Equestria Girls: Bonds Forged of Friendship I (Love)

Rarity's return to Canterlot was always going to be accompanied by a period of awkward readjustment, especially when coming off the coattails of a city as fast-paced and exceedingly populated as that of Manehattan.
Unpleasant as her experiences there might've ultimately been, it was still an environment that her body and mind had grown accustomed to...and even continued admiring to at least some degree. Suddenly abandoning all of that in favor of her more humble hometown necessitated more than just a few changes in routine, and it would simply be a matter of time for all of that to fully take.

It certainly didn't help things, either, that she would inevitably be returning to a mounting pile of both personal responsibilities and social obligations, neither of which waited patiently for anybody. Three week's worth of missed homework, assignments, and exams was certainly a daunting enough prospect, not to mention having to brush up on all of the latest local trends just to adequately perform her job over at Carousel Boutique.
And then there were the dozens of friends and acquaintances that she simply had to catch up with, requiring her to take in as much of the news and gossip as she possibly could in order to remain firmly in the know. Capping it all off, the fashionista had to counterbalance these many duties against her insatiable urge to get cracking on each of her best friends' new wardrobes...as well as her little surprise for Applejack.
No two ways around it; she was being thrust from one whirlwind-tour into another, with far more actual work taking place this time around.

In all fairness, however, it's not like Rarity never anticipated any of this. In some instances, she even welcomed the challenge that it all presented. She thrived under that kind of pressure, after all...usually. And there were a few silver linings to this patchwork of projects that somewhat helped to alleviate the stress of it all. Twilight had offered to help her get caught up with her studies, for one, and that always made for more welcomed company. And since when did Rarity ever have any real trouble or qualms when it came to reacquainting herself with something as familiar and comforting as fashion—or socializing, for that matter?
Indeed, it was the pleasant familiarities that would prove most helpful in cushioning her return home...which is why the changes that she noticed on her first day back were all the more absolutely unacceptable.

The day started off fine enough, and was in fact a welcomed respite after how eventful yesterday evening had proven to be.
True, Rarity was used to getting up at the crack of dawn now, but at least that allowed her to cycle through each of her morning routines before even the roosters were roused. And yes, she had grown accustomed to merely flowing with the foot-traffic of uncompromising crowds, but at least the slower stroll down Canterlot's sidewalks allowed her to take in some refreshingly friendly faces along the way.
It's just a shame that the one friendly and freckled face she was most looking forward to seeing hadn't accompanied her on the walk to school that morning...

It was actually rather jarring, not walking with Applejack along these familiar streets. After being apart for so long—amidst a torturous period of silence, no less—Rarity had assumed that they'd both relish the chance to finally spend some time together. Once again, however, harvest duties apparently gave the farmer quite a head-start on the rest of the day, and she was already at CHS before the seamstress had even set out. Of course, it's not like they always walked to school together or anything, but it just seemed like such a wasted opportunity...
Speaking of, the opportunity to spend time together didn't present itself much at school, either...or, at least, Applejack never seized on it. They had been around each other most of the day—among other company, yes, but still—and while everyone else flocked like moths to a fabulous flame in order to welcome Rarity back, her best friend merely stood by most of the time. And when they did interact on occasion, Applejack could barely muster a conversation, instead only stammering over short answers and being unable to maintain eye-contact. Needless to say, this was nowhere near the easy-going and confident cowgirl that had her counting down the days until they could be reunited once again.

And the more that her friend kept acting so strangely, the more worried Rarity grew.
Was Applejack simply feeling under the weather? The persistent warmth that seemed to grace her cheeks could suggest as much, but nothing else seemed to suggest any sort of malady.
Perhaps Applejack was just giving her some space to get readjusted? Or to get all of the other greetings out of the way? Noble thoughts, if true, but surely the farm girl knew that she took priority over all of that. If anything, she was the biggest comfort in returning to Canterlot.

Maybe it was just as Rarity suspected and feared...
Maybe things weren't truly back to normal between them...
That was certainly the case come lunchtime, though none of her friends were acting normally then...

