Shortly after the events of Legend of Everfree, Sunset realizes she has a problem with her new abilities and is willing to do anything to fix it. Anything.
It has been about two weeks since returning home from Camp Everfree and everyone has settled down for summer vacation. Except for Sunset Shimmer, because she has a problem. She knows she can hear people's thoughts but that's just the problem: they're getting louder and more frequent. On top of that, she's becoming aware of things only one other person has been constantly experiencing (and is somehow okay with it?). Determined to fix her problem, Sunset has finally opened up to her friends and they're more than happy to help her out. However, things don't quite go as planned and everything deteriorates further on. It's that bad.
It had been about two weeks since Canterlot High had returned from Camp Everfree and life has returned back to normal, for the most part at least. The girls had all finally accepted their powers, now knowing exactly where they came from and with summer vacation now in full swing, it was a time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the three month break.
However, not everyone was quite at peace with their powers. In the beginning at Camp Everfree, Sunset Shimmer had been hearing voices every now and then and once she realized what was causing these strange events to happen, she thought perhaps things would get better.
They haven’t. In fact, it’s only gotten worse.
Sunset was certain at first it was just her trying to get used to her new power and after all, it was only here and there and she was thankful she couldn’t read thoughts unless in physical contact with someone. Unfortunately now, no matter where she went, if there were people around she was bound to hear their thoughts. And not all of them were…appropriate.
Sunset however insisted to herself that she wouldn’t say anything to the other girls. They had their own schedules to keep track of and she didn’t want to bother them. Besides, if anyone could solve a promise, it would be a student of Princess Celestia. Or at least a former one.
Fast forward to the present has left Sunset very annoyed and very grouchy. While she didn’t intend it, some of the people she encountered had flashbacks to when Sunset Shimmer was Queen Bitch of Canterlot High. That only made her grouchy and depressed. But she wasn’t going to quit. She would figure this out, even if it killed her, although at this rate she’d either end up in jail or a mental asylum.
But there was…one other issue. Not only was Sunset hearing people’s thoughts, she was…feeling a lot more anxious than usual. Paranoid was probably the better term for it. She just couldn’t shake this feeling that someone was watching her almost nonstop, even when she was in the shower. Of course, maybe it was just the stress of the past couple of months getting to her but she never completely felt as ease.
Sunset finally made an ultimatum: she was going to put an end to this once and for all. If she had to ask her friends for help, so be it but she couldn’t go another week like this. She may have come up short on a solution but she was certain her friends had an answer. As the person currently reading this will probably have figured out by now, it doesn’t go well at all.
Sunset woke up, glancing groggily at her alarm clock and saw it was a quarter after nine. Groaning slightly she sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes as she looked around her bedroom. The apartment she was living in wasn’t exactly one of the best on the market, but it was manageable and the landlord was a fair guy compared to others.
When she first came here, she had managed to bring some bits along with her but found out rather quickly the currency in this world was very different. However, since the money she did have was pure gold and since gold at the time was at an all-time high, she had managed to quite a lot of money in exchange, something she had neglected to inform Twilight about and probably never will. Needless to say, she’d be able to provide for herself for quite awhile and has been.
Once she dragged herself out of bed, Sunset went into her kitchen and grabbed a bowl, filling it over the top with cereal and poured milk on top from the fridge. She then went into her living room and turned on the TV, watching the morning news. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be happening, at least nothing related to Equestria. This was good mostly because she was in a bit of a conundrum. Apparently staying in her apartment kept her mind at peace, but staying inside all day everyday was going to drive her crazy. On the other hand, she knew the second she stepped outside she was going to hear them. Most of them were innocent, asking themselves what to do today or, should they go for the salad to save calories or just say screw it and go for that loaded burrito? Others, and it was mostly guys her age or younger, were not so innocent. She never knew guys could be so perverted and she knew if she even brushed up against one of those guys she’d be scarred for life.
Well, they weren’t all bad. After Camp Everfree, she had been hanging out with Flash a lot more often. They weren’t officially dating but they were working their way there. Flash at least knew she could read minds so he tried to keep his mind clear which worked most of the time but Sunset knew when he was alone he probably had at least one dirty thought of her every once in a while which surprisingly didn’t bother her cause yes, she was hot, whether she believed it or not.
Sunset checked her phone for any messages and saw that her notifications were clear. It seemed like everyone wanted some downtime and honestly, she couldn’t blame them. While that gave her an excuse to stay home all day, she still wanted to do something, even if she had to take the risk.
“Maybe I should go check out things at CHS,” she thought. The portal should still be working but it never hurt to check. Maybe she could take her bike out for a ride too. That always seemed to put her at ease too.
After she finished eating, she went to go take a shower and got dressed, wearing jeans and a t-shirt with her jacket on top. She grabbed her helmet and made sure to bring her mp3 player and headphones. “Just in case.”
She kept her headphones around her neck and put on her helmet once she got outside and started up her bike. The familiar growl of the engine always brought a smile to her face. “Look at me, a former student from a land of equines and I’ve practically become a grease monkey.” Not that she cared. She loved this bike and did everything she could to keep it in top shape. “They don’t teach you that at the university.”
She then got on, revving the engine mostly for pleasure and took off towards Canterlot High. It wasn’t a very long drive but she used it as an excuse to get the bike out and running at least once a week.
As expected, Canterlot High School was pretty much empty but since there was no front gate it gave Sunset access to where she needed to go. Considering what has happened, Principal Celestia probably decided to keep it that way. There were a few cars in the parking lot but Sunset assumed they were the custodial staff keeping the inside and outside of the school tidy.
As Sunset parked and went up to the front entrance, she saw that the horse which had been part of the statue and the school’s mascot was still gone. If she had to guess, maybe it would be back by this fall. As she went up to it and went around it, everything seemed normal. Anyone who happened to be nearby would probably be confused as to why a student was just walking around the campus but Sunset didn’t care. Whether she liked it or not, she was now a protector of this world.
She stuck her hand towards the statue and quickly saw that the portal was still in working order. She stood there for a moment as a random thought came to her. She could go through right now and she’d instantly be home. Where exactly she wasn’t quite sure considering there were two possibilities and if she appeared in the wrong one it would become rather awkward real quickly.
She could’ve written to Twilight real quick and she knew the princess would’ve been thrilled to have her come over. But she wasn’t sure if she was ready for all that. It had been almost three years since she had been in Equestria. And she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face Celestia. Knowing the princess, she wouldn’t be upset anymore so why was she so terrified? And why was she being so stubborn about all this?
“I’m being stupid,” she told herself. “Twilight can easily vouch for the things I’ve done since turning things around. But at the same time…I can’t forget the person I used to be.” She was never going back to that. Besides, with her current situation, if she went back now the whole experience would probably overwhelm her.
As she turned to walk away, she stopped in her tracks. She could hear them. It was muffled slightly but there was no doubt she was hearing them. She quickly looked around but there was no one in sight. What the hell was going on?
She turned around slowly towards the portal. It wasn’t possible. There couldn’t be anyone in there and besides, it was a gateway between worlds. She walked away towards her bike but still the buzzing was in her head.
“Alright fine, you want to be like that?” she asked. She put on her noise-canceling headphones, which muffled the voices even more but it was still present, like a gnat flying around her ear. “I can’t hear you if I got music blasting in my ear.” She needed something loud and she downloaded some songs that she figured people like Vinyl Scratch would listen to.
She started the track and turned the music up high, but not too high. She didn’t want to go deaf. Once the bass kicked in, Sunset quickly realized she wasn’t quite a fan of dubstep and somehow the voices were still trying to get to her. She couldn’t hear what they were saying exactly but now it was just noise. She growled loudly and ripped off her headphones. “CELESTIAFUCKINGDAMNIT!” She was thankful no one was nearby but it sure did echo across the campus. She sat down on the steps and put her head into her hands. It was times like these she just wanted to cry. But no crying yet. There was still hope yet.
She then looked up as an idea came to her. Twilight had her own lab equipment at her house and knowing her, she may have a solution for this. A possibly painful solution but right now she didn’t care.
Sunset took out her phone and tapped Twilight’s picture to call her. After a few rings, she finally picked up. “Sunset?” She sounded like she just got up.
“Um…hey…is this a bad time?” Sunset asked.
“Oh, no no I just woke up,” Twilight said. As if she sensed Sunset’s confusion she added, “I had a busy night last night.”
“Oh.” That wasn’t surprising. “Listen uh…I know this is kinda sudden but…are you busy today?”
“Hmm…no not right now. What’s up?”
“I think it’s better if I tell you in person. Is it alright if I come over?”
“Sure, I just need to get dressed and feed Spike. See you then.”
Sunset hung up and then got to her feet. If she had told anyone who was not in her inner circle about her situation, they would suggest two things: one, she needed to get to a hospital and two, she was probably going schizophrenic. “Bullshit” would have been her immediate answer.
She then got back on her bike and headed towards Twilight’s house which was on the other side of town. If anyone could help her, it would be her, she thought. Of course, she had no idea what she was getting herself into.
Sunset showed up at Twilight’s about ten minutes later. Since the driveway looked clear, she guessed Twilight’s parents were currently at work. She went up to the front door and rang the doorbell.
The door opened as Twilight peered outside. “Oh Sunset, you got here sooner than I expected.”
“You do realize I have a bike right?”
“Yes, and I still remember that one time you tried to take me out for a ‘joyride’ or whatever you call it.” Twilight smiled as she let Sunset in. “So…what’s going on? It’s nothing major I hope.”
“Well…no…at least I don’t think it is,” Sunset said as they went into the living room. “It’s kind of hard to explain.”
“Don’t worry, I am a great listener after all,” Twilight said as they both sat on the couch. “Just try to explain it as best you can.”
“Okay…so you’re aware of me being able to read minds and thoughts right?”
“That’s right…I’ve been getting better about clearing my thoughts when I’m around you.”
“…Why exactly?”
