Chapter 1: Before the Games
The snow had melted over the past three months. Sunset couldn't help but grin as the sun rose over the suburbs that surrounded Canterlot. She was more of an autumn person, but even she couldn't help but grin at the bushes filled with flowers that surrounded the sidewalk of her street.
Stretching, she gazed around her apartment.
"Okay," she thought, getting out of her loft bed and walking down the stairs to the floor, "I got up a lot earlier than usual today, so I should have plenty of time to get ready for school...
"And to do the laundry...," she added to her list, glancing at the heavy laundry bag hanging from her bathroom door.
After getting ready for the day, she slipped into a relatively new outfit, a light blue button-up with cut-off sleeves and a dark pair of jeans. Collecting her pajamas, she threw them into the washing machine along with the rest of her laundry.
"Okay, so that's done... and I still have an hour... whats next?" she questioned herself.
She looked around the apartment again, her eyes landing on her computer.
Smirking, she thought, "I have been meaning to defeat Eris on The Traveller's Maze..."
Sunset's warlock, Priori, dodged Eris's longlegs again. As they hissed at her, waiting for her to complete her turn, she cast Magna Nimis. The longlegs fell to the ground, covering their ears. It was Priori's turn again. She cast Consummationem and watched as the longlegs were burned to ash.
Suddenly, the screen whited out and the checkpoint window appeared. Sunset looked through the list of possible powerups for her next round.
"Hmmm... I could use a range booster...," she thought, picking Maior Semoto and watching fifty pies be subtracted from her stash
"And an extra shield would be nice...," she added, paying thirty more for Scutum Pristinam.
"Will I need anything else? Maybe... Sanitatem Celer?" she decided, moving her mouse to pay forty-five pies.
Sunset looked at her well-stocked armory of potions, wands, and staffs. She smiled, stretching her fingers.
"Okay, Eris, you're goin-" she said to herself right as her phone buzzed.
She reached for it, frowning, and opened Messages. It was unlike the others to start texting this early.
The Rainbooms!!!
Monday, February 3rd, 7:27 AM
DashOfAwesomeness: Guys! Get to school rn! It's an emergency!
Rarest_Gem: Darling are you alright?
Appletastic: almost there
BunnyLover_10112: Oh my god, what happened? Are you okay?
Cake-a-Holic: imma comin Dashie!
Sunset dropped her phone immediately, saving her game and shutting her computer down. She pulled on her jacket and grabbed her bag and guitar case. She tried texting as she raced for the door.
SunnyD: I m comiimh toiej fbufn, Rainvei
SunnyD: asdfghjkl
SunnyD: Im cing.
SunnyD: Ugh
Sunset gave up on texting, rushing past and locking her door. She leaped down the stairs of her apartment building, and out the front door, taking the shortcuts she knew very well from all the times she had almost been late.
She slipped into the alley behind her building and jumped the fence into a neatly kept backyard. The resident guard dog, a poodle, barked loudly as she ran to the other side and jumped the fence again, into another alley. She darted down the alley, coming up to the same main road as her school. She turned right, speeding up at the sight of the iconic Wondercolt statue in front of Canterlot High.
Before long, she had come up to where Rainbow Dash and Applejack were sitting on the steps. Applejack was scowling at Rainbow, her arms crossed. Rainbow, on her part, was grinning sheepishly as she held her guitar.
"Dammit. This isn't a real emergency, is it?" Sunset thought.
Still, she decided to give Rainbow the benefit of doubt.
"Dash? What's going on? What's the emergency?" she asked, stopping in front of her friends.
"Did something happen with the portal?" Rarity's voice floated over.
Sunset glanced back to see Rarity getting down from Fluttershy's car, followed by Fluttershy herself
"Or some other magical bad guy?" Fluttershy added.
"Ooooh, like a giant cake monster!" Pinkie said, popping, as usual, out of nowhere.
"Oh, oh, or a... huuuuuuuuuuuuge loop- mhmn mmmmmm!" Pinkie was interrupted by Applejack shoving an apple into her mouth.
"Well, Ah tried tellin' Dash that a broken guitar string isn't an emergency, but as usual, she didn't listen," Applejack said pointedly.
"It totally is!" Dash sniped back, turning to face AJ, "How am I supposed to pony up if I can't play my guitar?"
