> Altered Perspectives: Adapting to Change
>  by CapNTilfy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Return to Crystal Prep
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest stretched as they left the bus.

"One ride down, one to go," Lemon said, then yawned.

Sour giggled. "I could use a nap myself... and some brain bleach!"

Lemon barked a laugh. "I hear that."

Sunny Flare passed the two, smiling.

Lemon and Sour glanced at each other. The last few times Sunny had smiled, she had been quite a bitch to the both of them.

"Should we be worried," Lemon asked.

Sour shrugged. "She's not getting on anybody's nerves... yet."





Fleur de Verre and Indigo Zap walked out of the bus, only for a light gray student to stop in front of the two as her pink and white hair swayed.

"F-F-Fleur Dis L-Lee," De Verre stammered in shock.

Fleur Dis Lee was one of, if not the most attractive students in all of Crystal Prep. For her to be standing before someone so suddenly was nothing short of a shock. She usually just kept to herself!

Dis Lee grinned widely, then leaned into Indigo. "You were like, so totally damned hot out there on the motocross track," she whispered, then gave her a good slap on the butt.

Indigo yelped, then grabbed her rear. She blinked in surprise and confusion as she felt a sticky note, then pulled it off. Her eyes widened, and her arm dropped.

De Verre took the note from Indigo, then gasped.

It was Fleur Dis Lee's phone number!

Dis Lee turned around, keeping her grin. She made a fist, then extended her thumb and pinkie finger and put her hand up to her head and mouthed the words "call me".

All Indigo and De Verre could do was make a squeaking noise.





Neon Lights and Sugarcoat left their bus, holding hands with their fingers laced together. There was likely much to be done for S.M.I.L.E. now that the Friendship Games had ended, but what that was, neither of them knew quite yet. What they did know, however, was that they'd have to stay and speak with Cadance about what just happened.

Neon sighed. "Man, I just want this day to be over with already."

"Same."

"So... do we just wait on Dean Cadance or what?"

"We'd have to go to her office. It's the best option for privacy's sake."

Neon nodded. "Understood." His eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, shit..."

"What's wrong?"

"I got so caught up in everything that I forgot to check in on Royal!"





Sunburst left his bus. Nothing would ever be the same for him... or anybody else who bore witness to the insanity that had happened. How on earth could he possibly pretend that nothing had happened?! Could anyone pretend?

Sunburst put a hand to his forehead. He felt a headache coming on...

"Sunburst?"

Sunburst snapped out of his reverie, then turned to see Sunny. Heat rose to his face. "H-Hi," he said awkwardly. "You... you were incredible out there."

Sunny smiled. "Thanks... all things considered."

"Can... can we not talk about what happened back there?"

Sunny nodded. "I understand. I'm trying not to lose my mind too."

Lemon and Sour looked on in disbelief. Sunny Flare... being nice?!

"Yeah, okay," Lemon said in a casual tone. "I think I've officially lost my shit."

"I'm having a hard time believing it myself... she's probably got an ulterior motive!"

"I don't want to think about it too hard right now. Hell, I don't want to think right now period!"

Sour put a hand on Lemon's shoulder. "That makes two of us."





Royal Pin had left his bus, then began to search the crowd for Neon and Sugarcoat. He imagined those two were eager to get into bed with each other, but he also knew that Neon wasn't the kind of person to just up and leave without saying goodbye to his old friend!

"Royal!"

Royal smiled. Speak of the devil, as the saying goes.

Neon hurried to Royal, with Sugarcoat close behind as they held hands.

"Ah, Miss Sugarcoat," Royal said with relief. "I'm glad to see you unharmed after your close call with that... ghastly plant creature."

Sugarcoat tightened her grip on Neon's hand. "That's thanks to hot stuff here," she said, then pecked Neon on the cheek. "I was scared shitless!"

Royal chuckled. "I believe we all were."

"That's putting it mildly," Neon said with a laugh. "I wouldn't be surprised if the entirety of the student body suffered from some kind of mass existential crisis!"

The three laughed, then sighed.

"So... how are you holding up," Neon asked Royal.

"I... I have been better."

"Understandable," Sugarcoat shot Neon a meaningful look.

"Well, we should get going," Neon said.

"Are you ready to go home," Royal asked.

"More than," Neon said, "But Sugarcoat and I have something we need to take care of back here."

Royal folded his arms and eyed the couple suspiciously.

Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "It's not sexual in any way, shape, or form."

Royal's expression softened. "Very well, I will leave you both to it then. See you both later!"

Sugarcoat and Neon waved Royal goodbye, then headed over to Dean Cadance's office.





Cadance left the bus, hoping she still had some coffee back at her office. She imagined Sugarcoat and Neon would be waiting for her there, ready to report and ask questions she knew she would be unable to answer. Nonetheless, she would do her best. Nothing less would boot Cinch from her high horse, and she could only imagine what must be going through that head of hers!

The one thing on Cadance's mind, however, was how on earth her mother managed to stay sane when she was Principal of Crystal Prep!





Abacus Cinch disembarked from the bus. Her mind was racing with schemes to concoct, plans to hatch! How would she get to that strange new world?

Abacus' eyes widened. Of course! Twilight Sparkle would know! She paused for a moment, then grit her teeth. That damnable traitor's amulet was shattered in the aftermath of that battle! Surely there was another way to... of course! Twilight's personal laboratory! There must be some clues there!

Grinning ear to ear, Cinch made her way inside Crystal Prep.





Exhausted from the day's events, all the remaining students got into the bus for another bus ride. The weekend never looked so good to so many of them.
> After Hours
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neon and Sugarcoat entered Crystal Prep, and Neon sighed.

"What's wrong, hot stuff?"

Neon frowned. "I almost feel bad about having to leave Royal in the dark about what we're doing."

"That's understandable, but it's for the best. The fewer that know, the better."

"I guess..."

A pair of footsteps diverted the pair's attention, and Neon and Sugarcoat slowly watched as Abacus Cinch walked by, unaware of their presence. A wicked smile was on the Headmistress' face.

Once Cinch was out of their sight, Neon and Sugarcoat glanced at each other.

"That... wasn't in the direction her office, was it," Neon asked, feeling confused.

Sugarcoat shook her head. "I didn't like the look on her face."

"I'll go see what she's up to." 

"Be discreet, hon."

"Of course, Sugar." Neon walked off in pursuit of Cinch, and Sugarcoat continued making her way to Cadance's office, texting her parents and Neon's about their staying behind.





Cadance walked to her office, dreading the headache she knew she'd get over the course of the evening. She hoped to have some sort of break between her briefing with Neon and Sugarcoat and all the calls. She wouldn't kid herself, though. She needed to be mentally prepared for what awaited her.

Cadance reached her office and found Sugarcoat waiting alone. "Where's Neon?"

"Cinch looked like she was up to something, so he followed her."

Cadance sighed and put a hand to her forehead. What on earth was that woman scheming now?  "No rest for the weary, I see." She walked up to her office and opened the door, then beckoned Sugarcoat inside. "I just hope he knows what he's doing..."





Neon had found that it was far harder to follow someone when there wasn't a crowd of people to hide in. He would have to wait until Cinch reached the end of a hall then turned, then he'd pray to the higher powers that he didn't lose her. This had gone on for a few minutes, and he had begun to feel a little antsy.

Neon rounded another corner, then saw Cinch stop in front of a door. He barely managed to stifle his sigh of relief.

Cinch took a ring of keys out of her pocket, then selected one and unlocked the door and went in.

Neon couldn't help but swallow nervously as he snuck over to the door. He half expected Cinch's head to pop out and startle him! He took a deep breath, then exhaled. He felt calmer, but still kept his guard up. Each step brought him closer, and he heard objects being moved around along with the occasional sneeze and sniffle.

Neon reached the door, then took a peek inside.

Unlike most rooms in Crystal Prep Academy, the walls were purely concrete. To Neon's left was a bulletin board with several graphs, diagrams of rainbows and notes. A red yarn was strung around, connecting all the pictures to Canterlot High. A desk with a laptop and a couple of books lay just below it.

To Neon's left was a desk with a desktop computer with an empty test tube rack next to it. The wallpaper on the computer was a picture of... Twilight Sparkle's dog?

Another sneeze from Cinch startled Neon, and he decided to back away slowly. He had the feeling nothing good would come of standing around any longer. Once he felt it safe to do so, he ran back to Cadance's office.





Cadance and Sugarcoat had been waiting for Neon, enjoying some silence after all the chaos. Several minutes had passed since he went after Cinch.

"You know what," Sugarcoat asked impatiently. "I can't wait for Neon, I need to get it out of my system. What the fu-"

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened to admit Neon. "Cinch was in Twilight's room," he said as he shut the door behind himself.

Cadance's eyes shot open fully. "Her lab?!"

Neon nodded.

"What was she doing in there?"

"It looked like she was looking for something. What that something was, I have no idea." Neon shrugged. "I only got a quick glance, then high-tailed it out of there because I didn't want to get caught."

"Well," Cadance said with a sigh. "I suppose that's better than nothing to go on... I'll have Benefactor look into it."

"Great," Sugarcoat said. "Now that that's out of the way, what the fuck," she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Sugarcoat..."

"I'm not finished," Sugarcoat snapped. "Did you have any idea that was going to happen?!"

"No," Cadance said quietly.

"You knew there was magic, why didn't you think to take any precautions?"

"How was I supposed to know that Twilight would end up going on a magical raging bender," Cadance shouted as she shot up from her seat.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was?"

"Do you have any idea how scared I was," Cadance roared as she headed towards Sugarcoat.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Neon shot forward, getting between the two, holding an arm out on each side. "Look. We've all been through a lot of shit today. Why don't we just take the weekend to cool off, then calmly go over this on Monday?"

An uncomfortable silence fell in Cadance's office as Neon looked at Sugarcoat, then at the Dean. He knew Cadance would have more to deal with tonight, and he had to diffuse the situation before things really got out of hand.

"Fine," Cadance said, then walked back to her chair and sat down. "We'll talk about this later."

Neon nodded, then turned to Sugarcoat, who was still breathing heavily with an expression of fury. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "...Okay. Monday it is, then."

Neon heaved a sigh of relief as he lowered his arms, then took Sugarcoat by the hand and laced his fingers with hers. "See you then, Dean Cadance."

"Yeah," Cadance said quietly as she hid her eyes from Neon. "S-See you then."

Neon closed the office door behind himself, and Cadance almost immediately broke.

Sugarcoat lasted until she and Neon left Crystal Prep.
> Home from School
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lemon heaved a sigh as she left the bus. She was absolutely fucking drained, and she wanted nothing more than to take a shower and a quick nap... then figure out why the hell she thought of Rarity during that song.

Upon reaching the door, Lemon made a sputtering noise. Her head was so full of so many other things, she had forgotten that her parentals would want to know how the Friendship Games went!

"Son of a bitch," Lemon muttered under her breath as she slowly opened the door. Maybe her parents won't pry about it too much. Maybe.

Lemon closed the door behind herself. "I-I'm home," she said wearily.

Lemon's father, Citrus Splash, walked into the foyer with a smile, then gasped when he saw her. "Whoa, hon... you look like you had it rough today!"

Screw it, Lemon was going to tell her parents. Let them have her committed later. "That's a freaking understatement, Dad... can you get Mom in the living room? You're not going to believe what happened."

Within minutes, Florid Abundance had joined Citrus and Lemon in the living room.

Lemon took a deep breath, then sighed. "Okay. Before I start... you guys know that I can't lie to you."

Citrus and Florid nodded in acknowledgement.

"Good... because I wasn't bullshitting when I said you wouldn't believe it." Lemon then proceeded to tell her parents everything that happened during the Friendship Games in great detail, nearly breaking down twice. Once when she told them of Twilight's transformation opening portals, then again when she recounted Twilight's decision to transfer.

Once Lemon finished, Citrus and Florid sat still in shock, their mouths agape.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Lemon said, even more drained than earlier. "I'm going to wash myself off, then fall asleep until the end of time." She started to walk out of the living room, then paused. "Oh, and make sure you get my straight jacket size right, okay?" With that, she went upstairs to her room.

It took Citrus and Florid several moments to process all they had been told.

"Dear god," Florid whispered.

"Cadance couldn't possibly have known that was going to happen... right?"

"Only one way to find out."

Citrus took his phone out of his pocket. "Yeah..."





Sunny Flare's optimism had not faltered since she left the bus, but her energy was low. She had no doubt in her mind that her parents would not believe a single word of what happened at the Friendship Games, so should she even bother trying? She had been there for the whole thing, and she herself found it all hard to believe!

