Chapters Chapter 1: The Unlucky Streak
"Good morning Canterlot High, and welcome to the first ever Friendship Games!" Principal Celestia announced into the microphone, her sister standing on the stage next to her. "We're heading over to Crystal Prep in a half hour, and we are going to WIN!" The entire student body cheered yet again, with as much enthusiasm as a hundred Pinkie Pies.
A half hour later, five buses were lined up outside of Canterlot High, each holding their portion of the students that attended. The insufferable racket could be heard all the way from Equestria ... and the portal wasn't even open! Some of the students, out of excitement, started rocking the bus or jumping up and down, making it look like the buses were clumsily dancing on their wheels.
The students were restless, filled with anticipation, and just in general-- excited. It was almost like the last day of the school year, the only difference being the fact that it wasn’t . The student’s excitement could be explained in part because of the fact that it was the final week of school, and partly because they all had a certain feeling...
A feeling that they were going to CRUSH their competition.
However, three days later, the five buses weren't dancing, being surprisingly stalk silent. Everyone had their head down, and some girls were even crying.
They had lost, to Crystal Prep.
"Aww, come on!" Rainbow Dash cried, standing up in her seat; she was only a Freshman, but she was a Freshman with courage and determination. "We could do better than that, guys! We almost won that last game! Rarity!" At this, a pale girl with curly purple hair looked up across the bus at the polychromatic-haired freshman. "Why didn't you swim that extra lap?! We could have gone home with at least one trophy!"
Rarity rolled her eyes and crossed her arms with an accompanying frown. "Rainbow, darling, do you really expect me to get my hair wet?"
Rainbow's mouth hung open, her eyes almost comically bulging out of their sockets. She finally regained her composure and marched over to where her friend sat. The whole bus simultaneously ‘ooo’'d, sensing the impending dish that Rainbow was about to hand to Rarity. Unfortunately at that moment, the bus flew over a speed bump, causing Rainbow to trip and send her flying to the back of the bus...
Where Rarity was.
The cyan-skinned freshman picked herself up, dusted herself off, and looked forward. Every student on the bus was staring at her. She could see Pinkie and Applejack among the faces; Fluttershy must’ve been on another bus...or she was choosing not to look. "I totally meant to do that." Rainbow said, waving her hand like it was nothing, then took a seat next to Rarity.
"You didn't want to get your hair wet, huh?" She loudly whispered, "yet, you agreed to do the swimming competition?!"
Rarity scoffed. "The water was filthy . And I don't care if it’s chlorinated, the chlorine ruins my hair. I only jumped in because you threw my fashion ideas into the water." She shot Rainbow a death stare.
"I made copies!"
"Let me see them, then."
Rainbow scratched behind her head, wearing a sheepish smile. "They’re... at my house." Rarity gave her a pointed look. "Just...why did you suddenly freak out and climb out of the pool? You had that weird hair-bag over your head, right? Didn’t that keep your hair dry? Why did you suddenly freak out and climb out of the pool?"
"It's not weird!" She complained. "It makes sure my hair stays dry while I'm in the pool, but it was slipping off and water was getting in! And secondly, a lady does not ‘freak out ’. That is very uncouth. I simply observed that my complexion was at risk, and I simply had to do something about it. My newly-styled hair was at risk to all that…” She shuddered, “...chlorinated water....”
Rainbow put up a hand, telling her to stop. "I get it! I get it!" She said.
Rainbow looked out the window. "Maybe we'll do better next year..."
"..But we never won! We got worse , actually! Every year we lost to that stupid, snoody school!" An older, 12th grade Rainbow shouted into the faces of Rarity and Sunset, anger consuming her as she threw the napkin she was holding through the air. They stared at her with shock, not expecting a sudden outburst. Rainbow closed her eyes, and took a long, deep breath. "Sorry..." She mumbled, sitting back down on her seat.
Rarity sighed before speaking.. "It’s… fine, darling. We know how… competitive you can be with these games.” They were sitting in Rarity's boutique, eating frozen yogurt. "I’m not really looking forward to them either."
“I’m going to need you girl’s help. Sunset explained, putting her Fro-Yo cup down. "I was thinking that some lucky charm or wish catcher or something would help our unlucky streak. We could sell them before the games!"
Rainbow gave Sunset a dubious look. “Annnnd how exactly are those supposed to help?”
“Simple…” Sunset trailed off into thought.
What should we call them? ‘Dream Boats’?
Nah.
‘Lucky Dreamstyle’?
Eugh, that one’s terrible. How did I even come up with that?
Must’ve been that new k-pop son g that everyone’s listening to...
A cyan hand moved in front of Sunset’s face and snapped it’s fingers. “Hello? Anyone home?”
Wait, I haven’t even decided what we’re going to make. It could just be a normal wish catcher or lucky charm…
Nah. Too plain. It needs to be special.
Maybe a wish catcher with a four leaf clover on it? That sounds lucky. Or… maybe a lucky charm in the shape of a Leprechaun?
