Make Your Own Magic: Starswirl Do-Over

by Whitney Ralls

THE END

  SAGE SMOKE WAFTS. A WIND CHIME SWAYS IN THE BREEZE.

  Sunset Shimmer stands in the middle of the yoga yurt, in a perfect tree pose. After weeks of back-to-back yoga, the student has become the master. Sandalwood watches in awe as Sunset does flawless sun salutations.

  “They’re… perfect.”

  Without opening her eyes, Sunset calmly replies, “Even if my execution were imperfect, I would no less be happy with them. They are exactly how they need to be.”

  Sandalwood’s eyes go even wider. “So wise…

  I didn’t know you were into yoga, Sunset… Sunset?”

  But Sunset is now cross-legged on the floor, meditating serenely. Her mind is blank. She is completely present, in harmony with the universe. She blinks her eyes. How long has passed? Minutes? Hours? She can’t tell, and truthfully, it does not matter.

  But now that her eyes are open, she can clearly see that Sandalwood has a crush on her.

  “Sunset, I have a crush on you.”

  Sunset pats his head kindly and shares her infinite wisdom. “Crushes do not matter. This moment, like this crush, is fleeting and no different than the next.”

  Sandalwood nods, soaking this in.

  “Time has no beginning nor end,” Sunset continues, “and therefore my need to ‘escape’ the time loop is no longer relevant.”

  Sandalwood squints, really trying to follow. He plays it cool and nods. “I totally get it.”

  The faintest hint of concern begins to reach Sunset’s super-calm face. “Yep. I totally don’t care about breaking the time loop at all. At… all.”

  Mid-meditation, Sunset’s eye twitches. Uh-oh.

  Maybe enlightenment isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe she should just… get away.

  CLICK HERE.

  “RAINBOW DASH IS RIGHT.”

  “Ummm, obviously,” Rainbow Dash says with a flip of her multicolored hair. “Wait, what am I right about?”

  Sunset Shimmer explains: As long as she’s stuck in this time loop, she might as well have some fun! It’ll probably work itself out. In the meantime, the festival is hers to explore! But Starswirl has so much to offer. Where to start?

  What should Sunset do?

  Relax to the max in the yoga yurts. CLICK HERE.

  Have a fashion show. CLICK HERE.

  See. Every. Single. Band. CLICK HERE.

  “THE LOOP IS TOTALLY WORKING!”

  Sunset Shimmer would know Sonata Dusk’s grating, untrustworthy voice anywhere.

  “Of course it is, it was my idea,” seethes Adagio Dazzle.

  Sunset grits her teeth. So they are the ones behind the time loop. Well, Sunset’s not about to let them get away with it. She marches over and takes the mini-calzone right out of Aria Blaze’s hand. She eats it in one bite.

  “Hey, I’m hungry!” Aria protests.

  “What exactly are you doing here?” Adagio asks pointedly.

  “The same thing you are,” Sunset snaps back. “Living the same day over and over again. Admit it—you’re the ones who caused the time loop!”

  They stare at her blankly.

  “Unsurprisingly, she has no idea what she’s talking about.” Adagio sighs.

  Aria laughs derisively. “A time loop? As if!”

  At this point, Sunset’s interruption starts to draw stares from the ultra-chic musicians around her. Could she be wrong?

  She clears her throat and asks a little quieter, “Then what was that loop you were talking about?”

  “A vocal loop. Duh. Pretty basic songwriting stuff but probably way too advanced for the Rainbooms.” Sonata smirks.

  “But… the lyrics to your song. Every day is the same, over and over again? I thought you were the ones causing Starswirl day one to repeat over and over again!”

  “Nope, that song’s about being stuck in this wretched human world day after day,” Aria hisses.

  “Besides, why would we want to keep living the same day over and over?” Adagio scoffs.

  Sunset thinks.

  “This all started when I wanted to have a perfect day. And when Pinkie Pie ruined it the first time around, I wished I could have a redo. I’m sure performing at such a big music festival would put even more pressure on you to have a perfect performance.”

  Sunset expects the worst from Adagio. But instead, Adagio puts a hand on her shoulder and smiles.

