Hello, fellow readers! Welcome back to Magical Trinity! I appreciate the support, so let's keep it going!
And just to clarify something, the title is supposed to be KH 2.5 FM, but the thing doesn't register the decimal. Trust me, I tried to correct it multiple times.
With that said, let's get going!
Special 2: Mystery at the Movies
"Hey, Dad!" Levin greets his father as he and the crew arrive at the movie lot.
For context, one of the guests that showed at the Camp Everfree party was a movie director named Canter Zoom. Marvel invited him as he had a role in the newest Daring Do movie, which Canter was directing. He enjoyed the party so much that he offers to give them a behind-the-scenes look at said movie.
Back to the current scene, Marvel welcomes them with a sincere greeting. "Hey, kids. What's up, what's going on, what's happening?"
"Doing all right." Levin answers.
"The Rainbooms recently won a dance video contest." Rainbow mentions.
"I saw it, it was really good!" Marvel compliments before noticing something, "Did you boys get some new attire?"
"Oh yes, their new outfits are from me!" Rarity chimes in, "It was originally a thank you to Levin, since he helped me get clothing material for my music video outfits. But I decided to include the others, after hearing their suggestions of course."
Indeed the Shadowolves got some new outfits, so let's go in order:
First is Levin, who's wearing his goggles on his head and a black watch on his right wrist. He wears a black zipped-up hoodie with blue accents, the sleeves rolled up to show his forearms, over a blue short-sleeved shirt, green pants, and black converse. His Volt Vest is worn underneath the shirt while his Generator Gloves can pass as ordinary gloves when not in use.
Second is Shade, who still has his black beanie with white accents. He wears a jacket with a green/black plaid pattern over a magenta t-shirt, brown pants and green sneakers.
Third is Visor, who was currently wearing his new sunglasses that has black lens and dark red frames. He wears a black t-shirt under a mostly zipped-up red hoodie with orange accents, black pants and red sneakers with orange accents and laces.
Fourth is Stylite, who still has his black baseball cap. He wears a violet t-shirt under a blue jean hoodie, black fingerless gloves, blue denim pants, and black sneakers with purple laces.
Fifth is Pixel, who still has his thin rectangular-framed glasses. He wears a gold t-shirt under a black zipped-up hoodie, black fingerless gloves, black cargo pants and gold sneakers.
Sixth is Viva, who now wears his pair of custom black gloves that he uses for parkour. He wears a gray t-shirt under a white half-zipped jacket, black denim pants, and gray running shoes.
Rarity then notices Marvel's look and couldn't help but notice his interesting style:
He wore a black fedora with a dark red stripe and the front brim flipped down to his right, modeled with a pinch-front teardrop-shaped crown. He wore a black t-shirt under a black long-sleeved buttoned-up collared shirt, the latter with the sleeves rolled up to show his forearms, a dark red buttoned-up formal vest with a dark red tie, black gloves, black pants, and black ankle boots with dark red laces.
Speaking of Marvel, he smirks upon noticing her staring. "I try to look professional on the job."
"Speaking of the job, I guess you're on break?" Shade wonders.
"Nope, I was waiting on you guys. Managed to be on time too."
Levin looks at his watch to notice the time, "Actually, we're a minute early."
"Which is on time. Come on, I'll reintroduce you to the director."
The group soon arrive at the 'Daring Do' movie set, where they see Canter Zoom looking over some papers on a clipboard.
"Canter, guess who I found outside!" Marvel calls out, getting his attention.
"Well, if it isn't the party kids." Canter greets, "A bigger group than I expected though."
"Don't worry, we made sure to assign smaller groups." Levin mentions, "Makes the tour more manageable."
"It certainly would..." Canter then sees one of his assistants approach him, "Excuse me a moment."
Said assistant shows a nervous smile before speaking, "Sorry sir, but we're having trouble with wardrobe. They can't find the outfit Daring Do is gonna wear in the nightclub scene."
Mr. Zoom lets out a sigh at that, "As if there isn't enough issues... Marvel, would you mind handling the tour?"
"No problem." Marvel assures him.
The director and assistant headed out as the sharp-dressed man then turns to the group:
"So, who's doing what?"
