Chapters Author's Note
I'm back folks. And I kept my promise...kind of. I'm about a month off but who's counting? Anyway, I needed to take some time off but I'm reading to get back into the thick of things.
Edit: In case people didn't realize, I made a couple changes...
Chapter 1
It was another scorcher in Canterlot, hitting over a hundred degrees for the second time this week. While many stayed inside basking in the coolness of their air conditioning systems, others were unfortunate, or daring, to be out in the city. Sunny Flare just happened to be one of those people.
Thankfully, since the school term was officially over she didn’t have to worry about wearing her uniform but even in wearing jeans and a t-shirt she should’ve been sweating bullets…but it may as well have been been seventy out because she felt just fine. Maybe that was a side effect of her newly discovered power.
It seemed strange that only a few weeks ago she was just a normal girl going to a normal school (if anyone considered Crystal Prep normal). Now it was summer and honestly she wished she was either inside or down at the beach, But right now she had no time to think about vacation; she was focused on one important objective as her eyes constantly gazed back and forth around her surroundings.
It wasn’t that she was nervous, but she was alert nonetheless. She was leaning against the wall of one of the buildings on the corner of Main and Magnolia Street, watching people and traffic go by on their daily commutes. Everything seemed calm, at least for the moment.
Then it happened. A slight shimmer in the air, something most people wouldn’t have noticed. But Sunny did, since this wasn’t the first time she experienced this phenomenon. She then pulled out her phone and dialed the number she currently had on speed dial. “It’s coming,” she said, without any proper greeting. The person on the receiving end hung up without an answer.
The shimmer soon evolved into a spectacle as the air around it became distorted and was now getting much more attention from passerbys. Sunny then stepped forward, brandishing the metal baton she kept in her jeans pocket. In times like this she wished she had her baseball bat instead but carrying that around would’ve given her unwanted attention. At least mores than what she was about to get now.
The distortion soon tore open and for a moment all that could be seen was some pink background that could only be described as some sort of limbo before something very large came through. Sunny had spent the past couple of weeks studying up on her mythological creatures and she could instantly identify the creature.
The creature was about twenty feet tall and looked everything like a mole, except much uglier and scarier. I was hoping it would be a tad bit…smaller, Sunny thought. She sighed as she stepped forward. “Hey ugly!”
The maulwurf (as it was properly called) suddenly looked down at her with its beady eyes. “Yeah you,” she said calmly. “Look, we both know how this is gonna go down. You’re gonna smash stuff, we’re going to get into a fight which you’ll eventually lose and then your whole pride as a monster is put at jeopardy.”
The maulwurf’s only response was to roar in her face. Sunny held her ground even when the creature’s breath was enough to make her gag. “Yeah well that’s how it’s gonna go so how about you do us all a favor and crawl back into your little portal and go home. I don’t even know how you’re even getting here after all-”
Suddenly a shot rang out nearby and the maulwurf suddenly fell backwards with a small hole right between its eyes. Sunny sighed in relief. “Took you long enough, I thought for a moment I would have to actually fight the damn thing.”
A girl with pigtails, horn-rimmed glasses and carrying a rifle much older than she was walked up to her. “I had every bit of confidence you could’ve handled it completely without me,” Sugarcoat said with a wry smile. It was weird not seeing her wear either her usual uniform or even a blouse, instead actually wearing a t-shirt and shorts. “Still, it’s nice to put father’s Winchester to good use every once in awhile…”
“I guess Twilight’s device actually worked,” Sunny said. “Though I like she needs to recalibrate a few things…like the exact location in downtown instead of just ‘downtown.’”
“I just got a text from Sour and Lemon, they’re on their way back from Manehattan.”
Sunny groaned. “We can’t possibly cover this much ground with so few people. Why can’t these other schools suddenly have students with magical powers?”
“At the rate we’re going, that’s probably not too far out,” Sugarcoat stated.
“Well anyway, what are we going to do about-?” Sunny was cut off as the maulwurf suddenly groaned and slowly got to its feet. “Seriously!? You shot that thing dead center!”
“Hmm…it must have a thicker skull than I predicted,” Sugarcoat noted. “I knew I should’ve brought the ’80 instead…”
“Okay, so what’s plan B?” Sunny said as the two of them backed away slowly. “Please don’t use me as some sort of distraction.”
