Equestria Monster Girls
Halloween was a big time of year in Canterlot. From spooky decorations to trick-or-treating on the big night, the last week of October was one of the scariest ones in the year. One afternoon, Gemini and her friends were busily planning and discussing what their costumes might be, all while sitting in Gem's bedroom at Shadowfall.
"So, what does everyone have in mind?" Gem asked the group. "I was a time traveler last year, this year I think I'll go as a vampire."
Sunset put her hand up, “I’m going as a phoenix!”
“A raven!” said Raven happily.
“Mermaids,” said the Dazzlings, as one.
“I think I’ll be a centaur,” suggested Twilight.
“And I’ll be a werewolf,” finished Emerald.
Gem smiled, “Excellent! Now that we have that sorted, we can begin construction!” And so the group trooped to the nearest arts and crafts store to get supplies, then back home to put everything together.
The following morning, (a Saturday) Raven was taking a leisurely walk through town when she found herself at the sports field, where the athletic tournament of the Friendship Games had been held. Lying forgotten and dirty beneath a bush was a red and silver pendant of sorts. Curious, she bent down and picked it up, brushing off some of the dust with her fingers. “What’s this?” she wondered, turning it around and around in her hands. “Some kinda necklace thing? Looks like a bird… this would go great with my costume!” And she rushes home to see how it looks.
Later that afternoon, Raven texted Gem and asked her to come right over. She marked the text urgent. Very soon after receiving the text, Gem was knocking on the door to Raven's house.
Corvus opened the door to find Gem standing there. “Oh yeah, she's upstairs. One second.” He walks to the stairs. “Hey Raven, your cherie amour is here, are you non-ugly enough for her to--” He is interrupted by a flurry of pillows striking him about the head and torso, then stands to the side and motions for Gem to go on up.
Gem giggles and proceeds up the stairs, entering Raven’s room. “Everything okay, love? Your text sounded so urgent!” She was wearing her normal clothes, as her vampire stuff was back at Shadowfall.
Raven was wearing her costume, a black ensemble with feathers and “wings” attached to the back. She had a hat with a raven's beak for a bill, and she was holding the strange pendant. “I found this earlier today, out by the athletic field,” she explained, showing the pendant to Gem, “and figured it would go good with my costume because it looked somewhat bird-ish, you know? So, I put it on, and...”
She slips the pendant on, and instantly she is wrapped in a bright light, and after the light fades she has transformed into the physical form of a raven, save for one that stood about as tall as a human teenager. She flapped her wings. “Cool, huh?”
“Very cool!” Gem smiles appreciatively and runs her fingers through Raven’s feathers, then kisses her on the beak, just to see what it’s like. “You look gorgeous, my love… it suits you.”
“I know, right?” She was positively giddy, hopping up and down on her little bird feet, tailfeathers flicking up and down. She removed the pendant, and her features returned to normal. “I can't wait for the costume party now! We're gonna be the best-dressed ones there!”
“Well, you will be,” Gem says, laughing. “Unless Twilight can figure out a way to spread the necklace’s power among all of us.”
“Ooo, good idea! Let's ask her, maybe she can figure a way to do it,” Gem said, picking up her phone and sending a quick text.
The next day, Twilight sat with Gem and Raven in Gem's room. The pendant lay on a black cloth, and Twilight was running a magic analyzer over it. She looked at the readings and appeared shocked. “What do you think, Twi? Can the power be expanded to all of us?”
“More than that,” Twilight says, looking at her scanner. “It’s astounding! The sheer amount of power coming off of this thing is unlike anything I’ve ever seen… if I can build similar necklaces to contain it, we should be able to spread the power among all of us and have room left over!"
The girls gathered and began to discuss what they would need to perform such a feat.
The night of the Halloween dance came, and the eight were gathered outside near the statue. Twilight, dressed in her centaur form, had a small box with her. She opened the box and began passing the pendants out to everyone. “okay, everyone put these on, and we'll wow everyone when we walk in together!”
“Oo, pretty!” Sonata said slipping her necklace on.
Sunset studied the pendant carefully. “Why does this look familiar?” she wondered aloud, but placed the pendant around her neck anyway.
“It might be from Equestria,” supposes Gem, putting hers on. Nothing much seems to change, except that her fangs become real, and her nails have sharpened into claws. She holds up a blood-bag and drinks deeply. “Mmm… delicious.” Her eyes flare red for a few seconds.
Twilight puts the pendant on, and her legs become more like a horse's forelegs, her costume back half becoming real and merging with her body. She turns around so everyone can admire her new form. The Dazzlings follow suit, and are soon sporting mermaid tails, their back fins morphing into wings.
Gem claps as the transformations occur, “You all look fantastic!” she says, running her fingers down Twilight’s back and through her mane, and along the Dazzlings’ tails and wings.
