Author's Note
I apologize in advance if this wasn't as good as the first one was. I wasn't one of those people who gushed over LoE as much as the other bronies in this fandom did. I thought that it was decent, but nothing special, and definitely not as good as Friendship Games and Rainbow Rocks. If this felt a little rocky for you, then I'm truly sorry.
But anyway, it's a sequel to Behind the Scenes, and I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless!
Oh God, Not Again!
"Action!"
"Oh, boy! Hmm..." Pinkie Pie fished into the bag and pulled out the card designating which tent that she would be sleeping in at the camp. "Yay! I'm in the Emerald Tent! "
"Ooh, me, too! " Rarity exclaimed, looking at her gem before going off with Pinkie to drop their stuff off.
"Aquamarine." Applejack tipped her hat and nodded before heading off.
"Me, too!" Rainbow Dash slid up beside Aj. The two of them cheered before going to their tent together.
"I got Amethyst." Fluttershy said before standing next to a girl with skin the same colour as the gem, with white shoes and a whip.
"Aww, geez!" The girl face-palmed. "I was hoping I'd be sleeping with Garnet or Steven!"
"Calm down, Amethyst." Another girl who was much more physically fit walked up to her. She had a pearl emblazoned in her head and wore a blue dress. "Just be grateful that we're even here. I must say, it's not very often that a Crystal Gem's been featured in a human world movie." She let a small chuckle slip her lips. "And besides, this girl looks rather nice."
"Why, thank you, Pearl." Fluttershy nodded and walked over to Amethyst. "So, shall we get going?"
"Whatevs." Amethyst flicked her hair and went off with Fluttershy.
"How did those girls even get here?" Sunset asked, looking at the rest of the cast as the crew went back to their duties.
"Special edition shoot." One of the staff called from the door. "This is for the blooper real. Recent marketing showed that Steven Universe crossovers with MLP were hot at the moment and we thought we'd cash in."
"Yeah, Sunset!" Pinkie bounced over to her. "Steven Universe is a great show! You should totally start watching it once we're done filming the movie!"
"Something tells me it's going to be a long day..." Sunset hung her head and let out a long sigh.
"It's time that I told you about the legend..." Timber looked over at the digital script on the wall. "... of Gaea? What?"
"What do you mean?" The director replied.
"Gaia's spelt with an I, not an E!" Timber pointed out, groaned, and stood up. "Great spellchecking, guys! Can't even get the name of the flipping monster right!" And he stormed off to get a drink.
"He does have a point." Pinkie Pie pulled out a book from thin air and flipped through the pages. "See? Right here. Gaia. Not Gaea, Gaia. It's not that hard."
"Might wanna double-check that book, Pinkie." Rainbow Dash pointed out a postscript beneath the name of the article. "It says that it can be spelled with an E too."
"Yeah, but everyone uses I instead of E because it's easier to pronounce." Pinkie Pie nodded and threw the book on the fire, causing it to burn brighter as she put her marshmallows back over the flames.
"Excuse me, Mr. Director? Can I speak with you for a second?" Sunset poked her head through the door of the office.
"Sure. Come in, Sunset Shimmer." He stretched his arm out, gesturing for Sunset to take a seat in his office. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Well, it's about those crystal geodes introduced in the later half of the movie." Sunset Shimmer showed seven little rocks in one hand and seven necklaces in the other. "I mean, I'm all for evolving the magic of the Equestria Girls, but with this step, it seems like we're just turning the seven of them into anime magical girls. It just doesn't seem very fitting, if you get my drift."
"Don't you remember?" Mr. Director pointed back to the Friendship Games poster by the door. "This is a series of children's movies. Who cares what the critics say? This is a movie meant for a young audience, not some freaky group of teenage and adult males or something. Everything's going to be just fine."
"Yes, but—"
"And while we're on that thought, this is a spin-off series of Friendship is Magic, isn't it?" The man smirked. "We're not going to leave them as dull and drab teenage girls for the rest of their lives. We're going to give them magical pony powers and have them save the world from monsters from other dimensions and battle-hungry robots bred for some crazy revenge plot."
