Chapters It was only a couple of weeks before final exams for the spring semester would commence, which left the student body either studying frantically or working sleepless nights to finish their final projects. For any student this of course equated to stress, no matter what their degree was, everyone was subject to some level of it during this period of time. All attention would be focused on their work load... well, except for a certain bespectacled computer engineering student that was in a rush to get to the college on campus coffee shop where she was meeting a certain red head. Twilight Sparkle burst in, gasping for breath as she wildly looked around before spotting Sunset Shimmer sitting at a table a coffee and pouring over a text book.
The Chemist student looked up with a start when something was suddenly slapped down on the table in front of her, but Sunset's confusion was resolved when she turned her gaze further up to see Twilight's excited expression.
"It works! It works, it works, it works!"
"You mean...?"
Sunset became excited as well, marking her place before setting aside her textbook and looking down at the paper before her. Upon closer inspection, it looked to be a couple maps connected on a long piece of paper. The red head picked it up and looked at the first page, seeing a map of the country where it was all much the same color except for a few dots, but one in particular caught her attention. She flipped to the next page and saw a close up of an area where there was Canterlot city and the surrounding small towns and countryside. One specific area of forest had a red dot on an area that radiated out to the surrounding area. Upon seeing this, excited teal eyes looked up to Twilight's, the human having the biggest smile on her face.
"YES! My program works! I mean, it's not as accurate as I'd like and I still have a lot of calibrations to make to refine the software, but now we can identify more magical leylines! And I found a really strong one in this area outside of Canterlot called Everfree!"
Honestly, should Sunset have been surprised? Ever since they had started their research it was obvious that this planet's leylines were in sync with areas of great magic in the other dimension. Canterlot where Princess Celestia and many unicorns resided, Los Pegasus was one of the biggest cloud cities held together by Pegasus magic, and now Everfree forest, where in Equestria it was a strangely magical forest that had been home to the Tree of Harmony. But comparing magical places to find other leylines would have to wait, right now they had a good find that would be worth investigating!
... well, after the semester ended of course.
After excitedly speculating for minutes on end with Twilight about the possibilities and what they might find, they had decided to put a pin in the subject for now and get back to studying. When her last class was finished, Sunset would leave the campus and ride on her red and black Ninja 650 ABS Kawasaki motorcycle.
Now admittedly, she loved this bike. Not just because of the make or the color or the fact that it felt so damn good to ride again, but because it had been the best Christmas present she'd ever received from her wonderful girlfriend. Riding through the streets on it always brought a smile to her face and despite wishing to ride just a bit longer by taking the long way home, she really wanted to share the news with Jackie. She pulled into the usual neighborhood and parked around back next to Jackie's car, going through the usual process of setting the lock, cable and then covering it (she'd be damned if any shifty bastards in this neighborhood tried stealing her bike!), she headed into the apartment building and up the stairs.
Despite the Pony Breakers having gotten more higher profile gigs thanks to their connections with Sapphire Shores and Coloratura, Jackie and Sunset had decided against moving just yet. After all, it wouldn't be fair to bail and leave Bobby high and dry, plus Sunset wanted to be one hundred percent sure on where they'd move, so for now they'd just save their money. Besides, after two years of living here she'd gotten kind of attached to it, despite the new mystery stains that appeared in the stairway now and then.
"I'm home!"
"Hey Sunset, Jackie's in the back."
"Thanks Bobby. Good day of classes?"
"Ehhh, sure. This study is killer though."
Chuckling softly, Sunset left the future accountant to his business as she headed to the bedroom. As she had expected, Jackie was sitting at the beat up old desk, headphones connected to the CD player as she tapped her pencil against a blank music sheet. The red head snuck up behind the guitarist and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Although it seemed she'd done this one too many times since instead of a jump, Jackie only tensed before looking over her shoulder as she took off her headphones.
"Hey Jacks."
"Hey Sunshine. You look pretty happy. Did someone finally break the legs of that religious nut who keeps coming onto campus saying you're going to hell if you're not pregnant and in the kitchen?"
"Mm, afraid not. But I do have good news. Twilight's program is finally up and running!"
"The one to check on magic around the country, right?"
"Mm-hm, we've found a spot with a very strong leyline that we want to check out this summer."
"Sweet. And how's the other stuff? With the not-so-pony-like Pony Mode?"
"Nothing on that yet..."
"Ah..."
That was only a minor sticking point in Sunset's and Twilight's research. While the fluctuating human magic seemed to be taking on a more set form, it still required a catalyst. Whenever Jackie, Tino, or Poppy played and went into their Modes, they had to keep playing or they'd lose it a couple minutes after. That or Sunset had to go into her own Mode, which seemed to help fuel the others. No matter their efforts, this never changed and the only notable thing was that each of them seemed to have their own distinctive tattoo, along with what they already knew, that each of their subconscious seemed to influence the appearance and possible powers of their forms.
But that could stay on the back burner for now, Sunset had planning to do! She got her laptop (an older, pre-owned model that got the job done) and logged onto the internet (SO nice now that they finally had wifi!) to start looking for places that she and Twilight could stay near or even in the forest of Everfree. As she reclined on the bed, Jackie put her own work aside for now and lied down next to her, watching the screen as her girlfriend searched.
"Hey, think you can let me know when you're going? I wanna come too."
"You sure? Twilight and I were thinking of staying for at least a week. Maybe camp out as near to the source as possible and mostly do work."
"Well if I can swing it I'd wanna go. This is basically you're career right? So I wanna see you in action."
Smiling softly, Sunset snuggled just a bit closer so that she could wrap an arm around Jackie as she kept surfing with one hand, stumbling upon a few camp sites that might suit their needs. However one in particular caught her attention and made her open the website, puzzling Jackie when she saw the name of it.
"Camp Everfree? Sounds like a summer camp for kids, babe."
"Yeah, usually it is. But there's a period after school ends and before they open for their summer program that they open the site for others to camp in."
Pulling up a map of it, she looked it over and compared it to a larger map to confirm her suspicions.
"And it's right in the epicenter of where the leyline is radiating magic. If we could get a reservation we'd have the best spot to do our research."
"If you say so..."
Just as Sunset was going over their prices, there came a notification from Kyte, Pinkie Pie having noticed she was on and sending her a message. It started off friendly enough, asking how the days went but soon Sunset divulged about her and Twilight's recent find and plans.
OMG! You're gonna come out here?! :D It's been too long! Oh! Oh! We should throw a party! Oh! A camping party! Can I come out and throw you one? PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE?! :O
Chuckling softly, Sunset shook her head at the sheer energy that came through the text before replying.
Me and Twilight are going to be busy studying the area Pinkie Pie, this could be a very big find for us.
:((((((
Although... I guess maybe we could extend our stay a couple days, that way we'd have plenty of time to work and have some fun.
YAY! :DDDDD Oh! Oh! I gotta' tell the others! *GASP* What if we went camping too!? We've got a lot to plan! I'll let you know Sunny!
After that, Sunset was left to fish her phone out of her pocket to send a text to Twilight while Jackie seemed thoughtful.
"Sounds like she wants to plan a summer fun get together."
"I don't doubt it. It's been about a year since I last saw them and honestly, if they did something like that I wouldn't mind..."
"So that means our friends here in Los Pegasus get to come along too right? If they can?"
"Jacks, you really think they'd want to go camping? I mean, Bobby would probably go along with it, maybe Tino and Sandy, but I don't see Poppy camping..."
"Still, couldn't hurt to ask. And it's been a long time since they saw the gang in Canterlot too, it was a lot of fun when we got the two groups together."
"Yeah... well, if you can get them to go along and the time Twilight and I are going out works, then yeah. Why not?"
"Sweet, I'll shoot off the texts then."
Watching Jackie roll off the bed and stretch, the blue haired woman headed out of the room as she pulled out her phone, probably to get a snack. This left Sunset to return to sending a text to Twilight while looking up how to reserve space at Camp Everfree.
The more she thought about it, the more she was liking the idea. It had been a long year and having some summer fun catching up with friends sounded like a great idea. With a small smile on her face, Sunset sent the information on the camp to Twilight by email before favoriting the page before closing out and returning to her studies. The semester wasn't over just yet, but a small part of Sunset wished it was so that she could be out camping with her friends!
Author's Note
And thus the Pandora arc is kicked off!
Strap on your boots and get your helmets on kids, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
After finals had wrapped up, it was a simple matter of getting all of their supplies and friends together for the trip. They'd set off very early in the morning, making good time as they made it to Everfree forest by late afternoon. The best part for Sunset was how open the road was, she'd easily pull ahead of Twilight's Prius, the siren's audi and Tino's van, shooting them a smile before opening up the engine a bit more to take the lead. This was perfect summer weather for riding, the wind in her face felt cool and refreshing, it all seemed to go perfectly with her surroundings of beautiful trees and perfect little snippets of nature from flowers in a field to animals that allowed themselves to be seen.
"Are we there yet?"
Rolling her eyes, Sunset shot a grin back to Jackie. While the guitarist didn't look bored, with how close her girlfriend was pressed up to her she could feel that the other was squirming.
"It shouldn't be too much longer. Do we need to pull over so you can stretch again?"
"No, I'm fine so let's get it done!"
When they had gotten up this morning, Jackie had volunteered to ride with her the rest of the way. Her girlfriend had never gone on rides with her longer than an hour, so Jackie's body had to be aching by now but the guitarist was trying to be a good trooper about it. It would be about another ten minutes before they made it to Camp Everfree, Jackie squirming all the way but managing to appreciate the view a bit when something caught her eye. Sunset pulled in through the arch and over to the side where the dirt lot was, parking before taking off her red helmet and aviator sunglasses. Jackie would similarly remove the silver helmet Sunset had gotten her but gave a groan after a feeble attempt to get off the bike. Then she took a deep breath before pushing herself off.... then collapsed on her back on the ground as she started to whine and rub her thighs.