“In this situation, a rifle wouldn’t do much good,” Sugarcoat said as she pulled her two pistols from her holsters. “Get ready, I’m literally going to shoot his eyes out.”
“With a metal baton!? Maybe if he was human sized I’d actually do some damage.”
“Then beat it like it owes you money.” There was a slight pause. “Um…sorry. Sour’s mannerisms are finally getting to me.”
“Just shoot the damn thing already!”
Sugarcoat didn’t hesitate as she pulled both triggers and true to her word, the giant mole screeched in pain as it was now completely blinded. Sunny meanwhile charged forward and started smashing her baton into its face. “I told you this would happen, now you’re gonna regret not going home!”
Sunny admittedly wasn’t the strongest girl but her attacks would’ve easily knocked out any regular human being. The maulwurf was only dazed by the flurry of attacks but that would be enough. “You want me to keep beating him senselessly!?”
“No, I got this…” Sugarcoat said as she took the muzzle of her gun and jammed it into the creature’s mouth. “Sunny, turn your head away.”
“Wait what the fuck-!?” Sunny was cut off again as a bullet suddenly went through the creature’s head, shattering its skull completely. “…Was that really necessary!?”
“Honestly the first shot should’ve killed it so the only other option was to blow it’s head off.” Sugarcoat paused for a few moments. “And I kind of hate rodents and father used to shoot them off the property so yes I do have a bit of bias against them.”
Sunny was surprised she didn’t throw up from the sight of the dead mole but the smell was going to get to her soon enough. She then got out her phone and dialed Twilight’s number. “Hey Twilight, it’s me.”
“Hey Sunny, did anything happen on your end?”
“Yeah…” Sunny glanced at the now dead rodent that slowly started fade away into dark particles. “But it’s taken care of. Anything else come up?”
“No, it’s pretty much gone silent on my end so feel free to come back. I’m sure you girls are hungry so I went ahead and bought lunch.”
“Thanks Twilight, we’ll be there shortly.” Sunny hung up and then glared at Sugarcoat. “You and I are going to have a talk on the way back.”
Sugarcoat rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Yes ma’am…” she said quite sourly as the two of them headed back to where Sugarcoat parked her Benz.
The Canterlot Files
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. As soon as Twilight got off the bus, she wasted no time making her way over to the school. The rubble that had been the remains of the statue, the headpiece of the entire school and where the portal had been located, was now gone and all that remained was an ugly crack in the concrete. However, as soon as Twilight got out her magic-reading device, it was picking up something almost immediately.
“Just as I suspected,” she said to herself as she kept scanning. The readings she was getting weren’t as strong as they were when she first stepped foot on the school but still enough for the needle to reach into the red. Now was the time to put her idea to the test.
She got Sunset’s journal out of her bag, along with a pen. “I sure hope this works…” She opened the journal to the first blank page and started writing.
Sunset, or anyone who happens to be reading this, I hope this is coming through. Please respond.
Twilight waited a few moments. If nothing happened in the next few moments, she would be out of ideas and her last chance of getting Sunset back would be gone. Just as she was about to close the journal, the book lit up in a reddish glow and text started to appear below hers, penmanship that she recognized instantly.
Good to hear from you Twilight. Hope you haven’t missed me too much.
Twilight started laughing and if anyone had been nearby to notice they would’ve sworn the girl had finally lost her mind. She was ready to start cheering but managed to rein herself in.
Sorry about the delay. I was trying to contact you before but I don’t think my messages were getting through. I’m at the school now and it seems the only reason I’m getting to you in the first place is because of the magical field. Kind of like a Wi-fi connection.
It took a few minutes before Sunset responded and Twilight was worried the two had been disconnected again.
Sorry, had to explain to other you what Wi-Fi is. So what’s been going on?
Twilight had taken a seat at the front steps before going into detail about what has been going on. She then explained about what she had discussed with the girls and finally the idea she had. Sunset was very curious to say the least.
So you think if we time this right, I can make my way back into the other world?