"What drugs are you on right now, sir?" Sunset leaned in and cocked a brow.
"I'm on nothing really, except a thing called money, my dear." He laughed. "All these sequels and product placement is doing wonders for me, and I'm going to just keep making more. Equestria Girls will never die!"
While Mr. Director laughed and pulled out a stack of dollar bills, Sunset Shimmer let out a groan and walked off, slamming the door behind her.
Gloriosa was in the dressing room, looking at all of the different sets of clothes with her agent. She was being told what she was going to be wearing throughout the movie from her opening scene, to the final battle near the end, and then to the aftermath of said final battle.
"And now, for the piece de resistance." Gloriosa's agent showed her the outfit for when she became Gaia Everfree. "What do you think? Menacing, isn't it? Like a true power-mad monster."
"Another demon outfit?" Gloriosa slapped her face. "After Hellfire Shimmer in Equestria Girls and Midnight Sparkle in Friendship Games, we're still going with this trend?"
"Demons and witches are the hot thing right now, Gloriosa." The man walked back up to her with the clothes. "Honestly. Just give it a try and put on your best bad guy voice."
"Honestly, I kinda wish that this movie didn't have to exist sometimes..." She snatched the outfit and walked off to the dressing room, shooting a snooty look at the man.
"Action!"
Sunset Shimmer and Twilight were huddled up together in the woods with a cold wind blowing in their faces. They heard a branch snap and saw a rustling bush.
"What was that?" Sunset jolted her head around, looking for whatever might have been hunting them down.
All of a sudden, Timber Spruce burst out of the branches carrying his axe, only this time, he was wearing a horror-movie-themed hockey mask with bloodstains on each side. He swung the axe crazily, causing Twilight and Sunset to scream and run off.
"Cut!" The clapboard-holder called out.
"What?" Timber took the mask off. "It's not a true Legend of Everfree Blooper Real without a reference to Friday the 13th, isn't it?"
In the green room, Sunset Shimmer and the girls were all sitting together, talking about how Legend of Everfree was going so far. There were posters draped all around the walls, character signs for how they should act when on camera, and even a few scripts lying around each coffee table.
"Honestly, I don't think that Legend of Everfree's as strong as Friendship Games was in terms of a movie." Applejack crossed her arms and shook her head. "There's less balance in the characters dialogue, the plot's confusing as all heck, and there's even a plot twist at the end that makes no sense!"
"Not as bad as this episode of Friendship is Magic that I'm watching right now." Pinkie Pie looked down at her phone and saw a pony version of Rainbow Dash getting cornered by a lot of ponies with rainbow-coloured mouths. "Honestly, she did nothing wrong. Poor Pony Dashie didn't deserve this, even if F.M. Demarco's new to the show's writing staff."
"What's that episode called, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder.
"28 Pranks Later," Pinkie responded with a smile.
Rainbow's eyes went wide at that remark. "Seriously? They're not even trying with Season Six, are they?"
"Nope. Especially when you consider that the last episode was a major bust as well." Pinkie Pie sighed. "I just hope that the next episode's gonna be good." She turned her phone off and walked over to the door as a buzzing noise filled the air. "Well, let's go. It's time for our next shoots."
"Action!"
"How do you know what I was doing with the geodes?" Gloriosa's eyebrows were raised at Sunset Shimmer's discovery. "How do you know about the magic?"
"I can see things. Feel things. Because I have magic too." She nodded and pointed to Twilight. "And so does she. And so do our friends."
"So wait, you're all magical?" Gloriosa's brows went a little higher. "And here I thought that my choice of outfit was bad for the next shots, but that's some terrible exposition. Some movie this is turning out to be, huh?"
"Cut!"
"But it's true, you know!" Gloriosa went off to the cast.
"What did she mean by her outfit being bad?" Twilight Sparkle asked as the crew reset the stage for the next take.
