Blue green eyes blinked dazedly up at the ceiling, her brain struggling to work through a sort of exhausted fog. That was the ceiling in the gym…why was she looking up at the gym ceiling? Hadn't she just been…

Oh no. What had her magic done now?

Her head started to clear, and she struggled to sit up, against hands that were supporting her. “‘M fine,” she slurred, then realized belatedly she’d apparently forgotten how to speak normally, and for some reason she didn't know, her brain had defaulted to a dialect of Middle Ponish that Princess Celestia had taught her when she was little. “…sorry…” she mumbled. “…I’m okay…”

Bon-Bon asked wryly, “Are you sure about that? You were…actually on fire and glowing for a minute there, and you sound pretty drunk.”

“…Thaumic over…overload…” the former unicorn managed, realizing in a detached sort of way that she was back to being fully human again. “….is anyone hurt?” Her emotions were fairly slow to respond, her brain wrapped in a sort of numbing cotton.

“Nope!” came Lyra’s chipper voice from far too close to her right elbow, and Sunset realized that she was one of the set of hands that had stopped her from crashing into the wood of the bleachers when magic took her off her feet. “We all feel amazing! That rainbow wave just swept over everyone and it felt tingly and warm and good! Like some super mixture of the best parts of chocolate and the world’s steamiest, hot se—” The rest of her sentence became muffled as someone briefly covered her mouth.

“Sweetie, you're oversharing again.”

“Whoopsie! Sorry! Anyway, it felt really great and I don't know about you, but even the soreness from gym class earlier is gone! Magic is so cool—I wish I had magic!”

“Perhaps so, darling, but right now, I believe I wish I didn't—whatever just happened has left me feeling a bit…under the weather.” Rarity sounded as foggy and tired as the redhead felt.

Sunset forced herself to sit up, feeling the hands against her back help. “…I…was a little caught up in the surge…but it sounds like it was a little like what happened last month…but not as severe.” She looked around the gym, which seemed to still have power, and blinked, because for a brief second, she thought she was seeing Pinkie Pie in two places at once. A second look showed that there was only one Pinkie, the one being propped up by a few of the guys from the lacrosse team a few rows down.

“Wheeeee! That was awesome, Sunset! I didn't know you could do that! Best pep rally act ever! …even if you forgot to sign us up and I feel kinda party-pooped and dizzy!” Pinkie tried to sit up, giggling when it failed. “The show must go on! Take me to the stage, minions of fun!”

“Uh…is she okay to go?” one of the boys asked, looking to Sunset.

The former unicorn rubbed her head and tried to shake off the cobwebs. “…she should be…it doesn’t sound like it was dangerous…but…” she reached for her bag, fumbling to retrieve one of the Sun Bites she’d started carrying around. “Here…Pinkie, eat one of these just in case.”

One of the other boys hopped up the three levels to take it from her, then jumped down to the floor to pass it to Pinkie. Then the group carried her like a queen back to the stage as she waved and laughed at the cheering from the reinvigorated crowd.

“We’re okay!” She yelled. “Surprise! We did a magic trick for you! Did everyone like that?” Riotous cheering and whistling came from every corner of the room, including some of the staff. (Except for a very grumpy looking Mr. Doodle…but Sunset wasn't sure that man knew what a smile was.)

Sighing, Sunset checked in on the rest of her friends, who all seemed in the same place as her: suddenly worn from whatever their magic had done. “…and here I thought we were getting a handle on it,” she groaned in frustration. “I don't understand why it keeps doing that—even if it was some kind of echo of the Elements, none of us represent Magic, which is sort of the one Element that is the lynchpin of the whole Elements of Harmony! And why it seems to draw me in is an even bigger mystery! I was corrupted by my own evil and Magic’s power—the Elements shouldn't even like me!”

“…but we do, darling.”

That stopped the former bully cold. “What?”

Rarity had a speculative look on her face. “We like you. All of us, even Twilight. And you said that the magic inside myself, at least…was both of the Elements of Harmony, but also a part of me that ‘made me more myself.’ Then if that is true, in a way, we are the Elements…or at least acting on Their behalf …and we do like you, very much.”

