Of Dreams and Magic

“What the heck, Sunset?”

Rainbow Dash crouched holding Fluttershy who was slumped against a dented locker. Her muffled cries barely heard over the gathering crowds’ whispers. Sunset Shimmer stood speechless in the middle of the school hallway.

“Huh? What’s the big idea?” asked Rainbow with a scowl. “Fluttershy was just walking. You didn’t have to shove her. Aw jeez, Flutters, are you okay?”

“I.. she…”

“What, Sunset? What excuse you got this time?”

“She was in my way.” Sunset clapped her hands over her mouth and stared wide-eyed. She didn't say that. That wasn't what she said! In a whisper she tried to apologize, “Next time I'll make her into a literal wallflower.”

Rainbow jumped to her feet and got in between her and Fluttershy. “I can't believe we thought you changed. We stood up for you. I stood up for you.”

Sunset stepped back unsure of what to do. She glanced between the furious Rainbow and the cowering Fluttershy. How did this happen? She couldn't remember coming to school today. Sunset held out a wavering hand to her shy friend.

“Don't you touch her again!” Rainbow intervened and shoved Sunset hard through the open classroom door behind her. Firm hands caught her by the shoulders and spun her around.

“Y'all got some explaining to do, Sunset,” said Applejack in a matter of fact tone. Her face was stern as she roughly moved Sunset to the side showing her the room.

Dozens of clothes were shredded into ribbons, others torn apart into pieces with the largest amount slowly burning in a pile next to the window. Rarity was frozen in mute horror staring at the destruction wrought before breaking down into wails and tears. “This. I-is. Th-th-the wooorst!”

“Possible thing. Yep, and I wanna know why ya done did it, Sunset. I'm mad, right furious even, but I'll let ya say your piece before anything else. That’s just the kinda gal I am,” said Applejack with her grip biting painfully into Sunset’s shoulders. “Explain.”

What was going on? First Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and now Applejack and Rarity? Sunset would never hurt her friends or destroy their possessions! That was behind her, that violent and selfish person she used to be. “AJ, please, let’s be honest with each other. It was all gaudy, tacky and tawdry trash. It was a thankless job taking it out, but someone had to step up.”

Applejack slowly released Sunset from her grip, the farm girl’s knuckles white when she made fists. “Hoh-kay then. Well. Granny always said—“

“She-demon!” Rarity screamed.

“—that violence ain’t an answer. I was raised better than that. But I’ll be asking forgiveness later. Grit your teeth, Sunny girl.”

This couldn’t be happening. Rarity’s yelling at her in scorn, Rainbow’s consoling a still weeping Fluttershy in the hall and Applejack fist’s about to collide with her face. None of it could be true; she wouldn’t do such things to her friends. No, she refused to believe it. Someone was framing her, whoever was talking with her voice was manipulating her friends against her. It couldn’t be real.

Sunset raised her arms to defend herself from the blow. Applejack yelled as she fell backward to the floor clutching her hand. The blunt trauma to her face never came causing her to peek out from her arms. Her red arms that ended with demonic claws. “Oh no. No, no please no. I’m so sorry, Applejack.”

“Sorry this, Shimmer!” Sunset’s shoulder was pulled whipping her around to see Rainbow’s fist before it smashed into her jaw.

—————

Sunset’s heart pumped furiously as everything was dark and soft. For a moment she felt like she was on a cloud, but it was only her bed. The harsh buzzer of her alarm clock sounded off to her side repetitively, waking her fully back into reality. She rolled over and hit the snooze button with sleepy satisfaction.

Sleep was overtaking her once again, and yet the nightmare of herself being a raging she-demon and betraying her friends still fresh in her mind kept it barely at bay. Sunset thought it would be like other dreams, a hazy recollection after you fully awoke, but these nightmares she had been having lately were completely lucid. As worrying as it was she wasn’t about to let it come between her and sleep.

It was fated for a softer, quicker buzzing of her phone vibrating atop the glass nightstand to prevent said slumber. Sunset blindly reached for where she knew her phone was, picked it up and inspected the offending device with a half-open eye. She had missed a call from Twilight Sparkle along with a text.

Sunset tossed her phone on her covers, rolled over and prepared to get her earned rest. Whatever it was could wait an hour.

Another buzzing came from her nightstand.

“Fine, universe, you win,” mumbled Sunset as she kicked off her covers to stare at the glowing journal. “There’s a joke here and I’m missing it.”

The text from the human Twilight was asking if she wanted to visit a robotics fair this afternoon and to call her back. Sunset smirked as that was just the type of event she could get behind. Equestria never had a lot of technology and it took a lot of time to adapt to the idea of phones and internet. Robots? Sign her up.

Sunset dialed up her phone and called Twilight as she eyed the offensively glowing journal. “I’ll get to you in a moment.”

The phone rang once before Twilight picked up. “Hello, Twilight speaking.”

“Yeah, hey, sorry about missing your call. Got your text though.”

