Those gathered within the bridge realm quickly looked to Sunset’s prone form as it convulsed slightly before her mouth opened by a tiny crack. A wispy, shadowy form shot straight out and into the air, crackling and sparkling like a firework before it dissipated and faded from existence, and six moans chorused all at once as the alicorns roused themselves.
“Applejack!” Within seconds of her sister sitting up and gaining full consciousness, Apple Bloom rushed to her side and took her into a tight hug. As her fellow Crusaders did the same for their respective sister and surrogate sister, and the pony Pinkie Pie did likewise for her human counterpart, she happily exclaimed, “Yer okay! Yer all okay!” She turned to Sunset, who was taking the most time to rouse herself, and asked, “You are all okay, right?”
The flame-haired girl opened her eyes and smiled. “Yeah. We’re okay.” Cries of relief went out all around as Sunset found herself comforted first by a light hug from Principal Celestia, then nuzzles from Princess Celestia and another hug from Twilight. “But I’m in no rush to do that again.”
“Me too.” Fluttershy found herself getting comfort from a relieved Angel Bunny as she moved into a sitting position. “It all worked out okay, but that was way too scary.”
“I’ll second that.” Sunset noticed the new alicorn making her way towards the portal. “Miss? Thanks, I…” She then noticed the second Twilight Sparkle beside her, and swiftly turned her head back and forth between the two Twilights. “How…?”
“It’s a long story, Sunset.” The new alicorn turned to Princess Celestia and promised, “And you’ll have your answers, but not here. Don’t worry, we won’t be far.”
The Princess of the Sun nodded. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”
The two then stepped through the portal back to Equestria, and Apple Bloom spoke up. “Okay, what all just happened here?”
“Yeah, I mean, aside from that second Twilight and that new alicorn, we got everything else explained, but what was that right there at the end?”
“A most impressive thing indeed, Sweetie Belle.” Princess Luna looked to Sunset and explained, “Despite the Nightmare taking root in her subconscious and having to relive one of the worst experiences of her life, Sunset Shimmer found the strength within to reject it before we reached her and the others, as well as the heart to rally her friends against it. As a result, they have emerged victorious.” She smiled and added, “You succeeded where I failed, young mare. You’ve much reason to be proud.”
“Thank you, Princess Luna.” Flash offered her a hand, and Sunset gratefully took it and got to her feet before turning back to the alicorn. “So, is that the end of it?”
“In this case, I believe so.” As the group stood up from the semicircle that had been formed around her, the Princess of the Night elaborated, “That was a fragment of the Nightmare rather than the complete form, weakened and forced to use a fragment of my Tantabus to bolster its energies. Combined with it being bombarded with far greater power than what was used to rip it from me in the first place, and I can safely say that it has been destroyed.”
“So Sunset and Twilight and Rainbow Dash and everyone killed a Nightmare?” Scootaloo looked to be practically beside herself with excitement at that thought. “Way too awesome!”
“As much as one can kill a formless entity composed of dark magic, yes.”
“Even then, it looks like it was all near thing. Especially if whoever she was had to show up to help.” Doctor Hope approached the group with an apologetic look of her own. “I’m still not sure if my part in all of this helped you or it more.”
“Well, I don’t think that really matters at this…” Rarity paused as surprise flooded her face. “Wait a moment, what are you doing in here?! How in heaven’s name did you even know about this place?!”
“Come to think of it, we didn’t even get a name for you when we came in.” Spike approached her anxiously and asked, “Who are you?”
With a sigh, the therapist shook her head. “Well, I can forgive you for being caught up in the excitement.” She gave a polite bow to each in turn as she continued, “Princess Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie, it’s good to finally meet all of you. I’m Doctor Radiant Hope.”
“And she knows about the bridge realm because Hope snuck in on us one day when we were visiting with the princess.” The human Celestia smirked and added, “You didn’t think I wouldn’t call in just any psychologist, did you?”
Sunset groaned. “I should’ve known.” She looked to the doctor and reasoned, “You went to school with them here at CHS.”
“Yes and no. It’s a long story.”
“Wait a second!” the human Pinkie reached into her hair and pulled out the large book of Equestrian lore that she’d been given months prior. “I know I’ve heard that name before!” She cracked the book open and flipped through the pages until she found what she sought, and then dramatically cleared her throat. “‘While most of the Crystal Empire’s unicorn population was slain by King Sombra and the Somber Elite, a few managed to escape prior to the purge. Among them was the one who informed the Princesses of Sombra’s seizure of the crown and the apparent demise of Princess Amore, one Radiant Hope’!”
“My counterpart.” Hope looked to Princess Celestia and asked, “Has there been any word concerning her?”
“Nothing concrete, no, but given the number of miraculous events that have happened in the last year, I haven’t given up on seeing her again.” The alicorn gave her former students a small wink before turning back to the doctor. “If anything turns up, you’ll find out about it.”
“Thank you.” She then sighed and looked among the girls and said, “In any case, I’m sorry for not being upfront with all of you about what I knew. Aside from it not being directly relevant to what was going on, I thought it best to focus on the issues at hand and not on what tied us all together. I hope that you can understand.”
The girls looked among themselves, and Applejack shrugged. “Well, not much we can do about it now. Still, you got a point there, and you did help us out. So thanks for that.”
The others agreed, leaving Dr. Hope to give a relieved smile. “Good.” She assumed a more professional expression and continued, “That said, I think it would be a good idea to have a follow-up talk with all of you sometime soon, Sunset especially. Something tells me you won’t object.”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Don’t need to be a shrink to figure that out.”
Principal Celestia shook her head as she suppressed a laugh. “Well, if that’s everything taken care of…”
“Not quite!” Attention was turned to the pink party pony among them as her gaze turned steely and she raised an accusing forehoof towards her targets. “Human Crusaders! You did a bad thing!”
The trio looked among themselves before they turned back to Pinkie. “Ah guess ya’ll heard about what we did.”
“Yep, and I’m disappointed in all of you! You could’ve just talked to your sisters about this, and that could’ve saved you a lot of trouble!” She then turned her attention elsewhere and continued, accusing hoof still raised. “Human me and friends! You did a bad thing too, abandoning Sunset like that! You should’ve at least tried to hear her side of things instead of jumping to conclusions!” She sighed and lowered her hoof slightly. “But you know all that by now.” At her counterpart’s sad nod, she continued, “Well, we both do stupid things without thinking about it. I guess that’s something we both need to work on.” The two exchanged hopeful smiles before Pinkie’s hoof was raised accusingly once more. “Human Flash Sentry!”
The blue-haired teen looked at her in surprise. “Wha-?! What did I do wrong?!”
Pinkie beamed gleefully. “Absolutely nothing, silly! You get a hug!” She then rushed towards him and took him into a tight embrace with such force that he was nearly knocked off his feet. In the midst of her hug, however, she stopped with wide-eyed wonder before making a small ‘oooh’ of approval and rubbing her head against his torso. She then ended the hug and turned to Twilight with a grin. “I can see why you fell for him, Twilight. He’s got nice abs.” Before Twilight could stutter a response to that, Pinkie turned and merrily pronked her way back to Equestria. “See ya in a minute, Twilight! I gotta go talk to Twilight!”
