Author's Note

Here's another chapter. It was a real doozy. One of my readers had a whole scene planned out for one of the characters, so props to them for all the time they spent writing that scene and props to TheShadowKnight for helping me out with this chapter as well, thanks bud.

And as always, thank you all for all of your patience and support. Be sure to stay tuned for more chapters and stories to come in the future and remember to keep on bronying on.

Unmasked

After meeting up back with the girls after having freed them from the strange magic mirror in the caverns, Inferno eventually told the girls about the fight he and Israel had before he lost him in the caves. Which led to the girls chewing him out at first before they talked about Israel’s insecurities, which Inferno had no idea about; leaving the young man in a depressed and upset state. Fortunately for him, Fluttershy was able to console him alone and helped him get over his overwhelming guilt. And after Inferno gets his resolve once again, the group later heard an explosion in the distance, which they soon quickly went to investigate.

Hoping that it could lead them to finding Israel.

“C’mon, girls! Hurry up!” Inferno called to the girls as he ran ahead of them.

The girls ran to catch up to him; of course, they had nothing weighing them down due to them all wearing nothing but bikinis and swimsuits. Naturally, their jiggly assets and upper balconies had plenty of room to bounce beautifully and freely as they ran.

“Inferno! We’re running as fast as we can! You need to slow down for us to catch up!” Sunset informs him.

“Speak for yourselves!” Rainbow confidently commented due to her running faster than the others.

“Darling! Do you know how hard it is to run with our ‘accessories’ moving freely?” Rarity exclaimed.

Fluttershy breathed heavily, since this was the fastest she’s ever run before, and the fact that her bosom and posterior was the biggest of the rest. “It's… not fun!” She stated before she started slowing down. “I… need to rest!”

But she doesn’t get the chance to rest when Inferno quickly runs back and picks her up and carries her the rest of the way.

“Oh hell no! No one is gonna get left behind! Besides when we find Israel, you are gonna smother him with hugs and kisses!” Inferno loudly proclaimed out of adrenaline rush.

“Wha-What?!” Fluttershy blushes red when Inferno says that.

As they all ran at the same quick pace, the group soon arrived at the area where the explosion was, causing them to finally slow down to ease their legs and lungs and they quickly approached the blast zone.

But as soon as they get close enough, they find that there's smoke coming from a cabin window and a woman is running out of the cabin, coughing up a storm. That woman was Spoiled Rich.

"And to think the servants made it look so much easier," Spoiled said, fanning the smoke away.

"Goodness! It's Spoiled Rich! I'd better check on her," Rarity said. "Darling, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked, before walking up to the lady.

"Why don't you tell me? I'm covered in soot, my oven exploded because I might've used too much cooking oil and now I have to air out my cabin right at the worst possible time," Spoiled listed, complaining.

“Well glad to see that her bitch side never changed.” Rainbow whispered sarcastically to AJ, who silently nodded in agreement.

"Darling, what do you mean the worst possible time?" Rarity asked.

"Well, if you must know, my husband has gone off the deep end. He's gone rogue with some freaky occult I will have no part of. As much as I think it's all mumbo jumbo… I've seen things that are not meant to be real. And the only way for me to protect myself is to stay locked up in my home away from home." Spoiled explained. "Honestly, this is unlike Filthy."

“Wait a gosh darn minute! Ya knew about that and ya never bothered to warn anyone?!” Applejack exclaimed.

"Don't you get all preachy with me! You think I didn't try to warn anybody? I've tried for a little over a year now to get people to leave the island before it was too late, but did anyone listen? NO! Because all anyone cares about is a week-long getaway at my husband's newest attraction. Now they're all going to be subjected to some sort of weird "ritual" he has planned." Spoiled said.

"A ritual?" Twilight asked in shock.

“What ritual?” Sunset asked with curiosity.

“Does it have to do with… *gulp* the possessed students?” Fluttershy asked in fear.

“Is it some sort of super-secret evil surprise party?” Pinkie asked because… well… she’s Pinkie.

"I doubt it's a party, but all I know is that the ritual… will require some kind of… dare, I say it… human sacrifice." Spoiled said hesitantly.

It's at that moment, Twilight finally understood. "Oh no… that must be what the ancient text describes in the Daimao Jade." she said, pulling out said item. "They use the captured human souls as an energy source. And the leader needs to absorb something called… the purely imperfect soul to complete the ritual."

“And I’m guessing Filthy Rich is the leader in the ritual.” Sunset claimed.

“And the human souls would be the souls of all the captured students on the island!” Rarity commented.

“Wait, but how the heck is Filthy Rich gonna find a ‘purely imperfect soul’? I mean how will he even know which one to choose from among a massive crowd?” Rainbow asked in confusion.

"I… I don't think he has to look far," Twilight said in realization and concern.

Inferno quickly catches on to what Twilight meant, and he too has a concerned and horrified expression on his face.

“Oh no.” He said.

Meanwhile, back with poor Yabuki, his tiny prison soon opens up and it makes him jolt to his feet as he was napping. He looked around, confused and noticed a man standing before him, all dressed up in a black and white business suit.

"Follow me… boy," he said in a deep voice.

"Not like I have a choice." Israel replied. And soon the young man follows the suited man.

Back on the beach, with the others, they finally understand what's happened.

“So the invitations… the mysterious events… It's all just to lure Israel here on the island.” Sunset exclaimed.

"So if Filthy Rich needs Israel Yabuki…" Twilight says.

"Then that would mean Filthy's the one who brought Izzy here!" Fluttershy said in horror.