Sci-Twi went first, "We heard that the relics they use in the movie are approved by A.K. Yearling herself, due to how accurate they are to the book."
"When I heard that the author herself is hands-on with the movies, I just HAD to see them for myself!" Rainbow chimes in with glee.
"I have read the books Shade lend me before." Levin mentions, "Considering her eye for detail in them, I can't help but be curious too."
Sunset then went next, "I wanted to see the sets. The fact that they make settings from fiction come to life in practical effects, it'll be pretty cool to see."
"I want to see just how practical they are." Applejack adds, "Cause I doubt they have actual lava in that there volcano."
"If there was, this movie lot would be nothing but molten rock." Stylite quips, "Still, I always enjoy practical effects more. Be nice to see them up close."
Rarity was giddy as she told her plans, "When I heard that Chestnut Magnifico was playing Daring Do, I had to come and get a picture with her!"
"And ask her to sign my petition to build more homes for animals in need." Fluttershy adds.
"Turns out, the actress actively helps out in charities like that." Viva mentions.
Pinkie reaches into her puffy hair and pulls out a paper tour guide, "For preparations for this tour, I found this exclusive guide of one hundred facts about Canterlot's movie lot that most people never heard about. From rooms full of candy to even a cupcake fountain!"
"...I'm convinced that she wrote that herself." Shade quips.
"Ditto, so we're going with her to see if that guide is legit." Pixel adds.
Applejack couldn't help but chuckle at this, "One hundred facts, huh? Is number one about the founder of this place, who happens to be an eccentric oddball with a sweet tooth?"
Pinkie looks at said guide for a moment before showing genuine surprise, "Yes!"
What stumped the group more? The fact that Applejack was right, or that somehow Pinkie didn't know that before she said it?
"All right, looks like you got it figured out." Marvel said before realizing something, "What about you three?"
Vanitas, Midnight, and Spike were the last ones to mention any plans. The talking pup was being held in Midnight's arms as he answers:
"Honestly, I'm fine with finding the buffet. Heard that they have some really good food."
"Once we do get some food, I'm curious on what this 'movie magic' is about." Midnight adds.
"Doubt it's any actual magic..." Vanitas mutters.
"I know where the buffet is." Marvel said, "I'm getting a bit hungry myself. Anyone else hungry before we split up?"
The rest of the group answer back with a mix of 'nope' and 'not yet', so they all went their separate ways to enact their plans.
With Group 4, comprising of Rarity, Fluttershy and Viva, they managed to find Chestnut Magnifico's trailer. The trio stood out front as they discuss on how to approach this:
"Maybe we shouldn't bother her when she's in her trailer." Fluttershy suggests.
"Darling, please! Actresses love interacting with their fans!" Rarity retorts.
"Most do. I've seen some who wouldn't care less." Viva mentions.
"Well I know that Chestnut-" Rarity stops short upon them seeing the door swing open right at her!
Thankfully, Viva was fast enough to grab the door and stop the momentum before it hit her. He sees that Chestnut herself was standing at the doorway and was about to say something, but he then notices the phone right before she spoke:
"Agh! I don't care if I'm under contract! This is a joke, and I want this thing shut down! Do you hear me!?" She then hung up and walks off.
The trio were understandably confused by this, but Viva couldn't help but point out reality. "The life of an actress can be stressful..."
With Group 3, comprising of Sunset, Applejack and Stylite, this trio was getting a closer look at the volcano set. AJ was rather curious due to her knowledge of construction and whatnot:
"I wonder how long it takes to build something like this..."
"Several weeks, I bet." Sunset guesses.
"If I remember correctly, it depends on the size and intricacies they add in." Sty recalls, "Especially if it requires moving parts."
Applejack was honestly impressed at that, "Wow. They sure do go all out in making it look like the real deal."
"I know, right?"
They then heard the sound of paper crunching, stopping in their tracks to see Sunset finding a candy bar wrapper by her feet. Upon picking it up, she read the name on said wrapper:
"What is a 'Bon Maude peanut butter crunch bar' doing on the set of a rainforest?"
"Guess one of the crew members got hungry?" Sty suggests.