Yes, but unfortunately once you come through, you may not be able to get back in the same place, meaning we’d have to look for another… “brush-by” we’ll call it. Since I’m at the school there’s a good chance you might find a tear somewhere in the castle.
Alright, I’ll look around. If I happen to randomly pop up next to you, you’ll know it worked.
Ponyville Sunset finished her last note and sighed as she put down the quill she was using. She then looked over and saw Princess Twilight watching her with a look of curiosity and concern. “Twilight…I know this may seem abrupt but…I’m kind of needed back there.”
“I know,” Twilight said. “And it’s not abrupt. We’ve had plenty of time to talk and catch up. I just wish there was something I can do on my end.”
“Well…if most of these creatures are coming into Canterlot…maybe the source is coming from the Everfree Forest?”
“That’s my best guess as well. The girls and I can take a look around the place. I just feel partly responsible for all this.”
Sunset chuckled as she gave her friend a hug. “Nonsense, we’re all kind of used to this sort of thing now. But for right now, I could use some help finding that tear.”
“You got it.” The two of them then split up around the castle, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, Sunset had forgotten how easy it could be to get lost in this maze of a castle. She searched room by room until finding the contents of the broom closet falling on her head. It was then she noticed a slight tear in the fabric of space.
Typical. “Twilight!” It wasn’t long before Twilight found her and Sunset pointed with her hoof towards the tear.
“Huh…somehow I’m not surprised.” Her horn then glowed. “Okay, I think with my magic I can open up the tear but I’m not sure how long it will last. Even now we may be on the clock.”
Sunset took a deep breath. “Alright….listen Twilight-”
“I wasn’t joking, we really need to hurry.”
“I know…it’s just, if for some reason I’m not able to come back…I want you to know I’ll always be grateful for what you’ve done for me. And give Celestia my best, if you could.”
Twilight smiled as she quickly opened up the newly made portal. “I will Sunset, but this isn’t goodbye. Now hurry!”
Sunset nodded and quickly jumped into the portal before it quickly closed behind her. Twilight could only stare at the small space for a few moments. “I know you’ll be back, one way or another…”
Canterlot Twilight was pacing back and forth as she waited. She was feelinga combination of excitement and anxiousness. If this idea worked, maybe there was a way they could build a new portal. Of course, finding the equipment and getting certain permissions from CHS was goin to be a bit more of a challenge.
Suddenly, a rift appeared right in front of her and Twilight froze. One of two possibilities was about to occur and she really hoped it was her friend that was on the other side. Sure enough, her worries were put at ease as Sunset was suddenly laying face first onto the concrete.
“Ugh…I was expecting a softer landing…” Sunset groaned. As she slowly got up, she was quickly pulled into a hug, almost causing her to jump but then she recognized who it was hugging her. “I guess it worked…”
“It certainly did. Welcome back.”
“It’s good to be back and…whoa is it hot. Did I miss something?”
Twilight giggled. “Just a recent heatwave. I have a lot more to catch you up on.”
“Sounds great.” As soon as Sunset got up, her stomach started rumbling. “Uh…you don’t mind if we stop to grab a bite real quick?”
“Way ahead of you Sunset.”
As the two girls left the school, they failed to notice the small drone that had been keeping a close eye on them and had been witness to all that had just unfolded. The live feed was streaming to a monitor about five miles away in a large office space on the top floor of one of the biggest towers in Canterlot. A man, who appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties was sitting at his desk while studying the two girls closely.
A knock then sounded on his door. “Come in.”
In walked a woman with a lavish figure and wearing a lab coat. “The files you requested sir.”
“Ah, excellent.” He opened each one, containing a picture of the person in question. There were twelve of them, all female and all eighteen or younger. “The number of POIs is growing.”
“We haven’t looked into their families or fellow students since they’re irrelevant.”
“These two…” He looked at the names again. “Twilight Sparkle…Sunset Shimmer. These two I’m most interested in.”
“Sunny Flare is…you could say, the leader of the group from Crystal Prep,” the woman said.
“Isn’t this fascinating doctor?” The man asked. “How in the world did these girls develop these powers?”
“Exposure, more or less.”
“Ah yes…speaking of which, it seems our friends are causing a lot of attention.”
“Shouldn’t we be containing them?”