Emerald smiles as she puts on her necklace. Her form shifts, turning her into a yellow-furred anthro wolf. Howling joyfully, she jumps onto Twilight’s back and throws a paw into the air. “Ride, my steed, ride!"
Sunset is the last of the group to put on her necklace, and after she does so, her hair transforms into sheets of fire, and fiery wings sprout from her back. “Okay,” she says to the group, “let's go amaze everyone!” The others nod, and all proceed into the school.
The gymnasium is packed with students, faculty, and staff all dressed as pretty much everything, from pop culture figures to traditional vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna are dressed in pseudo-Greek outfits.
“Welcome, students, to Canterlot High’s first annual Halloween dance! Please enjoy the food and punch, provided by the Home Ec club, our live entertainment-“ Vinyl and Octavia were on stage, instruments at the ready and dressed as each other, “and of course, the truly wonderful costumes you’ve all made!” The music begins, and everyone starts to dance, mix, and mingle.
The party goes on for several hours as the two musicians on stage power through a collaborative set, playing their takes on everything from traditional Halloween tunes to sci-fi theme songs, even monster-related pop songs. At 11:00 though the party finally ends, and everyone streams out of the gymnasium.
The eight girls had each gotten complements on the accuracy of their costumes. Twilight’s centaur outfit was rumored by some to have real fur and actual hooves, there didn’t seem to be a seam anywhere! Emerald’s wolf ears, tail, muzzle, and teeth didn’t seem anything like a cheap plastic mask, Raven’s feathers and accurate bird-feet were especially appreciated, and the Dazzlings had their mermaid tails fawned over by a group of freshmen all night.
“So, how vill you girls be getting home?” Gem asked, still using her vampire accent. The clock struck 11:15.
“I’m going to fly,” suggested Raven.
“Me too,” agreed Sunset.
“I’m riding on Twilight’s back!” said Emerald, still sitting atop her girlfriend with her paws around Twi’s shoulders.
Twilight laughed and added, “I guess I’m taking her home!”
Gem nodded, “Then I suppose the Dazzlings shall ride vith me.” And that was that.
As the eight girls got into their respective beds, the clock ticked over to midnight. As it did so, the eight necklaces that allowed them to transform their costumes melted into their skin and altered their DNA, adding to the Equestrian magic already contained within. Gem's heart stopped beating. She stopped breathing. Her skin became pale white and as cold as the surface of the moon. Her fangs sharpened. Unable to sleep, she instead got up, dressed, and transformed into a bat seemingly on instinct. It was time to hunt.
In an alleyway, a girl dressed as a cat was being menaced by a pair of robbers, both of whom were wearing masks and holding guns. "Give us your money, pretty kitty, and we'll let ya go home to your momma," said the leader. He jabbed the gun into her chest, "Or we'll turn you into Swiss cheese."
A cold wind blew as a vampire bat landed on a lamppost, then transformed into a white-skinned girl with luscious brown hair, vivid red eyes, and a velvet shirt with black trousers and high heels. Completing the look was a dark blue cape trimmed with red lining. "Quite the contrary, gentlemen... I believe you vill do no such thing," she said a crisp Trottingham accent.
The other man sneered. "Yeah? And who's gonna make us, Elvira?"
Gem chuckled. The sound seemed strange and alien. She stepped forward and drew her fingers down their necks, chilling them instantly. "Me," she said, and she plunged her fangs into their necks, drinking their blood deeply.
As their frozen corpses fell to the ground, the cat-girl stared in horrified fascination. "You... You're a real vampire..." she said.
Gem nodded. "Correct... But don't be afraid, little one. I von't harm you." She smiled and placed a kiss on the girl's cheek. “Vhere do you live? I'll help you home."
The girl gave Gem her address, and together the two walked there, talking about this and that. Gem smiled as the girl walked up to her door, bags still laden with candy. “Thanks for the walk home, miss,” she said. “My mom says I’m not allowed to talk to strangers, but you seem nice.”
Gem smiled, “It’s a reputation I cultivate. Pleasant dreams, my dear.” Blowing a kiss, she shifted quickly into a bat and flew off into the night.
The hunt went on for several hours more as Gem’s vampire self gradually took control over her former human one. By the time she returned to Shadowfall, the sun was rising. Knowing her alarm would be going off, Gem flew into her room and quickly got into her pajamas and into bed.
As she did however, the first rays of sun touched her skin, almost setting it on fire. Screaming an animalistic scream of severe pain, Gem quickly closed the curtains and got into bed properly, calming down as she did. In minutes she was asleep. All Longhaul would find as the bus pulled up to her stop was an empty space.
Across town, Raven's alarm sounded its shrill alert. Grumbling, Raven silenced the infernal thing and slowly got out of bed. As she made her way to the bathroom, she noticed a strange sound that seemed to follow her as she walked, almost like the sound a dog's or a cat's claws would make as they walked across a tiled floor. Jokingly, Raven thought she might need to trim her toenails after her shower.