Sunny sighed. At least she was home now, and she felt a great deal safer. With a tired smile, she opened the front door. "Mother! Father! I'm back!"

"Welcome back," her parents said from the kitchen. Sunny walked in, then sat at the table.

"How'd it go," Shimmering Glaze, her mother, asked.

"You're smiling, so I can only assume it went well," her father, Stellar Tycoon said.

Sunny's smile faded. "Actually, about that..."

With as straight a face as she could muster, Sunny told her parents everything that she had experienced. Even her encounter with that Flash person, then finished.

"...So now here I am, questioning damn near everything I know." Sunny sighed and shook her head. "Is this supposed to be some kind of extra karma for my earlier behavior?"

Stellar and Glaze shook their heads.

"If it was only your karma," Stellar said, "then only you would have experienced it."

Glaze gave Stellar a meaningful look, then turned to Sunny. "Are you going to be okay if we leave you alone for a bit?"

Sunny's smile returned. "I would actually welcome some alone time. I could use a good rest, among other things."

"Take all the time you need."

Sunny nodded, then left the kitchen as Stellar took out his phone.





Sour Sweet entered her vast and empty house. It was one of those rare occasions where she was actually glad to be home.

"So... where do we go from here," Side asked.

Sweet sighed. I have no idea. Maybe we should just take it easy this weekend. Both physically and mentally.

"You're not suggesting staying inside the whole weekend, are you?"

Sweet shook her head. Of course not. We'll figure out stuff to do later. Right now, I want to rest.

"Fair enough."

Sweet laid down on the floor and closed her eyes.





"Home..." Indigo had repeated that word over and over ever since she boarded the bus home, much to the irritation and confusion of those sitting nearby her.

"Home..." Indigo saw her house just a few feet away, and she perked up.

"Home!" The bus stopped, and Indigo bolted out, running at full speed until she reached the door as a lump formed in her throat.

Indigo opened the door, then nearly slammed it shut. "Home..." her voice cracked as Azure Feather walked out of the living room. 

"Hey, Zap-oof!"

Indigo held her father tightly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Home..." she sniffled, then broke. "Home," she repeated between sobs.

Alarmed, Twinkle Trick hurried out of the living room upon hearing her daughter cry. Together, she and Azure consoled Indigo.

Several minutes later, Indigo had calmed down, but still kept her grip on Azure.

"What happened," Twinkle asked.

"No talk just snuggle," Indigo responded. "No talk... no talk..." She sighed in contentment, and Azure and Twinkle exchanged glances.

"I'll get to the bottom of this," Twinkle said, then headed to the kitchen as she took her phone out of her pocket.





Sugarcoat reached home with Neon, then opened the door. Crystal Clarity and Upfront Sizzle, her mother and father respectively, walked up to the two.

"So how did it go," Crystal asked.

Sugarcoat narrowed her eyes. "The magic is real, everyone almost died, Neon and I are going to rest now."

"...What," Sizzle said flatly.

Neon shrugged as he and Sugarcoat all but hurried upstairs. "Talk to Cadance," he said, then shut the door behind himself.

Sugarcoat leaned against one of her bedroom walls and sighed heavily. "Fucking hell, It's good to be back." She started to take off her clothes. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea, hon. I'm still exhausted and I have no energy for sex right now."

Neon followed suit. "Same." He paused for a moment. "Do you feel any better now?"

"You mean after losing my shit in front of Cadance then bursting into tears after?"

Neon nodded as he finished stripping, then laid on Sugarcoat's bed.

"Neon. Hot stuff," Sugarcoat said as she finished. "You can't blame me for it."

"And I don't."

"But I know I shouldn't have taken it out on her." Sugarcoat got into her bed, then wrapped her arms around Neon and nuzzled into his chest with a happy sigh.

Neon gently ran a hand through Sugarcoat's hair. "Yeah. Everyone's gonna be calling her, demanding answers."

Sugarcoat closed her eyes. "Can we not talk anymore? It feels like it's been forever since we've been like this together."

"Of course, Sugar," Neon said softly.

Sugarcoat scooted up to Neon's face, then gave him a long and passionate kiss. "I love you," she whispered, then rested her head on his shoulder.

"I love you too." Neon caressed her back.

Within minutes, they both fell asleep.
> Closing Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cadance had calmed herself down with a long sigh. She had a long rest of the day ahead of herself, but there was something she had to take care of first. She took out her phone and went into her contacts, then dialed.

Now Calling: Twilight Velvet

As the dialtone began, Cadance kept her eyes on her desk phone. Any minute now, there'd be a call...

"Hello?"

Cadance snapped herself back to the present moment. "Velvet... I don't have a lot of time, so I'll make it quick. I need to speak to your daughter."

"She's resting right now. The poor girl's had a rough day."

"I know that, but this is something important she needs to know."

Velvet paused for a moment. "Are we speaking on an 'official' level here?"

Cadance nodded. "Yes."

Velvet sighed. "Okay. I'll go get her. Wait a moment."

There was a long pause, then a yawn came from the other end.

"Dean Cadance... wass wrong?"

"Twilight. Cinch was spotted in your lab!"

"W-What?! What's she doing in there?!"

"I don't know, but I'll investigate as soon as I hang up."

"Please be careful in there! Most of the equipment is delicate!"

"Understood."

"Thank you for telling me." Twilight yawned again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some more recovering to do."

"You're welcome, Twilight."

Cadance hung up, then made a mad dash for Twilight's personal lab.





Abacus Cinch had carefully scrutinized each and every piece of equipment inside Twilight's lab, and loathe as she was to admit it, she could not make heads or tails of anything. This only infuriated her more over that ungrateful child's defection.

Abacus had given Twilight all that she needed and more! But still, she ran with her tail between her legs to those... those cheaters! She grit her teeth and growled. As much as she wanted to smash everything in this damnable room, it would be quite a waste of money to do so. She cupped her chin. Surely there must be some way to still make use of these...

"Principal Cinch?"

Abacus jumped in spite of herself, then turned around to see Dean Cadance.

"I saw this door open, and I wanted to make sure nothing untoward was happening in here."

Abacus sighed, trying her best to hide her irritation. "No need to worry yourself. I was just... engaging in bittersweet memories."

Cadance resisted a strong urge to roll her eyes. "Crystal Prep just won't be the same without Twilight."

"Indeed it won't," Abacus said as she headed for the door. She stopped for a moment, then noticed Twilight's cork board with strings of yarn all pointing to... Canterlot High. She quickly turned back and headed out the door, with Cadance closing it behind herself.

The two went their separate ways.





Abacus put a hand to her forehead in disbelief. She had been so infuriated over the Friendship Games that she hadn't realized the obvious... the way to that other world was most certainly somewhere in Canterlot High's vicinity! She would have to investigate the school grounds thoroughly, but she would have to be discreet in doing so.

Abacus realized that her investigation might have to require some less than reputable actions, such as breaking into the school. She couldn't very well do that without the risk of getting caught. She sighed. This was why her father had flunkies.

Perhaps Abacus could go to Canterlot High on Monday... but under what pretense? The district meeting had already happened, and her being there would more than likely arouse suspicion.

Abacus could investigate tonight, but she was exhausted from the day's activities, and she still had some leftover work to do as well! She heaved a sigh, then headed to her office.





As Cadance walked away from Twilight's lab, her mind was full of questions. Why was Cinch in Twilight's lab? What did she hope to gain? What was she planning?

Cadance shook her head. She didn't think Cinch would have calmed down over the result of the Friendship Games. That woman was tougher than she gave her credit for! She'd have to re-evaluate her at some point...

Cadance reached her office, then saw her desk phone had messages on it. She stared at the blinking light, then walked over to her desk and sat down and closed her eyes. She took her arm and pressed it against her chest as she inhaled, then waited a moment. She then exhaled and extended her arm forward.

Cadance opened her eyes, then went straight to work.





A couple of hours had passed since Cinch was in Twilight's lab, and she had finished all of her work. She had had a headache for the last half-hour, and was in dire need of a good night's sleep.

A gunshot sounded off in Abacus' mind, and she yelped. She stood still for a moment, panting until she realized is was all in her imagination. She grit her teeth and growled. She thought she was through with that damned sound after her nightmare cleared up!

Abacus slowly shook her head as she got off of her desk chair. It felt like there was a long road ahead of her with little to no stops in sight, and she wondered if her late father ever had that issue. With a sigh, she turned off her office light and left for home.





Silence. At long last, Cadance could hear herself think! The last few hours, all she could hear were the voices of angry parents. Confused parents. Scared parents. To say nothing of the S.M.I.L.E.-related questions she received!

Cadance buried her head in her hands. She resisted the temptation to scream, then go home and drink herself into oblivion, her pounding headache be damned! Today had been a very, very stressful day.

Cadance raised her head and stood up. She decided that she would try to spend the weekend relaxing. Emphasis on try. She'd still have to contact agents and reassure them that everyone was okay. Well, physically okay.

Cadance made a sputtering noise as she headed for the door. As she left her office, she could only imagine the mental state of the student body as a whole right now.

It was not a thought she relished.
> Some Enchanted Evening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cadance sighed heavily. She had been home for at least two hours, and all she had done since returning was grab a three-quarters full bottle of wine and a wine glass. All she could bring herself to do was just stare at the bottle, as though it might hold answers to all the problems that had come up during the day.

Cadance had weighed the pros and cons on her way home. Pro: It was the weekend, it wasn't like she had to be sober. Con: She'd have a hangover in the morning. Pro: She could use a good buzz. Con: She'd probably end up getting sick to her stomach later.

An image of Twilight's winged form appeared in Cadance's mind. She winced, then grit her teeth.

"...Fuck it."

Cadance would later leave an empty bottle downstairs, then stumble into her bed, half-naked and laughing hysterically before passing out.





Abacus walked through the garage door and into her house, shaking. All throughout her trip home, she could not stop thinking about how everything had gone wrong.

The nightmares. The auditory hallucinations. The resurfaced trauma. The first round loss.

Abacus' blood began to boil.

The near-death experience. The tie at the Friendship Games. The mocking faces of those damned Wondercolts and even her students. Her students! The treachery of that Twilight Sparkle.

Something within Abacus snapped as her frustration culminated, and she screamed, flying into a rage. She grabbed her car keys, then flung them as hard as she could. The keys hit a mirror, causing the glass to crack.

Abacus grabbed the mirror, then threw it on the kitchen floor. A loud shattering noise followed as some shards escaped from under the frame. She picked it back up, then hurled it into her living room, breaking a vase and a lamp.

Abacus panted, then came back to her senses. She put a hand to her head and shook it slowly, feeling ashamed of herself. How could she have lost control of herself? She had managed to remain poised for so long!

Abacus glanced at the destruction she had wrought, then turned away. She would clean it up tomorrow. She had had enough negativity as of late. Perhaps if she retired for the evening, she would feel refreshed.

As Abacus ascended the stairs, she scoffed.

Wishful thinking at best.

Abacus went into her room and fell asleep.





Sour Sweet's nap had sufficiently recharged herself, but she had nothing to do, so she simply resorted to staring up at her ceiling for hours. Damn her landlords!

"Yeah, what are we going to do about those assholes?"

We'll figure something out.

"Sweet, they've taken pretty much everything except your virginity!"

Sour Sweet growled. Was that really necessary to say?!

"My point is that Cinnamon Flash and Blueberry Dazzle have taken nearly everything! Your bed, your television, your lamps... all in lieu of money you don't have! Time is short, and it won't be long before they come over and evict you for being unable to pay!"

Sweet grit her teeth.

"I know you don't want to think about it, and neither do I," Side continued, "But this has to stop! Somehow..."

We have Dean Cadance in our corner. Between the three of us, we will figure something out.

"...I just don't like this whole 'sitting around and doing nothing' thing."

There's not much we can do right now. Sweet sighed. If I contact Dean Cadance tomorrow, would that make you feel better?

"Yes. Yes it would."

"Good," Sour said with a nod of her head, then closed her eyes for the night.





Indigo Zap put on her pajamas, then stared into her mirror as she recalled how frantically Twinkle was speaking on the phone. Who her mom was speaking with, she didn't know. She was just glad she wasn't on the receiving end of the tirade.

Indigo walked over to her dresser, then picked up the piece of paper with Fleur Dis Lee's number. She stared at it, still in disbelief. Dis Lee thought she was hot. Dis Lee thought she was hot!

Indigo couldn't let a chance like this pass her by, no matter how exhausted she was! Quick as a flash, she grabbed her phone and dialed the number.

Indigo tapped her foot nervously as she heard the dialtone. Her heartbeat sped up and sweat started forming on her forehead. What should she say? How should she say what she was going to say?