Everyone else simply stood and stared, the human Pinkie nodding in agreement while Flash and Twilight were both visibly blushing, before Applejack noted, “Ah think that’s enough for one day, how ‘bout the rest a’ y’all?” No one disagreed, and most started making for their respective portals save for two. “Flash? You comin’?”
“I’ll catch up.” He waved Applejack on as Twilight did the same to Spike and her world’s Celestia and Luna. Once they were alone, he made a small laugh and offered, “I guess something like this is a Tuesday for you, huh?”
She laughed in response. “No, I can safely say this isn’t a normal day for me. I mean, it’s been a while since I talked to another version of myself.” At his confused expression, she waved a hoof and explained, “Time travel, long story. So, you doing okay?”
“Yeah, okay enough. And so have you, from what Sunset’s told me. Everything considered.” He turned serious as he asked, “You think things will be okay now that you and your friends don’t have your Elements anymore?”
“After today? I think things are looking a little better.”
“Good.” The nervousness returned as he asked, “And, what about… him?”
Twilight didn’t need to ask whom he was referring. “He and I are getting on okay, in spite of everything. In fact, I’m going to be seeing him in a few days.” She turned nervous herself and said, “And I’m going to tell him. Everything.”
Flash bowed his head. “I hope he takes it okay, for your sake.”
The alicorn approached and reached out a hoof. “You took this okay, didn’t you?”
A small, sad smile formed. “I guess.” He took the hoof and gently offered, “Still, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t envy him.”
Twilight offered an encouraging smile of her own. “Don’t be too down on yourself, Flash. You’re a good man.” The smile turned into a teasing grin as she added, “With some nice abs.”
Despite himself, he laughed. “I’m never living that down, am I?”
“No, but there’s worse things to be known for.”
She turned to go, and waved goodbye as she stepped back through the portal to Equestria. Flash watched her depart, sighed, and idly said to no one in particular, “I just hope he learned the same lessons I did, Twilight. For his sake and mine.”
-
“Alright Crystal Faire, I think I get everything that’s happened. Surviving Nightmare fragment, escaped to Canterlot High, attempted to control Sunset and all of that.” The two alicorns emerged from the basement of the Golden Oak Library and entered its main floor as the dimension-hopping Twilight continued, “But there’s one thing about this that bothers me. You said they hadn’t figured out the trick to force the portal open, but the Anon-A-Miss incident happened after the battle with the Sirens.”
“In your timeline, yes.” Crystal turned to directly address her companion and sat down as she explained, “You’ve already noticed that certain timelines are different, with small details varying here and there. Sometimes those differences include events happening in a different order from how you remember them.”
“Or not at all.”
A nod. “And sometimes other details are different. For instance.” She gestured back towards the basement door and explained, “Thanks to the way Star Swirl made the portals in this world, the actual dates between this world and the world of Canterlot High are offset by about six months.” She then gestured with a hoof towards the windows. “Winter there…”
Twilight Sparkle went to the window and looked outside. “…And summer here.” She then looked back to a table upon which a number of diagrams and notes had been laid out, along with some cups and plates of food. “It’s not long after the Summer Sun Celebration here.”
“Only a scant few weeks.”
“Which means that me – the local me – is working on trying to open the Chest, and…” The young alicorn’s eyes widened in horror as she remembered all of the trouble yet to come, and she turned to her niece and pleaded, “We have to warn them!”
Crystal shook her head. “No, Twilight. We can’t.” Before her aunt could protest, she raised a hoof and explained, “This timeline is already different from yours in many ways. And yes, all the dangers to come are all still possible here. But there’s no guarantee things will go exactly the same way, and you giving a warning could end up making things worse in unexpected ways. I interfere when I have to, and only when I have to.” She offered an encouraging smile and added, “And for all you know, you and your friends might well be better equipped to deal with them here than you were yourself.”
The argument certainly seemed logical, but one thing stuck out. “But what about that pony you mentioned, Sunrunner? Who is she?”
“Sunset Shimmer’s cousin, on her mother’s side.” The two turned back towards where they’d come from to find Celestia, Luna, Spike and Pinkie had caught up with them, with the eldest of the group giving them an enigmatic smile. “Though if it wasn’t for her wings instead of a horn, you’d think they were twin sisters.” She stepped forward and noted, “Now then, I believe you promised us answers.”
Twilight gave her companion an uneasy glance, only for Crystal to nod. “I did, and it won’t hurt for you to know the details.” She turned her full attention to the natives and asked with an enigmatic smile of her own, “I assume you’ve already figured out a few things?”
“Enough to guess anyway.” Spike stepped forward towards Twilight, only to stop and give her a good looking over. “You’re Twilight, aren’t you? Just from another alternate world instead of ours, right?”
The smile and nod she gave were both proud. “Got it in one, Spike.”
“OMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSH!” With her usual uncanny speed, Pinkie Pie zipped into place between them, her muzzle mere fractions of an inch distant from Twilight’s, and continued, “I was wondering if we’d meet another version of Twilight someday! Of course, I was expecting it to be one from the human world, maybe wearing glasses or something, but –!”
Pinkie popped out of existence, only to pop back into it milliseconds later at Princess Luna’s side. The Princess of the Night then cupped one hoof over the party mare’s muzzle and offered, “Perhaps we should give them some room to breathe?”
Twilight Sparkle sighed and shook her head with a smile. “Some things just don’t change, I guess.”
“For good and for ill.” Luna’s amusement faded as her attention turned to Crystal Faire. “You, however, remain an enigma. Logic suggests that the two of you came to this reality together, and you clearly mean us no ill given your actions thus far, but that does not tell us your identity.”
“She is one who has yet to exist in this world.” Heads turned as Seventh Moon made his presence known once more. “One of perhaps many foals to come for Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor.” His grey eyes were soon fixed upon Crystal Faire as he noted, “And this is not the first time she has crossed the barriers that divide one dimension from another.”
Twilight Sparkle looked upon the stallion, and found herself thinking that she should remember him from somewhere, only to fail to place him. Her compatriot, however, affixed a steely gaze upon the unusual stallion and declared, “I’ve no quarrel with you or your kin, Observer.”
“Nor I you. I merely came to offer my thanks for your efforts on this world’s behalf, and ask that you not mince words with your hosts.” He then turned back to the others and removed his hat as he bowed his head. “Princesses. Miss Pie. Sir Spike.”
“Hi again Seventh Moon!” Pinkie greeted the pony with a wave.
“Observer?” Twilight Sparkle asked with a whisper.
“Something else for me to explain later,” Crystal whispered in answer. “Needless to say, this is a busy timeline.” As the local Twilight finally joined them, she added, “And it will only get busier.”
Twilight kept an awestruck gaze upon them as Spike rushed to her and explained, “Twilight, this is amazing! That one mare is you from another universe, and the other one…!”
“I heard, Spike.” A smile slowly formed upon her face as she approached Crystal and said, “You’re my niece. Will be my niece.”
A warm smile greeted her. “Whichever. Hello Twi-oof!”
She was interrupted as Twilight gave her a warm hug before quickly breaking off. “I’m sorry, I know that was sudden, but this is amazing! I’m going to be an auntie! I mean, I knew it was a possibility, but still, this is amazing!” The local looked to the visitor and then back to Crystal as she asked, “Did you two come from the same universe, or distinct ones?”