  “Nothing’s ever perfect. It’s the mistakes and the choices we make with our friends that make our life, well… not perfect, but ours. When we perform as the Dazzlings now, it’s real. It’s us. Because we do it without the help of magic.”

  “Unless of course, you count the magic of auto-tune,” Sonata chirps.

  “Which I don’t,” Adagio snips icily.

  Sunset feels Adagio’s words echo in her chest. She has been blaming Pinkie Pie for ruining Starswirl this whole time, when really it was Sunset who ruined the night by getting mad at her. If only she could do that first day over again…

  “Wait a minute…”

  She can! Sunset runs off, waving to the Dazzlings over her shoulder.

  “I never thought I’d say this, but… thanks, Adagio!”

  Adagio rolls her eyes.

  CLICK HERE.

  SUNSET SHIMMER DOESN’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON, BUT SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT ALONE.

  Her friends are always there to make things better. Right?

  “Yeah, right.”

  “So you’re telling us the day is repeating?”

  “Are you sure you’re feeling all right?”

  Sunset puts her head in her hands. “I can’t explain it, either, but yes! We’ve all definitely lived Starswirl day one before, but I’m the only one who remembers it.…”

  They scan their wristbands to get into the festival.

  Twilight Sparkle adjusts her glasses, concerned. “Could it be déjà vu?”

  Sunset calmly predicts, “Confetti cannon in three, two, one.”

  POOF! Right on cue.

  Pinkie Pie’s elated. “What a cool magic trick!”

  “It’s not a trick, Pinkie. Something is seriously wrong here.”

  “It may not be a magic trick, but it has Equestrian magic written all over it. Maybe Princess Twilight Sparkle could help us,” Twilight suggests.

  Later, in the cool shade of a Starswirl lounging yurt (“Great decor!” Rarity exclaims), Sunset writes in her diary. And sure enough, Princess Twilight Sparkle writes back:

  The day keeps repeating? You can say that again. (Sorry, couldn’t resist!) Unfortunately, your situation makes all too much sense. An ancient Equestrian relic recently went missing, and it must have somehow found its way to the human realm. The Time Twirler is a powerful device that allows the user to rewind a day, up to twenty-four hours. Someone at the festival must have it! The only way to break the loop is to press down the Time Twirler’s pin, thereby deactivating it.

  Sunset sits back, deflated. Now there are even more questions. “But who would do this? And why?”

  Twilight leans forward, excited. “Pardon me, but there are even more questions than that! The hypotheses we could test are infinite! Is space-time more linked to space or time? Does the moment of reset have a physical effect on the world? If a person’s stuck in the time loop, do they age?” She notices Sunset’s weary glare and clams up. “Sorry, I know this is a big problem. But it’s a big, exciting, scientifically relevant problem!”

  “Problem? More like superpower!” Rainbow Dash throws herself on the ground dramatically. “Starswirl has way more to offer than you can experience in one day. I’ve been having so much trouble deciding what I want to do. And Sunset has enough time to do it all!”

  An echoing giggle catches Sunset’s attention. She turns around but is hardly able to catch a glimpse of someone silhouetted in the yurt’s doorway. Sunset lunges outside, but the mysterious stranger is already bolting away. Weird.

  But what’s even weirder is the distant song she hears next:

&nbs
p; “Every day is the same,

  the same, the same.

  Over and over again,

  again, again…”

  It’s coming from a nearby stage!

  What should Sunset do?

  Follow the suspicious song. CLICK HERE.

  Take advantage of her newfound superpower! CLICK HERE.

  Use the scientific method with Twilight Sparkle. CLICK HERE.

  Confront the mysterious stranger. CLICK HERE.

  SPLAT!

  At the paint party, joyful festivalgoers fling bright pigment at one another in a designated obstacle course. Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie are, of course, on the pink team. They work in perfect unison: a rainbow ballet through the squelching fountains of blue, yellow, and purple.

  Bam. They take out Snips and Snails and celebrate, putting pink battle paint under their eyes.

  At the human pinball field, Sunset and Pinkie squeeze into a giant inflatable ball. They are the pinball! Together, they knock down some giant dominoes, bounce off a wall, and slingshot around the bend. They’re racking up the points, bouncing all over the place!

