Walking into the gymnasium that day felt nothing like making her way to start a school competition. The anticipation in the air was all wrong, overlaid with a type of tension that only occurred when a creature was in real danger, and the students following in her wake like the Great Herds of ancient myth following a lead mare were completely lacking the celebratory enthusiasm normally seen at school sponsored events. Everyone was wound tight, coiled, ready to explode in violent and aggressive action at the slightest provocation, and ahead of them, the CPA students were unnaturally silent, standing far too still…like the walking dead from any number of zombie films and games that Sunset avoided. She had no comparison, but she wondered if this was how human leaders felt when marching to war…or how the Guard felt when heading out to confront a dangerous, pony eating monster.

It was sobering, experiencing the mantle of leadership like this…nothing like the flush of power and control she had wielded as a bully, or the freedom she had dreamed of acquiring when she’d imagined gaining wings to soar at the side of the Princess of the Sun. This was stress and worry and a suffocating wave of emotions drowning her from every direction. Sunset was sure that if she had been in her real body, she would be choking on the reek of fear and anger and frustration boiling off the student body, as she led them to what might become a battlefield against monsters, her head high and her white hot fury the only thing keeping her knees from buckling.

Sunset led the Friendship Games Team up the steps of the stage like a Queen at the head of her court, and formed a loosely angled line as she nodded to Octavia, who had volunteered to do the announcements of the teams. The senior inclined her head a fraction, one hand adjusting the pony ears on her head—every CHS student was wearing them, and they had expanded the colors to all the shades of the rainbow—a way for Sunset and the girls to hide their Pony-Ups more easily.

They were facing both the audience and the opposing line of Crystal Prep Students, and she found herself seeing not just Twilight, still within arms reach of Abacus Cin—

—Itheadair,— came the snarled correction. —Use its Name, and confine it to what it Is.—

She would really appreciate an explanation on this whole thing with names being important.

—Look, we don't have time for the full 101 course, horn-head.—

The cliff notes would work.

—Fine. The short version is that for certain types of Beings, a Name is like your cutie mark. It's a piece of their truest self, expressed as a sound. It’s their Soul shaped into language, like your mark is your Soul’s colors on your flank. But language is a lot sharper and narrower a defining thing than art. A word has fewer meanings than an image has interpretations. Your cutie marks protect your Soul that way…A Name defines. It gives limits. It's a shape and a container and a chain all at once. So use its Name, and you have power over what it can Be.—

Her mind drifted briefly to one of the older pony myths, a fairy tale that spoke of the first alicorn…she had always dismissed it as a foal’s bedtime story…but…if the voice was right…then maybe she should revisit those myths later.

For now though, she took in the sight across from her, her anger growing. Itheadair/Cinch still hovered within arm’s reach of Twilight, who was pale and anxious and sounding like she was on the verge of hyperventilating, and nearby, looking scuffed up and with a rapidly forming black eye was Indigo, held hostage between two big guys who looked like they played football. Honey colored eyes were full of defiance, and she continued to try and get free of her captors. Sunset kept her gaze on her enemy, but she managed to nudge her own principal with an elbow and tilt her head at Indigo, breathing out of the side of her mouth, “One of us,” in a whisper meant for the educator’s ears alone. The reassuring touch of two fingers to her forearm for a split second indicated her message was received.

Several tense minutes crawled by, before Octavia cleared her throat. “Students of Crystal Prep, we at Canterlot High welcome you to this year's Friendship Games, a traditional show of sportsmanship and competition between our two schools. This year’s events shall begin with two teams of twelve competing in an Academic Decathlon, scored both individually and collectively as a team. Not only will the points determine the winning team for the round, but will also determine which six members of each team will be advancing to the Tri-Cross Relay Race.” She paused for effect, but the audience was unpleasantly silent.

Octavia sighed and continued, “Representing Crystal Prep Academy are: Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Suri Polomare…” Sunset dimly registered that Suri was actually missing from the stage, missing the next few names, only to tune back in when Octavia announced, “…and Twilight…Sparkle…led by Team Captain Sour Sweet.”

There was a low and angry murmur from the crowd of Canterlot High students. Many had witnessed the altercation in the hallway, and had heard Sunset’s declaration. They didn't know this wasn't their princess for the most part, but they did know Sunset had tried to save her already. She hoped they didn't rush the stage, and remembered the plan. A quick glance and she could see that many of them were already in their Teams for the Defense group, and saw hands in pockets, likely checking their tools. Trixie gave her a thumbs up from dead center of the crowd, tapping her other hand to her ear. She was already wearing her headset then.

Tension built as Octavia began announcing the CHS team, especially when someone in the crowd started a familiar pattern of sound that had once heralded the beginning of Sunset’s own downfall, all those months ago.