The dialtone stopped, and so did Indigo's heart.

"Hello," Dis Lee slurred.

Indigo's mind raced, and she blurted out the first thing in her mind. "Stethoscope!"

There was a pause on the other end for a moment. "I... Indigo?"

"H-Hi."

"Why are you, like, calling me this late?"

Heat rose to Indigo's face. "Oh, shit! I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd be asleep!"

"S'okay... call you tomorrow afternoon, 'kay?"

"S-Sure."

Dis Lee hung up, and Indigo walked over to her bed, then slammed her head into a pillow repeatedly until she ran out of energy and fell asleep.





Lemon Zest heaved a sigh as she crawled into her bed. She had been waiting for this moment ever since the Friendship Games ended! Rest and relaxation awaited her, and she'd be damned if she didn't have a good night's sleep after everything that had happened to her!

Sore muscles, low energy, slowed mind... Lemon was totally exhausted. Pushed beyond her limit for the first time in recent memory. Her eyes were heavy. She would get to the bottom of the whole Rarity thing tomorrow. After all, it wasn't like it'd just up and disappear.

Lemon felt asleep quickly.





Sunny Flare simply sat at her desk, staring at her computer. She was on MyStable, and had intended to find that Flash person, but she still felt so ashamed of herself.

Heaving a sigh, Sunny summoned up the courage to start typing. She found Flash within a few minutes. Upon reaching his MyStable page, she began to feel worse. He seemed like such a nice guy. His smile was genuine, he had a lot of friends...

That settled it.

Sunny typed up a message.

Hey. I just wanted to apologize for that slap earlier today. I really had been through a lot, and not just at the Friendship Games. I'm sorry I took it all out on you. No hard feelings, I hope?

- Sunny Flare

Sunny's conscience felt lighter, and she sent the message. Having done that, she slowly got into her bed and turned the light off.





Sugarcoat nuzzled against Neon with a happy sigh. After their nap together, they fucked like animals. They had held each other close, kissed passionately, caressed each other...

That had essentially been all that Sugarcoat and Neon had done since returning. Sex. Dinner. Sex. Shower. Sex. Bed. Sex. It was amazing what a little rest could do.

Now nearly unable to move, Sugarcoat laced her fingers with Neon's and gazed into his eyes lovingly. "I love you."

Neon smiled warmly. "I love you too." He pecked Sugarcoat on the forehead, and they both fell asleep.

Thus ended everyone's Friday evening.
> Mornings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lemon Zest slowly opened her eyes, and a smile spread across her face. She all but jumped out of bed, knowing almost immediately which song she wanted to hear. She turned on her musical device and found the tune.





Lemon nodded her head to the beat. The guitar and organ kicked in, and she strutted over to her dresser as she took her pajamas off. She grinned widely and began dancing as the horn and turntables started up, then lip-synced along with the rapper. She swayed her hips, swinging her arms as she grabbed a bra and put it on with speed and flexibility that would make a seasoned stripper do a double-take.

Lemon giggled, impressed with herself. Seems those lessons with Foot Steps were paying off in spades! She reached for her panties, then froze up as memories of yesterday's events caught up with her. Slowly returning to reality, she grabbed them, then put them on.

Lemon sat down on the floor in her underwear as the song finished, and she stared at her wall with a sigh. She then laid on her floor and stared up at her bedroom ceiling, feeling her long hair from the top of her back all the way down to her bottom.

For reasons Lemon couldn't explain, this position had made her feel more secure. She decided to stay that way.





Cadance woke up to an incredibly painful headache. She grit her teeth, then muttered under her breath as she slowly got out of bed. The moment her foot touched the floor, the world started spinning.

"Oh, f-f-fu..."

Cadance toppled to the floor with a yelp. She made a sputtering noise as she put a hand to her head. She knew drinking was going to be a bad idea, but did she listen to herself? Noooo... Ugh, maybe she should just fall asleep here. Did she even fall asleep at all last night?

Cadance slowly shook her head, and the room spun again.

"D... Dammit..."

Cadance wasn't going to take any chances. She stumbled her way to the bathroom, then lifted both the toilet lid and seat and just sat on the floor, staring at a transparent reflection of a woman who's had a rough go of things.

Within minutes, Cadance's stomach violently protested.





Indigo laid in her bed, completely under the covers. She had been up for a few hours already, and she decided she'd be much safer there. Curled up, enveloped in warmth while occasionally lifting her comforter for fresh air, making a noise every now and then to signify her contentment.

Indigo had heard shuffling from downstairs for the past half-hour, a clear indication that her parents were awake and active. Now doubt within minutes the scent of breakfast would reach her nose and coax her downstairs.

Indigo wasn't going to kid herself. Despite her hesitation to get out of bed due to the magical insanity from yesterday, she knew nothing was going to keep her from food. Nothing. Not even...

Indigo shuddered at the memory of Twilight's monstrous form. The plant monsters... the portals... the scent of bacon caused her to shoot out of her bed and fly out the door.

"MMMMMEEEEEEAAAAAAAAT!"





Sunny Flare woke up and hurried to her computer. She logged onto MyStable immediately, hoping she received a response.

Nothing.

Sunny sighed. She shouldn't have gotten so worked up over a response, even if it alleviated her guilt. Flash would answer when he was good and ready, and Sunny wouldn't glue herself to her computer waiting for an unknowable amount of time. She had her own life to live, after all.

Sunny logged off of MyStable and cracked her neck. This little snag aside, her optimism form yesterday hadn't wavered in the slightest. Hell, she survived certain death!

A chill ran down Sunny's spine. She... she really did survive. That was mortal danger she was in!

Sunny felt lightheaded as she got up off of her desk chair. Her breathing became uneven, and she closed her eyes.

Calm down, Sunny... calm down...

Sunny could've been hit by one of those magical rays. She could have fallen through the portals...

Sunny Flare whimpered as the gravity of yesterday finally hit her full force...

....then everything went black.





Sour Sweet grunted as she slowly rose from the hard floor, then cracked her neck with a yelp. "Needed that more than I thought I did!"

"I sure as hell felt that!"

Did it hurt?

"It didn't hurt you, so it didn't hurt me."

Sweet shrugged.

"So... what do you wanna do today?"

Oh, I think I have an idea... Sweet took her phone out of her pocket, then reached her contacts. Smiling, she dialed up a friend...





Sugarcoat slowly woke up to the familiar sound of Neon's snoring. She felt his hand on the small of her back, and she sighed blissfully as she closed her eyes. She was in a moment she wouldn't trade anything for, hearing his heartbeat with her head resting on his chest.

This was pure heaven, and Sugarcoat reveled in it.

In a matter of minutes, Neon stopped snoring, then stirred and opened his eyes.

Sugarcoat laughed softly, then reached out and took Neon's hand and laced her fingers with his. "Morning, hot stuff," she whispered.

"Hey, Sugar." Neon gently ran his thumb up and down the small of Sugarcoat's back, and she shivered with a giggle. "How're you feeling?"

"My everything is sore as fuck."

Neon barked a laugh. "Same here, hon... same here."

"Can you even move?"

Neon smiled warmly. "I think the better question is 'do I even want to?'"

Sugarcoat sighed happily and nuzzled Neon's chest, finishing with a quick peck. "I know I don't."

Neon slowly traced his finger up Sugarcoat's spine, eliciting another giggle and shiver. "Listen to the both of us, smooth-talking each other," he said with a grin.

"Yeah... if my body wasn't so wrecked right now..." Sugarcoat trailed off, gazing alluringly at Neon.

"You're not too worn out for a kiss or two, are you?"

Sugarcoat scooted up to Neon's face. "Not even five," she whispered, then planted her lips on his.

Neon opened his mouth and sighed upon tasting Sugarcoat's tongue as he ran a hand through her hair.

Sugarcoat broke the kiss, then gently caressed Neon's cheek with her thumb. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Neon and Sugarcoat wrapped their arms around each other and kissed again. Then again. Then again.

Neon winced and let out a grunt.

"You okay, hot stuff?"

"Yeah," Neon said in a strained tone. "Just a... small muscle cramp..." He put his arm on his left shoulder. "Hurts right here."

Sugarcoat gently massaged Neon's shoulder, and he sighed. "Thanks..."

"Of course, hon," Sugarcoat said as she got off of Neon.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to start a shower," Sugarcoat said as she walked into her bathroom. "A nice hot one where we can massage and soothe each other."

Neon smiled. "Ooh, I like the sound of that." He got off of Sugarcoat's bed and followed her into the bathroom.





Abacus woke up for what felt like the hundredth time since she went to bed. That damnable nightmare had persisted, and there seemed to be nothing she could do about it! She growled. She couldn't very well go about her day and not be of sound mind if she could help it. Perhaps some tea with her breakfast should be in order.

Abacus' thoughts drifted to what her father, Sombra, would have done. She scoffed almost immediately. He had dementia, there was nothing that he could have done!

Abacus got out of bed and recalled all that she had planned for the future: Find an heir to take over Crystal Prep, get help for her constant nightmares, get the outcome of the Friendship Games to be reversed, exact revenge on those who mocked her, and find a way to that alternate world!

There was so much for Abacus to do, but she had the whole day ahead of herself.

As did everyone else.
> Phone A Friend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had taken Lemon a few minutes to find the will to even move. She put her arms behind her head and sighed, wondering what her parentals had thought of her. The dinner she had with them following her explanation of what had happened back at Canterlot High was... surprisingly normal, aside from them repeatedly asking if she was okay and what her mental state was.

What Lemon found strange most of all was that neither of her parents asked her about the magic. If she was in their shoes, she'd have asked about it nonstop! She slowly shook her head, imagining that her parentals were just worried about her. Nothing more, nothing less. The thought changed her mood, and she smiled.

Lemon's phone rang, and she raised an eyebrow. She raised her back, then tucked in her legs as she pressed her fingertips against the floor. She kicked her legs outward and arched her back, then landed on her feet in a successful kip up. She reached her phone and inspected it.

Now Calling: Sour Sweet

"Huh..." Lemon answered her phone, and was met with silence on the other end. "Sour? You there?"

"Yeah," Sour said quietly. "I... don't normally talk on the phone, so I apologize for any weirdness."

"No worries." Lemon flopped onto her bed. "What's up?"

"Well... I'm actually feeling a little lonely. Would it be okay if I stopped by or something?"

Lemon smiled. "I like the idea, but I'd have to check with the parentals."

Sour snorted.

Lemon rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's what I call my mom and dad," she said with mild frustration.

"Sorry," Sour said sheepishly.

Lemon made a noncommittal noise and shrugged. "Anyway, I'll check in with them and call you back, 'kay?"

"Sure thing."

Lemon hung up, then got dressed and left her room.





Cadance moaned as she flushed the toilet. Her stomach was completely empty, but the rest of her still felt like shit. She heaved a sigh as she struggled to get up, then stumbled. "Motherfu-" A sudden dry heave cut her off, and she instinctively tilted her head in the direction of the toilet.

Cadance whimpered after she finished and curled herself into a ball. She didn't want to stray too far from the bathroom if she could help it. Her head pounded, causing her to mutter under her breath. "F-Fuck my life..." Taking caution, she slowly got up to her knees, then gradually stood upright.

Cadance took a deep breath, then sighed again. She was dizzy, but not so much that she'd collapse if she stepped forward. She walked over to the bathroom sink, and upon seeing her reflection, immediately regretted her decision.

Cadance's eyes were bloodshot and her face had paled. Her hair was an absolute mess, and she was almost positive that some of her vomit made its way into it. She made a sputtering noise, then heard her phone ring from her room. She tilted her head, then slowly made her way into her room.

Cadance reached her phone just in time before her ringtone finished.

Now Calling: Radiant Hope

Cadance nearly gasped. She had been so overwhelmed that she forgot to talk to Hope! As quick as she could, she picked up the phone and accepted the call.

"Cadance! Luna told me everything that happened. Are you okay?"

"I feel fucking terrible," Cadance muttered.

"You sound terrible."

"That's because I went straight home and got shitfaced."

There was a pause on the other end. "...So you're telling me you're hung over?"

"It was all just too much for me, Hope! All the stress, the calls, the near-death experience..." Cadance shuddered.

"That was the worst of it, Cadance. I'm sure of it."

"How do you know the magic won't return and wreak havoc again? We exposed nearly the entire student body to it!"

"Because from what I understand, all of the magical incidents have taken place at Canterlot High. Not the city, not the suburbs, just Canterlot High."

Cadance yelped as her head throbbed again. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath.

Hope fell silent for a moment. "...Do you want to me come over and keep you company?"