"You'll find out shortly." Sunset put her hand on Twilight's shoulders.
"Action!"
"Why are you fighting this?!" Gloriosa demanded, now dressed in her outfit for Gaia Everfree. "Don't you see what I'm trying to do?! I'M TRYING TO GIVE YOU YOUR FAMILY BACK!"
"What?!" Rainbow shot back.
All that the girls could do was laugh as the cast had to once more re-do the scene. They were lowered back onto the ground and freed from the harnesses as they went over towards the food and drink tables.
"That suddenly got dark." Pinkie Pie laughed. "So, our family is the trees?" She dashed over to some nearby tree props. "Hey, mom and dad! How's it going? You wanna check my grades? I got A's!" Pinkie pulled out some worksheets.
"Next time, try keeping the Ratchet and Clank references to a minimum, Gloriosa." Applejack couldn't even hide her grin.
"Alright, alright. I'll be sure to keep my cool next time." She wiped away a tear from her eyes as she took off the mask that altered her eyes in the filming process.
"Just you wait. Next take, she's gonna have rocket-powered wall-riding boots and a double-sided Omniwrench." Pinkie Pie pulled both of those items out of her hair and tossed into the nearby dumpster.
"Look what I got!" Pinkie Pie burst into the green room, carrying a bunch of papers.
"Pinkie, if this is more scripts for Legend of Everfree, we don't need them." Rainbow Dash groaned. "We've read the entire script like, a bazillion times now! We're not going to read it again!"
"I agree." Rarity polished her nails. "I might be a thespian when it comes to performing in movies like this, but I am certainly not picking up that script for a children's movie one more time today. There is such a thing as overdoing it, you know." She looked at her nails in the mirror, letting the light reflect off of them.
"It's for something entirely new, actually." Pinkie put the papers down before the girls. "After Legend of Everfree, there won't be another movie next year. Instead, there'll be three specials following from the events of this movie."
"Let me take a look at them." Sunset picked up the first paper. "Equestria Girls Special number one: Magical Evolution. After the events of Legend of Everfree, the girls must now try to learn how to maximise their powers but also not to use them for any mischief back at CHS. That one could work."
"Special number two: Shadows From Light." Twilight Sparkle took the second paper. "Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Sugarcoat, Indigo Zap, and Sunny Flare all transferred from Crystal Prep to Canterlot High but are having trouble making any friends. Can the Rainbooms help them get settled in?" She put the title down and looked at the script for that special. "That one actually does sound interesting. I just hope that Sunny Flare gets some character in that special, though. She didn't have any in Friendship Games..."
"Special number three: Principals?!" Rainbow Dash lurched back at the title and synopsis of the third special. "Follow a day in the life of Principals Celestia and Luna as they handle the hustle and bustle of being the principals of Canterlot High?! Who approved this?!"
"Don't look at me!" Pinkie shrugged and took the third special's script away.
"Action!"
"I think it's Midnight Sparkle. She's still part of me. I can feel it." Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "And I think her magic is infecting my friends."
"Twilight, there's no Midnight Sparkle. There's only you." Sunset Shimmer gently held Twilight's hand and gave her a smile.
"How did you know what I was thinking?" Twilight raised a brow.
"Well, Midnight Sparkle did have a credit at the end of Friendship Games, but no-one said her name." Sunset Shimmer tipped her hand. "Heck, she even got a doll long before the movie with a backdrop that was kinda spoiler-ish with how Ponyville was merging with Canterlot High."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense." Twilight turned back to see the rest of the campers.
"Do you really think that saying 'I got this' all the time will make me a more memorable character?" Gloriosa asked her agent after coming off of the set of her latest shoot. She was still dressed up as Gaia. "It kinda makes me seem cliche and annoying."
"Well, have you seen the Yo-kai Watch Movie?" The man asked.
"Who hasn't?" She pulled out a green medal with a blue cat on the front of it. "Everyone who went got a free Hovernyan medal. I'm glad to be one of those people."