THUD. CLAP. THUD-THUD. CLAP!

“Applejack…Rarity Belle…”

THUD. CLAP. THUD-THUD! CLAP!

“Pinkie Pie…Fluttershy…”

The sound grew louder as more students joined in, stomping and clapping in sync, timing the sounds to the pauses in Octavia’s natural speaking rhythm. It was intimidation, it was support, it was unity…

STOMP! CLAP! STOMP-STOMP! CLAP!

It was a battlecry and a warning to their enemies. Just like they had come together to help Princess Twilight Sparkle win the Fall Formal crown and topple Sunset Shimmer, now they stood with Sunset and the girls, hundreds of them, ready to fight against magic and monsters despite the risks. The former unicorn could feel the upwelling of Harmonic magic, could hear the percussion in her own heartbeat, trust and loyalty surrounding her. These were her friends. Her humans.

Blue-green eyes sought not the opposite team’s Captain, but of the woman the voice called Itheadair-Anam. When she did, Sunset very pointedly raised both hands in front of her, and on the next percussion line brought her own foot down in time with a wordless voice almost a thousand strong.

STOMP! CLAP! STOMP-STOMP! CLAP!

“…led by our very own Team Captain Sunset Shimmer!”

Sunset stared Itheadair-Anam/Cinch down imperiously, every inch the prodigy sorceress raised by a goddess, refusing to give even an inch. Twice more she led the percussion, before raising her hands to call an end to the blatant show of intimidation, and as she suspected, her peers immediately quieted. One pony ear swiveled—she saw no further point in the charade, given how…not right…some of the CPA team was starting to look—and twitched it at Octavia politely.

“Right,” Octavia said without humor. “Thank you. As is tradition, the Team Captains shake hands to signal the beginning of the Games. Captains?”

Given how her magic burned those tainted by the darkness at Crystal Prep, and how that Silverthorn man’s arm had made a horrible breaking sound under Dash’s blow and her subsequent disabling actions, she figured this handshake would be the moment that kicked it all off. Nothing like setting an enemy on fire as an opening salvo. Her magic simmered under her skin, in the horn she couldn't hide on her forehead, as she strode forward, knowing the girls were as ready as the young sorceress could make them, and trusted the nature of the Elements to respond to their needs today. Opposite her, one of the girls, whose thin face and cold eyes were locked on her, stepped forward to meet her, and she could see…a faint hint of…acceptance…

She extended one hand slowly. “Last chance to turn around and not go through with this,” Sunset declared loudly, her voice firm. “It doesn't have to be this way. You can make a different choice.”

A flicker of something in Sour Sweet’s eyes…pain? Gratitude? Respect? “I…That is kind of you…” she said in a voice like summer birdsong. Her hand shook, and she flicked her wrist, before her expression hardened, and the voice was a raven's harsh mocking. “But there is no saving yourself from your fate.” She held her own hand out, inching it towards Sunset’s.

“Or you from yours,” the unicorn responded sadly, with a deep understanding she couldn't explain filling her. No matter the outcome, everything would change after this.

Then the other girl’s hand grasped not Sunset’s hand but her wrist, and Sunset hissed in sudden pain as a band of burning circled her wrist. Face twisting in a snarl, she grabbed the arm with her other hand, feeling her magic lash out aggressively at the assault on her person. The sleeve under amber fingers caught fire in a flash of brilliant red and black, sulfurous smoke, leaving her gripping pale yellow flesh that rapidly began to blister under Sunset’s power.

Yet the girl refused to let go, and began to speak, loud and commanding words even as agony played across her features.

“Nomine Tuo Te Religo, Sunset Shimmer,

Argento cum sacro sacraque lingua…”

The blisters swelled, ruptured, and spilled foul fluid that dripped, even as flesh withered and darkened under red-amber fingertips and black nails.

Black nails? Oh no…

“Nomine Tuo Te Vinculo, Sunset Shimmer,

Et verbis meis tua opera dissolvo.”

Visceral agony exploded in every nerve, reminding her of that October night when power had ripped through her. Magic was once again tearing into her body and soul with barbed hooks, peeling her open to look for the dark shadow lurking inside.

And deep, deep inside, in the battered cage, the voice that was no longer little or stupid screamed with the cry of the damned and the chiming, crystalline song of Harmony. —-NO! NOT LIKE THIS! NOT AGAIN!!—

Magic rushed out of her in a blood red inferno, engulfing Sour Sweet from head to toe, burning hot and searing the stage black, making the clear sealant on the wood crack and melt, and turning the sharp fanged, gaunt thing with pointed ears into a giant candle…but not before she finished her incantation in a roaring rush that carried with it all of the pain of being burned alive.