Cadance considered the possibility. It would be nice to have someone to talk to, even though she was a total mess. It only took her a moment to mull it over. "Okay. Just take your time in getting here, I don't want you to rush."

"You don't... you don't have to worry..."

"Hope?"

Hope took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Sorry about that. Pregnancy nausea."

"Are you going to be okay?"

Hope snorted. "Of course I am. I've been through this twice before, remember?"

Cadance nodded. "I do."

"I'll see you soon then."

"See you soon." Cadance hung up, then went back into the bathroom. A nice, long shower was waiting for her, and she didn't want to deny it any longer!





Lemon returned to her room and dialed up Sour. After two rings, the call was picked up.

"Hey. So what'd they say?"

"As long as we don't try to kill each other, it should be fine."

Sour snorted. "They won't have to worry about that."

"Yeah, that's what I told 'em. Anyway," Lemon said as she went to Sour in her contacts. "Here's my address." She texted her address to Sour. "That's not too far from where you live, is it?"

"No, it's not. Besides, I could use the exercise."

Had Sour been in the room with Lemon, she would have received a funny look. "...Seriously? Have you forgotten everything that happened yesterday?"

Sour laughed. "Of course not, Lemon... not for lack of trying!"

"I hear that. Totally screwed up my groove and mood!"

"You'll get it back, I have no doubt."

Lemon smiled. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"I should get going. We can talk later."

"Yup!"

Sour hung up, and Lemon sighed. It felt nice to have Sour as a friend rather than an enemy. As she waited, she wondered what they would do.

Whatever they'd end up doing together, she was sure they'd enjoy it.
> Flashes of Midnight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunny Flare was back at Canterlot High, and the Friendship Games were almost over.

"Release the magic!"

Twilight Sparkle walked into the middle of the playing field, clutching her pendant tightly.

"We're not friends here, after all!"

Sunny watched as Twilight began to open her device.

"The last event of the Friendship Games begins... now!"

Twilight's pendant opened fully, and she became fully enveloped in a ball of white energy.

A chill ran through Sunny's body as she watched Twilight emerge.

Twilight had transformed in a... a demon of some kind! Her skin had darkened considerably, and her hair flowed as though it was a black, purple, and rose flame with a jagged horn. She grinned psychotically with wide, glowing blue eyes and red pupils. She flapped her lengthy, feathery wings to stay aloft.

Demonic, maniacal cackling rung out from Twilight's mouth, and Sunny Flare froze up. She was so frightened, she couldn't even think! 

Suddenly, Twilight shot beams of magic out of her hands, opening numerous portals to what looked like a world filled with small horses that... seemed to able to talk?!

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cinch slowly walking away.

"W... Where are you g-going?"

Cinch turned around, and she had sported an expression Sunny had never seen from her: pure terror.

"I'm going to stay alive," Cinch said, then ran away as fast as she could.

Sunny turned back around to see Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, Lemon Zest, and Indigo Zap, each of them fearful for their lives.

"Shit... I think we're all going to die here..." Lemon shivered as tears ran down her eyes. "I-I don't want to die..."

Indigo went catatonic, simply staring forward as though her life was flashing before her eyes.

Sour's fearful expression faded, and she sighed, then closed her eyes.

Sugarcoat was frantically running around, shouting for Neon.

Sunny looked around herself. Portals everywhere, people screaming in terror... and there was nothing that could be done.

Rutherford... I guess I'll be seeing you again sooner than I'd thought...

Sunny watched as a huge crack in the ground formed and nearly swallowed a student. Another student... Applejack, she believed, had dived forward and grabbed the other student, then pulled her up.

Sunny felt a warmth in her chest as she watched the Wondercolts save their fellow students and Shadowbolts alike. She glanced at her teammates, and suddenly felt a burst of adrenaline as they all nodded in unison. It was like magic.

Sunny ran over to where Twilight's dog was and hurriedly grabbed the student-the one she remembered calling 'dearie', by the elbows. Much to her surprise, the student began to emit a yellow aura!

Sunny watched as another student spoke to Twilight's monstrous form.

"True magic comes from honesty!"

Sunny blinked in surprise as Applejack's hair began to float upwards.

"Loyalty!"

Another student's hair floated.

"Laughter!"

A pink-skinned student next to Sour had her poofy hair rise up.

"Generosity!"

The student next to Indigo did the same.

"Kindness!"

The hair of the student next to Sunny rose as well, and she watched as the auras from those five students pour into Twilight's amulet, which that one student had held open.

The student closed it, then hurled it to the ground, shattering it as she became engulfed in a light similar to Twilight's.

Sunny panicked. There were going to be two of them now?!

The student emerged, sporting glowing golden wings. Her red and gold hair flowed in the same way the other students' did. Her pink dress shimmered from the light of her wings, and she began to repair the tears in reality.

"No", Twilight's demonic form shouted as she charged towards the other student. Blue spheres of magic appeared from her hands, and the two clashed in midair, causing a bright light to flash.

Sunny yelped in pain and covered her eyes as the fighting continued. Loud explosions caused her ears to ring, and she glanced around. All the students seemed to be safe... for now, at least. She looked back up to the battle, then gasped.

Twilight was winning!

Something inside of Sunny had told her to run, but she couldn't. She had to see the outcome of this battle.

"Twilight!"

Sunny blinked, then noticed Twilight's pet dog run in the direction of the battle. Wait. Did the dog just... talk?!

Sunny shook her head and watched as the dog stopped and gazed desperately in Twilight's direction.

Twilight glanced downward, and her eyes turned back to normal. She spoke, but Sunny couldn't hear what was said.

The other student seemed to take note of Twilight's distraction, and used it to her advantage, causing both of them to be engulfed in a white light.

Sunny stood still, worried about the outcome. Each moment felt like an eternity until the white light began to dissipate, with Twilight and the other student descending to the ground.

Sunny breathed a sigh of relief and put her hand to her chest. Her heart was beating furiously! She walked up to Twilight, only to pause. Something felt off. She shook her head. It must just be her imagination.

As Sunny neared Twilight, she began to feel a sense of dread. That it truly wasn't over. No. It was just the adrenaline talking. Everyone was safe, and everyone was okay. Physically okay, at least.

"Twilight," Sunny said as she approached her. "I'm so glad you're okay... you are okay, aren't you?"

Twilight laughed softly. "Yes, Sunny, I'm okay..." Her eyes suddenly turned bright blue. "Now that you're here!" She grabbed Sunny and shook her violently, and everything went black.





"Sunny! Answer me, Sunny!" Glaze shook Sunny in a panic.

Sunny opened her eyes with a loud gasp, then broke free of Glaze's grip and crawled backwards until she came into contact with her bedroom wall. She panted, then realized where she was and saw her parents give her very worried looks. She all but launched herself into their arms and hugged them tightly with a sigh of relief.
> Two More Calls
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as Indigo finished her breakfast, she ran down to the basement and began constructing a large pillow fort. This time she'd reinforce the battlements with her textbooks rather than more pillows. She slowly shook her head and put her hand to her chest, mourning the loss of those many brave souls due to her architectural negligence.

"Never again," Indigo whispered sharply to herself. She could still hear the screams as her soldiers fell through the floor, causing her to grit her teeth.

Before Indigo could head upstairs to grab her DERF ordnance, her phone rang. She blinked in surprise and felt sweat roll down her forehead. Only one person could possibly be calling her right now.

Indigo's heartbeat sped up. Wait... her heartbeat sped up, and she was sweating?!

"You were like, so totally damned hot out there on the motocross track."

Indigo had so many freaking thoughts darting around in her head as her phone continued to ring. She had to calm down... de Lis never said anything about an emotional attraction, just a physical attraction. Gah, she needed to answer the damned phone already!!

Indigo snapped herself out of her thoughts and grabbed her phone from out of her pocket.

Now Calling: Fleur de Lis

Indigo took a deep breath and exhaled, then swallowed...

...and answered her phone.





Neon Lights and Sugarcoat had finished eating their breakfasts, and they both went down to the basement to snuggle and watch whatever looked good on television.

Sugarcoat had laid on top of Neon, and she occasionally nuzzled his chest or caressed his arm during their time downstairs. 

Neon had stroked Sugarcoat's hair and pecked her on her forehead. His phone rang, breaking the moment of peace. He grabbed it and checked it.

Now Calling: Mom and Dad

"Aah, shit," Neon muttered as he put a hand to his forehead. "I forgot to check in with them!" He accepted the call and put it on speaker.

"Hey, sport," Cypress Bark said.

"I assume you heard everything from Cadance, Dad," Neon asked.

"Yep."

"We wanted to give you some time to rest after all that happened," Cerulean Cascade said.

"I can only imagine how worried you were, Mom," Neon said.

"...Is Sugarcoat there with you?"

"Of course I am," Sugarcoat responded. "We're still at my place."

"Right, right..."

"I'm going to get straight to the point of this call," Cypress said. "Neon... can you please spend more time at home with us?" He paused. "We... we knew you were all right after everything that happened, but..." There was an audible sniffle on the other end of line. "Th-the thought of losing you... that it could very well have happened..." Another sniffle. "I-I'm sorry... I need a moment," his voice broke, and he hung up.

"...Dad..." Neon's eyes went wide.

"Please come home tonight, hon," Cerulean said with a quaver in her voice.

"I'll be right there," Neon said without a second thought, then hung up.

Sugarcoat got off of Neon, then smiled warmly. "Go. They need you more than I do right now." She pulled him up, then gave him a passionate kiss with a sigh as they tasted each other's tongues.

Neon broke the kiss. "Are you going to be okay?"

Sugarcoat snorted. "Of course I am, hot stuff. It's not like I'll never see you again."

"I meant sexually."

"Oh. I'll probably end up masturbating a few times just to take the edge off." Sugarcoat smiled. "Seriously, hon, go."

"See you later, Sugar. I love you!"

"I love you, too," Sugarcoat said as she watched Neon leave the basement.





"Hey, there," De Lis said softly.

"H-H-Hi," Indigo stammered.

An awkward silence followed for several moments until Fleur de Lis broke it using a dead serious tone.

"...Stethoscope."

Indigo blinked, then fell into a laughing fit. She slapped her palms on the floor until they were red, then wiped tears from her eyes.

"Wow," de Lis said in surprise. "That like, really is a good icebreaker."

Indigo sighed, now fully calmed. "That wasn't even why I said that last night, but whatever works."

"Right?"

"So... what made me so hot during the Games yesterday?" Indigo felt heat rise to her face.

De Lis scoffed. "Oh, don't be so modest! You and Lemon saved my life back there when things went tits up! And more than that..."

Indigo's heart was thundering in her chest. "L-Like w-what?"

"You don't give a shit what others think about you. You like doing your own thing..." De Lis sighed. "I'm kind of jealous that you, like, don't have a filter."

Indigo's eyes widened. "Why would you be jealous? You're pretty much the most popular girl at Crystal Prep!"

"That's my point," de Lis exclaimed, nearly startling Indigo. "Being one of the more popular girls is stressful! I like, have to watch what I say, what I do, who I hang out with..." She trailed off, then muttered something under her breath.

Indigo blinked. "I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't catch that last part."

De Lis took a deep breath, then exhaled. "I have to watch what I say. I have to watch what I do... I have to watch who I hang out w-with..." There was a long pause, and Indigo was nearly strangling her phone as though it would help De Lis finish speaking.

"...I have to watch..." There was another pause.

Indigo stood still and grit her teeth, restraining every impulse and urge to tell her to get on with it.

"I have to... watch who I... date."

Indigo's knees went weak, and she nearly toppled over. "D-D-De L-Lis... a-a-are you... saying what I think... a-and hope y-you're s-saying?" Her eyes widened. This had to have been the fastest crush she'd ever developed! Normally it would take her weeks to summon the courage to say something like that!

De Lis sighed heavily, then laughed softly. "You know what? Fuck popularity. Yes, Indigo Zap. I'm asking you out on a date."

Indigo froze up in disbelief, then brought herself back to reality in what had to have been record time. "When are you available?"

"...How does tomorrow afternoon sound?"

Indigo nodded. "Yeah... yeah, I can do that."

"See you then."

"Yeah..."

De Lis hung up, and Indigo stood still for several moments as her brain began to catch up with what had just happened.





Twinkle Trick and Azure Feather were sitting outside and enjoying the nice weather, when a high-pitched scream came from their basement window. Alarmed, they both ran over.

"Zappo, are you okay," Feather asked.

"Way better than okay," Indigo responded, beaming. "You'll never guess what just happened!!"
> Priorities and Mistakes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abacus paced back and forth in her study with her hands behind her back. Indeed, there was much to do... but where to start?