"Either way, better pocket that." AJ said before smirking, "Wouldn't want it ruining the shot."
"Plus even on false dirt, it's still littering."
Sunset chuckles as she puts said wrapper in her jacket pocket.
With Group 2, comprising of Sci-Twi, Rainbow and Levin, this trio was on the set of the desert town where Rainbow spots the relics. With a gasp, she stares in awe:
"These are the three Altoriosa relics!"
Levin was caught off guard not by their speed, but the fact that Sci-Twi kept up with Rainbow's speed in that instant... though he knows that he won't find an answer there. Speaking of the two, they were inspecting the three relics pretty closely.
"Easy, girls." He walks over to keep them in check, "Let's not drool on the... VERY accurate relics!"
"I know! The sword..." Rainbow adds.
"The staff..." Sci-Twi said as she adjusts her glasses.
"Don't forget the Arrow of Altoriosa."
The trio turn around to see a new face. Though, Levin has a feeling he recognizes her from somewhere.
"You guys are from Canterlot High, right?" The new girl asked.
Levin lead with introductions, "That's right. I'm Levin, that's Twilight and Rainbow. And you are..."
"I'm Juniper Montage. You already met my uncle, Canter Zoom."
"Oh, you're his niece! My father mentioned you yesterday as the one who does the 'smoothie runs' and stuff."
"Hehe, yeah that's... Wait, your father? Your father is Marvel Rumble?"
"Yup. Kinda hard to believe, I know. I got my looks from my mother."
Juniper actually had a brief moment of fangirling, "Oh my gosh, I LOVE his work! When I heard that my uncle was directing the Daring Do movies AND got him to star in them, I nearly passed out!"
Levin chuckles upon hearing that, "He also mentioned your excitement."
"Speaking of Daring Do, you must also be a fan of her books." Sci-Twi chimes in.
"Absolutely!" Juniper answers, "And the fact that she's so hands on with the movies when it came to the set designs and relics."
"Yeah, they're awesome!" Rainbow agrees, "Wait, have you met her?"
"Just once when she came to check out the relics. I did get her to sign the latest Daring Do book though."
Juniper showed a big smile at that before Sci-Twi thought about something:
"So, what is it you do around here? Besides the smoothies runs and stuff?"
"I mainly help and make sure things are ready for shooting." Juniper answers, "I've been on the set of all the movies my uncle shot here."
"Really?"
"Yup! Pretty much know this place like the back of my hand. Though I would like for him to cast me in a movie for once."
"Wait, you've been here all this time and you didn't even have a role as an extra?" Levin questions.
"Yeah! Crazy, right?" It was brief, but he did notice a hint of frustration before she switches back to cheery. "Oh! Have you three seen Caballeron's secret lair yet?"
The trio shook their heads no at that, which she looks around before speaking again. "They usually lock the door to that set, but I got keys to just about anything in this place. Come on, I'll show you!"
The trio headed there with their new friend in tow, but Levin couldn't help but wonder about what she said. With his gut feeling following suit.
With Group 5, comprising of Pinkie, Shade and Pixel, the boys were just wandering around the movie lot with her in the lead. So far they haven't seen anything that impressive, much less jaw dropping. That is until they see a strange door:
"What's that say?" Shade wonders.
Pixel activates his power to translate the words on said door, "It says 'Danger, Sweet Danger'. Sounds like someone lost their mind..."
Pinkie lets out a gasp of realization, "This must be one of the founder's sweet rooms!"
The boys shared a glance before Shade spoke, "All right, let's see if it has sweets."
Pinkie goes to open the door, but it was locked... no surprise.
"Allow me. I'm the master of unlocking." Pixel walks over to the door and places his hand on the lock, instantly unlocking it.
He then opens the door to the smell of sugar hitting their faces. What was inside... was boxes and boxes stacked neatly as they smell all kinds of sweets. From bubble gum to taffy, hard candies to gummies, they had it all!
"Oh my nonexistent reality..." Pixel mutters.
"How did they get all of these?" Shade questions.
"Quick! Inside before we get caught!" Pinkie whispers before shoving them in, quickly going inside right after.