“Oh no reason!” Twilight said a little too quickly. “It’s just…you know…”
“Hey it’s not like I want to intrude on people’s personal thoughts,” Sunset said. “Anyway, that’s kind of the problem. I thought after time I would get used to it more but instead it’s getting worse. I’m hearing more thoughts than I used to and…well I kind of feel like I’m experiencing things that I normally don’t.”
“Go on…” Sunset glanced over and noticed Twilight was writing down notes in a tablet. Rolling her eyes slightly she continued.
“I’ve been having these dreams recently…but they’re totally bizarre. I mean, like Pinkie Pie level bizarre. And most of the time they’re different but there’s always one that happens and it’s kind of being burned into my skull now.”
“Hmm…well you did go into Pinkie’s head once,” Twilight noted.
“Yeah and it was…interesting.”
“Hmm…well I may not be a certified doctor or psychiatrist but I may be able to narrow this down slightly. You mind if I ask some personal questions?”
“Uh…”
“I just need to make sure if it’s really something that’s going on with your abilities or if its something else entirely.”
“Fine…fire away.”
“Okay…have you been having any mood swings lately?”
“Well I got kind of mad earlier and apparently made a new word of ‘Celestiafuckingdamnit’. I’m sure she’d get a kick out of that one…”
“Any feelings of pain or cramping?”
“I’m not on my damn period Twilight!”
“I-I know that, I was just checking!” Twilight cleared her throat and continued. “Any increase in sexual activity?”
“…Seriously?”
“I’m keeping this professional Sunset. Besides, usually when girls are feeling stressed out or anxious it has been said relieving oneself of sexual tension-”
“Are you seriously suggesting I have a need to get laid?”
Twilight was silent for a moment as she started blushing. “Well I wasn’t going to say sexual intercourse necessarily but considering you’re a growing adult and you’re trying to get back with Flash…”
“Dear Celestia.” Sunset facepalmed. “I should’ve known this was coming…”
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to embarrass you, it’s just-”
“I know, I know, it’s alright. Look, we’re not even official yet so if I just jump into ‘I wanna get fucked’-”
“I see your point,” Twilight quickly interrupted her.
“I mean I guess I could try masturbating but-”
“Okay next question!” Twilight was almost beet red now. “Um…this dream you were talking about…could you describe it?”
“Let me see…” Sunset closed her eyes in concentration. “I’m on a highway in an almost barren wasteland. I can feel the wind running through my hair as I’m gunning the engine on my bike. Then I look in the mirror and two more bikes show up and…that’s about all I can remember.” She opened her eyes. “It’s so bizarre that it doesn’t seem real. Then again, that’s how most of them are. There was one where I was fighting demons at Canterlot High, and another where people were playing this game on their phones and I had to threaten everyone with a gun to scare them all off the apartment property. I’m not sure what to make of them.”
“Hmm…well from the sound of things maybe it’s just random thoughts placed into some weird landscape,” Twilight said. “That’s kind of how dreams are. One other thing: if you take your necklace off does it dampen the effects?”
“I already tried that and no it doesn’t,” Sunset sighed. “Which makes me wonder if it’s just all in my head. You think I’m going schizophrenic?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Twilight suddenly sat up. “There’s no doubt this has to be magic related. I think I might have an idea but…”
“But?”
“Er…do you have a fear of electric shocks?”
“Well considering I’ve been electrocuted a couple of times and buried into a crater, I think I can handle it. Why?”
Twilight motioned for Sunset to follow her and they went downstairs into the basement. “In situations like these, doctors use what they call electroshock therapy as a way to…reset the brain I guess you could say. It’s possible that something in your brain is shooting off signals which are causing you to hear things but you’re really not.”
“Wait a minute, I thought you said it was magic-related?” Sunset asked as she looked around the large room. She couldn’t believe how much equipment was down here.
“I did but you have to remember this is a world not used to magic and as such, your body might be reacting different to it than someone like me or Rainbow Dash or any of the other girls.” Twilight went to her desktop and booted it up along with some of the other machines before putting on a lab coat.
“But I’m a unicorn from Equestria, I’ve always been used to magic,” Sunset argued.
“I think it was my other self that said magic behaves different in different environments. Maybe this is what she meant.”
If that was true, then the same could be said for the other girls. And if that was the case, then what would happen if they came to Equestria? “Alright, so what do you need me to do?”
“Take a seat here,” Twilight said, pointing to a large chair. After doing that, Twilight went over and stuck two electrodes to Sunset’s head, near her temples. “Alright, this is going to measure your brain activity and it’ll show any fluctuations in wavelengths going on inside your head. I’m going to run a quick test. I’ll…think of something and if you hear it, it should pick up on the monitor.”
It was quiet for a few moments and Sunset wasn’t sure if Twilight had zoned out but soon she heard something. “Well Sunset…I hope you can hear this…this is kinda weird since I tend to think out loud a lot and-”
“I hear you loud and clear.”
“Ah!” Twilight suddenly fell out of her seat. She got up quickly and brushed off her coat. “I’m sorry, but I really hate when you do that…”
“Sorry…”
“Well that definitely got a response. And this happens usually when you’re near people?”
“Yeah, but I was over at CHS earlier where the portal is and I heard voices…although it was like listening to the radio but you can’t quite get a signal.”
“That…that’s amazing! Somehow you can hear others on the other side!” Sunset hadn’t thought about that but it was a possibility.
“I suppose that may be the case…but I don’t want to hear them.”
“Alright…well you’re about to feel a little bit of a shock, but it’s like feeling a zap when your socks rub against the carpet, that kind of thing. I should also let you know this may or may not work and it’s just part of the-”
“Will you just do it already!?”
“Fine…I’ll start with thirty volts, that shouldn’t be too bad…just brace yourself okay?” Sunset took a deep breath and braced herself. Despite this, however, the electric shock still managed to catch her off guard and yelped in surprise. “Hmm…well there was a small change…are you alright?”
“I feel like you just shocked me,” Sunset said dryly.
“Hmm…maybe we need a bigger charge. Don’t worry, this is well below the safety line.” She turned a knob as the machine hummed a little higher. “Let’s try sixty volts.”
“Look I don’t know about-AH!” The shock caused her to splay her legs slightly.
“There we go, you had a better response that time. Maybe we should go-”
“You know, I think I’m good.” Sunset ripped off the electrodes attached to her and got up. “I appreciate the help Twilight but maybe science isn’t going to help me on this one.”
“Look Sunset, I know you’re upset but you just have to-”
“I have to get going.” Sunset then stormed upstairs. Twilight quickly followed her.
“Sunset, this isn’t going to fix itself right away, you need to give your brain some time to reset everything. Just get some sleep tonight and-”
“I’ll see you later.” Sunset then went out the door.
Twilight sighed as she sat on the couch. She could hear the sound of small feet tapping against the floor. “I’m guessing that it didn’t go so well?” Spike asked.
“Nope…” Twilight said glumly.
“I’m sure she’ll figure things out,” Spike said. “Just a word for the wise though, I wouldn’t introduce Timber to the lab until at least the third date.” Twilight just rolled her eyes in response.
Sunset was officially in a sour mood as she left Twilight’s. She wasn’t upset at Twilight; she was annoyed that she hadn’t found a solution and part of her knew that her condition couldn’t be solved with simple science. For now she would have to carry on.
While at a stop light, she noticed the pet shop Fluttershy worked part-time at was only a few blocks down. She knew the girl probably didn’t have a solution but right now she felt as if she needed someone to talk to and Fluttershy was a great listener. Once the light turned green, she made her way down the street and parked by the curb.
She opened the front door, hearing the familiar jingle that was familiar with all small-business shops. “One second!” a voice called out. Then Fluttershy came out from the back. “Oh Sunset! I certainly wasn’t expecting you here today. Are you looking for a pet to take home?” She seemed quite eager to sell Sunset something.
“Sorry, my landlord doesn’t allow pets,” Sunset replied as she looked around. For a place so small, it certainly had a large variety of animals, from lizards to parakeets to guinea pigs and to small kittens and puppies. “Not really sure I could accommodate one right now anyway.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Fluttershy said as her face fell. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“If you don’t mind, I just need someone to talk to…”
“Of course,” Fluttershy beamed. “I don’t really have much to do right now anyway.” She then sighed. “I’m kind of worried though…this place used to be full of people wanting to get pets and now we’re lucky to get at least ten people a day.”
“Business is that bad?” Sunset asked.
“Well, they opened up this big store downtown that sells mostly pet products but they occasionally have people from different kennels or shelters that bring in animals to adopt. Some of these poor critters have been here almost a year.” Fluttershy sighed again. “But that’s enough of me. Is everything alright on your end?”
“It’s…I don’t know,” Sunset shrugged. “I haven’t really told anyone this but…I’m kind of having an issue with my abilities.”
“Oh dear. Have you tried talking to Twilight?”
“I just came from there…didn’t go very well.”
“Oh…actually I meant the other Twilight.”
“Oh…Well I guess I could ask her,” Sunset said. “It’s just…she works better with these kinds of things in her world and if I go there then…”
“You’re afraid to go back?” Sunset was pretty sure Fluttershy wasn’t trying to be so blunt.
“No it’s not that it’s just…Equestria is a different environment of sorts. I mean, I have magic here but in this world it’s kind of a foreign thing. There, well, it’s not. My point is I’m not sure what would happen.”
“I see…Um…is it alright if I ask what exactly is going on?” Sunset spent the next few minutes going into detail about what has been going on. “Hmm…that certainly doesn’t sound good. So you’re hearing people’s thoughts automatically and having these strange dreams?”
“Yep.”
“And this started happening after Camp Everfree…and more so after going inside Pinkie’s head. Have you tried talking to her?”
“You know…no offense to her but I think I’m going to stay away from her on that one for now.”
“Hmm…well I don’t think there’s much I can do but…”
“But?”
“Well…I have a friend who might be able to help her. Treehugger knows about channeling your inner self and…honestly she explains it better than I do. But she might be able to determine the issue you’re having.”
“Treehugger…”
“Um…yes…”
“Great…it had to be a hippie,” Sunset thought. But she had to be appreciative that Fluttershy was pointing her in some direction. “Well, I guess it can’t hurt to try. Where can I find her?”