  They’re bouncing so much in fact that they bounce over the wall! They’re rolling across the festival grounds, right for the big crowd at the main stage!

  Sunset tries to backtrack. “Uh-oh!”

  “Sunset, jump!”

  They jump together, and the ball soars into the air! Suddenly, they’re being lifted up by the crowd. They’re crowd-surfing! It’s as if the crowd is batting around a giant beach ball, except they are the beach ball! Sunset laughs, having more fun than she has had on any of her days here.

  The crowd bounces them right over the security guard’s head! They’re backstage!

  Sunset and Pinkie tumble out of the human pinball, laughing their butts off.

  “That was so fun!” Pinkie can hardly breathe she’s laughing so hard. Then her stomach growls. “On to the food-truck tasting! I hope the lines aren’t too long.”

  Sunset notices the artists’ lounge nearby.

  “I’ll do you one better.”

  Inside the artists’ lounge, every food truck has a table set up. And the best part? No lines! Pinkie Pie has stars in her eyes and pastries in her mouth.

  “This is everything I ever dreamed Starswirl would be!” she says through a mouth full of deep-fried cotton candy.

  “And more,” agrees Sunset, pointing out none other than PostCrush! They’re sitting right behind them! Pinkie Pie’s mouth drops open, and Sunset shuts it for her, teasing, “Chew your food! We’re about to meet PostCrush!”

  CLICK HERE.

  SUNSET SHIMMER CAN’T BELIEVE IT—SHE’S MEETING POSTCRUSH!

  Su-Z squeezes the Alicorn plushie in delight, while K-Lo signs an autograph for Sunset.

  “I’m a huge fan,” gushes Sunset. “So is my friend Pinkie Pie!” She looks around, suddenly sad that her friend isn’t here to share in the experience.

  “Always great to meet a fan.” K-Lo gives her a nod and twirls back into their VIP golf cart.

  As they drive away, Sunset looks at the autograph. So cool! Not that she’ll get to keep it.… By morning, the day will have reset, and it will be gone.…

  But when she wakes up the next morning and reaches into her pocket… the autograph is still there.

  “Huh? Weird.”

  Sunset hasn’t been able to keep anything across the time loop until now. Not sure what to make of it, Sunset looks at her friends.

  “Hey, guys, I kind of have a weird problem.…”

  The girls look at her in concern.

  CLICK HERE.

  SUNSET SHIMMER NEEDS SPACE.

  “Particularly, to get out of the space you’re in,” Twilight Sparkle explains. Sunset nods, jotting down notes while Twilight elaborates, “By removing yourself from the point of space-time overlap, ie, the time loop, you’ll shatter the day’s spatial connection to time.”

  Sunset scribbles, trying to keep up with Twilight Sparkle’s lightning-quick explanation. She sets down her pen and raises an eyebrow at Twilight, who sighs. “Too technical?” Sunset nods.

  “Basically, you need to get as far away as you possibly can from the festival.”

  “That”—Sunset smiles—“I can do.”

  CLICK HERE.

  SUNSET SHIMMER SHRUGS.

  Why would she look a gift pony in the mouth? This whole repeating-day thing will probably work itself out. So as long as she’s here she might as well have fun! But Starswirl has so much to offer. Where to start?

  What should Sunset do?

  Relax to the max in the yoga yurts. CLICK HERE.

  Beat the carnival games. CLICK HERE.

  See. Every. Single. Band. CLICK HERE.

  “HEY, YOU’RE GONNA MESS UP MY HAIRDO!”

  Sunset Shimmer snatches the Time Twirler out of K-Lo’s hair. K-Lo grabs it, too, and they pull back and forth until it pops out of their hands.

  K-Lo dives for it as it flies through the air, hits the ground, and shatters. K-Lo, Su-Z, and Sunset all stare at the broken pieces.

  K-Lo sighs. “Are you happy with yourself? Now we can never deactivate the Time Twirler.”

  “We’re stuck here… forever?”

  Su-Z shrugs and eats a sushi kebab. “Welp, it’s gonna be a long eternity.”