Back up in Filthy's office, the man himself is signing a few papers until he hears a knock on his door. "Go ahead, enter." Filthy said.

The door opens up and in walks the big man and Israel Yabuki. Filthy looks up and gives Israel a smile.

"Ah, Israel. How are you doing, young man? Come, have a seat, please." he offered.

"Well, okay then." Israel goes to take a seat. The big guy who brought him here then leaves the room and closes the door. Filthy then gestures to one of his servants, carrying a pizza box.

"Care for a slice?" he asked.

"Hmm… maybe one," Israel smirked, trying to be humble… until he takes two slices and gobbles them up like the pizza-holic he is. The servant then lays the box on his lap and he continues eating.

"Hah! I see you have quite the healthy appetite." Filthy said.

Israel nods, trying not to be rude since his mouth is full and his cheeks are stuffed. He's about to dig into another slice when suddenly, he sees a picture of… himself on Filthy's desk.

"Hmm? Hey, why do you have my picture on your desk, Mr. Rich?" Israel asked.

"A very good question. And the reason, my boy, is because… we love you, Israel Yabuki. Unlike that alleged friend of yours, Inferno. He wouldn't believe you about that imposter posing as Applejack, would he?" Filthy asked, sympathizing with him.

"N…No," Israel said, feeling a bit down. Then he feels Filthy pat him on the shoulder.

"Now, now, my boy. Unlike him, I actually believe you. And that's why… I have a very important task for you," Filthy said.

"Is that so? And… what might this task be?" Israel asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Israel Yabuki… I would like you… to be Unity Island's chosen mascot!" Filthy said, though slightly ominous. but… Israel didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Whoa… a MASCOT?" Israel asked with a growing smile. Filthy simply nodded. If only he knew… what was really awaiting him.

“THAT SON OF A BITCH!!!!!” Inferno screamed out towards the ocean. You can tell he was extremely pissed when knowing that Filthy brought his friend here to be used as a sacrifice.

And while he was venting out, the girls continued to converse about what they had just learned.

"This just ain't right! Why would Filthy wanna sacrifice our friend to them demons? What's he ever done to Filthy?" AJ asked, crossed.

“And to top it off, if he only needed Israel on the island, why did he bring all of us here?” Rainbow added.

"It doesn't matter! We have to go and save Izzy!" Fluttershy said. She's about to take off, but she's stopped by Rarity who grabs her by the arm.

"Darling, wait! We need to strategize our plan of attack! If we try to rescue him unprepared, we'll just wind up being captured again!" Rarity stated.

"Why not just let me handle it? I can get him outta there in less than 10 seconds!" Rainbow gloated with a smirk.

"You wouldn't even know where to look for him! Even with your super speed, you'd just get lost and captured yourself," Twilight pointed out.

"Nuh-uh, I'm too fast for those goons to catch me." Rainbow argued.

"Ugh! I swear, you never change. Always letting your feet do the talking," Rarity sighs in frustration, face-palming herself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow asked, offended.

“Well, you were the reason we broke up our band and friendship.” Grumbled Rarity, causing Rainbow to growl out loudly.

“Well, there we go!! I knew that was going to come up again sooner or later!!” said Rainbow, then looked sternly at the others. “I was the one who had the idea to form the band in the first place!! I paired us together because we sounded awesome together!! I even tried my best to hold us together!! Did any of you ever thank me for that, too?!!”

The others didn’t look convinced, with Applejack saying “And boost yer ego more?”

“At least I don’t constantly start fights!!” said Rainbow, “This is the Battle of the Bands, all over again!!”

“Ah don’t constantly start fights!!” said Applejack, “And we also had an important part of the band too!!”

The others voiced their agreements, with Rainbow now looking unconvinced.

“Right.” Said Rainbow, until she pointed at them one by one. “Whining (Rarity gasping), blubbering (Fluttershy flinching), goofing off, (surprising Pinkie Pie), Twilighting (surprising Twilight), hissy fit (surprising Sunset), and staring into space (pointing at Applejack).”

Everyone was shocked by that statement. “We had a good thing, until you all couldn’t handle things.”

“Whining?!” said an aghast and shocked Rarity.

“Well you do keep whining all the time.” Muttered Twilight, which Rarity got fumed.

“At least I don’t constantly guilt myself over what happened at the friendship games!!” shouted Rarity as some of the girls gasped and surprised Twilight, “Not to mention you constantly thinking that your evil self-gave us magic when we had magic in us before you came along!!”
“I didn’t know it was going to happen!!” shouted Twilight.

“And yet you ended up sticking your nose into other people’s business!!” shouted Rainbow.

“ENOUGH!!!”

Everyone looked at Inferno shocked as he also had enough of this.

“Will you listen to yourselves?!!” said Inferno. “You all had two years. Two!! Years!! To work things out and yet you still argue like spoilt brats!! Plus Israel is in danger, and you all argue over that stupid event that happened!!”

He then raised his hands and said “You know what? I’m done. We tried everything to get you guys to get along and back together again, all because you were selfish and ignorant. But I guess you care about your pride more than Israel. So go ahead, leave him to die for all I care. I’ll go save him myself.”

The girls were shocked by what he said.

“You actually think we’d leave Izzy?!” exclaimed Fluttershy.

“How could you think something so…!!” said Pinkie before she was cut off.

“What, cruel and selfish?” said Inferno in sarcasm. “You have the gall to say that to me? If I remember correctly, you seven were the ones who turned your backs on me and Israel, all because you couldn’t let go of that stupid argument.”

