Author's Note

Hello again, everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I'm happy to finally present to you my second big fic in this particular narrative universe, coming after Oathmaker and the nine prequel oneshots. This story takes place in the Equestria Girls world, and continues the plots that were started in the oneshots. Big thanks to Applety on Fimfiction for editing this!

I hope you enjoy.

- Fangren

Chapter 1 – The Clock Strikes Eight

The clock face set in the tower that had once been the tallest building in Canterlot struck 8 o'clock, and all across the city its tiny modern cousins mimicked its call in near-perfect synchrony. It was an average Saturday morning a couple weeks after the solstice, the summer sun already bright and warm and threatening to get brighter and warmer as the day crept on. As many stories as there were people would be written and told that day, and few of Canterlot's citizens would ever fully realize the roles they would play in all the stories not their own.

Such is the nature of life. Ever-moving, ever-changing, ever-concerned with the present and rarely the world beyond. And yet, for all their ignorance, all lives remain connected.

For better, or for worse.

On near-opposite sides of town, two girls had been awake for nearly an hour thanks to the anxiety their plans for the day had brought them. On the second floor of a house in one of the nicer neighborhoods Twilight Sparkle paced her room, breakfast growing cold on her desk as she reviewed her schedule for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Okay. Assuming the buses don't experience a more significant delay than usual, and of course that any number of other disastrous occurrences don't occur, Sunset should be getting here at approximately 9:03. That will leave us with eleven minutes to exchange greetings-"

"-and introduce her to your parents," her dog Spike interjected with a knowing smirk.

"Yes, and that," Twilight continued with a faint blush. "Then we have to confirm both our objectives for today and our schedule before we head out to catch the next bus so we can get to the hardware store by 9:30."

"Is there any reason you have to be there by then?" Spike asked.

"W-well, it's right after the store opens, so there shouldn't be too many people there," Twilight explained. "We'll be able to get what we need more efficiently."

Spike shrugged. "Makes sense to me," he said before turning his attention to a chew toy.

"Right," Twilight said, taking a breath before resuming her pacing. "So. I figure that we can use the trip to and from the hardware store to fill each other in on any relevant preliminary information we haven't shared yet. You know," she clarified for her inattentive pet, "a summary of what Sunset already knows about this world's magic, how my device works, that sort of thing."

"Uh-huh," Spike said between gnaws of a particularly large rawhide bone.

"We should be done obtaining the supplies I'll need to rebuild the detector in time to catch the 10:01 bus," Twilight continued, paying as much attention to Spike as he was to her. "Though of course actually doing the rebuilding will take far longer. I estimate that if we stay on task and don't encounter any significant issues, we'll be done in time for a late lunch. And, we can give the device a test run afterward!" she finished with a smile.

"Sounds good!" Spike told her with a smile of his own. "Just like all the other times you've run it by me."

"Great, because it's too late for any significant changes to it," Twilight said. "Part two of today's schedule, on the other hand..."

And in what she felt was almost certainly the cheapest (and therefore lowest-quality) apartment in the worst-off part of town, Sunset Shimmer was doing much the same in her kitchen-slash-living area. She had no written schedule to go over, nor anyone to go over it with, but she did have several pages of notes to review from the last time she'd tried to research her friends' magic. Too much of it had been little more than question marks and frustrated scrawls, but with a clearer mind she had managed to summarize her conclusions over the day-and-a-half since she'd last met with Twilight.

She'd also printed out what little information she'd been able to track down about her human counterpart, but that was an entirely separate matter.

"I can't believe she's been missing for five years," Sunset said to herself, looking over a copy of an old missing person notice depicting a fourteen-year-old girl that looked exactly like she'd imagined a younger version of her human body would. The scowling face, the wavy two-toned hair, even the way she dressed resembled what Sunset could see herself wearing at that age. She shoveled another spoonful of dry store-brand cereal into her mouth, and looked at another page detailing the other Sunset's life. Apparently she'd been an orphan, much like Sunset herself, but instead of having her talents recognized at a young age and getting whisked away to the most prestigious school of magic – and eventually personal tutelage under Princess Celestia herself – the other Sunset...hadn't. She'd just been stuck in a children's home on the other side of Canterlot, going to a normal school like any other kid.

At least, as far as Sunset could piece together from the missing person notice and a few newspaper articles about her. The other Sunset seemed to have been a 'troubled' child, which didn't surprise her. She knew how much she had hated living in the orphanage, how much she hated being pitied and looked down on, and how much it had only driven her desire to prove herself to the world by whatever means necessary...