The days leading up to her arrival, everyone seemed absolutely ecstatic about Twilight's Telemeter. As the final piece to her friend's latest endeavor, Rarity herself couldn't wait to both contribute and witness it all in action. Monitoring for Equestrian magic was exciting enough, sure, but she was also just thrilled to finally catch a better glimpse of the little gray box—and perhaps offer some pointers so as to bring a tad more style and color to it.
Well, she certainly caught a better glimpse of it then...in the form of a borderline autopsy report.

“Twilight,” Rarity spoke quietly, unable to look away from the ruined remains of her friend's work. “I'm so sorry, darling...”

At least the engineering lab didn't look half as bad as it did on Wednesday. The reek of smoke had ebbed considerably, and now all of the broken Telemeter's pieces were gathered in a convenient little pile on the workbench. It was also nice not to be absolutely covered in recycled confetti this time around, either.
Still, the feelings in this room were as palpable as they were unpleasant. And it wasn't just coming from a justifiably crestfallen Twilight, either. Everyone seemed so gloomy and forlorn then...

“...How on earth did all of this happen?”

“I... W-We don't really know how—”

“It's my fault,” Rainbow blurted out, much to everyone's surprise. “...It's just... Super-speed makes life so much more awesome, and I get so caught up with having it that...I start overusing it, like I did here... Now, our Geodes are going haywire, their magic overloaded Twilight's machine...and it's all because of me...”
The young athlete turned to face Twilight, though shame prevented her from fully looking her friend in the eyes then.
“...I'm sorry, Twilight. I didn't mean to—”

“Wait,” Fluttershy interrupted, “it isn't just Rainbow who's been overusing her magic... Pinkie and I have been, as well...”

“Yeah,” Pinkie added ruefully, “and sometimes I don't even have a reason for using it... I just like seeing the sprinkly explosions... We're really, really sorry, Twilight...”

Rarity almost chimed in there, realizing that she too had perhaps been a bit culpable in the overloading of their Geodes. Her panels were always just such a stylishly convenient umbrella, after all—as well as a means to carry her shopping and trace straight lines and even just to gaze at in sheer appreciation of their flawless facets for hours on end...
Her joining in the group apology, however, was derailed by Sunset, who stepped up then to voice her own confession.

“You guys...it's good that you wanna take responsibility, but I think I'm the one most at fault for what's happened...”

“Whaddya mean, Sunset?” Applejack asked, only for Pinkie Pie to immediately follow with a gasp.

“Oh no! You didn't think the Microwave-thingy was actually a microwave and try to heat your lunch up in it too, did you!?”

“Uh...no? ...But I am responsible for bringing magic into this world... I was really hoping that maybe we'd seen the last of it here, but...considering what we just dealt with yesterday, and how things got so out of hand that we barely succeeded...”

“Hold up,” Rainbow said. “What does that have to do with Twilight's machine?”

“Think about it... Literally the day after it blows up, we're going face-to-face with a corrupted Trixie absolutely teeming with Equestrian magic. Doesn't the timing just seem a little too coincidental?”

“You think that's what did this?” Twilight asked.

“But...that can't be true,” Rainbow said, clearly unconvinced of her friend's reasoning. “You said it yourself: the Tele-Something broke a whole day before we dealt with Trixie. So, what, did the magic attack it, then just wait a while before going after her?”

“I mean, I'm not—”

“Also,” Twilight added, unable to ignore her own skepticism, “the Telemeter's range only covered that of CHS. Leaving aside the disparities in time, how could a magic incident from halfway across the city set it off?”

“Well, maybe—”

“And don't you think we would've noticed such a—”

“I DON'T KNOW, ALRIGHT!?”
Everyone was a bit startled by Sunset's outburst then, as well as how frustrated she seemed. It was rare to see even her wearing such a melancholy expression nowadays, but her words reflected a very familiar avenue of self-doubt and regret.

“...Sorry, I... I-I don't know, maybe I am wrong—seems like I've been nothing but wrong lately—but...it's just...”