“I didn’t...,” said Sunset.

“And yet you didn’t try to stop it and try to reason with them.” Said Inferno, which made her wince. “All of you were more than just a band or a group of friends, you lot were also the Guardians of Friendship. It was your responsibility to help those in need no matter how bad things were, one that you seven never took seriously back then, and from the looks of things, one you don’t know.”

Everyone was surprised by what he said.

“Y’all think this is just a game to us?!” said Applejack.

“Yeah, that’s exactly…what it looks like.” Said Inferno.

He walked over to Rainbow and said “It was also your fault to begin with!! If you hadn’t constantly tried to hog the spotlight like you did back at the Battle of the Bands, we wouldn’t have been in this situation!!”

“I just wanted us to make us awesome!!” said Rainbow.

“You, or your own inflated ego?!” said Inferno.

Rainbow winced at that, with Inferno shaking his head in disbelief.

“Whatever happened to the Rainbow Dash we knew?” asked Inferno, “The one who was loyal to her friends to a fault and would never leave them hanging? The one who would never, and I repeat, never, constantly hog the spotlight. I would’ve thought you learned your lesson after the Battle of the Bands, but clearly you haven’t learned one bit. But you never did, because you’re still selfish, arrogant, and you don’t see that every decision you make could hurt someone in the process. Or did you forget that incident at Spring Break?”

“It wasn’t my fault they didn’t want to be superheroes!!” said Rainbow.

“Heroes or jerks?!” Inferno corrected, making her wince. “And if you weren’t such a jerk, maybe your friends wouldn’t have abandoned you in the process.”

“Oh, and suddenly you’re an expert on feelings and friendship?” said Rainbow
.
“No, but I am an expert in impulsive, egotistical jerks.” Retorted Inferno. “But ask yourself this; do you wanna help folks because it’s the right thing to do? Or the thrill of being a hero? Cause it’s about making a team effort and not taking the credit for yourself!”

Rainbow was about to retort, but then she realized that he was right, and because of her Impulsive actions, she caused her friends to split up, which caused her to look down in guilt.

“Hmph,” said Twilight in a low tone and a smirk, “Serves her right.”

However, Inferno heard her and said “You know, Rainbow’s not the only one who was responsible for the Rainbooms breaking apart.”

Twilight looked at him surprised as he said “You’re just as much to blame!”

“Oh, it’s my fault?!” said Twilight, “None of them appreciated what I did for them!!”

“I did!!” said Inferno, “And so did Israel!! Along with Sunset, Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy!! But if you weren’t so stuck up with a silver spoon up your ass, you would’ve noticed that!!”

Twilight feigned in shock over what he said, “Well nobody gave me any credit for what I did for them!!”

“Oh, boo-hoo, poor Twilight Sparkle, nobody noticed or appreciates you.” Said Inferno, before pulling a picture of him and his science partner out, one that he told the Rainbooms about a while back, “This girl doesn’t even have a name or barely said anything, you don’t see her abandoning her friends!!”

He placed the picture away and said “Plus you do kind of owe them!!”

She then gave a sarcastic laugh, “Excuse me, I owe them?!”

He squinted his eyes and said “Remind me again, who was the one who took the girls’ magic and got turned into a monster because she got overcurious and couldn’t keep her nose out of their business?”

Twilight winced at that, with Inferno saying, “Plus the only reason you didn’t want to do this was because you don’t want to be constantly reminded of your past and what you did!!”

He stood near her and said “Plus, being a hero isn't about being appreciated, being famous, to get respect, or to break any female stereotypes. It’s about responsibility, to help people because it’s the right thing to do. More importantly…”

He poked her chest a couple of times and said “A true hero is selfless and is never selfish when being aside those they care about, which you should’ve realized how much being a Rainboom meant to you and the others…to be a family.”

Twilight slowly began to let it sink in, and even though she didn’t want to hear it, it was the truth.

“Do you know why your brother became a police officer?” asked Inferno, surprising Twilight. “He didn’t join because he wanted to be famous or being appreciated, he joined the force because he wanted to help people, and after that it was his responsibility and because it was the right thing to do. And…he and Cadance would be ashamed and disgusted to see how selfish, how pigheaded, and narrow minded his own sister had become!! And what would Flurry Heart say? The moment when she starts school and makes friends, are you going to tell her; that it’s a waste of time and that she would end up becoming an anti-social hermit?”

Twilight looked down and felt something stirring.

"And I may have taken you seriously, but given what I've seen, I was mistaken, because you don't care about anyone else but yourself." said Inferno, "Once a Preppie, always a Preppie."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" said Twilight.

"I think you do." said Inferno, "I remember the poor girl who suffered at Crystal Prep, who wanted friends after the way she was treated like garbage, because everyone there was selfish and treated you like an outcast. But I guess I was wrong. I thought you were different. I mean you were also our friend..."

And then he said the worst, "But turns out you're not better than that fucking selfish bitch, Abacus Cinch!!"

Everyone gasped at what he said, even Twilight was shocked by what he had said. However, Inferno knew better, but in this case, he had to get through to her, to make her see reason.

“Cause let’s look at what happened ever since you left Crystal Prep and went to CHS.” Said Inferno as he talked to her and listed things down for her.

“They know you have been scared to death and traumatized ever since the whole Midnight Sparkle incident. All they did was try to be there for you. When you were at Camp Everfree, you kept being distant, and Sunset chose to help you, because she went through the same thing you did. Only difference was, you only got a slap on the wrist, whilst she had to go through six months of torment, trying to make up for her mistakes.”

