Chapters "Remember to do your homework from now on Rainbow Dash or I might have to contact your parents about this," Principal Celestia said, looking sternly at Rainbow Dash from across her desk. Rainbow was casually slouching down on the chair with a cocky smirk plastered onto her face.
"Will do, Principal Celestia!" she said with a salute as she grabbed her backpack from under the desk. "Well, I got band practise now so gotta run." Celestia watched, unamused as the young athlete left her office.
"Second detention this week," she sighed disappointedly to herself as she began to stack up some papers.
Rainbow walked across the school corridors, whistling to herself. She stopped when she arrived in front of the music room. Sounds of instruments playing together echoed loudly and Rainbow Dash pressed her ear against the door to hear the song playing. "Not bad," she muttered as she continued to listen. Once she was certain the song had ended, she opened the door to greet her friends. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late!"
"Another missing homework assignment, huh Dash?" Applejack joked.
"It's not my fault I have other more awesome things to do which don't include homework!"
"Like being in detention?"
Rainbow Dash glared at her as she chuckled. "Hey, where's my guitar?" she asked, scanning around the room for her precious instrument.
"Right here," Sunset said as she handed over the electric guitar. It glistened as the sun shone through the window and lightning bolts were positioned on it's red fretboard. Rainbow's smile turned into a frown as she felt her hand touch something sticky. She cautiously examined the pink, sticky substance staining her fingers before taking a little lick. A grin crept up her face as she licked her fingers one more time.
Putting her hand on her hip she said,"I'm pretty sure I didn't leave cake frosting on here." Rainbow Dash questioningly raised an eyebrow to Pinkie Pie who was nervously smiling.
"What cake frosting?" she asked as she quickly licked her cake-smeared lips.
The door swung open as Trixie entered with a noticeable scowl as she clutched onto her broken guitar like it was a sword. "Which one of you low-lifes broke my guitar?!" There was a silence as the main 7 blinked.
"What are you talking about Trixie? We never broke your guitar," Twilight finally said.
"You expect me to believe that?! Why I oughta-"
"Ok hold up! What proof do you have?" Rainbow interrupted.
"Well as devious as you may be Rainbooms, the great and powerful Trixie is very skilled when it comes to tracking down her enemies. You masterminds left this behind!" She held up a badge.
"Our band's logo badge? Wherever did you manage to get one of those? There's only 7 for each of us!" Rarity exclaimed.
"One of you left this at the scene of the crime. So the culprit must be the one missing their badge. So show me which of you have your badges and which of you...don't," Trixie smiled menacingly.
"But we-" Fluttershy started.
"Silence! Show me each of your badges!" Fluttershy flinched back at her sudden outburst and whimpered as she held out her badge. "Looks like you weren't the culprit, but I know all of you are in on this so don't think you're off the hook!" Trixie looked at Sunset and smiled, "Well, it's most likely to be you Little Miss Demon! Once a villain, always a villain. Show me your badge if you even have it."
"Oh brother!" Sunset rolled her eyes as she showed her badge. Trixie nodded in satisfaction and turned to her next opponent.
"Twilight?"
Twilight groaned and held up her badge. "Is this enough proof for you?"
"Perfect," Trixie said as she turned to the remaining four. "Do I really need to say anything?" Applejack held out her badge, then Rarity and then Pinkie Pie. Everyone in the room turned to Rainbow Dash and gasped. "I knew it! Of course it was you!" Trixie spat out, bitterly.
"What? No! I have my badge, just lemme get it. Hold up a sec," Rainbow defended as she frantically searched her backpack and pockets for her badge. "Uhh...it's definitely here!" Sunset bit her lip and the rest of the main 7 nervously looked over at their friend who was about to be proven guilty.
Trixie put her hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at the panic stricken Rainbow Dash who was on her knees, desperately rummaging through her belongings. Shaking her head disappointedly, she held up her hand to tell Rainbow to stop. "I've seen enough. Just wait till Principal Celestia hears about this." She turned towards the exit.
"No wait! Please Trixie, I swear I didn't do anything!"
"Tell it to the judge!"
"I wonder what's going on in there," Fluttershy squeaked as she and her friends eavesdropped outside Principal Celestia's office.
"I hope she's okay," Applejack said.
"I don't get it. Dash would never do that. Unless she didn't. She could have been...framed!" Sunset paced back and forth.
"But by who?" Rarity asked.
"Someone who hates her!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Alright, I'm tired of just waiting around. It's time to march up to Principal Celestia and say that our good friend, Rainbow Dash has been FRAMED!" Pinkie was about to open the door until it swung open and hit her on the face, making her comically fall backwards.
"Rainbow!" Sunset, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack exclaimed.
"Don't worry about me, I'm okay!" Pinkie called out, stars swirling above her head.
"Hey guys," Rainbow said, glumly.
"What happened?" Sunset asked.
"I'll be in detention for two weeks unless I can prove I've been framed, which I did!"
Trixie stormed out of the office, red with anger. "If you ask me, you should have been kicked out of your dumb band for committing such a crime!"
"It wasn't me!" Rainbow snapped, equally as mad.
"Yeah, sure it wasn't (!)" Trixie walked off.
"Don't worry, Dash. We'll prove your innocence!" Twilight said.
"You don't have to."
"Why not?" Rarity asked.
"Because I quit."
Author's Note
What do you think?
"You what?!" The main 7 (except Rainbow Dash of course) exclaimed.
"You heard me, I quit," Rainbow replied coldly.
"But...why? We can still prove your innocence!" Sunset stuttered.
"Well you don't need to because I'm quitting anyway! It's not worth it."
"Rainbow, is this just because your getting two weeks of detention?" Rarity asked, gently whilst resting a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Rainbow Dash pulled away and said, "It's not because of that. Good luck for the concert, I know you'll do great without me." She gave a little smile before walking away.
"Rainbow Dash, wait! Don't go!" Twilight called after her but Rainbow just ignored her.
"Rainbow, can't quit! The band won't be the same without her!" Applejack said to her friends.
"If only she'd tell us why. Something definitely seems to be troubling her," Fluttershy said anxiously.