"The villain of that movie had a catchphrase too, right?" Gloriosa's agent raised a brow.
"Yeah. Dun, dun, dun!" Gloriosa mimicked, thrusting her arms high as she imitated the character her agent was describing. "But I'm not Dame Dedtime. I'm Gloriosa Daisy! I'm my own character! I should have a say in what my script is, right?"
"Don't people want to remember you, though?" Her agent smiled. "No-one ever remembers the other Equestria Girls characters once the movies are over. Dazzlings? Almost entirely forgotten. Shadowbolts from Crystal Prep? Gone. I don't want you to be left behind once the movie's done."
"I refuse to let myself be known for some silly child-appeasing catchphrase!" Gloriosa threw her mask away and stomped off. "I'm not gonna say 'I got this' in the movie and that's final!"
"Gloriosa, wait!" The agent ran after her. "You can't end up like all those other unloved characters!"
The Shadowbolts were all watching the movie together one winter evening. Lemon Zest and Indigo Zap were sharing popcorn while Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet were sitting on armchairs with their legs crossed. Sunny Flare was pacing back and forth in the back of the room, mumbling under her breath about what happened in Friendship Games.
"This movie's a step down from the last one." Sugarcoat cleaned her glasses. "I mean, it panders too much to little girls with its' execution despite an amazing premise, Gloriosa and Timber are entirely unbelievable with their character roles, and the ending with the geodes is far too reminiscent of the ending of Independence Day: Resurgence."
"Ah, lighten up, Sugarcoat." Lemon Zest munched away at her popcorn. "Pinkie Pie's the real saving grace here. She's super-cute, funny, and just a joy to watch."
"Didn't you get to work with her before?" Indigo Zap looked over to Lemon.
"Yep! We all did!" She bounced high. "That recording session for Friendship Games was the best thing I've ever done."
"Yeah. It's a shame we'll never be recognized out on the street or be remembered for being in it." Sour Sweet pouted. "I worked myself down to the bone and what do I have to show for it? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! And we're just forgotten for this new movie?!"
"No-one ever appreciated our characters before, Sour Sweet. We were antagonists in Friendship Games, remember?" Sugarcoat raised a brow. "The villains never get the respect as the heroes do these days. Literally everyone gushes over the Rainbooms but forgets the five of us."
"We were side-villains, though!" Sunny Flare whined from the background. "In a movie where we were hyped up to be the main stars, we were thrown to the side for that old hag Abacus Cinch! The people behind that movie had no brains whatsoever and even less when they decided that I was nothing less than a background human!"
"Stop whining about it, Sunny Flare." Lemon Zest turned back. "I only got ONE line in that movie. You got three."
"But none of my lines gave me any character!" Sunny Flare retorted. "You had a single line, yes, but your body language gave you your character! I got nothing! Shafted! Nada! I'm nothing more than a waste of space and I'm not very happy about it!"
"That's the way that the world works, Sunny Flare." Sugarcoat put her glasses back on. "We all got our own characterizations and you got none. The will of the producers is stronger than that of the actors these days. Why, we're nothing more than props with dialogue."
"Ssh, ssh, ssh! The next song's starting!" Indigo Zap shushed her friends with a few waves of her arms.
"We Will Stand for Everfree? Dude, that song's awesome!" Lemon Zest smiled.
"Yeah, it's pretty rad, but it's nothing compared to Unleash the Magic back in Friendship Games." Indigo nodded. "And we should know. We sang that one!"
"I just hope that there's still going to be some more work for us someday..." Sunny Flare calmed down and slowly slunk away from the movies towards the door.
Sunny saw a single envelope slip through the front flap which she quickly picked up and ripped it open, retrieving the letter inside. She gave it a quick glance and let out a long gasp. It was the studio, calling the five of them back for more filming. She let out a squeal and pocketed the letter, folding it up neatly.
"A second chance!" She exclaimed under her breath. "The Shadowbolts are back!"