"You know, Dash, I was just about to deal with Eris in Traveller's Maze before you called us here," Sunset said, reaching into the front pocket of her case to grab an extra A string.
"Yeah, and I was just about to have pancakes!" Pinkie said as Sunset handed the string to Dash, "You interrupted pancakes! PAAAANNNCAAAAKES!"
Sunset looked around at her friends, all of whom wore slightly disgruntled looks on their faces, before looking back at Dash.
"Sorry, guys...," Dash said, "But hey! We can get an early practice in, can't we?"
Sunset rolled her eyes but smiled.
"Fine, but you guys go ahead without me. I promised Twilight I'd write her today, and I should probably get it done sooner than later," she said.
"No problem, Sunny," AJ said, "Do you want us to take your guitar to the practice room?"
"If you don't mind?" Sunset answered, rummaging in her bag for a pen after pulling out her book.
"'Course not! I'll see you in a bit," Applejack called out, grabbing the case and walking away with the others.
Sunset found a pen and looked back to wave to her friends, before turning back to the page in front of her.
Dear Princess Twilight,
I know we agreed to talk tomorrow, but I kind of need to say something. It's been eating at me for a while now, but I wasn't really able to articulate it and now I think I understand a little better.
Ever since the Anon-a-Mess, I've been... worried. I think that might be an understatement, but it's the best word I can think of to describe it. I've been worried that my friends don't trust me. That they won't ever trust me. These thoughts have been making me feel uncomfortable around them, to say the least.
And I know, intellectually, that they trust me. They've proven it, time and again, since the incident.
But I've been burned by them. And I'm so scared of being burned again.
Because of that, I can't help but wonder, is this really the place for me? A world where my head is constantly on a swivel for any signs of distrust? Equestria was never like that.
Don't get me wrong, I love it here. It's... home, in a way that Equestria wasn't. But I still miss knowing that I can just about trust any pony I meet, even though I refused to when I still lived there.
It's not just the trust issues I have that are making me so existential today. It's also the magic here. It's so different from the magic back home. There were rules that magic followed there. There were tools to study it. You could actually use logic on it.
Here, it doesn't follow any of the rules. There aren't any actual tools you could study it with. And don't even get me started on the logic behind it.
I've been able to, at the very least, put something together to identify magical bursts. However, I can't track it or it's source. I can't even figure out whether it's active or passive magic! I just know that there are, occasionally, magic bursts. It's so frustrating!
It's simpler in Equestria. I can't help but wonder if there's more for me back there.
I'm so sorry for dumping all of this on you, but I didn't know who else to turn to.
Yours,
Sunset Shimmer
Sunset sighed, rereading the letter. She looked up, at the portal.
"Maybe..."
She shook her head at the thought.
"No. You've bothered Twilight enough. You are not going to bother her more by popping out of the portal for no reason," Sunset told herself harshly, shoving her book and pen into her bag.
Still, she couldn't help but look at the portal again. To her shock, a figure in a light blue hoodie and black gloves was standing right by the portal with a device that seemed to be right out of Ghostbusters.
"Hey! What are you doing?" she called out, struggling lightly with her backpack as it seemed to have swallowed her hand.
The figure turned around, obviously startled by Sunset, before taking off running.
Sunset finally shook her bag off her hand, but by the time she reached the statue, the figure was crossing the road and going to the bus stand down the street. They looked at the buses waiting for passengers and leaped onto one.
Thinking quickly, Sunset took a picture of the bus number on her phone as the bus passed Canterlot High. She looked at the number, 27. Looks like she had some research to do.
She ran back to the steps of the school, where numerous students now sat with their friends. Waving to a couple of her acquaintances, she reached her bag.
Her lightly glowing, vibrating bag.
Excitedly, she opened it and pulled out her message book, flipping to the latest page.
Dear Sunset,
It's absolutely no problem! In fact, I'm glad you wrote because it seems like you've got a lot on your mind.
It's completely understandable that you're so cautious around the girls. Their assumption got you bullied and hurt within the walls of a place where you should have felt safe. That wasn't a very friendly thing that they did, and I'm proud of you for trying your best to make amends with them.