Hands squeezed one of hers, and Fluttershy joined in. “Maybe that's why the magic happens like this?” she offered. “Whenever your magic is having a reaction to something, maybe our magic is trying to help?”

Brows pinched together as she thought about it. It had never occurred to her because that wasn't really how magic worked most of the time for unicorns. It wasn’t impossible, she supposed, given that even for ponies there were cases where one pony’s magic responded to distress in a spouse or foal or sibling, but those were usually life or death situations.

Applejack cleared her throat. “Fluttershy might have a point, ya know. This is the second time our magic has done that when yers was acting up, Sunset.”

“There’s another angle I don't think any of you have considered,” Bon-Bon suggested. “The five of you are somehow channeling those wonky Element things that are related to the crown at the formal, right? The one that made Sunset into a giant succubus with the huge knockers?” She glanced down at Sunset’s bust. “Not that the second part has changed much…”

The redhead crossed her arms defensively over her chest, face burning. “…that's the gist of it, yes. Somehow the girls have some kind of power core or connection to the Elements of Harmony from Equestria.”

“But you keep saying you don't. Why not? From where I’m sitting it all looks like it's the same magic. You transform the same, you get the horse ears and the hair extensions and a horn, you were part of their little rainbow attack squad against the Dazzlings, and this is twice you've triggered the rainbow blast thingie with them.”

Her shoulders slumped a little. “Because there's six Elements, and the only one left unaccounted for is the Element of Magic—the one that was in the crown from the formal. Despite wearing It, the Element…rejected me…” Her memories swam up, that hazy, nightmarish recollection of her time as a demon, and she shuddered. “It…pulled all of the ugliness in my soul up and looked at it, and…It…had a lot of thoughts on who I was and what I’d done…Magic…would never choose me.”

Bon-Bon made a thoughtful sound. “Setting aside potential gemstone based sentience for the time being, how do you know there’s only six of these things?”

“Because…that's all that any records of them state. There's six Elements of Harmony: Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, which come together to create the last Element. Magic. According to Princess Twilight, they represent the virtues associated with friendship.” Sunset managed to sit up all the way now on her own, her strength returning quickly. “She’s the closest thing we have to a living expert on Harmonic magic and the Elements.”

It was Lyra who spoke up. “‘Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.’ How do you know that there didn’t used to be more? I can think of a lot more ‘virtues’ that matter in friendship. Like Love…or Hope…”

“Resolve,” Bon-Bon suggested. “Knowledge. Forgiveness…”

“…Empathy,” Fluttershy volunteered quietly. “It's not the same as compassion, after all.”

“See?” Bon-Bon said. “So what if your magic is some lost or even brand new Element thing?”

Sunset went from having her arms crossed defensively to desperately gripping her own elbows to avoid hugging herself. “…because that would be too easy an answer..” Because she wanted it to be true. “Because the odds that ponies have missed a key part of the Elements of Harmony in some eight to ten thousand years of history, is astronomically low.” Because it would mean the Elements had forgiven her for what she tried to do, and what she remembered of the dry voice and that empty space where it had broken her down into the truth of herself, she had already received what the Elements of Harmony considered ‘forgiving.’ “Because I…don't think I’ve done anything to deserve that kind of honor, especially after what I tried to do.”

“Can’t you check?” Lyra asked curiously.

She couldn't help the wince. “That's…sort of one particular flaw in the way I sense magic. I can perceive my own power, and things like damage or death, invasive energy…but it's kind of like trying to see your own face. You can feel what it feels like, touch it with your hands, manipulate your face muscles to blink or frown or talk, and you know when you get hurt…but you're looking out from it, so you need a mirror to see yourself, or someone else has to look at you. And…there's not really any options for that here. It would require a high end medical grade thaumometer, the kind used in very rare cases and medical research in Equestria…or someone here that was trained to scan and explore someone else’s magic.”

“…I could do it,” Rarity volunteered. “If…it's something you could teach me how to do.”