"You know what we have to do, right guys?" Pinkie said, determinedly. Her friends exchanged confused glances as Pinkie Pie facepalmed herself and sighed. "We have to get to the bottom of this! HELLO! Rainbow needs us and even if she doesn't want us interfering, we'll do it anyway!"
"I don't think that's what we should do, Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash really doesn't want us interfering. We'll just make her mad!" Sunset said.
Pinkie waved her hand dismissively. "Eh, she'll thank us later! She may think it's a good idea to quit the band now but she doesn't know how much she really needs to be in this band. She loves it! So who's with me?!" Pinkie put her hand in the middle, waiting for the others to join her.
"Sounds like a plan," Applejack said as she placed her hand on Pinkie.
"Count me in," Fluttershy said as she put her hand in the middle.
"It's not like anyone else has any better ideas," Rarity sighed, joining her friends in their mission.
"We'll give your idea a try, Pinkie," Twilight reluctantly agreed. All the friends looked up at Sunset, waiting for her answer.
Sunset sighed, "Why not?" All six friends had their hands in the middle.
"For Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie yelled as they all lifted their arms in unison. Sunset bit her lip uneasily as she thought how Rainbow Dash would react.
Rainbow sat on the bench at break and sighed forlornly to herself. "Way to go, Rainbow Crash (!) You really messed things up again."
"Mind if I sit here?" A voice asked. Rainbow looked up to see Flash Sentry, smiling at her.
"Sure, why not?" Rainbow scooched over and gave Flash some space to sit down next to her.
"So, shouldn't you be with your friends practising for your show? I heard it's next week, can't wait to see it!"
Rainbow Dash smiled at him and muttered, "I'm not in the band anymore. I quit. But I'm pretty sure the show will still be epic."
Flash couldn't believe what he had just heard. His mouth went agape and Rainbow tried her best not to laugh at his dumbfounded face. "Wait a minute, did you just say...you quit?"
"Yeah."
"But I don't understand, what happened?! Why would you quit? You're really awesome on that guitar of yours!" Rainbow smiled a little bit at the compliment but her heart was still full of sorrow. She wasn't prepared to tell her friends why she quit and she definitely wouldn't tell Flash Sentry even though he was just trying to be helpful.
"I just decided it was for the best. I'd prefer if no one interfered." She nervously scuffed the concrete floor, trying to avoid eye contact with Flash.
"Uh, right..." Flash said, still confused as he awkwardly scratched his head, "I'll leave you alone, if you want." Rainbow Dash didn't reply. Flash had never seen Canterlot High's top athlete without her pride and cocky attitude. In fact, she was never this upset. 'It's probably best to leave her alone, ' he thought. He stood up but before he left, he smiled at Rainbow and said gently, "If you change your mind and want to talk, I'll be available." He walked away leaving Rainbow Dash to think. Rainbow Dash felt tears welling up in her eyes as they rolled down her cheeks and sunk into the ground. In silence, she cried to her heart's content.
Rainbow walked over to her locker and when she opened it she screamed, falling backwards. "PINKIE PIE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY LOCKER?!" Pinkie giggled a bit and fell out the locker.
"Oh boy is it cramped in there! I got you good, though. Pranked ya!" Rainbow stared at her, clearly annoyed and not in the mood for Pinkie's antics.
"I'm not in the mood for pranks, Pinkie Pie," she snapped.
"What?! But you're always in the mood for pranks!" She wrapped an arm around around Rainbow's shoulder, "We're basically CHS's top pranksters! We've literally pranked everyone in this school, even the teachers!" Rainbow pulled Pinkie's arm of her shoulder.
"Uh huh, but I don't care about pranks anymore. I've changed! Okay?"
"Do you still care about sports though?"
"No!"
"Why are you wearing a skort then?" Pinkie gestured to the pink and white skort on her friend.
"Fine, see me tomorrow and I won't be wearing this!"
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie watched as her friend stormed off.
"Oh wow, Rainbow sure was serious," Sunset muttered.
"No joke," Applejack said, her eyes still glued on Rainbow Dash.
Pinkie cupped her chin before saying, "Hey, she looks kinda like-"
"ME!" Twilight gasped.
"She's wearing what you wore in Camp Everfree," Rarity said, "But honestly darling, it isn't the best outfit. Could use some work."
"Hey!" Twilight defended.
"She's even wearing glasses!" Fluttershy said, "I never thought I'd see her like this."
"But why is she trying to prove she's someone else! This isn't like her," Sunset said.
"I asked if she was still into pranks and she said no. I asked her if she was still into sports and she said no but I asked why is she still wearing a skort. Then she said she was going to change outfits tomorrow to prove that she has changed," Pinkie explained, licking a chocolate ice cream.
Sunset walked over to Rainbow Dash who was standing next to her locker reading a book. "Hey Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow looked up from her book to see Sunset.
"What do you want?" she asked, harshly.
"Rainbow Dash, we don't know why you quit the band but we do know you're acting really unlike yourself. You don't have to pretend that you've changed. We like you the way you were before!"
"Who said anything about pretending? I have changed."
"You can deny it all you want but you haven't changed. You still secretly like pranks and playing sports and you do want to be in the Rainbooms because you love playing your guitar!" Sunset said, starting to get angry.
"Listen, I don't like any of those stuff. And it's not your concern why I quit the band!"
"We're your friends! Of course it's our concern!" Twilight walked over to Sunset and pulled her back.
"Sunset we should go now," Twilight said, trying to calm her friend down.
"Yeah I think you should," Rainbow muttered.
"But you-"
"Sunset," Twilight said, sternly, interrupting her friend.
"Okay, I'm sorry for disturbing you Rainbow Dash," Sunset Shimmer spoke, softly, regaining her calm again. Twilight and Sunset walked back to their friends and Rainbow continued reading, trying to ignore the fact that everything Sunset said about her just then was true.
Author's Note
Feel free to leave a comment
Lilac sat down on the bench with her new guitar. "Good thing I already know how to play this," she smirked to herself as she played a little tune on her instrument. Fluttershy was walking across the playground but she saw a shining blue and red colour at the corner of her eye. Curiously, she turned to look in Lilac's direction to see her holding a guitar.
