by Perdita Finn
“And we can have a bake sale, too!” Applejack rubbed her hands together as she thought about cooking up a mess of apple cider donuts with Granny Smith.
Fluttershy cleared her throat. “I have an idea,” she chimed in softly. “What if we have a pet parade with animal fashions?”
“That’s an adorable idea,” said Rarity.
“Love it!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“Totally cute,” agreed Pinkie Pie. “And I’ll be in charge of decorating.”
All the girls burst out laughing. Of course Pinkie Pie would decorate, and it would be the best fund-raiser ever.
Fluttershy turned to Sunset Shimmer. “What do you want to do to help out?” she asked.
Sunset Shimmer looked taken aback. What was her special talent? “I don’t know,” she said.
“She had the idea, didn’t she?” Applejack pointed out.
“Of course she did! She’s full of them!” said Pinkie Pie, giving her a hug. “And you can help us all with getting the fashion show ready, isn’t that right?”
“Absolutely,” said Sunset Shimmer. “And I’ll come up with something special that I can do. I don’t know what. Yet. But something. Maybe we could write a new song for the Sonic Rainbooms to play. That might draw in even more people.”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Another great idea! You are amazing.”
But Sunset Shimmer didn’t feel amazing. She felt a little lost. She wanted some special way to contribute to the fashion show. What could she do? She didn’t have any special talents like the other girls.
“It’s time to practice, then,” said Rarity. “Let me just tune up my keytar.”
While the girls got ready to play, Sunset Shimmer slipped out of the room. She felt frustrated. All she had ever been interested in was magic. Pinkie Pie was an enthusiastic decorator, and Rarity was a skilled designer. Rainbow Dash was athletic, Applejack was an expert cook, and Fluttershy was gifted with animals. But all Sunset Shimmer could do was tag along. If only she could find some special way to stand out among her friends.
She glanced in her journal one last time—and there it was, an answer from Twilight Sparkle.
Dear Sunset Shimmer, wrote Twilight Sparkle. You have always been such a good student, and now you have this wonderful opportunity to explore the Magic of Friendship. I know it doesn’t always look that way, but it is the most powerful magic of all. I can’t wait to hear what you find out and learn. Please let me know and say hi to everyone. I miss you all! Your friend, Twilight Sparkle.
Rainbow Dash’s guitar twanged from the other room, and Rarity began singing scales. Pinkie Pie tapped at her drum set, and Fluttershy’s tambourine jangled. Each girl brought her own special sound to the music—and to the magic.
The girls were singing together now, and Sunset Shimmer peeked into the room. She already knew what she was going to see. The Sonic Rainbooms were ponying up. Ordinary girls were ponying up. Their pretty manes shook. Their ears twitched. Their pony tails swung from side to side. They were dancing and prancing and singing.
Every time she saw it, Sunset Shimmer was amazed. But how did it happen? What made it work?
Could it be that each girl’s special talent also contributed to the magic in some way? Maybe what made Rainbow Dash such a star on the soccer field was also magic. Maybe Fluttershy’s ability to communicate with animals was a kind of enchantment. Maybe it was time for Sunset Shimmer to leave her books behind and start investigating magic up close. Wasn’t that what Twilight Sparkle had meant? In chemistry class, they didn’t just learn formulas; they did experiments, too. That was it! While the girls worked on the fashion show, she was going to unlock the secrets of ponying up. That was her mission. That was what made her special. She was going to be a magic investigator. She imagined making a huge discovery that made the magic even better—and she would unveil it at the fashion show. She smiled and went back into the room to join the band. This was going to be so much fun!
Getting the Green Light
Sunset Shimmer volunteered to arrange all the details of the fashion show with Principal Celestia. When her classes were over the next day, Sunset went right to her office.
“It is a wonderful idea, and your music brings so much joy to the school,” Principal Celestia agreed. “I’m just not sure if we can add anything to the schedule at this late a date.” She was clicking through different screens on her computer. “I’m sure we could make it happen for next year.”