“She’s not too far from here but I can take you there myself since I have a lunch break in about forty-five minutes.”
Sunset spent that amount of time looking around the shop and saying hello to all the different animals. She didn’t feel good about coming in without paying for something so while Fluttershy wasn’t looking, she put a couple bills into the tip jar. Fluttershy then got her bag and the two of them left after Fluttershy made sure to put up a sign saying she would be back in half an hour.
As it turned out, Treehugger turned out to have a store, which Sunset quickly recognized as a pot shop. “Your friend has a pot business?”
“Yes…” Fluttershy looked slightly uncomfortable. “But she says it helps um… ‘alleviate the mind’ or something like that. She does meditation and stuff like that too but I can say it really does work.” Well, if Fluttershy could vouch for her then it was worth a shot.
The two of them went inside and Sunset was surprised how well-kept the place was. It almost reminded her of a bakery, partly because there actually were pot brownies for sale. A girl with orange dreadlocks was standing at the register and upon seeing the two smiled. “Fluttershy…what up!?”
“Hi Treehugger,” Fluttershy said as the girl came around the corner and the two shared a hug. “I hope you’re not busy at the moment.”
“Nah, this is the slow period of the day. So…you finally changed your mind on trying some brownies?”
“Um…no that’s not why I’m here,” Fluttershy said hesitantly. “My friend here has a…issue and I think your expertise can help her.”
“Sure, sure…” Treehugger replied. “Let’s go talk in the back.” The two girls followed her into the back. The sudden familiar smell that hit Sunset’s nostrils told her that Treehugger used this room on her downtime. There weren’t any chairs but instead small mats which Treehugger took a seat on. She motioned for them to sit. “So…what can I help you with?”
“Well…it’s kind of hard to explain,” Sunset said. She actually wasn’t sure how to explain it. Telling her issue to Fluttershy was one thing, but if she did say it, even this girl would think she’s crazy. Probably. “I’ve been…having these weird dreams lately, dreams I can’t even begin to understand. And…I don’t like to admit it but…I can hear people’s thoughts.”
“Hmm…” Treehugger closed her eyes. “Yeah man…your aura is definitely…off. Something has disrupted your balance.”
“My aura?”
“Yeah, it’s something that defines you,” Treehugger said. “Like, Fluttershy’s is a yellow aura and I sense a large amount of kindness coming from her soul. Yours is more of an orange like the sun. But at the same time you kind of feel like you’re at a crossroads.”
“Wow.” Sunset was certainly impressed.
“I told you she was good,” Fluttershy smiled.
“So…you know what’s wrong?” Sunset asked.
Treehugger got up and went over to her, kneeling in front of her, almost a little too close, and she held her hands out close to Sunset’s face and body but not touching her directly. “Yeah girl, your chakras are off. The energy that’s flowing within you is going in reverse. That’s not good.”
“So what can I do?”
“You do meditation?”
“I…tried it once but I’m not one who likes to sit still for a long period of time.”
“Huh…well I’m not sure if this would solve the issue but…maybe those dreams are connected to something. Do they all play out towards the end?”
“No I usually wake up before its over.”
“Hmm…I might have a solution.” Treehugger got up and went over to her desk, opening a drawer and taking out a small box. “I save these for my most stressful days so maybe they’ll work for you.”
“You don’t seem like the type that stresses out,” Fluttershy commented. “And I don’t think those are legal Treehugger.”
“It’s cool, this will be our little secret,” Treehugger smiled. “This will put your mind at ease…and possibly put you to sleep. But it should allow you to focus on those dreams and finally reach the conclusion.”
Sunset wasn’t too keen on this idea but what other options did she have? “Alright…I’ll give it a try. Besides, how bad could it possibly be?”
“Um…I think I’ll just wait outside and let you two…do your thing,” Fluttershy said as she got up and left the room.
Sunset hesitantly took the joint as Treehugger offered her a light. “Just to make sure…this doesn’t have any side effects right?”
“Of course not.” Treehugger grinned slightly. “You can’t always believe what the naysayers say.”
That was a fair point. Sunset lit the joint and sucked on the tip, inhaling slightly before blowing off the smoke. “Damn…that’s more intense than I thought.”
Treehugger looked at the box and suddenly her smile vanished. “Uh oh…”
“What?”
“I uh…may have accidentally picked out the wrong box.”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s not regular pot. It’s pot laced with LSD.”
“What…? Oh you have got to be-!” And suddenly everything went techno-color.
Sunset was driving on a highway in the middle of a barren desert. The clouds were a dark purple and the wind blowing through her hair was almost a welcoming feel. Her bike was easily going over a hundred and as she saw through her sunglasses, she was the only one on the road.
That quickly changed as she looked in the mirror and saw two lights coming up behind her fast. She kept one hand on the throttle and the other went to her waist belt. Soon the two bikes caught up to her and Sunset saw that the drivers weren’t human but machines.
The two ran up beside her and raised their blasters but Sunset was ready. She braced herself and jumped out of her seat before the two fired on her, missing completely. While in the air, Sunset drew the two pistols she had and fired, the laser bolts shooting down on the two bikes, causing them to explode into shrapnel and broken pieces. Sunset managed to land gracefully, if a bit hard. She quickly got back on her bike and continued forward to where she would find her captive friends.
Meanwhile, Twilight and her friends were trapped in a large crystal globe in a large post-apocalyptic castle, one that they couldn’t get out of, even if they used their powers. “You won’t get away with this King Cottontail!” Twilight yelled.
Sitting in his throne, the large rabbit who looked a lot like Angel laughed evilly. “Oh but I already have dear Elements of Harmony! My robot army has already defeated most of mankind and you, the last hope of this world, will get to see the end personally on my behalf!”
“You forgot one thing though,” Rainbow said with a grin. “You forgot someone in particular…”
The rabbit looked at them and realized his mistake. “No…you don’t mean-!”
Suddenly the wall in front of them crashed down and there stood Sunset Shimmer. “You’re going to pay for kidnapping my friends carrot breath!”
“Even if I did forget about you, you’re powerless without the help of your friends!” Cottontail cackled. “So any resistance you give is futile!”
“I don’t think so,” Sunset said. “My friends may be locked up, but there’s one thing you don’t know about me…my true identity!”
She raised her right arm up as a red aura surrounded her. She was lifted into the air as a phoenix shape surrounded her. The phoenix gave a piercing cry as the clothing on Sunset changed to a red armor that covered her entire body and a helm that had phoenix wings on the sides.
Everyone gasped. “Phoenix Rider!?”
“That’s right,” Sunset said as wings opened up behind her and she floated into the air. “You and your sick twisted world will finally come to an end! The flames of judgment will destroy you and rebirth this world anew!”
“Noooo!” Suddenly the entire castle exploded.
“Treehugger what did you do!?” Fluttershy could only stare as Sunset was slouched on the ground mumbling to herself and making weird gestures while she had her eyes closed and was drooling.
“I think it worked,” Treehugger said, much to her surprise. “Don’t worry…she’ll come out of it eventually. But she’s probably have some strong cravings afterwards.”
Fluttershy sighed as she facepalmed. “Well that’s great…”
“…You know, those joints don’t come cheap…ya know?”
Fluttershy gave her a slight glare as she dug a twenty out of her purse and gave it to her. “She’s going to hate me for this…”
In Which Sunset Learns Drugs Are Always a Bad Idea
It was the middle of the day on a single barren highway, the sun was hot and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of an engine belonging to a car that was speeding along said highway at a frantic pace. This car happened to be an old black 1978 Dodge Challenger, which would've been in pristine condition except for the bullet holes on the side and smoke coming out from under the hood.
Starlight Glimmer wasn't concerned about that at the moment as her hands gripped the wheel tightly. Things went to hell quickly and she got the hell out of Dodge, Dodge Junction to be precise. It was complicated how she got involved with bad people but those were the people currently after her.
She glanced at her fuel gauge. Half full. She wasn't sure if her fuel tank got ruptured but eventually she would have to stop somewhere. The question was, was someone going to be waiting for her?
Meanwhile, up ahead, an appropriately red Camaro of a similar year was sitting off the road, it's engine idling quietly. The driver was wearing a leather jacket with an orange skirt and matching boots. Through the sunglasses she was wearing, she stared out into the barren desert, the heat slowly starting to get to her.
Soon she heard the unmistakable sound of an engine going full speed as a black Challenger zipped by her. It didn't take long for Sunset Shimmer to put two and two together as she slammed on the gas and the Camaro took off in pursuit. With the wind blowing in her hair, Sunset grinned slightly. This was going to be fun.
As soon as Starlight saw the other car approaching quickly, she knew she was in trouble. There was no other way to go except forward and the only thing she had for protection was the very same thing she was driving.
It wasn't long before Sunset started to pass her and as the two cars drove parallel to one another, the two of them shared a glance. Starlight couldn't easily tell since the girl was wearing sunglasses, but the smile on Sunset's face told her she thought this was amusing. That smile didn't fade as Sunset drew a .45 from her waist and pointed the gun towards her without any hesitation.
Starlight managed to duck in time as the window on her side shattered. She managed to keep her hands on the wheel but the car still managed to swerve as she fought to stay on the road. She had her foot all the way down on the pedal but the car wouldn't go any faster.
Another bullet shattered the windshield completely, showering her with glass. Starlight knew it may not be much, but she had one last card up her sleeve. She hit a button on her transmission and the engine roared loudly as the car suddenly shot away from the pursuing Camaro.
Sunset was enjoying this little game more and more as she hit the turbo on her stick as well. The engine screamed as the red car zoomed down the road. Her bumper ran into the Challenger’s rear bumper, causing the car to again swerve on the road.
Meanwhile, Officer Spitfire was sitting on the hood of her cruiser on the edge the road, staring boredly into the distance as she had nothing but the radio playing to keep her occupied. However, even with the music playing, her ears quickly picked up the unmistakable sound of an engine roaring, two of them in fact. She looked behind her and saw two cars, both very impressive and going way over the speed limit. However, it hardly looked like a joyride between the two.