Nah, that’ll probably offend some Irishman. Yes! We’ll make a combination of a wish catcher and lucky charm! I still haven’t got a name, though...
“SUNSET!” Rarity and Rainbow both shouted in an attempt to stir her from her psychosis-level daydream.
“...I know! We’ll call them ‘Wish Makers’!” Sunset looked amazingly pleased with herself.
Rainbow gave sunset a blank stare. “Call what, what ?”
“We’ll make a combination of a lucky charm and a wish catcher, and we’ll call them ‘Wish Makers’! We’ll sell them to the students before the games!” Sunset explained to Rainbow, a wide grin on her face.
Rarity and Rainbow exchanged looks with each other before Rarity turned to Sunset. “That could work. I’ll be happy to help you make them. But how exactly are they going to help us win the games?”
“They could help bring good luck and stuff .” She said dismissively. “Hey, Rainbow, do you think you could get the soccer team to help make them?”
“I... sure, I guess, but what exactly are they going to look like? We need a design to work off o-” Rainbow trailed off as she watched Sunset grab a piece of Rarity’s fabric from across the table and start furiously scribbling onto it with a pencil.
"Nononono! Not that fabric---oh...my.” She watched the fine piece of sunset-orange fabric in disdain as it was subjected to the wills of Sunset’s creativity. “...I suppose that's no bother..." She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, fighting the urge to rip the fabric out of Sunset’s hands. "I can simply get a new piece...I was planning to go to Jo Ann's next week, anyway."
Steady… No! Yes, nicely rounded...join it up... good. Ok… now the heart. Why do love hearts look like this? Real heats look nothing alike. …Good. How many sides should my star be? Six? Nah, five seems like a nice amount. ...Right, ok. Now, how do you draw feathers?...
“Annnd… there!” She beamed with satisfaction at her creation, holding the fabric up to show Rainbow and Rarity.
Her creation was somewhat similar in design to the typical dreamcatcher. It featured two circles, one above the other, the bottom one being smaller than the top one. Inside the top circle was a large love heart, and in the bottom circle was a five-pointed star. Around the edges of both the circles, feathers splayed out in all directions.
“My, Sunset, it’s beautiful!” Rarity exclaimed.
And it was . Especially considering Sunset drew the entire thing on a piece of fabric in about 30 seconds-- not the most ideal surface to draw on.
Rainbow was visibly grossed out at the sappiness of two of her friends. “Beautiful ? Eugh.” She made a mocking face of disgust. “How about totally awesome! ” Rainbow shouted in her trademark tone.
She picked up an apple off of the table, examining it for a moment. “Hey, Rarity, why are there so many pins in this apple?”
"Oh, I sometimes use apples as pin cushions…” She said dismissively, distracted by Sunset’s design. “...Wait.. Rainbow! Don't!" But it was too late, Rainbow had already taken a large bite out of the plushie apple, instantly regretting it. “Puh! Eugh!” She attempted to spit out the hairs of the fabric apple, trying to remove the decidedly ‘plasticy’ taste from her tongue. .
"Ew! Rarity! Why do you have a pincushion that looks exactly like an apple?" She hesitantly smelled the pin cushion. "And why does it smell like an apple, too?!"
“The apple smell helps me work, Rainbow. It calms me and helps me keep focused.” Rarity observed the scrutinizing glare from Rainbow. “What surprises me, darling, is how you managed to mistake that thing for a real apple! That’s a stuffed fabric apple and you bit into it thinking it was a real one !”
“H-hey! I wasn’t paying attention… ok?” Rainbow attempted to explain a mistake that now in hindsight, was surprisingly stupid.
Rarity just smirked at the prismatic-haired girl. “Sure, whatever you say, dear.”
"Girls, it doesn’t matter! So, what do you think? Rarity? Does it look good? Think we can get...oh...ten of them done tonight?" Sunset asked, eager to get started.
"I think your design looks wonderful, Sunset. " Rarity visibly tensed up as she realized what Sunset had said. "Ten? Ten 'Wish Makers'?"
Sunset scratched behind her head. "Yeah, sorry...that may be a little much..."
"No, darling, not at all! If anything, maybe Fifty would be over-the-top. I was just a little surprised, is all." Rarity assured her as she hurried to her sewing machine. "Now, can you repeat that same design nine more times?"
"Fifty? Er--nine times? Yeah, I can try." Sunset smiled. "Sewing them together is not all I plan to do with them, though."
Rarity, who had just sat down on a swivel stool, rotated around to meet Sunset's eyes. "Oh? Well, what else do you plan to do with these 'Wish Makers' of yours?"
"I was thinking of adding--equestrian magic" Sunset mumbled the last two words.
"I apologize, dear, I couldn't hear you. Adding what?"
"Equestrian---magic."
Rarity scooted a bit closer, cupping one hand over her ear so she could hear better. "Do say that one more time, please."
Sunset made a noise that could only be described as groaning and sighing at the same time. "Equestrian magic. I was thinking of adding Equestrian magic."