“But the championship is this year,” said Sunset Shimmer, determined. “We need new uniforms as soon as possible. It will improve morale and maybe give us the extra edge to win!” Sunset Shimmer had planned her argument in advance. She was quite convincing.
“I realize that,” said Principal Celestia. Her brow was furrowed as she continued to study the school schedule. “The only opening we have is next Friday, but that doesn’t seem like enough time.”
“Principal Celestia, we’ve put on proms in a day and concerts in a night, and you know how responsible I am as a student. Right?”
Principal Celestia smiled. “That’s true. You promise me that you can pull this off?”
“I promise!”
Sunset Shimmer practically skipped down the hall toward the doors that led to the athletic fields. She wanted to find Rainbow Dash and give her the good news.
Rainbow Dash was practicing with her teammates, bouncing the ball off her head, racing back and forth across the field, and kicking it straight through the posts. “Score!” she yelled, jumping up and down. When she came over to the sidelines to get a drink, Sunset Shimmer told her that they had a week to get ready for the fashion show.
“I told everyone on the team and they like the idea of new uniforms, but do you think we can do it that fast?” asked Rainbow Dash, concerned.
“No problem at all,” said Sunset Shimmer confidently. “I’ve get everything under control and organized.”
“I don’t doubt that,” said Rainbow Dash.
“But I do have one thing I would like to try with you. I’m doing a little research into magic.”
“Yeah?”
Sunset Shimmer pulled out an elaborate wristband from her backpack. “Last night I designed a special device to measure your athletic ability—heartbeats per minute, steps taken, reaction times, everything.” She handed it to Rainbow Dash, who slipped it on.
“Cool!” said Rainbow Dash, looking at the device already blinking on her wrist.
“See? You’ve taken three breaths, had two heartbeats, and your blood pressure hasn’t changed. Impressive.”
“I just have to wear it?” Rainbow Dash couldn’t take her eyes off all the different numbers.
“That’s all. I’ll do the rest,” said Sunset Shimmer. “I’m the magic investigator.”
Rainbow Dash’s teammates were calling for her. The practice game was about to continue.
“What else can we do with the magic?” asked Rainbow Dash, suddenly imagining goalies diverting balls with a word or being able to run as fast as a pony down the field.
Sunset Shimmer grinned as if she knew what Rainbow Dash was thinking. “Who knows? This fashion show is just the beginning! Now go!”
Rainbow Dash began dribbling the ball, but she kept checking her wrist. Every time she did, one of her classmates stole the ball from her. “It says I kick the ball with my foot every second and a half!” she called to Sunset Shimmer, who was watching from the sidelines. “Is that good or bad?”
“We don’t know yet!” said Sunset Shimmer. “Just play! I’ll keep track of everything on my monitor at home and interpret the data so we can figure out how to maximize your magic performance.” She waved good-bye and went to find the other girls so she could tell them about the fashion show—and do a little high-tech research on their magic abilities, too.
Rainbow Dash could not focus on the game. Each time she tapped the ball with her foot, the wristband buzzed. She got all turned around and began dribbling in the wrong direction. She c
aught the ball in her hands by accident, and she even kicked the ball right out of bounds into the woods. The coach was blowing her whistle and yelling, but Rainbow Dash didn’t even notice. “Hey,” she said happily. “That number that was one hundred twenty-six has gone up to one hundred thirty-eight! I think my footwork is getting better.” The ball flew past her.
“How did you miss that?” yelled her teammate. “We’ve got the championship coming up! We can’t waste a practice.”
“What’s the matter with you?” cried another girl in frustration.
But Rainbow Dash barely noticed the shouting. She couldn’t take her eyes off the blinking lights. Even when she went into the locker room, she was paying attention to the number of steps she was taking and how much energy she was exerting. What she didn’t notice was her teammates in a huddle, grumbling about the fashion show. What she didn’t realize was that they didn’t want anything to do with it. New uniforms might be nice—but not if getting them was going to mess with the talent of their star player.