Chewing on her lip, Sunset hesitated. “We can try, but…first of all, it's not something you’ll be able to even attempt until you can master what I’m already teaching you, about feeling your own power and sensing each other’s in the broadest of terms. That ability is really the precursor to it, the more broad scope and less detailed version. The ability that lets you learn more than just the basics is a much more…invasive analysis, and it requires a lot more finite control and understanding over your own power, so you don't do more harm than good. Which…brings me to the second part…” She closed her eyes, pushing the memories down. “When we were learning this in my magus mastery classes…the ponies who partnered with me for it…always got hurt. Either because I did something wrong and learned a lot more about them somehow…or because my magic attacked them.”

Rarity made a thoughtful sound. “Was it like what you did with me at the farm?” At her slow nod, her friend made a dismissive noise. “Sunset, darling, that didn't hurt at all. I was…on some level…aware you were prodding at…part of me—my magic, I’m guessing—but it didn't hurt. I suppose it felt…more like a hand pressing down on my shoulder. Odd, and definitely not an experience I’ve had before, but hardly something I'd even call uncomfortable.”

Feeling eyes on her, Sunset squirmed a little. “I was as gentle as I could be,” she confessed, “because I didn’t want to make a mess of it. And…truth is, I think it's because I just can't access most of my magic in this world. Like the difference between a garden hose and a river. But if you're trying to investigate my magic as anything more than the surface sensing…my magic will be somewhat more able to react, and history shows it reacts…violently.”

“Violently how?” Applejack asked, arching one brow.

“At least three ponies were tossed across the room into a wall, two ended up with horrific, thaumic backlash induced migraines, and six…including two different professors…caught fire?” Sunset rubbed her neck awkwardly.

Lyra gaped, then squeaked excitedly, “Magic school sounds like the best thing ever! Forget Hogwarts—I want to go to a school like that! You caught your teachers on fire?”

“Accidentally!” Sunset defended. “I didn't mean to, it's just…I…have an affinity for fire magic. It's pretty much my primary offensive branch of magic. And it's not as magnificent as it sounds…a lot of the ponies there didn't like me much.”

AJ snorted. “Ever think that might’ve been why yer magic went after them then? If they didn't like ya, would ya really want them diggin’ around in yer magic? Ah know Ah wouldn’t. Sounds kinda invasive.”

“Maybe? I don't know,” Sunset responded in exasperation. “It was years ago, and I tried to forget a lot of the worst bits…and trust me, setting other ponies on fire always upset Princess Celestia.” She looked for a distraction, and found it on stage, “Look, we can talk about this later. I think they're about to announce who is on the team for the Games.”

“And we wouldn't want to miss Rainbow Dash’s big moment, now would we?” Rarity murmured without a hunt of overt sarcasm. “Still…when it comes to it, Sunset, we’ll make sure to have a fire extinguisher on hand during further lessons…just…maybe not that novelty one that Pinkie bought. It apparently sprays out cotton candy. Somehow.”

Nope. Sunset refused to ask or even think about that. She shook her head and focused entirely on what Pinkie and Flash were doing on stage, as they called up the student council and were joined by the principals.

“This is so super duper extra special exciting and I can't wait!” Pinkie gushed to the student body. “Aren't you all just as excited as I am to find out how the votes went?!”

“I mean, I’m curious,” Flash laughed. “On who is going to be lucky enough to stick it personally to those jerks. Besides Rainbow Dash, of course. I don't know anyone who didn't vote for her.”

The head of the student council, a somewhat preppy looking senior, cleared her throat. “Rainbow Dash is the captain of at least two sports teams,” she acknowledged. “In a competition like this, she is a somewhat obvious choice. After tallying the votes, I think we have a good, solid team this year.”

Throwing her arms wide with exuberance, Pinkie yelled, “Do you hear that? You guys picked a super amazing awesome team this year! We are soooooo gonna kick the other team’s butt!”

“Miss Pie,” Vice Principal Luna sighed, “while I commend you for your enthusiasm, please stick to not exaggerating too greatly on such matters?”