Twilight remembered what Sunset went through, and how hard it was for her.

“And when you finally accepted the magic inside of you, you and the girls became something great. And ever since the whole adventure, things were better for you. You and Rainbow loved Daring Do and did all kinds of reading and autograph signs together. And when you were stressed out when you were given a role in the “Bedazzling Boot”, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie helped calm you down through exercise, relaxing and distracting your thoughts. And that time when you nearly panicked when summer vacation would arrive, Rainbow was the one who helped calm you down and took you to the public library. And when Rainbow felt bad about ruining Spring Break for you, she took you to meet your idol at the science convention.”

Twilight then suddenly remembered what her friends did for her since they became friends.

“And it may come as a surprise to you,” said Inferno, “When you guys were going to write that pop quiz test and you helped them study, all of them were grateful for what you did and took you out to lunch to celebrate, and guess what, Rainbow was the one who paid the bill for the whole thing, even your favorite dessert.”

Twilight and the girls widened their eyes in shock as they looked at Rainbow, who looked sheepish as she rubbed the back of her head.

“Whenever you make mistakes, or whenever you have a few accidents, your friends are always by your side. And that one time you got lost, your friends dropped everything to help you. And ever since you came to CHS, they’ve done nothing but try to be your friend. They even made fools of themselves for you whenever you were discouraged every time you wanted to try new things. They even tried to stand up for you when you got pressured by the Shadowbolts before they changed their ways and defended you from Cinch when she blackmailed you.”

“I didn’t ask them to do that.” Said Twilight dejectedly, not knowing how to feel.

“No,” said Inferno, “Princess Twilight did.”

Twilight was surprised by what she said, while the others were just as surprised by what he was revealing.

“What?” said Twilight.

“Your counterpart.” Said Inferno. “They told her everything that you went through, and she asked us to help look after you like they did with Sunset. Because she knew what it was like not to have friends growing up over the years. She asked us to help and support you, so that you wouldn’t be alone anymore, for you. In other words Twilight Sparkle. We. Owe. You. Nothing.”

Twilight was surprised by what she was hearing, with Inferno saying “I just don’t understand it, you’ve got this amazing group of people who are just as different as you are who also love and care about you and accepted you for who you are when nobody else did. They want to be with you, they want to support you and they want you to be happy.”

Inferno shook his head at her and said “Why would you walk away from that?”

Twilight looked down in sadness and held her right arm, thinking about the good times she pushed out of her head and nearly shed a tear.

And Inferno didn’t want to do this, but he looked at Sunset and said “And then there’s you.”

“Me?!” exclaimed Sunset, “I didn’t do anything!!”

“Exactly,” said Inferno, “You did nothing!! Absolutely nothing!! You say you care about your friends, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Then why didn’t you stop them from fighting or breaking their friendship apart?!” said Inferno “Do they really mean that little to you, the friends who helped make you who you are and tried to help you redeem yourself when nobody else wanted to give you a chance?!”

Sunset looked a bit down and didn’t know what to think, with Inferno saying, “Remember at the Battle of the Bands? When they began fighting and Princess Twilight was in despair, you were the one who snapped them out of it. Remember what you said to them?”

She was about to say something, but Inferno beat her to the punch and said “Ever since they started out, they let little things get to them. And if you don’t talk or work things out, the magic of friendship would become something else.”

The girls were surprised as they remembered, causing them to look down in guilt.

“And what Princess Twilight once told me what she told Starlight, if something doesn’t work out the way you expect them to, then work through it together, that’s what friendship is. And that time when Wallflower erased your friends’ memories of you, you didn’t leave or ditch them, you went above and beyond to save them, even sacrificed yourself to save them when she was going to erase their entire memories. And when Twilight, Rainbow and the others got themselves in trouble, you were there to help them. You never gave up on them since you became friends. Why did you now?”

Sunset lowered her head, then said “I did want to keep them together, but then what would be the point? They still fought no matter how hard I tried to help them. They even left us in the dust, and all of them were the ones who walked out on me too!! How did you expect me, or any of us to react?!”

“Like sisters!!” said Inferno, which surprised them. “Like the ones who always had their backs no matter what!! And how they always supported one another, no matter how selfish or idiotic their choices were.”

They didn’t know what to say, with Inferno slowly turning around, then said to them, to their shock, whilst he was in tears. “I would’ve thought that after that little spat, all of you would’ve at least tried to apologize and make it up to one another, like you always did to each other and those that would’ve hurt your friendships. And that no matter how hurt, or angry. You all wouldn’t have abandoned everyone, each other…”

He choked a bit from the tears and nearly sobbed.

“And you wouldn’t have abandoned me and Israel. When we needed you the most.”

Everyone was silent from what he had said, whilst they looked down in guilt at the same time. Inferno, then felt something in his pocket, and remembered something from a long time ago. He pulled out three letters that were stapled together and saw it was still there. He knew that they had to hear it, so he opened the letter and walked over to Sunset.

“Read this,” he said, “For everyone to hear.”

“What?” replied Sunset before she was cut off.

“Just read it.”

Sunset accepted the letter and looked at it, and began to read out loud.

“My hero, by Inferno” said Sunset as she began to read. “My hero, are really heroes. And my heroes are the Rainbooms.”

Sunset was surprised when she read this, even the girls when they heard it. They looked at the letter as Sunset continued to read it.