"What?!" Rainbow asked, finally done with clearing the taste of the fake apple out of her mouth. "Equestrian magic?! Sorry if I sound like a buzzkill, Sunset, but that's kind of impossible."
She lowered her head. "I know...but...it doesn't hurt to try, right? It wasn’t long ago that we thought all kinds of magic were just old fairytales, but then came the elements. Then came the ears… the wings… Who knows what else is possible? Besides, I want these to be special. Not some cheap, knock-off charm thatdoesn't do anything! People will start..." She lowered her head and gaze even more. "...Hating me again."
Rainbow lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure no ones going to start hating you again, Sunset. I'm just saying, it may be impossible to get the equestrian magic that you need."
"Didn't they say it was impossible to be the captain of every sports team at Canterlot High?" Sunset retorted with a slight hint of anger in her voice.
Rainbow warily took her hand off of Sunset's shoulder, not really liking where she was taking this. "Well, yeah, but..."
Sunset spun her chair round to face Rarity, over at her sewing machine quietly working on the start of the first Wish Maker. "And Rarity!" She swiveled around. "Didn't people say it was impossible for you to win that trip to Manhattan?"
Rarity gently set her hands in her lap and smiled politely up at her friend. "Yes, darling, they did."
"But, you both achieved those 'impossible' goals! What everyone thought was ‘impossible’, was possible. And look where it got you! Have some faith, girls." She finished her short speech with a 'Statue of Liberty' pose, holding her pencil to the air.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, you don't have to go and make a huge deal about it. Uncalled-for inspirational speech is uncalled for."
"Oh." Sunset sheepishly lowered her arms. "Whoops." She tried to play it cool, but she felt her cheeks and ears getting warmer.
"Well I thought that speech was very inspirational. And Sunset’s right, we all thought those things were impossible at first, but in the end, it turned out they-- "
"--Thank you." Sunset interrupted.
"--I wasn't finished. How, exactly, do you plan to get this magic into these, dear?" Rarity finished. Rainbow leaned in, wanting to find out too too.
"Easy." Sunset replied. "I just need Twilight to open the portal. And I know just how to contact her."
Dear Princess Twilight,
Rarity, Rainbow and I have decided to make 'good luck charms' for Canterlot High, so we can hopefully get a chance at beating Crystal Prep in a yearly competition between the two schools, called "The Friendship Games". If you think that the friendship games are just friendly competition, trust me, their not. I have only been to one of the games, which was last year, and Crystal Prep is brutal .
But, that's besides the point. These good luck charms we're currently making--I call them "Wish Makers"--need a bit of magic. Equestrian magic, that is. I was hoping you could open the portal, (because you can't exactly cast a spell as a human) so I can come and visit you, and get some magic, too? It's been a while since I saw Equestria; I hope it's as majestic as I remember.
Hope to hear from you soon! Your friend, Sunset Shimmer.
Back in Ponyville, the lavender alicorn was just coming into one of her many, many library rooms, Spike trailing behind her. This room was--luckily--the same room with Celestia's old book that held Sunset's old letters. It was by pure coincidence that Twilight walked in to that very room when Sunset finished her message.
The buzzing startled Twilight and Spike, but not by very much; just enough to speed up their hearts. They warily turned their head towards the buzzing noise and both saw a soft glow. Due to the fact that this book was on a higher shelf, Twilight flew up to get it, then flew back down to a table, where Spike was waiting for her.
"Twilight? Did Sunset Shimmer leave you a note or something?" Spike asked, reaching for a book that was under the table. Twilight figured she missed that one as she was cleaning up last week.
"It looks like it..." she murmured as she opened the book with her magic and began to read, occasional saying words out loud. "make good luck charms..."The Friendship Games"...Crystal Prep is brutal ..."Wish Makers"--oh, that's a good name--needs a bit of equestrian magic?"
"What needs a bit of what-now? Spike asked, popping back up from under the table.
"Sunset says she's making good luck charms called "Wish Makers" and they need a bit of equestrian magic," she turned her head towards the baby dragon, "I'm guessing so they can be fueled." Spike nodded, and she turned her head back to continue reading. "Hmm... She also says she'd need me to open the portal so she can come though, since we both can't cast a spell as humans."
Spike pointed a claw at her as he opened his book. "You can cast that death-rainbow thing you guys do, right?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "It is not a death rainbow, Spike. And yes, we can, but that's only when we're facing a dangerous, power-craving villain."
"Didn't Sunset used to be a dangerous, power-craving villain?"
Twilight shot her assistant a stern look. "Spike..."
Sensing his mistake, Spike put both claws in the air, losing his place. "Sorry! I just thought she was!" He put both claws down. "Oh, but, uh, she's not anymore."
"The point is," she continued, choosing to ignore that first sentence, "Sunset would like some magic she can't acquire, and she would like my help in doing so." Twilight started walking to the main room.
Spike looked away from Twilight, unable to keep in his thoughts. "Or maybe she just asks because you're the only one that can open that portal."