“Whoopsie-daisy! Sorry!” The boisterous bouncy pink haired girl gave her an apologetic smile.

Principal Celestia gave Pinkie a gentle smile. “It’s quite alright,” she reassured her, before addressing the room. “Good afternoon, students…and thank you to those members of the student body and their faculty support who organized and performed for us today. I think I speak for everyone when I say that this has been a pep rally to remember.” People clapped and stomped, and the woman gave them time to settle before she continued. “It is now time to announce those who were chosen for this year’s Canterlot High Friendship Games Team—as always, the twelve competitors were chosen by their peers to represent them in the upcoming event.”

The student council president handed her a thickly stuffed envelope, which Principal Celestia opened, retrieving a stack of index cards. “The competitors are asked to join us as your names are called.” She smiled. “Micro Chips!”

An awkward, geeky boy with knobby knees tripped his way down the bleachers, eyes wide in surprise. Sunset winced and reminded herself to apologize and pay him back at some point—she had bullied him out of a few hundred dollars worth of pocket and lunch money during her reign of terror.

“Sandalwood!”

The tall, goofy senior with with dreadlocks thrust his arms up. “Alright!” He high-fived his buddies and then several other kids on his way to the stage, slinging a friendly arm around Micro Chips on the way in a show of camaraderie as he got him moving faster.

“Ditzy Doo!”

Who? Sunset looked around, trying to put a face to the name. She finally spotted the clumsy blonde who had helped her in the hall on one of her bad days after the formal. The girl was bouncing down the steps with a sunny smile on her face, waving at her friends….only to trip and almost faceplant into the gym floor. The quick reaction of one of Flash’s bandmates was the sole thing that kept her from a nasty concussion.

“Lyra Heartstrings!”

With a painfully loud shriek in Sunset’s ear, Lyra jumped up, pulling Bon-Bon with her in some kind of exuberant hug that nearly knocked Sunset over onto poor Fluttershy. “Sorry!” she exclaimed before hopping excitedly down the steps.

“Flash Sentry!”

Sunset led the cheer for her ex, cupping her hands around her mouth to yell, “Way to go, Flash!” over the roar of the crowd. He grinned in her direction and flashed her a thumbs up.

“Bon-Bon!”

At least she didn’t practically squash them like Lyra tried to, Sunset thought as she clapped, hoping to save her voice at least a little bit for Rainbow. Bon-Bon caught up to her girlfriend and they linked arms to join the group at the stage.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie!”

“Wheeeeee!” Pinkie cheered, doing a cartwheel on stage. “We’re gonna have so much fuuuun!!!!” She somehow completed the maneuver to stick the landing next to Flash. “Hi again, partner!”

“Hi, Pinkie,” he laughed.

“Rarity Belle!”

Rarity blinked. “Oh my. I didn’t expect to hear my name.”

Sunset shook her head. “Rarity, you're one of the most popular girls in school, and you're an honors student. We have some solid athletic folks, but they need people for the inevitable academics portion.”

“Yes, I suppose there is that. Well. I shall see you after the rally then.” She waved and made her way gracefully down the steps.

“Applejack Apple!”

Chuckling, the farmer accepted the hug from Fluttershy. “Couldn't let Dash have all the fun, now could Ah?” she said with a wink at the two girls sitting in the bleachers amidst all manner of empty space.

“Just remember that you and Dash are on the same side and not competing against each other!” Sunset yelled as she crossed the large open space on the floor.

“Fluttershy!”

The soft spoken girl next to Sunset couldn't have been more surprised if she’d been slapped, the redhead decided. “M-me?”

“That’s what Principal Celestia said. Congratulations!”

“Oh…” Hiding in her hair, she got up to join the others.

Sunset touched her shoulder as she moved by. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked.

“I’ll manage…thank you for asking though…” Her smile was shaky, and she suddenly hugged Sunset tight. “Because of you, I’ve learned that I’m stronger than I ever thought.”

There was a painful meaning behind those words, and Sunset gaped like a fish as she watched her friend reach the end of the bench, take a deep breath, square her shoulders, and descend to the gym floor with her head held high to join the rest of the team.