  The bandmates start bickering back and forth. Sunset can’t believe she’s stuck here forever with these two!

  THE END

  SUNSET SHIMMER BREATHES IN.

  So she’s stuck in a time loop because of ancient Equestrian magic. The last thing she needs to do is panic. And luckily for her, the latest trend in festival experiences is organized wellness. She breathes out.

  The yoga yurt is an oasis of cool and calm in the middle of the hot festival grounds. Sunset feels the eucalyptus mist relaxing her with each breath. Pinkie Pie pops in at her side, taking a big whiff of the mist and coughing.

  “You sure this is how you want to spend Starswirl, Sunset?”

  Sandalwood, the yoga yurt’s director, beckons to them. “Is life stressing you out? Come in and nama-stay as long as you like.”

  “Pinkie Pie, I’m definitely sure.”

  Sunset ditches Pinkie Pie and enters the crystal-shrined yurt. Sage burns, and weary festivalgoers roll out yoga mats. Sunset takes her place on a mat as Sandalwood leads them all in a yoga flow.

  “Downward dog. Plank. Lunge. Hop to the front of your mat, and bow.”

  Sunset struggles to keep up, frustrated.

  Sandalwood teaches, “This is what we call a sun salutation.”

  Sunset breaks her concentration, nudging the yogi to her right. “My name’s Sunset, so I guess I’m more suited to sun farewells than sun salutations.”

  “The mind’s chatter only disconnects us from ourselves.” Sandalwood has opened one eye to judge Sunset. “Now, tree pose.”

  The entire class except Sunset moves as a unit, standing on one leg, palms touching peacefully, eyes closed. Sunset tries to follow suit, but she can’t help looking around. Who knew standing still could be so much work!

  What should Sunset do?

  Achieve enlightenment. CLICK HERE.

  This isn’t her thing. CLICK HERE to choose a different kind of festival fun!

  “WHEN THE GOIN’ GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET… EVEN MORE TOUGH!”

  Applejack straightens her hat and marches briskly toward the security guard. Feeling less confident, Sunset struggles to keep up.

  “Shouldn’t we make a plan or something, Applejack?”

  “No use delayin’ it.”

  “On second thought he’s pretty big. Maybe we shouldn’t give him a talking-to, tough or otherwise.” Sunset digs her heels into the ground as Applejack pulls her forward. “What if he’s mean?”

  “We’ll handle it.”

  “Wait!”

  “Here we go!”

  They’re in front of the security guard now, who stoically blows another bubble gum bubble. Applejack firmly pokes it. Pop!
>
  “Don’t mean to burst your bubble, but you gotta let us backstage.” She leans right into his gum-coated face. “Or. Else.”

  The security guard takes off his sunglasses, glowering.

  He scoffs. “Or else what?”

  Applejack scoffs right back at him. “Or else you’ll see.”

  “I don’t think you know who you’re messing with,” he says.

  “I don’t think you know who you don’t think knows who is messing with you,” she fires back.

  An awkward pause. Applejack steels herself and says in her most serious voice, “It’s me.”

  Sunset shrinks behind Applejack, wincing. This isn’t gonna be good.

  The security guard blinks. Then he breaks out into a hearty laugh.

  “You know what? You kids are all right—get on back there!”

  Applejack grabs Sunset’s hand, and they run past him before he changes his mind.

  Sunset’s mind is blown. “I can’t believe that worked!”

  Applejack shrugs. “We speak the same language. Now let’s track down those no-good Dazzlings. Where could they be?”

  Sunset notices a silvery tent with misters, buckets of refreshments, and sushi appetizers being passed around. It’s the artists’ backstage lounge. “Well, that seems like a good place to start.”

  CLICK HERE.

  “THIS THING’S GOTTA BE RIGGED.”

  Applejack hurls yet another softball at a tower of milk bottles, but it just bounces off it. She grumbles as she eyes the elusive prize: a life-size Alicorn plushie.

  Sunset Shimmer taps her on the shoulder. “Let me give it a whirl.”

  Sunset closes one eye, winds up a pitch, and throws. The milk bottles fall to the floor with a clatter.