“Distinct ones. May I?” The resident Twilight sheepishly backed off, and Crystal Faire explained, “Unfortunately, our story is not a happy one. As the Observer said, I am a traveler across the multiverse, able to not only move from one timeline to another but also see the flow of events into the future. So far as I know, that talent has only occurred with one version of myself, and this isn’t my native timeline, so you needn’t worry about any future princesses just vanishing into other worlds whenever they please.”
“Were Star Swirl here, he might have something to say about that,” Luna retorted. “Still, this is a world where a version of you shall exist at one point, correct?”
“So far, I’ve only been able to visit timelines where King Sombra was defeated and the Crystal Empire restored, but given those are prerequisites for me having been conceived at the right time, yes. I shall exist here one day, and not too far into the future.”
Pinkie grinned. “Good thing I’m already planning Cadance’s baby shower then.”
The gathered ponies all reacted to the party pony’s admittance with no surprise, Spike and both Twilights rolling their eyes and smiling as Celestia, Luna and Crystal Faire chuckled. Even Seventh Moon cracked a tiny grin, though it faded quickly.
“In any case, for some time, I’ve been going from one timeline to another, helping to prevent catastrophes and aiding residents where possible. Most of the time, like here, I’ve been successful, but sometimes…” She lowered her head and admitted, “Sometimes things still go wrong, somehow.” She gestured to Twilight Sparkle and explained, “This Twilight Sparkle, the one who came with me, is the last survivor of one of the times that things have gone wrong.”
“My timeline was…” The lavender alicorn struggled with her words before finally summoning her resolve, “…it was destroyed.” She looked to Crystal Faire and explained, “The only reason I wasn’t lost along with everypony else in my timeline was because…well…”
“Because I was able to get her out of danger.”
Spike held close to his Twilight as the native ponies looked among one another. Luna pursed her lips and turned to the Observer among them. “Seventh Moon, do you have any knowledge of similar phenomena?”
Seventh Moon waited until after Pinkie made a low, musical sound and shook his head. “No, Highness. The awareness of the wider multiverse by my kin and I ends at the boundaries of the world we know, this one. We can sense when this world is breached, but only under very special circumstances are we able to see into other worlds on our own. As for whether such a thing could happen here, I cannot say.”
“Well don’t worry.” Crystal smiled. “I don’t think this timeline is collapsing anytime soon.”
“And were that to happen, we would do something to alert you.” Seventh Moon looked to Celestia and added, “Whether we would be able to solve the problem is another matter.”
“Well I’m relieved to know we aren’t in immediate danger, but could this collapse that the visiting Twilight has described occur in the future?”
“It isn’t my place to tell.” A scowl formed upon his face as he explained, “It is for others to see the future.”
“For now, I’m at a loss for what’s causing it, but I’m doing my best to learn even as I continue my mission.” Crystal looked to the Twilight Sparkle at her side and added, “Sometimes with a little help.”
“And we’re all grateful for that help, but this leaves several important details.” Celestia eyed her uneasily. “Your name being one of them.”
She gave a small nod. “My name varies from timeline to timeline, depending upon the circumstances surrounding my birth. There are many things that I’d prefer not to influence, but given you’ll be talking about me for a while, I may as well tell you. My name is Crystal Faire.” She grinned. “Just don’t confuse me with the foal to come.”
The elder alicorn smiled. “It’s a lovely name. I’m pleased to have met you. And I’m grateful that…” Celestia quickly found that there was now an empty space where Seventh Moon had been standing. “I wish he wouldn’t do that.”
Crystal chuckled. “I’d get used to that if I were you. They tend to have a flair for the dramatic.”
“Well, please don’t repeat the trick yourself, I still have questions.” The native Twilight’s attention was fixed upon Crystal Faire and her eyes wide with eager curiosity. “How did you get to Canterlot High through the bridge realm? I mean, I assume you used the bridge realm – the entire reason Star Swirl created the mirror portals was to conserve his magic given how much it takes to create a stable portal between dimensions – but I didn’t think it was possible to use them to enter that world by that method!”
“Normally, no, but I’ve studied how Star Swirl constructed the portals. I temporarily overrode the safeties he put in place when he made them. Given time and study of his research, you may well be able to do it yourself, but I wouldn’t recommend trying it again. I only did it because I had no other way to both get to Canterlot High and to attract your attention to face the Nightmare.”
“Yeah, forcing the main portal open is easier, not to mention safer.” Twilight Sparkle’s hoof immediately shot to her mouth. “I’m sorry! I wasn’t…!”
“It’s alright, I’ve been working in that direction anyway.” The local Twilight flashed her counterpart a reassuring smile. “And if you figured it out, then I should be able to do it too.”
“But for now, you can focus upon easier things.” Crystal turned to her Twilight Sparkle and winked. “It’s not breaking my rules if they’ll get there anyway.”
“Well, I’m actually worried about my warning system.” The young alicorn indicated the set of bells hanging above their heads and continued, “I modified the bridge mirror so that I’d be alerted to anyone entering the bridge realm, just in case Sunset ever needed to urgently talk to me and didn’t have time to send a message through her journal, but for some reason, my system didn’t work. I wasn’t alerted when you entered, and they sound off at regular intervals. I looked at it before I joined you, and it looked like it was damaged at the end near the portal.”
Crystal Faire shook her head. “Not by us and not on purpose.”
“And Twilight made extra-special-sure that we knew what those were about, especially after the Anon-A-Miss mess a couple weeks back.” Pinkie turned to Twilight and offered. “Maybe you’ve got rats. Or gremlins. Or gremlin-rats.”
“Yeah, I’d rule out rats.” Spike gestured to Owlowicious and noted, “Assistant Number Two’s pretty good about dealing with stuff like that. Gremlins maybe, but gremlin-rats? Are those even a thing?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but for all we know, you just have a few details to work out.” Crystal smiled in encouragement and offered, “Speaking of, you’ve been looking for Sunrunner. Try the Royal Guard forces stationed in Canterlot. You’ll find her there.”
The lavender alicorn’s eyes lit up. “Sunrunner is in Canterlot?” The light faded back to normal as her attention went back to her mentor and her expression became one of hurt shock. “Sunrunner is in Canterlot?! She’s in the Royal Guard?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Bec ause I wasn’t sure that I had the right to do so.” Celestia sighed and apologetically explained, “Yes, Sunrunner is assigned to the Canterlot division of the Royal Guard. I’ve met her several times myself, the most recent at an award ceremony for her actions during the Changeling invasion. I’ve opted against speaking to her, however, out of respect for her parents’ wishes. Solar Flare did little to hide how she felt in regards to how her niece and I parted ways, and hasn’t wanted a thing to do with me since. For all I knew, that would have extended to you as well.” She looked to Crystal and noted, “And I’m ashamed to say that had you not mentioned her, I wouldn’t have told Twilight about this.”
Crystal frowned sadly. “Unfortunately, that happens more often than you’d like, you keeping secrets.”