Yawning, Raven flicked the light switch on and closed the bathroom door, pausing to look at herself in the mirror. She looked at her face, stretched out one wing and then the other, puffed out her feathers and looked at her legs--
Her skinny, black legs with taloned feet, attached to her ebony-feathered, winged body. The shock made her puff out and flap her wings vigorously as she backed away from the mirror and stumbled when she hit the tub, her feet trying to gain traction on the tile floor.
Seconds later, a few knocks were heard at the door. “Hey, what's all the racket? Did a bird get in the house again?” called Corvus through the door.
“No no, everything's fine here, just fine, we're all fine and dandy, um .. how are you?” Raven replied nervously.
“Extremely tired, in case you've forgotten that it's the one day out of the week that I don't have to either go to class or to work and I like to sleep in without noisy little sisters disturbing my slumbers.”
Raven chuckled sheepishly … or ravenly, in this case. “Sorry, dear brother of mine. I guess I'm just not feeling too well after last night. I think I'm gonna take today off and make it a long weekend, if that's okay.”
“Yeah, that's cool,” Corvus said, yawning, “as long as, for the rest of the morning, you keep the noise level down, or at least have the common courtesy to die quietly and I'll dispose of your earthly remains when I awaken later this afternoon. 'Night.” Raven heard his footfalls as he walked back to his bedroom and closed the door.
Peeking out of the bathroom, and seeing that he had in fact gone back to bed, Raven quickly darted back down the hallway, hopping slightly as she gained speed, and hurriedly shut the door to her room once she was inside. She grabbed her phone and called Gem. Three tried and three redirects to voicemail later, she finally called Adagio. “Hey, have you noticed anything … unusual after last night?” she asked when Adagio answered.
“Like the fact that we still have our mermaid tails and wings?” said Adagio dryly. “No, I haven’t. Also, there are news reports of bodies being found drained completely of blood. Strangely, they’re also all wanted criminals. I think a certain someone has been fairly busy.”
Emerald, meanwhile, had just woken up and was sipping her morning coffee, wondering why her mouth felt so much larger than usual. She got up and peered into her bathroom mirror, only to find a very lupine face looking back at her. “…Hoooooowl am I still a wolf?!” she said in surprise, holding up a paw-like hand. “I can’t go to school like this!” She tries dialing Twilight’s number. “Sparks! You gotta get over here, ASAP! I haven’t changed back yet!”
“I haven't either,” Twilight said, swishing her tail in an agitated manner, “and I'll do my best to get over there, I just have to figure out a way to do it without attracting attention to the fact that there's a horse-girl running around in the neeeeiiiiigh-borhood … and hopefully without doing that again!”
She sighed. “See if you can get hold of anybody else and I'll be over as quick as I am able.” She clicked off the phone and shook her head, turning to look at her purple-furred flanks with matching tail. She lay down on her bed, curled up, and began stroking her tail methodically with her fingers. “It's gonna be okay … it'll all be okay … “ she reassured herself.
Emerald laughs, despite herself. “Neigh like that again and I’ll give you the makeout session of a lifetime! I’ll see you soon, adorable horse-girl you.” She hangs up and goes off in search of breakfast, which in her case means live game. After several minutes, she pounces on and begins eating the corpses of a couple rabbits.
As she eats, she calls Sunset. “I don’t know how much you’ve heard, but Twi and I are still a wolf and a centaur. Raven says she and the Dazzlings are still a raven and mermaids, but no one knows what happened to Gem… how are things on your end?”
“About as well as can be expected,” Sunset said, “considering I still have the physical form of a phoenix and all. I'm just hoping I don't have to go through a regeneration cycle soon, I don't think my renter's insurance would cover the damages to the apartment.”
She flipped a few pages in her magical book. “I thought the design of that pendant looked familiar, so I wrote to Princess Twilight about it, and she sent me an answer this morning. If what's happened is what Princess Twilight thinks has happened, we're not going to be able to reach Gem until nightfall. I'll call Adagio and Raven, you call Twi, and tell her to lay low until tonight. I can explain once we get everyone together.”
“Gotcha. See you tonight.” Emerald hangs up and pads on all fours toward her house. She felt more wolfish already.
As the sun sinks below the horizon at day’s end, Gemini finally wakes up. She climbs out of bed, dresses herself, and makes her way downstairs. “Steno? Are you avake?” she calls.
“There you are, at last! I was getting concerned, you'd been sleeping all day, your phone would seem to never stop ringing, and--” He stops and looks at Gem. He is flabbergasted. “Gem, are you feeling okay? You look deathly pale. And why are you still wearing the outfit from last night?”
“Better than ever,” Gem says with a smile, exposing her fangs. “I’m vearing it because I like it, silly Steno… a vampire must present herself vell if she’s going to attract food.” Her eyes are a very bright red still. Taking his hand in hers, she kisses his cheek. “You vouldn’t mind if I drank from you, vould you? I’m afraid I can’t process human food anymore… a pity, but such is life.” She gazes into his eyes, almost hypnotizing him.