Sunset could understand why the other her would have left, but... "Where are you?" she wondered aloud, feeling a pit of dread forming in her stomach.

While their friends took breakfast, the son and daughters of Sweet Apple Acres on the outskirts of the city went about their morning chores. All four Apples had been awake since dawn, tending the orchards and feeding the animals and processing the apples and more. The two youngest worked in haste, Applejack and Apple Bloom each wanting to finish their assignments so they could go about preparations for what they really wanted to do that day.

For Apple Bloom, that was a day out on the town with her two best friends full of adventure and do-goodery. They were to be chaperoned by Big McIntosh, who was mostly operating under the assumption that it wouldn't take long before the three girls grew bored and decided to return to the farm, and in the meantime it would give him the chance to stock up on a few things he needed.

Applejack, on the other hand, had a date. A date she had sworn to keep secret lest the truth ruin her relationship with her friends, but a date nonetheless. It had been a struggle to keep it under wraps so far, considering how much she had been looking forward to it for months, but Applejack felt confident that she'd managed to keep her promise to the girl that had captured her heart.

"And once everythin' turns out better than she coulda ever dreamed of," Applejack said to herself with a light chuckle as she tended to the fruitlets on the last of the trees in the southern orchard, "Rarity will finally realize there's no point in hidin'. Not from our friends, anyway."

Her work in the orchard done for the time being, Applejack picked up her massive crate of tools and headed back in to the farmhouse – nominally to take care of her last few chores in the family garden, but in actuality to keep track of her siblings' whereabouts. Their plan for the day had given Applejack exactly the opportunity she'd been looking for to fulfill another promise she'd made to Rarity, and all she had to do was wait for them to leave...and then ask Granny Smith for permission to use the kitchen.

Well, it wasn't a perfect plan for stealth, but Applejack wanted to do things right. And you just didn't take over a kitchen for two hours without asking first.

And so, once the garden had been watered and weeded and she was looking for something else to do to stall for time, Applejack finally caught sight of Apple Bloom and Big McIntosh getting in the big truck and driving off. She couldn't help but smile, and wiped the sweat from her brow and put away the tools and went inside to wash up. There she found Granny Smith in the kitchen, scrubbing out empty preserve jars.

"Oh, there ya are Applejack," she said, looking up as her granddaughter entered the room with a sheepish smile. "Go an' fetch another crate a' jars from the barn, will ya?"

"Uhh, sure Granny," Applejack answered, hesitant but obedient. "But, uhh, I was wonderin' if..." She paused, just long enough for Granny Smith to narrow her eyes and raise an eyebrow. "If ya minded me makin' a small batch of fritters right now."

"Fritters?" Granny Smith questioned, holding her gaze for a few seconds before brightening rather abruptly and answering "Why a' course! Heck, I'll even help ya," she added, setting aside the jar she'd been washing and drying her hands on a towel. "More fun than washin' jars. Whadaya need the fritters for, anyway?"

"Uh...well...y'see..." Applejack stammered, her body becoming stiff as she found herself trapped between a promise to her girlfriend and an ingrained inability to lie to her grandmother. "The thing is...," she gulped, "I, uh, I wanna share 'em with one of my friends. That's all."

Immediately, Granny Smith's eyes narrowed again. She put her hands on her hips and leaned in close enough that Applejack began to sweat under her scrutinizing gaze. "One a' yer friends, eh?"

"That's what I said," Applejack answered, forcing herself to stand up straighter.

"Just the one?" Granny asked, her gaze relaxing but her words coming faster. "As in single? Less than two, but more than zero?"

"Yeah!" Applejack replied, annoyance quickly breaking through her nerves and flinging her arms up. "Just me and her and nobody else!"

Granny Smith cracked a smile and laughed, and even more so once her granddaughter began to realize just what she'd said. "Well why didn't ya say so! Sure must be a special friend if yer goin' to all the trouble of bakin' some fritters just fer the two of ya!" She gave Applejack a light punch in the arm, then bent down and pulled a mixing bowl and spoons from one of the cupboards.

"C-c'mon, Granny, I didn't-" Applejack tried to say, rubbing her arm at first then following her grandmother to the pantry.

"Hah!" Granny laughed, turning back around and thrusting a bag of flour and a bag of sugar into her granddaughter's arms. "If it weren't true, you wouldn't'a been so wishy-washy askin' me. Don't know why you thought yer old Granny Smith wouldn't see right through ya, though."