Spitfire then took off her shades and jumped off the hood, closing her door and starting up the engine. She quickly turned on her sirens and shifted to drive as the car sped off in pursuit. Sure,it was a Crown Vic but it could keep up with a Challenger and Camaro.
Sunset grimaced as she saw the cruiser approach from behind. Of all times, why now? She didn't feel good about what she was about to do but priorities came first. She put the car on cruise control and reached out of the window, drawing her gun and firing on the cruiser, shattering one of the lights and sirens.
Spitfire cursed loudly as she moved back and forth on the road, trying to out maneuver the woman that was now shooting at her. She picked up her radio and tried to call for backup but unfortunately, a bullet managed to hit her in the shoulder and the kneejerk reaction caused her to lose control of the vehicle as it went off road and crashed into a group of boulders.
The door opened abruptly as Spitfire fell out, leaving a trail of blood behind from her shoulder and cuts along her body. She staggered to get up but the pain in her chest kept her down as she crawled to higher ground. However, something appeared behind her, following her slowly in black clothing looking like Death itself. Once she saw it, she attempted to pull out her gun but it was too late as the figure swallowed her in darkness.
Starlight could only watch in horror as the cruiser was taken out and her one chance of getting out of this alive was squandered. She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping some miracle would come but she was quickly disappointed. She opened her eyes with new determination. If she was going to go, she would go on her terms, not someone else's.
She kept going straight, even as a sign warned her that a turn was coming up. She gunned the motor one last time and as she saw the railing approach she braced herself. The Challenger crashed through the railing and quickly dropped down the cliff. Upon hitting the ground, the car exploded into flame.
The Camaro screeched to a halt near the crash site and Sunset got out, walking towards the edge. She looked down towards the flames for a moment and then turned around and leaned against the railing as she shook her head slightly.
Starlight suddenly woke up in a cold sweat as she looked around her bed. Holding her head slightly, she looked at what time it was and saw it was after three in the morning. “Next time I think I'll think twice before getting hammered with Trixie,” she groaned.
Sunset and Fluttershy were currently at Sunset's apartment eating takeout from Kahuna Burger that Fluttershy picked up on the way before taking Sunset home. Despite being hungry, Sunset had one hell of a headache and aside from her “dreams”, she didn't remember much.
“I can't believe I went ahead and did that,” Sunset groaned. “I didn't do anything crazy did I?”
Fluttershy stopped eating her veggie burger and gave Sunset a look. “Do you really want to know?”
“Judging by the tone of your voice it wasn't anything good but...I might as well.”
Fluttershy sighed. “Well, I managed to get you back to my van and I was about to take you home but I decided you probably would be hungry after you...sobered up.”
Already Sunset felt terrible. “Fluttershy I-”
“Oh no, I'm not done yet.” Sunset stayed quiet. “Once we got to Kahuna Burger, you weren't rambling like a lunatic anymore but you were... definitely not quite there still and…”
“Hey...Hey Fluttershy.”
“Oh good, you're okay,” Fluttershy said with a sigh of relief.
“Wanna hear an awesome song?”
“Uh...sure?”
Sunset had snatched Fluttershy's phone, which was connected to her van's stereo and went on YouTube to find the song. Unfortunately, the song Fluttershy heard was so crude she thought she was going to die, especially since it played throughout the car and they happened to be in the drive-thru. Of course, it didn't help that Sunset was dancing along with the song rather...provocatively.
“Dear Celestia, I did that!?” Sunset looked like she was going to puke.
“Yep.”
“Fluttershy...I really am sorry.”
“I know...The whole thing was my idea so I can't be upset. But I'm going to be getting some weird looks for awhile.”
“Oh good...Of course people saw.”
“If I may ask...What exactly happened?”
“Honestly I have no idea.”
“So are you feeling better?”
“I dunno, I just heard you say you were tempted to strangle me.”
“...Well maybe that's progress?” Fluttershy then got up and picked up her trash. “I have to get back now though, I'm already late as is. Will you be okay?”
“I think so. Thanks Flutters.” As Fluttershy went to the door, Sunset called out to her. “Hey...You know, I owe you a favor okay? To make things even between us?”
Fluttershy paused for a moment in thought. She then turned around and smiled. “Alright, but don't be surprised if it's a big one.”
Sunset chuckled and grimaced as she held her head. “I was kind of expecting it.”
Fluttershy waved to her and opened the door. Once she closed it and walked a few steps to make sure she was a fair distance away, a thought came to her.
About an hour later, Sunset finally recovered from her headache and intense case of the munchies but she wasn’t ready to call it a day just yet. So far Twilight and Fluttershy hadn’t been able to find a solution. That left possibly four other options.
Rainbow probably wouldn’t have anything useful to tell her and instead she’d ask if she was up for playing Splatoon or something. Applejack would probably suggest that a few hours of exercise (meaning working on the farm) would do the trick. Pinkie…she didn’t want to go there. The last thing she wanted to do was tell Pinkie that she was going “loco in the coco” or however she said it. If anything, Pinkie would encourage to just “let it flow.”
That just left Rarity. Well, if anyone knew what it was like to be stressed out, it’d be Rarity. More than that, she was a good listener and maybe she would actually have good advice (aside from going shopping or trying out dresses). Sunset pulled out her phone and called Rarity.
Once she picked up, Sunset quickly explained her situation. “Oh darling, you couldn’t have called at a better time!” Rarity exclaimed. “I was about to head to the spa for my weekly visit and I was going to pick up Applejack but unfortunately she couldn’t come…again. But I think a few hours at the spa are just what you need!”
Well, she certainly hadn’t been to a spa in awhile, not since living in Canterlot. “You sure?”
“Sunset, have I ever been wrong? I promise, you’ll leave feeling like a new woman! I know I do every time I go there.”
“Well…alright. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
“Splendid! See you then!”
Sunset almost forgot she had left her bike near the pet store. She made a note to herself to pick it up later on. About ten minutes later, Rarity pulled up outside her apartment. Never actually seen Rarity drive before, Sunset was surprised she was driving one of those hybrid cars. “It’s gotta be one of her parent’s cars.”
“Goodness dear, maybe it’s a good thing you called after all,” Rarity said as Sunset got in. “You don’t look so good.”
“It’s…been kind of a crazy day so far.” Sunset reluctantly decided to fill Rarity in on the details on the drive over.
“Oh dear…well Sunset, I won’t lecture you on my opinion of drugs,” Rarity sniffed slightly. “But I suppose you had good intentions.”
“Hey, I didn’t ask for LSD.”
“Is it just like they say it is?”
“It’s…something alright.”
The car soon pulled up to a large facility that had a few fountains on the outside. “You’ll have to remind me to get you a membership,” Rarity said as they got out. “They give you a ten percent discount each visit you know.”
They went inside and Sunset was suddenly hit with the smell of lavender and rosemary. The inside was even more impressive as there were also a few fountains along the two floors. “This place looks expensive,” Sunset said.
“Well like I said darling, a membership is a good thing to have.”
There were two women near the front desk and upon seeing Rarity their eyes lit up and both approached. “Ah Miss Rarity, it’s so good to see you again!” one of the girls said with a slight accent as the three girls all pecked each other on the cheek.
“Miss Applejack couldn’t make it I assume?” the other girl asked who had a similar accent.
“I’m afraid not,” Rarity sighed. “But I still managed to bring a friend. Sunset, this is Aloe and Lotus, the owners of this fine establishment. Aloe, Lotus, this is Sunset. We’ll both have the usual.”
“Of course,” Aloe said. “I’m assuming Miss Sunset would be interested in a membership?”
“Uh…I’ll have to sleep on it,” Sunset said with a hesitant smile.
“No worries, since this is your first time we offer a discount.”
“Don’t worry Sunset, I’ll take care of this,” Rarity said as she pulled out a credit card. “It’s my treat after all.”
“Wonderful. Lotus will escort you both to the steam room.” The two girls were given robes and towels before they were taken to the steam room. Once inside, Lotus went outside for a moment to let the two girls undress in private.
“So…what’s ‘the usual’?” Sunset asked.
“Only the best deal here,” Rarity said, who seemed more than happy to explain. “First we start off with a nice thirty minute steam bath which will help soften our skin. Then Aloe and Lotus will personally give us a fifteen minute massage and I will say this now, they have the touch of angels, and then-”
“Wait a minute.” Sunset couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it before. “You mean, we’ll be undressed when they give us a massage?”
“Yes? Surely you knew that Sunset.”
“No I mean…” Sunset sighed as she put on her robe. “You remember what happens when I get in contact with someone?”
Rarity blinked for a few moments before catching on. “Oh…well certainly you should have that part under control yes?”
“Honestly, I’m not so sure…I guess if I try to block it then maybe I’ll be okay.”
“No need to be nervous Sunset, I suppose you’re not quite used to getting touched so intimately with your…other body. But I should warn you Aloe and Lotus can get rather…intimate with their clients.”
“What?”
Lotus then came back into the room with some water which she poured onto the hot rocks in the middle of the room. “There you go ladies. Enjoy yourselves!”
After she left, Sunset looked back at Rarity. “What did you mean by that?”
“Oh it’s nothing really,” Rarity waved it off as she sat down on the bench. “I’m just saying those girls have the magic touch and…well…obviously no one else touches me in such a way.”
Sunset suddenly had a number of visions in her head, none of them appropriate. “Well…I guess…uh…”
Rarity suddenly started giggling. “Oh darling I was joking! Honestly, you think they have sex with their clients? Well…there’s always been a rumor that you have to say a certain word for them to-”
“Rarity.”
“I’m kidding! Come now, sit down and relax! Everything will be fine!”
Sunset finally sat down and after a few minutes as the steam filled the room, she couldn’t help noticing she did feel slightly more at ease. “Huh…this is how my bathroom ends up after a shower but I never feel this good afterwards.”
Rarity smiled. “See? It’s worth every dollar.”
“And you do this every week?”
“Of course! I do try to invite someone to come with me, but usually its Fluttershy because it seems she’s the only one available these days. And Rainbow Dash apparently wouldn’t come anywhere near here with a stick.”