“Of course,” Steno replies somewhat robotically, “my mistress must feed, after all.” Steno finds himself moving closer to Gem, against his better instincts but unable to turn away. “You will not hurt me, will you?” he asks, fear creeping into his voice.
Gem smiles again, “Of course not. You vill be perfectly safe.” And she plunges her fangs into his neck, drinking his blood deeply. When she’s had her fill, a quick burst or two from her magic screwdriver seals up the fang marks, leaving his skin unblemished. “There ve are, good as new!” She wipes the remaining blood from her mouth with a handkerchief, “How do you feel?”
“A little drained, but not too bad,” Steno says, rubbing his neck. He is about to say something else when Gem's phone rings. “It begins anew, I see,” Steno says. “I'll leave you to your conversation, call for me if you need anything.” He goes back to his office.
Gem taps the accept call button and puts the phone to her ear, “Hello?”
“Gem, it's Sunset. I'm glad to see you're finally up and moving. I've found out what's happened to us, could we come over and talk about it? I don't think there's any other place we could really go that wouldn't attract attention.”
“Certainly!” Gem smiles, “I vas hoping you vould visit. Come as soon as you can, I shall have Steno prepare dinner.”
Sunset nods. “Sounds great, Gem. See you in a bit.” She hangs up, and deciding that there really isn’t a point to subtlety anymore, flaps her wings and flies off in the direction of Shadowfall. Twilight and Emerald travel by hoof and paw respectively, since Emmy has become so wolf-like now, she can’t really be trusted among people. Raven and the Dazzlings also fly over.
By the time they arrive, a female vampire bat is sitting on the front porch, waiting. When she sees them, she transforms back into Gem and smiles. “Velcome, girls! I’m so happy to see you!” She hugs each of her friends, scratching Emerald’s head just between her ears.
Em wags her tail and smiles, “Good to see ya too, Gem! We’re glad you’re okay!”
Raven and the Dazzlings fly up a moment later. Raven immediately wraps Gem in a wing-hug. “Oh, I was getting so worried about you!”
Aria rolls her eyes. “Yeah, this is all well and good, but could we please cut to the chase here? I'd like to know what the heck's gong on with us.” Sonata nodded in agreement.
“The short answer is, Equestrian magic's got us in its spell again,” Sunset said, “and it has something to do with that pendant Raven found.”
A loud rumbling disrupted the group. “Sorry,” Twilight said, embarrassed. “I just haven't really eaten all day. You don't happen to have oatmeal, do you? Or oats. Doesn't matter right now.”
“Steno!” Gem calls. “Some oats for Miss Tvilight, if you please!”
Steno comes running out a few minutes later with a large cardboard canister of oats, which he gives to Twilight, before running off again.
Turning back to Sunset, Gem sighs, “I vas afraid you vould say that… and it explains vhy I was up all last night and asleep this morning. And vhy I can turn into a bat, drink blood, and hypnotize people. But vhat can we do to stop it?”
“Whatever magic was in those pendants has fused with the magic we already have, which is why we still have these forms. It could have been a lot worse,” Sunset replied.
“Worse? How could it be worse than this?” Raven asked, flapping her wings and puffing out the feathers around her neck.
“What you found, according to Princess Twilight,” Sunset said calmly, “is called the Alicorn Amulet. It is a source of great magical power, enabling the wearer to attain magical power equal to, or even greater than, the rulers of Equestria. She told me the last time the amulet surfaced, she had it hidden away deep in the Everfree Forest, where no one could access it. I'm guessing that during the magical disruptions during the Friendship Games, the amulet found its way into our world, where you picked it up.”
“Still doesn't explain how we can remove the magic from us,” Emerald said, scratching behind her ears with a hind paw. She noticed everyone staring at her. “What? I had an itch, okay?”
“That's the thing, I don't know what we can do. I've asked for advice, but so far have heard nothing in reply.” Sunset sighed. “I did have a thought, though. Perhaps if we were to pony up, maybe we could dispel the magic that way. It's a long shot, but it might be worth a try. Only problem is, it might strengthen that magic and make it impossible to remove.”
“It’s the only plan ve’ve got,” Gem says with a sigh, “And if it fails… vell, ve vill just have to adapt.” She nuzzles Raven’s feathery cheek. “Shall ve collect our instruments?”
“Sure, sounds like a good--” She stops and facewings. “Oh no … I just remembered, we left everything at school, we were gonna practice after classes today!” The group lets out a groan.
“Hold on, all is not lost,” Twilight said pulling out her phone. “I know of one person that can help us, no questions asked. Or so he said, anyway.” She dials the phone and waits for an answer.