"Jesus Sunshine! How in the hell can you ride that without getting sore?!"
"Hey, I'm a little sore. I'm just used to it."
Grinning, Sunset reached out a hand to take Jackie's and hoist the guitarist up to her feet, her girlfriend a bit wobbly but managing on her own just fine. A couple minutes later the others would arrive, parking next to her bike before getting out and stretching. Twilight would approach, pushing lightly against her back and attaining a few pops while Spike followed excitedly after her.
"I'm glad we're finally here, it feels good to stretch."
"Yeah! And I can't wait to find a-SQUIRREL!"
Watching Spike dart off, Twilight smiled and shook her head, glad that the small dog was going to have fun. Since he'd been gifted with the ability to speak human over a year ago at the Friendship Games, she'd been working on his vocabulary and now he was much more articulate. Although even with an increase of intelligence, his instincts and mentality was still very much that of a dog. The sirens would exit their car, Adagio and Sonata stretching while Aria popped the trunk to start unloading their things. Tino, Bobby, Sandy and Poppy would all pile out of the van as well, the boys grabbing bags off the top of the van while Sandy and Poppy took in their surroundings.
"This reminds me of the camp I was sent to. Of course it was all focused on theater and the arts."
"Surprising."
Giving the older woman a smile to show she was only joking, Poppy walked over to Jackie, grinning as she slapped the guitarist on the exact spot on her back where it would be aching most. Jackie jumped, spine straightening as she gave a yelp and a swear before shooting a scowl at the mechanic.
"So how'd you enjoy the ride Jacks? Feel great?"
"Hardy-har, bite me."
About a second later, Sunset had moved in and gave a gentle nip to Jackie's ear, eliciting an adorable squeak from the guitarist.
"You know that's my job... and I'll give you more later if you insist."
"A shame, I got beat to the punch."
After sticking her tongue out at the grinning Adagio, Sunset was smiling again, a bit more used to the siren's fliratious and teasing manner. Besides, it was very satisfying for Sunset to know she could still make her girlfriend blush and react adorably like this. Before long, two people would come up the driveway to meet them, a woman with long mulberry colored hair that was a darker, richer shade of red than Poppy's and a guy that looked a little younger than her with short, green hair. Sunset approached and held out her hand, shaking first the woman's and then the guy's.
"Hi, I'm Sunset Shimmer. You must be Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce?"
"Yes indeedy! Here, let Timber and I help you with your bags!"
The woman was definitely perky although Sunset couldn't help but feel that it was a little forced. Not to say that Gloriosa wasn't perky or willing to help, but it was just added on a bit too thick for her tastes. As the all got their things, it didn't go unnoticed by her that Timber was shooting Twilight a flirtatious smile, to which the bespectacled young woman gave a hesitant smile in turn. As they headed to the campground to the tents provided, Gloriosa and Timber gave a short history of the camp and the amenities available if they chose to partake. The mess hall would be stocked with enough food for the week that their large group would be staying and a warning about the nearby rock quarry being dangerous. Once that was finished, they had arrived at the tents and Gloriosa motioned to them as she spoke.
"Well here we are! Usually we randomly put campers together in the tents, but I'll leave it up to all of you to sort out your sleeping arrangements! If there's anything you need at all, just let me and Timber know!"
For his part, Timber had been helping to carry most of Twilight's things. Not an easy feat even for a fit guy like Timber but he was obviously trying to show off by making it seem like it was nothing.
"For sure. I think one of the neat things you'll find about the tents is that they're named and styled a bit after gemstones. Like the sapphire tent over here."
"Oh, I thought it might have been a sapphire. It can be a little hard to tell since sometimes they can be pink, purple, yellow..."
"Well yeah, I knew that. But you know they're mostly blue, it's why they're named after the Latin word sapphirus. Which means-"
"Blue, I know."
"Right... anyways if you need anything, just let me know. I can even get some things set up like the rock climbing wall or a hike."
"Got it."
Giving one last smile and a thumbs up, Timber followed after his sister, leaving Twilight feeling awkward while Poppy and Aria simultaneously voiced the thought that was doubtlessly on everyone's mind.
"Tool."
It would be a couple minutes later that the group was assaulted by a high pitched cheer as a pink blur rushed into the tent area and almost bowled Sunset over.
"SUNNNYYYYYY! It's super duper to see you again!"
"Pinkie-! Air!"
Pulling away with a sheepish smile, it was Jackie's turn to be enveloped in a back breaking hug before Pinkie went off to greet each of the others in turn, with exceptional exuberance with Sonata as the two energetic girls jumped up and down. While they chatted about all the fun things they would do, the others came into view, but the smile on Sunset's face fell some as her eyes fell on three certain young girls that looked nervous. She hadn't seen Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo since the Anon-A-Miss incident and while the girls had warned her that they would be coming along, Sunset still felt a little niggle in her chest upon seeing them. Jackie seemed to pick up on this since she lightly bumped her shoulder against Sunset's to get her attention.
"You gonna be okay?"
"... yeah."
"You sure? Cause me, Tino and Poppy can throw 'em in the van and find somewhere to dump them."
Although a tempting thought, Sunset sighed and shook her head.
"They already tried to find someone else to watch after them. There's no friends or family available. Besides, it's been awhile since they've all been together."
With Sweetie Belle living in Manehattan and Applebloom having had more chores added to her list, it was hard for the three to hang out like they used to. It was a sticking point in this whole thing, but Sunset was doing her best to just let it go so she could study and enjoy her time here.
"Alright... but fifteen year-olds or not, they're still on my shit list."
Jackie looked at the trio and once they were all looking at her, the guitarist made the silent motion that let them know she was watching them. This of course made Sunset chuckle softly before turning her attention back to the group, the chatter dying down as it came time to decide sleeping arrangements. Poppy would take the lead with the matter.
"Well, it looks like there's enough for all of us, but we can't avoid doubling up for the most part. So anyone got any preferences for who they want to bunk with?"
Immediately Sonata and Pinkie Pie raised their hands as the pink haired young woman cried out.
"Us! We'll share a tent!"
"Dibs on the green gem one!"
Before anyone could say anything, the two had gathered their begs and were already off to stake their claim. Next would be Adagio, who, as expected, strolled on over to Jackie... and kept on going over to Sunset, leaving the couple surprised as Adagio slid an arm around the red head's shoulders and whispering seductively into her ear.
"I think the ruby tent would be perfect for us. Powerful, full of energy.... passionate ."
"Nope! That's ours!"
After snapping out the state of shock she was in, Jackie had moved in, grabbing her girlfriend and a bag before they moved off to the ruby tent, leaving Adagio to chuckle before turning her gaze to the others, the look in her eyes sending a shiver up the spines of almost all remaining. Aria however, rolled her eyes before tapping Rainbow Dash on the shoulder to get the athletes attention.
"You and me?"
"Er yeah, sure."
And thus they were off to the Amethyst tent. Next Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo would be given their own tent to share. Then Tino and Bobby were given their own, then Sandy and Rarity, Twilight would be quick to pair up with Fluttershy after Adagio's gaze turned to her, leaving Poppy, Applejack and Adagio. While Adagio simply smirked and eyed the two up, she surprised everyone yet again by heading over to stand by the mechanic, indicating that she would share a tent with her. Poppy just took to ignoring Adagio's antics as she gathered her bags to take to their tent. Of course being ignored only seemed to make the siren more determined than ever as she followed after the tattooed woman, making her move once they were inside, slipping her arms around Poppy's shoulders and causing the other to tense.
"Why so serious, Poppy? Aren't you excited to be sharing a tent with me?"
She pushed up closer, her chest to Poppy's back and smirked when she felt the slightest hint of a shiver.
"Cold? Well, perhaps I could help. They do say sharing body heat is recommended after all..."
Setting the bags down, Poppy turned to face Adagio, but instead of a scowl there was instead a smirk on her face and a look in her eye that made piqued Adagio's interest.
"That invitation sounds quite tempting."
Stepping forward, she was pushing Adagio back, the siren going with it since she was interested in seeing where this was going. However she was unprepared for the back of her legs hitting the bed and falling back as Poppy moved in, leaning over Adagio with a hand against the bed to brace her. They both stared down at each other, eyes locked as the two sized each other up, neither backing down. Then Poppy leaned in closer, her breath tickling Adagio's ear and causing the fluffy siren to shiver softly.
"But if I want to do anything. It'll be on my terms. So be careful how much you play with me."
The siren actually felt disappointed as Poppy pulled back, that intriguing look in her eyes gone as she went back to neutral and went to unpack her bags. Adagio sat up, a slight pout on her face as she crossed one leg over the other.
"We'll see about that Poppet..."
Next door in the Aquamarine tent, Fluttershy was unpacking when she stood straight up, a shiver running down her spine as she looked over to where the Topaz tent was next door to them. It took her a moment but when Twilight noticed the look on Fluttershy's face, she grew concerned.
"What's wrong, Fluttershy?"
"W-Well, um... Treehugger has been teaching me how to feel auras. And um... next door with Poppy and Adagio..."
".... is it bad?"
"W-Well... n-not in like a bad way, just um... it's more like two strong auras are clashing."
"Oh..."
After they both glanced once more to the side where the Topaz tent would be before going back to work, feeling uneasy and sort of wishing they weren't right next door where.... well, who knew what was going to happen this week.
Author's Note
I thought about whether to bring the sirens along. And after thinking about it, I thought why the hell not? XD
But yes, the summer vacation starts! What lies ahead of the group? Stay tuned to find out!
The rest of the day passed by fast after they finished unpacking and had dinner together around the camp fire. They talked long into the night, swapping stories of what happened to them in the past year or so. Everyone was on point for their studies and Applejack was working extra fast to get her associate business degree so that she could focus all of her time on the farm. Aside from the Crusaders being a bit quiet and withdrawn, it was a great first night and they all turned in for a good night sleep.