Finally with Group 1, comprising of Vanitas, Midnight and Spike, the trio had went to the buffet with Marvel. The pup got his fill with various dishes as Marvel spoke with Vanitas and Midnight, the latter asking him about the movie process. As the former expected, it was mainly technology.
"How come people like movies if there isn't actual magic?" Midnight wonders.
"The real magic are the stories told in them." Marvel answers, "The special effects are to compliment said stories."
"One more month, Chestnut! That's all we need!"
They heard the director, Canter Zoom, call out to the actress as they approach the buffet table. Chestnut was kinda ignoring him though, more focused on finding something at said table.
"I'm doing everything I can to keep us on schedule, but with the setbacks piling up, I don't think we can do it!" The director admits, "Can you please stay on for one more month!?"
"Unacceptable!" She outbursts, though it wasn't towards him. "Where are my imported peanut butter crunch bars!?"
Vanitas wasn't sure how, but he saw the air around Marvel briefly vibrate like an afterimage. Once it stopped, the man now had a box in his hands before walking over and placing it on the table:
"Just in time, Chestnut! I was just about to resupply the buffet with them."
He opens said box to refill the tray reserved for them, noticing her smile as she take a couple of bars right out of the box:
"Thank you, Marvel! You're a lifesaver."
The actress then drops it as she glances at Canter, "You know I'm a stickler for the rule of three, Mr. Zoom. This is strike two. Fix. Those. Setbacks."
Once the actress took her leave, the director lets out a sigh of relief before looking at Marvel:
"I really appreciate what you do here."
"I try my best to avoid drama if possible." Marvel said, "Speaking of those setbacks, I keep telling you that it has to be an inside job-"
"That's just it! I don't know who it could be..."
Vanitas and Midnight walked over to try the crunch bars, listening in on their conversation before they felt their phones vibrate. Marvel also felt his as he pulls out his phone, seeing a message that made his face turn serious:
"Yet another problem appears."
The rest of the groups got a message to regroup where the relics are, or rather where they were, as Sunset explains what happened:
"We came here to see the relics after Levin showed us a photo. Now, they're not on their display anymore!"
Canter did not like hearing that, "This can't be happening! What are we gonna do?"
"We find them." Marvel answers as he takes the lead, "It'll take too much time to get replacements, since A.K. Yearling has to approve them herself and she can be difficult to track down. Canter, you and Juniper try and keep up production. Me and the kids will search the place for the relics."
"Thank you, Marvel."
Once the two headed out, Marvel turns to the group as Sci-Twi couldn't help but notice a pattern:
"Missing outfits, missing props... what's stopping them from escalating to stealing the sets at this point?"
"It's clear that these aren't coincidences." Sunset adds, "Whoever's doing this is going through a lot of trouble to stop production altogether."
Fluttershy and Rarity had the same thought as to who, but Viva beat them to it:
"Chestnut mentioned that she wanted something to be 'shut down', but she never said it was about this movie."
"That girl always tries to do multiple things at once." Marvel adds with a sigh.
"She is an acclaimed actress, after all." Rarity chimes in, "She'd never do anything so dramatic."
Sunset smirks at that, "An actress? Dramatic? Never."
Marvel couldn't help but laugh at that, though he regains his composure soon after as Vanitas brings up an interesting point:
"Then who else could it be? Could be any of the stage crew or even that director's niece." The latter then gestures to him, "You said it yourself, it's an inside job."
The former begrudgingly agrees, "...Unfortunately, no one is ruled out. But before we question any suspects, we need evidence. Let's split up and find those relics."
They split up in their respective groups, leaving Group 2 as the ones searching the desert town set.
"I doubt the culprit got very far." Levin mentions, "They could still be around here."
"I hope so, but is it ever that easy?" Sci-Twi wonders.
"You never know." Rainbow answers, "Could be as simple as finding some hooded figure sneaking around."
To her surprise, Sci-Twi saw just that near the bazaar stands. "Like over there?"
Levin and Rainbow follow her gaze to see a hooded figure standing near the alleyway. The latter was quick to shout at them:
"Hey! Stop right there!"