“Whenever I’m sad, I feel like I lost all hope, my reason to live. And that’s when I met them, the Rainbooms. Not only are they considered the best band in the world, but they’re also the greatest group of friends anyone could ask for. Each of them are extremely different. For they might ask, why would a farmer, an athlete, a fashionista, a party girl, an animal lover, a brainiac and a former bully be friends when they’re so different. But they made me realize, it’s their differences that makes them stronger. Each of them may have their flaws and each of them may have made mistakes, but they have forgotten the good parts when it comes to friendship.”

She then turned the next page and read it.

“Each of them have taught me so many things when it comes to friendship. Applejack, taught me on how to be honest with others, even if they don’t want to hear the truth. But being honest is what makes a friend open to another. Rainbow taught me how to be loyal to others, even if they prefer to work alone, or be alone, no one should ever be alone, and they stand by you, no matter what. Rarity taught me about being generous. Whenever there are folks out there who have nothing, that’s when it makes me sad, and why I work at the soup kitchen on my summer vacations, because if I could give something in return that would be great. Pinkie taught me how to laugh, because laughter can help brighten one's day. And I always like to see her smile, because whenever she does, it makes me happy. Fluttershy taught me to be kind to others, because as everyone faces cruelty, kindness can exist everywhere, if you just open your heart. Twilight taught me that even if one claims you don’t want friends, but you end up feeling a special spark within one self, and makes them realize that these are the friends for you, because they make you feel special. And finally Sunset, though she may have had a rough start, she worked hard to earn their forgiveness, and whenever they did her wrong, she also forgave them. You could say, the soul of Nelson Mandela lives in her.”

The girls were speechless as Sunset read this, of how Inferno felt about them. Sunset turned the next page to continue.

“And whenever I’m sad, I play their songs, and I forget why I was sad at all. And if you knew the life I had, then you know why I’d always be sad. And whenever I hear their song, ‘friendship carries on’, it makes me realize that no matter how different or far apart, one’s friendship can live on forever, even until the day they die. And that no matter how hard life may become, one’s friendship can be beautiful. I can’t say that Sunset Shimmer is my hero. Or Fluttershy, or Pinkie Pie, or Applejack, or Rarity, or Rainbow Dash, or even Twilight Sparkle. But as the Rainbooms. They can be something great. Each of them are unique and they may be amazing in their own way. But what they can do together, can make life beautiful and make life worth living. And that is why, the Rainbooms will always be my heroes, even until the end and they also taught me an important lesson…friends don’t quit and abandon each other, no matter what.”

The girls were greatly surprised by what Inferno had written to them as they slowly looked at him, whilst he slightly looked away. However, Sunset saw something at the corner.
“Girls, look.” Said Sunset.

The girls looked and to their shock, the date he wrote it, it was also the day before they broke up as they slowly looked at him.

“I wanted to read that to you guys on our graduation, to show you how much I care about you,” said Inferno, “And it was a gift that me and CHS was going to give. But because of what you all did that night? You didn’t just disappoint me and Israel. You disappointed everyone at CHS, even Celestia and Luna.”

Everyone was surprised by this.

“I mean, everyone looked up to you,” said Inferno, “I looked up to you.”

But Inferno just shook his head and said “And I’m sorry that friendship means nothing to you. And guess what, you just lost mine too.”

They were shocked by what he had said, with him saying “Princess Twilight would be ashamed and disgusted if she could see you right now.”

Inferno then walked away from them in order to think of a plan to help Israel.

The girls were left alone as they didn’t know what to say. They were speechless, they were surprised. But more importantly…the longing of their friendship came back. Sunset began to shed tears as she looked at the letter. She whimpered for a bit as her hands shook.

“He’s right.”

The girls looked at her and saw her shedding tears.

“Friends don’t quit on one another, and yet I did.” Said Sunset through sobs. “I’m sorry I didn’t stop you girls from fighting. I’m sorry I wasn’t a good friend to all of you. I…I was so lonely without you girls. You meant everything to me and I threw it all away. I’m so sorry.”

Sunset collapsed onto her knees and cried in her hands. The first to respond was Fluttershy as she too began to shed tears, and ended up hugging Sunset.

“I’m sorry too.” Said Fluttershy. “I should’ve said something, and what I did by leaving you was the cruelest thing I’ve ever done. My animals may have kept me company…but they don’t have the same hugs you girls do. I’m sorry too.”

Pinkie couldn’t take anymore as she bawled in tears before sitting on her knees.

“I’m sorry too!!” said Pinkie before she hugged Sunset. “I was the one to help make people smile!! And all I did was take it away by leaving!! I can throw a good party!! But it just wasn’t the same without you girls!! You were the reason I always smiled and threw my parties the best and I took it for granted!! I’m sorry!!”

Applejack felt her dam bursting as she took her hat off and said “Ah’m sorry too. Ah lied to mahself sayin’ We had enough of our bad attitudes. I lied that I didn’t need y’all, but the truth is, ah missed y'all too. Ah took it for granted too and turned mah back on y’all. Please…forgive me…”

She also hugged Sunset in the group. The next one was Rarity, who was in front of Sunset and was in tears whilst she was also on her knees.

“I’m sorry too darling,” said Rarity. “I was cruel for leaving all of you. You girls meant everything to me. I can’t believe I was so selfish like I was back at Equestria Land. Every time I design my outfits, I keep thinking about all of you. All of you inspired me every day. Please…forgive me.”

Rarity hugged them too, not wanting to separate from them. Twilight on the other hand, remembered the words that Inferno had said, and she ended up hugging them too.