Applejack sighed, putting the ingredients on the counter as Granny Smith moved on to the refrigerator. "Sorry, Granny. It's just that, well, she doesn't want me tellin' anybody about us just yet."

"Ohh, so it's one of those deals, is it?" Granny replied with a knowing nod as she set a carton of eggs on the counter. "Well, you can count on me not t'spill the beans, then."

"Thanks, Granny," Applejack said, putting on a smile as she began to crack the eggs into a smaller bowl. "I promise it won't stay a secret for very long. A few more weeks at most, I reckon."

"Good, good," Granny told her. "Don't wanna put it off fer too long, or else ya won't have nobody to invite to yer weddin'!" She laughed, and Applejack blushed.

"Granny!"

And far away, her lover was anxiously awaiting her own family's departure. "So, ah, when, pray tell, will they be arriving here?" Rarity asked her sister, sitting with her on the sofa in the front room of their house, sipping a hot cup of tea.

"I told you," Sweetie Belle replied without looking up from her phone, "they only just left the farm. Plus they're gonna pick up Scootaloo on the way here. It's still gonna be a while."

"I see...," Rarity said, frowning slightly and looking at her own phone. "Well then, I suppose I'd best hop in the shower and start getting ready as well. Be a dear and give me a holler when you're about to leave, will you?" she asked, standing up and walking past her sister.

"Umm, okay," Sweetie replied, giving her a rather confused look. "What are you getting ready for, anyway? I thought you were just gonna spend the whole morning watching soap operas in your bathrobe."

Rarity stopped in mid-step, eyes wide open in surprise. She looked at the steaming cup of tea in her hand, to the plush white robe she was wearing, then turned around with a wide and forced grin on her face. "But of course! I simply...," she paused, "wanted to freshen up first! I can hardly stand to watch anything while I'm dirty, Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie's eyes narrowed as she regarded her sister with suspicion. "Sure..."

"Well then, as I said, let me know when you're leaving," Rarity said with as much nonchalance as she could muster, which wasn't nearly enough to divert her sister's suspicions. Rarity left nonetheless, taking one last drink of tea before dropping the cup off in the kitchen and heading upstairs. She dithered in the hallway, however, caught between a desire to choose and set out the outfit for her date with Applejack, and taking the shower as she'd told Sweetie Belle.

In the end, she fell on the side of caution and took her shower. Sweetie was clearly suspicious, she reasoned, and would only become moreso if Rarity didn't keep up her act. There was also the possibility of her deciding to go snooping in her big sister's room, and while Rarity didn't think that was likely she also didn't want to risk leaving out some of her best clothes where her sister could see and question them.

Fortunately, by the time she'd gotten out of the shower again it didn't seem like Sweetie had decided to do any impromptu and untoward investigations of Rarity's room. Nor did it seem like she'd left the house yet, either. However, this only caused Rarity to realize that she would have to delay getting herself dressed once again – she could still at least dry and style her hair, of course, as well as surreptitiously call the restaurant she'd booked to double-check the reservations for that night, but it wasn't enough. She wanted to get dressed, put on make-up, get herself absolutely perfect for when her darling Applejack first laid eyes on her this morning. Not being able to do that without risking her sister taking notice and asking all sorts of awkward questions was eating away at Rarity, all that tension and longing and frustration forming a tight little ball in the pit of her stomach that threatened to do all sorts of nefarious things if left unchecked, and it just kept growing and growing until Rarity thought she was going to burst...

The doorbell rang, and before it even ended Rarity heard the door being flung open and excited words exchanged. The sound of rapid footsteps, and Sweetie Belle's voice echoed through the house. "I'm leaving, Rarity!" More footsteps, and the door slammed.

Rarity let out her breath. "Finally!" she moaned, immediately rushing back into her room and throwing open the doors of her wardrobe.

While the lovers prepared for their date, another family in another house in another part of town were preparing for something else entirely.

"Ooh! Ooh! How about streamers! Is it too late to get streamers?" Pinkie asked excitedly, waving around the mixing spoon she was holding and flinging bits of batter onto her mother and twin sister.

"For the last time, Pinkie," said Limestone as she walked past carrying a vacuum cleaner, "no streamers!" Pinkie drew herself up in preparation for another suggestion, but Limestone cut her off immediately. "And no balloons, either!"

Pinkie deflated, and her mother put a hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry yourself, Pinkamena," said Cloudy Quartz, offering a rare smile. "We shall put your talents to use in a splendid celebration when Maudalina formally receives her doctorate in a fortnight's time."