"I'm not the only one, Spike." Twilight called across the room, making Spike jump, then blush when he realized she heard what he said. "Sorry!" He called after her, then decided to follow her, leaving his book--and Sunset's journal--behind.
Sunset sat by the portal, putting her hand up to the statue every five minutes. She had apologized to Rarity and ran home just to send that message, and that was over an hour ago. She had told both Rarity and Rainbow that, if they needed her, she'd be by the portal outside the school.
Right now, she was having serious regrets. She placed her hand where the portal would be one last time, then began to leave, disappointed Twilight didn't show.
Suddenly, Twilight popped out of the portal, grabbed Sunset's hand taking her by surprise, then jumped back into the portal, back to Ponyville.
Chapter 4: The Possible Spells
Sunset wasn't used to the portal. The way her body twisted unnaturally, and the pastel colors that invaded her vision. They were so bright, she couldn't even tell if her eyes were closed or not. She didn't like it that much.
Luckily, it was over in a flash and she landed with a solid thump on her chest. She slowly got to her hooves---something she didn't freak out about because she was once a pony herself---and looked at the surrounding environment. It looked like a huge, crystal building building of sorts. Made sense. Twilight had told her about her new crystal-castle-lifestyle.
Standing in front of her was Twilight herself, a smile of her face. "Hey, Sunset," she said, "welcome to my humble abode."
Sunset Shimmer looked around the gleaming castle. "'Humble abode'?" She asked, keeping her eyes to the ceiling as she slowly walked forward. "More like 'welcome to my huge, majestic, castle.'" As she walked, she accidently bumped into something. She looked down, thinking it was a table, but, instead, saw a slightly annoyed Spike. "Oops, sorry Spike. My bad."
He busied himself by rubbing his arm--the one Sunset had ran into--as he spoke. "It's OK. You were to busy looking at the castle. Pretty neat, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's breathtaking."
"Would you two please stop talking about this 'home' of mine? I'm not exactly used to the attention, yet." Sunset turned to look at Twilight, who had her wings spread out and a rather annoyed look on her face.
Sunset took a step towards the frenzied alicorn. "Sorry, Twilight. I forgot you didn't want me marveling over it, like you said in that letter you sent me a while ago."
Twilight was already starting to calm down. "It's alright," she said, "I may have over reacted a bit just then. Now, Sunset, what do you need Equestrian magic for?" Sunset began to open her mouth to reply. "I'm guessing you need it to fuel these 'wish makers'," Twilight continued, "but, equestrian magic won't stay in them forever. Only for a hour, then it'll be gone."
"It will?"
"Yeah, that's the side effect of magic in the human world. Remember when we..." Twilight looked to the side and cleared her throat, trying not to say anything that would hurt her friend.
Sunset, however, knew exactly what she was talking about. "Used death-rainbow things to knock me out of my demonic form and ways?"
Spike gestured towards Sunset, all the while looking at Twilight. "Told you." He said.
"Uh...yeah...that..." The princess began to blush. "Then I stayed there for an hour later, to join the dance?" Sunset nodded. "I could still feel the magic energy flowing through the air, it was strongest near the entryway to the school, but I could feel it faintly nonetheless." She started pacing. "When I was saying my farewells and going home, I could feel the magic energy vanishing. It was slow, but, by the time Spike and I set foot into that portal," she pointed a hoof at the portal she made for emphasis. "The magic energy was gone."
"Okay, so, magic only lasts for an hour in my world." Sunset nodded. "I need to find a way to make it last longer."
Twilight stopped pacing to look at her with curious eyes. "How long?"
"Oh..about..." There was a long pause, to Twilight, it seemed like forever when Sunset finally answered. "Forever?"
"Forever?!
"Or at least a year or two." Sunset added quickly.
"I think a year is a long enough time..." Twilight told her, levitating a familiar-looking book. "I think there may be an extension spell in here somewhere." She set the book on a nearby book stand. "Let's see...Mare in the moon...Elements of Harmony...ah! Here it is! 'Extension Spell--extends the spell given for amount of time thought by the spell caster. Repeating this spell every other week gives best results."
"Every other week?" Sunset asked. "I can't do that! What if I sell one? I won't be able to renew the energy each week!"
Twilight pointed at the book, presumably where the spell was. "Sunset, that's only for the best results."
"I want best results in these!" Sunset cried. "These Wish Makers need the bestest results there can be!"
"Is bestest even a word?" Spike asked.
"Who cares!?" Sunset just then realized she was freaking out. Slowly but steadily, she took deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. "Sorry." She finally said. "I just really want these to work, and for people to not hate me again."
Twilight, who had her eyes slightly wide and her mouth in a slight 'o', scoffed. "Sunset, come on! I doubt anypony--er--anyone will hate you again. Your a really nice pony--uh--person. If-and I mean 'if'-people do start to hate you, they're just jealous of you, Sunset."
Sunset smiled. "Thanks, Twilight." Twilight nodded, as if saying 'you're welcome'. "Now, how do I get it so I don't have to refresh the extension spell every other week?"