“I’m sorry.” Said Twilight, “I’m sorry I quit and left you girls. I thought none of you appreciated me, but it turns out, all of you did help me and I was too blinded by my feelings from back then. I’m sorry.”

Rainbow on the other hand, stood there. But nothing could fool anyone, for she was beginning to crack.

“I don’t need anyone.” Said Rainbow, “I could do things on my own. I…I…”

And that’s when Rainbow lost it, she bawled in tears and cried her eyes out and began to land on her knees. The girls looked at her as she was crying, and Rainbow made herself vulnerable for the first time as she confessed.

“I’m sorry!!” said Rainbow.

“Rainbow?” said Sunset.

“No wait, let me finish!!” said Rainbow, “I was wrong okay, I was wrong!! I didn’t mean to start that fight!! I didn’t mean to break our friendships!! That day when you left, I didn’t want to admit it, but I was hurt how we left things!! How I left things!! I was miserable without all of you!! Whenever I’m out there at the fields, I was glad I won matches, but it didn’t feel the same without all of you!! Whenever all of you watch my games, I felt like I was at my best because you girls were there for me whenever I needed you the most!!”

The girls were surprised to see her open up like this.

“I need you okay, I need you more than you can imagine!!” said Rainbow as she continued to shed tears and cried her eyes out. “I’m sorry I kept belittling all of you!! I’m sorry I kept taking the credit!! I’m sorry for being so selfish whenever we’re out there!! And I’m the worst friend there ever was!! I was supposed to be loyal and I abandoned all of you!! I betrayed all of you!! I’m so sorry!! I don’t want all of you to go!!”

Rainbow buried her face in her hands and sobbed, “I was such a fool!! I’m sorry I always ruin everything!! I keep breaking everything I touch!! I’m sorry!! Please forgive me!!”

Seeing Rainbow like this, now all of them couldn’t help but cry all over again, causing all of them to immediately go over and the group hugged her, all of them crying their eyes out, holding onto one another. They continued to cry their eyes out, holding onto one another.

After ten minutes or so, they broke the hug, but were also on their knees.

“How did things get so messed up between all of us?” Asked Rainbow.

“I guess we were pressured so much on how our lives would be…,” said Applejack.

“We ended up taking it out on each other.” Said Rarity.

“Inferno was right,” said Sunset, “We should’ve talked things through instead of brushing things off.”

“Even me.” Said Twilight, “I should’ve said something, and you girls were the first ever friends I have. And I ended up taking it for granted.”

“No wonder Israel and Inferno lost their trust in us,” said Fluttershy in sadness, “We should’ve reached out to them.”

“Yeah,” said Pinkie Pie, “I should’ve said something too.”

“And we left them behind and took them for granted.” Said Rainbow. “Especially me.” She sighed and said “I’ve got to make things right.”

“We all do.” Said Sunset.

Inferno, on the other hand, was standing near the beach, trying to come up with a plan to save his friend. “What am I going to do? Who am I kidding, I don’t have Equestrian Magic, so how can I save anyone.” He sighed in defeat. “I really am on my own now.”

“No you’re not.”

He turned around and saw the Rainbooms, looking in guilt, but also in remorse.
“You were right,” said Sunset, “We should’ve talked things through.”

“And what you said about us, being great when we’re together.” Said Rainbow, before smiling and said “You really are good friends.”

“And…” said Applejack whilst rubbing the back of her head, “We’re sorry for leaving you and Israel behind. Y’all didn’t deserve that.”

“We really missed both of you.” Said Fluttershy.

“And thanks for trying to remind us what took us a long time to realize.” Said Pinkie Pie.

“We always did love the both of you.” Said Rarity.

“Sorry we didn’t see it sooner.” Said Twilight.

They all went over and hugged Inferno, which he cried tears of his own and ended up hugging them all in return. After the hug, he looked at them and said “So what do we do now?”

The others thought about it, with Rainbow looking at Twilight.

“Yeah,” said Rainbow as she looked at Twilight, “What do you think Twi?” asked Rainbow.
Twilight was surprised, for Rainbow called her by her nickname and looked at her.

“Oh, you think I’m gonna fall for that? Giving me my own nickname? Trying to make me feel like… Part of the Rainbooms?”

“You’re always important to us Twi,” said Rainbow. "You always have been.” Twilight smiled and for the first time, felt like a major player in the team. Rainbow then looked sad and said
“And I’m sorry for constantly hogging the spotlight. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. It’s just…whenever we save the day, I always get too excited. And…well…carried away. And…I’m sorry.”

Twilight held her shoulder and said “I know Rainbow. You’ll always be you, but that’s what makes you special.”

Rainbow couldn’t help but smile too, and hugged Twilight, repairing the bond between them. After they broke the hug, Twilight had a look of determination and said “We’re gonna need a plan.”

Rarity on the other hand had a dejected look.

“What can I do?” She frowned. “All I’m good for is getting caught.”

“But you never let that stop you before Rare’s,” said Rainbow whilst she smiled at her. “When we got trapped in a random room, you went and tried to find us, and you stood up to a ton of bad guys. And if that’s not a true sign of an awesome hero, I don’t know what is.”

Rarity smiled at Rainbow, as she was happy to say that. “I’m sorry Rainbow.”

“I’m sorry too.” Said Rainbow as the two of them hugged.

Inferno smiled, happy to see the Rainbooms reunited again. But then he sighed and said "Twilight."

Said girl was looking at him, as he said "About what I said..."