The hooded figure didn't comply, running into the alleyway. She activates her geode necklace, granting her super speed, as she runs off after it. Levin was tempted to follow, but had a better idea:
"We'll try and cut them off! Hop on!"
Sci-Twi hops into his arms, carrying her bridal-style as he takes off in a different direction.
On Rainbow's side, she was getting annoyed. Despite her super speed, the culprit was just out of reach somehow at every turn. No such luck on Levin's side either, which he chalks it up to not knowing the layout. The two sides eventually intervene at one of the sets, where Rainbow vents out some frustration:
"I can't believe I lost them! Guess having super speed can't make up for knowing where you're going."
"Avoiding two speedsters, no less." Levin adds as he puts Sci-Twi back on her feet, "It's like they know the place like the back of their hand."
The latter then had an epiphany, "Wait, say that again!"
"It's like they know the place... like the back of her hand."
"Her?" Rainbow catches, "You don't mean-"
"The evidence is already there, Rainbow. We just have to catch her in the act, and I know the right person for the job."
"Finally shook them off..."
The hooded figure mutters to themselves, catching their breath as they pulled out the relics from their cloak:
"Better hide these somewhere before I get found out."
"Too late."
In an instant, the hooded figure was lifted into the air by an aura of black and white pixels. The relics were levitating in a separate aura that got pulled into the user's hand, who is revealed to be Pixel:
"So Levin was right. You were the inside man, or rather girl."
The hood on the culprit soon came off, revealing that it was Juniper Montage. "Where did... H-How did you-"
"I'm asking the questions here." His voice wasn't aggressive, but eerily calm.
"L-Like I'm gonna talk-"
She was suddenly flipped to have her face to face with him, where she sees that one of his eyes is very different. Instead of the vermilion red, the pupil was pure white with his sclera a pitch black. A wispy white aura was flowing out of it into his hand, where it was slightly clenched:
"Talk. Now."
Now feeling the possible danger, she eventually admits it. "All right, all right! I was the one to sabotage the movie's production!"
"That's all I needed to hear."
The aura then disappears as he sets her down back on the ground. He then pulls out his phone and speaks into it:
"Did you get that, Levin?"
"Got it loud and clear." Levin was heard on the other side, "We're back at the volcano set."
"On my way."
Hanging up, he puts his phone away before grabbing Juniper in an aura again. This time, he teleports the two to said volcano set in a flicker, where the others were. Including her uncle Canter Zoom, who is understandably confused by this:
"Juniper. Why?"
She was put back down on the ground as she spoke, "I'm so sorry, uncle. It's just... I can't stand Chestnut!"
"What?"
"She's always eating those imported peanut butter bars! Those are the only flavor I like from that brand!"
Sunset remembers the candy wrapper they found and pulls it out from her jacket pocket, "That explains this..."
"You couldn't find a trash can?" Sty adds, enforcing that by grabbing said wrapper and tossing it into a nearby trash can.
"I was in a hurry!" Juniper briefly shouts at them before turning back to her uncle, "I also can't stand her for taking the role of Daring Do!"
"This again?" Canter was now getting annoyed at her, "I already told you, you don't have any acting experience to be the lead! That and you're too young for the role! I even offered to have you as an extra, but you always declined!"
"That's because I want to be in the spotlight! I want the people to see me!"
Canter Zoom actually got frustrated, "You took advantage of my trust, you stole props and costumes, and held back the movie's production all because you couldn't be in the spotlight!?"
"...T-To be fair, I only moved the props somewhere else. The nightclub outfit is in the locker of the storage room, by the way."
Juniper's little tidbit helps, but the damage has been done. Mr. Zoom calms himself down as his disappointment was evident:
"You could have cost us our jobs, all because you couldn't be patient. No acting classes, no hands-on experience, you wanted to jump right into the deep end. You know what would happen if you did? You won't be remembered as some talented diva who got the magic touch. Everyone will see you as some spoiled kid that got lucky, all because she was GIVEN that role, instead of EARNING it."
The group certainly felt the weight of that, considering how the internet is. As for Juniper, she had nothing to say to that as her sadness was plain on her face.
Canter then holds his hand out towards her, "Keys."
