//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Chaos Theory // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// Dear Princess Twilight, The school year is winding down and we're all pretty excited for summer break. However, we're a little nervous too. This is our last semester together at the same school. Rarity was accepted into a prestigious design school in our Manehatten. She’ll be learning tips and techniques from some of the most famous designers in the world. She's also expressed an interest in meeting with your Rarity to talk shop. Rainbow Dash managed to get a scholarship to the Northern District Soccer academy, but she still has a lot of work to do to if she wants to be on the starting lineup of any of their teams. She's chomping at the bit to get going. The rest of us will be attending Canterlot University. Sunshine’s been accepted on a science educational fellowship based on her accolades. As for myself, I’ve been awarded a creative writing grant based on a letter of recommendation from my soon to be mother-in-law. Both programs are going to be pretty tough, but I’m confident we’ll make it through. Pinkie and Fluttershy are taking basic courses with us and Applejack has agreed to take some basic business management courses in preparation to take over the farm after Big Mac, who announced that he wasn’t interested in anything but digging and planting until he was dug in and planted himself. Pinkie is also splitting her time between culinary and management classes herself. While Adagio has declined to join us, Aria got into the music department and Sonata is heading up a hospitality course to help Pinkie in their quest to open up their own catering service. Our graduation is three weeks away, and three days from now is the combined bridal shower for Cadence, Sunshine and myself. I’m nervous about this, more than anything else I’ve ever been nervous for before. Even letting the girls be my friends after the Fall Formal all those years ago. What if I mess something up during the ceremony? I don’t know anything about being married! At the risk of sounding like you, you wouldn’t happen to have any books on that, would you? Oh, speaking of books, I haven’t had a response from any of my last few messages. I know being a Princess probably keeps you busy – what with those friendship missions and all – so when you get a moment, I’d love to know if you and the girls will be able to make it to the ceremony. Our band will be playing and I know Rainbow will get a kick out of that if nothing else. Your Friend, Sunset Shimmer. I closed the book, running my finger along the sunburst symbol on the cover. I returned it to the cabinet shelf that we had designated for it in our new apartment, next to the ones made for my sisters by the Princess. Twilight and I both had taken to writing to the Princess, but this strange silence the last few weeks was starting to bother me. I hadn't heard from her or my sisters. Add that to the fact that the emanations from the portal had only increased since we’ve started measuring them. Not knowing what was coming, we had all taken to wearing our pendants constantly. This made things awkward for me since unwanted contact would give me insight into a person’s surface memories or emotions. Thankfully, the bond that me and Twilight shared gave her a degree of immunity to my geode. However, there were times it leaked through, usually when she was in an emotionally vulnerable state or we were being intimate. Who I really had to watch out for were Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, the two more huggy members of my friend group. I had already enjoyed three trips into Pinkie's mine and the insanity which occupied it. Fluttershy, on the other hand, was occupied with fluffy and cute things, though there were shadows lingering on the edge that alarmed me. But the worst part so far was this strange creepy sense of being watched that had started to sneak up on my consciousness. It came and went, but when I felt it my skin crawled and I grew nauseous. Twilight had felt some of the same symptoms, but nowhere near the degree I did. One positive note to emerge in recent weeks was discovering why me and Twilight were so connected, and why she was so subtly different from her counterpart. The first time she siphoned magic from me was also through the portal. Something about the way it had happened had connected us through our magic, and the increased outpouring of energy from the portal had only strengthened that bond. I felt arms slide around me, one over my shoulder and another around my waist. I leaned back slightly into the embrace and felt a kiss land upon my bare shoulder. “I thought we talked about drifting off into la-la land like that, Sunny,” Twilight said, resting her chin on my shoulder. I smiled and tugged my tank top down a little from where her grasp had bunched it up. “Sorry, honey,” I said, turning slightly to give her a peck on the cheek. “Lots of changes coming up, and a lot of things to think about.” She nuzzled me, reminding me of how many pony gestures for affection she had adopted in our time together. It came naturally to both of us now, and it was more comforting to me than she realized. I may have decided to remain in this world, but that didn’t mean that parts of me didn't miss Equestria. I owned my old home there and Twilight and I had planned on spending part of our honeymoon there, as well as a short trip to one of the resorts on the beaches in the Equestrian equivalent of Jamaneca. “Surely you can ponder those thoughts in the morning?” she whispered in my ear, her intentions flooding through me and causing a warm glow to ignite. I took one of her hands and kissed the wrist before nuzzling it. “You go ahead and get ready for bed, sweetheart,” she whispered. “I’ll clean up and be there in a minute.” I lingered for just a moment, looking at my love’s shape in the dim light of her namesake’s time of day. Something about her was beguiling to me, beyond her looks, beyond her mind. Nothing could compare to how I felt about her, not even my love of magic. She stopped after a few steps, glancing back at me over her shoulder and catching me in the act. She smiled sexily. “Bed, Sunset.” Her voice turned husky. “Unless you plan on playing hard to get, that is.” “Too late for that, Twilight,” I said as I got up and headed for our bedroom. “I caught you almost a year ago.” I teased as I pulled my tank top off and dropped it to the floor. I winked at her and with a giggled as she hurried off to lock the door, start the dishwasher, and check on Spike’s food and water dishes. Too bad I was going to be in my pajamas before she finished her chores.