Chapter 3
Island Diplomacy
"Master… we've found her."
A dark shadow shifted as it seemed to look over the moon pool. This was a source of great power on this island. A power he fully intended to use to restore his strength, and perhaps his life.
"Speak," the shadow spoke, its voice dark and filled with malice.
"The descendant of Gwenevere. She is here on this island. The young redhead. We tried to capture her, but..."
"You failed."
"Forgive me master..."
The shadow shifted again, glowing, green eyes fixing on the ghost that had delivered the news.
"Try again," it ordered, eyes narrowing. "Bring her to me. Soon, the power of this island will reach its apex. If my plan is to succeed… her blood, the blood of the one who killed me, must fuel the ritual."
"What of any other descendants?"
"Continue the hunt. The descendants of Arthur's knights, and that… creature posing as a wizard… will not stop me. Not this time."
"As you command… my lord."
The sight of a Ford E-350 with what looked like Sci-fi B Movie gear tacked on was certainly one to turn heads as the Ecto-van pulled up inside the ferry to Westside Island. It was just as much of an odd sight as they pulled out upon arrival.
Sunset was fingering the talisman she had been given by the ferry's Captain. His words seemed odd, yet at the same time she couldn't help but feel on edge.
Sunset Shimmer leaned against the rail, her eyes closed as she just felt the breeze blow through her hair.
"Aye… the sea has an attraction doesn't it lass?"
Sunset opened her eyes and turned, finding an older man with a Captain's uniform on. With a smile, she nodded.
"Kinda gives you a sense of freedom doesn't it?" she asked.
"Aye," the Captain said as he seemed to take in every detail of the passenger wearing the gray jumpsuit with a Ghostbusters patch on the shoulder. "What brings a young lass out to Westside, if I may ask?"
"Business," Sunset replied before offering a handshake. "Sunset Shimmer, Canterlot High Ghostbusters. We got a call from Westside Island High. Sounded pretty bad so… here we are."
The Captain accepted the handshake, although the look on his face seemed odd. Almost as if he'd seen her somewhere before.
"Well… I don't know 'bout spirits and such, but… I do know Westside has power. Its a place of legend. I don't know what you're looking for… but you should be careful," he said, before pulling something out of his pocket and offering it to Sunset.
"Don't be lookin' for trouble, lest trouble finds you," he said. "You and yer friends do look like trouble magnets though, and have a look that says to me you can handle yerselves."
Sunset accepted what he was offering and took a look. It was a simple necklace with a shark tooth as a pendant. But the strange thing was… Sunset's fingers tingled a bit upon touching the tooth.
"May this protect you should you find darkness closing in around ya," he said.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome. And good luck on ol' Mako. Word of advice… not everything there is exactly what it appears."
Slipping the talisman back into her shirt, she felt it clink off the amulet she got after defeating Nightmare Moon. Along with that was a piece of a geode that seemed to be attracted to her that she had received at Camp Everfree. It had attached itself to the amulet as if it was a piece of it. She felt it was somehow connected with the Equestrian Elements of Harmony, but at the same time… seemed native to this world. Twilight didn't have a theory about them yet.
"Welp, here we are. Westside Island," Applejack drawled. "Any idea where we're goin'?"
"Well… Principal Celestia said we were to meet with some students from Westside Island High… at the front door to the school," Rarity spoke up. "As to where the school is… I don't know."
Sunset chuckled as she looked out the windshield. She had to admit, Westside Island was a nice place. After a moment she pointed out someone walking down the street. Getting the idea, Applejack pulled up next to them.
Starlight Glimmer stretched as she enjoyed the fresh air. One thing she always enjoyed was going out for a walk. It was the closest she could ever get to meditation. Father Michael had her try it one time… and she fell asleep. But out here… she felt at peace. Well… until the strange looking white van pulled up next to her that is. She did a double take when she saw the sci-fi stuff and crossed out ghost insignia on the side as the driver's side window slid down and revealed a young woman about the same age as her wearing a cowboy hat.
"Howdy," the young blonde in the van called out. "Ah'm wonderin' if ya can help us out a bit?"
"Depends on what you ask," Starlight replied, raising an eyebrow as she cautiously approached. She put one hand behind her back as if it was just casual, but in reality she was readying a low level defense spell if this B-Movie Reject Van turned hostile.
"We're lookin' fer Westside Island High," the rancher said. "We got an appointment with Principal..."
"Aleena Hedge," another voice that sounded oddly familiar said from inside.
"Right. Principal Aleena Hedge."
Starlight let the spell fizzle out and brought her hand back into view. Seemed odd that these people were looking for the high school. But it sounded like they weren't gonna cause trouble. At least she hoped not.