"I know," said Twilight, "I'm sorry too. We all are. I was the one who took my friends for granted. And I'm sorry we didn't talk things through like we should have."

Inferno smiled warmly before he wrapped his arms around Twilight and hugged her. Then he softly speaks into her ear, saying: “You’re here. You all are. And that’s all I can ever ask for.”

"Then I guess there's only one thing left for us to do…" Sunset said with a strong determination burning within her. The other girls and Inferno all look at each other, knowing what she meant.

"Let's get our goofy friend back," Twilight said, just as determined.

Moments later, the Rainbooms and Inferno all wander around the island, gathering up supplies and planning out their strategy to get Israel back. They spent the next couple of hours setting everything up and then regrouped at the mouth of the cave which led to the deep caverns where the hidden lair was and where all the souls of the college students were trapped.

On top of that, the whole gang even took some time to change back into their normal clothes. Especially the girls, since they do not plan on saving their friend and fighting a demon cult in their bikinis.

The group ventured deep in the caverns, searching for where the ritual was taking place. And more importantly, to find where Israel was being kept. Which Inferno was more dedicated to when he split off from the girls to go look for his buddy while the girls went to get in their positions to execute their plan.

He followed the same route that he had gone through the last time he was in these caverns, hoping to see if it could lead him to the chamber where he found the mirror. Thinking that it might be where the ritual ceremony is being held.

Fortunately, the sand-covered floor of the caverns were muffling the sounds of his footsteps, making it easier for him to sneak along the tunnels without being caught.

The souls trapped in the mirror all saw the gang setting things up and floated up to the glass, looking at them with their pleading faces.

"Shh, don't worry. We're here to save you," Fluttershy whispered.

"Is everything all set up?" Rainbow asked.

"All systems go!" Twilight said, finishing up her end.

So, here was the plan… AJ, Sunset, Pinkie and Twilight would be in charge of crowd control. While that's happening, Rarity will create an opening through the ceiling so there'll be enough light to shine through like a sky light. Fluttershy and Rainbow then fly around with the disco ball they borrowed from the island and use its glass surface to reflect the light off the ball and onto the demons.

While the demons explode from their sunburns, Inferno will try to find Israel and find a way to bust Filthy and save the world.

And so far… with the ritual beginning, the controlled college students were coming out. Pinkie, Twilight, Sunset and AJ all try to blend in with them, but stay in the back row.

Inferno, in the meantime, searched the caves for his friend, then spotted a shadow around the corner and hid himself. The man that came out was one of the possessed students, wearing some kind of freaky ritual mask. Inferno snuck up behind him, chopped him in the back of the neck and hid him in the corner.

“Nothing personal, pal.” Inferno said to the unconscious student. Suddenly, he hears girls giggling somewhere and he peeks and sees quite the sight to behold. His best friend, Israel, is alright and he's… being waited on by these other girls.

"Would you care for another pizza slice?" one of the girls asked.

"Mmmm, you bet." Israel said happily before opening wide and biting into his slice.

'He's okay!' Inferno said, relieved. ‘And he’s… eating pizza? I was expecting him to be held against his will; like in the movies.’

Without wasting any more time, Inferno looks towards the unconscious student and soon he gets an idea.

It's not long before the ritual dance began and all the possessed students were chanting in a weird language no one could understand. It… didn't even sound like it was human language to begin with, but the rhythm made it clear, this ritual was about to get a sacrifice.

Sure enough, in waltzes the leader of this occult, Filthy Rich, wearing a dark blue imperial outfit. As he stopped in the center of the main chamber, the possessed students stopped and awaited for their leader to speak. Filthy looked over at the girls and the others looked to them as well, all of them having a menacing, yet blank stare.

"Ah, young ladies. Welcome to my little… "Perfect World" party. I've been waiting a long time for this moment. Thank you for returning, the ultimate party favor… the Daimao Jade."

And once he had said that, AJ, Sunset, Pinkie and Twilight soon find themselves grabbed and held captive by a single possessed student; holding onto them with surprising strength. AJ and Sunset struggle to break free, but to no avail. One of the possessed students from the crowd approached Twilight before reaching into her pocket and pulled out the Daimao Jade.

Then they brought the jewel up to their leader, who gladly accepted it.

"And now! Behold! The sacrifice!" Filthy said.

Soon, out came Israel Yabuki, being carried on a chair by a few other masked possessed students, not knowing what his true purpose was in this ritual.

"Damn, big crowd. Didn't know my role was such a big deal." he chuckled.

"Psst, Bro," Inferno whispered while incognito. Taking the mask and clothes from the possessed student from earlier and blending in with the crowd.

Israel looked over to him and noticed his physique, recognizing him. "Inferno? What the hell are you doing here? And what on earth are you dressed as?"

"I don’t know, I didn’t ask the guy who wore it before I knocked him out. I’m here to save you!” Inferno whispered to him, urgently.

"Save me from what? Filthy asked me to be the mascot of this place, what's so bad about that?" he asked, shrugging.

“Dude. You’re not the ‘mascot’, you’re the sacrifice! They need you for some crazy demonic ritual. C’mon, we need to get outta here while we can!” Inferno whispered to him again, trying to get him to see sense.

"Sacrifice?" He asked, then paused for a moment before scoffing. "Well, why would it matter? No one takes me seriously." He hid his face with his hair, too insecure to even look at his "friend" after what transpired earlier.

Seeing that Israel was too insecure or too stubborn, whatever the case may be, Inferno had to say something to get Israel’s attention. And he knew one way.