“Sure, Twilight, that shouldn't be a problem, I have some work to do tonight anyway before I head home.” A pause. “You need me to what?” Another pause. “Yeah, I suppose I can do that, just don't spread it around, it really isn't supposed to be done.” More pause. “Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes. Have everyone ready. Okay, goodbye.” Hanging up the phone, he grabbed the keys for the bus and his Stetson and walked out of the office.
“Done. Longhaul will be here shortly,” Twilight said, putting her phone away.
“How … when did you … “ Emerald started to say.
“When we first transferred here, I was really in a bit of culture shock,” Twilight explained. “I was sitting outside one day, and I started crying a little bit. He came over and started talking to me, and we've since become good friends. He gave me a phone number to call and said to use it any time I needed help.”
Sonata nodded. “Yup, that sounds like him. Considering what he did for us, I'm not surprised.”
The rumble of a school bus announced Longhaul's arrival. “Let's not keep him waiting, then,” Raven said. The group agreed, and filed out of the house to the waiting bus.
Gem climbs aboard, sitting in her usual seat. “I never thought I’d be as happy to see this bus as I am now,” she says, smiling at Longhaul. “Thank goodness you came vhen you did!"
“Anything for friends,” he replied with a smile. Once everyone was on board, and Twilight was seated comfortably in the aisle, Longhaul closed the doors and headed back toward the school.
Arriving a short time later, Longhaul told the group, “Let me know when you're ready to leave so I can lock up, I'll be in my office.”
The group nod as one and head into the school, toward the practice rooms. Gem unlocks one of the doors with her screwdriver and says, “Magicing and entering! Totally different.” Once inside she takes her spot behind her keyboard and plays a few random licks.
The rest of the group takes their positions and quickly checks their instruments, tuning as needed. Raven looks over at everyone. “Okay, all ready? Let's do this!”
Everyone nods, and the group launches into a song. As they play, they rise into the air and begin to pony up, though it works a little differently this time. Twilight, for example, grows wings and loses what remains of her humanity, becoming a perfect double for Princess Twilight. Gem becomes a bat pony, and Emerald becomes a strange cross between pony and wolf.
Raven has transformed into an ebony-furred pegasus, and the Dazzlings lose their human forms and become more dragon-like. Sunset changes back into her unicorn form, and notices the pendant has materialized once again around her neck. “Quick! If you see a pendant, take it off now!” she yells, using her magic to slip the pendant from around her neck. Meanwhile,the band segues into another song to keep their magic flow up.
Gem grabs at her pendant when it appears around her neck and removes it. As she does so, her bat wings melt into her back, her fangs become normal teeth, her hooves become hands and feet again, her fur morphs back into skin, and her heart starts beating again. Her hair lengthens to resemble a mane and tail, and she keeps her pony ears. Emerald’s wolf traits disperse, leaving her mostly human with traces of pony, as normal. Twilight also becomes mostly human again.
As the song ends, Gem takes a deep breath through her nose and phews, staring at the pendant she now held in her hands. “If we’d kept those on for another few minutes,” she supposes, “we may never have gotten them off, and I’d still be undead!”
Raven and the Dazzlings all present their pendants. “So, what do we do with them now?” asks Adagio, as Sunset also holds hers. The group places their pendants on a nearby table, and watches as each one is absorbed into the original.
“I think we better return this to Equestria,” Sunset says. “I'll send a note to Twilight and let her know what happened.”
“Good thinking,” Gem agrees, going over and kissing Raven’s cheek. “I’ll miss your bird look though. It was cute!”
Emerald flexes her fingers and nuzzles Twilight, “My greatest regret is that I never got to run my paws over that luscious fur coat of yours for very long,” she says, smirking slightly. “And do other things.” She winks.
Sonata blows a kiss to seemingly no one and says, “Goodnight, everybody!”
Twilight giggles. “You animal.”
Sunset and Adagio look at each other and share an eyeroll. “Yup, back to normal here,” Susnet said with a chuckle. Adagio and Aria nod in agreement.
Gem spits out her plastic fangs and wipes them dry, then slips them into a pocket of her jacket. “Home we go, I suppose… who’s up for a movie marathon at my house?”
“Sounds great to me!” Raven says, snuggling close to Gem.
“We're in,” the Dazzlings say in unison.
“I'm up for that, how about you, Twi?” Emerald asks.
Twilight is about to reply when a loud rumbling noise is heard. “Um … will there be snacks? I'm hungry enough to eat a horse … um, no offense, Sunset.”
Sunset smiles and laughs. “None taken, I'm quite peckish myself. Let's see if the taxi's still here.” The group leave the music room and walk down to Longhaul's office, chatting and laughing about the greatest Halloween they ever had.
As the sun rises the next morning, the eight girls are sprawled out in sleeping bags in Gem’s living room, surrounded by empty popcorn containers and candy wrappers. Steno quietly exits his office and begins to make breakfast: pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, coffee, and tea are all on the menu.
Gem’s eyes, back to their normal bright green, slowly open as the smell of cooking food hits her nose. “Mmmm… that smells divine…” she says sleepily, stretching her arms.
