Magic Is A Pain Sometimes

by Nature Pastel

First published March 22nd, 2020 14:30

Sunset keeps on growing ears and a tail at random times. She speaks to Princess Twilight, who starts panicking that there's some crazy dark magic going on. In a way, the princess is right, although nobody was expecting these particular villains to show up again. Except they don't go to the human world... Sunset (accidentally) goes to them, and only they can help her.

Chapters

Pony Ears and Tails
Dragged Through A Portal
How Do We Get Out Of Here?
The Dragon Problem and the Demon Problem

Pony Ears and Tails
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Magic Is A Pain Sometimes

Pony Ears and Tails

Sunset felt hot. It was only May, yet it felt like the middle of July. Then she felt herself being surrounded by magic and knew she had Ponied-Up.
"Sunset Shimmer, can you please try to control your magic?" barked Principal Celestia.
"Sorry, miss, I really didn't mean to. I'll try not to let it happen again," she replied.

The problem was, Sunset did not know how to. This was a recent problem. She would suddenly grow a magical pair of ears and a tail, despite there being no threat to the school. It was becoming difficult to hide her magic from prying eyes in public, which meant that there was a risk of people outside of Canterlot High School discovering Equestria and exploiting magic. Sunset herself knew how that ended; a demon threatening to tear the world apart with uncontrollable magic. Due to bullying, it had happened very recently to Pinkie Pie and her boyfriend Cloudy Sky, but it had all been sorted out. Yet that did not answer Sunset's question about her spontaneous magical powers. There was only one person, or, really, pony, who could help. Princess Twilight Sparkle of Friendship in Equestria.

After school, Sunset took the bus home to her tiny bungalow. She unlocked the door, walked inside, closed the door with magic and made her way to the kitchen table where her journal was waiting. She opened it and grabbed a pencil. What to write? There was so little to tell her pony friend about. Twilight already knew about Pinkie and Cloudy's ordeal. What else was there to say, other than her random bursts of magic? She sighed, and wrote about the first ideas that popped into her head.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I know I only wrote to you recently, but I feel that you need to know about the events of the last two weeks.

I have encountered a problem (once again). I have started to Pony-Up at random, although I am not using any magic. I'm worried that CHS is once again under threat, even though there is nothing obvious to worry about. As you can probably guess, it's not easy to explain. But I know as a friend that you understand. Why do you think this is happening to me? Is anyone in danger, or am I just panicking because of the excess magic running through my system?

I hope that this is a simple illness and that I will stop growing ears and a tail in public as soon as I recover. Please can you contact me as soon as you have an answer.
Your pen pal from another universe,
Sunset Shimmer.

The reply was instantaneous and did nothing to soothe her nerves. Oh my goodness Sunset. CHS is in BIG trouble! Stay alert. Tell me if you need me to jump through the mirror. I'm hyperventilating as I write. You're all in big BIG danger. That doesn't make sense. Never mind. Please try not to get killed. We've had too many close calls. I sooooo hope that this isn't huge. But I think it is. Bigger than anything you've faced so far. Stay safe. I really have to go. Twilight Sparkle. It just confirmed everything that Sunset was dreading. She couldn't deal with another demon running around.
Of course you can't deal with any more demons, you weakling, said a voice inside her head. Her own inner demon reminding her of her past.
"Shut up, you, I never asked for your opinion," Sunset told it. "Anyway, I thought I'd banished you."
I couldn't disappear just like that, could I? You're amazing company! I enjoy being with you.
"I enjoy being with you when you don't insult me. Please. Make yourself useful and think about why I'm turning into a pony every five minutes."

Sunset never questioned why she spoke out loud to the voice in her head. Why she never questioned her sanity. She didn't know if any of her other friends who had become demons - the human Twilight, Pinkie, Cloudy and Gloriosa Daisy from Camp Everfree - still had their demons lingering. She knew that Twilight had experienced problems with Midnight Sparkle, but whether Midnight was still in existence or not, Sunset didn't know.