“Yeah…I can see that actually.”
About a half hour later, the two then moved to another room where a pair of massage tables awaited them, as well as Aloe and Lotus. “Oh girls,” Rarity spoke up. “I hope you can understand but Sunset…well this is her first time and all so she might be a little…sensitive to the touch.” Sunset rolled her eyes. Again, that wasn’t true but she decided to let it go since Rarity was trying to help her out.
“Ah, we understand,” Aloe said. “Do not worry Miss Sunset, everyone’s a little nervous the first time but I promise you’ll find yourself relaxed soon enough.”
“Um…if you say so,” Sunset replied as the two of them sat down on the tables. Perhaps it was because here nudity was seen as a taboo that she felt a little more…exposed when she undressed in public. That had never been a problem in Canterlot and the spa mares there went everywhere.
It wasn’t long before she felt contact on her back and Sunset braced herself mentally. However, nothing happened, much to her surprise. “Uh…Rarity?”
“Yes darling?”
“…Nothing’s happening.”
“Oh…” Rarity looked up slightly. “Well good! Maybe this is what you needed after all!”
Maybe she was right. Lotus’ hands definitely were like magic and her body almost felt like it was going to melt. It almost reminded her of-
“Soft feathered wing on my back…” Sunset shook her head slightly. No, she couldn’t bring that up now. That would only get her emotional. “Lotus…how do you and your sister do it?”
Lotus chuckled. “It takes much practice dear. I’m willing to brag that our competition doesn’t have the expertise we have.”
Rarity groaned slightly in pleasure. “That’s for sure…no wonder people are so stiff-necked in Manehattan.”
The whole ordeal went on for fifteen minutes, although to Sunset it felt much longer and while she wasn’t going to admit it out loud, she didn’t want it to end. She wasn’t used to being touched in certain places and there were a couple times where her body jumped involuntarily but apparently the two siblings were used to this. Afterwards, the two of them felt very much relaxed and were now sitting together in a mud bath.
“Thank you Rarity,” Sunset said. “I really did need this after all.”
“You’re most welcome,” Rarity beamed. “I really do hope it helped. But perhaps whether it does or doesn’t we could try to make this a weekly thing.”
“I have no objections,” Sunset smiled. “But uh…what’s this part for again?”
“The mud bath is supposed to be very good for your skin,” Rarity said. “How else do I keep my skin so flawless~?”
Sunset chuckled. “Fair point. I still feel kind of bad for Fluttershy though. I need to make it up to her somehow.”
“Well…you didn’t hear this from me but I know she loves the shampoo they sell here,” Rarity said, giving her a wink. “Mane n’ Tail in fact. It’s actually kind of funny because it used to be a shampoo for horses but people started using it themselves and it became a big brand.”
“Is that right?” Sunset grinned. She’d have to buy a bottle herself then.
“Oh yes. But Fluttershy loves that brand and I’m sure that would make her feel better.”
“Sounds like a plan then. So uh…do we have to shower after this?”
“But of course! You don’t think we’d go around covered in mud do you?” Rarity looked surprised.
“Right…stupid question.”
After they got out and showered down, the two of them got dressed again and were about to leave the building when-
“Rainbow Dash?” Rarity stared.
The prism-haired girl was currently in a bathrobe and suddenly turned around, staring at the two girls. “Aw shit…” she cursed. “Uh…it’s not what it looks like!”
“…Then what does it look like?” Sunset asked.
“I…uh…” Rainbow’s face slumped. “Alright, you got me.”
“Darling, why didn’t you tell me you’ve been coming here?” Rarity asked. “I would’ve been more than happy to invite you!”
“I dunno…” Rainbow said simply. “I…guess I had a reputation to keep up.”
“That you hate going to spas?” Sunset asked.
“No, that I…look you’re not going to tell everyone about this are you?”
Sunset and Rarity glanced at one another. “We won’t if you don’t want us to,” Sunset said.
“I suppose we can keep this little secret between the three of us,” Rarity grinned.
Rainbow sighed in relief. “Thank God-”
“However, you’ll have to agree to come with one of us from now on,” Rarity continued. “No more coming here on your own.”
“Fine,” Rainbow sighed loudly. “Anyway, I’m surprised to see you here Sunset. Did Rarity guilt-trip you into this?”
“No…it’s kind of a long story.” Sunset then gave the short version of what had been going on.
“Yikes, that is concerning,” Rainbow said. “That’s like me running the mile and suddenly I run around so fast I cause a fire.”
“…Something like that, yeah,” Sunset replied.
“Well, Sunset hasn’t had any problems since she’s been here,” Rarity pointed out. “It would seem stress is the big contributor.”
“Maybe,” Rainbow said. “But you know Sunset…did you ever think perhaps you haven’t quite…accepted it yet?”
“But I have.”
“No, I mean like truly accept it,” Rainbow said. “Like Charles Xavier for example. He couldn’t quite control his powers and the whole thing terrified him, but it was mostly because he couldn’t accept who he was and it was only when he did that his powers stopped going on overdrive.”
Sunset blinked for a couple moments. “Rainbow that’s…actually good advice. Thanks.”
“Heh, I come through when needed.”
“I mean, maybe everything else I’ve experienced was just a side effect of my powers running rampant,” Sunset continued. “Instead of fighting it, I just need it to flow through like a river or something and-aaahhh…”
She suddenly cut off because everything behind the two girls suddenly changed. Gone were the ambient colors of the building and now there was only gray and black. The water of the fountain had now turned to blood.
“Sunset, are you alright?” Rarity said, obviously oblivious to all that was occurring.
“Yeah…um…just feel a little woozy,” Sunset said. “Probably from earlier today. I think I’ll head home and just call it a night.” She then turned around and left the building.
“But darling that’s quite a long walk I can-” Rarity suddenly stopped as the door closed.
“What…just happened?” Rainbow asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Rarity said. “I guess I was wrong to assume she’d feel better right on the whim.”
“Should we get a hold of the other girls?” Rainbow asked.
Rarity sighed. “No, not yet at least. Maybe she is just tired from today. Let’s let her rest and hopefully she’ll let us know how she feels tomorrow.”
In Which Sunset Starts Losing Her Grip on Reality and Decides to Get F*cked Up
It was only the briefest of moments, and then everything returned to normal, but Sunset couldn’t forget what she saw. Just when she thought things were getting better, now she was starting to lose grip on reality itself. It was a long walk back to her apartment but the distance didn’t matter to her at the moment.
“Why is this happening?” Sunset asked herself as she passed by people on the street. She didn’t to need their voices to know they were slightly concerned since they happened to be staring at her. “At this rate, the only help I’m going to get is in an insane asylum.” “Oh poor, poor Sunset, is our little girl finally showing cracks in her psyche?” Sunset froze in her tracks. She recognized that voice immediately because it was a slight variation of hers.
“You can ignore me all you want, but I know you can hear me,” the voice said. “It’s been a long time Sunset…we haven’t had the opportunity to catch up have we?”
“You’re not real…” Sunset gritted her teeth as she walked slowly, trying to keep her mind distracted. “You’re just some figment of my imagination. Twilight and the others took care of you already.”
“Hmm…funny how you say that considering this world’s Twilight thought the same thing. Come on, you’re not really going to give me the cold shoulder are you?” Sunset said nothing as she continued to walk. Regardless whether she was real or not, there was no point in engaging her. “Okay, what if I told you I knew a way to fix your current dilemma?”
Sunset laughed bitterly. “Seriously? Like I’m going to take advice from you? For all I know, you’re the reason this is happening.”
“Oh don’t be so naïve Sunset, we both know what’s causing this…” Sunset sighed slightly as the low chorus of voices started to turn up again.
“You want me to go through that damn portal, fine,” she spat. “If it gets rid of you I’m quite fine with that.”
“Ooh such bitterness, I love it. Sure, go see Celestia if you need to so bad…but if you’re having trouble with your magic…goodness I’d hate to think what could happen in Equestria? What if your magic goes off and something terrible happens…oh Celestia would not be happy about that.”
Sunset clenched her fists slightly. “I’m not going to let you win. If you think I’m just going to cave in and let you back into my heart, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“Oh Sunset, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when…”
Finally, it seemed as if the voice was gone, leaving Sunset in peace, although her mind was anything but peaceful at the moment. She had to find a way to fix this, now.
Once Sunset got home, she immediately flopped onto her couch, tired from all the walking. She looked at her phone and saw it was only after five. It had been a long day, one that Sunset didn’t want to repeat. Well, except for the spa part, that was actually nice.
Sunset wasn’t sure what to do with herself now, especially since apparently her mind was deteriorating. “Well, there’s only one solution for that,” she thought as she got up and went into her kitchen, pulling out a large bottle of whisky that she totally did not buy with a fake ID.
She was going to pull out a bottle of coke but decided against it. “If I get shit-faced, that’s future Sunset’s problem.” She then grabbed the remote to her sound system and turned it on, the music suddenly filling the entire apartment. It wasn’t too late so her neighbors didn’t have an excuse to bang on the walls just yet.
She grabbed a shot glass from the cabinet and she couldn’t help but smile for a moment. How often does one get high and drunk in the same day? Of course, how often does one start seeing blood leaking out of a fountain? At least when she’s drunk she’s less likely to have nightmares. Hopefully that’ll be the case.
She filled up her glass and quickly took the shot, the familiar burn of liquor going down her throat. The last time she decided to drink was right after the Fall Formal, loss and humiliation heavy on her mind. “Well, I couldn’t go anywhere but up from there so maybe this will be the same case,” she thought as she took another shot. Perhaps getting fucked up would work against her plan in the morning to figure out a plan but right now she couldn’t give a lesser fuck.
After taking two more shots, the burning in her throat was becoming a bit much and it was only then that she decided to switch to coke and whisky. The quick number of shots was already getting her tipsy and she found a seat on her couch.
Her mind was starting to wonder, which was to be expected. However, her thoughts were traveling back long ago when she had hooves instead of feet. “Dear Faust I was such a bitch…” she thought, causing herself to giggle even though there was nothing humorous about it. The way she treated her peers, the way she treated Celestia was just unforgivable.