“Sunset...what's wrong?” Twilight asked. “There's something more bothering you than just the Telemeter, isn't there?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow followed. “You can't really still be blaming yourself, right? Especially not for yesterday—not when we totally whooped that magic's sorry butt! It was over before you could even say 'Abraca—'”

“But that's just it!” Sunset snapped. “I don't think it's over! I think what happened yesterday is just the beginning!”

Again, the room was rendered silent by such a bold claim, and everyone exchanged a confused glance before Fluttershy broke that silence.

“...What do you mean 'just the beginning'? Didn't we win yesterday?”

“Yes,” Rarity continued, “with a rather flashy finish, I might add. What more is there to be said?”

Sunset took a deep breath. She had been pondering a few things all night, unsure what exactly to make of everything that went down. But a gut feeling resonated within her this entire time, and though she loathed to bring it up to her friends without more concrete proof, it seemed like there was no other option now.

“...When we were first fighting Trixie, there was a moment when I tried to grab her wand away in all the confusion.”

“I remember that,” Applejack said. “Looked like y'all were in a real tussle over it, too, but then you just sorta...stopped...like ya got a real bad headache all the sudden.”

“Yeah, that's a pretty good way of putting it. Turns out, my powers activated when I grabbed her, and...well, I saw something strange...”

Rainbow Dash raised a concerned eyebrow at that ominous wording.
“...Is this the kinda strange that would qualify as T.M.I?”

“...I think I got a glimpse of both Trixie's memories and the magic's.”

“Wait,” Twilight said, with equal measures of curiosity and worry. “Are you serious? I didn't even know magic could have memories.”

“Well...maybe that's not exactly the right word. It's really hard to explain, but...for a moment, it was like I could feel Equestria—like its atmosphere or something—then I felt like I was lost in nothingness, and then this city...and between all of those visions, there was this...anger and obsession...like something was determined to survive no matter what...”
She paused to gather her thoughts, fully aware of the bewildered looks on her friends' faces then.
“Look, I...I know it sounds crazy, but...whatever I saw back there, it definitely wasn't all Trixie... And if those intense feelings did somehow belong to that magic...then I really doubt we've seen the last of it...”

It was clear that her friends didn't fully understand what Sunset was trying to say, but her words carried with them a foreboding weight that was impossible to discredit. Considering everything that the girls had seen and lived through these many years, especially when it came to their resident Equestrian, ignoring such a premonition seemed more nonsensical than anything else. Bearing all of that in mind, however, the question now was—

“So...what should we do?”
As Fluttershy asked, everyone regarded Sunset yet again for the answer. Sadly, her slumping shoulders and heavy sigh only underlined the resignation in her response.

“..I...I don't know...”

What Rarity witnessed then was astounding.
Every one of her friends looked absolutely defeated. They seemed to recede into their own minds then, searching for some kind of obvious answer or overlooked detail that might solve everything. All of this lamenting, worrying, and pent-up guilt...
In that instant, she felt as though she were right back in that miserable little suite in Manehattan, curled up in the darkness and obsessing over her own failings. It was such an utterly oppressive atmosphere, and she nearly allowed herself to give in to it alongside the rest of her friends; however, a certain friend's actions then quickly stopped her once again.

“Twilight?” Applejack said, stepping up and trying her hardest to force a hopeful smile. “...I'm real sorry I wasn't around these past couple a' days, but...if ya want, I could take a gander at yer machine with ya... Maybe we could fix it up an'...make it better than new?”

“...I appreciate the offer, Applejack...but I'm just not sure it's even worth the effort. No matter what the reason might've been, the fact is...the Telemeter failed at what it was intended for... Who's to say that it wouldn't just fail again?”

“Especially with our magic flipping out...” followed a regretful Rainbow Dash.

“...And stronger magic probably on the loose...” continued a doubtful Sunset, before a misty-eyed Twilight spoke again to finish it all off.

“...I think, in this instance...it's probably best if we just give up on it...”

To that suggestion, Applejack could only nod in acceptance of her friend's wishes. In situations like these, she knew that her words alone probably couldn't amount to much. What she didn't know, however, was that they were certainly enough to spur someone else into speaking up then.