"I guess we could add another spell..." Twilight murmured. "Uh...let's see...do you like the solar spell?"
Sunset cocked her head. "What's that?"
"It says 'The Solar Spell can help recharge/repeated the given spells if placed under the sun for two hours. The object and spells given can then be used for a period of anywhere between 1-3 days before needing a 'recharge' again. The Solar Spell is permanent, but can be given a time limit thought up by the spell caster if needed.'" She looked over to Sunset to see her response.
"Yeah, that can work." Sunset finally said after a minute of careful consideration.
"Great!" Twilight replied, putting her muzzle into her book again. "If you have one of your Wish Makers with you, we can get started right away."
"Oh, I don't have them ready just yet..." Sunset put on a sheepish smile. "I'll write to you when their ready, though. Expect a message tomorrow."
"That sound like a plan." Twilight replied. "How many do you plan to make?"
Sunset was already putting her back hooves into the portal. "Ten, for now." She answered as the rest of her emerged into the portal.
Twilight and Spike waved goodbye as soon as she left, thinking...maybe...she could see them somehow. They stopped after about five seconds.
"I think I'm probably going to pull an all nighter, Spike." She told him.
"Why's that?"
"I need to learn these spells by tomorrow...or else Sunset's plan will never take off."
Sunset, Twilight, Spike, Rainbow, and Rarity received no sleep that night. They were all doing an all-nighter, Twilight trying to get the two spells down, Spike assisting her as best as he could, and the other three working on the ten Wish Makers. Rarity had run over to her sewing machine before hand because she was going to make the heart, with yellow dots. Sunset was thinking it could all be glass or plastic, but, it wouldn't kill her to change her idea and make the design half plushie.
Twilight had set up a lamp, and cast a spell to make it brighter, so she could get a chance to see if the solar spell worked or not. Granted, it wasn't the actual sun, and in no way did it shine brighter than the star Celestia controlled, but it was a make-shift sun and it worked out just fine.
Sunset's head had just barley hit her pillow when the sun, with all it's bright light and morning glory, came up over the horizon. She groaned. Who could possibly sleep with all that light? It reminded her of the light she saw in the portal, and she could only describe it with two words: blinding and irritating.
Sighing, she got up and went over to her homework desk; it was littered with homework that had already been turned in. She moved two homework packets and a drawing of cake aside, (she was hungry that day) and found the book Celestia gave her at the bottom of it all. She had always hidden it away like that, ever since she brought it home. She wasn't exactly sure why, but, she guessed it felt right when she covered it up.
She grabbed a nearby pen and started to write.
"Okay, Spike, I think I have it down." An exhausted Twilight Sparkle called from the main room. She had told Spike to go to bed; for she was really the only one who needed to learn these spells. He protested, but finally gave in and went to his room.
That was around 1 in the morning.
Now, it was 7:55, and the tired purple alicorn was still up and busily working, needing her trust assistant yet again. What she wasn't aware of, however, was the journal that she left in her favorite of all the libraries was vibrating.
The baby dragon, who had just gotten up no longer than fifteen minutes ago, walked into the room where Twilight was. He sat down on a nearby couch, his breakfast, (a small pile of gems) in hand. "Alright, Twilight. Show me what you've got."
"Ok, here goes..." Twilight said as she fired up her horn; she aimed it at a nearby chair, first making it dance for a minute, then setting an extension spell on it, then the solar spell. The chair continued to dance for five more minutes before 'dying', and, at that moment, Twilight scooted the chair towards one of her many open windows, where Celestia's beautiful sunlight was spilling through. "Now, we wait for about three hours to see if it worked."
"I don't think I'm going to stare at a chair for that long." Spike grumbled. He had finished eating his gem breakfast, and decided to try and read his book he tried to read yesterday. "Tell me when it's ready." he mumbled as he jumped off the couch and exited the room.
Twilight didn't hear him, to wrapped up in her own thoughts. She laid down on the cold, crystal floor, and put all attention towards the sun-bathing chair.
"I don't think she's seen it yet." Sunset mumbled, staring at her carpet floor. She was on the phone with Rarity and Rainbow. They were both eating breakfast, so, Rarity's line was mostly quiet, (despite Sweetie's voice in the background) because she didn't like chewing with her mouth open. Rainbow's line was loud, in between the chewing, she was carrying on the conversation.
On Rarity's line, Sunset could hear a chair scraping the floor. Rarity must have finished her breakfast. "She's probably still sleeping, darling."
"Just give her time. Wait until tomorrow, then message her to see if she revived your last message." Rainbow added.
"How would that work?" Sunset inquired. "I mean, the only way I can communicate with her is that book. If she hasn't seen this message, that I sent her a while ago, and she still hasn't seen it tomorrow, she won't be able to see a message asking her if she got the message I sent today."
There was stalk silence on both lines. "What?"
"Never-mind, Rainbow Dash. I don't think it'll work."
Rainbow made a slight pfft sound, accompanied by a "whatever."