“Good morning, Gem … you're looking better today,” Steno says, “go ahead and help yourself, there's plenty.”
“With pleasure, Steno… it feels nice not to be drinking blood anymore.” She takes a plate and begins serving herself, “That’s not to say I won’t miss one or two things about being a vampire, of course… but in the end, I’m much happier as me.”
“That's very good to hear,” Steno replies with a smile.
“Indeed!” Slowly the others begin to stir, and when they discover what’s going on, begin to serve themselves too. Sonata immediately begins making herself a breakfast taco.
“Any word from Princess Twilight, Sunset?” Gem asks, as the group settles in around the dining room table with their plates.
“She buzzed me late last night,” Sunset said with a nod. “She says she's too busy to come and get it herself, so she's asking if I can bring it back through the portal.” She takes a bite of breakfast. “She also says it was a good thing that the power was divided up among all of us. Had it been full-strength, there was no telling what effect it could have had.”
Twilight finally sits down with her breakfast. She has two plates of just about everything. The rest stare in awe. “What?” Twilight asks innocently.
Emerald laughs. “If you can eat all of that, I will be seriously impressed!” she says, booping Twilight’s nose.
Gem nods, “That sounds fair. Do you want some company when you go?”
“Yeah, that would be nice,” Sunset replied. “I still don't think I'm ready to go it alone just yet.”
“I still wonder what Equestria is like now,” Aria ponders. “It's been ages since we were there, I'd like to see how much it's changed.”
“Would you like me to see if I can arrange a visit? I can't guarantee it will be approved, but I could ask, and I'd be glad to speak on your behalf, seeing how well you've been doing here,” Sunset said.
Aria thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Nah. I'd be too tempted to use siren magic again, I don't want to risk it. But, if you're able to bring some ponyberries back with you, that would be lovely. I've had a craving for ponyberry pie lately, I can't explain it.”
“I guess I can see if they're in season,” Sunset said. “Anyone else want...anything....” She stopped and, like the rest of the group, stared dumbstruck at Twilight, who had finished both plates and was daintily sipping a cup of coffee. “Oh … I thought you all knew I always ate a big breakfast. When I wake up, I'm always as hungry as a horse.”
Emerald just shakes her head and laughs again. “At this rate, you’re going to be munching hay along with everything else.” She winks conspiratorially at Sunset, “You’ll set her up, right? I have it on good authority that you keep a stash in your locker!”
Sunset blushes and looks away. “I—I don't know what you're talking about.”
Twilight pokes Emerald playfully. “You know I have a high metabolism!”
“This is true,” Emerald concedes. “You’ve got to, if you can put that much away and still be a purple stick.”
Gem finally finishes eating and stands, looking to Sunset. “Shall we go?” she asks with a smile.
“Sure,” Sunset says, getting up. “I'll need to stop at home and get my bag of bits first.”
Raven stands as well, and gives Gem a kiss on the cheek. “Don't go running off with any strange mares now,” she says with a wink. “And if you can bring something back form that Sugarcube Corner place you told me about, I'd like that.”
Gem laughs, and kisses back. “Of course I will, love. See you soon!”
Some time later, Gem is waiting for Sunset by the portal. She’s left her vampire outfit behind now, wearing a blue coat, dark grey skirt, white stockings, and black shoes instead.
Sunset arrives a moment later. She's dressed in her usual skirt and top with leather jacket, and she holds two small bags, one containing Equestrian bits, the other holding the Alicorn Amulet. “I sent Twilight a note to let her know we were coming, so she should be expecting us.” She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Ready?” she asked.
“Ready!” Gem steps forward and through the portal, watching as she falls through the colorful vortex and feeling her body shift and change. When she lands on the other side, she straightens up and gets to her hooves, a smile on her muzzle. “Ooh, it’s been a while since I’ve been here!”
“I know, it's always nice to be back,” Sunset said, taking a deep breath. “Come on, let's get rid of this ting and then we can do some more sightseeing.” The two walk to the crystal treehouse castle. “You're right, though, we should do this more often, if we can. I think Raven would get a kick out of coming here, and you know how Pinkie would be seeing somepony new in town.”
“Absolutely,” Gem agrees, listening to the sound her hooves make as they hit the grass. “It’s still a little hard for me to believe that this was once home for you, though,” she says. “I’ve only known you as a human!”
Sunset smirked. “And a rampaging she-demon.”
Arriving at the castle, Sunset knocked on the door. He door opened and Spike stood there. “Oh, hey Sunset, hey Gemini. Twilight's waiting for you, come on in.” They entered and Spike led them into the map room, where Twilight was waiting. “Hey, you two,” Twilight said, getting up and giving both of them a hug. “Glad to see you made it okay.”
Gem hugs back, “It’s good to see you again, Twilight! And you too, Spike!” She gives the dragon a nuzzle, then straightens up. “What do you intend to do with the amulet, now that it’s back here?” she asks. “Melt it down and turn it into silverware?"
