Storm on the Horizon

Sunset Shimmer put down her pencil. She was done. Before anyone else in the class. As usual. She handed in her test and went back to her desk.

When she first came to Canterlot High, she had been determined to succeed as a human girl, and she kind of had. In a matter of weeks, she had become the most popular girl in the whole school. She’d gotten herself elected as the princess of the Fall Formal, and the handsome Flash Sentry had been her boyfriend. Of course, she’d also stolen a magic crown from Equestria and turned herself into a world-conquering she-demon, but after Twilight Sparkle defeated her, everyone somehow forgave her. And when the evil Sirens tried to sow disharmony at Canterlot High, Sunset Shimmer took the opportunity to show everyone that she could be part of the team. Still, the day-to-day challenges of being an ordinary friend were sometimes harder than anything she had ever done before.

Her classes were a breeze. No student had been better than her in Equestria, except for Twilight Sparkle. Mastering magic was a lot more complicated than math and science and social studies and English—that was for sure. She twirled her hair around her pencil and looked around the room. Everyone was hunched over the test, working hard.

Sunset Shimmer took a notebook filled with numbers and symbols from her backpack. She was trying to figure out a formula to explain how the magic of this world worked. If you took five girls—six girls, including her—and they could each play seven different notes, how did that add up to magic? Of course, each girl played a different instrument and they sang lots of different songs and you probably had to factor in the words of those songs, and the girls’ movements, and possibly even what they were wearing.… It was such a complicated problem. Six plus seven plus who-knows-what equaled everyone ponying up! If only someone could help her think about this. She looked around the classroom.

Fluttershy was nervously biting her lip. Rainbow Dash was erasing an answer. Rarity was meticulously checking over the questions. Pinkie Pie was staring out the window and humming before she remembered the test and furiously scribbled again. The girls seemed so, well, ordinary, and yet when they played music together, the magic happened. How did it work?

If only Twilight Sparkle were here to help her solve this magic puzzle. That’s when Sunset Shimmer remembered her special journal that let her send messages back and forth to her pony friend in Equestria. She took out her journal and dashed off a note to Twilight Sparkle.

Dear Twilight Sparkle, she wrote. Sometimes I’m a little jealous that you get to come to Canterlot High for magical adventures and I have to be here every day figuring out how to be a real girl and a real friend. When I was studying conjuring and spells with Princess Celestia, I always understood my purpose, but now I don’t know what I’m doing and I don’t really know why I’m here.

Sunset Shimmer closed the cover of the journal. She never knew when Twilight Sparkle would write her back, but at some point, she’d open the magic book and find a letter from her friend on one of the pages.

She glanced at the clock. Class was almost over, and kids were scrambling to complete the test.

“That’s it. Time’s up,” announced the teacher.

The bell rang.

“That wasn’t as hard as I thought!” said Fluttershy when the girls were out in the hall.

“That’s because you practiced!” said Rainbow Dash.

“We did it! We did it! We did it!” Pinkie Pie gushed. “I say we celebrate with a sleepover party at my house tonight.”

“Yay!” shouted all the girls together.

“Yay,” said Sunset Shimmer. She was so happy to have a chance to join her friends, especially after missing out on the study session.

“Shall we come over right after school?” she asked eagerly.

“Can’t miss soccer practice,” said Rainbow Dash. “But I’ll see you afterward.”

“Me too,” added Rarity. “I’m working on some costumes for the school play with the drama club, but I can be there for dinner.”

“I’ve got to write up some stories for the newspaper before I’m free,” said Applejack.

“I’ve got to drop in at the animal shelter,” Fluttershy said. “For a little while anyway.”

“And I’ve got the yearbook and student council and glee club and”—Pinkie Pie took a big breath—“I’ve got to decorate for our party tonight and order the pizza. What are you doing this afternoon, Sunset Shimmer?”

The girls were busy with so many activities, but Sunset Shimmer wasn’t yet a part of any club or team at Canterlot High. What she wanted to do more than anything when school was over was study magic. She thought of the books of spells and diagrams and formulas waiting for her at home. Where did magic come from? How did it work? That’s what she wanted to know. But that wasn’t something she was talented at the way Rainbow Dash was good at sports or Rarity excelled at fashion.

The girls were looking at her expectantly.

Sunset Shimmer brushed a curl off her forehead. “I have to… um… study magic,” she admitted to her friends, worried they might make fun of her.

The girls’ eyes widened.

“Of course.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Tell Twilight Sparkle we said hello if you talk to her.”

“Twilight Sparkle?” Flash Sentry was passing by them in the hallway and had overheard them. “Is she coming back to Canterlot High?”

“Not for a long time,” sighed Sunset Shimmer, who missed her, too.

Flash Sentry’s shoulders slumped as he headed to his next class.

“He really misses her,” said Rarity.

“We all do,” said Applejack. “She’s one fine filly. If it hadn’t been for her, who knows what those Sirens would have done?”

“I helped, too,” said Sunset Shimmer, wanting to remind her friends about her moment of glory. But as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she knew she’d hit the wrong note. It sounded like she was bragging.

“Of course you helped,” said Rainbow Dash. “It was teamwork all the way!”

The girls chattered cheerfully on their way to math class, but Sunset Shimmer hung back. They would all be busy this afternoon. She wished there was a club for magic at the school. She wished there was someone who wanted to learn about it with her. The only problem with studying all the time was that it could be lonely. She glanced in her journal to see if there was any word from Twilight Sparkle. Nothing yet.

With her nose in her book, she nearly bumped into Trixie.

“Watch where you are going! The Great and Powerful Trixie does not like to have her feet stepped on!” Trixie stomped off, her nose in the air.

Sunset Shimmer tucked the journal into her bag. Back to the problem at hand. How did the magic in this world work? There had to be a formula, and she was going to figure it out. She just needed to think about all the different things that went into it—the notes, the music, the instruments. She sighed, thinking about the long afternoon alone ahead. She hoped she’d hear from Twilight Sparkle soon. She really needed her—not just to help figure out magic but because she needed her friendship.