The Princess of the Sun nodded and declared, “Well, no more keeping this a secret.” She turned back to Twilight and said, “So far as finding her or contacting her directly goes, you may want to talk to Silver Bullet, Pixie Dust, or this world’s Flash Sentry about it. They were her friends in the Academy, and the former two have the better chance of meeting her personally.”
The resident Twilight sighed and accepted that. “I will, thank you.” She then turned back to her counterpart and noted, “I guess you never had to deal with this.”
“Celestia keeping details from me?” The visiting Twilight bowed her head as she admitted, “More than I’d like, even if things did work out for the best. But finding Sunrunner?” She rose and shook her head. “No. For all I know, she never existed in my timeline. But I hope that you do meet her, and soon. If she’s important enough for my niece to mention, then she has to be worth it.”
A hopeful smile formed upon Twilight’s muzzle. “Last I checked, every pony was worth it to somepony. And I’m closer to meeting her now than I was before, so thank you.” She then stepped forward and added, “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about your home timeline. I couldn’t begin to imagine how it feels for you now, losing everything like that.”
“I hope that you never have to.” Twilight Sparkle gave her own encouraging smile and offered a hoof. “For now, you look after this world, and all of your friends. There’s a lot waiting for you on the road ahead, but you’ll get through it, as long as you have them.”
The hoof was accepted. “I always have.” A thought occurred to her, and Twilight asked, “I didn’t just cause something terrible to happen by touching my counterpart, did I?”
Crystal let out a soft chuckle. “No.”
A sigh of relief. “Good. I’ve got plans for this weekend.”
“Plans involving a certain pegasus guardstallion,” Pinkie helpfully supplied.
Before her counterpart could even start to roll her eyes at her friend’s comment, the visiting Twilight gave her a curious look. “Is it somepony named ‘Quiver Quill’? I saw the name in your mail and I thought…”
“No, no, it’s…” A small smile that spoke volumes formed on the local Twilight’s face as she explained, “It’s this world’s Flash Sentry. We’ve been kinda dating since about a week after I went to Canterlot High. Quiver’s just a friend.”
Crystal flashed an enigmatic grin. “And also worth it, to many someponies.”
“Oh.” Twilight Sparkle grinned at her counterpart’s good fortune. “Good for you.” She then looked to Crystal and teased, “Maybe you’ll even have a cousin here someday.”
A shrug. “It’s been known to happen.” She looked over the locals and said, “Your timeline is secure, now that Sunset Shimmer is alright. Believe me, she’s got an important role to play in the future. I don’t know if I’ll come this way again, but I’ve been around enough to know that anything can happen. For now, I’ve got work to do.” Twilight Sparkle came up beside her as Crystal Faire finished, “Until then, look after each other.”
And with those words, the two disappeared before their eyes, leaving only one Twilight behind in the company of her two fellow princesses, her two assistants, and Pinkie Pie. The latter mare grinned and looked to the others as she offered, “Well, I feel like I probably dodged a bullet, how about the rest of you?”
“Indeed.” Celestia cleared her throat uneasily. “Twilight, you were saying something before we were called away?”
“Right.” The young alicorn regained her composure and gestured to the materials Sunset had given her that morning. “Well, this might just be a coincidence, but I’ve noticed something.” She pulled out one sheet of paper depicting a map. “This is a map of the schools in the same district as Canterlot High, plus a few that overlap with the neighboring districts. Notice the names and placements.”
“Yes, it’s all too familiar.” Luna fetched an atlas and opened it to a modern map of Equestria and its surrounding nations. “Some minor variations such as this Crystal Heights Preparatory Academy, but otherwise…”
“Canterlot High, Manehattan Tech, Indianapoloosa Tech, Vanhoover High…” Twilight pursed her lips. “And those are just the schools. This is too much to be a coincidence.”
“I agree, especially considering all of the stark differences between the two worlds.” Celestia lowered her head in regret. “I should have told you about Sunrunner sooner. You’ve already got enough on your plate as it is.”
Twilight gave a sad sigh. “All the more reason to clear it off.”
-
Granny Smith couldn’t help but be reminded of the number of times that she’d sat waiting in a hospital for either good or bad news as she found herself patiently waiting for someone to emerge from the bridge realm. Her granddaughter suddenly passing out was one thing to worry about, but all of her friends doing the same just made it worse. She knew they’d be alright, but that didn’t stop her from worrying. She’d buried far too many relatives in her time, after all, and the longer it took before the next funeral, the better.
Fortunately, today wasn’t that day as her granddaughters’ friends emerged from the portal, Apple Bloom among the first and Applejack among the last. Both moved to her as she stood up and gave her a warm hug. “Land sakes, darlin’s, you had me plum worried ‘bout you two!”
“Sorry Granny,” Applejack pulled back and assured her, “It’s all over now though, don’t worry.”
“Ah figured as much.” She looked to Principal Celestia and asked, “Lemme guess, more a’ this magic stuff?”
“Nothing your granddaughter and her friends couldn’t handle.” The administrator looked to her charges and said, “Oh, and all of you need to head to the main office to see about your missed classwork for this afternoon. Not to mention your homework.” A light groan sounded as she smirked. “You’re not getting out of it that easy, Rainbow Dash.”
“I guess.” The athlete looked to the Crusaders and added, “Of course, the same goes for the three of you. We’ve got practice. Come on!” The Crusaders were ushered out with light protest, most of the rest following until just three remained.
Dr. Hope managed a small laugh. “Well, I think our collective secret is safe.” She then turned to Sunset and offered a hand. “I’m glad that I met you Sunset, even if it was under these circumstances. Hopefully the next time we talk won’t turn into a crisis.”
“I’ll second that, ma’am.” Sunset warmly shook the accepted hand, then watched her depart with a slight frown upon her face. She then turned to the last one remaining with her. “Principal Celestia, do you have a minute or two? I think we still have something we need to talk about.”
“I’m not surprised. May I sit?”
Sunset nodded, and the older woman did so upon a nearby sofa. The flame-haired girl then took a deep breath. “Almost three years ago, I came to this world, stubborn and angry and full of spite and frustration. And so much of it was directed at the other you, my world’s Celestia. But despite all that, how the two of us parted, she asked you to look after me.” Celestia looked as though she wanted to interrupt, but a small hand-raise from Sunset prompted her silence. “You didn’t come right out and say anything. Probably wouldn’t have helped if you had. But you did as she requested, and you kept me safe. You directed me to the bridge realm, gave me keys to the school and money for clothes and food and whatever. I didn’t question it either, just chalked it up to good luck and went on like the idiot that I was.
“And then the Fall Formal happened. I finally woke up to the monster that I’d turned myself into and, instead of forcing me to go back or forcing Twilight to take me back, you let me stay. I was punished and forced out of the bridge realm, but now I knew whom my benefactor was, and where I probably should have been sent to juvenile hall or whatever, instead, I was given a light sentence, ushered into a new home, got a new cell phone, and a few weeks later, a job. All thanks to you.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful. You could have turned your back on me after everything I did, but instead, you chose to help me. I am not about to resent you for that because frankly, I didn’t have any other options. But I can see the other side of that too.” Her expression was pained, but her voice was even and her emotions under control. “You’ve had me on a leash ever since I got here, in one way or another. The debit card was funded by money from your account. You got me admitted into this school and kept me from being on anyone’s radar, despite every mess I’ve caused. The apartment I live in is one you own, where members of your family have resided. The first cell phone you gave me? Cloned and monitored, by you. The job I have is at a shop, run by a friend of yours who knew my secret. The therapist? Another friend of yours who knew the truth about me. If I were more cynical, I’d say you were covering your ass and trying to use what I went through to your advantage and keep me under your thumb.