"Mm-hm!" Marble added with a happy smile, wiping the batter from her cheek.

Pinkie sighed and resumed her mixing. "Okay... I just wanted to make today even more extra special than it's already gonna be. I want Maud to be super, duper excited when she gets here and realizes just how excited we all are for her to be back!"

"I...I'm sure she already will," Marble offered.

"Indeed," Cloudy Quartz chimed in. "For are you not planning an outing to the city proper as sisters?" she asked. "I am certain she will have a great appreciation for the gesture."

"I know," Pinkie told them, her sadness fading but her cheer not quite returned. "But I just can't help but feel like today needs a little something more, you know?" She looked up in thought, and tapped the messy spoon against her chin. "The cupcakes are gonna be amazing, and walking around the city is gonna be super fun too. I just can't shake the feeling that we need something, I don't know," she waved the end of the spoon around in a circle, "even more exciting." It was then that she noticed the cupcake batter she'd gotten on her nose and cheek, and licked it up with a happy giggle.

Her mother frowned. "Now, Pinkamena, do not wish for excitement lest wicked forces deign to grant it."

"Yeah, Pinkie," Limestone added with an almost mocking tone as she walked by again, "you don't wanna jinx it, do you?"

Pinkie gasped dramatically. "No! I don't wanna jinx it!"

Limestone laughed. "Well then," she paused when she noticed the stern look her mother was leveling her way, and became nervous. "Uh...well, don't worry about it," she said gruffly. "The day's gonna be great as-is, it doesn't need anything else. Got it?"

"Mmm...," Pinkie murmured, scrunching her face up in thought. "Got it!" she decided, perking up considerably. Limestone saw her mother's look recede, and let out a small breath of relief. "Just think," Pinkie continued as she resumed stirring again, then began to pour the batter into an empty tray. "In just a few short hours, Maud's plane is gonna land! And we're gonna be there to pick her up! And theee~ennn," she added with a growing grin, suddenly reaching out and pulling both her startled sisters into one big side-hug, "it'll be time for the best! Day! Ever!"

"Mm-hmm!" Marble said with a happy smile that was soon reflected on the face of their elder sister and mother.

"Hah! I already found her? Best day ever!" said Rainbow Dash, perched atop a downtown highrise in her armored Pony-Up form, looking down at the streets below through a pair of binoculars. She quickly shoved them into the messenger bag she was carrying and jumped off the roof, flying on crystalline wings at the figure she'd seen. She left a rainbow-colored trail in her wake.

Her target was the costumed vigilante known only as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well, a woman with fantastical abilities whom most had been quick to label a superhero. But Rainbow Dash could only see her as suspicious, both for the obviously magical nature of her powers and for always running away when confronted. After all, Rainbow Dash reasoned, what sort of hero wouldn't want to talk to another hero? And Rainbow Dash was as heroic as they came, as far as she was concerned at least. For nearly a week she'd been pursuing the mystery woman in the long cape and broad-rimmed fedora, but hadn't managed to so much as touch her even once.

Not that it had dissuaded her. "Come back here!" she yelled, ignorant of the gawkers watching her from below as she flew toward the alley she'd just seen Mare-Do-Well sweep into. "I've got you this time," she said with confidence as she entered the narrow passage, navigating it with a speed and deftness born from painful trial and error towards a dead-end she knew was there.

She turned the final corner, and saw nothing but scattered garbage. "What?!" she said, eyes wide with shock and growing panic. She shot up above the rooftops and frantically looked around for any trace of her quarry, but found none.

"Grr...not again!" she growled, stamping the air with her foot out of frustration and flying off.

And yet elsewhere in the city, another girl was also fast approaching disappointment. After only three days of being forced to work alongside the Canterlot Rescue Center's newest 'volunteer', Fluttershy's nearly heart-stopping fear had been replaced by irritation, which had in turn peaked quite quickly. She wasn't about to abandon the Center and all her cute little animal friends, of course, so in search of some of the peace she'd once known there she had decided to come in early on Friday morning. Dr. Rescue, who ran the Center, had been surprised but understanding, and for an hour they'd shared a quiet respite before the subject of their mutual vexation arrived for his court-mandated community service.

Fluttershy had decided to do the same thing on Saturday, waking up extra early so she could get to the Center by 8:30. Taking the bus at such an unfamiliar hour was still a little bit intimidating, but the driver and other passengers had seemed nice enough. And without the prospect of running into Mr. Discord on the walk from the bus stop to the Center, Fluttershy was practically overjoyed. She even started humming to herself as she walked down the sidewalk, and stopped to greet all the city-dwelling animals that she met along the way.

