girls find a table at the back of the cafeteria. They seemed harmless enough, yet for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to them than met the eye.
***
Sunset sighed with relief as the school bells rang, signaling the end of another day for CHS. Getting up from her seat and filing out of her class with the rest of the students, she made her way to her locker.
After stuffing her textbooks into her backpack, she closed the locker door and started to head towards the main entrance. As she turned a corner, she plowed into one of the girls that she showed around this morning, sending both of them sprawling.
Shaking her head, Sunset got up and saw that it was the member of the trio Adagio had introduced as Sonata. She stretched out a hand for the blue-skinned girl to grab.
"Need a hand?" she asked, giving a weak smile. She caught Adagio and Aria coming out of a nearby restroom out of the corner of her vision.
Softly groaning, Sonata muttered, "Wha?" Without thinking, she took hold of Sunset's offered hand and dragged herself up. Her eyes were still a bit hazy, and it looked to Sunset like she was still a bit dazed from the whole run-in.
"Oh, Shimmy!" she heard Adagio exclaim. Turning around, she raised an eyebrow at the enthusiastic greeting.
"Yes?" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It looks like Principal Celestia will let us join that musical showcase. We're looking forward to meeting the rest of the students. Are you going to be in it?" Adagio asked curiously -- a bit too curiously.
"Uh, no, not really." she mumbled. Was it just her, or did Adagio look slightly crestfallen at her statement? She mentally shrugged and grabbed her backpack, which had fallen on the floor when she collided with Sonata.
"I'd love to chat, but I need to get home." she said. Before the three girls could reply, she quickly walked away.
As she left, she heard Sonata exclaim, "Oh my gosh! She touched my hand! I'm never going to wash it again!"
More than a little off put by her experience, Sunset decided to head to a nearby fast food joint to relax. As she left, she fixed her hair as a warm autumn breeze swept through the courtyard.
The streets of Canterlot were starting to fill as school buses and cars entered the city's arteries. Rush hour was upon them, but Sunset was lucky enough to avoid the worst of it by living in an apartment near the school.
The sun was beginning its trek towards the horizon, the looming buildings casting long shadows over downtown. Presently, she reached her destination and she pushed open the retro-looking restaurant's double doors.
She scanned the interior. A few students from CHS had apparently had the same idea: a quick, greasy, feel-good meal. With a start, she spotted Adagio and her friends sitting in a booth at the far right side of the diner.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence. I did take a longer route than usual." she mused as she was seated by a waitress on the opposite side of the restaurant.
After ordering her food, she grabbed her backpack and started to pull out a textbook to do a bit of studying. Suddenly, a blue face popped in front of hers. Screaming in surprise, Sunset pulled back to see Sonata peeking out from under the table in a manner similar to Pinkie Pie.
"Long time no see!" Sonata exclaimed. Looking down at where she was sticking out from, she giggled and slipped under the table to sit on the other side of the table. "What'cha doing?" she asked innocently.
After catching her breath and making sure her heart wouldn't pound its way out of her chest, Sunset cried, "Me? What the hell are you doing?"
Before Sonata could reply, Adagio came over, saying, "Fancy seeing you here, Sunset. Mind if we sit with you? Some bonding time, perhaps?"
Slamming her textbook down on the table and shoving it in her backpack, Sunset hissed, "No! I-I have to go!" She bolted from the booth and out the diner's door.
Mind racing as fast as her feet, she dashed her way down the sidewalks of downtown Canterlot. Every so often, she would glance over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed by those strange girls.
If they were trying to be friendly, they were trying too hard. Her friends were definitely wrong: there was something up with those three new girls, although she really didn't want to know what. Hopefully they would tone down the weirdness after a week or so at the school.
Finally reaching her apartment, she once again checked the perimeter. Satisfied that the girls hadn’t followed her, she entered the lobby of the apartment building and took the elevator to the fourth floor.
No girls.
Reaching the end of the hall, she unlocked the door to her flat and flicked on the entryway light. Putting her leather jacket and boots away, she walked into the living room and put her backpack on a nearby small table.