Twilight shakes her head. “The amulet is fairly indestructible, which is how it survived all these years. No, this will be returned to Princess Celestia, where it should have been all along. It's much too dangerous to be anywhere but under heavy guard, locked away in the castle.”
“Best idea I’ve heard all day,” says Sunset, using her magic to float the bag containing the amulet to Twilight. “We’re lucky it didn’t do us any lasting harm."
“The magic was divided between all of your friends, which was most likely a good thing, as I explained,” Twilight said, “because there's really no way of knowing the destructive potential of a human with all of that magic. And since each of you have traces of magic in you, with Sunset's being the most powerful, the results could have been catastrophic depending on who was wearing it.”
Gem nods, “I agree… Sunset was already a she-demon, the Dazzlings were looking for power when we met, Twilight’s device turned her into a she-demon during the Games, and I got turned into a vengeful super villain. So… thank goodness we’re all okay.” Relaxing, she remembers something. “What’s the best thing to get at Sugarcube Corner? Raven wants to know."
“Oh! Be sure to get the triple-flavor cupcakes with extra-fluffy icing, they're simply heavenly!” Twilight gushed. “I have to restrain myself or I'd eat a whole dozen in one sitting. The giant chocolate chip and salted caramel cookies are another great choice.”
“Are ponyberries in season?” Sunset asked. “I know someone that's having a craving for them.”
Twilight thinks. “Yes, I do believe they're in season now, being so close to Nightmare Night and all. There should be a shipment coming down soon, I think...” She looks out of one of the massive windows and spots a gray earth pony wearing a battered Stetson-style hat pulling a wagon loaded with crates of berries. “Yup, ol' Longhaul's right on time, as usual! They'll be in the market square in about an hour.”
“We’d better hurry then,” says Gem. “Apparently they sell like hotcakes!” She gives Twilight another hug, “We simply must see you again! Or you could come see us!” She imagines Emerald’s reaction to suddenly having two Twilights to snuggle and widens her eyes, “As long as someone keeps a tight leash on Emerald.”
Twilight giggles. “Okay, you two have fun!”
Later, in the market square, Gem's prediction seemed on-target. Crowds were already starting to form, waiting for the ponyberries to go on sale. “Hopefully, we can get some before they sell out,” Sunset said, looking over the line. “Good thing we're fairly close.”
“Yo, Earthmares!” says a voice. Rainbow Dash sweeps into view and lands beside Sunset and Gem. “How’s it hangin’? Blow any villains to smithereens lately?”
Gem looks distinctly uncomfortable and paws at the ground with her forehooves, remembering Cassie’s obliteration of her world’s Trixie. “Well, uh… I… she…”
Sunset quickly steps in. “No, things have been fairly quiet as of late, Dash. How's things been with you? Any bursts of glory with the Wonderbolts?”
Rainbow shakes her head. “Nah, I'm still on reserve, but they'r really happy with the times I keep turning in during training.” She looks over at Gem. “Yo, you okay?” she asks.
“She had a bad experience a while ago … she's not fully over it yet. She'll be okay,” Sunset replies. Gem just nods, still looking at the ground.
Rainbow gives Gem a quick hug. “Aw, sorry to hear that, girl. Anyway, I gotta get flyin', but I wanted to say hey to ya. Seeya!” With a burst of color, Rainbow streaks up into the sky.
Gem gives Sunset a tight hug and whispers, “Thank you,” into her ear. “I appreciated that.” A space clears up, and she lets go, stepping up toward the wagon and trying to arrange her face into something less downcast.
The mare at the cashbox is busy filling orders, while the pony that pulled the wagon stands nearby, helping bag berries when he is needed. “Good morning!” the mare says to Gem and Sunset. “How many bags would you like today?”
“Two, please,” Sunset said, floating a stack of bits over. The mare nods, and producers two bags of ponyberries. “Enjoy!” she says, looking over the very lengthy line. “Next, please!” she calls out. The earth pony tips his hat slightly and nods as Gem and Sunset pass by.
Feeling better, Gem sniffs the smell of the freshly baked pies, “Oooh, those are heavenly… I can see why everypony likes them so much!” She glances back in the direction of Sugarcube Corner, “Shall we get Raven’s treat before we go?”
“Let's do,” Sunset replies, and the two walk over to Sugarcube Corner. Entering the shop, they are immediately pounced by a pink blur that starts hugging them to within an inch of their lives. “OHMYGOSHITSMYHUMANFRIENDSIHAVEN'TSEENYOUINSOLONGI'VEMISSESYOUSOOOOOMUCH!!” Pinkie said, in her usual excited tone.