Eureka! I have it! There must be a hidden magical threat, possibly a portal, somewhere in the area. Other than the statue of the horse in front of Canterlot, I mean. There are two possibilities: either a new threat, or an old one. You have any enemies? Wrong question. What I mean is, do you have any enemies who really hate you and would willingly use Equestrian magic to eradicate you and your friends? Am I a friend? Am I going to be destroyed in the same way that I almost destroyed both this one and Equestria?
"Woah, too many questions! Let's stick with the most important thing: who would use Equestrian magic to wipe me out of existence. I have a lot of people and ponies who dislike me, but nobody I can think of would try to kill me or torture me. I think so. I mean, I don't have a clean record, but I wasn't that bad, except when you showed up. No offense, but you caused a lot of trouble."
None taken. Plus, I might have an answer. Someone after me. Can't remember who. Girls, I think.
"There's been loads of girls."
Three girls together. After me but before Midnight Sparkle showed up. Lots of singing.
"The Sirens!" shouted Sunset. "I still don't know what to make of you, but you're good when you put your mind to something. Ok, our mind. You get the idea. The problem is, I now have more questions. What did they do and where did they go after my friends and I defeated them? They couldn't sing any more because their crystal pendants were destroyed. Have they found new ones? Oh no. Back at Everfree, the crystals in the cave were magical... They probably have." It dawned on Sunset and her demon that they had released magic into the world and could have caused even more trouble than they bargained for.

Dragged Through A Portal
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Magic Is A Pain Sometimes

Dragged Through A Portal

Sunset was having a small panic attack. She had almost Ponied-Up while on her motorbike, in clear view of everyone who thought CHS was a normal school. Her breaths were short and rapid and thoughts raced through her brain. It was like a sickness that had overtaken her. She was pacing again, waiting for the anxiety to pass. It wasn't working. She was furious with Twilight because she hadn't offered any advice, and she was supposed to be the magic expert. Her friends were not helping her to control her magic. Everyone she had turned to for help was ignoring her!

She slammed a fist on the kitchen table. A crack appeared, then it widened and turned purple around the edges. She had opened up a portal. Desperately, she tried to close it with her magic, but she was unable to. Vines crept through the rip in space and time and coiled around her ankles and wrists. She was only able to grab her journal and a pen before she was dragged through a portal that wasn't meant to exist.

The other side of the portal was a bleak wasteland. There were plants like the one that had dragged her. It had finally released her and she stood in the middle of this new world, without a clue what to do.
"Her," moaned a voice that made Sunset jump. "It has to be her."
Sunset snapped her head round to find the owner of the voice. Three girls were stood a few metres behind her. The Dazzlings.
"Oh, hey," Sunset said slowly, trying to hide the hatred from her voice.
"Hey, Sunset Shimmer," said the girl in the middle. Adagio Dazzle. "You wouldn't help us get out of here, would you?"
"Why should I help you? You tried to take over Equestria and got banished by Starswirl to the human land, which you also tried to take over in an effort to return to Equestria and tear apart both worlds! Plus," Sunset turned and pointed at a girl with blue hair in a pony tail, "Sonata stole my burrito. That was expensive. I lost ten pounds worth of burrito to a girl who eats negative emotions!"
"Yes, well, sorry," Sonata said sheepishly.
"We were hungry," Adagio added.
"Hungry for power, you mean," Sunset reminded them.
"Well yes, but hungry for someone to listen as well. How would you fell if everyone judged you on a small event in your life and didn't recognise that you had changed?"
Sunset hesitated. Judged? Changed? These girls were monsters!
"We know you know our pain of being judged, even when things are different," said Aria Blaze. "No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't convince Starswirl that we were ok. Then, in this world, we became a laughing stock."

Sunset had never thought about what the Dazzlings had been through. In all Equestrian legends, they were evil. Were they? Or did the world turn against them, like it once did to her?
"You mean - you didn't always feed of negativity?" she stammered.
"The penny's finally dropped," groaned Adagio, "of course we didn't.