Perhaps adoption? Abacus shook her head. She would save that for last. It would be difficult to raise a child while trying to accomplish her other goals. Not to mention the task would be very time-consuming.

Reversing the outcome of the Friendship Games would likely be time-consuming as well. Contacting the school board, scheduling a meeting, convincing the members that her complaints were valid... that would be a feat in and of itself, considering none of said members were there to witness the magic. She would have to form a well thought out argument, and that would indeed take time.

Exacting revenge would also take time... Abacus sighed, thanking her lucky stars she wasn't the sort who preferred instant gratification, yet she did not care for the fact that all of her goals were long-term.

At the very least, she could easily find someone to help her with her psychological trauma. She already knew someone who would be able to assist her.

Abacus took her phone and dialed a number, then waited as the dial tone sounded off. Several moments later, the voicemail picked up.

"Hello, you've reached the office of Radiant Hope. Please leave your name and number, and I will contact you as soon as I can." A beeping noise sounded off.

Abacus took a deep breath, exhaled, and swallowed her pride. "Radiant Hope. This is Abacus Cinch. I... fear my mental faculties are suffering due to an... incident that happened in my childhood." She sighed. "That is all I am comfortable with telling you over the phone." She hung up with another sigh. The deed was done. All she would have to do is wait until Monday.

Perhaps the next thing she should do is come up with a reasonable argument so she could get that ghastly Friendship Games result overturned. How in the Universe was she going to convince the school board of magic's existence?

Abacus stopped in her tracks, then chuckled to herself. Her mind must be slipping more than she thought! It was all too simple! She needed evidence. With that in mind, she headed to her garage and began a drive to Canterlot High.





Abacus arrived at Canterlot High, she realized she had made errors in judgment as she parked in front of several construction vehicles.

First, she should have realized that a team of people would be here to convert the playing field back to its normal state. She would have to be careful and watchful of what she was doing.

Second, how was she going to find even a scant trace of the magic? She should've stopped by Crystal Prep and went into Twilight Sparkle's lab to get her equipment!  No... what good would that have done? She wouldn't even know how to operate those confounded things.

Third, what would she put the evidence in? She didn't have the proper equipment, and she doubted mere pictures would suffice.

Abacus put a hand to her head and sighed. She didn't think this through. Nonetheless, she would continue with her plan. She didn't want to waste time going back and forth, that would make her look more suspicious than she already did!

Abacus got out of her car and looked around, making sure nobody saw her, then carefully made her way to the field. She stopped suddenly upon seeing it again, and a dreadful memory returned...





Abacus fumed as she sat in her chair in the stand with Luna, Celestia and Cadance. That loss in the cooking round of the ACADECA portion was bad enough, but to have lost the archery round as well?? There would have to be consequences for these failures...

A loud crash brought Abacus back to reality, and she froze up in her seat.

Out of a portal that seemingly came from nowhere, a gigantic slithering green plant monster had emerged! Its tendrils snaked around the ground, as though it was searching for prey.

Abacus remained still, horrified at the sight. It was all she could do. Everything froze in time for her, until a loud thud captured her attention. She noticed the rainbow-haired student standing on top of another plant monster's head. Even more stunning was the fact that the student had wings!

"Canterlot wins!"

Abacus' eyes shot open. "WHAT?!"





Abacus shuddered. Perhaps coming here wasn't the best idea.

A gunshot sounded off in her mind, and she yelped. Indeed, this was a bad idea.

A thunderous booming sound startled her greatly, and she ran off to the front of the building.

Abacus leaned against Canterlot High's entrance, panting as she clutched her chest.





Abacus Cinch once again found herself frozen with fear. She had watched Twilight Sparkle transform into a hideous creature, and she looked like she was about to do something sinister.

Move, damn you, MOVE!

Abacus summoned the will to back up slightly, unable to take her eyes off of Twilight's monstrous form. She watched in horror as Twilight destroyed the horse statue, then conjured up several portals to an alternate world.

"Hey!"

Abacus turned to see Sunny Flare.

"Where are you going," Sunny demanded.

"I'm going to stay alive," Cinch said, then ran as fast as she could to find a hiding spot, all the while praying to whatever higher powers there may be that she would live to see another day.





Abacus' heart was racing like never before! It was all she could do to just stand! A tap on the door caught her attention, and she slowly turned around...

...to see Twilight's monstrous form behind the door.

Abacus let out a scream of terror as tears began to run down her eyes. She ran as fast as she could, keeping her eyes on the door for a moment, then directed her gaze forward with a gasp. She ran into the plinth that once held the statue, felt a severe wave of dizziness, then everything went black.
> Family Breakfast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunny Flare heaved a sigh as she stared at her plate, which was full of food. Neither she nor her parents had spoken since she came to.

"What happened up there," Glaze asked concernedly.

Sunny sighed again. "Oh, nothing much, Mother," she said casually. "I only came to the sudden realization that I could've died yesterday, blacked out, then relived the most horrifying part of the Friendship Games. Oh, and I got strangled by Twilight's warped form." She smiled sadly. "Never a dull moment for me, huh? The way things are going, I'd welcome ennui with open arms."

"Sunny..."

Stellar frowned. Had he known what was going to happen yesterday, he would've forbidden Sunny from participating. It was horrible enough that she lost her boyfriend recently, but to have two near-death experiences within a week! It quite frankly astounded him that his daughter still had the ability to be sarcastic.

Sunny began to eat. "Can we talk about something else?"

Glaze and Stellar glanced at each other, then shrugged.

"What would you like to talk about," Stellar asked.

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Shoes, ships, and sealing wax. I don't know! Something. Anything to get my mind off what happened yesterday before it inevitably rears its ugly head and gives me a panic attack!"

"Okay, then," Stellar said before taking a swig of milk. "Let's talk about how you treated... Flash Sentry, was it?"

Sunny blanched, then looked at Glaze.

"You did say anything," Glaze said with a shrug.

Sunny grunted in frustration, then sighed. "Fine. Look, I know what I did was wrong, and getting lost in my emotions was no excuse for slapping him."

Stellar nodded.

"Besides, I apologized to him last night via a personal message. I have yet to hear back from him."

"Good enough for me," Glaze said. "Now how about getting some friends?"

"Well... there is this guy, Sunburst. He had a crush on me..."

"Had?"

"Yeah." Sunny blushed as she put her hand behind her head. "He probably still has it, but I turned him down in a rather... unpleasant way."

Glaze heaved a sigh. "Sunny..."

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Let me finish, Mother. I'm at least being nice to him, so there's that."

"What about the girls," Stellar asked.

Sunny blinked. "The girls?"

"Yes. Sugarcoat, Lemon, Indigo and Sour. From what you told us, you five banded together under an enormous amount of pressure!"

Sunny raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. "That was more of an... alliance of necessity. It just happened so suddenly! It was like we all ran on instinct."

"But the five you acted like a team," Stellar said. "Tell me, Sunny. When was the last time something like that happened at Crystal Prep?"

Sunny furrowed her brows for a moment. "...I... I don't know."

"Exactly. If you made friends with them, who knows what you all could accomplish together!"

Sunny scoffed. "'If'. After all the things I've said to them... would they really want to be my friends?"

"You won't know unless you give it a shot," Glaze said.

"You'll have to forgive me if I remain skeptical, Mother. In case you've forgotten, Crystal Prep doesn't exactly have a 'forgive and forget' mentality."

Glaze folded her arms and smiled. "It didn't have a teamwork mentality either."

Sunny paused for a moment. Her mother may have had a point, but she wasn't going to hold her breath about the whole 'friendship' thing with the girls. "I suppose I'll think about it, at the very least."

Glaze shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Can we stop talking now? I'd like to eat breakfast." And think.

"Of course."

Sunny dug in, contemplating her conversation with her parents. It was almost ridiculous how hard they were pushing this friendship thing.

"Sorry, dearie... I'm taken, but it's so cute that you thought you had a chance with me!"

Sunny shook her head rapidly. Why'd that come up all of a sudden?

"Why, Sour," Sunny said, in a tone of mock surprise. "Whatever makes you think I have an ulterior motive?"

Sour rolled her eyes. "Because you're you, dumbass!" she yelled. "I don't think you've ever done anything without an ulterior motive!"

Sunny Flare rolled her eyes and smiled. "Sour Sweet... you know me so well! It's like we're becoming friends or something."

What was going on?

"Hmph. 'Friendship is magic.' That nonsense is for little girls. We're teenagers, we've moved beyond that point."

"Yours must be a sad and lonely existence, Sunny," said Lemon.

Sunny barked a laugh. "Oh, please," she said. "If anyone's existence is sad and lonely, it's most likely Sour Sweet's!"

"You don't know what she's been through," Lemon said through clenched teeth.

Sunny's eyes widened as an epiphany struck. She knew then what Lemon had said was true, but this time her statement had more weight to it.

Sunny was fairly well-adjusted, and this past week had been filled with nothing but tragedy and trauma. If this was the case for her now...

...then how badly damaged was Sour Sweet before the Friendship Games?

Sunny lost her grip on her fork, and it fell to the table with a clatter as she put her head in her hands. "Oh, god," she whispered.

"Sunny?" Stellar walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Sunny shuddered. "I don't know... but I'm realizing just how terrible I've been to everyone at Crystal Prep." To say nothing of friendship actually being magic.

Glaze put a hand on Sunny's other shoulder. "That just means you're growing as a person, sweetie."

Sunny heaved a sigh. "Yeah... I don't know how I feel about this."

"You don't have to worry. The guilt will go away when you apologize and make amends."

"You mean I'm going to be stuck with this the entire weekend?!"

"It's possible," Stellar said casually with a shrug.

Sunny growled in frustration, then got up.

"Where are you going?"

"To get another fork."

"I hope you don't think you're going to eat the guilt away."

Sunny snorted. "Oh, if only it were that easy." She sat back down. "No, I'm going to finish my breakfast with no further interruptions!"

Sunny Flare all but wolfed down everything on her plate, paying no mind to anyone or anything until she finished with a satisfied sigh. "My compliments to the chef," she said to her parents as they stared at her with mouths agape.

Sunny's phone buzzed, notifying her of a message from MyStable. "Now if you'll both excuse me, I have some personal business to attend to." She walked back to her room, eager for Flash's long-awaited response.
> In A New Light
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indigo heaved a sigh and shed a tear, saluting the decimated pillow fort before her. She was distracted by an unexpected phone call, and some unknown enemy - definitely not herself in a fit of joy after being asked out by one of the hottest girls at CPA - destroyed it!

Indigo wiped away her imaginary tear, swearing vengeance on the now-doomed soul that dared to ransack Fort Zap! With a clenched fist, she silently screamed in rage because if she actually did scream, her parents would check to see if she was okay.

Indigo still couldn't believe that Fleur Dis Lis of all people wanted to date her! She chuckled to herself as she shook her head. She hadn't even been on a date before! Wait... she'd never been on a date before! 

"Oh, shit..."

A chill ran down Indigo's spine as the implications hit her. She was all about being random in her day-to-day life, but would that fly on a date? No! At the same time, however, she knew that just being herself would suffice...

But this wasn't just hanging out, it was a freaking date! Not to mention a with a crush that just came straight out of left field! Like, seriously! What the hell, teenage hormones?!

Indigo stared at nothing in particular, hoping it would calm herself down.

"You will race in pairs," Principal Cinch said. "Indigo Zap and Sugarcoat will handle the motocross."

Indigo muttered to herself, then shook her head rapidly. "Ishkabibble." She thought of Fleur, and her heart skipped a beat. Maybe she should do some... 'research' on her to prepare.

Indigo went to her desk and logged into MyStable, then typed in Fleur's name in the search engine. Within moments, she found her.

Fleur Dis Lis' MyStable profile avatar was a picture of her wearing a light purple jacket over what Indigo believed was a cyan camisole. Mustard yellow shorts, pink socks almost as high as her knees and green heels.

There was no doubt in Indigo's mind that Fleur Dis Lis was attractive. Hell, it was the only reason (to her knowledge) why she was popular! She sent a friend request, scrolled down a little, then stopped abruptly as her eyes widened.

On Indigo's screen was a picture of Fleur Dis Lis, which had the caption I'm sexy and I know it.

In the picture, Fleur Dis Lis was wearing a dark purple bikini. Her arms, legs and midriff were slightly toned, and Indigo couldn't help but stare at her breasts. They were bigger than she thought! All of those things, combined with her sultry expression and suggestive pose, caused Indigo to sweat.

Indigo found another picture with the same bikini, but with a different pose. One that showed off Dis Lis' bountiful cleavage. Her eyes were half-lidded with her tongue licking her lips.