I also understand your frustration with the magic over in the human world. If magic worked like that here, I wouldn't know what to do.
Actually, I feel like this might be easier to talk about in pony person. How about I come over today?
Yours,
Twilight Sparkle
Sunset smiled, "It would be nice to see her again..."
Dear Twilight,
That sounds like a great idea! There's also something else I need to discuss with you, though. Just minutes ago, I saw a figure messing about around the portal. I startled them and they ran away, but if this happens again, we might have to close the portal temporarily.
The first bell rang from inside the school. Sunset looked up from her writing, startled that forty-five minutes had passed so quickly.
I have to go now, Twilight. The first bell just rang, and I don't want to be tardy. How does lunch at Sugarcube Corner sound?
Yours,
Sunset Shimmer
Sunset nodded at the message, gathering her things just as the book glowed.
TARDY? Go, go, go! Don't be tardy!
Ps. Lunch at Sugarcube Corner sounds great! Can't wait!
Sunset grinned at the minor freakout from the other side of the mirror.
Then, she looked at her phone, which was bursting with "Where the hell are you?" types of texts.
"Oh, shit," she said, grabbing her phone and opening up the group chat.
SunnyD: Girls, I'm sorry I missed practice, but we need to talk.
SunnyD: Library before lunch?
Twilight pulled her hood back, gasping for breath. She wasn't athletic by any means and the run from the statue to the bus stop had winded her. She leaned against the bus seat, contemplating the reason her exploration was cut short.
"That girl... why was she so mad about the statue? Does she know something about the energy that's coming from there?"she wondered.
She grabbed her tracker from her pocket and pulled up the previous readings. As usual, the readings showed a strange type of EM wave. The frequency was extremely low, but the wavelength was half that of a typical gamma ray. This meant that the wave was much slower than any other EM wave. Yet, the wave followed all the other rules of electromagnetic radiation. It could travel through empty space and it had a consistent wavelength.
"The statue did have an effect on the tracker, though. At around the time I touched it, the frequency increased. That means that the energy source...,"she thought.
"... must be touch-activated!" she said, jumping up.
The driver and the few other people on the bus looked incredulously at her. Immediately, she sunk back down into her seat, trying to make herself as small as possible.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
Twilight slammed the door of her lab open and marched to her seat. On the way, she shed her hoodie and pulled her lab coat on.
"Spike? Spike? Where are you?" she yelled, pulling the tracker open.
Spike ran out from his little corner and leaped onto Twilight's lap.
Twilight giggled, petting him, "There you are, Spike. My experiment with the tracker got more results than I expected! Canterlot High was a gold mine!"
Spike growled at the rival school's name.
"Oh, come on, Spike, I wasn't gone for that long. Besides, I think I found the energy source and, even better, how to activate it! It's touch, Spike! I have to touch the source to activate it. I wasn't able to figure out why the source exists, but one step at a time, Spike. One step at a time," continued Twilight, pulling a microchip out of the silver device.
"Besides, I should be able to figure it out during the Friendship Games!" she added.
Spike whimpered, pawing at Twilight's arm as she pulled out a circular purple box whose frame was lined with LEDs. Sighing in frustration, she put him on the ground before turning back to her work. She pulled a small screwdriver out, undoing the hinge and pulling the lid off. Using the screwdriver again, she undid the concave bottom of the lid and lay it aside. In the very middle of the top part was a small motherboard. Twilight inserted the microchip into a microchip slot, before soldering twenty-four wires from the motherboard to the LEDs around the rim and two wires into a small cavity near the hinge where one of two batteries would be placed. Then, she screwed the bottom of the lid back on.
She sat back for a minute, smiling proudly at her work. Then, she turned her attention to the actual container.
Twilight pulled a small but powerful magnet and a flat piece of steel of the same size as the magnet from a drawer on her desk. Carefully, she welded the steel into the aluminum bottom of the container. Taking off her welding mask and wiping her forehead, she smiled. She grabbed the magnet and lowered it directly onto the steel piece. Then, she pulled out a premade antenna with a miniature satellite dish attached to it. Twilight soldered a pair of wires to it, before placing them in another battery cavity. Then, she screwed the mini-satellite dish onto the bottom of the lid. After that, she added two CR2477 batteries to the two battery cavities, securing them with electrical tape. Finally, she put everything back together.