“No. I’m curious to see how this unfolds. Don’t worry, I’m aware of how much of a threat they can be if they learn the truth. But I know you’re itching to go toe to toe with them aren’t you?”
“I-”
“Don’t deny it, dear Tempest. You want to see where you stand based on their level. It’s understandable. Rest assured you’ll have your moment soon enough.”
The woman was silent for a moment. “Once we go public with our new products, we’ll be painting ourselves a target. Companies will try tofind out our secrets and compete-”
“Right, ‘competition’,” the man said, doing air quotes with his fingers. “Tempest, I’m going to fill you in on a little secret: competition means nothing in this day and age. Look at food companies. You have product A which is everyone’s favorite product but another company makes product B, which is similar but essentially a knockoff brand. Oh sure, it’s cheaper but people still go to product A. My point here is simple: we’ve taken this alien form of energy and made it into our own. This is renewable energy at its finest and the best part is it costs nothing for us to extract because we’re literally surrounded by it. Everything that you own, everything that’s manufactured, running on this source of power. So let them try, but other companies can’t compete because they don’t a basic concept of what this is…unlike you.
“When you came to me all those months ago, I thought you were crazy. But I saw everything you could do and I knew what I was seeing was the future. This, all of this, was your doing. I’m just the promoter but you are the creator.”
“Thank you sir,” Tempest said, not quite used to praise. “Is that everything you needed?”
“Yes. You may return to your work.” Tempest nodded and headed towards the door. “Tempest?” She turned around and looked towards the man, who had a big smile on his face.
“We’re going to do great things, you and I. As of this moment, the world is going to change completely.”
Tempest nodded before turning around and leaving the room. As she walked towards the large elevator, she couldn’t help but feel a slight case of unease. Mr. Storm (she had only referred to him by name a few times, nowadays calling him “sir” especially since he was the one giving her her paychecks) had the best intentions, she was sure of that. But as she went inside and the elevator started going down, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Author's Note
I was really debating whether to have our "villains" revealed so early and while I originally planned to have them show up later in the story, I felt in doing so it would be kind of random for the reader. What exactly is going on, well, you'll find out soon enough.
Once the other girls found out about Sunset’s return, it didn’t take long before Twilight’s lab became crowded with people and Sunset was bombarded with hugs (at least from the CHS girls). It was then that Twilight finally got the girls caught up on her theory. “So what you’re saying is our two worlds are bumping into one another and that’s causing these critters to mosey on over here?” Applejack asked.
“That’s…one way of looking at it,” Sunset said. “But Princess Twilight hadn’t heard of anything happening in the Ponyville, though we both know the Everfree Forest is always unpredictable.”
“So…they’re coming from the forest then?” Fluttershy asked.
“That can’t be right,” Sunny said. “I saw one appear in the middle of the city. How do you explain that?”
“Well…honestly I’m still trying to figure that one out,” Twilight said. “But there’s one other thing…the number of instances that we’ve had all over Canterlot aren’t quite adding up.”
“What do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked.
“Well, what I’m about to explain is a bit confusing so let me get one thing out of the way:” I believe our two worlds are connected more than we think. There are two Canterlots, two Manehattans, etc. Now, with the exception of Canterlot here and Ponyville there, I think geographically the cities line up.”
“Okay you already lost me,” Rainbow said.
Twilight sighed. “Then let me keep it simple. If there was a portal in the Everfree Forest here, then where would you end up in the other world?”
“Ooh ooh!” Pinkie said, waving her hand. “The Everfree Forest on that side!”
“I think that was supposed to be more rhetorical Pinkie…” Sunset said, facepalming.
“Okay, now I think I understand, so what’s your point?” Rainbow asked.
“Well, according to the data I’ve collected, a lot of these appearances are happening in a close proximity of one another,” Twilight explained further. “Sunset, I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure most of the creatures in Equestrian don’t live in the city, nor do they live close to one another…most of them are pretty territorial and if such a thing were happening I know Princess Twilight would let me know.”
“So in other words…they can’t be coming from the other side?” Sugarcoat asked.
“More like someone may be luring them here, though I guess we can’t really prove that as of yet,” Sunset said.
“But who and why?” Sunny asked. “What’s there to be gained if this whole place erupts into chaos?”