In the ruby tent, Jackie and Sunset had seen fit to push their beds together for more room and to better snuggle. Sunset was perfectly content sleeping in Jackie's arms, when she felt her girlfriend shift and slip away. Probably had to go to the bathroom. The red head instead snuggled up to one of the pillows and settled down, drifting off again after a few minutes. All was well up until she felt something tickling at her face. Sunset tried to clumsily swat at it, eventually rolling over as it persisted... this side of the bed felt a little bit colder for some reason... a little rougher. It was kind of odd but Sunset was determined to sleep in for as long as she pleased. At least until her girlfriend came back or someone brewed a cup of coffee, which ever came first. After a couple more minutes she was drifting off again, feeling weightless, almost like she was in a hammock... up until there was a change and she felt weightless in a different way...
"Babe!"
It was almost like she was floating, it was kind of familiar in a strange way...
"Babe!!!"
It sounded like Jackie had come back, but why did it sound like she was far away?
"SUNSHINE WAKE UP!"
Waking with a start, Sunset bolted to sit up before giving a startled shout upon finding herself in a blow up raft. She looked to the shore and instantly spotted all of them watching her drifting on the lake, some like Jackie, Tino, Sonata, Pinkie, and Dash were laughing out loud while others like Adagio were at least polite enough to only snickers, and the rest like say Fluttershy were just going along with the joke but still concerned for her safety. Once the laughter died down, they all smiled to her and let out a cheer at once.
"Good morning Sunset!!!"
Despite her best efforts, the scowl gave way to a grin as she waved back to them, unable to be too angry over a harmless joke. Plus they were nice enough to give her a paddle so that she wouldn't be stranded. Jackie ran up to meet Sunset at the dock when she got there, holding out a hand to help Sunset out of the inflatable raft after it was tied to the dock with a rope. Looking at her girlfriend and raising a brow, Jackie smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head.
"Eh-heh, thought we'd flip the script since usually I'm the one getting goofed on in the mornings. No hard feelings Sunshine?"
"No hard feelings..."
Then Sunset smirked and leaned in close to whisper into Jackie's ear.
"But just so you know, I will be getting you back..."
"Wait, what?! Why me? Other people helped too!"
"Oh I know. But you're my girlfriend, and I can take certain liberties when it comes to pranks."
".... liberties?"
Then she was pulled into a kiss, long, sensual, passionate... it was so good she didn't even hear the wolf whistles from those still on the shore watching them. Just as it was really starting to get good though, Sunset pulled away, eliciting a small whine from the guitarist as her girlfriend gave a wink and a teasing grin.
"I think that'll do for today. We'll pick it back up tomorrow. Maybe."
"Oh you are shitting me! Sunshiiiiiine!"
But Sunset simply walked past her, walking off the dock with Jackie trailing after her as Adagio walked up to the guitarist with a grin on her face.
"That looked painful Jackson. I could help with that if-"
"NO."
After the prank, Applejack and Tino were quick to get to work in the mess hall, cooking up flapjacks, bacon, fruit salad and coffee for the hungry campers. Just like last night, the Crusaders kept a bit of distance from them and the main group, talking among themselves as they had their breakfast. Of course, this did not go unnoticed by others but nothing was said up until Sunset noticed the glances Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash sent the girls' way every now and then, they looked a little sad but said nothing. The red head gave a soft sigh, tapping her fork against her plate as she mulled the situation over. Then she took her plate and stood, heading over to the table where the three girls sat, this move catching the attention of all others in the room as the conversation died down some.
"Hey, mind if I sit with you three?"
It was probably bad but it was sort of a guilty pleasure in seeing that the Crusaders looked to be a bit intimidated by her. It was Applebloom who was brave enough to give a smile and a nod.
"Sure thing Sunset. Go ahead."
"Thanks."
With that she took her seat and a tense silence fell between them. While the trio of girls picked at their food, Sunset took the opportunity to get a better look at them for the first time. They'd all grown but Applebloom looked to be the shortest of the three, her style of dress not having really changed from jeans and a t-shirt, but the bow was lower and kept her hair back in a low ponytail. Sweetie Belle looked to be the tallest but was more or less the same, her hair kept at the same length with the headband keeping it back, but for the summer it was a cute t-shirt and shorts. Then Scootaloo had shaggier, shoulder length hair, also going light for the summer with a tank top and shorts.
"... so I guess you're all still nervous about being around me."
The three girls were still a little jumpy but this time it was Scootaloo that spoke up.
"Well, yeah? I mean, after what we did..."
The girl just let it die off from there, not wanting to really talk about the Anon-A-Miss incident but Sweetie Belle stepped in.
"And we know the letter you sent said you forgave us... but... I mean, you're still probably angry at us."
"Yup."
It was hard for Sunset to not chuckle at the looks on their faces right now.
"But I'm not as angry as I used to be and I'm trying to let go of the rest of it. Look, it's been over a year, and I can appreciate that you three still feel bad about what you did. But it's going to be pretty miserable for you if you just keep your distance like this. You can go ahead and have fun with the others too."
At this, Scootaloo couldn't help but scoff before she could catch herself.
"Come on, it's not like Dash or any of the others wanted us along. We just kinda got dumped on you guys..."
"Well... yeah, kinda. But that doesn't mean your older siblings don't care about how you're doing. Yeah this is a chance for us all to catch up, but you can go ahead and have fun or bond with your siblings or whatever so long as you keep out of trouble."
Seeing that the three were still hesitant, Sunset smiled and stood, motioning for them to follow her.
"Come on, come sit with the rest of us. It's fine."
After another moment's hesitation, the Crusaders stood and followed her over, taking a seat at the end as Sunset retook her spot by Jackie. Soon the conversation picked up again, this time the three girls slowly starting to join in while Sunset picked up her cup of coffee. As she took a swig, she caught the small grin on her girlfriend's face.
"What?"
"That's nice of you making peace and all that. Even though I'm sure you're still kinda pissed at them."
"Well... yeah. But I guess I just kinda felt bad for them. Besides, I remember someone saying that someone has to be the bigger person and let it go."
".... who said that?"
Giving a soft sigh and shaking her head, Sunset fixed a deadpan stare on the blue haired woman until the light bulb finally went off in Jackie's head.
"Oh!"
"Yeah."
"Sorry..."
"Don't worry about it."
With a smile, Sunset kissed Jackie on the cheek before they both went back to enjoying breakfast.
Time passed since breakfast, mostly it was the group going around the campsite, either partaking in the rock wall, or watching people climb the rock wall or just relaxing in general. At least up until Rainbow Dash brought out a foot ball and gave the call for a game of tackle football. Jackie, Tino and Poppy were immediately in and made up their team, followed by Applejack and Aria who joined Rainbow Dash's team. Everyone else would be on the sidelines to watch while Pinkie Pie and Sonata became the official cheerleaders. After the teams of three came up with their strategy, Jackie and Rainbow Dash met in the middle of the "field" and squared off.
"Ready to lose Jacks?"
"You wish! Maybe I ain't a jock but I know how to run! You ain't ever gonna catch me if I get the ball!"
"Pfft! You can't outrun The Dash!"
"Oh my god, that's like the worst thing I've ever heard!"
"No the worst thing you'll ever hear is me gloating when I whoop you're sorry butt!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Hell yeah!"
This went on for a little longer but no one was really worried by the banter, the two were smiling all the way as they talked big and lightly pushed each other by the shoulder. Even though they'd been at each other's throats and things had gotten strained during the Spring Break drama, Jackie had gotten over it, extended her hand in friendship and the rest was history, aside from a clash of egos when it came to musical ability of course.
The six faced off at the start line with Jackie's team kicking off. Poppy was assigned to Applejack, Jackie would take Rainbow Dash and that left Tino to deal with Aria (an assignment he wasn't eager to take since the muscular siren was pretty damn intimidating!). It was about this time that Gloriosa had jogged over, helmets and padding in hand.
"Wait! Wait! Wait! We've got safety gear-!"
"TOO LATE!"
With that cheer from Pinkie Pie, she pulled a whistle out of her hair and blew it. After Tino punted the ball, it was Rainbow Dash who caught it and it was about this time that all hell broke loose. While they generally knew the rules of football, that was not to be taken as meaning any of the six knew the rules well. Or that they'd even follow them if they did.
Jackie was quick to sprint after Dash, the athlete was initially too quick but the guitarist took a leap of faith and caught her by the legs, causing her to fall over as Tino and Poppy pounced onto the athlete to get the ball away. By then Applejack and Aria had caught up, Aria yanking Jackie off Rainbow Dash by the ankles while Applejack tackled Poppy. Tino managed to wrench away the ball and managed to toss it away to Jackie before Rainbow Dash and Aria took him down.
Things basically degenerated from there and nary a point was even scored as they just kept tackling and wrestling with each other. All boundaries to the field were dropped as the game spilled out to the rest of the courtyard, Jackie sprinting frantically and jumping on top of a picnic table as Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Aria were hot on her heels. She managed to jump up into the air and toss the ball to Poppy just as Aria tackled her and they fell into a heap on the ground. Poppy took the chance to run for the goal but Dash was faster and cut her off with Applejack right on her tail, so she took off for the dock. Both women thought they had her as they gave chase, confident that she had nowhere to go unless she wanted to be taking a swim!
However, just as Poppy reached the edge of the dock, she turned and faced Rainbow Dash head on, charging forward as if to plow right through her... only to side step at the last second. Rainbow Dash had been prepared for impact and when it didn't come, she could only barely stop her momentum as she balanced precariously on the edge of the dock. At the last second Poppy chucked the ball before Applejack tackled her, the blonde sending the both of them colliding with Rainbow Dash before all three fell into the lake. The ball managed to make it back to land and into Tino's hands.
"Awesome! I got-OH SHIT!"