"We were Starswirl the Bearded's creations, us three. Part dragon, part unicorn, part seapony. We were not the prettiest of creatures in Equestria, but, to make up for that, we were given the gift of singing. Even the birds would fall silent when we sang. Our role was to stop the Changeling invasions with negativity because, as you know, with our voices, we could use magic to gently manipulate others. We didn't mean to, it just happened because we are magical. We worked for good, not making too much negativity to start a war, but enough to prevent the Changelings feeding off Equestria's friendship. Then Starswirl realised that we weren't needed any more and sent us to retirement. But we liked performing, and he wouldn't let us. So we decided to undo our work and turn ponies against each other. It hurt us to see friends become foes, but Starswirl tried to destroy us, and we wanted to fight back against becoming statues. Then, of course, the events known in Equestria's legends took place, and we were banished here. We had to sing to get the plants to let us out, but we didn't eat or drink in such a long time that we lost our voices. We had to eat a plant to get enough water. As punishment, we weren't sent to Equestria, but the human world."

Sunset was stunned that the girls in front of her were not villains, but kind creatures who had been mistreated. Adagio wiped a tear from her eye. Some of her make-up was rubbed off and a faint scar running from just below her left eye to her cheek was revealed.
"I'm so sorry," choked out Sunset. Her own eyes were welling up with tears.
"It's ok," Sonata said, "because we deserve to be dumped here in a way. Still, it's rather miserable. Just dust and plants. And I wish we could repair these." She pulled her huge broken ruby necklace out of her jeans pocket.
"Can you sing without them?"
"Sort of. Not very well when we sing together, but fairly good at solos." She coughed quietly, then sang the words, "Changeling had a little lamb his fleece as dark as night."
"So you can sing alone. How about all three of you? Do you know any of the songs you learned for the Battle of the Bands?"
"Well," said Aria, "our necklaces allowed us to improvise while singing and still sound decent. I suppose we could try "Under Our Spell" because we practiced that a lot."
Sunset stepped back to let them prepare.

"Oh oh, oh oh, you didn't know that you fell," they sang in harmony. "Oh oh, oh oh, now that you're under our spell."
It wasn't their perfect voices from the Battle of the Bands, but it was enough to impress Sunset. She said, "Who says you need your necklaces?"
"Starswirl and his stupid magic," said Aria.
"Oh."
"They aren't beyond repair, but we have to get away from here to repair them. They are also - as far as we know - irreplaceable."
"Unless there's a certain type of crystal in a cave that I know of." Sunset smiled. "And I might know how to get out of here."

How Do We Get Out Of Here?
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Magic Is A Pain Sometimes

How Do We Get Out Of Here?

The four girls now understood each other, and Sonata had promised to buy Sunset a burrito. Obviously, when they got back to the human world. It was quite clear that the Dazzlings could not sing their way out, and Sunset's magic was unpredictable, so she didn't want to use it. She had tried signing, but she had no magically-enhanced voice. Their only hope of escaping relied on writing a letter to Twilight in the journal.
"Dear Twilight," she said as she wrote, "I am currently stuck in another dimension with the Dazzlings, but it's not as bad as it sounds. They are - for want of a better word - reformed, and we could do with some help getting out of here."

The Dazzlings are good. They never meant to hurt anyone, but Starswirl saw them as a threat, so he banished them. Then, long story short, they reached the human world, hoping to reach Equestria. They're even being nice to me, so I would really appreciate it if you could break us out of here.

I have never seen the world through their eyes, but I am astonished at how similar their lives are to mine is, or was, depending on your perspective. I feel that they could do with a second chance (and an apology from Starswirl!) when we are free,but of course we have to be free first. Wait, I've lost the thread of this letter, but I think you get the point.