Smiling, she pressed the button at the top. The LEDs began to glow.
"It's done, Spike! I made it!" she cried.
Spike barked back, clearly wanting to join in on the excitement. He leaped on her, knocking her to the ground.
"Ugh, if even Spike can knock me down, maybe I do need to go to the gym," she thought to herself.
All of a sudden, while Twilight was laying on the ground with her dog licking her face, the door opened.
"Oh, boy. This is going to be just great," she deadpanned.
"Twilight?" Dean Cadence asked, "What are you doing on the floor?"
She reached down to help Twilight up. Twilight grabbed her hand, dragging herself to a standing position.
"Thanks. Spike and I just got a little... excited about some of the results of my experiment," Twilight blushed.
"Spike?" Dean Cadence looked around the room, before spotting the pup, "Twilight, you know you're not allowed to bring pets to school."
"Oh, but Spike isn't a pet, Dean Cadence! He's part of another experiment!" Twilight rambled nervously, grabbing Spike, "Human-Canine Cohabitation: Effects and Implications!"
The dean gave Twilight a look, clearly seeing through her lie. Twilight squeezed Spike a little tighter, afraid that Cadence would try and take him away. Instead, she just shook her head, smiling lightly.
"Well, Principal Cinch is highly allergic, so you might want to change your shirt," she said, picking a piece of fur from Twilight's shoulder.
"What? Why?" Twilight asked, crouching to put Spike back down.
"She wants to see you right away, Twilight."
"Oh, really?" Twilight asked, excited, "Maybe she has news about my application to the Everton Independent Study Program! Oh, this is wonderful!"
She bounced on her toes, imagining the lab equipment and the peaceful atmosphere.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Cadence interrupted her daydream, "Everton seems like a really great program, but it doesn't really have any focus on collaboration or working with others."
"Exactly!" Twilight exclaimed, stars in her eyes, "I don't have to worry about making friends or anything of the sort! I can do what I want to do and learn whatever I want to learn at my own pace! It's perfect!"
"I don't know Twilight... Maybe having friends could be a benefit instead of a drawback," Cadence suggested.
"Maybe so, maybe not so. But the Everton Independent Study Program has some of the best funding in the world! Imagine what I could do there!" Twilight shot back.
"Well, if you're sure..." the dean said, backing out of the doorway, "See you in Cinch's office in a few minutes?"
"Of course!" Twilight answered, rummaging through the chest of drawers for the spare shirts she kept in the lab.
Cadence shut the door behind her as she left.
"Honestly, Spike, I don't know why she's so worried," Twilight said, finally pulling out her shirt, "Besides, it's not like there's anything really keeping me here at Crystal Prep."
Sunset sighed, "I couldn't tell you much about them. They were wearing a hoodie, so I wasn't able to get much in the way of body type, and they were wearing gloves and the hood was up, so I couldn't tell what the color of their skin was. I just know that they got on bus twenty-seven and that they were pretty quick on their feet. Oh, and the Ghostbusters device, of course."
She looked around the library, trying to think of anything else.
"I take that bus sometimes, darling," Rarity said, "The only stops it goes to after this are in the city."
"So, you're saying that this person is super athletic, smart enough to use or even make a Ghostbusters device, took a bus to the city, and was messing with the statue?" Dash asked, swinging around the bookshelf.
"Basically, yeah," Sunset said, leaning back against the table.
"Then I'll bet they go to Crystal Prep," Dash muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Crystal Prep? I know that they're pretty competitive and that they love rubbing it in our faces, but shouldn't we be more worried about this? After all, the last couple of times someone got too interested in this school and that statue, people got mind-controlled," Sunset asked.
"Good point. Somehow, I don't think we need any more magical so-and-sos messin' our school up to get to Equestria," Applejack mentioned, leaning back in her chair with her legs thrown over a table
"That's true, but what Dashie said could also be true, couldn't it?" Fluttershy asked, brushing Angel's fur.
"Indeed. I certainly wouldn't put it below them to try and humiliate us before the games even begin," Rarity added, touching up her mascara.
"Yeah! Those Crystal Preppers are absolute party-poopers!" Pinkie said, hanging upside down from the ladder that was used to reach higher shelves.