“Look… I was wrong, Israel.” Inferno spoke. “Ok, I was wrong about AJ earlier. And I’m sorry. Hell… I’m sorry for… everything. I’m sorry that I didn’t know about your insecurities. Even though you didn’t tell me about them when you should have… but that’s not your fault. I know that back when we were in CHS, I had all the popularity and fame… but that didn’t make me happy. It never felt happy. It only made my life hollow and… fake… All those people that surround themselves around me… I never saw any of them as my friends. I never knew what it was like to have a friend. A friend I can count on. A friend that is there for me. A friend I can trust. And then I met you… and the girls… And for once… I was happy. That I have friends that I can trust and depend on. And whenever I'm down, I always have you be there for me. So please, man. Just this once… Let me be there for you. Let me try… to be the friend that you can trust and depend on… when you need it most.” He spoke from the bottom of his heart.

"You… r-really mean it?" Israel asked, his eyes building up tears.

Inferno returned with a smile before he brought his fist up to give a fistbump before saying: “Friend’s don’t quit.”

He blinks once and fistbumps his friend. "Alright, then how do we do this?"

“Ok… We go nice and quiet. And hopefully they won’t notice…” Inferno tries to explain their escape plan before they are interrupted by one of the demons without a host jams its hand straight through Israel's chest, but no blood comes out, just a strange glowing light. “ISRAEL!!!” Inferno screamed in shock and fear.

"W-What… the…! STOP IT! AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGH!!!!" he shouted, trying to fight it. But it was too late. Out of his chest, came his entire soul and Israel's body goes limp.

From their hiding spot, Fluttershy and Rainbow saw everything and the timid animal lover tries to rush onto the scene to save Israel, if it wasn’t for Rainbow holding her back with all her strength.

"No, don't! You'll get caught, too!" Rainbow warned her quietly.

Meanwhile, the soul of Israel Yabuki struggles to break free from his captor's grasp. "Lemme go! LEMME GO!" he grunted.

Filthy Rich then took the jade and opened it up before aiming it at the mirror where the trapped souls were. Just then, the mirror glowed and showed a swirling vortex of souls popping out.

"The time has come! With the power of the Daimao Jade, I shall absorb the energy source!" Filthy proclaimed. The girls watched in horror as each of the souls were absorbed into that cursed gem and they could hear them all screaming. "And now, to complete the transformation, I shall absorb the imperfect one!"

"Imperfect? Me? What the fuck does that mean?!" Israel's soul asked, trying to break free.

"And ultimate power… SHALL BE MINE!!!" Filthy finishes.

But Inferno has heard enough.

“You ain't taking my best friend, asshole.” Inferno declared as he elbows a possessed student that had a hold on him, before the young man ran towards the tall demon monster that had his best friend.

And with an incredible leap, he pounced onto the monster’s back before he crawled upward and locked his legs around the demon’s neck before he continuously bashed at its face with his bare hands.

“LET MY FRIEND GO, MOTHERFUCKA!!!” Inferno shouted as he continued his assault.

Disorientated and annoyed, the demon monster tried to reach behind itself to get Inferno off it, but the human was slippery and continued punching it in the face. Even going as far as sticking his hand in its mouth and tugging on its tongue.

“OKAY! THIS IS THE GROSSEST THING I EVER DONE!!!” Inferno commented while tugging on the demon’s tongue.

"You think that's gross? You should look at their faces. Woo! That is one ugly motherfucker!" Israel's soul roasted. This made the demon screech in anger from his comment.

"Oop! That's my cue to buy you some time. Get my body ready so I can feel myself again." Israel said. He then finally slipped out of the demon monster’s grasp and floated towards Filthy while a few other demons came after his soul. And just as he stopped right in front of the leader, he waited until the last minute and pulled out a sign from nowhere that said "See ya, sucker." And flew up high and watched Filthy get tackled by the two demon grunts.

While that's happening, Rarity makes her way through a tunnel to get to the surface. "Almost there, but… ooh, I'm in dire need of a pedicure after this mess is over." the fashion diva said.

Back with the girls, after having broken themselves free, Pinkie and AJ were holding off the demon students using AJ's raw power and Pinkie's explosive sweets. This gave Twilight and Sunset the opening they needed to take the jade away from Filthy Rich. But when they try to do it by hand, Twilight burns her fingers because of the jade being too hot. Luckily, she had telekinesis to remove it from his grasp.

It's then that Sunset took another look at Filthy and noticed part of his neck was peeling off. But it didn't look like skin, rather… like the kind of rubber you find in a mask.

"Wait a minute… this can't be the real Mr. Rich." Sunset said. "What if…" she pauses and uses her powers to see into his memories and once she pulls away, she finds out a shocking truth. She turns to Twilight with a serious look. "Twilight, it all makes sense."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Think about it." Sunset begins to explain as she looks at the imposter. "The strange office building with all those computers to get into corporate businesses, all this talk about perfection and failure isn't an option, so much so to the point where it's like a giant brain-washing facility… none of these are part of Filthy Rich's ambitions."

Twilight looks at her with confusion. “Then who's?” she asked.

"Who else could it be? The only person who was cheated out of what was rightfully theirs, someone who values perfection above all else, someone who's reputation plummeted because of our beloved autistic friend. Isn't that right…" Sunset paused and then grabbed the rubber face mask of the fake Filthy Rich and tore it off to reveal… "Abacus Cinch!"

And there, lying on the ground was Twilight's old headmistress, glaring up at the two girls. "The nerve of you vile meddlers!" the lady snarled.