"Isn't that Rainbow Dash's guitar?" Fluttershy muttered to herself before cautiously approaching the girl. "Um excuse me?" She squeaked, catching Lilac's attention.
"Yes?" Lilac asked with a wide grin.
"Are you new around here? I don't think I've seen you at CHS before." Fluttershy sat down on the bench, next to Lilac.
"Yes, I just moved here from Crystal Prep," Lilac replied, still wearing her fake, polite grin. "My name's Lilac." She held out her hand.
"Oh, I'm Fluttershy," Fluttershy muttered as she gently shook the outstretched hand.
"Good to meet you. It is awfully hard to fit in when you're new. I just can't seem to make any friends," Lilac sighed as she turned her head away in shame.
"Yeah, that was the same with me when I moved here. But don't worry, everyone is really nice and they'll definitely make you feel right at home in a couple of weeks or so. It won't take much time," Fluttershy reassured.
"Well, I'll take your word for it," she said, "Someone as nice as you would definitely get a lot of friends."
"Why, thank you!" Fluttershy giggled as she blushed, "And I don't mind being friends Lilac, just wait until I introduce you to the rest of my group! They'd just want to be friends right away!" Fluttershy looked down and saw Lilac's guitar again. "Oh uh where did you get that guitar? It looks a lot like my friend Rainbow Dash's."
"Well, that's because she gave it to me," Lilac quickly said, "I may not have many friends here but Dash and I know each other from before. But she told me that you, her and the rest of your group are all part of a band. She also told me that she recently quit the band but she never mentioned why for some odd reason. She said she wanted me to have this as I also play the guitar."
"She gave you her guitar?!" Fluttershy gasped. "I never thought Rainbow would give away her guitar to someone else. This might be a bigger problem than we thought."
"She never told you why she quit? Even though she's your best friend?" Lilac asked, pretending to be shocked.
"Yeah," Fluttershy muttered, biting her lip nervously. 'Lilac does have a point. Rainbow is our best friend and yet she never told us what was troubling her. Strange,' Fluttershy thought. "Excuse me a moment. I need to go somewhere real quick. I'll see you at lunch then? I can introduce you to the rest of my friends and we can all have lunch together. That sound alright?" Fluttershy asked as she stood up.
"Sure Fluttershy. I'm cool with that. See you at lunch!" Lilac watched as Fluttershy ran off, presumably to tell her friends about the guitar. Her friendly smile transformed almost instantly into a menacing one that would make anyone who passes by shiver. "Looks like I got more than I bargained for," she muttered to herself, "That means my plan isn't over yet. I'm going to get my place in the Rainbooms. They can't say no to their new friend. That fool Fluttershy basically made me an easy replacement for Rainbow Dash." Lilac stoked the strings of her guitar as her plan formulated in her brain. Step by step. Detail by detail. Inch by inch.
"It's definitely Rainbow's guitar. Lilac said so herself. Apparently, she and Rainbow Dash know each other from before," Fluttershy explained to her friends.
"Rainbow would never give away her guitar!" Rarity exclaimed, shocked.
"Well, I'm not that surprised anymore. She quit the band, she doesn't really talk to us and she dresses us like me!" Twilight said.
"Yeah she looks like a total nerd now. No offense Twi," Pinkie said. Twilight just groaned and rolled her eyes in return.
"What else did this Lilac girl say, Fluttershy?" Sunset asked.
"Well that's about it. She said that she plays the guitar so Dash gave it to her. And by the way, she was really nice and she's having lunch with us today," Fluttershy said.
"I dunno, something's not right about this Lilac girl," Sunset said, concernedly, "And besides, I don't want to give Rainbow Dash the impression that she's being replaced."
"Nonsense! Why would Dashie think that? Ah think that she just needs some time on her own and soon she'll be coming over to us, explaining why the heck she quit in the first place! Rainbow will be fine, knowing her she'll be back in a couple of weeks," Applejack reassured Sunset whilst resting her hand on her shoulder.
"Well, okay. If you all think it'll be fine then it's fine by me. We'll see how Lilac is, Fluttershy," Sunset said, still secretly doubting this idea in her mind.
.
It was lunch and the Rainbooms were with Lilac in the cafeteria.
"Wow, your dad is an actual explorer?!" Applejack gasped, "That is so darn cool!"
"Yeah, he's traveled around the whole globe," Lilac chuckled as scooped up a spoonful of peas and ate it.
"And your mom is a scientist? She sounds really fascinating!" Twilight added.
"She taught me a thing or two about all of that sciencey stuff. It does help in school I guess," Lilac said.
"You have 5 siblings, huh? That seems like a big family. Which means...an even bigger PARTY!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You may or may not know this about me but partying is my thing," Pinkie whispered with a wink.
"I think I already guessed that," Lilac laughed.
"Lilac, you certainly have some very nice clothes you are wearing!" Rarity complimented, "And those shoes are absolutely gorgeous darling!"
"Thanks, I got those for my birthday," Lilac smiled.
"You're very lucky Lilac," Fluttershy said with a warm smile. The conversation continued but Sunset didn't contribute as she was too busy lost in her thoughts, wondering about Lilac and Rainbow Dash. Sunset decided to ask about Rainbow Dash to Lilac and see how she'd respond.
"Hey Lilac?" Sunset asked as everyone turned their attention to her.
"Yeah?"
"You said you knew Rainbow Dash before you joined the school, right? I'm just a bit curious, how did the two of you get to know each other?" Sunset asked, leaning slightly forward.
"Well, me and Rainbow Dash used to go to this club together when we were both in primary school. It was an out of school soccer club and we got in touch there. In middle school, we sorta stopped talking as we both left the club and when I joined CHS, I recognised Rainbow. Does that answer your question?" Lilac flashed a smile again.
"Oh yeah, thanks. I'm just a bit confused why Rainbow Dash would give up her guitar, though. Did she mention why? Sorry if I'm asking so many questions, I just want to figure out why Rainbow is acting so different," Sunset chuckled, adding a bit more politeness into her conversation.