“Rainbow Dash!”

She almost missed Rainbow’s name being called out as she was still processing. Putting her emotions aside for the moment, Sunset jumped to her feet, cheering and pumping her fist in the air for her friend. Everything else aside, she wanted to support Dash…support all her friends, really.

She…just hadn’t realized she’d be cheering alone from the sidelines.

Once the soccer star made it to the group on the stage, Sunset sank to her seat again, rubbing her arms to ward off a chill. It was just her on the bleachers now, with noticeable space between her and the students around her.

Shaking off the sensation, and trying to smile, she looked towards the principals. There was still one last name, and she wanted to know who would be filling that spot. As she did so, the former unicorn realized something was wrong. Principal Celestia was frowning, and had stepped back from the microphone. Her sister was reading over her shoulder, one eyebrow arched, as they both turned to the student council.

The president of the council straightened as Celestia turned to speak to her, shaking her head in a negative. Snatches of conversation were picked up, however faintly, by the microphone as the girl stood her ground against the administrator.

“…going to have to…first alternate…”

“…almost…whole school…my responsibility to…”

“…sorry, but in this…just have to…”

Sunset cocked her head, now very lost as to what was happening—there was clearly some kind of problem with the last student, but…what? The redhead wracked her brain, trying to think if there were any likely candidates who were on some form of probation like she was. Maybe one of the athletes? They had to maintain a certain GPA to stay on the school teams—maybe one of them was slipping? Like Hoops, maybe? He was about as dumb as a box of rocks, in her experience, and most people who weren't on the basketball team with him gave his company a hard pass. He was a jerk to anyone who wasn't a sports star. Or maybe someone like…

“…set Shim…”

Her head jerked around, and she realized a lot of people in the bleachers were looking at her…but why…?

Then she heard the whispering…just like at the beginning of the pep rally, people were staring and whispering…except this time she couldn't blame it on the Pony-Up. That had faded a while ago. Her gaze moved from person to person, searching for some answers, and when it landed on Flash, she felt her gut twist. He was looking back at her confused and concerned…but for her...and when he jerked his head towards Miss Luna…

The Vice Principal was staring right at her, scrutinizing her intently…and that was when she felt her stomach sink all the way into the toes of her boots.

Sunset had a pretty good idea exactly whose name was written on that last card.

Hers.

All around her, people were staring and whispering and pointing…and here she was, alone and exposed with no friends to look to for support because they were all the way across the gymnasium, watching her with worried eyes and puzzled faces.

The former queen of CHS wanted to be sick.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what it looked like. That it looked just like all the rigged elections for the dances and other events that she’d cheated, lied, blackmailed, and humiliated her way into winning. They would think she did something to get her name on there, even though she hadn’t…hadn’t even tried to nominate herself, in any way. When voting time came, she chose from the basic list with careful consideration as to who she thought the best fits for the Games Team were rather than filling in the blanks at the bottom with her own submission. Among all her friends, only AJ and Dash had actually been on the ballot, and she’d tried her best to weigh them fairly with all the other options (she’d voted for both, of course, but Applejack was the strongest teen in the school and Dash was undisputedly the fastest and the most well rounded athlete.)

Miss Luna’s eyes bored into her, and Sunset could feel the hairs on her neck standing up in a frisson of fear. Then the woman looked away, took a few steps closer to where the girls were standing, Rainbow Dash crossing her arms and looking angry. One dark skinned hand forestalled the athlete’s comments, and the assistant principal gestured to Applejack with some kind of query.

Applejack took her hat off, and shook her head, making a wide gesture at the group, then mimed guitar playing followed by what was meant to be pony ears on her head.

Whatever she said seemed to satisfy Miss Luna, who rejoined her sister just as the student council Vice President, Octavia, held out what looked like an entire ream of paper to the principals, expression just as defiant as the rest of the student council. Sunset couldn't read lips well, and definitely not from like a hundred feet away, but whatever she said seemed to shock the Principal. Her dark haired sibling seemed less startled, but she took the stack of paper and began thumbing through it, her expression becoming more and more thoughtful. She made some kind of comment, waving the stack of papers.