Sunset chose that moment to sit down beside her. “I’m not mad about you monitoring me, or making certain I was kept under watch. You’d be an idiot not to, after everything I’ve done here. But I’m not thrilled about being manipulated or kept in the dark. You could have said something, point blank, to me and the girls. If you’d intervened, done something, we might have avoided everything that happened over the last few weeks. Sure, Sweetie Belle would still resent me and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would probably still be afraid of me at best, but better that than what I did go through. Princess Celestia was a lot of things, but one thing she was adamant about was that she wasn’t a god. Long-lived, powerful, wise, yeah, but not a god, and definitely prone to make mistakes. Me being here is proof enough for that. And you don’t have nearly that many advantages going for you to be playing chessmaster.”
A long pause held after that until Celestia was the one to finally break it. “I almost think this would have been easier if you were mad at me, Sunset.”
A shrug. “I’ve been through way too much lately to keep all that anger up. Besides, we’ve both made mistakes. Mine only involved fewer good intentions.” She raised a hand and left it hanging. “I’m not saying that I’m moving out, or quitting my job, or telling you where to put it. All I’m saying is that I’m done feeling like a puppet dancing on a string. Stop playing Dumbledore, and trust me enough to just talk to me. Please.”
Celestia looked to the extended hand, and a small smile formed upon her face as she took it. “I suppose I should be doing that.” The smile faded as she amended, “Alright, but you need to know this. There are many things that I can’t tell you, either because I don’t know them myself or because I’ve promised someone else to maintain secrecy. But you’re anything but stupid, Sunset, and you figured out plenty by simply paying attention and reading between the lines, so if you make some supposition based on what I tell you, or what you already know, and it lines up with what I’ve surmised myself, then I won’t discourage it.”
“I can agree to that. But I won’t keep this from the girls, or Twilight.”
A relieved sigh escaped the older woman’s lips. “Good. I can live with that.” Their hands broke contact, and Celestia began her tale. “As Luna’s already told you, she and I met your Celestia shortly after she started attending CHS. She was fourteen, I was sixteen. By the time I graduated, we’d ended up sharing our secret with some of my classmates. Whether anyone else knew about the bridge portal, I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me if someone did know about it and kept it secret.”
“But Zecora and Doctor Hope were two of the ones you shared the secret with.”
“Two of three, and only three. The third graduated the same year as I did, along with Zecora and Hope. Out of all of us, though, she’s probably the most famous out of our graduating class. But she never forgot where she came from. She set up the best scholarship this school has, even accounting for athletics programs.” She grinned and noted, “And from what I’m told, her counterpart is rather famous for the same thing here as in your world.”
Sunset’s expression lit up as she realized whom the principal spoke of, and she let out a small laugh. “Sapphire Shores. I should’ve known.” Her expression shifted as she asked, “And all of you kept in touch with Princess Celestia?”
“For a long time, we five made an effort to meet with her once a year, every year, on the anniversary of our graduation from Canterlot High.” She shook her head at her poor choice of words. “Sorry, the graduation of the older four of us. Luna still being there another two years made things easier for me personally, but over time, eventually, it was just Zecora visiting her for a while. Eventually Luna and I came back, of course, a little bit before you came along, but today was the first time that Hope came by in a long time.”
“I can imagine. And Sapphire has her career, so excepting carefully-timed tour dates…” Sunset put that aside. “Alright, but as far as you know, none of them has told anyone about me?”
“As far as I know.”
“And no one among the five of you told anyone anything about Equestria?”
“Not directly.” Celestia sighed as she admitted, “There was one person I talked about Equestria with, but as far as they knew, it was just a fairy tale, something I cooked up for a bedtime story.”
“This world’s version of Cadance?”
A nod. “And you were right that the loft was where she lived before you moved in. She’s living with her boyfriend now, this world’s version of Prince Shining Armor. And as far as I know, that’s the closest anyone else has come to learning about Equestria from our circle. She definitely doesn’t know about you, or about Princess Twilight, and I’m not planning on telling her for a while.” She raised a hand and explained, “The less she knows for now, the better for all of us, but the instant that she has to know, she will.”
Sunset nodded in acceptance. “What about Lyra and Sweetie Drops?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t say for certain how much they know or don’t know about you, Sunset. Zecora made me promise not to pry or interfere, just to let her handle things. How well that’s worked, I don’t know, but I can say that neither of them contributed to the Anon-A-Miss postings.”
“But Zecora does know about me and Equestria and the portals, so the possibility still exists that they either know, or can put enough pieces together to figure things out.” Sunset sighed. “And those drawings I gave them for Christmas couldn’t have helped.”
“Do you regret having done that?”
“No, not in the slightest.” She smiled. “Hearing Lyra’s reaction was easily worth it.” The smile faded as she noted, “Still, there’s so many ways this can go. I just hope that other Twilight and her friend kept out of sight.”
“Agreed. We’ve all been lucky so far that no one’s been digging into everything here at Canterlot High, but after the Fall Formal, it’s only a matter of time before some conspiracy nut tries to shove us into the spotlight.”
“And the last thing we need is to become another Roswell.” At Celestia’s surprised expression, Sunset explained, “I’ve done a lot of Wiki Walking in the last three years.”
“Of course.” A sad smile crossed her face, and she noted, “And I suppose that leaves us with one more thing, an apology.” She turned to fully face Sunset and admitted, “You were right. I could have, and no doubt should have, stepped in immediately and shown your friends the proof I had that you weren’t responsible for Anon-A-Miss. Maybe it would have convinced them of your innocence, and maybe not, but at least I’d have done something, even if it risked my career and your safety. And even if I hadn’t done all of that, I should have spoken to you and them directly, rather than operate through an intermediary like a coward.” Now it was her turn to prompt silence from Sunset as she remarked, “And yes, it was cowardly. I could have called in any board-approved therapist to talk to whomever decided to talk about the incident, and even if I’d gone ahead with Hope, I should have had her admit to you that she knew about Equestria and sit in on it. I am your legal guardian, after all, appearances of favoritism be damned.” She beamed proudly as she admitted, “But that doesn’t change the fact that what actually did happen led to you doing something amazing today. We’re both very proud of you. After all, it’s not every day that you kill a Nightmare.”
“Eh, it was just a fragment. And I had a lot of help.” Sunset grinned. “Still, it felt pretty awesome. And I am proud.”
“And you have every right to be.” The two stood up together, and Celestia promised, “Now, I can’t promise that they’ll go away, but no more purposeful deceptions from me. You deserve better than that. But I want the same in return. Deal?”
“Deal.” All sense of propriety cast aside, Sunset hugged the principal. “And thanks. For having my back.”
Celestia smiled, and responded in kind. “And thank you for trusting me to do so.”
The embrace ended. “One more question, though. You mentioned having looked into the whereabouts of my counterpart. Given you know about this world’s Shining Armor, that means you’ve done the same with Twilight, right?”