"I guess... Sunset said, looking away.
Then, she spotted the time.
"Shit, I gotta go. And I can't let the girls know that I'm meeting Twilight. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I need an excuse,"
she thought.
"Okay, I gotta go, girls. I... promised I'd help... Flash with some math homework," she said, gathering her stuff up.
Twilight stepped out of her lab in a fresh shirt, looking around at the empty halls.
She took a deep breath, walking as she sang.
"I've walked through all these halls before..."
She stopped at the door of a classroom and peered in through a window.
"I've been in and out of every door... oh whoa-oh"
One of the seniors, Fleur, got up and pulled the shutters down. Twilight turned her attention to the trophy case near the door.
"There's nothing in this school that I don't know"
She placed her hand on the trophy case, looking at the numerous ones that had her name on them.
"In every class, my grade's the best.
The highest score on every test."
She turned away, continuing on her path.
"I think that means it's... time for me to go..."
She walked into the main foyer of the school.
"I know there's more that's out there...
And I just haven't found it yet..."
She walked to the stairs in the corner of the room.
"I know there's more that's out there,
Another me I haven't met..."
"Everyone here likes who I am..." Sunset sang, waving to Tornado and Whiz Kid as they walked past.
"Despite their words at a click's command... oh whoa-oh."
She walked to the front doors of the school. Pushing the doors open, she smiled at the sunny day and all the students hanging out on the grounds.
"They say they're past the things I've done before."
Her smile turned into a frown as her doubts and insecurities flooded her mind.
"But should I really take that bet?
When I barely have a safety net?"
She walked from the doors to the statue, head hanging.
"This world's great, sure, but can I trust it anymore?"
She stared at the clouds in the sky, hoping they would provide her with answers.
Twilight stared at the clouds through the window at the landing.
"It's not that I'm ungrateful or trying to succeed" she sang, gripping the windowsill.
"But there's something left still missing, something that I need!"
"I know there's more that's out there,
Maybe folks that need my help..." Sunset marched to the sidewalk, fiddling with the collar of her new jacket.
It wasn't the one she had gotten when she first came through the mirror. It was a black denim one with orange chevrons that reached about halfway to her hips. Sunset preferred the first one, though it was too torn after the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands to be usable anymore. Sunset had sadly retired it, and her other usual clothes over the winter. Over the Anon-a-Mess.
"I know there's more that's out there,
And I've seen it for myself..."
She looked at the empty sidewalks around her.
"Is there really more that this town can offer?
Don’t know if that’s true anymore...
But there’s gotta be more that’s out there,
Maybe a place where trust is sure."
"Beyond these rooms, beyond these walls!" Twilight sang, spinning around in the dome that served as the waiting room for Principal Cinch's office.
"So much to learn, I can't see it all..."
"This town is home, this school is safe..." Sunset gazed at the familiar shops and residences of the area as she walked by.
"But how can I be home, and still feel out of place?"
Sunset winced, as her doubts and fears were thrown into the song.
"And I know there's more that's out there
Another world to explore...," Twilight smiled in anticipation.
"And I know there's more that's out there...
Am I wrong for wanting more?" Sunset chewed her lip, worrying.
"And I can't wait for it to happen!
But what it is, I cannot say...
I just know it's really out there,
And it's calling out my name..." Twilight sang, marching towards the door.
"And I'm searching for the answer...
'Cause I feel I've lost my way..." Sunset took a deep breath, walking across the road to Sugarcube corner.
"I may not know what's really out there
But I'll find out someday!" Sunset pushed the doors open.
"Sunset?" a familiar voice called.
Sunset smiled.
"I'll find out someday..." Twilight finished, straightening her posture and opening the door.
She walked into the dimly lit room, smiling at Cadence as she passed her. She sat on the stool, turning when the door creaked shut.
"Shining Armor?" she questioned, shocked, "What is my brother doing here?"
"As an alumnus, Principal Cinch thought that Shining Armor would be able to provide some... perspective," Cadence answered.
"Perspective?" Twilight wondered, "On what?"
"WHy, the Friendship Games, of course," came a sharp, cold voice from behind Twilight.
Twilight spun around so fast she nearly got whiplash. Principal Cinch sat at her desk, steepling her fingers like every cheesy villain in Hollywood.