"Oh, yes, that's really quite a shame," she told a sparrow that had landed on her finger and sang to her its problems. "But I know you'll be able to build an even better nest if you just try. I can even try to help you if I have the time later!" The sparrow sang happily, then flew away.

She resumed humming to herself all the way up to the steps of the Rescue Center, twirling around happily on one foot before opening the door...

...and seeing Mr. Discord smirking at her from behind the front counter. She froze in place, gaping in shock.

"Why hello, Fluttershy!" he greeted. "I was just wondering when you were going to come in..." He stood up and briefly disappeared behind the wall, only to open the door separating the reception area from the rest of the center moments later. He was wearing the same outfit he had every day he'd been there save the first: a set of old denim overalls stained with paint and other things, a long-sleeved white undershirt, and boots that looked sturdier than they probably were. He also carried his cane and tattered top hat, the only remnants of the gentlemanly image he seemed to prefer.

"U-umm...wh-what are you doing here so early, Mr. Discord?" Fluttershy asked, following him inside while keeping one hand on the pink crystal geode tucked inside a hidden pocket Rarity had sewn into her skirt.

"Oh, just thought I'd follow your example," the old conman-turned-convict answered with a sly and irreverent grin. "I thought young people today had no gumption or work ethic, but it seems I was pleasantly mistaken."

As they walked down the hall towards one of the pet play areas, Fluttershy looked to the side and met the eyes of Dr. Rescue as she examined a dog in another room. They were tired for far more reasons than just the early hour, and a wave of sympathy passed between the two women.

Fluttershy turned a narrow-eyed look back to Mr. Discord. "You only came early so you could spend more time bothering me and Dr. Rescue, didn't you?"

Mr. Discord turned around, affecting an exaggerated look of affront. "Me?" he asked, putting a hand to his heart. "Why Fluttershy, I am simply aghast at your accusation! I merely thought that the more hours I put in to this place each day, the sooner I will be finished with my community service. Surely you'd like that, wouldn't you?" he asked, looming over her slightly.

Fluttershy sighed. "I guess so..." she said as she trudged past Mr. Discord and into the next room.

For each of them, their story that day began with hope; and none could foresee anything but their well-laid plans in what was yet to come. But all lives are connected, and while Canterlot's seven largely-unsung heroines began their days so too did countless others – including those with far less benign intentions.

About two blocks down from where Sunset Shimmer was catching the bus that would take her to the home of her best friend, research partner, and so much more, another Sunset Shimmer was exiting her room at the cheapest and most ramshackle motel in the city. She was accompanied, briefly, by her 'riding partner' Starlight Glimmer, but the two runaways parted ways almost immediately to go about their respective business.

For Starlight, this was mostly just a tour of the city to determine or verify the locations of restaurants, libraries, museums, and anything else that caught her interest. She also intended on trying to learn why the Sunset she knew and loathed had been acting so strangely about the city, but as their plan was to stay in the city for several days she had decided that there would be time enough for that later. It was smarter to treat this stop like any other, and familiarize herself with the layout of the city in case the police decided to show some interest in the pair.

But Sunset Shimmer, the human Sunset Shimmer, had grown up in the city. True, she'd abandoned the city five years ago once she'd realized it had nothing to offer her, but the street map hadn't exactly changed much since then. A few new buildings, and many new businesses, but she still recognized it as her old stomping grounds. Suffice to say she didn't need to take a tour of the city – not that she'd told Starlight as such, of course. The last thing she wanted was her 'partner' interfering in her day again.

Sunset grinned as she sped through the city on her motorcycle, headed nowhere in particular. All she'd ever wanted was power and the recognition that it brought, and everything she'd ever done had been in its pursuit. She didn't care how or where she got it, only that she got as much as she could as fast as she could. And that was why she'd decided to finally return to Canterlot despite all the memories it dredged up in her.

"Nothing to lose, everything to gain," she whispered to herself as she stopped at an intersection and searched the skyline for the so-called 'superheroes' that she'd heard about.

Author's Note - Post Script

While this chapter, and a few others, touch upon all the major plot threads, most chapters will only follow one. This means that you won't necessarily be seeing some of the girls in-story for awhile - just wanted to let you all know in advance.

Anyway, let me know what you think of the story so far! And I'll see you all next time.

- Fangren