The blonde turned and ran for his life as Aria ran after him, managing to get past her and deeper into the courtyard, rounding around the gazebo and ran near the camp entrance as he tried to go a long round about way back to the field and the goal. Aria was still hot on his tail as she started to pass by the entrance, almost not catching Adagio's shout.
"ARIA! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!"
She turned and froze upon seeing the hood of a car, but then reflex kicked in and she dodged to the side, going into a roll as the car just barely stopped before hitting the spot where she had been standing. After getting her bearings, she pushed herself up onto her feet and scowled at the dark black Honda Civic that had nearly hit her. Soon the driver's side opened and out stepped a pretty tall guy. Like, over six foot easy, dressed in a black suit with red toned skin, yellow eyes, black hair that was graying at the sides and a grey beard.
"What the fuck man!? Watch where you're driving!"
The man eyed her for a moment, in a way that kept Aria on edge as she stared back at him. She thought he seemed to recognize her but that look in his eye was gone in an instant as he simply smirked to her. However, before he could say anything, the rest of the group had come up, Adagio especially looking furious as she walked right up to the taller man to confront him.
"Is there any specific reason you're here? Other than to nearly run over my sister?"
"Ah, my apologies. I took the road a bit too quick and before I knew it, your sister was in front of my car. Is there a Miss Gloriosa Daisy here?"
Having come over with the rest of the group, Gloriosa put on her best smile as she addressed the man.
"Um, yes. That would be me Mister...?"
"It's Tirek, Miss Daisy."
Author's Note
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN!
But yeah, this chapter was mostly for summer fun. And much like The Room, I HAD to have football because I figured it would be hilarious.
And also, if there are those wondering why I don't give Gloriosa or Timber more lines.... well I'll be honest and say I don't like 'em.
After Tirek and Gloriosa headed to the main office to discuss something, that left the group to decompress and recover. While the six that had been playing their chaotic version of football were being patched up, Pinkie Pie was more than happy to take pics on her phone of the aftermath. As usual the woman still loved to upload pictures to her public Mystable page and these new set of pictures were undoubtedly going towards her 'Super Funderiffic Summer Camp Get Together' album. Aria was still quite disgruntled as Sonata used the first aid kit provided by Timber to take care of some scratches.
"Ugh, fuck that guy. How could he not be paying attention? Asshole."
"Yeah, and he was like, super creepy wasn't he?"
Aria only gave a small grunt in response but the sentiment seemed to be shared with everyone else. For now they had retreated back to the tent area, mainly to avoid having to see the guy again when he left. Adagio was still fuming, wishing that she still had her siren powers so that she could teach the man a thing or two. Jackie was being tended to by Sunset and Sandy, the latter cleaning up a cut that Jackie had on her forehead while Sunset got a compress for the guitarist's banged up knee. Sunset wasn't exactly keen on the man either but for now she just focused on patching up her girlfriend.
"I know you wanted to go with me and Twilight today, but I really think you should just rest here Jacks."
"You sure? I mean, I wouldn't mind it but..."
"We'll be fine. Trust me."
After that the group just took it easy and waited for the sound of Tirek's car starting up and leaving, but they wouldn't be quick to do anything aside from taking it easy. It wouldn't be until after a late lunch that Sunset, Twilight and even Spike finally got down to business. They got together in Twilight and Fluttershy's tent, going over the print out Twilight had shown her weeks ago while the computer engineering student shifting through her bags before pulling out a device.
"I used this same device to track magic before the Friendship Games. I've re-calibrated and checked the software so it should be able to track down and pin point the exact location of the leyline where the magic is emanating from."
They weren't exactly sure why the magic readings from this area were much stronger than at Los Pegasus or at Canterlot, but they still were willing to bet that it was a portal of some kind. Other than conjecture though, they were going in blind and they knew that they would have to be careful, they'd use Twilight's device to figure out where they were going, let the rest of the gang know, and thanks to Timber, in another effort to please/flirt with Twilight, had rounded up a pair of walkie talkies so that one could be left behind at camp while they took the other one. Twilight would take the lead with her device, Spike faithfully by her side as she kept her eyes on the device.
Surprisingly they didn't have to go far before Twilight's device started to really act up, pointing them in the direction of the quarry where they were advised not to go. So after assuring a hesitant Twilight that they would be fine, Sunset took the lead as they headed further in and being lead towards a bunch of boulders and rocks. Teal eyes would closely examine them as she moved around, curious.
"What does your device say, Twilight?"
"Well, we're very close but not quite there yet... "
"Hmm..."
Finding a good pile of rocks, Sunset started to climb up one of the boulders and once she reached the top, she noticed that past it all there seemed to be an opening.
"It looks like these rocks are blocking a cave. You sure it's through this way?"
"Mm-hm, I've done all of the calibrations, the signal doesn't get stronger when pointed to a higher elevation, it has to be coming from this cave."
The size of the boulders covered up a good portion of the entrance but there was enough wiggle room at the top. The only problem was she wasn't sure if she could get out once she was inside.
"You still got a rope, Twilight?"
"Yes?"
"Toss up one end to me then along with that device, I'm going in and I want to be sure I have a way out."
After hesitation and concern, Twilight relented, tying one end of her rope to the device and carefully tossing it up to Sunset before finding a heavy rock to tie the other end to so that she'd have an easier time supporting Sunset's weight. Once that was ready, Sunset tied the rope around her waist and pushed her pack through first before wiggling in backwards. The fall was short and once she was on the other side, she untied the rope and let it be before pulling out a small flashlight and taking a look. A soft gasp escaped her seeing that this cave had crystals on the walls, the light reflecting off of them and creating a beautiful effect.
"Sunset? What do you see?"
"Crystals. I'm going to go in deeper!"
Shouldering her backpack, she traveled further inside, flashlight in one hand and device in the other. There was another cave or two that branched off but the signal kept her going straight until she reached a wider open area. Soon the flashlight no longer became necessary as in the middle there was stalagmite formation that was practically glowing, with particles floating up and away like fireflies. But what really caught Sunset's attention were seven crystals set on the flat part of the stone, six surrounding one, completely colorless and transparent, not shaped into any form. Sunset double checked the readings on the device, took her phone out and snapped a couple of pictures before she put both them both away and reached a hand out to the crystals. Her hand drifted to the one in the middle, feeling no hesitation as she managed to pry it free from the stone and hold it in her hand.
It was... warm. The longer she held it, the more she noticed a gentle, teal glow that began to grow in the middle of it and she felt something that was instantly familiar. Sunset's eyes widened as she began to understand just what she may have found before she looked up with a smile to the other crystals.
Waiting patiently outside of the cave, walkie talkie at the ready in case she had to call for help, Twilight perked up when she thought she heard foot steps. Then she heard Sunset's voice and momentarily felt confused by the instruction given to her.
"Twilight! You and Spike get back and take cover!"
Quickly scooping up the small dog into her arms, Twilight sprinted over to a large rock pile and hid behind it. She was glad she resisted the temptation to peek over since soon there followed a blast and the sound of rock shattering, making the bespectacled young woman squeak and cover both her and Spike's head as debris rained down. When it was over, she and Spike finally looked over the rocks and were gobsmacked by what they saw. Sunset Shimmer had completely blown away one of the boulders and had stepped through, a familiar, intricate teal tattoo that ran across her forehead, down the left side of her face and neck, disappearing into her t-shirt but able to be seen on her left arm and with her wearing shorts the tattoo could be seen continued on her left leg. Both hurried around from behind the pile of rocks, Twilight absolutely abuzz with questions.
"Wha-?! Sunset how?! What did you find in there?!"
Grinning at the looks on Twilight and Spike's faces, Sunset held up her hands, the left closed and the right holding a small pouch that Twilight had not noticed until then. Sunset opened her hand to reveal a crystal with a soft, teal light glowing in it's center and a look into the pouch showed six transparent crystals.
"We stumbled on something amazing, Twilight."
Author's Note
Short chapter is short, but I didn't feel the need to add any more than this, otherwise then we'd have a super extra long chapter probably.
Also I just realized, imagine how short the fourth movie would of been with all of the Gloriosa bullshit cut out? XD
Naturally the two hurried back to the campsite to share their amazing find with all of the others. Everyone, including those that were still sore and bruised from that rambunctious game of football gathered around in the mess hall to gaze at the seven crystals that Sunset Shimmer, Twilight and Spike found. Six of the crystals were still colorless but the one that Sunset Shimmer had touched and used still had a faint teal color to it despite the glow having faded. Sunset's appearance had returned to normal as well about a minute after setting the crystal down, the tattoo disappearing when physical contact with it was gone. Naturally there was some excited chatter, the loudest coming from Pinkie Pie, Sonata and the Crusaders who were loudly speculating on if they would get cool powers too if they picked up the crystals.
As for Sunset, she had already fetched her magical journal from her tent and was writing to Twilight. However she did not appear to be in as instead Spike the dragon was the one to write back, asking if she needed anything or wanted to get a message to the princess of harmony.
'No Spike, but maybe you can help me with something. Can you get a map of Canterlot that also contains the Everfree forest on it? On a page about the size of the ones in the journal?'
'Uh sure, we should have a book filled with maps but what am I supposed to do with it?'
'Tear out the page and press it to the page here in the journal.'
'WHAT?!?!?! Are you nuts?! Twilight's going to flip!'
'Well if I needed something normally Twilight would have a spell that would safely transpose the page but I want that map now so this is the way we have to do it.'
'Nuh-uh! Nooooooo way! I'll bet you anything she'll have some weird book sense and teleport in! Then I'll be grounded forever!'
'Look, I know how anal Twilight can get about her books, but come on. You know she can easily repair it with a simple spell.'
'Nope!'
'You can blame it on me for making you do it.'
'Nuh-uh.'
'I'll buy a bunch of this world's comics and sent them to you through the portal.'
'Welllllll...'