"No worries, it's completely understandable why you want to know. After all, she is your friend so she was meant to tell you. But no, she didn't mention why she wanted to give up her guitar. I even asked her but she just said she had no use for it anymore. I think she meant because she's not in the band, she doesn't need a guitar. Although, I wonder why she gave it to me, even though I'm not in the Rainbooms," Lilac chuckled.
"Yes, Rainbow has been acting different. I think we can all agree," Rarity said, "I wonder why though."
"Can you guys give me a tour of the school after?" Lilac quickly asked, trying to change the topic, "I sort of need to know my way around."
"Sure! We know every inch of this place!" Pinkie said. They all stood up with their trays and departed the table. Sunset sighed and followed, reluctantly.
Author's Note
Hey guys!
I decided to do a chapter on Lilac. Hope you liked it!
"So this is a cupboard. Oh and this is another cupboard. Over here is some old gum stuck under a desk. I know right, gross! Now come on, let me show you were the toilets are!" Pinkie Pie said, leading the tour.
"Pinkie, I think what Lilac meant by a tour was to show her all the important classrooms. I don't think looking at gum and cupboards is all that...um, fascinating!" Rarity explained.
"Why don't we show her the music room next?" Fluttershy asked, "It's probably one of our favourite classrooms in all of CHS!"
"Sure! I'd love to see that!" Lilac giggled. They arrived in front of the music room. Lilac pushed open the doors to enter and grinned as if she had just been given a birthday present. "Wow! This is really cool!" She said, examining every detail of the large instrument filled room.
"We do most of our band practises in here," Applejack said.
"You sure do a good job of practising. I've heard your latest concert and was amazed. It was awesome!" Lilac flattered. The girls blushed in response to that but Sunset wasn't convinced. 'They're falling for it. Good job Lilac! Except for that Sunset Shimmer brat. She doesn't seem like she's buying it. I'll deal with her later, in private,' Lilac mentally noted. Her thoughts were interrupted as the end of lunch bell rang.
"Oh looks like lessons are gonna start now! Well, we better get back to class," Twilight said.
"Right, yes. Oh do you mind if I leave my guitar here?" Lilac asked, taking the guitar case of her back. Sunset scowled when Lilac had said "my guitar". Luckily, no one noticed her scowl. "My locker is currently broken and I need a place to keep my belongings temporarily," Lilac continued.
"No problem, just put it next to our instruments," Pinkie said. Lilac smiled and placed her guitar next to the Rainbooms instruments.
'Soon, I'll be in that band!' Lilac thought as she and the others left the room, getting ready for lessons.
It was science and Rainbow Dash sat in her seat, which was next to Pinkie Pie. Except this time she felt more awkward sitting next to her former friend. 'It's just not the same as it was before. I wish Lilac never joined CHS,' Rainbow thought to herself, avoiding eye contact with her bubbly pink companion.
"Hey Rainbowwww," Pinkie whispered in Rainbow Dash's ear.
"H-hi," she stuttered back, fidgeting uncomfortably. The lesson went on. Rainbow watched sleepily at the clock which ticked super slowly, making each passing second feel like a whole tiring minute. Finally, the bell rang. "Freedom!" Rainbow muttered to herself, standing up from her seat and picking up her bag.
"You wanna walk to the next lesson with me and the other girls?" Pinkie Pie asked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was desperate to say yes and finally reunite with her bestest friends in the whole world but Lilac had blackmailed her into staying away from them.
"Thanks but I'm fine," Rainbow replied, feeling deeply hurt.
"Still not gonna tell us what's wrong, huh?" Pinkie sighed. Not knowing what to respond, Rainbow turned away. "Okay well no problem. Tell us when you feel like it," Pinkie said with a faint smile but her emotions were slightly disappointed. Rainbow watched as she left with the others and...Lilac.
"What?!" Rainbow muttered under her breath, shocked. She followed them at a safe distance just to make sure it was true. But it was. Her friends were laughing and talking with Lilac, just the seven of them. Rainbow Dash paused in her tracks. Feeling her heart sink. Her vision obscured with tears. Her whole body wanting to collapse. Her friends and Lilac walked off, towards the classroom. And Rainbow Dash felt truly replaced. She quickly ran off to the bathroom, not caring whether she was late to lessons or not. Slam! She locked the door and began to cry, alone. After 20 minutes, she stood up, wiped away her tears and went to lessons, expecting a very angry english teacher.
"Rainbow Dash! You're late! Detention after school!" Miss Marigold boomed. Lilac was sitting in the corner of the classroom, smiling wickedly. Everything for her was going to plan. Rainbow sat down next to Sunset, her usual place for English. She felt the slight tinge of awkwardness like she did with Pinkie but only this time her heart was broken. Sunset noticed Rainbow's red eyes.
"Hey, um, you alright?" Sunset whispered quietly to Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah," Rainbow replied bitterly which made Sunset move back a bit.
'Does she think we replaced her? Oh no! I knew being with Lilac was a bad idea! Why did I listen to the others? How could I be so stupid?! I'm a pathetic friend. I haven't even tried asking Rainbow again about her acting so different. Does she think I'm mean now?' Sunset continued to think about all these different questions swarming her mind, but she was oblivious to the fact that the teacher was calling her name.
"SUNSET SHIMMER!" Miss Marigold yelled, frustrated. This snapped Sunset out of her deep trail of thoughts making her nearly jump out of her chair in alarm. "I said your name ten times now! Answer the question on the board please," Miss Marigold said, harshly.
Lilac felt worried. 'What was Sunset thinking about? She seemed very deep in her thoughts. Was she suspecting something about me being the cause to Rainbow acting different? I need to do something about Sunset, fast. The others are fine with me but she isn't. I need to think of a way to get her to like me before she uncovers my secret,' Lilac thought.
It was the end of the day and Lilac was to the bus stop. "That was a good day!" She chuckled to herself whilst clutching onto her bag. "Now just one more thing to deal with." She sat down at the bus stop bench and took out her phone, opening Sunset Shimmer's contact. (Quick author's note: The writing in the red is Sunset Shimmer's texts and the purple writing is for Lilac's)
Hey Sunset!
Hello? Who is this???
This is Lilac 😘
Oh hi, how'd you get my number?
Pinkie gave it to me.
Oh okay.