“Nomine Tuo Te Impero, Sunset Shimmer

In Nomine Eius, Fiat Eius Voluntas!”

The fire went out, magic and power snuffed in an instant as sigils flared on the silver manacle that was now on Sunset’s wrist. Whatever spell on it that had been cast finished activating, and drove Sunset to the ground in convulsions, the foreign power weaving itself into her veins, her lungs, her nerves, her very soul and magic, squeezing and binding and condensing the whole of her down in a way that threatened to kill her or otherwise cause her own power to explode in reaction. She could barely think enough to wrap herself around her power and halt the impending surge through force of will. Her ears rang and she coughed and choked on blood and bile, thrashing violently but unable to stop the spasms…or her screaming. Through the haze, she saw shadows and forms moving, saw a blur that could only be Dash flying around a hulking figure, saw sparks of magic and balls of bouncing pink in too many places at once, heard a manticore roar from the other side of a long tunnel…

And then mercifully, everything went dark…

Author's Note

*rubs paws together inside a bunker.*

So. This is one of the chapters I've been waiting on.

We've got a double call back here, both to the pep rally chapter where the song used is "We Will Rock You", and Sunset joins in....but here, its the cafeteria song (which, I discovered by paying attention to it, has the same pattern as We Will Rock You hidden in its percussion bit. You always wanted to know why it was catchy? I'd wager that's part of it.)

Yes, I know Octavia uses Sunsets name...but keep in mind they were pretty much using that as a way to distract Cinch from finding more about the students and magic at Canterlot. The whole statement she made about "Let her chase her tail." Not that it would have mattered much--Sunset's first name was used and she's wearing her second name on her shirt.

I know some of you have been wondering about the various CPA characters, so I'm going to come clean about it now that the cat's definitely out of the bag. Of the six CPA girls: Twilight, Indigo, Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, Sugar Coat, and Sour Sweet, I made the decision to keep it fairly even. Two would end up as "good guys"--Twilight and Indigo, because Indigo sort of...organically grew into the role--two would be neutral as 'just students'--Sunny Flare and Lemon Zest--and two would be changelings--Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet. I chose Sugarcoat because she doesnt lie, but tells the truth in the most painfully blunt manner possible. Why? Because the fae dont lie, but that doesnt mean you can take them at face value. And that Faery double speak is one reason I chose Sour Sweet. The other was simply because of her Voice Actress.

See, there's a hilarious bit of trivia for me in MLP. Many of you are too young to remember or have ever watched the show ReBoot. (It has the distinction of being the first fully CGI animated program on television). In ReBoot, there is a character by the name AndrAIa, who is an AI Game Sprite who escapes a video game to stay with the friend she makes. She starts as a child, and child AndrAIa is voiced by none other than the woman who does Pinkie/Fluttershy. However, she grows up because of time shenanigans with her friend, and Adult AndrAIa, one of my favorite characters in Season 3 of ReBoot...is voiced by the woman who plays Sour Sweet. And AndrAIa....is a water nymph. Pointed ears, fins on her arms, nails she can shoot with paralytic toxin, and iridescent scales on her arms, legs, and back.

In homage to that little trivia, I made Sour Sweet a fae. Because I'm a sucker for references and nerd trivia. (I recommend ReBoot to everyone, but with the caveat of "Season 1 is BORING, and has about 3 good episodes. You can pretty much skip right to season 2 and understand that you have to get through about 6 episodes to get to AndrAIa. Then its good and doesnt stop. Also, skip Season 4. Fuck season 4." Also the voice of Trixie is a major character, but that's neither here nor there.)

So yeah.

For those of you NOT versed in Latin we actually have my editor's spouse to thank for the incantation--they are fluent in the language, and took what I wrote in English, and personally translated it into Latin, with respect to verb and word forms to put it in command tense. Hehehe.

What it translates to:

By Thy Name, I Bind Thee, Sunset Shimmer
With blessed silver and holy Tongue.

By Thy Name, I Chain Thee, Sunset Shimmer
And by my words Thy works Undone.

By Thy Name, I Command Thee, Sunset Shimmer
In His Name, His Will Be Done!

(It should be unsurprising that the "His" in this refers to the dark master, not a god as per normal for such an event.)

Anyway.

*cackles*

I told you guys it wasnt going to be like the movie.

Hope I havent disappointed.

Lastly, a bunch of you did submit OCs and characters to appear during this part of the story, once upon a time. Dont worry, I havent forgotten, and they will be showing up as much as I'm able to put them in. Mostly cameos and bit parts, but they'll get a bit of screen time. :P

See you next week, kids!