"Please help out as soon as possible,
Your friend Sunset," she finished. A reply whizzed through within seconds. Sunset read aloud, "Starswirl is here. He says there is no way to escape unless you use REALLY powerful magic. Even he isn't strong enough to help. Even he and all the Princesses AND the Elements of Harmony. You have to break out from the INSIDE. Oh my, I'm hyperventilating. Have to go, dragon problem." She groaned in unison with the Dazzlings, then looked around nervously at the wasteland. This was no place to be imprisoned for centuries. She began to panic, and had to sit down.
"Woah, calm down, you're glowing!" Sonata told Sunset. She was right - Sunset's hands were glowing with magic, as if on fire, and it was spreading slowly up her arms. Sunset slowed her breathing and the glow stopped spreading.
"Wait, you used magic to come here, surely you can use it to make a portal back to your house?" Sonata questioned.
Sunset thought about this and said, "I could. Recently, my magic has been - for lack of a better word - weird, but I could try."

The Dazzlings stepped back to let Sunset prepare. She focused on her magic and moved her hands around, feeling for a fault that could allow her to open a portal. She got up and moved around, but there wasn't any sign of a fault. She knew that she would have felt a tingling sensation in her hands, the same tingling brought on whenever she neared the portal at Canterlot High School. But there was nothing. If she wanted a fault, she had to make one. She stomped her foot in anger and frustration and disappointment. Then she was surrounded by her magic and felt herself being lifted into the air.
Remember me?! a sinister voice said in her head. Her inner demon. The same demon who had taken over at the Fall Formal and tried to take over Equestria. I'm coming back, I'm coming back!
"Help!" she yelled. The Dazzlings looked up and gasped. "I need a hand!"
They can't help. Only YOU can stop me, and by the look on your face, you have no idea how to!
That pushed Sunset over the edge. She resisted, pulled against the magic she couldn't control. She remembered placing Twilight's crown on her head and the feeling of being overwhelmed by magic. She could not let herself be taken over again. She pulled harder.
No no no no no! her inner demon shrieked, fearing she would escape.

Sunset was pulled into the huge sphere of magic. She could feel her inner demon trying to take over.
"No," she said aloud, "you're in the past. You are not me."
"We are the same," it said through her mouth.
Singing broke through. "Me and you, you and me, why don't we see who is better? We don't have to be one and the same thing," the Dazzlings sang note-perfect. It boosted Sunset's confidence.
"Yes, why are we the same?" she asked herself. "We're not. We used to be. I was what you would call a bad girl. Not any more."
"We are the same."
"No. I have a song to remind me that we are not." She cleared her throat, then sang, "I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say, that my past does not define me, 'cause my past is not today."

As she sang the final, high, note, the magic around her exploded outwards. Sunset had a pair of huge, feathered wings, pony ears, a tail, and a long, golden horn. Her skin was covered in that magical, fiery glow again. The Dazzlings stared at her, each mouth forming a perfect comical O.
"Woah," breathed Adagio.
"That," whispered Aria.
"Is cool," finished Sonata.
"I know," replied Sunset. She flew down to them. "And you helped me. When you were singing, every note was perfect. There was some kind of - magic - in you. Those necklaces of yours may be destroyed, but I don't think you need them. You could spread positivity and friendship with your voices. Who knows where this could lead you?" As she said this, a portal opened to Sunset's bungalow. She smiled and said, "Apparently it leads you to the human world. I'm not surprised. We could all do with some positive vibes from time to time."

They all walked through the portal and into Sunset's kitchen. As Sunset left the wasteland, her ears, tail, wings and horn disappeared. At the last moment, Sunset used magic to grab her journal and the pen before the portal closed.
"We should go," said Adagio.
"No way!" cried Sunset.
"The last time we saw you, we had tried and failed to kill you and your friends. I'm pretty sure they don't want to see us again."
"No. I'm sure they would forgive all of you if you explained to them what you've been through. But I can't let you just walk off. Almost every creature in Equestria, be it pony, dragon or three-headed dog, has an identical person here. I can't let you run into yourself."
Aria laughed, "You're kidding. There could be another us?!"
"Not kidding. I don't think I could handle two of each of you, so I think you should return home."
They stared at her. "Equestria?" they asked together with doubt.
"Exactly. You were under pressure when you attacked Equestria. You can be excused."
Adagio smiled. "Girls, we're going home." The smile faded. "But aren't you a unicorn? How comes you won't go back?"
"Well, Equestria didn't like me. I probably could go back, but I've made this place my home. Plus, Princess Twilight wants an ambassador here in case any weird magical threats pop up. Come on, we should head to Canterlot." Sunset scribbled in her journal, "Hey Twilight, Dazzlings are coming home to Equestria," and the girls left the bungalow. Sunset locked the door and they made their way to the bus stop.