"'Bout… four blocks down Main Street, which is about a mile down that way," Starlight said as she pointed down the road. "After that, turn left and follow the signs. Can't miss it."
"Thank ya kindly," the blonde said with a smile.
"Who are you people anyways? And whats with the van?"
"Canterlot High Ghostbusters," the blonde replied. "Got called in when one of yer classmates was attacked."
Starlight blinked. Canterlot High School? Ghostbusters? Who were these people? But the fact that they mentioned the incident with Sunset Shimmer put Starlight on alert. She'd have to report this to Father Michael.
After some small talk, the van pulled away. Starlight pushed her lips to the left in thought before following for a ways and then turning down a trail. It was a shortcut to the Church, which wasn't too far from the school.
"So… how long do we have to wait?"
"Mom said they'd be here today."
"Yea… well… I'm waiting!"
"So am I bro. So am I."
"You two are so impatient."
"Speak for yourself Sonia. You're tapping your foot!"
Sonia Hedge rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest. She loved her triplet brothers, but man could they be annoying. After a moment, she ran a hand through her magenta hair. She hoped these people that their mother called in could help. It was clear Sunset Shimmer was affected by the experience. The redhead just wasn't letting anyone close. After a moment she turned to look at her brothers. Manic Hedge was, as usual, a mess. His green hair in a perpetual state of bedhead, and he was twirling a drumstick in his hand. Next to him was Westside Island's track star, Sonic Hedge. The blue haired runner was Captain of the track team, and the fastest on the island. Unlike Manic, Sonic was a bit more laid back and casual. Sonia knew the carefree attitude didn't reflect badly on him either, as Sonic had taken it upon himself to watch over a young kid named Miles last year. About the same time Sunset Shimmer came to Westside Island.
Her train of thought was broken with the arrival of a white van. Raising an eyebrow, Sonia actually elbowed Manic to get his attention. Soon after the van stopped, some high school girls came out, along with a little dog that seemed to stick next to one particular girl with glasses. Almost instantly, Sonia picked out one as a sporty type. The rainbow haired girl had that athletic cockyness about her. But there was also a bit of confidence that, to Sonia, spoke of skill. This girl was not all talk. She had action to back it up. The science girl of the group approached them.
"Hi," she said a little awkwardly. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, Canterlot High Ghostbusters."
"Nice to meet you. Sonia Hedge, Westside Island High. Welcome to our little corner of the world."
"Thanks. I just hope we can do something to help," Twilight said as the last member of the team emerged. Sonia, Sonic, and Manic all did a double take when they saw a familiar redhead.
"Sunset Shimmer?!" they all exclaimed.
"Uh… how do you know my name?" said redhead asked.
"Dudette! We're frickin' classmates!" Manic replied.
"Yea. And you were the one who got jumped!" Sonic added.
Sunset blinked in confusion before things started to click. She always wondered where her human counterpart was. Now she knew. That seemed to be the consensus among the rest of her friends, as Rainbow Dash actually tried to say they had her confused for someone else. While the green haired rocker seemed to accept it, the blue haired guy and Sonia clearly didn't buy it. After a moment, Sunset decided to speak up again.
"Maybe I just happen to have one of those faces," she said.
"Same hair," Sonia replied. "Same voice..."
"Look… we've got a job to do so can we focus on that instead of my uncanny resemblance?"
"Right. I can go with that," Sonia relented. "Principal's office is this way. Mom wanted to see you all as soon as you arrived."
"Wait… Mom?" Rarity asked.
"Yup. Our mother's the school principal," Sonic said with a smile.
As they walked down the hallway of Westside Island High, Rainbow Dash was deep in thought. Why did their names sound so familiar? After a bit, they were lead to the Principal's office. After a moment, Principal Aleena dismissed her children, leaving the Canterlot students alone with the school administrator. Just like with the triplets, Principal Aleena did a double take at the sight of Sunset Shimmer.
"Well… now I know what Tia meant by complicated..." Aleena said as she leaned forward against her desk. "Welcome to Westside Island."
"Thank you," Twilight replied.
After introductions were complete, they got down to business and started getting information on what happened over the last week or so. It definitely sounded like things were starting to escalate, meaning the girls got there just in time to start making a dent.
"The local hotel's pretty small, but I can make arrangements for you girls to stay there while you're on the island," Aleena finally said. "The owner owes me a favor. I can at least get you some rooms, but anything else is on you."
"We'll take it," Rainbow Dash replied.
"Then I wish you luck girls. If you need anything, give me a call. If even half the things I heard from Tia about you are true… we could use you."