"I'm sure she's either still sleeping, or working her tail off to try and get those spells right for you, Sunset. Leave her be and don't worry about it."
Sunset sighed, putting on a small smile, one neither Rainbow nor Rarity could see. "I'll try not too, Rarity. I guess I'll let you two go."
"Call us back if she messages you, darling."
"Tell Rarity, she'll tell me," Rainbow told her. "I need to go practice for a soccer match, anyways."
"Don't worry, I will. Good luck!"
This time, a chair scraped the floor on Rainbow;s line. "Luck? Ha! I don't need luck!"
Sunset rolled her eyes, the smile still on her face. "I know you don't."
"Just give her time, dear. I'm sure she'll respond soon."
"Thanks, Rarity. Say hi to your sister for me."
"Gotta fly! Bye, Sunset." A soft click came from Rainbow's line.
"Oh, Sweetie Belle made a mess making breakfast! I must clean this up at once! I'll talk to you later, Sunset. Remember to call me if she responds!" Click
"Will do!" Sunset responded to no one. She removed the phone from her ear and looked at the screen. Their call had only lasted ten minutes. She hit the end call button, then closed her phone. It was high time she went back to the portal.
"Hey, Twilight? Sunset's book is buzzing again." Spike informed his teacher, poking only his head into the room. He saw Twilight, still staring intensely at the chair.
Or, so it seemed.
The chair was dancing away, and Twilight was doing nothing. She wasn't scribbling down notes, she didn't levitate the book out of Spike's hand, she did nothing....Except for letting out a slight snore.
"Oh." Spike whispered, instantly seeing Twilight had fallen asleep. When, he didn't know, but she was out cold. He walked into the room a little ways, trying to not make to much noise. Luckily, they weren't at Canterlot, with a ton of loud noises, like the last time Twilight was dog tired. "I guess it couldn't hurt if I saw what Sunset wrote..." he mumbled, then opened the book to find a new message.
Dear Twilight,
Rarity, Rainbow and I have pulled an all-nighter, but have managed to get all ten Wish Makers done. Hopefully, you'll be ready to cast the spells on all of them today, school starts tomorrow, (it's a weekend here) and I plan to sell them then....Hopefully they'll sell....
I hope to hear from you soon!
Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer
"Huh...so she's ready. I didn't think it would be that fast." Spike whispered, he looked at the sleeping alicorn again. All Twilight did was roll over in her sleep, and visibly shudder. "Oh, shoot..." he ran out of the room as quietly as he could and grabbed his blanket. He then ran back and gently laid the blanket on her.
She smiled, opening her eyes a crack. "Thanks, Spike."
"No problem, Twi. Oh, by the way, Sunset left a message."
It took a moment for those last seven words to sink in, but, by the time they did, she was already trying to fight off another wave of slumber. "Please go get her for me, Spike." She mumbled, then passed out again on the cold, crystal floor.
View Online
Chapter 6: The After-Effects of an All-Nighter
Sunset sat facing the portal, her back leaning against nothing. She had been patiently waiting there for almost 45 minutes, reading the book she had brought along in case it was as long as last time, or longer. She looked up from where she was reading every minute or two, not giving her much time to read in between.
The last time she looked up from her book, the glassy surface of the school's statue wavered. She gently placed a bookmark to mark her place, then stood up, book in hand. She expected Twilight to come through the portal, but that didn't happen. Instead, a purple dog with little green spots around the middle of his back appeared.
She stepped backwards in confusion. "Spike?"
"Hey, Sunset." The dog replied. Yup, that was definitely Spike. "Twilight wanted me to come get you. Do you have your Wish Granters ready?"
"Wish Fetchers ", Sunset corrected, "and yes, there in this bag." She held up a plastic shopping bag with ten Wish Fetcher inside. "Where's Twilight? I would have expected her to come get me."
"Twilight? Oh, she pulled an all nighter, trying to get those three spells down."
Sunset cocked her head. "Three spells? I thought we just needed two."
Spike began scratching his ear. "Well, yeah, but, what about the spell that helps grant the wishes?" He pointed out.
Realization hit Sunset like a runaway train. "Right!" She tried to ignore the warmth spreading over her cheeks. "Where is she now?"
Spike tried his best to point over his shoulder. When his attempts were in vain, he turned around and pointed a paw towards the portal, looking towards Sunset all the while. "She conked out on the castle floor. Like I said, she wanted me to come and get you." He added as soon as he saw Sunset's look of confusion and sympathy.
"If she says so..." She mumbled. "Okay, let's go. I can't wait to sell these tomorrow!!" She jiggled her bag of Wish Makers before running ahead of Spike and jumping head first into the portal.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Spike called after her, although he knew she probably couldn't hear him, and jumped head-first into the portal as well.
Twilight was so close to slipping into a deep coma, but two voices interpreted her. "Whoa, she looks exhausted." the first voice noted.
"Yeah, I told you. She was up all of last night, trying to get these spells perfect for you." The second voice replied. Her brain was to tired to try and place the voices owners.