“Well you fucked up Sunset,” she thought. “Could’ve had yourself some wings but you had to rush it. Good job there.”
She then took another sip of her drink and got up, walking towards the bathroom. She glanced in the mirror and it was only then that she saw how the past couple of weeks were treating her. The shadows under her eyes were noticeable to a degree and her eyes definitely looked bloodshot, although maybe that was the alcohol.
Her face had a look of fear on it, but slowly her mouth twisted to a nasty grin as her eyes glowed a faint yellow. Sunset’s hands shook, the drink in her glass spilling slightly over the edge. Gritting her teeth, she suddenly flung the glass at the mirror, causing both to shatter into large and small shards.
Sunset put her hands to her face as sobs started to erupt out of her, causing her body to shake violently. She had tried so hard to keep it together but fear was slowly starting to get her. She looked up, blinking the tears away as she saw blood on her face and hands. Apparently she had cut herself from the glass, but it didn’t matter to her as she could only stare back at the haunting face in horror.
In Which Sunset Caves and Decides to See the Pink One
The next morning, Sunset was expecting the pain but it hit much harder than she had expected. She was lying sprawled on her bed and much to her surprise everything was still intact. She got up slowly, not wanting to end up puking on her sheets. She didn’t smell any vomit which again she took as a victory.
Unfortunately, the bathroom wasn’t as fortunate as she peeked inside. There was still glass on the floor and Sunset couldn’t believe she hadn’t cut her feet. She got a broom and dustpan and picked everything up.
She also found out that some of the whiskey from yesterday managed to survive. Sunset couldn’t even remember how many shots and drinks she had but her aching forehead told her it was more than plenty. Despite the terrible hangover, she was hungry and fixed herself one of those breakfast bowls in the freezer.
While she waited, she checked her phone and saw that Rarity had texted her about an hour ago, making sure everything was okay. Sunset quickly texted her back, reassuring her everything was fine. She then went to the living room and turned on her PS4.
She decided to play some Titanfall for a little bit. She wasn’t surprised to see Rainbow AKA AlwaysisAwesome online and joined whichever lobby she was in. She put on her headset and it wasn’t long before Rainbow pinged her.
“Hey, you’re up early,” Rainbow said in her earpiece.
“Apparently I slept pretty well,” Sunset replied as the match set up.
“Everything okay? Rarity was worried about you.”
“Yeah…just feeling a little light-headed,” Sunset replied. She glanced towards the bathroom. “I uh…had to get some stress relief.”
“That’s cool. Don’t worry, every once in awhile ya gotta rub the pearl, if you catch my drift. But aren’t you and Flash together again now? You could just…you know…”
Sunset blinked for a moment and felt herself blushing. “Okay first of all, no I wasn’t masturbating and second, we’re not together…at least not yet.”
“You guys can still fuck though.”
“Rainbow-”
“Don’t worry, this is set on private,” Rainbow said as the match begun. “Look, in all seriousness, are you still having issues?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I know I’m not a great giver of advice but…why don’t you talk to Pinkie? I mean, I don’t understand her-”
“No one understands her,” Sunset said as she got a kill.
“Well…yeah but maybe she can help. What else do you have to lose?”
“Whatever’s left of my sanity?” Sunset felt like replying. “I guess…I’ll call her later on then. Say, have you heard from Fluttershy at all?”
“No, why?”
“It was…kind of crazy yesterday for her and I’m kind of reluctant to call her.”
“Oh boy, what did she do?”
“I’m sure she’d be more than happy to tell you.”
“If you say so. Anyway, sorry I can’t be much more help with- son of a bitch!”
“What?”
“Someone keeps killing me and its super annoying! Who the hell is 9_6MuffinGurl?”
“Did you say muffin?” Sunset asked.
“Yeah that-wait…hold on, I’m going live here. Derpy is that you!?”
“Ahehehe…” The screen indicated that the voice was coming from 9_6MuffinGurl’s mic. “Hey Rainbow.”
“You son of a bitch! When did you get Titanfall 2!? No wait, when did your parents get you a PS4?” Rainbow practically yelled through her mic.
“Oh I’ve had a PS4 for awhile but I don’t really play first-person shooters that much.”
“…You don’t say,” Sunset deadpanned.
“Yeah, oh wait is that Sunset? Sorry I just killed you,” Derpy giggled.
“You know what…that’s totally fine.”
After about an hour, Sunset finally signed off and went for her phone. She looked at Pinkie’s number and for whatever reason she had a feeling as if the one would suddenly start ringing. She tapped her number quickly as her phone called her.
Pinkie’s phone didn’t fully ring the first time before she replied. “Hey Sunset, I was wondering when you were going to call me!”
“Huh?”
“You know…about the ‘you know what’?” she whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” Sunset asked.
“Dramatic effect. That and comedic relief that this fic seriously needs right now. Hi viewers!”
“Wow…you’re just knocking on that wall like its 1989.”
Pinkie suddenly burst out laughing and apparently dropped her phone. “1989! That’s a good one Sunset! Oh, I got to write that one down!”
“Seriously Pinkie, since we’re both on the same wavelength, I have to fix this.”
“Why would you wanna do that?” Pinkie asked. “Isn’t it the greatest?”
“No it’s not and I rather have my powers under control.”
“Okay, okay, I think I might be able to help. Do you think you can come around say…eleven?”
“Alright, but what are you going to do?”
“Oh Sunset, it’s a surprise silly!”
Sunset probably should’ve been worried that her bike was going to get a ticket for loitering but she had other things on her mind. Luckily, she did have a backup vehicle, a red 2017 Chevy Corvette that she totally paid with her own money. (She’s got a lot of money she just doesn’t want to tell people that.)
She put on her sunglasses as she took the car out from the garage and sped down the road to Pinkie’s, again not giving a fuck about speed limits. It only took about five minutes to get to Pinkie’s house and she was certainly glad that her parents weren't home because they’d only shoot her glares since the only car they had was an old minivan.
She knocked on the door once she got up to the house but to her surprise it was her sister Maud that answered, holding her beloved pet rock Boulder. “Hi Sunset. Pinkie’s waiting for you upstairs.”
“Oh uh…thanks.” Sunset then came inside and was about to head upstairs before she turned around. “So…did she say what she was doing.”
“I have no idea.”
“Right…” Sunset then went upstairs and went up to Pinkie’s room, knocking on her door.
“Come in.” Pinkie’s voice seemed slightly…subdued, which was different for her. Once Sunset opened the door, she saw that Pinkie was sitting on the carpet with her feet crossed and her eyes closed. She looked like she was meditating. “Please take a seat Sunset.”
Sunset then sat down, deciding to take a similar pose. “I uh…didn’t know you were into meditating Pinkie.”
Pinkie took a deep breath. “It’s how I start every morning Sunset. Keeps the mind calm and allows for me to…take everything in.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you know what I speak of.” Pinkie then opened her eyes and a large grin appeared on her face. Suddenly, she pounced on Sunset, catching the poor girl off guard. “I can’t believe it! Finally someone that relates to me! Can I tell you, isn’t it something to see things no one else can see!? It’s great right!?”
“Not really…” Sunset looked away, realizing how bad this position looked. “Pinkie…”
“Oh, sorry!” Pinkie quickly got up. “Okay, I know its kind of a lot to take in at first but really, you get used to it.”
“Look Pinkie, I’m glad you’ve accepted it and all but…it’s not for me,” Sunset said as she sat up. “It’s bad enough to be able to hear people’s thoughts and look into them as well but this…this is your domain, not mine.”
Pinkie seemed to deflate slightly. “Well, I guess I wouldn’t be a good friend if I was forcing you into something you didn’t like. Then that settles it! I’ll see if we can fix this!”
“…How exactly?” Sunset asked.
“Oh Sunset, do you even need to ask?” Suddenly Pinkie was wearing glasses as she held a large notepad. “So…this began after Camp Everfree yes?”
“Yeah…I’m starting to think going into your mind a second time might not have been the best idea.”
“But we had so much fun!” Pinkie suddenly gasped. “Wait…you think…I’m the one that caused this?”
“I…dunno? I mean, you’re the only one who can…do that stuff.”
“Hmm…” Pinkie wrote something down. “Well I suppose it’s a possibility. After all, I’ve had this ability since I was little.”
“And it didn’t scare you?” Sunset asked.
“Maybe a little at first, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this Sunset, it’s that sometimes you just have to let life take its course, like a current taking a ship to land. Ooh I gotta write that one down!”
“You know…you might be right about that. But listen…can you keep a secret?”
Pinkie scoffed a rather Rarity-like scoff. “Sunset, asking me to keep a secret is like asking a chef to make a soufflé. I’ll even throw in a Pinkie Promise if it makes you feel better.”
“Well…maybe we’ll hold onto the Pinkie Promise for the moment. Anyway, maybe it’s just me stressing but…I think this has something to do with…my other self.”
“Oh you mean Sunset Satan?”
Sunset stared at her. “That’s the name you’ve given her?”
“Well I mean Twilight’s other self was Midnight Sparkle, which I don’t really know how we got that name since she never said it out loud so it just kind of happened and in this case its kind of the same with her and-”
“I get it,” Sunset said. “Anyway, I thought I put all that…put her in the past but apparently that’s not the case.”
“Let me guess…you’re feeling homesick?”
Sunset stared at her once again. “How-?”
“Come on Sunset, I know these things! You want to go home but that means having to confront your teacher and that scares you because you two left on unpleasant terms and you’re worried she’ll lock you into a dungeon or something and hates you-”
“This isn’t helping.”
“Sorry…but maybe your anxiety about all this is what’s getting you. Or…maybe you’re worried about leaving us.”
Sunset winced slightly. “Nothing gets past you I see.”
Pinkie suddenly hugged her. “Silly Sunset, you know we’d be more than happy to have you go home and even if you never came back, we’d always be supportive for you.”
Sunset smiled as she hugged her back. “Thanks Pinkie. That’s something I did need to hear.”