What you doing now? I'm waiting for my usually late bus 😅
I'm just having dinner.
Cool. Hey you wanna hang out at the park later?
No reply. Lilac waited but Sunset hadn't read the message. "WHAT? Ugh, why did she just turn of her phone in the middle of our conversation?! That little-" The bus arrived in front of Lilac and all the student rushed in. Sighing, Lilac walked into the bus, thinking of other various ways to befriend Sunset Shimmer.
"Yeah, Rainbow never said anything. I hope I didn't make her feel like I replaced her," Sunset explained to Princess Twilight in her castle. She didn't want Lilac to know about the portal so she had lied about eating dinner whilst she talked to Princess Twilight about what was happening to Rainbow Dash.
"That is strange. But she might be feeling replaced as you started hanging out with Lilac," Twilight said.
"Yeah, I guess so. The others treat Lilac like a friends but I don't know. There's something wrong about her but I just can't get my finger on it."
"Just keep me in touch about what happens. I'll try to piece the facts together to find out what is happening with Rainbow Dash. Don't worry Sunset, I am willing to help you 100%!" Twilight reassured her friend.
"Thanks Twilight. Well, I better get back now. It's getting kind of late," Sunset laughed as she waved goodbye and jumped through the portal.
Sunset hid behind a wall as Rainbow passed by. "Enough is enough. I waited too long for Rainbow Dash to tell us herself what the matter is but it's just time to force it out of her," Sunset muttered under her breath as she smiled cunningly. She grabbed Rainbow's arm, stopping Rainbow Dash in her tracks.
"Hey, what's the big idea?! Let go of me!" Rainbow yelled as she tried to pull back but Sunset's strong grip was keeping her from it. Sunset held onto her arm, waiting for her mind reading powers to work but nothing happened.
"Huh? What?" Sunset muttered as she let go and touched Rainbow Dash's arm again. And again. And again one more time. Nothing happened. "What's going on?! WHY AREN'T MY POWERS WORKING?!" Sunset panicked.
"Uh huh, I'm gonna go now," Rainbow said, uncaringly, as she walked off, leaving Sunset to panic about her broken powers.
"Rainbow Dash, wait!"
"Goodbye Sunset," Rainbow said whilst rolling her eyes, without looking back at Sunset. It took a while for Sunset to get a process what had just happened before she ran down the hallway, towards her friends.
"It is true! My powers are broken! They really are!" Sunset exclaimed.
"It can't be broken!" Twilight said.
"Then how do you explain what the heck just happened back there?! It's not working. I'll show you!" Sunset grabbed onto Pinkie's arm and nothing happened. "I can't read Pinkie's mind either!"
Twilight said, "Okay don't panic, I'm sure that-"
"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late," Lilac said as she approached them all, "Hey, um you guys alright? You all seem so worried."
"Sunset's powers aren't working!" Fluttershy said.
"Wait a second, we haven't used our powers recently. Why don't we all check if they still work?" Applejack asked.
"Good idea," Twilight replied. The five friends all tried using their powers but failed. Just like Sunset did.
"It's not working!" Rarity gasped.
"That is strange. I wonder what could have happened?" Lilac said.
"Hey we haven't checked with Rainbow Dash. Let's go see if her powers still work," Pinkie said. The six of them ran off, leaving Lilac who was smiling maliciously.
"Powers not working, huh? Now, I wonder who was responsible for that," she chuckled as she picked up a flower and spun it by its stem. "Now, to befriend Sunset..."
Lilac hummed as she walked to her locker. "Lilac," A voice spoke from behind. Lilac turned around to see Rainbow Dash leaning against a wall, raising an eyebrow.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Lilac mocked, snidely.
"If your not gonna give my powers back then at least give my friends powers back," Rainbow said, approaching Lilac.
"Oh Dash, I'd just love to do that but I'm afraid I just can't," Lilac teased.
"They had nothing to do with this, you monster!" Rainbow spat, aggressively as she curled up her fists. Lilac wasn't at the least bit frightened or affected. She just smiled back, enjoying every second of this.
"Monster? Can't say I am. But if you're talking about your "friends" then I have to agree."
"My friends are NOT monsters."
"They replaced you, didn't they? They chose to me to be your replacement as their friend. Admit it. You think the exact same thing. Heck, they might even let be join the Rainbooms!" She laughed.
Rainbow's eyes widened. "Wh-what?" She asked.
"Well, would you look at the time? I can't stop and chat, sorry. I've got more important matters to attend to," Lilac said as she pushed past Rainbow Dash, on purpose, leaving her rival to ponder.
.
Lilac sat next to Sunset, with an eager smile. "So, did Rainbow have her powers?"
"No, she said she didn't either," Sunset muttered.
"Hmm, interesting. What you gonna do then?" Lilac asked, caringly.
"I um don't know yet, but I've got to go now," Sunset said as she stood up, trying to run off to the portal to Princess Twilight.
"Wait!" Lilac said, stopping Sunset. "Before you go, I've got to show you something first."
"I'm sorry Lilac but I need to urgently go now," Sunset said.
"Do you have a minute?" Lilac asked coldly, beginning to lose her temper. Sunset sighed and reluctantly followed Lilac.
"So what do you wanna show me?" Sunset asked, rolling her eyes as she walked behind Lilac.
"Well, I saw something suspicious fall out of Trixie's bag which might have something to do with you losing your powers," Lilac explained, grabbing Sunset's attention.
"Wait, what?! Trixie? What did you see?" Sunset asked, confused. Lilac stopped walking and pointed to a bush.
"I didn't have much time to hide it before someone saw me so I quickly stuffed it in this bush," Lilac said as she knelt down and stuck her hand in the bush, rummaging for the item. She finally took something out and showed it to Sunset. "Here." Sunset stared blankly at the small chunk of emerald stone in Lilac's palm as it glinted in the sun.
"Uh, it's just a stone," Sunset said, scratching her head.
"Ugh, no. Hold it and you'll understand," Lilac handed over the crystal and Sunset held it. Nothing happened for a few seconds until the piece of emerald started flickering and sparking, trying to do magic but failing. Sunset's jaw dropped open.