She gives them to him without a fuss as he finishes his little lecture:
"You're still my niece Juniper, so I can forgive you. It will be a long time before I consider allowing you back here. Now go."
And she does. No words, no gestures, was just escorted out of the building. While the group was glad the mystery was solved, they didn't feel good after what just happened.
"Canter, there you are!" They heard Chestnut as she was approaching, "I just got a call from my agent. He said that I didn't have to work on that silly documentary on nests next month. I swear, when they approached me, I thought they wanted to do one on my organization of homeless animals. Not on various 'nests' around the world, so misleading. But no matter, that's all behind us!"
"So, no more scheduling conflicts?" Marvel summarizes.
"Exactly! So now I can focus on our movie. I hope you managed to figure out those setbacks."
"Oh, don't worry about that." Canter assures her, "Thanks to them, we won't be having anymore of those. I owe y'all one."
Rainbow realizes the opportunity here and takes it, "Actually, if your offer of extras is still on the table, I'm pretty sure my friends and I wouldn't mind filling in."
"Hmm..." He gestures with his hands to do a camera frame before deciding, "Yeah, I can work with that."
SNAP!
"And... action!"
The scene starts at a remote desert town, its citizens traveling the streets and shopping at the bazaars, when a certain explorer was running through with an artifact in her possession. It was Daring Do, with the Sword of Altoriosa on her belt!
She was passing by as it was the fastest way to get to her destination. Passing by the carpets, the street performers, and briefly helping a librarian with her books, she then halts in her tracks as a familiar foe stands in her path!
"You will give me the Sword of Altoriosa!" It was Stalwart Stallion, her archenemy who holds the Staff of Altoriosa as it starts to glow.
The sword on her belt was doing the same, but she wasn't deterred. "I don't think so, Stalwart!"
"Have it your way!" Speaking a chant, he unleashes a spell that created a vortex above him. "Give it up, Daring Do! The sword shall be mine!"
The sword was pulled away from her just like that, now floating above him as he was about to begin another spell-
WHISTLE!
Fortunately for her, a fellow citizen steps in to help and tosses her a whip. With a quick snap, she then swings the whip just right to knock the staff out of his hands. The two relics would have fell to the ground, but two more citizens was quick to catch them before Stalwart was swept off his feet and pinned down.
"You should give up, Stalwart." The man pinning Stalwart down was someone named 'Aeon', a traveler who occasionally teams up with Daring Do on her adventures.
"This is so AWESOME!"
"Cut!" Canter calls out, "Again?"
Marvel, who was playing Aeon, just laughs before speaking. "Honestly, this take can work. Who's to say Daring Do didn't hear those words while meeting her fans?"
The one who broke character was Rainbow Dash, still gushing about being in a Daring Do movie. Though honestly, the others couldn't blame her for it.
Canter eventually relents, "OK, we'll use it. Let's wrap it up!"
SNAP!
And done! So, a couple of things to go over:
1. This special had the unfortunate circumstance of having too many characters here, as I forgot to include the new designs for the Shadowolves. That and mysteries aren't really my forte. So this chapter is mainly to show character interactions between those that haven't got much screentime with each other.
2. I wanted to expand on other characters like Marvel, who I wanted to include in this from the start. Chestnut is all right, Canter is all right, and Juniper could have been a bit more interesting. The idea of wanting others to like her via movies, wanting the attention and fame without realizing the possible consequences from that, especially since it's not established that she took any acting classes or anything. With Juniper, I decided to take a different angle at her argument with her uncle as it'll be a bit more interesting for the next special.
3. Because of the bigger cast, the story had to change to fit them in better. So I apologize if you enjoy the Power Ponies reference or the Scooby-Doo chase, but it would have padded the chapter out. The Shadowolves, Vanitas and Midnight are in the movie scene at the end, basically being the citizens walking around, as Marvel plays a side character named 'Aeon', which is a reference to a character from my 'Mysteries of Magic' story.
One more thing, as this chapter is posted, it would be my birthday! Honestly around this time, I allow myself the month to write any chapter or short story I want. Helps to do other things outside my usual pattern.
With ALL of that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!