"That's really kind of her, but, I can wait until tomorrow...it looks like she really needs to sleep." The first voice sounded closer than before, it must've came up to see if she was still breathing or something. Twilight wearily opened her eyes to see a blurry Sunset Shimmer standing before her. She looked exhausted, as well. "Oh! She's waking up!" Sunset turned her head to look over her shoulder, probably talking to Spike, or, perhaps, somepony else.
She lifted her head to get a better view. Sure enough, a blurry little purple and green dragon came running up to her. "Twilight? You awake?" He asked.
She groaned, hating how pitiful it sounded. She shakily got to her hooves and smiled at her guest. "Hi, Sunset. How are you?" She asked.
Sunset didn't answer. Instead, she replied with: "Twilight, you look and sound exhausted. Are you sure you're well enough to cast thirty spells?
Twilight shook her head. "20."
"20?" Sunset asked, raising a hoof.
"Yeah, I just realized we don't really need the extension spell. I guess I can use it for a different time. The Solar Spell is basically like the extension spell, except it's a whole lot better if you wish to enchant the object for more than two weeks."
"Ah...gotcha..." Sunset slowly nodded her head. A wave of fatigued hit her like a slap to the face. Her all-nighter was catching up to her pretty fast. "Alright, let's get to casting these spells...I'll try to help out the best I can."
Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Sunset, but, do you know the spells?"
"It's been awhile since I've actually used them, but, I think I can do it. I may be a bit rusty, though." With that, she started taking out the Wish Makers that had thankfully teleported with her--they were hanging off the edge of her horn somehow--and separated the evenly into two piles. "You do five, I'll do five, OK?" She asked.
Twilight nodded, fighting back a yawn. "Alright."
It took twenty minutes, mostly because Twilight and Sunset kept dozing off. Thankfully, Spike stayed there and was able to gently wake them in a flash. There was also this slightly awkward moment where Sunset accidentally teleported one of the Wish Makers to the sun, supposedly, because she was trying to do the Solar Spell. Twilight told her not to worry and duplicated one of the Wish Makers from her pile.
The last one lay before Sunset's eyes. Twilight was watching her from a slight distance, laying on the couch Spike had sat on earlier. With two bright flash es of minty-blue magic, the spells were done, and all the Wish Makers were enchanted. Sunset's hooves gave out from under her as she fell to the ground with a oof .
"Sunset? You OK?" Twilight asked, getting off of the couch.
Sunset responded from the floor. "Yeah, I'm fine...I pulled an all nighter too, like I said in my message, but it wasn't that bad. I guess casting spells on these Wish Makers drained my remaining energy."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but, don't worry. I'm fine." She got to her hooves, then weakly levitated the enchanted Wish Makers and the bag, putting them in the bag. "I should probably rest up for tomorrow." She mumbled. "Thanks, Twilight. I honestly couldn't ask for more from you."
"Anytime, Sunset. Since I know these spells, just let me know when you need more enchanted." Sunset nodded, Twilight wasn't sure if she was nodding off to sleep or just agreeing with her, but, she supposed it worked either way.
Sunset stepped up to the portal, looking over her shoulder towards the alicorn. "I'll see you soon, Twilight. Keep that book on hand." She nodded the book that Spike had brought in earlier today that was now being used as a 'battery' for the portal. "You never know when I'll message you."
Twilight let out a soft chuckle. "Don't worry, I will. I'll see you soon, Sunset."
"See you soon, Twi." With that, Sunset faced forward and walked through the portal. As soon as she was back in her familiar human world, she instantly wished she could teleport. With all this sudden exhaustion running throughout her, it would be a miracle if she didn't pass out as she was walking home!
The bag she had been levitating fell, and landed right on her ear. She wasn't sure how that was possible, but, she was way to tired to figure that out now. Instead, she began walking towards the huge, familiar hill. The one her house sat on top of.
Yup. She really wished she could teleport.
Chapter 7: The First Custamer
Despite her all-nighter the night before, Sunset was having major trouble sleeping; no matter how hard she tried, she found it difficult to catch any Z's! She was tossing and turning for half the night, then decided to lay on her back, facing the ceiling with her eyes wide open for the rest. She had an extremely worried look on her face. What if I can't stay awake during the day? She thought, what if no body buys one? What if they all think it's a fraud? She turned on her side; facing her window that was cracked open. A spring-scented breeze flew in through her window, calming her nerves a smidgin.
Stop it. Sunset! Of course somebody will buy one! Even if it's one of my friends, that's perfectly fine! She sighed, not believing a word that she thought, she still had doubts--very unrealistically heavy, doubts. She suddenly had a bad feeling about all of this, making her feel nauseous, no matter how much she tried to motivate herself.
She must have fallen asleep at some point, because she woke on the floor at the foot of her bed, tightly holding the bag of Wish Makers. She instantly checked on each and thoroughly every one of them, hoping she didn't break any. She was happy when she saw no damage, cracks or otherwise, on all ten of them. She put them all back in the bag, got ready for the day, then headed off to school with the bag full of Wish Makers in hand.