'And a carton of ice cream.'
'Make it three.'
'Two. And you can bet it'll be rocky road.'
'DEAL!'
Shaking her head, Sunset waited patiently for the little dragon to get her the map. It might have been helpful to see if princess Twilight could come through the Canterlot portal with some reference books and join them, but these days Sunset was hesitant to use the portals. She didn't doubt that Twilight calibrated everything correctly when she used her machine to open up the portal whenever, but the last time it had been used, time had gone a little wonky. After she had gone through to speak with Celestia and to make amends, the time had jumped a little. While in the human world she'd been gone for little over the day, when Jackie had gone through to make sure she was safe the guitarist came out in Equestria a day later, despite the travel seeming instantaneous for Jackie.
The thought that the machine being just a tiny bit off could make one lose time was a scary thought to Sunset and a big reason as to why she didn't want to just use the portals on a whim outside of the time when they were supposed to be open. If she or Jackie was caught in a jump again, then who knew how much time they'd be gone.
Sunset was shaken out of her thoughts when there was action from the book, Spike having pressed the map to it and the book acting as a scanner. Once it was finished, she thanks Spike and started comparing the map to the one they had of the area. After running through the map and calculating the distance, along with asking Spike for another page of just the map of Everfree in exchange for another carton of ice cream, Sunset's suspicions were given much stronger evidence now. So she stood and clapped her hands, calling for everyone's attention.
"I think I've figured it out. I had Spike from Equestria scan in some maps for me to compare to what we've got. For those of you that don't know, in Equestria there's also a place called Everfree forest, a forest that works very differently than any other place and filled with all sorts of creatures. But more important, inside of it is a location called the Castle of the Two sisters, where underneath of it, in a cave, was something called the Tree of Harmony. This tree was highly magical and created six gems that all of you know as the Elements of Harmony."
Adagio was quick on the uptake, looking highly intrigued as she turned her gaze to the crystals with renewed interest.
"Are you saying that the location of where you found these crystals would be the same location as to where the Tree of Harmony was in Equestria?"
"Yeah. I compared the maps and I even double checked my calculations, the locations match up."
Brow furrowed and deep in thought, Twilight was the next to speak up.
"I guess this would make sense though. Equestria and this world are strongly tied together. After all, the major cities share the same names and it seemed that just about everyone has a counterpart. So if there were places that had a lot of magic in this world, it would match places in Equestria where powerfully magical things like the Tree of Harmony would be. But this is the first case we've seen of powerful magic items that seemed to originate from this world."
"Well, it lines up with the idea that with all of the magic that's been introduced to this world between all the transformation and big battles, the human world is getting it's own sort of magic. That it'd find new ways to manifest itself shouldn't come as a surprise. Although between Starswirl's portal, the new portal in Los Pegasus and that rift between the worlds you opened up, we might take into consideration that the boundaries between the worlds have been weakened and the strong magical areas in Equestria are having a sort of influence on the same areas in this world."
The hypotheticals and theories would of gone on from there if Bobby hadn't politely raised his hand and asked the question on a few people's minds.
"What does that all mean?"
"Oh, uh. well basically since Equestria and this world have such a strong connection, we think that the new magic in this world might mimic some things from Equestria."
This time it was Sweetie Belle who was quick on the uptake.
"Like making it's own version of the Elements of Harmony?"
"Possibly. I mean comparatively, there's seven crystals to Equestria's six gems, these don't even have any color. But they give off strong magical readings and I could call upon magic when I picked one up. They could very well possibly be a human form of the elements, or at the very least they're strong catalysts that we can use to focus and call upon magic."
This lead to a round of excited chatter from all except Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, the two sitting quietly, thinking as they stared at the remaining crystals. At least up until Rarity pointed something very important out.
"That's all well and good darling. But who gets them?"
All speaking became quiet along with a few puzzled looks, which made Rarity clear her throat and go on to clarify.
"There are seven crystals. One of them clearly reacted to Sunset, but who will get the other six?"
This made Jackie scratch the side of her head, more puzzled than ever now.
"Well, I guess five would go to me, Tino, Poppy, Bobby and Sandy. Dunno where the sixth one would go."
"But I and the others were also the original Elements of Harmony in this world. It's possible they would go to us."
This earned a snort from Poppy, who did not bother to voice her thoughts so Rarity had to go beyond raising a brow at the mechanic.
"If there is something you wish to say..."
"Well... all things considered. After the way you fucked over Sunset awhile back, why do you think you'd get them?"
That was certainly an excellent way to open a can of tension. All five from Canterlot visibly tensed after that comment, some looking ashamed, others looking unhappy to have what was perhaps their greatest fuck up thrown in their face. It was definitely awkward for all others, except for Jackie who was mentally happy that she wasn't the one that said something stupid. But seeing how everyone was uncomfortable, her girlfriend included, the guitarist cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.
"Look, we can all guess about who gets what, or we can get scientific all up in here."
Smiling sheepishly at the deadpan stares all around, Jackie rubbed the side of her neck and continued on.
"Well, I don't remember much from my high school science classes, but like... if you got a question then don't you test it? So why don't we test it to see who gets what?"
That seemed to defuse some tension in the room, Twilight and Sunset mulling it over before both agreeing some field tests would be the best way to go. Heading out of the mess hall since they figured it might be better to do this outside, they headed over to the sun dial where Sunset placed all of the crystals onto it, but kept hers to the side for now.
"Alright, who wants to give it a try first?"
Immediately Jackie raised her hand and stepped forward, looking among the crystals before her hand was drawn to a particular one. As she picked it up, it started to faintly glow silver, her tattoo that was once black now silver as well as it slowly started to appear on her body. She gave a cheer before setting it back down and stepped back to let the next person try. Next would be Applejack, the crystal she was drawn to glowing a faint green as a green tattoo slowly started to appear on her body before she placed it back down. Next would be a Los Pegasian (since that seemed to be a pattern that was starting to get going) and the crystal she picked began to glow a faint, pale-gray lavender.
This went on on the same manner as Pinkie Pie and Tino went next, the crystals they picked starting to glow faintly with the same color as their eyes with unique tattoos to match. But then things became interesting when Rarity's hand was drawn to Tino's crystal as well, the lime green giving way to a rich dark blue that matched her tattoo. This was repeated when Bobby picked up Applejack's crystal and Fluttershy picked up Jackie's, the colors changing to their eye color as they held the crystal in their hand, an intrigued Sunset commenting on the situation.
"Huh, I wonder if this means both groups equally share power over the crystals? They've both used magic before after all..."
"Or perhaps the crystals are more blank slates at this point. While certain individuals are drawn to certain ones, until they're held they don't have any color to them."
Twilight's conjecture certainly sent Sunset's mind to work thinking over these possible implications. Assuming that if they were even faintly like the elements in Equestria, representing a certain trait of harmony, if they were blank slates then could that mean they could be used by anyone? Influenced by anyone? It was proved that magic was very finicky in this world, crowns and magic drained from others could turn people into demons one moment and in the next provide power that seemed the complete opposite. At any rate, what they had in their hands was something very powerful and potentially dangerous.
"I think we should run more tests. Each of you should try working with your crystal. You too Twilight."
"Huh? Why me?"
"There's seven Twilight, I'm pretty sure the one extra goes to you."
Sunset's smile slipped slightly as she noticed the young woman's hesitation, but Twilight tried to cover it with a smile and a shake of her head.
"No, it's fine. Besides, I'll want to watch and take notes!"
The matter seemed closed for now as Twilight quickly ran off to the mess hall to get her notebook and a pen from her backpack, leaving Sunset Shimmer to watch her go before turning back to the others, watching as they all discussed who would go first in using the crystals. All except Sandy and Rainbow Dash. They hadn't stepped forward to pick up their respective crystals at any point, instead staying back and seeming uncomfortable. Curious, Sunset decided to address Rainbow Dash first.
"Don't you want to try it out?"
"Huh? Oh, nah I'm good. Poppy can have the crystal."
"Are you sure? It might be best for everyone to try it out."
"I said I'm good."
Before Sunset could get another word out, the athlete stuffed her hands into her jeans pockets and headed off towards the tents. That was probably yet another conversation that would have to take place, but for now there was still Sandy. When asked about why she wasn't stepping forward to take a crystal, the white haired woman hesitated before explaining herself.
"I simply don't want to, Sunset."
"Why?"
"Well... I know it's important to figure out what's going on with this world, but what about my life? Because of magic I couldn't get any roles on the stage, I've had to work as a busker where I wouldn't be fired if all of a sudden I grew ears and my hair grew out."
Seeing the guilty look on Sunset's face, Sandy put on a smile to try and reassure the younger woman.
"I don't blame you for it, Sunset, I know it's not something that could have been controlled at the time. But I'm not needed for this and I don't want to keep doing this. Please respect my wishes, Pinkie Pie can have sole control of the crystal."
It was sad to think that Sandy wouldn't join them for this, but Sunset really couldn't say anything against her decision at the moment. While the elements in Equestria only worked when they were all together, there was still no telling yet if these crystals worked in the same way so she could not say for sure that the crystals needed to stay together. She couldn't even argue and say that they all needed to be together in case something like a hydra came into town, that sort of thing really only happened in Equestria.
"... alright Sandy, you don't have to be apart of this if you don't want to."
With a relieved sigh, Sandy gave a grateful smile to Sunset before stepping aside to join the rest of the peanut gallery (the Dazzlings, the Crusaders, Twilight and Spike) while the others seemed to have sorted out who would have first go with the crystal. Once everything was settled, the testing began...
Author's Note
Jesus christ I had to think SO HARD on the magical auras here. And I blame the movies for it. Second movie, Sunset's magic thing in the final battle is red, then in the third movie her magic has a yellow aura and Midnight's Sparkle's in blue but in the fourth movie Twilgiht's magic aura is not kinda purple-reddish?
UGH.