Gem laughs and wraps her hooves around Pinkie as she hugs back, “It’s good to see you too, Pinkie!” she says, once she has her breath back. “We’re looking for something nice to give to Raven. Twilight recommended the triple-flavor cupcakes with extra-fluffy icing and the giant chocolate chip and salted caramel cookies, but perhaps…” she gets an idea, “Perhaps we could put together a goodie bag for everyone?”
Pinkie gets a huge grin on her face. “Abso-liverly-lutely!” she exclaimes, and in a blur of pink, she races behind the counter and asks, “How many gift bags will you need today?”
“Eight please,” Sunset says, “One for each of us!” She floats over the required amount of bits with her magic. “How are Pound and Pumpkin doing these days?”
“Just super-duper!” Pinkie says, filling each bag with an assortment of tasty treats. “Mister and Missus Cake took them to the park today and they left me to watch the store!” Soon, eight bags sat on the counter. “I put two of the cupcakes in each one,” Pinkie said in a conspiratorial whisper. “It's only supposed to be one, but don't tell anypony.”
“We won’t,” the two Earth girls (inasmuch as Sunset can be called one) whisper back. Gem collects the treats in her own magic, “Well, I suppose we should be going back… come visit us sometime, Pinkie! I have the feeling you and Sonata would get on fabulously."
“Oh, I'd love to come and visit the human world but Twilight says if I went there I'd probably do something that would cause some form of inter-dimensional rift that would end up destroying both universes and that would be bad because then we couldn't stay friends because technically we wouldn't exist anymore and I really like existing so I'm gonna have to stay here but tell everyone I said hi and give them big Pinkie hugs for me! Byeeeeeeee!” Pinkie gave Gem and Sunset one more Pinkie hug before racing into the back of the shop.
Gem shrugs, “Well, she does have a point… I’ll pare down the guest list for the wedding,” she says, as the two begin their walk back toward their own world. “Although, it makes me wonder… why haven’t we met the version of you who is native to our world?” She taps a hoof in thought, “I mean, there is Princess Twilight and our Twilight, why isn’t there two of you?”
Sunset stops and thinks about this for a minute. “That's a really good question.”
Deep in the darkest recesses of Tartarus, where three-headed dogs and Tirek remain to spend an eternity, a teenage girl wanders through the barren landscape. She has yellow and red hair, and wears a purple top with a yellow, orange, and purple skirt. Black boots with purple accents adorn her feet, and a leather jacket covers her upper body. “Hello?” she calls out as she wanders. “Is anyone there? … I'm gonna be late for my history class...”
“Maybe we’ll find out someday,” Gem shrugs, and passes through the portal once more.
The remaining six members of the group have cleaned up from the movie night/sleepover by the time Gem and Sunset get back from their trip to Equestria. Emerald is massaging Twilight’s shoulders, the Dazzlings are playing cards, and Raven is watching some videos on her phone of magic tricks gone wrong.
“We're back!” Sunset calls out, and the two are instantly swarmed by the rest. Passing out goodie bags with Sugarcube Corner's famous logo on them, Gem and Sunset are finally free of the encroaching horde. Sonata squees happily when she peeks inside her bag. “Choco-tacos! Yay!” she says, happily nomming on a chocolate-covered “taco” of crème-filled cake with minty gummy “lettuce shreds.”
Aria smiles more when Sunset produces a bag of ponyberries. “Hey girls, ponyberry pie tonight!” she calls out to Adagio and Sonata, who both cheer in appreciation.
Raven kisses Gem full on the lips, smearing her with rainbow-colored icing flavored with strawberry, lemon, and orange. “Thank you, sweetie, these are the best!” she says before skipping away to explore the other treats.
“You’re welcome, dearest!” Gem says happily, kissing back.
Twilight and Emerald take their bags, “Oooh, chocolate covered espresso beans!” says Emerald. “Awesome!”
Twilight happily munches on one of the chocolate and caramel cookies, “Ooh, it just melts in your mouth!”
Gem selects a movie from her collection, and the group sits watching and munching on their goodies. “It's like the bag never empties. What do they use over there, Bags of Holding?” wondered Emerald as she dug out yet another cookie.
Sunset nods. “Infinity Bags, as Pinkie calls them.” She munches on a white chocolate covered pretzel. “This is the life… just eight friends, some snacks, a B-movie, and no world-conquering she-demons to fight off. Could this day get any better?”
The group thought about it, and in unison, all of them said the same thing. “Naaaaaaah.”
The group spends the rest of that day at Gem’s, and it’s only at dusk when everyone (minus Raven, who has decided to stick around for the night) cleans up and heads home. As Gem and Raven watch their friends drive off through one of the sitting room windows, Gem’s fingers wrap themselves around Raven’s. “Looks like we’ve got the house to ourselves tonight,” she says with a smile. “Shall we do anything to celebrate?”
Raven snuggled closer, squeezing Gem's hand tight. “I'm quite happy doing this,” she purred. “It's been too long since we've spend a quiet night together, just holding each other. I've missed that.”
Gem smiles. “As have I, my darling… as have I.”