“You sure you don’t want to change your mind? It’s not so bad feeling like you’re constantly being watched. Heck, these people love you more than Starlight!”
“…Who?”
“Oh right, other world…well I’m sure if you ask Princess Twilight about it she’ll explain. Speaking of which, did you ever think about writing to her?”
“Yeah…but knowing her she’s probably…busy,” Sunset shrugged. “Hell, it took her almost a week before she got my messages. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s babysitting her niece or something.” Sunset then sighed. “But I’ll get a hold of her. It would be nice to see her after all.”
“And we…should have… A SLUMBER PARTY!” Confetti suddenly exploded in the room.
Sunset laughed. “Okay, that sounds like a good idea. I’ll make sure she knows. Thanks for the help though Pinkie, though I’m sure it wasn’t quite what you had in mind.”
“Hey, I might be an expert party planner but that doesn’t mean I’m not an expert giver of advice.” She then sat on her bed, crossing her legs and eyes before sighing loudly. “I’m also good with meditation and yoga too.”
“…You’re really into this stuff huh?”
“She does it every morning and night,” Maud said outside Pinkie’s room.
“Hi Maud! Are you going to join me tonight!?”
“…Can Boulder join as well?”
“Of course silly!”
In Which Sunset Goes to Flash's House and Clop (Kind Of) Happens
After leaving Pinkie’s, Sunset stopped by the store and grabbed a wrap from the deli section now that she was finally starting to feel hungry. As she ate in her car, she went through her bag and pulled out the journal she had had since coming to this world. “To think I actually brought this over by mistake,” she thought. “How fortunate for all of us.”
She went through the pages, realizing she was running out of pages to write in. “Guess I’m going to need a new journal soon.” Once she was done eating, she grabbed a pen and started writing on a new page.
Dear Twilight,
I hope I’m not writing to you at a bad time. I know being a princess can be pretty busy, especially now that you’re officially an aunt. Anyway, something strange has come up recently. Okay, maybe it’s been three weeks but I thought I could handle it. Honestly.
I told you about how all of us got powers after Camp Everfree, right? How I can hear people’s thoughts and stuff? Well, unfortunately it’s gotten to the point where I can hear everyone and everything. Not to mention I’m starting to notice things that aren’t really there. In other words, I’m just going to call it Pinkie Pie Syndrome.
I don’t really understand it but I know this isn’t normal for me, because it wasn’t this bad at first. So, if you think you can help me out I’d really appreciate it.
Your friend,
Sunset
Sunset sighed slightly as she leaned back in her seat. Now all she could do was wait. Twilight was usually good at responding, at least when she wasn’t in the middle of saving Equestria. Even so, she wasn’t going to wait in a parking lot to hear back from her so where could she go?
A smile suddenly crawled on her face as an idea came to mind. She then pulled out her phone and dialed a number in her contacts. “Hey Flash? You busy right now…?”
As she pulled up into Flash’s driveway, she quickly remembered a reason why she had immediately been attracted to him: they both had similar taste in cars. His car shined brightly in the sunlight, showing that he took very good care of it. It was a good thing too because as Flash once admitted, his parents got him that car and they didn’t beat around the bush telling him he’d better take very good care of it.
Flash was already outside his house, most likely since he probably heard her coming down the street. He stared at her car as she got out. “How long have you had this girl?” he asked.
“Over a year now…didn’t I tell you?” Sunset replied with a sly grin.
Flash chuckled. “No, but I wish you did. I kinda want to take that out for a test drive now.”
Sunset laughed. “Maybe another time.” She then looked away from him for a moment. “So uh…how have you been?”
Flash rolled his eyes slightly. “Sunset, are we really going to be weird about this? We’ve hung out maybe three times since Everfree but you’re acting hesitant to move things forward.”
“I know, I know,” Sunset sighed. “I guess…before I was a lot more confident since I thought of you as a way to get more popular at school. Now…I’m trying to do this the right way.”
“And I appreciate that,” Flash said as he went up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “But come on, even then I knew there was love in your eyes.”
“Yeah, maybe that first year and then I didn’t care anymore,” Sunset said somewhat bitterly. “I’m sorry, this isn’t really what you want to hear right now. I just…need someone to hang out with right now, you know?”
“Considering you had five other choices, I’m honored,” Flash joked. “Well, why don’t we go inside where it’s cooler? You haven’t been here in a while after all.”
“Still got the man cave?” Sunset asked as they went inside.
Flash blushed slightly. “Yeah…everything’s still there. You want something to drink?”
“Sure, I’ll take whatever,” Sunset said as she looked around the house. “Parents not home?”
“Nope, work as usual.”
“Ooh, that means we’re alone right?” Sunset teased.
“Well…yeah…but-”
“Okay, now who’s getting flustered?” Sunset asked.
Flash sighed. “You’re lucky you’re cute.” He then went to the kitchen and got two cans of soda for them both. “Let me guess…you want to see it?”
“Oh the things we used to do in there…” Sunset said as the two of them went upstairs.
“Well if you mean making out and…”
“Giving you your first handjob?” Sunset asked. Her response was Flash suddenly choking on his drink. She grinned. “That was fun too.”
“Yeah…well…that was when we were together obviously,” Flash coughed slightly as he opened the door to his room. As he had described, nothing had really changed. His bed was on the right back corner of the room along with a table that had a small flat screen TV and a small assortment of consoles and games lined up on a shelf.
Sunset smiled and shook her head slightly. “Some things never change…”
“Yeah…” Flash said as he looked around. “It’s funny…when I thought Twilight- the other Twilight- was a student, I was planning on inviting her here.”
“She would’ve been horribly confused,” Sunset pointed out.
Flash laughed. “Yeah…I guess so. Is she…doing well?”
“Yeah. You know she’s an aunt now right?”
“Really? Wow.” Flash paused for a moment. “I’m making this awkward now aren’t I?”
“No, it’s fine,” Sunset said. “Honestly, I can see why you liked her so much. It’s just…inconvenient for her. She has duties and all that.”
“That’s true…well as long as she’s happy,” Flash said. “But what about you? Is everything alright?”
Sunset wanted to say yes, but she knew better. She went over and sat on his bed. “Honestly? Things are kind of weird right now. As if it wasn’t weird enough being able to hear and see people’s thoughts, all of a sudden it’s been magnified times ten practically.”
“Wait…so you can hear what I’m thinking?” Flash seemed slightly alarmed.
“No, not now anyway,” Sunset shrugged. “It kind of comes and goes, usually at the worst times. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to deal with it but I haven’t had much luck and none of my friends have really been able to help.”
“Oh…sorry,” Flash asked.
“But there’s another reason why I’m here,” Sunset said. “I really have been thinking about what you asked me at camp and…I really do want to start over. I want you to see the real me, not the power hungry bitch that turned into a she-demon.”
“Can I be perfectly honest?” Flash asked. “You were kind of hot as a demon…”
Sunset threw one of his pillows at him. “Jerk,” she said, grinning slightly. “Well sorry, she’s not coming back anytime soon.”
“What about the girl with the wings?”
“Hmm…I’m not sure if that was a one-time thing as well.”
“Well, the last outfit was kind of cool.”
“Yeah…” Sunset had failed to notice that the temperature in the room was starting to warm up. Then she realized it was her. “Oh fuck…” The thoughts she had now were thoughts she had tried to keep in the back of her head, since she knew this was a serious moment, but at the same time she really, really, needed to get off. Hence why she now felt nervous. “Hey Flash…?”
“Yeah?” Flash asked, who still had decided to stay on the other side of the room.
Sunset then got up and walked over to him. “You know I like to cut to the chase, so let’s just cut the bullshit and get to what we really want to do right now.”
“W-Wait a minute-”
“No Flash,” Sunset interrupted him. “I don’t need to read minds on what you want to do…what you want to do to me right now…am I right?”
Flash was blushing again now but he nodded slightly. “Yeah…considering I already have you up here.”
Sunset grinned and put her arms around his neck. “Yeah…we kind of have to make up for lost time anyway.” She then kissed him hard, with Flash matching her eagerness as his hands wrapped around her waist.
It had been a long time since they last made out and Sunset knew where it was going to end this time. Once they finally broke apart, Flash muttered, “I got a couple of condoms in my drawer…”
Sunset snorted. “Don’t worry about it…besides you’d need more than a couple I think…”
Flash seemed a lot more eager now as he started to pull down her pants, causing Sunset to grin as she wrestled off his shirt. It wasn’t long before the two of them were standing next to each other naked. Sunset was blushing slightly but more than anything she was feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. “We’re really doing this…”
“So uh…” Flash scratched the back of his head. “Where do we start?”
“I don’t really think we need to get into the whole foreplay thing do we?” Sunset asked as she decided to rub his now hardening cock.
“Yeah…fair enough…” Flash groaned.
Sunset then laid back onto his bed, spreading her legs out invitingly. As Flash got on top of her, Sunset said, “Just remember, I’m still a virgin…”
Flash smiled slightly. “I’ll be gentle.” There was nothing that could be helped given that Flash was big, not that Sunset was complaining. She had to get fucked right now.
After some slight teasing, Flash entered her slowly, causing both of them to moan loudly. “Oh dear Celestia!” Sunset almost yelled.
Flash paused for a moment. “Uh…what about Principal Celestia?”
“Just shut up and fuck me already!”
As with any first bout of sex, it didn’t last very long, although for Flash ten minutes was still impressive. Needless to say, both were very satisfied and couldn’t care less about how long it took.
“Wow…” Sunset said, her hair now a mess.
“Yeah…” Flash said, laying right next to her.
“Seriously, why didn’t we do that before?” Sunset asked.
“Well…”
“Okay, I was being a bitch but even so…”
Flash shrugged slightly with a grin. “Well we did it now so…”
“Yeah…” Sunset giggled. “I guess we’re official now.”
“Only if you want us to be.”