"It's...magic!" She gasped. She turned to look at Lilac. "You found this fallen out of Trixie's bag?"
"Yeah, I held it and I felt it's magic. Magical items like these obviously mean trouble," Lilac said.
"Yeah. This might have been used to suck in our powers!" Sunset exclaimed, breathing heavily. She hugged Lilac quickly. "Thank you so much for all your help! I need to go now. Bye Lilac!" She ran off. Lilac smiled to herself, knowing that Sunset was softening up with her because of her discovery. Lilac reached into her own bag and took out a big emerald stone, which had a small chunk cut off. The small chunk which she lied about Trixie having. But the real stone belonged to Lilac, who had used it to suck in their powers.
"So what if they have the small chunk of emerald? It's too weak by itself and it won't even work on it's own. But this stone is the real danger," Lilac muttered to herself, boasting about her successful plan.
Author's Note
Sorry for the late update.
I've just finished my really annoying exam week at school
I probably have more time to write now so the updates might not be as late
"So what is it?" Sunset asked Princess Twilight who was examining the chunk of emerald.
"It's not good. At all," Twilight said, panicking.
"I think I need a better explanation than that," Sunset chuckled dryly. Twilight exhaled a deep breath before explaining, calmly.
"This isn't just any ordinary stone as you already know. It's magic. But, the powers of this stone are used to suck in other magic from other creatures. This was hidden over here in Equestria so Trixie must have managed to somehow find it over here and steal all of your powers," Twilight explained.
"But how did Trixie find it. And how did she even get here in the first place?"
"She must have spied on you using the portal," Twilight said. Sunset bit her lip, nervously feeling a pang of guilt in her chest.
"I'm really sorry Twilight. I didn't realize. I didn't know Trixie was there, I swear! I mean...I really...ugh!" Sunset slapped her hoof on her forehead and sighed. "This is all my fault." Twilight wrapped a hoof around her shoulder and smiled, caringly.
"It's not your fault, Sunset. It was an honest mistake. Anypony could have done it," Twilight said.
"I guess you're right." Sunset sighed, downheartedly, "So um now that we have this piece of emerald, can't we just get our powers back?"
"I'm afraid not. You see, the stone is bigger than this and this piece is only a small chunk of it. It's too weak on it's own and it is pretty useless," Twilight said as she looked at the flickering and sparking stone which was failing in producing magic.
"So it's just an ordinary rock now," Sunset said, angrily.
"Yeah, pretty much. But the full stone is still with Trixie. If you get your hands on that, it'll reverse all the magic and give you back your powers."
"Okay, so I need to steal back the stone from Trixie who'll probably put up a big fight just like all the other power-hungry villains do and then reverse all the magic that the stone has done and then bring it back to Equestria for safe-keeping. Simple (!)" Sunset sarcastically said.
"I have full faith in you, Sunset Shimmer! You can do this!" Twilight smiled.
"Thanks Twilight. I sure hope this works," Sunset gulped.
"I had no idea Trixie would stoop to the level to actually do something as horrific as that!" Rarity exclaimed, burning with rage.
"Me neither, but we need to get that stone of off her," Sunset said, "And who knows, maybe it was Trixie who made Rainbow Dash leave us in the first place?"
"I doubt it, I mean I interrogated her but she seemed genuinely not guilty," Pinkie said, with a hint of doubt lingering in her voice.
"Yeah, well like we'd believe her. She stole our powers for goodness sake! Of course, she made Rainbow quit!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Ok well, we need a plan," Twilight said.
"What do you think we should do, Twi?" Fluttershy asked.
"I have a few ideas..." Twilight smirked.
Lilac sat down on the bench with her headphones on as she read her book.
"Lilac," Sunset said as she tapped her on the shoulder. Lilac looked up and took of her headphones.
"Yeah?" She looked at Sunset and her friends.
"We're gonna need your help on getting the emerald from Trixie. You know how you found that little piece yesterday? It turns out that that was only a chunk of the real stone. We need the real stone for the magic to work and Trixie has the whole thing," Sunset explained.
"Wow! Have you made like a plan or something to steal it from her?"
"Yep! And we're gonna need your help!" Pinkie gigglesnorted.
"Sure, count me in!" Lilac said, "I just need to go to the bathroom right now. I'll be back!" She quickly ran into a bathroom cubicle and locked the door, securely. Grinning, she took the stone out of her bag and tried hard to contain her excitement.
Rainbow scuffed the sand as she thought deeply to herself. 'When will this madness end? She sighed as she picked up a pebble and threw it across the beach like it was bowling ball. Sighing once again, she slid her sunglasses down from her forehead and leaned backwards onto her sun chair, enjoying the beams shining on her face. The tides came in and out, crashing against the scorching sand and then slowly backing away. Rainbow adjusted her cap a bit and turned her attention to the people playing on the beach. None of them were alone. They all were with their friends. Laughing in the sun as they tossed beach balls to each other. Rainbow felt the tears burn in her eyes again.
"Wait, no! Get a grip of yourself!" She scolded herself as she slapped her cheek a bit more forcefully then intended, making it red. "Ow!" She rubbed her cheek, soothing the pain.
"Hey Dash!" Flash said as he walked up to her.
"Hey!" Rainbow said, regaining her usual cool attitude, "Wassup?"
"You seem happy."
"Well duh! Why wouldn't I be?" Rainbow asked, cockily, mentally cursing herself for what she just said.
"Well uh you weren't the happiest this month. You sorta were acting a little different," Flash Sentry said as he scratched his head. Rainbow didn't know what to say and just left it with an awkward silence.
"Anyway so um," Flash cleared his throat, "Have fun I guess." He walked away.
"Just ignore him Rainbow Dash. Think of happy things. Or else you'll probably just burst out in tears again," Rainbow said to herself, rolling her eyes. She took a deep breath and exhaled as she slouched back in her chair, enjoying the heat of the sun.
Trixie zipped her bag and put it in her locker. She put her hand in her pocket, trying to look for her key but it wasn't there. "Huh?" She checked in her other pocket but nothing was there. "I coulda sworn I had my locker key in here. Where could it be? Oh shoot, I must have left it in the cafeteria!" Trixie ran off and Twilight and Pinkie (who were hiding behind the dustbin) walked towards her locker with the key in their hands.