Indigo gulped, then saw another picture. Fleur Dis Lis was wearing a vest over her breasts, but no bra. She was wearing shorts that were unzipped to the point that Indigo could just barely see the top of her panties! One hand was in a pocket, and the other was blowing a kiss to the camera as she winked.

Another picture had Fleur Dis Lee in the same outfit, lying on a beach towel. Her back was arched and her eyes were closed as she bit her lip.

Indigo shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Fleur Dis Lis wasn't just attractive... she was hot. Not even that... she was like sex incarnate! Perfectly built, fully aware of her drop-dead gorgeousness.

"Fucking hell..." Indigo's eyes were wider than they had ever been... had she even blinked this whole time?!

Fleur Dis Lis, the sexiest Goddess Indigo Zap could even hope to lay eyes on, could date anyone she wanted... and this scorching hot piece of femininity wanted her!!

Indigo's heart pounded in her chest as she felt a slight urge. It would only be a matter of time before-

"Indigoooo," Fleur Dis Lis called out in an alluring singsong tone.

Indigo turned around to see her girlfriend in her bikini, gazing at her longingly.

"I've been thinking about you all day." Fleur Dis Lis strutted towards Indigo, like a supermodel on a catwalk. "About how much I want you. How much I need you." She gently caressed her cheek, then pecked her on the lips as she ran a hand through her hair.

Fleur Dis Lis leaned into Indigo. "I want to make sweet, hot, passionate love to you. Right. NOW. She grabbed her, kissing her hard and deep as her large breasts-

Indigo shook her head rapidly. Shit. She was fantasizing about her now! The fact that she was just the slightest bit turned on didn't help at all!

Okay. Indigo needed to calm herself down. She needed to-

Fierce kisses up and down her neck, softly whimpering as her thighs were-

Indigo grit her teeth. She had to think of unsexy things. Things like paper, plywood, snakes on fire...

Fleur Dis Lis took Indigo's hand and laced their fingers together as their lovemaking-

Indigo hissed through her teeth, realizing the possibility that she might be in a war of attrition. Imagining the sensations that would ripple through her body, she closed her eyes with a shuddering sigh as her urge grew in strength. Her freaking parents were still home, she couldn't masturbate with them here!

Loud, impassioned cries as the bed shook-

"Dammit," indigo muttered under her breath as her need became harder and harder to ignore, her mind unable to stop playing out her sexual fantasy.

Fleur Dis Lis and Indigo Zap held each other close once their intense fucking was finished.

Indigo pecked her new lover on the lips as a hand ran through her hair. "You were amazing," she said.

Fleur Dis Lis laughed softly. "I was amazing? You were, like god tier!"

"I love you," Indigo said softly as she stroked Fleur Dis Lee's back.

"I love you, too."

"...Fuck. It." Indigo hurried to her door and put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on her doorknob, then closed it in the hopes that her parents wouldn't hear the muffled screams she knew she'd make.
> The Fire Within
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lemon grabbed her headphones and put them on. She needed something to soothe her nerves after that sudden buzzkill. She found something in her library that she hadn't listened to in a while, and it seemed like just the thing she needed to hear.





Lemon closed her eyes as she went into a meditative pose, smiling softly as one of Baythoven's many masterpieces flowed out of her earphones. She'd been listening to an awful lot of rock and pop lately, so this deviation from the norm was a nice change of pace!

Lemon wasn't going to kid herself, though. No amount of music would be able to shake the memory of what she knew was a near-death experience. She shuddered. Even just thinking the phrase 'near-death experience' sent chills through her body, making her miss the feeling of the fire within herself. The fire that she hadn't felt since yesterday. Without it, she didn't quite feel like herself.

At least Lemon's fire would return to herself eventually, and she couldn't wait for that moment! For now, though, she should think of something else. Like the future. More specifically, her future career.

Ever since she was a child, Lemon knew that music was the lifeblood of the planet. It was a way to communicate with others. To convey one's feelings. To tell a story. All of that and so, so much more. It was that line of thinking that led her to realize that she wanted music to be her profession.

At this point, that was all Lemon knew. She'd need to start figuring out her majors. What exactly did she want to do with music besides listen to it as often as she could? She scratched her head, then sighed... maybe if she got that fire of hers back, she'd be able to think a bit more clearly. There was definitely one such tune she could think of off the top of her head!





As the tune started, Lemon felt a warmth begin to wash over herself. It'd been a while since she listened to this one, and she found that odd... this was one of the catchier tunes in her library! She began to nod her head to the beat, imagining herself on a dance floor and just going nuts!

Suddenly, Lemon stood up and started dancing, shuffling around as the warmth continued to spread. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling of happiness that this tune gave her. Once again, she found herself in her own little world. 

To Lemon, this was what music was truly about. Forgetting your troubles for at least a moment in time, where everything feels right with the world. No fights in the hallways. No magical weirdness. No stress. She and the music were one, flowing together as though they were one singular being.

Lemon wondered what this must look like to other people. Maybe she'd get someone to record herself so she could see what she looked like when she was in the moment.

A thought crossed her mind. Maybe she could be a background dancer? A choreographer? Lemon smiled. It was a thought like that that had her realize she was on the right track to getting her fire back!

Getting back on said track, those two professions would depend on how much public exposure Lemon would be willing to subject herself to. She'd be fine either way, as long she was working with music in some capacity... but not like some retail shit, where she'd just be listening to music in the background while struggling to help some dumbass that can't make up their mind so you have to hold their fucking hand until the manager gets off their lazy ass and helps!

Lemon took a deep breath, then exhaled. She didn't want to be stuck with a job like that. Oh, the stories she'd heard in passing... her eyes suddenly widened as she felt a slight sensation in her gut. It seemed that her inner fire was trying to return to her!

Lemon grinned as the tune ended, then closed her eyes and opened her hands. In her left hand, she imagined she carried classical music. In her right hand, she imagined she carried the funky music of the seventies. She went still for a moment, feeling a small surge of adrenaline. She opened her eyes, then clapped her hands together as though she had magically merged the two, then selected a tune at lightning speed!





As soon as the tune began, Lemon felt a huge rush, and the fire within herself roared back to life like a phoenix from its ashes! She leapt up and let out a quick whoop of exhilaration. She was back in full force, baby! It felt like nothing could stop her, and those who'd even try to would quickly learn a lesson!

Lemon cracked her knuckles, then her neck. She suddenly stopped in her tracks... she was so in the moment that she forgot that Sour was coming over! She glanced at her phone to look at the time, then did some mental math. 

While it was true that Lemon had never seen where Sour lived, she had a rough idea of the vicinity due to their fight in the streets. It hadn't taken them long to return home from that spot, so going by foot...

"Lemon," Florid called out. "Sour's here!"

Lemon slapped the palm of her hand against her face. "Ah, dammit." She wasn't in time to get the door for her! With a sputtering noise, she went downstairs to greet her.
> Shower Thoughts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cadance stepped into her bathroom and turned the water on, then took some headache medicine. Steam began to rise from behind her shower curtain, and she walked in.

Hot water began to cascade down Cadance's back, and she heaved a long sigh of relief. She had a lot to mentally unpack, and she knew she wouldn't be done by the time Hope arrived!

...No. She needed to relax, and this was the perfect time and place to do so! Hope wouldn't be here for a while, after all!

Cadance carefully lowered herself down to a laying position, then put her arms behind her head, leaning it against the wall as she stared up at the ceiling. Warmth began to spread down her body as the hot water rained on her chest. She shuddered with a smile, then let her thoughts wander.

Cadance thought about Hope's pregnancy announcement. She was happy for her, yet slightly jealous. Married with the man of her dreams. Expecting her third child. She put a hand on her stomach, imagining what it must feel like to have a life growing inside of her.

Cadance laughed softly as she ran her thumb up and down her stomach. Hopefully someday she'd have a ring on her finger a child inside her. Not now, however, as there was still much work to be done... She paused, then grit her teeth. She wanted to relax, not keep her mind on work or S.M.I.L.E.!

Cadance let out a grunt of frustration, then carefully stood back up.  How could she possibly relax after everything that happened? She didn't know, but she was damn well going to try! After all, if those six Canterlot High girls could stare magic in the face and relax later, so could she!

...Right?

Cadance frowned, then began to wash herself. She closed her eyes and focused on the sound of the shower water splashing on the tub and the fan in her bathroom. She began to feel calm wash over her, and felt a resolve to stay calm for as long as she possibly could!

Calm. She needed more of that in her life. Ever since her mother's death, Cadance had been a wreck. Driven by vengeance and grief since that day, even more so after that grave miscarriage of justice that allowed that damnable Cinch to walk free!

Cadance blinked, realizing she had clenched her hands into fists as she shook with fury. She slowly shook her head, then closed her eyes. She put her hand to her chest as she took a deep breath, then slowly extended it as she exhaled. Her breathing steadied, and she went back to washing herself.

Case in point, Cadance thought, then went back to focusing on the ambience around herself. 

As she did so, she counted herself lucky to have people in her life such as Luna, Hope, and Neighsay. Those three were blessings in a human form! Without them, Cadance had no doubt in her mind that she'd be too far gone.

Without Hope, Luna, and by extension Celestia, Cadance wouldn't have had any true friends. She'd just have acquaintances that she'd talk to in passing. No long-lasting connections with other people... she even doubted S.M.I.L.E. would have come into existence without them!

Without Neighsay, she wouldn't have had a parental figure. She wouldn't have had someone to guide her through her anger and grief, while supporting her in her efforts.

Cadance shuddered to imagine life without those important people. If she had at worst a tenuous hold on her rage now, how much worse off would she have been?

No... Cadance shouldn't think of such things. That line of thinking never did anybody any favors.

A stray thought about Shining Armor calmed her. She couldn't help but smile and sigh dreamily. Why did this happen now, of all times? Couldn't it have happened just before all the chaos or after Cinch was ousted?

"The Arrow of Love will strike you someday, whether you want it to or not. It happens to just about everybody."

Cadance laughed softly as she shook her head slowly, wishing that the Higher Powers had a better sense of timing. What was she going to do with herself?

She was definitely going to tell Shining how she felt. Forget waiting until after her mission was complete, she knew that holding back her feelings was unhealthy. She just hoped that wouldn't change her dynamic with him for the worse.

As Cadance began to wash her hair, a thought occurred to her. Maybe Hope had some insight on how to tell Shining how she felt about him. Unfortunately for her, that thought of romantic feelings brought back memories of all the people she had to reject over the years.

Cadance experienced small twinges of sadness and guilt as each face flashed in her mind. One by one they appeared, giving her the feeling of bittersweet nostalgia. She frowned, as the faces of those who had feelings for her were followed by faces of people she had crushes on. Cute guys, emotionally attractive guys, passionate women, sexy women...

Cadance sighed, shaking her head slowly as she finished with her hair. Love was a beautiful, complicated mess sometimes. Despite that, she felt that all forms of love were essential in the world. Gay, straight, platonic, familial, romantic... what kind of a world would we be in without it?

Cadance got out of the shower and dried off. By the time she got dressed, there was a knock on her door.
> Rest and Relaxation?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sugarcoat emerged from her basement, stretching as she closed the door behind herself.

"Neon looked like he was in quite a hurry," Crystal said as she approached Sugarcoat.

"His parents called. They were worried sick, so he's going to spend some time with them."

"That makes sense... so what are you going to do now that he's gone?"

Sugarcoat smiled. "I'm almost always up in my room getting laid, screaming orgasm after screaming orgasm. When was the last time we all spent time as a family?"

Crystal cupped her chin. "Hmm... I guess you've got a point there. What would you like to do?"

"Whatever we do, I think we should do it here," Sugarcoat said as she gestured to the house as a whole. "We both know I'm going to get horny again, and I don't want to masturbate in public if I can avoid it."

Crystal nodded. "Another good point."

"As for what I'd like to do... I'd like to take it easy. Not just today, but tomorrow too. Yesterday was fucking hell on my mind and body."

"I can get behind that," Sizzle said as he approached the two. "I think we could all use some R & R."

"Works for me," Crystal said.

Twilight Sparkle's monstrous winged form tore open several holes between two worlds, causing the ground near Sugarcoat to crumble.

Sugarcoat gasped as her knees buckled. She shut her eyes and put her hands on her head with a whimper as a droning sound dominated her ears.

"Sugarcoat!" Both Crystal and Sizzle swiftly grabbed Sugarcoat before she could fall, then held her close.

"Are... a-are you okay," Sizzle asked with great concern.

Sugarcoat took a shuddering breath. "I don't know... but can we stay like this for a few moments? I feel a little more comfortable at least." A tear fell from her eye. "I-I love you both..."