And then I stopped being Derpy and said fuck it.
It's kind of weird how in Equestria girls the magic aura matches their skin color (except Sunset's because repeating color) instead of eye color like in MLP. But considering the magic in my world partly manifests itself in tattoo form that obviously wasn't going to work so I'm just going with eye color since that'll allow for the tattoos to stand out better on the skin.
Also, yeah, Jackie's tattoo used to be black, which means it's now going to be silver because fuck it, if the movies can get away with changing shit for reasons then so can I.
That You Can Try To Forget
"So you're saying that these aren't typical powers, huh? C'mon Jacks, give me some heat."
Both Jackie and Poppy were taking turns with their crystals, the mechanic magically holding up a metal fork while Jackie let out a breath of fire to heat it up. While they both had the tattoos still, they had found that they could dispel their wings, making it easier to move around without extra appendages taking up extra space. Sunset and Twilight were both observing as they worked together to make a sort of pop art metal statue out of the silverware from the mess hall (Twilight offered to repay Gloriosa and Timber for their use).
"Nope. Usually unicorns use magic to levitate and shape just about anything, limited only by if they have enough power to life bigger objects. You seem only able to levitate and manipulate metal objects."
As for Jackie, Sunset could see that her progress was about the same, although instead of just firing off a random fireballs and belching out smoke, she had better control. Glancing around the area, she could see the others practicing as well, discovering and testing their limits. Both Applejack and Bobby were gifted with strength, taking turns to pick up a variety of things and see who was stronger, each having worked up to being able to lift a large log.
Both Rarity and Tino were having fun as well, the fashionista experimenting with crystal-like shields and seemed to have a magic aura around her while Tino could heal others by giving part of his energy. For now the effect was minor yet very useful in helping to heal a couple bad bruises from the earlier football game.
Fluttershy had already taken her turn and proved able to speak with animals and Pinkie Pie, much to everyone's chagrin, was able to make things explosive, her weapon of choice being sprinkles that she chucked at a couple random things. Which earned a bit of applause from the audience, which also included Gloriosa and Timber, the former looking on with worry that someone would get hurt while the latter seemed to be fiddling with his phone. Probably blogging or texting or something.
The only two crystals that weren't being used at the moment were Sunset's and one that had yet to be picked up by a certain bespectacled young woman at her side.
"This is fantastic! And intriguing. It looks like so far everyone has one power under their control. Sunset, do you think they'll only ever have just the one or maybe they'll get more as they become more experienced with magic?"
"It's hard to say. Although I think there are secondary abilities...."
"Like?"
"Well, both Applejack and Bobby seem to be much more sturdier, I saw Bobby miss a catch on the table he tossed up and after it fell on him, he just pushed it off and got up. Applejack I can attribute it to her other self being an Earth pony. Fluttershy, Jackie, Tino, and Poppy still have wings of some sort, Fluttershy is a pegasus in Equestria. And Rarity has a magic aura around her, which may be because her other self is a unicorn. While the magic here in this world may be changing, it still shows it's roots as coming from the other world."
"Interesting... but what about at the Friendship games when you had an aura, horn and wings?"
"I think that was more a special circumstance at this point."
"I see..."
Glancing over to Twilight, Sunset was quiet for a few moments before speaking the question on her mind.
"When are you going to give your powers a try?"
Immediately Twilight stiffened at that, both of the young women quiet for a couple of moments before Twilight let out a slow, soft breath.
"I said I'm fine. I don't need to."
"Don't need to or you don't want to?"
"... both?"
With a small roll of her eyes, Sunset stepped forward and placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder, the young woman averting her gaze from Sunset's.
"Twilight, Midnight Sparkle is not coming back."
"How do you know that?"
Seeing the 'Really?' look from Sunset made Twilight smile sheepishly for a moment.
"Well... how did you get rid of that darker part of yourself?"
"I didn't."
The slightly alarmed look from Twilight made Sunset shrug her shoulders in response before elaborating.
"Twilight, it's always going to be there. I really thought those things and I really tried to hurt people. And on top of that I used dark magic, it's all something that's always going to be apart of you."
"B-But how do you make sure it never comes out again?"
Seeing Sunset glance around, she followed her gaze, going from friend to friend until they stopped on Jackie and Poppy, the latter punching the former hard in the shoulder. Something most likely done in retaliation for the cheeky grin on Jackie's face and the scorch mark near the spot where Poppy was sitting.
"In the words of a wise guitarist, I fucked up. I accepted and never forget that I fucked up and I'm determined to never let it happen again. You never forget what you did, not so that you can always feel guilty but so you can remember and stop yourself from letting your darker side take control."
Seeing that Twilight was still hesitant, Sunset smiled and gave her shoulder a soft pat.
"I won't make you do anything you don't want to Twilight, but I don't want you to just cut yourself off like this. You're stronger than Midnight Sparkle. Okay?"
".... okay. I'll think about it."
Meanwhile in the Amethyst tent, Rainbow Dash was lying on her bed, absentmindedly throwing a soccer ball into the air and catching it, too deep in her thoughts to notice someone had sneaked in until the face of a familiar young teen popped into her peripheral.
"Hey Rainbow Dash!"
Fumbling the soccer ball for a moment, Rainbow sat up and looked to Scootaloo, one brow raised as a silent questioning of why the other was here. The purple haired teen moved over to Aria's side and sat on the unmade bed (the MMA fighter having to have the same level of cleanliness as Dash... which was to say very little).
"Just came to check on you. You just sorta walked off and didn't try a crystal. Which sucks cause they're all doing cool things out there but I think you would've had a really cool power. Like, I bet you'd be stronger and faster than Applejack, or like you'd be able to shoot lightning or something!"
It was hard for Dash not to crack a smile at that. Although she tried to keep her ego in check these days, it still felt good to be idolized.
"I'm doing fine, squirt. I just didn't feel like doing any of that."
"Why?"
"... I don't wanna talk about it."
"Well, why not? Somethings bothering you."
"And?"
"And well, do you wanna talk about it?"
At that, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but eye the other with some suspicion. Even though it had been a year and a half since the Anon-A-Miss incident well, who the hell could blame her for still being wary? Sure things had gotten better between them, Dash was even starting to see the other as a younger sibling again, but she hadn't really shared anything deep or personal with Scootaloo. Sure Scootaloo had started coming to her with problems again, sharing worried and fears and what not but Dash had felt no obligation to do the same in turn.
Yet Dash felt a small pang of guilt at the crestfallen expression that was starting to creep onto Scootaloo's face, despite the teen's best efforts to hide it with a smile.
"Alright, I get it. I'll just head back and see what everyone else is doing."
"... I just don't feel worthy of it."
That made Scootaloo pause just as she was about to step out of the tent, the younger girl turning and looking confused.
"Worthy?"
"Yeah... look, maybe these crystal things aren't exactly the Elements of Harmony or whatever, but it's like... they kinda are in a way. And how can I take the element of loyalty when I was anything but that during Anon-A-Miss? And yeah it's been over a year but like, Sunset's forgiven us but I still don't feel like I've made up for it and... ugh, I dunno. Do you even get what I mean?"
"Well, yeah."
Moving to take a seat by Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo fidgeted nervously under the other's gaze before taking a deep breath and continuing.
"All three of us feel like that. Me, Applebloom, Sweetiebelle... we want to try our hardest to make up for what we've done because we know what we did was really bad. And people can tell us it's fine, but we still feel like we see they're disappointed or distant and we still feel like we have to keep making up for it. It really sucks."
The obvious was only made much more so now and Dash mentally slapped herself. Of course Scootaloo could relate to it, that was basically the story of her life for the last year and a half, having to be harassed at school and still proving to others that she wouldn't ever spread secrets again. Dash couldn't even deny that the other's feelings were wrong since despite being there more and more for Scootaloo over time, Dash had still kept the teen at a distance.
With a shrug, Scootaloo just gave a half hearted smile.
"I dunno what to tell you to do though, Dash. I guess you just gotta' be okay with yourself one day. Anyways I'm gonna go, see ya'."
Standing up, Scootaloo was almost out of the tent again when Dash called her name and stood, heading to exit the tent as well with the soccer ball under one arm.
"Want to just kick it around? I could use a real game compared to that mess from earlier."
The smile on Dash's face grew when she saw Scootaloo's face light up.
The rest of the evening went by quickly enough and after letting their dinner digest, the group was all around the campfire roasting marshmallows, drinking and just talking. After such an eventful day it was just good to sit back, relax and have the conversation steered into the topic of relationships.
Surprisingly this wasn't instigated by Adagio.
"Fluttershy, how have things been between you and Treehugger?"
However to no one's shock it was started by Rarity, the question asked a bit out of the blue and catching the shy animal lover off guard for a moment.
"Um, well, things have been fine. Good actually."
"Oh?"
"Mm-hm. I mean, she's been a little more busy since Zecora has made her shifts just a little bit longer at the shop, but she's also been allowed to use the back room to teach classes on aligning one's chakras."
Of course this made Aria snort and softly mutter something about 'hippy dippy crap', which caught Rarity's attention.
"And what about you, Aria?"
"What about me?"
"Well, have you had anything interesting happen in your love life recently?"
"Nope."
"I see... well, Applejack, I know things are still well between you and Rara."
"Eeyup. Still a shame she's gotta' live in Manehattan but we still keep in contact."
A small snicker from Applebloom earned a questioning look from her older sibling, making the teen voice her thought.
"Jes' thinkin' how goofy ya' act whene'er ya' talk to her."
"Ah do not! How do ya' even know?"
"Hard not ta' notice when ya' got a weird, goofy smile on yer face some days."
A few in the group chuckled or giggled as the blonde blushed momentarily before looking to Rarity.
"Why so interested n' our love lives anyway?"
"Oh simple curiosity. Especially since you and others have found such wonderful partners."