I could think of one in particular but Twilight, and Fluttershy especially, assure me he’s changed, Sunset thought. Suddenly it hit her. The only kind of person who would do that is someone who has nothing to lose…and right now I know three that fit that description.
Sunset suddenly got up. “Listen girls, I know this is sudden but…I need to go somewhere real quick.”
“Um…where exactly?” Rarity asked.
“I just need to…get some stuff at my apartment, that’s it. I’ll be back soon!” Sunset then rushed out of the lab.
Applejack chuckled slightly. “She’s only been back for about an hour and already she takes off somewhere. Go figure.”
“So, where do we go from here anyway?” Indigo asked, leaning against the wall. “Even with a large group, it’ll be close to impossible to finding a source of all this in a city this big.”
Twilight had to admit, there wasn’t much else they could do at this point. The pieces haven’t quite fit together just yet. Sunset appeared to be onto something but didn’t wish to get the rest of them involved, which was strange, even for her. Whatever it is Sunset, I hope it yields results…
Honestly, Sunset wasn’t sure where she was going but she had a pretty good idea on where to start. It had been a few months since the Dazzlings: Adagio, Aria, and Sonata, tried taking over the school. They haven’t been seen since but everything about this sounded like a revenge plot.
There was one small flaw in her deduction: they had no magic. After their defeat, their amulets had shattered and the magic that was contained in them was lost to them forever, so being able to rip open tears in space might be next to impossible for them, although again Equestrian magic was unpredictable in this world.
But there was another reason why Sunset wanted to locate them: aside from being the only other beings from her world, the Sirens’ history went back over a thousand years, according to Princess Twilight. Even if they weren’t the culprits behind this, maybe they knew how the portal in this world came to be. Maybe then they could finally reestablish a connection between the two worlds.
The area that Sunset was going to was more or less the slums in Canterlot. Homeless were not uncommon, even in Canterlot though she admitted in Equestria’s Canterlot that never seemed to be a problem. Sunset had to admit, she was amazed how the Sirens managed to blend in for so long. Before, the Sirens would’ve been able to easily persuade their way into fancy living, but now…well she was ninety-five percent certain they were in this sort of place now.
Sunset then found a man who was sitting against a brick wall. He seemed normal but Sunset couldn’t help but feel a little tense. You had to be very careful around these parts, or just avoid them altogether. “Excuse me…I’m looking for someone…three people actually. They’re close to my age (I hope that’s still the case), and…I’m pretty sure they live together.”
“Ah, I know who you’re talking about,” the man said. “There’s an abandoned apartment complex a few blocks down, I think that’s where they are now. Be careful though, the one has a really mean punch.”
“Thank you.” Sunset then hesitated. “Listen…I…”
The man chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. You’re in high school right? You have your own future to worry about so don’t feel burdened about fixing mine. If you want to help those girls, that’s enough for me.”
Sunset nodded before heading down the alleyway. It wasn’t long before she came across the apartment complex the man had mentioned. How neither the place had been torn down nor the “tenants” haven’t been removed forcefully was a mystery to her.
Of course, finding the trio wasn’t going to be as simple, considering how big the complex was. Most of the doors were locked, but the silence within some made it difficult to tell if someone was living in there or not. It wasn’t until she got to the second floor that she found them.
The walls apparently weren’t insulated very well since their voices could be heard even before getting to the door. Sunset put her ear to the door and listened in.
“Hey Aria, can you accompany me down to the snack machine?” It took Sunset a moment to remember names but the voice belonged to Sonata.
“Nah, I’m good,” Aria replied.
“Huh? But I don’t wanna go down there by myself…”
“You’ve gone down there plenty of times…” There was a pause. “Open your purse.”
“What?”
“Open. Your. Purse.”
“N-No!”
“I knew it. You wanted me to come along so you could guilt-trip me into buying you a snack!”
“Wah! Don’t make me feel guilty!”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do. That’s what you get for wasting your money on junk food. You’re always hungry Sonata.”