“Ahem...Well, now, this simply will not do!”
Rarity stepped up to join Applejack, just as Fluttershy inquired further.

“Um...what won't do, Rarity?”

“This! All of it!” she chided, spreading her arms out and motioning toward each of her friends. “Why, I'm surprised at you girls! I'm not gone a month and you've allowed your spirits to sink to such lows!? Where are the friends that I've stood beside countless times against all manner of hardships!?”

“Uh, it's not so easy when we might be the problem...”

“Hmm... And what if we are indeed the problem, Rainbow Dash? What then!? Are you simply going to sit there moping while Twilight suffers alone? Are you going to do nothing to help her!?”

“Hey,” Rainbow said, never one to let her loyalty be doubted, “I'd never leave a friend hanging like that!”

“Oh!? Well then, what, pray tell, are you going to do!?”

The young athlete stayed reluctantly silent, torn between wanting to prove her conviction and not knowing exactly how to. While she allowed her friend to come to grips with that, Rarity turned her attention elsewhere.

“And Sunset... After everything that you have done for us—everything you've helped us to come and understand about ourselves—are you truly going to continue harboring so much guilt over a mistake that you made so long ago!? I'd say you've more than made up for it, and I know everyone here would wholeheartedly agree!”

“Rarity—”

“Unh!” she said, cutting off Sunset's fruitless excuses with a stern wave of the finger before addressing everyone.
“Listen, girls... Believe me when I say that I truly understand. Failure at anything is awful, and feeling like you failed your friends is even worse... You grow so embittered with your mistakes and so afraid to make any more...”

She glanced over at Applejack before continuing, and flashed a little smile as she spoke.
“...I went through those same feelings myself not too long ago, until somebody reminded me of something very important...”

The farm girl was glad for the dim lighting then, as she was all but certain that her cheeks were practically glowing red. Thankfully, the fashionista continued on with her speech before it became too evident.

“She reminded me of the true importance of my efforts, and not just for myself...but for all of my friends. When you care about something—truly care—you can't just let stumbles and setbacks keep you down, not when it matters to both you and others. You have to get up, dust yourself off, reignite that passion and push forward! And that especially applies to the people who are most important to you...”

With naught but the utmost assurance behind her words, Rarity stepped up to her bespectacled friend and placed her hand forward. If her career in fashion had taught her anything, it's that it was always better to show than tell, and that principle easily applied to friendship as well.

“Twilight, it's clear to me that you put your heart and soul into this. As your good friend, I simply cannot stand by and allow such passion to whither away. I may not be of much assistance, but it would be my honor to assist you in any way I can to rebuild your contraption.”

Twilight was speechless...actually, everyone was then.
When it came to leaving an audience stunned, Rarity clearly still had what it takes, and not just with gorgeous frocks either. The only question now was, once the bedazzling boldness of her actions had worn off, would her message ultimately be received?
Seconds passed as she awaited an answer from her friend. In lieu of Twilight's own response, however, another girl seized on the chance by placing a shaky hand atop Rarity's.

Applejack could practically hear her heart pounding in her eardrums, and was terrified that Rarity might feel as much with the farmer's hand on top of hers then. At least it was almost loud enough to drown out the rest of her paranoid thoughts, though not quite.
What if her hand was a tad clammy? What if the blush on her cheeks was embarrassingly obvious? What if she couldn't control the trembles running along her body? What if her voice started shaking as well? Why in the world did she reach out with her hand then!?

And yet, despite all of that, Applejack couldn't help herself.
What Rarity said then, and how she conveyed it all with such dauntless confidence... It was so admirable...so amazing...and so absolutely true! And after not being there for her friend before, the farmhand was determined to help no matter what! With that in mind, she pushed past all of her fears, focused squarely on Twilight, and tried as hard as humanly possible not to let her voice shake too much as she spoke.

“Rarity's right! W-What kinda friend would I be if—if'n I didn't help others—er, a-another in need!? Don't you worry, Twilight! With my elbow grease a-an' yer brains...w-we'll get yer device up an' runnin' in—in no time flat!”