Of course just as she said that, Jackie finished taking a nice, big swig of beer and had let out a hearty belch, causing Tino, Poppy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Aria to call out scores while an embarrassed Sunset lightly face palmed.
"... yes, quite."
Despite how she felt, Rarity would curb the need to express her disgust and how ladies were not supposed to belch. However like sharks smelling blood in the water, Jackie and others could see the irritation just bubbling below the surface and shared grins with each other. Rainbow Dash would be the next to give it a go, chugging some hard cider Applejack had brought for the adults before letting out a belch that nicely rivaled Jackie's and caused a scandalous look to come onto Rarity's face.
"Now Rainbow Dash, really!"
"My turn!"
Scootaloo downed some Dr. Pepper and gave her best effort, the domino effect continuing as Aria took a crack at it, then Poppy, then others joining in. Between that and Rarity's utter, horrified disgust, most of the group broke down, whooping it up as the fashionista rose and with a huff, headed off to the tents, refusing to be around such 'savages'.
Once Applejack had settled down and wiped her eyes, she let out a long breath.
"Woo-ee! Ain't had that much belchin' since the last family reunion when great uncle Crisp Apple challenged all the adults to a drinkin' contest. Had to steer clear o' course if'n that belchin' turned ta' pukin'!"
"Now that sounds like fun, bet I could've given that old man a run for his money."
"Shoot, if'n ya' got the time, yer free ta' come 'round the reunion Poppy! Ah'm sure great uncle Crisp would enjoy fresh competition."
While they continued to chat among themselves, Jackie gently nudged Sunset's shoulder and smiled to the red head, who wearily smiled back.
"Too much?"
"Well, it got less embarrassing when others started joining in."
"Sorry."
"Look don't worry about it. Maybe just a bit more restraint around me, hm?"
"Sure thing Sunshine. Restraint around you in public. But I'll be sure to let loose when we're at home, especially in the bedroom."
"I swear to god Jacks..."
Although trying to scowl, that cheeky smile was just too effective against Sunset and she couldn't help chuckling along with her joking girlfriend.
The rest of the night would go along as such, more merry making up until one by one they started to head for bed. Poppy would be one of the last few stragglers going to bed, covering her mouth as she yawned while heading into the dimly lit tent. Adagio had gone in long before her and appeared to be asleep. In Poppy's bed. Rolling her eyes, Poppy leaned over and shook Adagio's shoulder. Even though the siren's back was to her, the mechanic could easily tell that the other was still awake.
"Adagio, get the hell out of my bed, I'm not sharing."
"Mm, well it's a bit chilly tonight. I was thinking that we could share some body heat."
Turning over so that the massive amount of hair was no longer covering her, Adagio looked rather picturesque with that sheet draped over her body. It was just thin enough that Poppy's suspicions that the other was not wearing anything else appeared to be spot on. A suspicion she soon proved by grabbing the sheet and yanking it down, causing the surprised siren to blush and reflexively cover herself.
"Get."
"Spoilsport. At least hand me my night shirt."
With a pout, the siren moved one of her hands and pointed it out to Poppy, the mechanic obliging and going over to fetch it, slightly intrigued when she saw how big it was and that it was for some sort of concert.
"The Smiths, huh?"
"We all had our favorite bands in the 80s, it was such a shame that they didn't last."
Pulling the shirt on over her head, it was just long enough to provide decent coverage of all parts but Adagio didn't leave the bed, instead sitting on the edge and crossing one leg over the other. If Poppy put in the will to imagine, she could see this as one of the groupies in a Pony Breakers t-shirt. Instead she crossed her arms and looked expectantly at Adagio as the siren studied her in turn.
"... so you gonna get out of my bed?"
"Harsh. Usually I can get at least a blush out of anyone here."
"Well I'm not interested in playing games. Least not the ones you play."
"Oh really..."
"Yeah. Now get out of my bed."
With another pout, the siren slipped out of Poppy's bed and went over to her own, slipping in under the covers and watching Poppy as the mechanic took off her shoes and pants before turning off the lamp, killing what little light was left.
"I like to play Poppy, it's a favorite sport of mine that has the added bonus of distracting me from the situation I've been in, stuck here in your world. And I find it hard to recall anyone who can resist me as much as you can."
Slipping under the covers of her own bed, Poppy lied on her back and shut her eyes but was not yet drifting off to sleep.
"If I'm interested in playing, then I'll let you know. I just prefer not to have it forced onto me if I'm not interested."
"So you do have an interest in women..."
".... maybe? I guess I can see one or two that'll make me look twice. I'm just more interested in other things. Like my job, hanging with my friends... getting laid just isn't a high priority."
"How dull."
"Bite me."
"Is that a request?"
Even though it was dark, Adagio could see a hint of the smirk on Poppy's face. Satisfied with at least that, the siren would start to settle in and close her eyes as well.
"Good night, Poppet."
"Night Adagio..."
Minutes would pass as the two slowly began to drift off to sleep.
Only to be woken by a loud, canine shriek and a ruckus from right next door. Poppet was already on her feet, pulling on her pants and shoes while Adagio had to take a little bit more time making herself decent. When Poppy moved aside the tent flap to see what was going on, she saw a large, cloaked figure barreling out of the Aquamarine tent and fleeing into the nearby forest while shouting came from inside.
"H-HE HURT SPIKE! HE'S GOT THE CRYSTALS!"
That was all that needed to be said, Jackie and Rainbow Dash were already off after the figure, followed by Sunset, Tino, Applejack, Poppy and Bobby. When they were in and couldn't see him, they'd spread out and keep on going, searching for the cloaked figure in the darkness....
Author's Note
DA DA DA DUNNNNNN!
And things were going so well too.
After the last of the stragglers had gone to bed, it was only a matter of waiting long enough to be sure all were asleep. As patient as he had been for over a year, finding out the truth of what happened to Chrysalis digging up what secrets he could at CHS, following Miss Pie's mostly monotonous posts on MyStable, he was so close to obtaining power he wanted nothing more than to just barge in there and take what he wanted.
But no. Carelessness had cost him in the past, arrogance lead to his downfall when he pursued politics. Brought low and denied becoming the leader of this country, it was rightfully his and not hers!
Calming himself, he looked to his watch and decided long enough had passed. He stood, adjusting his suit, reassured by the small weight of metal at his left side before leaving his cover in the bushes and entered the campground. Thanks to the boy that worked here, he knew exactly where to go and what to look for. An incentive of cash and a smattering of lies were always effective on the dullest of drones.
He slipped into the Aquamarine tent, as quiet as could be a he began his search, glancing over to the two beds to make sure they were asleep but not noticing the small bed on the floor. Instead he focused in on the small bag on the crate box that served as a nightstand nightstand and moved in, picking it up and opening it to confirm that the crystals were inside.
"Hey! What're you doin'?!"
Startled, a pained shout left him as he felt small sharp teeth sink into his ankle. He almost lost his grip on the opened bag, growling as he drew his leg back and kicked hard, the small thing letting go and letting out shriek of pain as it's body was smashing against the nightstand. This of course lead to the two girls waking up, one scrambling for her glasses while the other let out a high pitched yet soft scream. He turned and fled out of the tent, running back towards the woods as the alarm was raised around the campground and soon the sound of pursuit reached his ears.
Damn. Damn! Damn it all to hell!
"I can't see that fucker!"
"Spread out! He can't be that far ahead!"
If even one of them caught him there was no way out. Not when they had those powers. Shifting the bag of crystals to his left hand, his right reached into his jacket and brought out the gun. Eight shots... it would have to be enough. The road was a few minutes where his car was... if he could just-!
His foot caught on a root. He stumbled, delayed, and he could hear foot steps close by.
Safety off.
"Found you motherfucker!"
Turn and aim.
"Wha-?!"
"JACKIE!"
BANG BANG BANG
The shots rang out through the forest, carrying all the way to the campground. Sunset's head immediately snapped in the direction that it came from, ice cold fear shooting through her as she ran, trampling through anything in her way, not noticing the sting as wayward branches scratched at her legs. She was the first to make it, hands flying to her mouth at the sight in front of her, others soon showed up in the following moments, Tino muttering what was on everyone's mind.
"Dios mio..."
Applejack would step forward and take charge, pointing to each person as she spoke to them.
"Dash! Tino! Run back ta' camp, get Gloriosa out here with some kinda' first aid n' get a call out for an ambulance! Bobby, get off yer damn shirt n' help me try n' staunch the wounds! Sunset, get Jackie outta' the way!"
Spurred to action, Sunset gave a nod and went to her girlfriend's side, tugging her back out of the way as Bobby and Applejack moved in to kneel down by Poppy's side. The mechanic was gasping for air, choking on her own blood as it flowed from her mouth and the gunshot wounds in her torso, staining clothes and starting to seep into the ground. Jackie was starting to shake now as she saw the sight, bad memories surfacing... god the blood. Oh god.
"Oh god... she-she's gonna die..."
"Jackie-"
"S-She's gonna die! She's-!"
"Jackie!"
Stepping in front of Jackie, trying to block her view as she grabbed the guitarist's shoulders and gave her a hard shake. It was hard to try to keep calm when things were just getting worse.
"Her breathin' is gettin' ragged!"
Nausea hit Jackie, covering her face and stumbling back until she hit a tree. Sunset had no idea what to do other than step forward and pull her girlfriend into her arms. Holding her tight not just to comfort the guitarist but to try and get a grip on her own emotions as she silently started to pray...
It wasn't enough.
A familiar sound sent a chill down Sunset's spine, a sound she had once made during the Friendship Games. That hoarse, wheezing rattle as a last breath left the body. Both Bobby and Applejack were silent as Jackie completely broke down, the only thing holding her up was the near death grip Sunset had on her.
Minutes later Gloriosa and Dash would be back.
Then Tino would come with paramedics. They would cover the body and take her out. They would all follow back to the camp, sitting at the tables while the ambulance took off. Sandy volunteered to go with the body.