Made in the Shade
Rarity was already hard at work on designs for the new uniforms in the art room. She had a paintbrush stuck in her hair, holding it up and keeping it out of her eyes, and she was drawing sketches for new uniforms on large sheets of white paper. Scattered on the table in front of her were swatches of fabric, clippings from magazines, pots of paint, markers, spools of thread, colored pencils, and a laptop.
Sunset Shimmer looked over her shoulder. “These color combinations are wonderful. I’m so glad we got the go-ahead from Principal Celestia. Do you think you can get a few samples ready in a week?”
“Darling, there is nothing I love better than fussing with fashion, although I will admit that a week is fast. But I can do it, and I’m grateful to you for giving me the opportunity!”
“Thank you,” said Sunset Shimmer, pleased. “I was wondering if while you worked, I could take some photos of your designs. I’m doing a little research into the magic of the Sonic Rainbooms, and one of my theories is that it has something to do with color.”
Rarity’s eyes widened. “That’s the smartest thing I’ve ever heard you say. Color is magical, and most people don’t realize how the right blends and combinations can transform a look.”
“Exactly! It may even have something to do with ponying up. You keep working, and I’m just going to click some photos with this special app I’ve developed to highlight hues outside the ordinary rainbow spectrum. I want to see if there is something going on that we don’t usually notice.”
Rarity waved her hand. “Click away! Don’t mind me!”
Sunset Shimmer took a slew of photos from all different angles—of the fabric, of the designs, and of Rarity hard at work. Her hypothesis was that she would capture some kind of special light or aura that revealed the secrets of the magic. But she would need a lot of photos to verify her results. How would she find the time to review them all?
That’s when it hit her. Crowdsourcing! She could upload the photos to the Sonic Rainbooms website and invite their fans to look for signs of magic. What a brilliant idea. With one final click, she uploaded all the photos to the band’s page.
“Thanks, Rarity, I think I’ve got enough photos for some potentially interesting results. Let me know if you need any help with anything.”
“I will, Sunset,” said Rarity without looking up from her work.
Out in the hall, Sunset Shimmer realized what fun she was having. She liked being a magic investigator—and it gave her an opportunity to be with her friends after school. Now she had her own hobby, just like them. And to top it off, she was sure to make some potentially important breakthroughs in the study of magic. Maybe one day she’d even win a prize for her discoveries!
Sunset Shimmer was so excited that she pulled out her journal and dashed off a quick note to Twilight Sparkle.
Dear Twilight Sparkle, she wrote. You were right! I am so grateful that you reminded me that magic is everywhere because at last I am seeing what’s possible at Canterlot High. You won’t believe what I’m going to discover and make happen here. More later! I’ve got so much to do! We’re all putting on a fashion show together. Wish you were here!
A moment later, a pink heart magically appeared underneath her note. From Twilight Sparkle. Sunset Shimmer pranced down the hall to the cafeteria. She was definitely on the right track!
Back in the art room, Rarity’s phone started buzzing with texts. At first, she ignored them because she had so much to do, but then she became worried that something was the matter with one of her friends—it turned out something was the matter with her!
“Rarity, are you sick? You’re so green in that photo!”
“Yikes! We’re not going to look like that when we model the uniforms, are we?”
“Girl, what has happened to your style?”
“Are you okay?”
What were they talking about? She dashed off a quick text to Pinkie Pie. “Everyone is talking about some photo of me. Do you know what’s going on?”
“No idea! Why would you put such an ugly photo of yourself up on our website?”
Rarity gulped, remembering Sunset Shimmer’s magic research. Could it be? She opened her laptop and went to the Sonic Rainbooms’ page. And there she was, her eyes squinting, her hair all mussed and tangled, her tongue sticking out of her mouth a little bit while she drew, and strange mossy green speckles covering her nose and cheeks like pimples. She looked terrible. Just terrible. Was this what she really looked like? How could she call herself a fashionista and look like that?