At first, Twilight didn't know what to say. And for every moment that she took to apparently process what was happening, it grew infinitely harder for Applejack to maintain her confident, can-do appearance. And if someone didn't say something soon, she was gonna be forced to look over at the beautiful woman whose hand was currently under hers, and start feeling more like an awkward idiot—

“Girls,” the young inventor finally said, “I just don't... I-I mean, I... The Telemeter's just so damaged... I've gone over the remains repeatedly... I-I just don't think it can be salvaged...”

“If that's true...” Sunset said, before adding her hand into the mix, “...we'll just have to start from scratch!”

“Sunset? But...what if it gets overloaded again, and—”

“Well, that's what prototypes are for, right? To improve on them? This time, we'll make sure your Tele-Something can handle anything that's thrown at it!”

“But we're—we're talking about reconstructing a highly advanced piece of equipment! I-It could take weeks, or even months if we factor in adding more—”

“Then we'll work overtime!” Rainbow excitedly asserted, adding yet another hand to the huddle. “And we'll do it without abusing our powers! Might've made that mistake before...but doesn't mean we can't learn and make up for it, right?”
The young athlete gave Sunset a confident nod, which earned her a playful punch on the shoulder. Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie joined their hands in as well.

“We'll do whatever we can to help you, Twilight!”

“Totally! And we'll make this Microwave-thingy the best Microwave-thingy in the history of Microwave-thingies everywhere!”

Twilight didn't know what to say.
She was obviously passionate about researching magic. In her mind, however, there were hundreds of considerations, hundreds of risks and limitations and unfavorable outcomes that all but discouraged her from pursuing this field any further. And yet, as her friends all gathered around her then, brimming with confidence and warmth and a willingness to sacrifice their own time...because they believed in her...because they cared for her...

“I...I-I can't...”

She furiously blinked back the tears welling up and struggled for a way to absolve her friends of such an imposition. But when her eyes settled on a gently smiling Sunset, one final comment ended all debate between her heart and mind.

“After everything you've given us, we'll do whatever it takes to help alleviate your burden. That's what best friends are for...right?”

With that statement, and with all of the girls' support behind it, she couldn't hold back any longer. Tears started to stream down Twilight's face, curving alongside the largest smile she'd ever mustered.

“Thank you...” she cried, leaning in to hug all of her best friends together. “THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!”

Rarity always knew that her return to Canterlot was going to be accompanied by a period of awkward readjustment; however, by the end of her first day back, things felt more-or-less exactly as she recalled. The leisurely pace of the city...the emptier walkways and streets...the sense of community fostered by so many friends and loved ones. It was all so wonderfully familiar, and it was those many familiarities that made her feel so much more at home.
It's just a shame that the one familiarity she was most looking forward to hadn't—

“Hey, uh...R-Rarity?” stammered a familiar country voice.

Applejack approached the fashionista just as she was preparing to depart from CHS, which was certainly a first for the day. After lunchtime, the farmer pretty much reverted back to her unusually reserved self, and Rarity just wasn't sure how to address her in this state.

“Oh...hello, Applejack,” she said tentatively. “Is everything alright?”

“Y-Yeah, I...I-I just...”

What was Applejack doing!? She spent all day trying to avoid interacting with Rarity for exactly this reason. Surely it was better to be distant for the time being than to make things awkward between them, right?
Already, the farm girl pushed her luck back in the engineering lab, and barely skirted by without making a complete fool of herself. Rarity had just been so captivating back there that she couldn't help but join in. It was incredible, and the seamstress deserved to know that.
She was just being honest...

“I...I just gotta tell ya...w-what you did fer Twilight was...r-really something! ...Why, I-I couldn't a' said it any better myself, an' I even tried to before...”

That was perhaps the most that her best friend had spoken to her all day. In any other situation, Rarity might've been a bit more peeved at that realization, but instead, she just felt kind of happy. Applejack still wasn't acting normally, but the sincerity behind her words was as apparent as ever, as was the unwarranted self-depreciation.

“Oh, nonsense, Applejack! I was merely being honest with her, and you practically taught me how one's words can be so uplifting. Actually, I doubt I would've even been inspired to speak up had it not been for you...”