Twilight would take off with Fluttershy to take Spike to the nearest veterinarian.
The guitarist had gone back to being silent, staring down as she sat slumped at the picnic table, lifeless. Timber had gotten them blankets before he went off... somewhere. Sunset was sharing one with Jackie, feeling numb and not even realizing someone was talking to her until they said her name loud enough. Her focus was brought back to find Adagio standing there, her demeanor sad and concerned as she gazed at the two.
"... I'm sorry, what did you say Adagio?"
"I was asking how you are holding up."
"... not great."
"Mm. Do you want to get up? Check on the others? I'll look after Jackie."
With a nod, Sunset looked to Jackie, giving her one last hug before standing up and going around to the others, leaving Adagio to take a seat next to the guitarist. They were quiet, neither saying a word until Adagio finally spoke up.
"There was nothing you could have done, Jackie. And it wasn't your fault."
That actually earned her a look from the bluenette, one that was one of clear disbelief. Adagio only gave a small, sad smile in turn as she slowly pulled the other in for a light hug, the guitarist's body mostly limp as Jackie leaned against her.
"It's not, Jackie."
Meanwhile, Sunset made her rounds to check in with everyone, aside from sadness and shock no one was hurt. The conversations were usually kept short, soon leaving the red head with nothing to do as she stepped away from the others, agitated as she rubbed her forehead. Pinkie Pie slowly approached, her hair completely straight but she tried to put on a smile.
"Hey Sunset..."
Flinching, Sunset looked over her shoulder to see who it was.
"... hey Pinkie. Do you need something?"
"No, no I'm okay. But... what about you?"
"What do you think Pinkie?"
Seeing Pinkie Pie grimace instantly made Sunset regret the harsh tone she used. Taking a deep breath, Sunset stuffed her hands into her pockets and turned to face the other.
"I'm sorry, it's just... this is just too much. Poppy's... she's gone. The guy got away with the crystals, we don't know if Spike is going to be okay, Jackie's a mess and just-! Argh!"
Running both her hands through her hair, she was starting to slip as all her emotions started slamming her. This wasn't the god damn time for it! It was all brought to a halt for a second though when Pinkie Pie reached out and pressed her finger against Sunset's nose, the tip pressing down and the action odd enough to bring her pause, eyes crossing to look at the finger.
"... Pinkie, what're you doing?"
"You were working yourself up too much. I do this for the twins and they calm down real quick for a sec!"
Taking her finger away, Pinkie tried reassuring Sunset with a smile before she continued.
"We'll get through this Sunset. This guy is gonna be caught and Spike and Jackie are gonna be okay."
"... you sure?"
"Yuppers! I mean, we're the good guys after all! We're gonna overcome for sure in the third act!"
Shaking her head, Sunset couldn't help the small smile that came to her face. She glanced over as the police came in from cordoning off Twilight and Fluttershy's tent and the area where Poppy had been shot. What proceeded was everyone getting an account of events, the police taking statements from everyone, finding out where Twilight and Fluttershy went, and then hitting upon a big clue when they spoke to Jackie.
"Ma'am, did you manage to get a good look at the suspect?"
The police officer, almost stereotypical with the mustache, was patient as he tried getting a response from Jackie, note pad and pen out to take down the details. Both Adagio and Sunset were at her side, trying to gently coax her to speak.
"... dunno."
At least it was a start. At this point Jackie looked completely fried, eyes blood shot from crying and bags from lack of sleep, she was holding up her head with one hand as she tried to recall details. The other hand was making a slow motion, as if she was trying to recall anything other than the gun that had been pointed straight at her before Poppy... her body shuddered, Jackie barely keeping it together as she tried thinking as hard as she could.
"A... beard? He was dressed in black... I guess? Lot of black... all over..."
Frown deepening, the officer wrote down the details before speaking.
"Could you describe him to a sketch artist?"
"I dunno..."
"Anything else?"
Silence, then Jackie raised her head up, a haunted look on her face.
"Eyes... yellow eyes."
Both Adagio and Sunset looked to each other, the same thought racing through their heads before Sunset turned her gaze to the officer.
"That sounds like a guy named Tirek. He was here yesterday too."
"Alright. We'll check him out. It's gonna take a little longer before forensics is finished but we'll leave you be now. I'm sorry for your loss."
Putting the pad away, the officers would head back to the crime scenes, leaving the large group alone. Gloriosa would take the time to step in, having set up the mess hall with cots so that they'd be able to get some sleep.
Sleep wouldn't be easy for some, all hearts were heavy as they slept through what was left of the night and through the morning, waking up at noon to start scrounging up lunch. Needless to say no one was in the camping mood anymore, opting to end it early and just head back to Canterlot. Since it was last minute, Applejack offered up her home to Sunset, the gang from Los Pegasus and the Dazzlings. Applebloom offered up her room and bunked with Applejack, freeing up room for the Dazzlings, Sunset and Jackie to have in their own rooms. Sandy had rejoined them at this point, the somber actress taking the couch while Tino and Bobby found places on the floor.
The only ones getting up early would be the Apple family as usual and Sunset, the red head didn't have the best sleep, too worried about Jackie. She held the silent guitarist through the night but the bluenette had been so distant...
Sunset slowly nursed her cup of coffee, thankful that the Apple family made such a strong brew. Big Mac was his usual quiet self, demolishing his breakfast before getting up to go out and get to chores. Applebloom would have followed but both Applejack and Granny Smith agreed that she should take it easy after what happened. Sunset picked at her hashbrowns and eggs (she'd declined the sausage), not having much of an appetite while Applejack tried and failed to find something comforting to say.
When there came a knock at the door, the blonde excused herself to go get it, returning moments later with a very tired and sad looking Fluttershy.
"Spike is okay for now. The veterinarian says he has a fractured skull and his left shoulder is dislocated... there was some bleeding but they got it."
"Good."
It was the only thing Sunset could come up with, giving a nod as she took another sip of coffee. Granny Smith had been on the move, serving up a plate of hashbrowns and eggs for Fluttershy, along with a cup of coffee.
"Eat up youngin', ya' look like ya' need it."
"O-Oh, thank you."
Taking a couple bites and having a good, long sip of coffee, Fluttershy was starting to look much better before she reached into a pocket in her skirt.
"Um. Before I left with Twilight to get Spike help... I picked these up."
On the table she placed two of the crystals, one still pristine, the other looking to have a small scratch on it's surface, almost like a scar. When Sunset picked up the first one, it started to glow faintly with a turquoise light, proving it was Sunset's. Fluttershy fidgeted slightly before speaking up again.
"I... I guess when Spike startled him, they dropped out of the bag..."
"Well, least some good news outta' all this mess..."
Sunset could appreciate Applejack trying to put a silver lining on this, but it was a very small one all things considered. Yet she still managed to muster up a smile for Fluttershy.
"Thanks 'Shy, good catch. How's Twilight doing?"
"She's with her parents right now. She's still very upset. How is everyone else doing?"
"Not great. But they're holding up."
"And Jackie?"
"... bad."
All were silent again, but Sunset scooped up the crystals before picking up her coffee and standing, leaving without a word to go check on Jackie.
Author's Note
Bad things happen. That's all there is to it.
The next couple of days had just been a blur for Sunset Shimmer. They had to stay in town a bit longer for more questioning by the police, the search for Tirek proving fruitless since his home looked to be abandoned. She didn't doubt he had a hell of a head start at this point, who knew where he would be by now? With five crystals. Could he learn how to tap into his magic and use them? Would they work for him? All of these questions were buzzing around in her head on top of the issue of her girlfriend. Jackie was having a hard time sleeping, she was trying to drink more and she didn't crawl out of bed unless she had to use the bathroom or she got too hungry. It was all so bad that the fact they managed to keep two of the crystals seemed so minuscule, incapable of balancing out all the bad with it's good. But they couldn't stay here in Canterlot... they had lives to return to in Los Pegasus.
Packing proved to be less than an issue, most of their stuff had been packed up since leaving the camp and was ready to go. All her friends that lived in Canterlot were ready to see them off from Applejack's farm, which gave Sunset the opportunity to go between almost all her friends to check on the other crystal. It didn't like up for any of them... which just left one person.
"Here."
Rainbow Dash was confused for a moment, then her eyes widened upon seeing the crystal with a scar being held out to her. She looked back up to Sunset and shook her head.
"Shouldn't you take it?"
"We don't know where Tirek is or what he'll do. If he thinks someone here has the remaining crystals here in Canterlot, then there's someone who can use magic to stop him if he has some himself."
"I guess...."
"Dash. Please. I can't be here to protect any of you. We can't risk losing anyone else..."
Although hesitation was still clear, Rainbow gave a nod before taking the crystal, gazing upon it as it started to glow a gently deep red, the same as her eyes. With that, they shared one last hug before Sunset headed over to the van, looking into the driver's seat to see how her girlfriend was doing. Not good, but that was to be expected when Jackie hadn't had a good night's sleep in days and was deeply disturbed. Sunset reached through the open window and gently caressed her cheek, wanting to comfort her but any hope of a reaction was dashed. Sunset sighed and headed over to her bike, putting her helmet on and warming it up as her friends, the rest of the Apple family, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo saw them off.
They'd hit the highway soon enough, Canterlot falling behind them with the open road ahead. Sunset was ahead of the Siren's and Tino's van, her grip on her bike tightening as she started increasing speed. She was approaching dangerous levels and going way far ahead of everyone but it was... comforting. She wanted to go fast like this. Just...
Her vision became slightly blurry, causing her to slow down as she blinked to try and clear the tears.
.... it was going to be a long ride home.
Author's Note
And with that the first part of the Pandora Arc is complete.
If you couldn't tell by now, this arc is gonna be a liiiiitttle more serious than the Anon-A-Miss arc.
Stay tuned for part 2!