Her phone was buzzing with more messages. But she couldn’t look at them. She slumped in her chair. How would she ever live this down? She couldn’t work any more on the designs for the team uniforms today. She had to do some serious damage control if anyone was going to trust her to tell them what to wear ever again.
A Tempest in the Kitchen
“Magic?” Applejack wasn’t so sure she believed Sunset Shimmer. “What are you investigating magic for, anyway? We’ve got enough magic going on when we play music.”
The girls were standing in the middle of the cafeteria kitchen, where Applejack was cooking up a mess of donuts. She’d organized her mixing bowls and baking sheets and cooking racks. She’d bought eggs, sugar, flour, salt, seasonings, milk, and lots of apples. There was nothing Applejack liked better than baking. Besides, she’d finish it all up this afternoon and still have plenty of time to work on that week’s edition of the school paper.
“I’m experimenting with magic the way you do with cooking,” explained Sunset Shimmer.
“I always follow a recipe,” said Applejack.
“But we don’t really know the recipe yet,” said Sunset Shimmer. “Every time you whip up a batch of donuts, people ask what the secret ingredient is, don’t they?”
“And I always tell them there isn’t one,” said Applejack. “Because there isn’t.”
“That’s where you’re wrong!” Sunset Shimmer was excited.
“I am?” Applejack scratched her head, confused.
“There must be. Only it’s magic flowing out of you, possibly the very same ingredient that sets off the reaction that results in everyone ponying up when we play our music. That’s my theory, anyway. I’ve been reading a lot about alchemy in preparation for this.”
“If you say so,” said Applejack, unconvinced. “What do I do? I have a schedule I’ve got to keep to if I’m going to get all these goodies ready for the bake sale.”
“You don’t have to do anything,” said Sunset Shimmer. “I’m just going to be setting up a few monitoring devices and doing some field research, taking notes, asking questions, that kind of thing.”
Sunset Shimmer set up a heat monitor near the oven and put a thermometer with wires sticking out of it into the mixing bowl.
“Whoa!” said Applejack, just as she was about to pour in a few cups of flour. “What’s that?”
“Just measuring temperature fluctuations. D
on’t mind me.”
Every time Applejack reached for an ingredient, however, it seemed like Sunset Shimmer was already there—running some kind of scanner over the salt or the milk or the butter. “You finding anything interesting?”
“Not yet,” said Sunset Shimmer. “But you have to be patient and observant when you are a magic investigator.”
“Same with cooking,” said Applejack.
Applejack tossed eggshells into the trash, and Sunset Shimmer retrieved them, documenting the size and shape of each crack. Applejack picked up the electric mixer, and Sunset Shimmer attached an electrode to it. Applejack went to take a look at her recipe book and couldn’t find it anywhere. Sunset Shimmer was reading it and had lost her page.
“Recipes are really like spells, aren’t they?” she observed.
“Maybe,” said Applejack. “But I need to know how many spoonfuls of baking powder I’m supposed to put in these donuts.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Sunset Shimmer, handing her the book. “This is all so fascinating.”
“This is all so confusing,” said Applejack, trying to remember what she was supposed to do next. “What’s all this commotion got to do with how we pony up, anyway?”
“Ah!” said Sunset Shimmer, thrilled to be asked a question. “If we can isolate the different variables of enchantment and tweak them, it’s very possible that we will be able to maximize our musical magic.”
“Could you put that into plain English, please?”
“I’m trying to figure out how to make our magic!”
“Oh?” Applejack wasn’t watching what she was doing and accidentally poured all the milk out of the carton—and onto the floor. “Shoot!”
“Here. I’ll clean that up for you,” said Sunset Shimmer. She went to grab the mop and pulled on one of the wires attached to the mixer, which went skittering across the counter, spilling batter everywhere. “Oops.”
“Now I’ve got one big barnyard of a mess to clean up!”