A small nod. “And thankfully for her, her family is little different from that of her counterpart.” A sad frown formed on her face as she added, “Unfortunately, there’s a chance that she’ll show up here before too long.”
“Yeah, that video I made of her…”
“No, there’s a different reason. You’re aware of the Friendship Games this coming fall?”
Sunset suddenly realized the implications of that question. “This world’s Twilight attends Crystal Prep?” She mentally cursed Flash for tempting fate and noted, “Dash is not going to be happy about that. But the sooner I tell them, the better.”
“And speaking of, I have something that might be of assistance with your and Twilight’s project.” Celestia pulled a flash drive from her pocket and handed it off to Sunset. “Suffice it to say, Luna and I have been curious about a few things on our own. We’re hoping that the two of you can confirm something for us.”
Sunset eyed the thumb drive. “We’ll see.” Her attention then turned back to the mirror as the last of their group emerged. “Hey Flash. You okay?”
He shrugged. “Okay enough, I guess. What’s with the thumb drive?”
“Something from me,” Celestia explained. “I’m sure you’ll hear all about it soon enough.”
“Yeah, right now, I need to get to…” A gentle hand was upon her shoulder before Sunset could finish. “What?”
“I’ve already talked with Zecora. You have the day off if you want.” She gently smiled and noted, “And if I were you, I’d take it.”
-
“We all saw that, right?”
Pixel Pizazz bowed her head at her friend’s question with a groan. “Yes, Violet. For the fourth time, we all saw the two ponies go into the teacher’s lounge.” She gestured to the rest of the waiting group and added, “And everyone else seems to be accepting it better than you are. Mostly.”
Vinyl Scratch had opted to remain standing as her head bobbed along to the beat provided by her headphones, her eyes obscured by her signature sunglasses. The two new girls and the new physics teacher kept their place a small distance away, but they’d remained silent, what little action they’d done coming from the odd glimpse one way or another. Photo Finish, however, seemed practically catatonic after everything she’d seen.
That last tidbit got Violet Blurr really anxious. “Do you think we’ll ever know what’s going on here?”
“No. I mean, odds are this is all connected to the Fall Formal, but it’s not like we understand this crazy magic stuff.” They looked to their usual ringleader and asked, “What about you, Photo? Any ideas?” No response answered her, and Pixel prodded, “Photo Finish?”
The white-haired photographer looked up at them briefly, and then turned away. “Apologies. My mind vas elsewhere.” Before the two could even glance at one another curiously, she looked up and asked, “Girls, am I ze bad guy?”
The two looked at her with surprise, with Violet asking, “What brought that on?”
“Vhat Sweetie Belle said, I suppose.” Photo Finish’s shoulders were slumped as she explained, “I vas at ze Fall Formal. I saw ze magicks and everything. Und I am still bitter about being turned into a zombie slave by Sunset Shimmer.” She frowned as she added, “But ze idea of her dead? I vant to say zhat it never crossed my mind, but…”
“Hey, I think just about everyone here at CHS still has a grudge against her.”
“Perhaps, Pixel, but earlier? Rarity und Fluttershy were unconscious, und I vas more interested in taking the photos of ze cute little bunny rabbit than in helping zhem. Aside from both being victims of Anon-A-Miss as you were, Rarity is another of Canterlot High’s artists, and Fluttershy is ze most adorable thing evah! And zhere I vas, treating zhem like trash.” Her head bowed as she continued, “Having Sweetie Belle chew me out only makes things vorse. Und ze ponies ve saw is creating ze perfect storm of confusion und I vish for it to cease.”
Violet and Pixel looked to one another, not sure how to proceed, before the former turned back to her friend and gently laid a hand upon her shoulder. “Photo, you’re not a bad guy. I mean, yeah, you’re no angel, and you can be a bit of a control freak, but you’re not evil. You’re just driven, and focused upon the task you’ve set out for yourself. And the results tend to speak for themselves, and all the hard work you put into them.”
She looked up at her friends and noted, “Zhat does not change what Sweetie Belle said.”
“No, but me and Violet are just as guilty, aren’t we?” At her friend’s nod, Pixel continued, “Anyway, this just means you’ve got something to work on. And I’m sure Rarity and Fluttershy will accept whatever apology we give them.” She managed a small smile and noted, “Besides, it could’ve been worse.”
Photo Finish considered that and nodded. “Ya. Sweetie Belle could have called me a Nazi.” She then whimpered in declaration, “Und I am not a Nazi! My family is Austrian!”
Her two friends exchanged a brief glance as Vinyl Scratch paused in her bobbing to lower her sunglasses to reveal an arched eyebrow. Before any of them could make any sort of verbal response, however, the door to the teacher’s lounge opened. Sweetie Belle was the first to emerge, the other Crusaders close behind and followed shortly thereafter by those they’d been worried about.
Excited relief flooded the hall as five students rushed the door, Vinyl and the lone teacher hanging back as the rest gathered around the five. Even Rainbow Dash seemed a little overwhelmed by the attention as she urged, “Whoa, easy now! Geez, you’d think we were a boy band or something.”
Nervous chuckles greeted that as the group backed off and Sparkler spoke up. “Well in our defense, you had us all worried.”
“Agreed, und ve are all pleased to see you…”
A terrible hiss caused everyone to jump back in shock before they looked into Fluttershy’s arms to find the source. “Angel!” she chided the rabbit in her arms. “We don’t hiss at people! It’s very rude!”
The lagomorph buck took on an indignant look before Pixel spoke up. “Actually, I think the three of us probably deserve that. When we came across you and Rarity unconscious, and Sweetie Belle needing help, well…”
“Hush!” With a dramatic sigh, Photo Finish continued where her friend left off. “I, Photo Finish, vas more interested in taking pictures of ze worried rabbit zhan I was in helping ze two of you. Violet und Pizel vere caught up in mine enthusiasm.” She bowed her head and noted, “Fluttershy, Rarity, Angel, I apologize profusely to each of you.” She then looked to Sweetie Belle and noted, “Und you as vell, Sweetie Belle. Vhat you said vas not without truth.”
Rarity gave her little sister a glance that promised discussion upon this very topic later, then looked to the photographer and noted, “Well, we’ve all made lapses in judgment of late. And the three of you did come to your senses eventually, so thank you.”
“What’s that I’ve always tried to tell you girls, Sparkler?” Dr. Turner gave the group a smile. “An eye for an eye just leaves the whole world blind.”
“Only a million times, Dad.” Sparkler and Rose rolled their eyes at that, only for the former to catch Rarity’s flabbergasted look. “Oh, I guess we didn’t mention that earlier, did we?”
“It would have been nice if you had done so!” the fashionista answered with gritted teeth and clear embarrassment. She recovered herself and noted, “Apologies for that, Doctor Turner, it’s just…”
“Aw, don’t worry about it.” The dismissive wave ended as the same hand was brought up to indicate his wedding band. “Just do me a favor and admire from afar, eh? I’d rather not get yelled at by the wife.”
“Or lose your job?” Vice Principal Luna offered with a smirk.
A shrug. “Well, I’d think that went without saying.”