"We make a pretty good team, am I right?" Pinkie nudged Twilight.
"Yep, I can't believe we managed to swipe the key right out of her pocket without her knowing."
"Perks of being a professional," Pinkie boasted as Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Let's just open this locker before Trixie comes back." Twilight inserted the key and turned it. She looked through the locker and then she unzipped Trixie's bag, searching for the emerald. "Ugh, nothing's here except for all this useless junk," Twilight groaned as held up one of Trixie's show props.
"Ooh a rubber wand!' Pinkie said.
"Focus Pinkie. We have to put everything back before-"
"Before I come back? Too late, I already have." A voice behind them boomed. Twilight and Pinkie gulped.
Twilight and Pinkie turned to face Trixie who looked like she was about to explode. "So you two thieves were the ones who stole my key, huh?"
"No, of course not! We were just um..." Twilight trailed of, silently.
"Checking through my belongings? What did you steal from my bag? Well? Speak!"
"We didn't steal anything," Pinkie defended.
"Then what were you doing in my locker?!"
"I think you know the answer to that," Twilight snapped, finally managing to speak.
Trixie raised an eyebrow, quizzically,"What?"
"Don't act so innocent! We know what you did so you can drop the act now, buster!" Pinkie yelled, pushing her head against Trixie's. Trixie, who was obviously confused, backed away a few steps.
"Uh...huh?" She scratched her head, wondering why they were the ones who were angry even though they were looking through her locker. Getting annoyed at this nonsense, Trixie sighed and shook her head. "Look, I don't know what the heck you guys are up to but I don't even wanna know so I'll be taking my key and leaving." She snatched the key from Pinkie's hand and locked her locker. "And don't even dare to go in my locker again! Got it?"
"Why? What's so important in there? Is it a stone?" Twilight asked, smirking at Trixie.
"What? Why the heck would I have a stone in my locker? You know what, you guys need to visit a doctor or something. You clearly have gone crazy," Trixie sneered as she pushed past them.
"Welp, she doesn't keep it in her locker or her bag. We're gonna have to check in her house for it, maybe," Pinkie said.
Sunset was walking to the classroom at break. No one was there except for Lilac who was looking in her bag for something, unaware that Sunset was standing at the classroom doorway. Smiling, Sunset was about to say "hi" but she stopped when she saw a green light shining out of Lilac's bag. A corner of an emerald stone was poking out, Sunset stared in shock at it. Before Lilac could pull out the full stone, Mr Doodle was standing behind Sunset a coughed to grab Sunset's and Lilac's attention. Lilac saw Sunset standing at the doorway and began sweating, nervously as she zipped her bag up.
"Shouldn't you be outside?" He asked.
"Oh uh sorry," Sunset quickly ran off. Sunset kept running until she was outside, where she stopped to catch her breath. "It can't be! But it sure looked like it. Is it her? Is it her who stole our powers?" Sunset couldn't believe her eyes. The scene of Lilac unzipping her bag and seeing the stone kept rewinding again and again in her head. Things slowly began to piece together. The missing powers, the Rainbow Dash situation. All of it. Sunset felt her heart feel heavy with guilt for trusting Lilac that easily. "How could I be so stupid? How could I be so blind?" Sunset thought, swallowing a lump in her throat. But Sunset was also burning with fury. Enough was enough. She couldn't tell her friends as they wouldn't believe her because of their trust in Lilac but...she could show them who Lilac really is.
Lilac, on the other hand, was terrified. "Did Sunset really see the stone? No, of course not! Right? There could be a chance she didn't see it...but there could be a chance she did." Lilac groaned, frustratedly. "Everything was going to plan! Why did this have to happen to me?!" Lilac took a deep breath in and out. "I know! I'll see how Sunset reacts when I come up to her. But even if she does act normal, it might be because it's part of her plan. Well, I had to be that careless with the stone, didn't I?" Lilac was about to stand up but Sunset came up to her and sat down next to her, smiling calmly. Lilac tried her best to return the smile, but it looked a bit more forced.
"Hey Lilac!" Sunset flashed a wide smile, her pearly white teeth gleaming in the sun.
"Oh hey Sunset! What are you doing here?" Lilac asked.
"I just wanted to hang out with you," Sunset said, her eyes drifting towards Lilac's backpack. Lilac noticed this and casually put her backpack on her back, hiding it from Sunset's view.
"Yeah," Lilac chuckled nervously, "Nice weather we're having, huh?"
"You said it," Sunset said as she leaned back on the bench, sighing happily. "Mr Doodle sure was mad when we were in the classroom, huh?" Sunset looked over at Lilac with a faint smirk a she saw her nervous reaction.
"Oh yeah, totally!"
"I was just gonna get some water but looks like I wasn't allowed, hehe. What were you doing?" Lilac felt the hairs on her neck stand as she straightened up her posture, attentively.
"I was just trying to get my book. I couldn't find it in there so it took me a while," Lilac lied.
"Cool," Sunset nodded and leaned closer to Lilac, muttering in her ear,"Hey do you like my new emerald necklace?" She emphasised on the word emerald which made Lilac even more uneasy.
"Oh uh yeah! It's beautiful," Lilac said, moving slightly away from Sunset. "I need to go to the toilets. Bye!" She stood up and quickly ran away, leaving a content and smug Sunset behind.
Lilac quickly entered the bathroom and panted as she stood next to the sink.
"Doesn't someone look nervous?" A familiar raspy voice sneered. Lilac looked up and glared daggers at Rainbow Dash who leaned against the wall, with a grin. Lilac stood up straight and smiled slyly at Rainbow Dash.
"And what makes you say that? I'm the one who's winning and your the one who's losing," Lilac boasted.
"Well Lilac, I'm gonna be honest to you," Rainbow said as she wrapped an arm around her, "You made my life a living hell, no joke. But, you're gonna be exposed pretty soon, so I'd better start packing my bags if I were you." Lilac pushed Rainbow's arm off of her shoulders and scowled at her.
"I'm not leaving anywhere," Lilac said through gritted teeth, "I never lose."