Sunset shifted over and kissed him quickly. “Yeah, I think I do.” Suddenly, she heard a buzzing sound coming from her bag, but it couldn’t have been her phone since she didn’t have to silent. She then groaned as she got up. “Hold on a second…” As she got up, Flash couldn’t resist the temptation to smack her in the ass, causing her to yelp and glare at him slightly before she went over to her bag and took out her vibrating journal. She quickly read through the message.
Dear Sunset,
Sorry I couldn’t respond quicker! I was on foalsitting duty, you know how that goes. I really wish you hadn’t waited that long to tell me, though I understand you were trying to take care of it yourself. With that being said, I’ll be coming over right away. Can you meet me at the school?
Your friend,
Twilight
Sunset sighed slightly. “I have to get going…”
“Already?” Flash looked disappointed.
“Yeah, Twilight needs to meet up with me,” Sunset replied as she got her clothes and started to dress. “Sorry we have to cut this short…”
“Well, I can’t really complain,” Flash said. “But you know…maybe when you have everything taken care of I can come by your place and…”
“We’ll see,” Sunset said as she put on her shirt. “Believe me, right now I’d be tempted to do a real quickie but Twilight is very strict about timing so I can’t keep her waiting.”
“Yeah, that sounds like her,” Flash said. He then paused. “Wait…is this this world’s Twilight or…”
“Other Twilight.”
“Um…you’re not gonna say anything about this are you?”
“I…won’t mention the sex part,” Sunset said. “But she has to know at some point.”
“Alright,” Flash said as he got dressed. “Better get tidied up before Mom and Dad get home anyway.” He went over and kissed her again. “But seriously…later on?”
Sunset drove over to the school where Twilight was waiting for her. It was a good thing their hairstyles were different or else Sunset really would’ve had a hard time distinguishing the two. Twilight was almost surprised to see what she was driving.
“Okay, where did you get something like this?” she asked skeptically.
“Nice to see you too,” Sunset grinned slightly. “Why don’t you hop in and I’ll show you how this beats any carriage in Equestria?”
Twilight rolled her eyes slightly but smiled as she went inside. “Huh…this actually is kind of comfortable…wait is this leather!?”
“I’ve never even heard of that…but nevermind that. I hope you can explain a little more about what’s going on.”
“I’m not really sure how else to explain it,” Sunset said as she drove out of the school parking lot. “I think my magic is on the fritz, that’s probably the best way to put it.”
“Hmm…” Twilight thought for a moment. “If it’s that serious I think you need to see a doctor…an Equestrian doctor.”
“You know I can’t do that,” Sunset said icily.
“Why not?”
“Because…if it’s bad here what could happen if I go back?”
Twilight stared at her. “Okay…I can tell you’re hiding something. Does this have anything to do with what happened before you first came here?”
“What? No!” Sunset almost yelled. “It’s…look, you’re the magic expert here so do you think you can help me?”
“Well…I’m not really qualified to be a doctor but…I think I might be able to help,” Twilight replied. “But to do it we’re going to need to find a quiet place where you can be relaxed.”
“Well, I haven’t shown you my apartment yet.”
Once Twilight got a look at Sunset’s apartment, she was finally able to speak. “After all this time and there’s so much I still don’t know about you…”
“You’re going to ask me where I got the money aren’t you?” Sunset asked. “Let’s just say the exchange rate for gold here is pretty high.”
“You gave away Equestrian bits!?” Twilight looked about ready to strangle the girl.
“I had no choice,” Sunset shrugged. “Besides, they don’t care what the coins say as long as it’s real gold.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear all this since Princess Celestia is still wondering where that shortage of bits in the Treasury went.”
“How is she by the way?” Sunset asked out of curiosity.
“She’s good…even though she almost had another falling out with her sister but we were able to work things out,” Twilight said. Technically Starlight did most of the work but she wasn’t going to go into details, and she probably didn’t want to tell Sunset about Starlight’s “nightmare”. “You know…I think she’d be happy to see you again.”
“I know…I’d like to see her too but…”
“I understand Sunset, it’s not easy about confronting something from the past,” Twilight said as she put a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “But enough about that. Let’s see if we can diagnose this little problem of yours.”
“What are you going to do exactly?” Sunset asked as she sat down on her bed.
“I’m going to try to do a similar version of a simple unicorn practice,” Twilight said. “Usually, two unicorns touch horns and- why are you snickering?”
“S-Sorry, continue,” Sunset snorted.
Twilight cleared her throat. “As I was saying, the two unicorns touch horns and can feel each other’s magical currents. It’s a lot easier to demonstrate than to explain.”
“Well we don’t have horns so…”
“I know, but I think I can still make this work,” Twilight replied as she sat on the bed next to Sunset. “But…before we do this…this may seem a little…intimate…so please don’t make it weird okay?”
“Uh…okay?”
Twilight then took a deep breath as she scooted closer to Sunset and put her hands around her face before nodding her head forward so their foreheads were touching.
“…Uh Twilight?”
“Don’t make it weird Sunset.”
“Right…should I close my eyes or something?”
“That might help.”
Sunset closed her eyes and allowed her body and mind to relax. It was then that Twilight could sense the current going through Sunset’s body. Even in this world, magic still coerced in her body. Everything seemed okay at first…but then Twilight realized some circuits were going in an opposite direction. No wonder she was having issues, her current was no longer in flux.
“Wow…you weren’t kidding,” Twilight said. “This is very odd…most of your ‘circuits’ as we’ll call them are working just fine but some are going backwards and its causing a dysfunction of sorts.”
“So…what should I do?” Sunset asked. “I don’t think meditating is going to do the trick.”
“Well normally this is where I’d bring in a professional to help you, but considering you’re not so willing to go back to Equestria I’m not really sure at this point,” Twilight said with much snark. “If Princess Luna was here she could try entering your dreams but even if we were in Equestria she’s out on a diplomatic mission.”
Suddenly a slow smile spread on Sunset’s face. “Maybe there’s someone else who can help us.”
“Who?”
“Hold on, I’m going to get a hold of the girls.”
After making a number of calls, Sunset and Princess Twilight met up at human Twilight’s house along with the other girls. The only one who hasn’t shown up yet was Fluttershy. “Oh it’s so good to see you again,” Rarity said as they all gave their friend a hug. “But again it has to be under bad circumstances doesn’t it?”
“I’m getting used to it,” Princess Twilight grinned. She then turned to her human counterpart. “Sunset told me you might have a way to help her?”
“Well…the last time didn’t go so well,” Twilight replied. “Shock therapy doesn’t work for everyone apparently.”
“But surely you have something,” Sunset said. “What are those things called that measure brainwaves?”
“Oh an EKG?” Twilight asked. “I have one of those…but why?”
“I think I have an idea,” Princess Twilight said. “But…where’s Fluttershy?”
“I dunno, I’ve called her like three times and they all went to voicemail,” Rainbow shrugged.
“I hope she isn’t being swamped at the pet store,” Pinkie said.
“Honestly, she probably doesn’t want to talk to me right now…” Sunset groaned.
“Hold on, Ah think Ah see her coming,” Applejack said as she pointed towards a van coming down the road. “Huh…Ah don’t remember her ever driving that fast before…”
Apparently Fluttershy had her windows down as well as music was blaring out of her speakers…which again was unusual for her. The girls glanced at one another uncertainly as they went to the edge of the driveway. As Fluttershy pulled up, they could see that the poor girl looked exhausted and…
Sunset suddenly got a whiff of something in the van, a smell she immediately recognized. “Uh…Fluttershy? You didn’t by chance go back to Treehugger’s place and…you know…?”
Fluttershy glanced at her, her eyes slightly bloodshot and no amusement on her face. “What do you think?”
Fluttershy looked over to Princess Twilight and offered a small smile but it quickly disappeared as she looked to the others. “Oh, you want to know what happened? Well, I was already running late and I was getting cussed out by my manager because the shop was suddenly swamped with people but as it turned out, it wasn’t because they wanted any pets but because they were asking me about the video.”
“Video?” Pinkie asked.
Sunset paled. “Wait…”
Fluttershy sighed. “Might as well show you…” She pulled out her phone and went onto the internet before showing them the screen. There was the van with Fluttershy driving and Sunset in the passenger seat. Suddenly, Sunset started jerking her body around as music began to play and it only got worse from there.
“Oh my…” Rarity said. “I didn’t know you were so…flexible Sunset.”
“How did this happen!?” Sunset almost shrieked.
“Apparently someone had their phone out and started recording it,” Fluttershy said matter-of-factly. Sunset couldn’t even look at everyone else’s face, especially Twilight’s.
However, both Rainbow and Pinkie were snickering. “This is hilarious!” Rainbow laughed.
“You two are an official meme!” Pinkie added.
“A what?” Princess Twilight asked.
“I’ll explain it later,” Twilight told her.
“Oh, you think it’s funny?” Fluttershy asked.
Rainbow had to wipe away a tear. “Well, yeah it’s pretty-”
“Fuck you.”
It suddenly got quiet as everyone stared at the normally quiet girl.
“W-What?”
Fluttershy suddenly got out of her van, staring Rainbow right in the face and looking like she was about to hit her. “I’m so glad you’re taking pleasure in the fact that I’ve been humiliated!” she snapped.
“What are you getting mad at me for!?” Rainbow snapped back. “Sunset’s the one that did all that!”
“Because she wasn’t herself and that was my fault!” Fluttershy then looked as if she was going to cry. “But I need a friend who’s willing to support me, not laugh and make me feel worse about it!” She paused and looked towards Twilight. “Can I…use your bathroom?”
“U-Um, of course,” Twilight said.
Fluttershy stomped off towards the house and went inside. It was quiet for a moment.
“That was uncalled for Rainbow,” AJ said quietly.
“Oh come on you too!?” Rainbow groaned.
“She’s right you know,” Rarity added. “Maybe for some of us we can shrug it off but her…not so much.”
“Yeah…I feel kind of bad because I was laughing too,” Pinkie said glumly.
Sunset sighed. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now. If we’re lucky, it’ll go away in a matter of days. But right now, let’s just give her some space.”
“Fine…” Rainbow muttered.
Princess Twilight could only stare at her friends. “Have I been missing that much?”