“W-Well...y'all were definitely more inspirin' to me back there...no doubt about it.”

How is it that a humble country girl had developed such a talent for knowing exactly what to say? Even with that simple compliment, Applejack once again took her by complete surprise, and made her feel positively giddy with warmth. And she thinks she's not the more inspiring of the duo?

“T-Thank you, Applejack...”
Suddenly, Rarity herself felt a little scrambled for words. But she couldn't let such a golden opportunity pass her by. Now was perhaps her best chance.

“...A-Actually, darling... Speaking of inspiration, I-I was wondering if I could—well, if I could ask of you something...”

“O-Oh?”
Uh-oh...

“Yes, you see... Well, it's just, we're going to be so busy helping Twilight with repairs...a-and I've already got quite a lot of work to do, with regards to catching up and all that...”

“R-Right...”
This was not happening right now.

“And I'm positively dying to get to work on my little surprise for all of you girls, as I'm sure you can imagine...So, I was hoping that perhaps...you could assist me?”

“U-U-Uh...a-a-are—areya sure...about that? I-I thought they was s'pposed to be a secret... A-And y'all know how—how bad I can be with keepin' them.”
Her mind screamed for her to say no.

“Oh, I'm sure they're well aware of the kind of surprise that I'm planning for them...and I know you wouldn't dream of spoiling any of the finer details...a-and that your help would certainly be invaluable... S-So, what do you think?”

Say no. Just say no. Just say no! Just say NO! JUST SAY NO! JUST—
“S-Sure... A-Always happy to help...”

Rarity absolutely beamed then.
“Splendid, darling!” she cheered, hooking her arm around Applejack's so as to guide her along. “Oh, and just wait until you see the designs I've come up with! I mean, I dare say that it's some of my best work yet! You see, there was this little boutique I stumbled across in Manehattan that—”

Rarity excitedly went on about her many ideas as they walked out of the school, while Applejack simply continued with nervous nods and rapid replies. But the fashionista didn't mind, especially since this would also help to accelerate her extra surprise for her best friend.

Things weren't quite back to normal between them yet...
But they would be soon enough...
Soon enough...

****

How... How did this happen!?
How had its bond been so easily severed...yet again!?
Once more, something belittled its powers! Once more, it was being rejected by its host!
It was just like with that unicorn...

No...no, this was worse... Much worse...

At least the magician eventually came to her senses, and accepted its influence. That should've been the end of it! They should've been inseparable after that! And yet...

That magic... That overwhelming magic...
Stronger than anything it had ever known before. Stronger than that unicorn, stronger than those alicorns...stronger than it ever was...so much so, that it was completely ripped away from its new host, and annihilated in an instant...

In truth, none of this was technically a failure...

Only a portion of it had been sent to form a bond, while the remainder still lingered safety within the skies above. Furthermore, that confrontation actually allowed it to achieve something quite valuable: replenishment...

With every conjuring...with every transformation...with every attack and defense waged by its host back there...its essence was multiplied...
And when it became almost fully bonded with the magician, its powers were amplified...in ways even beyond what it was originally capable of...
On top of all of that, spending a bit of time bound to these creatures...these humans...helped it to better understand their inner-workings...their hearts...

Somehow...despite all of the setbacks and losses from what just occurred...there was more of it now than ever before...and it was all the stronger for it...

But this wasn't a victory... It was a warning...

Within that city, there roamed dangerous creatures... Humans who could somehow eradicate it with their own kind of magic...
Those essences it felt back at that pedestal...did that immense power belong to them? Too difficult to tell...too many forces all at once...

But just like all the other humans in this city, they too were blanketed by its rain...they too were marked with its presence...and they too were just as viable as hosts. Bonding with them might even be a more potent source of power...and perhaps they could even lead it to that unicorn... She was at that pedestal as well, after all...

Actually, it seems like quite a few hearts are beginning to grow more vulnerable now...including some of those girls'...

...A perfect chance for it to truly expand its range...and its search for her...

End of Act 2