Sunset had a look of utter confusion on her face. It seemed like not much had changed but…after their amulets had been destroyed it seemed as if things really went went downhill for them. She did feel slightly guilty for putting them in this predicament, but on the other hand they had been manipulating people for the past thousand years so perhaps they finally got what they deserved. Either way, now was not the time for confrontation; she just hoped they wouldn’t be too hostile. Taking a deep breath, she then knocked on the door.
Everything went still inside. “Did…did someone knock on the door?” Sonata asked.
“I swear if it’s for another fucking noise complaint I’m blaming it on you,” Aria snapped. “Either that or someone’s here to murder us. You go answer it.”
“W-Why me!?”
“Because if you answer and he happens to shoot your head off, at least I can die happy knowing true peace, even if its for only a few moments.”
“Meanie…!” The sound of footsteps echoed across what Sunset assumed was a hallway inside and suddenly she could hear a latch be removed before the door opened slightly. For the briefest of moments, the two girls looked at one another before Sonata suddenly slammed the door.
“Um…Aria…? You know that girl we met way back then, that showed us around at Canterlot High? She’s right outside.”
It was still for a few moments before the door suddenly opened again and now two girls were staring at her. Both Aria and Sonata looked like they had seen better days, though it was hard to say if it was the effect of losing their magic or being in their current surroundings. Both of them were wearing hoodies and their hair appeared to be all over the place.
“What the hell do you want?” Aria suddenly snapped. “We didn’t do anything alright? Or are you here to gloat at us?”
“It seems a little late to be gloat-”
“Shut up Sonata.”
“I’m not here for a confrontation,” Sunset said, putting her hands up gently. She didn’t feel threatened since she was the only one here with magic, but she was still outnumbered three to one and Aria looked like the kind of girl you didn’t want to get into a brawl with. “I just have questions…”
“What kind of questions?” Aria asked suspiciously.
“Yeah, what kind of questions?” Sonata added. “Better yet, why should we even be talking to you? Not only did you screw up our plan, but now we’ve lost everything…and I can’t even buy tacos anymore… ”
“Look, I’m not gonna waste time going over everything you did because honestly I don’t have time. Things here are deteriorating as we speak and, unfortunately, it’s an Equestrian problem which is why I’ve come to you, asking for information. So if you’re going to just slam the door in my face, just do it already so I can be on my way.”
She was expecting them to do it but surprisingly she witnessed the two girls glance at one another. “You’re talking about all those creatures showing up?” Aria asked, crossing her arms,
“Yeah…I’m assuming you’ve seen them?”
“A few. Not like we can do much against them in our current state. Luckily they’re not keen on searching buildings. But what does this have to do with us?”
“All I know about you is that a thousand years ago you got banished here by Starswirl the Bearded. Surely you have to know something about the portal you got sent through, why it connects to here and whether or not if magic has been working here longer than we thought.”
Aria suddenly shook her head as a grin crept onto her face. “Adagio’s gonna get a kick outta this…fine, come in. Hopefully she’ll be in a decent mood to talk.”
“Uh…are you sure about this?” Sonata asked.
“Don’t worry, she’s not gonna hurt us. She’s one of the good guys now, remember?” Sunset decided to ignore the barb as she let herself in.
Despite their best attempts at sprucing up the place, the apartment pretty much was in the same state as the rest of the complex. It was on the living room couch they found Adagio sitting, with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. It was quiet for a few moments before Sunset finally decided to say it. “Is she meditating?”
“Yep,” Aria said, rolling her eyes. “Thinks somehow it’ll help restore her magic. She’s been doing this for months now and no results.”
“You know I can hear you right?” Adagio said irritably before she slowly opened her eyes. She then looked at Sunset quietly. “Quite the wardrobe change…but I suppose it has been awhile since we last met.”
“You’re taking this all rather well, despite what happened in the past,” Sunset commented.
“Because that’s all it is now, the past,” Adagio said as she laid back on the couch. “Oh don’t get me wrong, we were all quite furious with you girls afterwards…but now it really doesn’t matter. We’re just going to waste away eventually anyway, as dear Starswirl intended.”
“I really don’t want to reopen old wounds but-”
“Yes, yes, you want to know about how we got here,” Adagio said quickly. “I suggest you take a seat, dear Sunset. We have much to tell.”
Author's Note
You guys know I wasn't going to keep you waiting long.