"We both love you too, Sugarcoat," Crystal said softly as she ran a hand through her daughter's hair. "And we're happy you're safe." She sniffled.

"Yeah," Sugarcoat whispered. "Me too."

The three stood still in the embrace for several moments, enjoying their closeness.

"All right," Sugarcoat said softly. "I'm good now."

Crystal and Sizzle let go of Sugarcoat, who sighed happily. They all went to the living room and the television was turned on.

Sugarcoat sat down, then pulled out her phone. She started to wonder how Neon was getting along. Maybe she should check in with a quick text or two.

Hey, Hot Stuff. How'd it go with your parents? - Sugarcoat

After sending the text, Sugarcoat stuck her phone between her breasts. She needed a little stimulation after that little shock. She smiled, enjoying the feeling... maybe she should stuff it there more often, but not at CPA. Her phone chimed and vibrated, and she shuddered with a stuttering gasp.

Okay, Sugarcoat was definitely going to stuff her phone there more often. She took out her phone with a giggle, then checked the message.

Oh, you know... full-on crying, big family hug, that kind of thing. What about you? How are you holding up? - Neon Lights

Sugarcoat sent a message.

I had a PTSD moment out of nowhere, then some slight crying and a big family hug. - Sugarcoat

She stuffed her phone back between her breasts, then sighed and stared at the ceiling. Tonight was going to be a lonely night, but it was for a good reason. She could go one night without Neon... more, if need be. Still... one night without his kiss. The taste of his tongue...

Sugarcoat's phone buzzed, jolting her back to reality with another stuttering breath as she felt an all too familiar urge creep up. She took her phone and check her message.

Oh god, are you okay? Do you need me? - Neon Lights

Sugarcoat smiled warmly as her heart skipped a beat. Neon was such a great boyfriend. She sighed happily as she sent her next message.

Neon... I'll always need you, but like I said before: your parents need you more than I do right now. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. - Sugarcoat

Sugarcoat returned her phone to its new rightful place as she felt her urge grow slightly. She wasn't going to act on it now, though. She learned from experience to let it continue to grow up to a breaking point for optimal relief. She was nowhere near it right now, which was fine.

Sugarcoat looked back up at the ceiling, then closed her eyes as she looked back on the intimate shower she had with Neon this morning. The gentle warmth of his touch. The sweet, loving, and erotic things he whispered into her ear as his hands kneaded her sore muscles...

Sugarcoat's urge grew exponentially, and she started to sweat. She wasn't quite at the breaking point, but she was getting there fast! Her phone chimed and buzzed, causing her to yelp. She took out her phone, then checked her message.

Sugarcoat... I know you'll be fine. You're a strong and sexy woman, and I love you so much for it.

I agreed to stay at my place for the weekend, but I know we'll make up for lost time on Monday. The next time it's just you and me? I'm gonna...

What followed in Neon Lights' message was a litany of amorous desires that sent Sugarcoat's heart racing and her urge beyond the breaking point. With as much speed as she could muster, she rushed to her room and slammed the door behind her.





Some time later, once Sugarcoat was satisfied, she found herself sprawled on her bed as she tried to catch her breath. Monday couldn't come soon enough for her!

Sugarcoat stepped back from the hole to another reality. This was it. She was going to die! She didn't want to die alone! She had to find Neon! She ran around, crying out his name in the hopes that he'd hear her and spend his last moments with her...

Sugarcoat found Lemon Zest, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare and Indigo Zap all grouped together. Each of them scared to death, no doubt. She hugged herself as she sniffled, then noticed a Canterlot High student save a Crystal Prep student. There was something a little inspiring about that action.

Sugarcoat turned to her schoolmates who each looked at one another with uncertainty... then watched as their expressions gradually changed to determination. A warmth washed over her, and they all nodded together.

Sugarcoat blinked in surprise and confusion. Of all the times for a memory like that... she slowly shook her head, then another thought occurred to her. She dismissed it immediately, then tidied herself up and left her room.
> Insight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indigo Zap's mind was racing. She just spent the last... well, she didn't know for how long, but she just spent the last who knows how long masturbating furiously to incredibly sexy pictures of the girl she had a date with. Great... as if tomorrow wasn't going to be awkward enough for her.

Indigo made a sputtering noise, then whispered her name to nobody.

A sudden pinging noise from her computer snapped her out of her thoughts.

Fleur Dis Lis has accepted your friend request.

Well, that didn't come as a surprise to Indigo. She sighed as she stared at the smile Fleur Dis Lis was sporting on one of her lewd pictures... how was she going to tell a pretty face like that that someone jilled off to her? Ugh, this was like some post-nut clarity shit.

Indigo blinked. Was there even a female equivalent to that? Hell, who even came up with the term 'jacking off', and who decided it should be a part of the vernacular? For that matter, where'd the word 'vernacular' even come from?

Indigo grunted in frustration. Again with the ADD-laced thoughts! She made a sputtering noise, then took her phone out. She needed to figure out a time and place for her date with Fleur Dis Lis!

Indigo paused suddenly, then stared at her phone. What was she doing again? She sighed. This wasn’t the first time this had happened to her. She was in the middle of something, then completely forgot what she was going to do.

A few moments later, Indigo’s eyes widened as a fog cleared in her mind. Now she remembered! She was going to call Fleur Dis Lis for a place for their date!

Indigo took a deep breath, then exhaled. “Okay, Indigo,” she said to herself. “Stay cool. You can do this. If you can walk away after seeing the very fabric of reality get fucked up, you can definitely talk to the hottest girl at Crystal Prep… who likes you and thinks you’re hot…” She faltered, swallowing nervously.

“Dammit.” This was ridiculous! Indigo had to get her shit together! “Okay,” she said as she clapped her hands together. “Time for a slightly different method!” This time she closed her eyes, then took a deep breath. She exhaled, and felt her nerves begin to calm. Another deep breath, and another exhale.

Perfect. Indigo was completely calm now. That method always worked before she’d get a shot at the doctor’s office, so she knew that it wouldn’t fail her here! With her mind clear, she grabbed her phone and called Fleur Dis Lee.

As she heard the dial tone, Indigo felt her nerves begin to act up again. With a soft grunt, she willed them back to calmness. This was no time to freak out!

“Hey there,” Fleur Dis Lee purred. “Did you enjoy my pictures?”

Indigo hesitated to answer. She didn’t want her to know what she did upon seeing said pictures. It was way too early to talk about something like that! “Yeah,” she finally said. “They were something else.”

Fleur Dis Lee giggled. “That’s good to hear.”

“I, uh… hope I don’t sound judgmental, but why did you take pictures of yourself with barely any clothes on?”

“You didn’t sound judgmental, Indigo. That was, like, a totally valid question. You see, it’s like the pictures said; ‘I’m sexy and I know it’. I’m very proud of the body I have, and I like to feel attractive.”

“But doesn’t that kind of work against you sometimes?”

Fleur Dis Lee paused for a moment, then heaved a sigh. “Yeah… it totally does.” Her voice was small now, much to Indigo’s surprise. “Students at Crystal Prep seem to be under the impression that I’m… well… ‘easy’.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Fleur Dis Lee sighed again. “Just because I have big breasts and a toned body that I like to show off. Guys give me these lecherous facial expressions as I pass them by. Girls glare at me, warning me to stay away from their significant others… and I don’t even want to think about how many times I’ve been asked for sexual acts. It just… it just drives me crazy that they only look at my body and nothing beyond it!” Her voice began to crack, and she sniffled. “I-I’m sorry, I just needed to vent…”

Indigo had been stunned into silence. Several thoughts flew around in her head all at once, and not just because of her autism! “I… I-I don’t know how to respond to that. I wish there was something I could do for you.”

Fleur Dis Lee took a shuddering breath. “You already did. You listened to me. Took me seriously. You have no idea how much that means to me, Indigo.”

Indigo’s heart skipped a beat. “Glad I could help.”

Fleur Dis Lee laughed softly. “I knew there was something special about you.”

“Yeah,” Indigo said softly, then shook her head rapidly. “But the pictures aren’t why I called.”

“Oh?”

“We never figured out what movie we’d watch or where we’d end up eating.”

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a muttered curse. “Sorry about that. I was so caught up in the moment that those details just slipped my mind!”

Indigo snorted. “Believe me, I know what that feels like.”

They shared a laugh, then mapped out the details of their date.

Once everything was sorted out, Indigo and Fleur Dis Lee said their goodbyes and hung up.

Indigo put her phone down on her bed, then went back to her computer. She logged back into MyStable, then returned to Fleur Dis Lis' page. She looked at the racy photos again, but didn't feel aroused. Instead, she felt lucky. Lucky that out of all the girls in Crystal Prep, Fleur Dis Lis wanted to date her.

Indigo's heart felt happy as she sighed dreamily, resting her head in the palms of her hands. The day for her had just barely started, but tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
> A Most Unusual Encounter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abacus Cinch opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was blurred as she stood up, and she stumbled around in a daze for a moment before shaking her head rapidly. Upon regaining her balance, she realized that she was on all fours. She struggled to stand up, then looked down. Horror almost immediately dawned on her as she saw that she didn’t have legs… but hooves!

Abacus screamed, unable to take her eyes off of her new appendages. A sudden flash of light caught her attention, and she looked up to see a purple winged unicorn. Startled, she screamed again… then everything went dark.





Abacus came to, finding herself lying in a canopy bed. She raised her hands slowly then stared in disbelief at her hooves. She stumbled out of the bed and onto the cold, blue-tiled floor with a yelp.

A door opened, and out came that winged unicorn from before! “Oh, good,” she said in a voice that was all too familiar to Abacus. “You’re awake!”

Abacus’ eyes widened. It… it couldn’t be. The hair. The eyes. The Power Symbol on her posterior. Her voice. This creature could only be… “Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes.”

Abacus slowly got up as her anger rose. “You ingrate!”

Twilight blinked in surprise and confusion. “I’m sorry?”

“Don’t you play dumb with me,” Abacus roared. “You know what you did! You betrayed me and cost Crystal Prep the Friendship Games!”

“Crystal Prep… oh!” Twilight’s eyes widened. “You seem to have mistaken me for my counterpart.”

Abacus opened her mouth to retort, then stopped as realization dawned on her. That would explain why everyone at that accursed Canterlot High knew Twilight! They weren’t trying to get into her head… they already knew her doppelgänger!

Abacus put her hoof to her chin in thought. She did find it rather odd that Canterlot High had improved themselves so suddenly just before the Friendship Games. She had remembered that prior to its renaissance, that misguided school was simply a mess! Could the Twilight Sparkle standing before her have had something to do with it?

“You must be Abacus Cinch, Headmistress of Crystal Prep.”

“What?” Abacus was dumbfounded.

“Your world’s Twilight told me all about you,” Twilight said with a frown. “How you blackmailed her into competing against her will and pressured her into unleashing magic that not only endangered your world, but this one as well!” She sighed. “Don’t you think there could have been a better way to handle that?”

“You mean through the ‘magic of friendship’,” Abacus spat, remembering that student’s speech before her transformation into an angelic being.

“The magic of friendship is what brought Canterlot High back together,” Twilight said. “It’s a powerful force-”

“Spare me,” Abacus said as she rolled her eyes. “How could ‘friendship-’” she stopped mid-sentence. ‘Brought Canterlot High back together’? This Twilight was responsible for the school’s improvement?! All the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place.

Abacus narrowed her eyes as she felt rage build. “You… you’re why my charges have turned against me! You infected those miscreants at Canterlot High, who in turn infected my students!”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to narrow her eyes. “Those ‘miscreants’ are my friends,” she said pointedly. “And I don’t take kindly to insults directed at them.”

Abacus scoffed. “Friendship is a weakness. I didn't get to where I am today by socializing with the lower classes of Canterlot City!"

"How can you say that about friendship after seeing what it did for my friends?"

"It helped them cheat, that's what it did!"

"Is winning all that you care about," Twilight asked with a growl. "Even at the expense of others?"

"I don't expect the likes of you to understand, just as you don't understand the powers of influence and reputation!"

"What does influence and reputation have to do with any of this?"

"Influence and reputation are everything, Twilight Sparkle! My father taught me that, and I will take to the grave!"

Twilight's temper calmed slightly. "What kind of a warped man was your father?"

"My father was a good man, and I will not have you sully and slander his name! The name of Sombra should not be used in vain!"

“What?!” Twilight reared in shock as her wings unfolded.

Before Abacus could speak, she found herself in a different room, facing a visibly angry Twilight.

“You are not welcome here,” Twilight snarled, then put up a magical barrier in front of herself. “Leave. Now.”