Finally, Principal Celestia stared out at the assembled students of her school, taking in the coiled, now antsy nature of them, until her eyes fell on Sunset. The woman studied her in a way that made Sunset feel like all her flaws were on display, a way that made her feel hot and cold and sick all at once, because in her memories it was associated with the Princess of the Sun expressing “how very disappointed” she was with Sunset’s latest actions—never raising her voice, of course, but filled with so much weight that it made the amber unicorn feel guilt and seething anger for days after.

“Given the nature of the petition, letters, and signatures the student council took the liberty of obtaining, I realize you all are aware of who the last nominee for the Friendship Games Team is. While Vice Principal Luna and I appreciate what you have tried to do, at this time, we are not accepting or rejecting the nomination outright.” Her expression lost the searching look, and Sunset felt herself breathe again, and the faint smile made her feel hopeful that this would at least have a favorable outcome for her nerves. “In addition, I must commend every single one of you for the maturity, respect, unity, and virtues of true friendship you have shown us today with this. I am extremely proud of you all, and so very happy to be your Principal.”

The vice principal took the microphone. “I must concur with Principal Celestia on this—you have, each and every one, demonstrated the very behavior the Games are meant to embody. Whether we are victorious over Crystal Prep or not is irrelevant—with this action, you have proven yourselves beyond any shadow of a doubt to be the best Wondercolts ever to grace the halls of this institution in its almost ninety year existence. I applaud you.”

Principal Celestia waved her hand. “With that, I declare this pep rally--and the school week--over…I know it is a few minutes early, but you’ve all earned it. Go start your weekend!”

The cheers were deafening, even to Sunset’s human ears, but that didn't stop her from hearing Miss Luna’s voice rising above her classmates’ thunderous exodus.

“Sunset Shimmer, would you please meet us in the office before you depart for the weekend? It seems we have some things to discuss with you.”

Oh, Lyra, never change.

And Sunset, hon, stop fighting the fact that people love you! Just accept it!

And yes, more backstory on Sunset's time at CSGU. Hooo boy.

Yes, on fire. Lots of fire.

...Do not ask where Pinkie gets her novelty items. Its Pinkie.

So...that list.

Debated for a long time on Derpy's name. Decided on "Ditzy Doo" because "Derpy Hooves" makes no sense for a human. But no one ever calls her by her "real" name. Instead, in homage to the fact that no one--fandom or show creators--could ever seem to agree on what that name was, she goes by a million different nicknames. Is Ditzy Doo the girl's real name? Maybe. Maybe not. No one knows.

....Weird thought...but has anyone ever connected the whole "Pinkie's middle name is Diane, which is connected to Diana, which is one of the names for the goddess of the moon...." So one could joke that her name is basically Pinkie Moon Pie. And Pinkie strikes me as the kind of person to actually like eating moon pies.

My brain goes places when I havent slept in 40 hours.

And yes, I know you all knew Sunny was gonna get picked for the team...

But she didn't.

Neither did her friends.

The rest of the students in the school, though?

Those fuckers were in on it.

If you think its not possible, trust me it is. My graduating class spent all four years of high school coordinating and voting for a fictional person in all school related elections. Harper York was voted: Student Council President, VP, Treasurer, a different one each year, Prom King and Homecoming Queen twice each, and someone even snuck their name into the registry for diplomas and the list the Principal read out at graduation. Oh, and they had an entire love profile in all four years for those stupid Valentines "Compatibility match" things, and a spot in the yearbooks, plus entries into everything from raffles and contests to fundraisers to art shows. (Their love match survey was filled out twice and filed once as a boy and once as a girl, because Harper York was just that awesome in the year 1999.) The best part was that it kept working--the teachers were kept out of it until it was too late. It was a hilarious four year prank that kept on giving laughs.

Celestia and Luna aren't laughing here though.

And poor Sunset.

Tune in NEXT WEEK!