The moment she walked onto school grounds, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy ran up to her, startling the poor girl. "We heard you made some lucky charms or something." Pinkie claimed, "what are they called again? Dream Makers? Wish Castles?"
"Um, Pinkie? Let's let Sunset tell us, okay?" Fluttershy said. She then shifted the huge stack of pale pink pet papers so both her arms were carrying equal weight.
Sunset held up her bag with one hand as she spoke. "There called 'Wish Makers', I have a feeling that they'll do more then give people good luck." Sunset smiled, all the worst-case-scenarios instantly flying away from her mind.
"What makes you say that?" Pinkie asked, trying to see through the bag. Sunset gave the bag to her so she could easily see the design.
Sunset looked around nervously, checking to see if anyone else was around them. She saw the coast was clear, but leaned in just in case."I went to Equestria yesterday and had Twilight enchant them," she whispered. "Now, people can make three wishes on them; until they have to be recharged again."
Fluttershy peered inside the bag that Pinkie had been holding out for her. "These are lovely!" She commented, "but, um, do you mind if I ask how you um, charge them?" She handed the bag back to Sunset.
"You put them out in the sun for two hours." Sunset explained. "It's that easy. I'm hoping people will use them so we can win the Friendship Games! " She yelled, but no one came. A few people looked her way, but then continued on with their lives and task at getting to class on time. Sunset sighed, feeling deflated.
"Don't worry Sunset. I'm sure you'll get more customers today." Fluttershy said, trying to reassure her. "Here, I'll buy one. How much is it?" The shy girl was about to reach into her backpack, probably to pull out her small wallet, when Sunset stopped her.
"Wait, Fluttershy; wait. I have an idea."
"Oh! Oh! Dose it involve Fluttershy, me, Rarity, Dashie, and Applejack carrying these around the school and hopefully people will notice and ask 'hey, where did you get that?' And we would say 'from Sunset Shimmer! She's selling them today!' Is that what your plan is?" Pinkie practically had her nose touching her friends as she finished.
Sunset took a step back, reaching into the bag for two Wish Makers. "Uh...yeah...how did you know..?"
Pinkie giggled. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Oh, but, I wouldn't feel right carrying around something you made to sell without buying it." Fluttershy insisted. She already had her wallet out, it was green with a green interior and a thick pink line was separating the two colors. "How much?"
Sunset held up two hands, as if in surrender. "Fluttershy..."
"I really do want to buy one, Sunset." Fluttershy said, a tiny bit of a demanding tone in her voice. "Oh, sorry, I mean, uh, if that's okay with you."
Sunset inwardly sighed. "If you really want to buy one--"
"--Oh, she dose! The only time I've ever seen her this out to buy something is when we were at the bunny farm and she desperately wanted to buy a bunny to keep her company." Pinkie interrupted, "she and Angel have been friends ever sense."
Sunset nodded, taking Pinkie's story into consideration. After a while, she made a decision. "Okay, Fluttershy, if you insist." Fluttershy nodded like a bobble head. "They'll be three dollars." Fluttershy reached into her wallet and came out with a five dollar bill. She rummaged around for only one dollar bills, but couldn't find any. She held out the five dollar bill to Sunset, not saying a word.
Sunset stared at the money as if it were a deadly spider. "Are you sure you don't have any change, Fluttershy?" She asked. "I feel wrong just taking this from you."
"Oh, it's fine." Fluttershy smiled. "Consider the extra two dollars as a tip."
Pinkie Pie leaned in. "Oooor, you could bump the price up to five dollars."
Sunset winced, taking Flutter's money. "That seems a bit...expensive." She clicked her tongue.
"Aw, come on, Sunset!" Pinkie exclaimed, "I would pay $5 if something like that's enchanted! I bet other people would, too!"
"I don't know..."
"Just try it for one day ." Pinkie told her. "If that doesn't work, bump the price back down to three dollars."
"I'm not getting out of this unless I change the price, am I?" Sunset asked in a sarcastic yet joking manner.
Pinkie grinned. "Yup!"
"Fluttershy, do you have any say in this?"
Fluttershy shifted the pet papers to her right arm so she could brush some powder-pink hair out of her eyes with her left hand. "No..uh, do I have to? I could put some input in, if you would like. I don't really have any, though."
Sunset smiled, handing Fluttershy her charm. "Just let me know if you have any." Sunset said, then turned to Pinkie, handing her two. "Give one to Applejack, I know you two share first period together." She instructed. "I'll give two to Rarity and Rainbow; I have homeroom with them."
Pinkie stood confused for a second. "And the price..?"
"Five dollars."
Pinkie shook hands with Sunset, nearly bringing the poor girl off her feet. "Pleasure doing business with ya!" Pinkie beamed, then merrily skipped away towards the school doors. Sunset could see people looking at the charms she held with curiosity as Pinkie skipped inside.
Sunset could barley contain her excitement; she could actually sell all of these today! She dashed off to her homeroom to spread the news.