The Dragon Problem and the Demon Problem
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Magic Is A Pain Sometimes

The Dragon Problem and the Demon Problem

Twilight stood still, her wings drooping. She had just had the fight of her life against an army of a thousand dragons. A thousand. A. Thousand. Dragons. She was having trouble coming to terms with this. She had almost forgotten how to calm down.
"You did it," said Celestia, making Twilight jump.
"I know," she breathed.
"You are one amazing pony."
"Am I?"
"You are."
"I really hope that doesn't happen again."
"What part? The battle against the dragons or the huge explosion caused by your magic?"
"All of it," Twilight panted, "my, my, magic is a pain sometimes, isn't it?"

The ponies around her were getting up, rubbing their sore eyes and looking at the purple alicorn who had created the blast of magic that drove the dragons away. It had never even been heard of before, and was unlikely to happen again. Among the ponies were Twilight's five best friends: Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. They walked over, then sped up to a trot, then they galloped towards their friend, beaming. Celestia stepped to one side as they exchanged hugs and the other ponies gave a round of applause and whistled and whooped and cheered. It was a huge victory. Equestria didn't like upsetting their dragon neighbours, but the dragons had been trying to take the Crystal Heart and were destroying the Crystal Empire in the process. Mainly by eating as many gems as possible.

All the ponies except for the Main 6 and Celestia stayed to repair the damage caused by the dragons. However, Celestia and the Main Six had to find Starswirl and Spike. They were found in Princess Cadance's palace, which was miraculously still intact. Then they had to teleport to Twilight's palace to help Sunset. Twilight raced to the mirror portal and opened the glowing, vibrating journal next to it, fearing that Sunset was being attacked by the Sirens. She read aloud: "Hey Twilight, Dazzlings are coming home to Equestria." Everypony in the room gasped.
"Uh-oh," said Pinkie Pie.
"Please tell me that isn't as bad as it sounds," groaned Rainbow.
"Well," replied Fluttershy, "Sunset said they were reformed, that they had learned from their mistakes. I think she's right."
Celestia said to all of them, "I trust Sunset Shimmer's judgement. I was only a filly when the Sirens were banished, and I did not know their entire story. However, based on her previous letter, I think that she is correct." She turned to Twilight. "I have to go back to Canterlot to see Luna. Send a letter to Sunset in the journal and go through the portal." Twilight nodded and Celestia disappeared. Twilight scribbled a note to Sunset, told her friends to stay in case the Dazzlings were still dangerous, and placed the journal on the stand above the mirror. She ran through the glass and was suddenly in Canterlot High School's courtyard.

It was exactly the same as last time: the statue of a horse on its hind legs stood proud and tall behind her; the school building gleamed like new in front of her. She sat by the portal and waited until she heard Sunset's voice. She got up and went, "Boo!" from behind the statue. Sunset and the Dazzlings jumped and laughed.
"So, the famous Princess Twilight Sparkle," said Adagio, "we meet again. Apologies for the whole take-over-the-school thing, it was nothing personal."
"No problem," Twilight replied. "Time to return to Equestria." The Dazzlings came forward, but Sunset stayed where she was. "Sunset?"
"No," said Sunset.
"You're not banned from coming home, you know."
"No. I don't want to. I hurt too many people - I mean ponies - when I was there."
"If the Dazzlings and Discord the Draconequis can be forgiven, so can you."
"The Sirens had thousands of years to be forgiven in."
"I forgave Discord very quickly."
"No. I can't leave this world. It's just as fascinating as Equestria."
"Why not come on holiday here?"