Luna and Hope looked to one another with a grin, and the administrator gave her friend a small hug. “See you again soon, Hope.”
“Likewise, Luna.” The psychologist then went on her way. “Good afternoon, everyone.”
As she made her way towards the main entrance, Violet pointed after her and asked, “That was the shrink you all talked to, right?” Nods answered her. “Thought so.” She then looked among the girls with eager, curious eyes. “So what happened? Did this have something to do with the Fall Formal? Was this more crazy magic stuff, or what?”
“Und vhere are ze ponies?”
“It was the craziest thing ever!” Pinkie exclaimed. “This nasty thing called the Nightmare – well really it was a piece of the Nightmare and not the whole of the Nightmare – anyway, it tried to possess Sunset and use her as a host, and it was drawing power from all of us using all the guilt we had about how we treated Sunset a couple weeks ago, and we all fought it in a dream! And one of the ponies you saw…!”
Applejack clamped a hand over the party girl’s mouth and explained, “It’s a long story, gals. Maybe one day we’ll give it to you in detail.”
“Vell, I vould much rather…” Photo Finish paused as Celestia, Sunset and Flash finally emerged into the hallway, then adjusted her glasses and continued on another track with a lowered voice. “Another time zhen. Violet, Pixel, ve’d best be off.”
She and her friends then left, the odd nervous glance thrown back towards Sunset, and the rest watched them. Sweetie Belle crossed her arms. “Would’ve been nice for them to say something more than that.”
Sunset gave a small smile and gently laid a hand upon the girl’s shoulder. “Baby steps, Sweetie Belle. I’ll take what I can get for now.” She then looked to Sparkler and Rose and said, “Thanks, by the way. You didn’t have to carry me here.”
“Yes we did!” Rose protested. “We’re your friends. And you’d do it for us.”
The flame-haired girl laughed and hugged the two. “Yeah, I would.” The embrace ended and she looked to the lone adult male among them. “And thank you too, Doctor Turner. We’re lucky to have you here.”
“No such thing as luck, Miss Shimmer. Just the right people in the right place at the right time.” He motioned to his daughters and called, “Anyway, come along, girls! Don’t want to be here all night, do we?”
The teacher and his children then departed. Flash moved to follow and waved back as he said, “All’s well that ends well, right?”
Sunset smiled encouragingly, the sad look in her ex’s eyes all too clear. “Something like that.”
The Crusaders and their elder siblings – surrogate and otherwise – soon followed, while Pinkie gave Sunset a quick hug. “Maud’s probably waiting for me out in the parking lot. See you tomorrow, right?”
“Of course.” She waved as the party girl skipped off, then turned to Fluttershy. “You okay?”
“I should be asking you that question.” Some gentle prodding from Angel, and the shy girl relented, “But yes, I think I’m okay.”
“Well, if you ever need to talk, you’ve got all of us, remember?” Sunset moved to lay a supporting hand upon Fluttershy’s shoulder, only for Angel to jump into her arms and affectionately rub against her. “Wow. Never saw this coming.”
“And as cute as that is, I’d rather not see it again on campus.” Celestia looked to Fluttershy and noted, “You do recall the rules against pets on school grounds, Fluttershy. I ended up suspending one of Applejack’s cousins over that more times than I’d like to count.”
“Yes ma’am, I remember.” Fluttershy moved so that Sunset could gently place Angel back into her backpack, then softly hugged Sunset and assured her, “And you’ve got all of us, too.”
Fluttershy then went on her way, leaving Sunset alone in the hall with the two sisters and one remaining student. “She’s got that right.” The three turned to Vinyl as she slipped off her headphones. “Apologies for the ‘tunes, ma’ams. I know headphones aren’t allowed either.”
Despite her surprise, Celestia managed to answer, “I’ll allow it this once, given classes are out now.”
Sunset had a little less control. “Vinyl? You’re talking?”
The music-lover chuckled. “What? Did’ja think I was mute or something?” She took off her sunglasses and stepped forward. “I’m just a big believer in actions speaking louder than words is all. Sometimes, though, you gotta speak up, and this was a long time in coming.” She raised a hand towards Sunset and offered, “I’m sorry, Sunset.”
“For what?” Luna looked at her in surprise. “You didn’t contribute to Anon-A-Miss. And none of the posts were about you either.”
“No, but I didn’t exactly stand up for her either. That’s my bad, and I gotta own up to it.” She looked to Sunset and added, “You needed someone in your corner. If I’d been there for you, maybe things would’ve gone a little better.”
Sunset grinned and took the offered hand. “You were in my corner, Vinyl. You didn’t give a damn about my bad reputation.”
Surprise was briefly upon Vinyl’s face before she laughed. “Dude! You figured it out!” She put her shades back on and explained, “Would’ve signed it, but I figured it would’ve meant more if it was anonymous. That way, it could’ve come from anyone.”
“Oh, like that MP3 player could’ve come from anyone?” Their hands broke contact before they shared a fist-bump. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
“Hey, I remember you hanging with Flash back in the old days, the odd shred you did with him and his bunch. Figured some awesome tunes would be right up your alley.” She lowered her shades slightly and added with a smirk, “Of course, I left plenty of space for you to add to the playlist. Just in case.”
“I’ve noticed.” Sunset sighed. “Still, you were there for me more than most were. I won’t forget that anytime soon.”
“Yeah, well, I still think I should’ve done more.” She pulled out her phone and started to bring something up on its browser. “So maybe this’ll finally balance my accounts. Principal Celestia, when the Crusaders fessed up about Anon-A-Miss, did they say anything about Sunset getting mobbed?”
“They did, and Sunset verified their story, but without evidence to back them up, I couldn’t do anything about it.” She grimaced as she noted, “And I won’t be able to do anything about that prank pulled on Sweetie Belle either.”
“Assuming it was just her,” her sibling added.
Vinyl raised her phone up as a video started playing. “Then let the truth set you free.” Celestia took the phone as the music lover explained, “I can’t help with the prankster, but this should free you up on the other thing.”
The principal frowned as a stern expression settled over her face. “It does. And maybe I can get lucky with the prankster too.”
-
“Well, sounds to me like the two of you had yourselves a very good first day.” Doctor Turner beamed gleefully as he led his two charges towards the parking lot and his car, an old English four-door sedan straight from the sixties colored a deep blue, the logo on its front bearing the word ‘Rover’. “Certainly made yourselves some interesting new friends.”
“You make that sound like a bad thing, Dad.” Sparkler waited as her father unlocked the doors for her and Rose, then climbed into the vehicle. She waited until he climbed in himself and closed the door before continuing. “Besides, we had instructions. And the first one was to stick close to Sunset Shimmer.”
“Which’ll be a lot easier now that we’ve befriended her.” Rose buckled in her seat belt and looked up with concern. “I just wish the rest of the instructions we got were as easy.”