No girls.
She sighed as she flopped down on her couch and flicked on the TV. The events of the day could slowly recede in her mind; she was safe in her home. No distrustful students.
And definitely, undeniably, no girls.
"Now to let my brain rot watching TV for a bit." she thought happily, changing the channel to something more her style.
After a while of watching TV, she got up and did some of the next day’s homework. After awhile, her stomach growled. She forgot that she hadn't eaten since lunch, having been veritably chased from the diner.
She made herself a quick sandwich with some chips, enjoyed it thoroughly, and continued working on her homework, until well after the sun went down.
Soon, she finished her math calculations and closed her school binder. Homework done for another day. Looking out the window of her living room, she watched some traffic go by, the cars' lights dancing along the street.
She looked at the clock over the entrance to the hall. After noting the time, she decided to read for a little while. Grabbing the novel she was reading from her bedroom, she stretched out on her couch.
After reading a couple of chapters, she put the book down and headed into her bathroom to get ready for bed. Entering the bathroom, she opened the mirrored cabinet door above the sink, grabbed her toothbrush, spread some paste on it, and closed the cabinet door.
What she saw in the mirror caused her to nearly choke. Staring at her fiendishly from the shower was Sonata Dusk.
Whirling around, she blinked in surprise when she saw that her shower was empty. She turned around and looked in the mirror again. Where Sonata had been before was now only empty air.
Giving a quick shiver, Sunset applied a bit more toothpaste to her brush and continued cleaning her teeth. Maybe it was just her nerves about trying to leave a good impression on those girls mixing with the events of the day?
Soon enough, she finished readying for bed and headed into the bedroom next to the bathroom. Throwing her used clothes into a small pile of identical pieces, she got into bed and turned off the lamp on her nightstand.
She sighed as the apartment went quiet, save for the ticking of the clock in the living room. Blackness filled her vision, and sleep slowly started to take hold of her mind.
Then she heard a chorus of "Aww!"’s, jolting her awake. Whipping the lights on, she screamed again when she saw Adagio, Aria, and Sonata watching her.
Adagio was sitting on her dresser, one leg crossed over the other. Aria was stretched out on the floor, propping herself up with one arm; and Sonata was watching from the doorway, all three wearing slightly giddy expressions.
"What. The hell. Are you doing. In my room?!" Sunset bellowed, bringing the covers up to her neck. "How the hell did you get in my hou-- no. I don't want to know!"
Laughing nervously, Adagio said, "Well, you're kind of an inspiration to us. I was studying you for my next chapter in my fan fiction that I'm writing."
Staring blankly at the mustard-yellow girl, Sunset blinked a few times before exclaiming, "Get out! I don't know what you just said, but get out!" She sprang from her bed and pulled Adagio off her dresser and pushed her and Sonata out of her bedroom.
As she reached down to grab Aria and push her out with her friends, the pigtailed girl asked, "Uh, could you sign me an autograph real quick?"
"No! And if you don't leave now, I'll file a restraining order!" Sunset snapped, pushing all three girls into the hall. Grabbing the door and finding it to be disturbingly already unlocked, she pushed them out into the apartment hallway.
Without another word, she slammed the door in the girls' faces and whirled around on her heels and started heading back to her bedroom.
From the other side of the door, she could hear Adagio sigh, "Come on Shimmerlings, I guess we'll just have to watch the movie again."
Sonata screamed through the door, "Have my babies!"
Freezing momentarily, Sunset turned around and swung the door open. She saw the "Shimmerlings" walking down the hallway. Furrowing her brow, she snapped, "That is biologically impossible!" and slammed it shut again.
FIN
Author's Note
This was inspired by Wubcake's first Rainbow Rocks Parody. I appreciate her letting me write this.
Thanks again to AShadowOfCygnus for pre-reading and getting to it so quickly.
Hopefully y'all enjoyed!
Feel free to leave a comment, I look forward to everyone's thoughts.
Rush and Pony on!
T4E