Sunset had never, ever thought of this. A holiday? She'd never even imagined Twilight saying those words. A holiday. It wasn't permanent, so why not? Unless Twilight Sparkle stopped her from leaving...
She would never do that.
How do YOU know?!
Because she's my friend.
Princess Twilight Sparkle is famous. She has lots of friends.
Shut up and...
It's bad for your psyche to swear at yourself. It's bad for my psyche for you to exist.
"Well?" questioned Twilight, cutting off the argument in Sunset's head between herself and her demon.
"Sure, why not? Apologies, my demon persona and I were having a row."
"That can't be good."
"It speaks to me every day. It tried to take over while I was trapped in that other dimension with the Dazzlings-"
"You can use our names, you know," said Aria.
"And I had to fight it off with magic. I used more magic than I have ever used, even in Equestria."
"Ouch," the Dazzlings said together.
"Shut. Up. Demon. Not. Interested," Sunset said through gritted teeth.
"What did she say?" asked Twilight nervously.
"Something about a grand scheme to take over the world. Honestly, the only way that's happening is if I let it out. Which. Is. Not. Happening. Shut. Up. In. There."
"You should pay attention to what it says, whether it is out of the ordinary or not," said Adagio, "our inner dragons tell us a lot about ourselves. It could let something slip." She looked at the portal.
"Equestria, here we come!" Sonata squealed. The Dazzlings held hands and ran through the portal. Twilight nodded to Sunset and said, "When school finishes for summer, pop over for two weeks. Until then." Sunset watched her friend disappear through the portal.

In Equestria, the Dazzlings were getting very excited. Adagio Dazzle could not stop grinning, Aria Blaze was admiring her pony self in the mirror, and Sonata Dusk was jumping higher than Pinkie Pie and yelling, "Oh my gosh, I'm a pony, I'm a pony!"
Twilight coughed. They all stopped and looked at her. Twilight turned her head slightly. The Dazzlings turned their heads.

Celestia, Luna and Starswirl were there.
Starswirl spoke first. "Adagio, Aria, Sonata. My beautiful creations of love and hate. I owe you three an apology. I should not have tried to get rid of you. You can create friendship as well as destroy it. I should have let you do what you love. Apology accepted?" The three ponies ran up to Starswirl and hugged him.
"I think they've forgiven you," Celestia laughed. "You three are powerful, and will make a great asset to Equestria. There will always be a place for you in Equestria - as long as you keep those dragons under control. I've had enough of dragons for a few days, what with those thousand creatures descending on the Crystal Empire." She shook her head.
Adagio stopped hugging Starswirl, looked up and asked, "What do we do first?"
"Well," said Luna, "I could do with a hand when dream walking."
"And I think Equestria needs more love and friendship spread around," added Celestia.
"Plus, the Changelings now feed off love all the time and are allied with Equestria, so you could go and help them," said Twilight.
"Woah, woah, too much to do!" exclaimed Adagio.
"You could split up," Luna suggested.
"Yeah," murmured Aria, "we could. One of us could work throughout Equestria in the day, one of us could walk in dreams with Princess Luna, and one of us could work outside Equestria with the dragons and Changelings. Who's going where?"
"I would like to work in the day," said Adagio, her unicorn horn lighting up.
"Oh, oh, I could be with the Changelings and the dragons!" shouted Sonata. "I am a pegasus, after all."
"Maybe we can have shifts. One week, I work in the day, the next week I dreamwalk, then the next week I spend time with the Changelings and dragons."
"Brilliant," said Luna. She frowned for just a moment, then smiled. Still, Twilight noticed. She ignored it.
"So, we have a schedule to stick to," she began, "Sonata, this is your week outside Equestria. Aria, you can work with Luna this week. Adagio, I'll need your help here in Ponyville, and we might have to go to the Crystal Empire to help out there..."

Author's Note

Oh yeah, I forgot to credit SSPeanutButter for the whole Sunset's-demon-speaks-in-red concept. Thank you SSPeanutButter for including this in your story What The Left Hand Is Doing. For those of you who haven't read it, it's based after the Friendship Games and was written before Legend of Everfree came out. It's about Sci-Twi and the new voice in her head called Midnight Sparkle. I would absolutely 100% recommend it - it was hilarious in places!