“Oh, one of them was pretty easy to understand. It’s the other one that worries me. Pretty open to interpretation, something like that.” He sighed and noted, “That’s the sad thing about what we’re doing. Cases like this you end up with both horribly clear and horribly vague instructions. It’ll all make sense in time, of course, but there’s still the chance we won’t be able to figure it out before it’s too late.” He looked to Rose and noted, “I’m sorry that you had to be a part of this, but…”
“I know, no choice.” The nervous young girl sighed. “Lots of that with this. I don’t like it, keeping things secret from her.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I suspect Sunset and the rest of your new friends might be keeping a secret or two of their own. And that’s ignoring the two ponies we saw roaming the school.” Dr. Turner then pulled a cylindrical device from the inside of his jacket, the blue light at its tip briefly pulsing as it made a high-pitched whirring noise. “Did a little bit of snooping about when I had time, and there’s an unusual flow of thaumic energy about the place.”
“Something’s radiating magic in the school?”
He made a half-shrug at Sparkler’s question. “Not in the school, but definitely on school grounds. The epicenter looks to be the Wondercolt statue; it’s practically white hot with the stuff. Most of it is being drained into a mirror in the teacher’s lounge, of all things, but there’s still a fair amount of leakage. Probably for a long time, considering how long the school’s been in operation. Those ponies were likely connected.”
Curiosity was alight in the girl’s violet eyes. “Do you think anyone knows about it? I mean, there won’t even be proper studies of thaumaturgics for a few years yet.”
“More likely that they do than they don’t, but that’s not the really interesting thing.” The device was put away, and the teacher pulled out his 3D glasses from earlier. “Looked at Sunset with these in class, almost didn’t believe what I saw sitting in her place.”
Rose looked at him anxiously. “What did you see?”
“A unicorn. Cute little unicorn pony, just big enough that someone your size could ride on her back. Wouldn’t be comfortable, but still.”
The two younger girls looked at one another in surprise before Sparkler asked the obvious question. “We see two ponies walking around the school, and one of the first friends we make here looks like a third one under special conditions. What do you think that means?”
Her father grinned as he tucked away his shades. “Don’t know, but I’m looking forward to finding out.”
-
“I promise, I’ll tell you and everyone else everything I’ve learned tomorrow morning, including what Twilight’s told me about that other her and her friend. Just make sure you’re there, alright?” Sunset smiled. “Thanks Flash. See you then.” She ended the call and set aside her phone, then gave the timer on her oven a quick glance. “Still five minutes to spare.” A knock sounded from her door, and in curiosity, she walked over and opened it. “Vinyl?”
“’Sup, Sunset.” A grin was on the music lover’s face. “Can I come in?”
Dumbfounded, Sunset gestured her in. “Sure, but what are you doing here?”
“Strangest thing happened to me after I got home, I had this text on my phone telling me to come here.” Vinyl stepped inside and handed over her phone for examination. “No clue who sent it, so I called Lyra. She told me this was your place, so I figured it was safe.”
“And Lyra knew this was my address because she has access to my info through work.” Sunset scrutinized the ID code on the text with a smirk as she closed the door. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Anyway, this wasn’t from Principal Celestia or Vice Principal Luna. I’ve got their numbers on speed dial, and besides, they’d have warned me you were coming after everything that went down today. But why come?”
A shrug. “My parents are out of town, brother’s got a date, and Tavi’s busy practicing for a cello recital. Plus I was curious about your digs. Not bad, by the way.”
“Thanks, though I kinda think it’s a little much for one person. I mean, I’ve got two bedrooms upstairs that aren’t seeing any use. Gets a little lonely whenever the girls aren’t visiting.”
“Easy solution for that. Get a pet.”
“Well, that would make Fluttershy’s day.” She gestured to her oven and asked, “Hey, I’m a couple minutes away from dinner. You hungry?”
An eyebrow arched on her guest’s face. “Is it kosher?”
“It’s vegetarian lasagna.”
Vinyl nodded. “Beats fast food.” The oven timer chose that moment to chime, and Sunset immediately rushed to retrieve her meal before it burned. As her host dealt with the food, Vinyl slipped off her fingerless gloves and washed her hands, then took a seat as Sunset set out an extra place for her and poured her a glass of milk. “Guess you’re lonely enough to not turn away company.”
“It helps that you’re in my corner.” Sunset served her guest one chunk of lasagna, then one for herself before she sat down to eat. “If you want to pray or something, I’m not offended.”
Vinyl smiled before she took off her glasses, set them aside, then held her hands in prayer. “Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha’olam borei minei mezonot. Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha’olam shehakol niyah bidvaro.” Satisfied, she took up her fork and took a bite of her meal. “Not bad. Store bought?”
“Unfortunately. I only have so much time after I get home to get a meal ready. And even if I wanted to make my own, well, it wouldn’t be right without a good homemade sauce, and I’m still trying to work that out.” Sunset shrugged. “It’s a long story. Hang out with me more, and you might get to hear all of it.”
“I’m hoping for that.” A smile formed on the music lover’s face as she added, “Anyway, thanks. For accepting that apology. Sometimes me and Tavi argue about stuff and it takes forever for us to make up. I try to avoid it, but sad truth is that she can get a stick up her ass about some things and…” She noticed the uncomfortable look on Sunset’s face and amended, “Sorry, sometimes I’m a little too casual about my language.”
“No, it’s not that, it’s just…” Sunset turned nervous and admitted, “It’s another long story, linguistic and cultural thing. Anyway, don’t worry. We’re cool. I’ve even got a late Chanukah present for you.” She turned resigned and prodded, “But something tells me there’s one more reason you’re here.”
Vinyl grinned. “I hope you don’t play poker, otherwise you’d make a killing in Vegas.” She got comfortable in her chair and then turned her gaze upon the girl beside her. “Sunset, things have gotten crazy at CHS since the Fall Formal. Not bad crazy, lots of folks know that even if they’re trying to ignore it. Me, I’ve accepted and carried on, but I’ve paid enough attention to know that you and your friends know a lot about what’s going down. And after today, with two talking ponies walking around the school, someone’s gonna be curious about all of that and the Fall Formal and Equestria, whatever that is. I know I am, and I figured I’d beat the rush.” She shrugged and added, “Kinda hoped that you’d be up for letting me in on what’s going on.”
Sunset considered that, and idly tapped her fork against her plate as she weighed her options. “Well, you kept one secret for three months.” She smiled. “I think you can be trusted with another. Tell me Vinyl, what do you know about quantum mechanics?”
“Enough to know that if physicists and rock stars weren’t smoking the same stuff, then they should have been.”
“Well, there’s something in quantum mechanics called the Many-Worlds Interpretation. In a nutshell, it says that there are a potentially infinite number of parallel worlds coexisting alongside of the one we’re in, like in comic books, and they’re all created with every choice people make one way or another. One tiny event, one small difference, can lead to any number of changes down the road, and new worlds.”
“Turn left and you get a nice job, turn right and you get hit by a car and die.”
“Something like that. Anyway, as crazy as this is going to sound, the interpretation’s right. And somewhere out there in the multiverse, there’s a universe or timeline or whatever you want to call it where things went very differently for planet Earth. Different enough that the human race never evolved, where other species came into existence and filled its niche as sapient lifeforms, and where magic isn’t something out of a fairytale, but instead studied as diligently as any science known to man.”
Vinyl’s interest only grew. “That world have something to do with Equestria?”
Sunset nodded. “That’s where Princess Twilight came from. It’s also where I came from.”
The music lover’s cerise eyes went wide, and she smiled in awe. “Dude, tell me everything!”