“I will do no such thing,” Abacus said with a stamp of her hoof. “There is a whole other world out there, and I intend to explore it! Doing so will immortalize me in the annals of history!”

Twilight hung her head and heaved a sigh as she slowly shook it. “You care only about yourself... your heart is full of hate,” she said softly as her horn began to glow. "And your father is likely even more twisted and depraved than you are!"

Abacus gasped as the barrier shrunk around her, then became a bubble. "How dare you speak of him in that manner and tone!"

Twilight lifted her head, revealing a grim expression. “I pity you, Abacus Cinch. Your life must be sad and so very lonely.” She sighed again. “Goodbye. May we never meet again.”

Before Abacus could respond, she was launched back through the mirror.

Twilight immediately took the book out of the top of the mirror, deactivating the portal. She opened the book as she levitated a quill to herself. As she began to write to her friend, there was a scream of impotent rage in a parallel world as fists pounded on a plinth.
> Hanging Over
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cadance opened the door to let Radiant Hope in, and received a great big hug. 

Cadance returned the hug with a long sigh, feeling Hope’s love, friendship and warmth. After everything she’d been through recently, this was a more than welcome feeling! She wanted it to last for as long as possible… even though she knew she’d have to let go eventually. She mustered up some willpower, then broke the hug.

Hope closed the door, then took a good look at Cadance, eyeing her up and down. “Feeling any better?”

Cadence made a sputtering noise. “Marginally.”

“Well, that’s better than nothing.”

Cadance nodded, then gestured Hope forth. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Hope shook her head. “Not right now, maybe later.”

“To the living room, then.”

Cadance sat in a loveseat while Hope sat across from her on a sofa.

“So,” Hope said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Magic. Strange creatures emerging from portals. Students transform-”

“I know what happened,” Cadance said wearily as she put a hand to her forehead. “I was there, and I don’t want to relive it more times than I have to.”

“It was a lot to take in.”

Cadance barked a mirthless laugh. “It was.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Crystal, myself, and all the other guidance counselors got inundated with students on Monday.”

“Yeah… if there’s anything I can do to help lighten the load, just let me know.”

Hope smiled with a nod. “Of course.”

Cadance’s head began to pound, and she grit her teeth as she put her hands on her head.

“Are you okay?”

“Just a headache, Hope… I’ll be right back.” Cadance stood up, then headed to the nearest bathroom. A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, and she stumbled slightly. She stopped for a moment to get her bearings back, then pressed forward. Hopefully this damned hangover would pass before the weekend ended… there was no way she would be able to focus like this!

Upon reaching the bathroom, Cadance looked at her reflection. Despite having just had a shower and getting dressed, there was no hiding the sadness in her eyes. She truly regretted drinking herself to oblivion, and not just because of the hangover. No. It was because she took the easy way out. A simple fix that she knew would only make things harder for her.

Cadance sighed heavily as she shook her head slowly. She was disappointed in herself, letting temptation get the better of her. Yet, despite everything that had befell her over the last twenty-four hours, she was eager to share what little good news she had.

Cadance filled up a cup of water, then paused for a moment. Why was she doing this? She already took some before she jumped into the shower! Rolling her eyes, she grunted in frustration as she walked back to her living room with her water.

“So,” Cadance said as she returned to the living room. “I have a bit of a silver lining for you.”

Hope raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Do tell!”

“Well…” Cadance trailed off as she felt heat rise to her face. “The night before the Friendship Games… I dreamt that Shining Armor and I were in a sauna together.”

Hope’s other eyebrow rose. “What happened?”

“We realized we had mutual feelings for each other.”

Hope’s eyes sparkled with joy as she got off of the sofa. “It finally happened, didn’t it, Cadenza,” she whispered excitedly.

Cadance nodded. “I didn’t know I felt that way about him until I woke up.”

Hope let out a little squeal as she rushed over to Cadance and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Don’t be happy for me just yet,” Cadance said as she returned the hug. “I don’t know how Shining feels about me… but I hope to the Universe that he loves me too.” She shivered as she remembered the steamy, passionate lovemaking. His gentle yet firm touch. The taste of his tongue. The heat and weight of his body. The sound of his moaning.

Cadance smiled dreamily, and a chortle from Hope brought her back to reality.

“Goodness, you must’ve been hit hard!”

Cadance laughed softly. “It sure feels like it… I-I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this way about anyone before.”

Hope put a hand on Cadance’s shoulder. “It feels good, though, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. It really does.” Cadance wanted to hold onto this feeling. It was borderline intoxicating, and she could only imagine how much stronger it would get should her love be reciprocated! The very thought made her heart flutter.

“That really is good news, Cadance,” Hope said as she took her hand off of her friend’s shoulder. “But I think we should get back to business.”

Cadance frowned slightly, and she forced herself to let go of the emotional high she was on. “Yeah,” she said resignedly. “You’re right.”

“So,” Hope said softly. “The calls must’ve been pretty bad for you last night, huh?”

Cadance sighed. “That’s putting it mildly… very mildly. I honestly don’t want to talk about that.” Angry calls. Scared calls. Confused calls. So many calls! She was getting overwhelmed just thinking about them! Her head pounded again, and she wondered when the damned medicine was going to kick in.

“Fair enough.” Hope folded her arms. “I have to say, though, as much as I trust Luna’s word, I’m having a hard time believing everything.”

“You wouldn’t be the first… I didn’t believe Luna when she told me about their Fall Formal or their Musical Showcase, so I sent Benefactor to record as much as they could.” Cadance looked away. “But I should’ve thought about the danger first.”

“How’s Benefactor doing? Even they must’ve been shaken up quite a bit.”

“They were. They said they were going to step back for a bit.” Cadance made a mental note to herself to check in with Neighsay tomorrow. She imagined he’d still need some time to himself to regroup.

Cadance’s phone rang, and she picked it up.

Now Calling: Twilight Sparkle

Cadance accepted the call. “Yes, Twilight?”

“Dean Cadance?” The voice on the other end wasn’t Twilight’s, but it was somehow familiar to Cadance…

Cadance’s eyes narrowed. "Who is this?"

"My name is Sunset Shimmer, and I just got word that your Headmistress somehow found her way into Equestria."
> Explanations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cadance blinked, confused. “Equestria?”

“Yes,” Sunset said. “The place where all of those portals led to.”

Cadance paused for a moment, then her eyes widened as she realized she was talking to the very same girl who transformed and fought against Twilight. The one who welcomed her former charge with open arms into a tight-knit group of friends, showing no hesitancy even after all the havoc that was wrought.

Cadance knew this was someone she could trust. “And how do you know that?”

“Because… that’s where I came from.”

“You’re… you’re a horse,” Cadance said in disbelief.

“She’s a pony,” a familiar voice chirped in the background.

“Are you on speakerphone?”

Sunset muttered under her breath. “I am now, but yes. I’m a pony.”

“I might as well put on my speakerphone too. I’m with someone else who might want to hear this.”

“Someone else?”

“Yes,” Hope said.

“Radiant Hope!” Twilight’s voice startled Cadance, much to Hope’s amusement.

“Can we trust her,” Sunset asked Twilight.

“Yes,” Twilight said almost immediately. “Without a doubt.”

“Okay. Girls, why don’t you introduce yourselves?”

Introductions were made, and as each girl spoke, Cadance swiftly put faces to the voices she was hearing. It was also at that very moment that she remembered having seen them even before the Friendship Games!

“You’re the girl from Sushi-Mi,” Cadance exclaimed.

“That’s why her name sounded familiar,” Hope said.

“I… um… thought I saw you both from somewhere,” Fluttershy said. “Those adorable puppies were very rambunctious, weren’t they?”

“Goodness, this is quite the coincidence,” Rarity said in awe. “You both visited Carousel Boutique during my shift!”

“Land’s sake! I woulda recognized y’all from then, but I was a mite distracted!”

“Holy shit, you’re the women that bonked that kid on the head with a basketball!”

Pinkie squealed. “You were a blast to serve at Sweet Snacks Cafe! Thanks for the five-star review!”

“Okay,” Sunset said in surprise. “The fact that you saw all six of us had to have been more than just a coincidence.”

“You mean like fate,” Hope asked.

“Exactly… but we’re getting off-track here.”

“Agreed,” Cadence said. “I have many, many questions for you, Sunset Shimmer.”

“I figured you would.”

“To start off, how did Cinch get to… Equestria, was it?”

There was a pause.

“You can tell her,” Twilight said.

Sunset sighed. “There’s a portal leading directly to Equestria from the plinth that used to have a horse statue on top. Cinch found it by accident.”

“By… accident?”

“Yes. All I know is that Cinch ran into Twilight and-”

Cadance’s eyes widened. “Twilight? What were you doing there?”

“I wasn’t there,” Twilight replied. “Sunset’s… referring to my counterpart.”

“Your… counterpart.”

“Yes. I met her just after the Friendship Games.”
It took but a moment for all the pieces to fit for Cadance.

“Oh my god,” Cadance whispered. “It all makes sense. That’s-” she stopped herself mid-sentence. She didn’t want to let on that she had seen the other Twilight before. That would arouse suspicion, and that was something she wanted to avoid! “That’s why everyone at Canterlot High knew Twilight’s name…”

“Yes.”

“Do any of you know why Twilight’s counterpart visited Canterlot High?”

Sunset heaved a long sigh. “I do. She came here because I stole her crown.”

“Her… crown?”

“Yeah. Equestria’s Twilight is the Princess of Friendship.”

Cadence couldn’t help but snort. She’d never heard of princesses ruling over abstract concepts, but she kept that thought to herself. It would be unwise of her to mock a foreign culture, no matter how absurd it sounded to her!

“The Princess of Friendship,” Hope asked with a raised eyebrow. “Interesting… what other sorts of princesses do you have?”

“Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna’s counterparts are the Princesses of the Day and Night respectively. Cadance… your counterpart is the Princess of Love.”

Cadance’s jaw dropped, and she fell speechless for a moment…

…then burst into a laughing fit.

A couple of minutes passed, and Cadance wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m sorry,” she said once she calmed down. “I find a sort of… irony in that.”

An awkward silence followed, and Hope put a hand on Cadance’s shoulder. “Maybe not for much longer,” she whispered, then winked.

Cadence smiled, then cleared her throat. “Sunset. Why did you steal Twilight’s crown?”

“I wasn’t exactly a nice person when I first came over…” Sunset proceeded to tell Cadance and Hope about her earlier self. Her self-absorbed, arrogant, conniving, manipulative self. What she did. Why she did it. All the hurt she had caused along the way. The visions she received from the rainbow that fateful night at the Fall Formal.

Sunset shuddered as she finished. “But that’s in the past, and I’m done looking back. There’s no sense in beating myself up over something that can’t be changed.”

“Speaking of the past,” Cadence said. “What about the Musical Showcase?”

“That was something completely different…” Sunset told Hope and Cadance everything, from herself giving the Dazzlings a tour of the school to the end of the Battle of the Bands.

“Sirens,” Cadence said in disbelief. “You’re telling me there’s three immortal girls out there?”

“Not immortal, just ageless. They’re no longer a threat.”

Cadence pinched the bridge of her nose. “This is a lot to take in.”

“We know,” Rarity chimed in. “And we were all there!”

Murmurs of agreement sounded off on the other end.

“What happened with Cinch and Twilight?”

“There was a bit of an altercation between them,” Sunset said. “Cinch said that exploring Equestria would immortalize her. If word got out about the portal, all sorts of chaos could ensue!”

Cadance slammed a fist on the coffee table, startling everyone. “Goddamn her,” she growled. “It wasn’t enough that she endangered innocent lives just to win a competition…"

“Cadance,” Hope said softly. “Breathe.”

Cadance took a deep breath as she put her arm to her chest, then exhaled as she extended her arm outward.

“What kind of meanie becomes a Headmistress,” Pinkie asked. “How does that even happen?”

Cadance narrowed her eyes. “I’ll tell you how. She poisoned my mother and usurped her position as Headmistress!”

“I can verify that,” Twilight said.

“How the hell do you know that,” Rainbow demanded.

“I hacked into Crystal Prep’s database to get dirt on people so they’d stop harassing Lemon Zest,” Twilight said sheepishly.

Silence fell, and Cadance could imagine that all the girls, save for Twilight, had their jaws agape. The thought calmed her, and she giggled softly.

“Didn’t see that coming,” Pinkie said.

“Okay, so you have a personal stake in this too,” Sunset said, then hummed. “What do you say to us helping you out a little?”

Cadance felt like she’d need all the help she could get. “I wouldn’t mind.” She stood up.

“Where are you going,” Hope asked.

“To the kitchen. I have a feeling we’re going to need some coffee!”