"Your arrogance is definitely gonna make you lose Lilac. And remember this, what goes around comes around. You can't get away with doing something bad without getting your payback eventually. And your time for fun is up." Rainbow warned her, sternly.
"Like a haven't heard that one a million times (!)" Lilac rolled her eyes.
"You'll get it soon," Rainbow said as she walked out of the bathroom, leaving Lilac on her own. Lilac looked into the mirror in front of her and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths...
Rainbow Dash, where's your guitar?
"Alright guys, today's the big day! It's our concert day!" Sunset announced to the rest of the band who cheered in reply. "Okay, is everyone ready?"
"YEPPPP!" Pinkie squeed, loudly.
"Remember, me and Dash will play the guitar intro and then-"
"Um, Sunset?" Twilight interrupted her over-enthusiastic friend, "Rainbow isn't in the band anymore, remember? You'll be the one playing the guitar intro as a soloist and then me and the others will join in. Like we practised, right?" Twilight wrapped an arm around Sunset Shimmer.
"Oh r-right. I almost forgot," Sunset muttered, scratching the back of her head, uneasily.
"Come on guys, it's our time to come on stage!" Applejack said as the rest of the group followed her on stage.
"I'm so excited!" Pinkie quickly whispered to Rarity who smiled widely in return.
"I know, same!"
Sunset followed her friends on stage and took her position at the front with Twilight. A huge crowd was gathered in front, cheering and whooping. Sunset took a deep breath, hoping that wherever Rainbow was in that massive crowd, she would want to come back and join the Rainbooms again. Without further delay, the lights dimmed, and the spotlight shown. Sunset closed her eyes tightly shut, and began to strum.
The show just ended and the Rainbooms smiled at the cheering crowd. Rainbow Dash watched from the back and smiled faintly and headed for the exit. She walked through the corridors, pondering until she bumped into someone. "Sorry, sorry! My fault!" Rainbow apologised as she stood up and opened her eyes. She took one sight of the person in front of her and her mouth dropped agape. "L-lilac? What are you doing here?" She nervously chuckled, scuffing at the floor.
The light purple skinned girl grinned cunningly and stroked a lock of her own pink hair. "Hello, Rainbow Dash. Enjoyed the show?" she chuckled. Rainbow felt the hair on her neck stand up, uncomfortably.
"Beat it, Lilac," she growled.
"I will but first I want your guitar," she said, in a smooth, emotionless voice.
"Wh-wh-what?! NO WAY! I quit the band for you and now you want my guitar?! Why you-"
"I can easily blackmail you again. Like I did before," she chuckled, making Rainbow's eyes widen in horror.
"Why do you even want my guitar?" Rainbow asked, lowering her voice a bit as fear slithered in.
"Aw, sorry. I'm afraid I can't tell you," she said, mockingly as she stroked Rainbow's cheek, making her move back. "Give me the guitar, Rainbow Dash." Her voice turned more stern and her expressions more stone like. "This is a command."
"Fine, let me go get it first," Rainbow Dash mumbled walking away as Lilac smiled menacingly. She felt hot tears, sting her eyes but she wiped them away. 'I've got to stay strong,' she thought.
"That was a really good show everybody, well done!" Fluttershy smiled warmly.
"You too Flutter-" Sunset was cut off as Pinkie burst through the door of the music practise room.
"TRIXIE!" She yelled. Everyone was quiet and stared at Pinkie, waiting for an answer.
"Uh, I'm sorry what?" Applejack asked.
"It must be Trixie who made Dash quit the band. The two of them don't like each other at all, so Trixie must have said something after she framed Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie explained her theory.
"We don't have any proper proof!" Twilight said.
"We can't blame her for something, she might not have been guilty of!" Applejack said.
"That is why, we interrogate her! We get answers, and we get them now!" Pinkie took out her detective heat and put it on her head with a sly grin.
Trixie was walking, humming to herself through the corridor. She casually opened her locker and a note fell out. Picking it up she read it out, "Meet me in the music room at lunch. You better be there, buster. Love from Pinkie Pie <3." Trixie rolled her eyes and groaned, "What could that moron want now?"
At lunch, Trixie walked to the music room and opened the door. To her surprise, it was completely dark. "I thought she said she was gonna be here!" Trixie was about to flick the light switch on until a voice shouted.
"DON'T TOUCH THE LIGHT SWITCH!" A high-pitched voice screeched, making Trixie jump back in alarm. A lamp was turned on, showing Pinkie sitting at a desk. "You may sit down Miss Trixie." Trixie sat down at the chair in front of Pinkie's desk and yawned.
"What do you want, cake-for-brains?" she asked, harshly.
"What I want is answers...and cake. But mostly answers!"
"Go on, I'm listening," Trixie muttered, annoyedly.
"Well, you and Rainbow Dash seem to have quite a rivalry. And it has come to everyone's attention, that Rainbow Dash has quit the Rainbooms."
"Yeah, so what? How has this got anything to do with me?"
Pinkie slammed her fist on the table making Trixie flinch in surprise, "Do NOT interrupt me, Miss Trixie!" There was a few moment of silence. Finally, Pinkie took her hat off and sighed, "This is a very sad time for the Rainbooms. Rainbow Dash seems...well...very depressed. She had a reason to quit the band, Trixie. But she just won't say. I don't mean to blame you or anything but this all happened after she went to Principal Celestia's office because you think she broke your guitar. I'm asking you, if not begging you, can you please tell us if it was you who mad Dash quit and why?" Trixie looked Pinkie in the eyes, and this time she looked seriously sad.
Trixie sighed and decided to be a little nice (only this once though) and spoke softly, "Pinkie Pie, I'm sorry what happened to Rainbow Dash and I know all of you are pretty upset about this. I promise you, I didn't make Rainbow Dash quit. But if I see any suspicious behavior, I'll let you and your friends know."
"Wow, Trixie...that is possibly one of the nicest things you've ever said!" Pinkie said as she wiped away a tear and stood up to hug Trixie.
Trixie pushed her back and said, "Before we get ahead of ourselves, I want to point out that this is a one time exception and I will NOT be this nice next time. I prefer the old me."
"Eh, fair enough!" Pinkie shrugged.