“Oh. Oh, Sunset. Glad you called. Give me—No, Spike. Spike, put it back. I don’t care if it is—nevermind. He’s absconded with his leash saying he can walk himself. I’ll never get used to owning a talking dog. So, you got my text?”

“Yeah. Got to say that a fair about all things robots sounds pretty good. Have you called the others to see what they’re up to?” Sunset grabbed the journal and set it on her lap. She opened it to turn off its glow and idly flipped the pages.

“Yes. I called Rarity first because she’s actually the one to tell me about it. Normally I would be all over this event, but we had just got back from Camp Everfree two weeks ago and it slipped my mind. Ahem, she said that she, Fluttershy and Applejack would all be attending the spa at the mall. Then afterward the mall itself.”

“Applejack? Wouldn’t have thought.” Sunset laughed trying to imagine how those two talked Applejack of all people to go with them to the spa. That farm girl swore that a three-minute shower was all you needed to get clean.

“Yes, I agree. Pinkie Pie is working today at, well, I’m not really sure what she does. She mumbled something about the difficulty to puppet pinatas using pie tins and I sort of gave up after that. Rainbow Dash on the other hand has plans closeby.”

“Close? Oh, by the fair. Where is it?”

“It’s hosted in the Diamond Expo in Crystal City not far from where I live. Rainbow’s going to a concert lasting most of the midday, but she invited us all to a movie in the evening.”

“That’s cool, I’m in. For all of it. Guess it’ll be just me and you up until the movie, huh Twilight.”

“Oh. Y-yes, I assume so. Um, are you okay with it just being me? I mean, I planned on all our friends coming, but if it’s just you and I going I will have to rethink the time schedule, change out the—”

“Calm down, Twi. It’s fine. Look, I’ll meet you at the bus stop in the city in two hours. That’s at,” said Sunset glanced at her blinking alarm clock. “Oh wow, it’s already nine? Okay, so I’ll meet you there around eleven.”

“Two hours? Okay, that gives me plenty of preparation time.”

“Then it’s a date. See you later.”

“A-a date? Sunset? Sunset!”

Sunset ended the call with a click and a small shake of her head. One Twilight had been dealt with and one more to go. The journal was open on her lap turned to the faintly glowing page, the newest addition to the magical two-way communication diary, to read what the princess of friendship was writing about.

‘Dear Sunset,

How are you doing? I hope you are doing well in the human world. I realize I have not visited you and the girls in a long time, and I wish I could, but my Friendship Duties are a hoofful. Have I mentioned I have taken on a student of my very own? Right, of course I have, it is just I am so very proud of the progress she has been making. After that whole timeline fiasco revenge plot she has been making great strides in learning friendship. However, I didn’t write to tell you of my exploits.

I am very interested in your latest friendship report about a Camp Everfree. You described yourself and the girls gaining newfound magical abilities along with seven color-themed gems. Now, not to alarm you, but as you know Equestria has a Tree of Harmony. It is the source of harmony magic and the Elements themselves, a set of magical gem artifacts. My theory is that your gems are the beginning of the human world’s Harmony Magic. The source or, at the very least, a byproduct of this newfound magic. I cannot even begin to speculate what they truly are or how they are affecting your world right now, but keep them safe.

If you or the girls need any advice, not that I am saying you do as you were a brilliant mage that studied under the guidance of Princess Celestia, please do not hesitate to write to me for assistance. It would be my pleasure and I will travel out to meet all of you when I am available. I have to end on this note as Spike is talking about going on a walk. Why a walk needs three packs full of stuff I’m not sure, but he’s being awful secretive recently. I wonder if he made a friend. Oh, this is so exciting! I’ll have to wait for him to get back, of course, but a new friend is always a welcome occasion!

Write back at your own convenience.

Your Friend,

Twilight Sparkle

Princess of Friendship

This single letter made Sunset forget those worries of her earlier dream. It was just a dream and she wouldn’t let her own imagination get the best of her. She closed the journal and set it aside for later. A proper response to something as thoughtful as that needed forethought. That and talking to the girls on how they were all handling their newfound magical abilities.

A moment later she had her phone to her ear calling her friend. Six dial tones later it clicked as they picked up. “Yo, this is Dash.”

“Hey, Dash. Me and Twi are gonna—”

“Haha, got you! Nah, this is my voicebox… mail… thing. Leave a message at the beep and I’ll catch you later. Later!” After a moment it beeped.

Sunset sighed audibly into her phone. “Okay, you got me. Dash, me and Twi are going to be at the Diamond Expo around noon. Hit me up when you’re good for that movie. Talk to you later.”

Once she hung up she laughed. Everything about the day was feeling good. A day out with friends. Summer break only lasted so long so she hoped to make the best of it. Two hours until she had to meet up with Twilight, minus the thirty-minute bus ride into the city. Take out the time to walk and that left her a bit over an hour. Sunset looked over herself and scrunched up her nose. An hour didn’t feel like enough time.