Her eyes were locked on something behind Twilight, "You participated in the Friendship Games, did you not, Shining Armor?"
"Yes," Shining answered, his smugness nearly tangible.
"Do you remember who won?" Principal Cinch continued.
Somehow, Shining Armor managed to get even more pompous, "Crystal Prep did. We always win."
Twilight rolled her eyes at her brother's self-satisfied smirk.
"We always win," Cinch reiterated.
A chill ran up Twilight's spine. There was something foreboding about this situation.
"Why did you ask to see me?" Twilight asked, shrinking into herself a little.
The principal stood up, walking to her trophy shelf. Carefully, she lifted the pièce de résistance, the Friendship Games trophy, and began polishing it.
"Twilight, I'll be honest with you," she said, "It doesn't matter whether Crystal Prep wins or loses."
"Where exactly is this going?" wondered Twilight.
"What matters is that Crystal Prep is expected to win because Crystal Prep has a reputation," Principal Cinch put the trophy back on the shelf.
She marched back towards Twilight. Instinctively, Twilight leaned slightly away.
"And it is that reputation, my reputation, that is responsible for everything we have here. For everything you've done here!" Cinch continued, her voice increasing with every word.
"And you've done quite a lot haven't you?" she said, her voice suddenly as sweet as honey, as she sat back down at her desk, rolling a pencil around.
"I... I don't know... I guess?" Twilight stuttered.
"Oh, don't be modest! You're the best student at this school!" Cinch said, almost cheerily, before becoming more passive-aggressive, "What I can't understand is, why my best student wouldn't want to compete?"
"I-in the Friendship Games?" Twilight pushed her glasses up her nose.
"Look, Twiley," came her brother's voice, "I know it's not really your thing, but representing the school is... kinda a big deal. Plus, they could really use your help."
"It seems that Canterlot High is going through something of a... Renaissance," Cinch elaborated, pulling out a piece of paper and some reading glasses, "Test scores are up, as well as grades. Even athletics are on the rise. You see, they are developing somewhat of a reputation."
She put the paper down, and took off the glasses, fixing her gaze on Twilight.
"This cannot happen," she hissed.
Twilight shook her head, "Principal Cinch, I can't possibly participate in the Games. My work here is very im-"
"Ah, yes," Cinch interrupted, "Your work."
The principal looked at her dean, leaning down to rest her elbows on the desk.
"Cadence," she asked, "could you and Shining Armor find my contact sheet for the Everton Independent Study Program?"
"Of course," Cadence answered, as Shining Armor opened the door and followed her out.
The door shut behind them.
"I understand you've applied," Cinch said, pulling a file from underneath her desk, "You see, one of the advantages of having a reputation is that you have a certain amount of... influence in such things. So, let me offer you a deal."
Steepling her fingers again, she smiled, pushing the file toward Twilight, "In return for contributing your agile mind to these games, I will see to it that your application is approved."
Twilight reached for the file.
"Of course," Cinch said, pulling the file away, "I could also have it... denied."
Twilight gasped.
"She wouldn't... would she?" Twilight wondered.
"What do you think I should do?" Cinch asked, nearly smirking.
"Okay, she would. She definitely would," Twilight thought to herself, "Would it really be that bad to participate in the Games? No, it wouldn't. Especially if it means I get to go to Everton..."
Outwardly, Twilight nodded, "I'll participate in the Friendship Games."
The look on Cinch's face could only be described as glee.
Author's Note
Here's the what I based the song of off: What More Is Out There (Duet)
So, my inner nerd came out and I ended up writing way too much about Twilight's tracker.
I'd also like to add that the term "spectrometer" is not the right word for Twilight's pendant. A spectrometer is a device that measures and records spectra, not electromagnetic frequencies, which are the thing that Twilight seems to be tracking. (Take that, Hasbro)
Also, did you know that the coffee cup lid business is valued at around 180 million dollars?
Another note: Sunset Shimmer is the only reason this story has a profanity tag. I literally can't write her without sprinkling a little cursing in.
Finally, Hasbro, use the right words.
Alumnus is used to refer to a male graduate or former student.
Alumni is the plural of alumnus but can also be used to refer to a group of men and woman graduates/former students.
