Equestria Girls: Equal Marks (Book 6~Equestria Girls Series)

Chapter 14: A Magical Setback

Sunset Shimmer spoke to Applejack. "I was the one who is responsible for all this." She said. "But, in my time," she said. "You and the other girls I mentioned, were all friends at CHS. And you all defeated me at the Fall Formal, with the magic of friendship."

"Wait! You're telling me that you're responsible for this?--"

"Yes." Sunset said. "Well, my past self to be exact." She said.

"You're the she-demon!? No wonder you looked kinda familiar to me." Applejack eyed her a icy-cold stare. "Magic of friendship?"

"Yeah." Sunset assured the story she was telling her. "After that, I became reformed. I became a whole different person, a even better one. I learned from my past mistakes and made things right."

Applejack looked confused, with hearing her perspective on her story. "And it's all thanks to you and the other girls I mentioned...because we all became very good friends after my defeat and after my redemption." Sunset scratched the back if her head, and a nervous smile slipped out from her lips. "I know it's very hard to believe, but...that's what happened, Applejack."

"If you say so."

"I just can't believe it! You and my friends stopped me back then!--"

"But we aren't friends," Applejack said. "At least, not here."

"Right." Sunset looked down in sadness.

"Look. I hope all that helped, on what I told you." Applejack walked away. "But I really need to get back to canning those apples."

"Thank you. We're going to set things right."

Applejack sighed. "I hope you do."

"So, how are we going to set things right?"

"I don't know!" Sunset banged head on the top of the crystal table. It was her way of showing that she was completely stressed. She then picked her head right up and made eye contact with Spike. "The only thing that we do know for sure, is that Starlight stopped the rainbow-friendship magic beam that didn't hit me--that didn't defeat and reform my past self.. I mean."

"And the map's still here." Spike said to Sunset.

"Spike! That's it!" Sunset exclaimed loudly, which accidentally startled him by making him fall down the chair. "The map must be connected to the Tree of Harmony.  It must sense that something isn't right. That's why it's still here."

"The tree of what-now?" Spike asked.

"I'll explain it to you later, on what it is. Now..." Sunset said. She took out the magical time travel spell from Spike's mini backpack. "I'll just use Starlight's version of the spell and go back a little earlier and stop her before she knows we're there."

"But, how? The only magic you can use is when you are seeing people's visions, through your geode necklace." Spike said.

Sunset sighed. "You're right. I forgot that i am not in my natural unicorn form right now..or else this would be easy." She said. "The geode is the only magic I got now." She said. "I wish Twilight was here, I'm sure she would be able to perform magic spells with her type of geode--since she's the element of magic." She didn't look confident in herself. "And I'm only, the element of redemption." She put her hands out as she was talking with the purple puppy. "What will that bring me.. in this type of situation, where I can use magic right about now?"

"I don't know. But we can't just give up on this." Spike said. "There has to be a way. Any magical way can do."

"Hmmm..." Sunset stood around and crossed her arms, thinking of any other magical possibilities in which would be useful for the circumstances that she was in. Her eyes then widened. "Wait! I've got it!" She raised her arm in the air, making a pumped up fist with her hand. It showed that she was full of bursting energy.

"Already? Gee, that was fast." Spike said. "You're faster than Twilight, when it comes to thinking. Anywho, what is your idea?" He asked.

"I just remembered earlier that I got some of Twilight's magic transferred to me, when she shared her magic with me..back when we used it last time that we encountered Starlight."

"And?" Spike said. "You can use it?"

"Yeah, sure." Sunset said. "If I still have enough of it." She said.

"Sunset! Look!" Spike pointed at Sunset's necklace with his paw. "There are 4 shard pieces on your necklace that are pink, instead of orange. I'm guessing that must be Twilight's magic that she gave to you."

Sunset looked extremely happy with her mouth wide open in excitement. "You're right! Thanks, Spike." She looked down at her pendant. "And it looks like I have plenty of it, that should keep me covered for a while."

"Now it's time for you to put it to use." Said Spike.

"Yes, I hope this works." Sunset looked down at her hands in a confused state.

"I sure hope so, too." Spike agreed.

"I'll try my best. Well, here goes," She closed her eyes and placed her hands out towards the scroll that lied down on the table. An orange magical energy drew right out of her and it created the hole in the sky.

Her and Spike then got transported back to the past time they were at the night of the Fall Formal. "Ahhh!" Spike screamed, falling out of the sky.

Sunset caught up with her magic, making him not hit the ground. "Now," she was about to set him down and was close to landing. "All we have to do now, is find Starlight and--"

BEEEEEM! Starlight Glimmer shot them with a beam that made them freeze still in a shiny diamond cube."Well, finding her will be easy," she said at the Equestrian girl and talking dog. "Stopping her is going to be harder than you think." She floated around Sunset Shimmer and Spike, while they were still trapped frozen in the diamond shape.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Starlight said. "But I created that spell to send myself back in time. So even when you cast it, I still get sent back here. It wasn't difficult to change Star Swirl's spell. He'd already done the hard part. But figuring out, I could use the map to any time or place. And pull you along with me." She flew above them with her magic essence.

She giggled. "I even impressed myself with that!" She glared at Sunset. "I knew you'd tried to stop me. You're so predictable. Why else, would I leave the scroll behind? Touching it, triggered the map to whisk you here." She pointed at her. "And watch me erase the one thing that linked you with your friends."

She stopped her magic and landed down on top of the frozen diamond that Sunset and Spike were stuck inside of. "My village was a sanctuary of equality, where no one's mark allowed them to feel superior. It was a special place. And..." she raised her voice in anger. "YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS TOOK IT AWAY!"