Starlight blinked. "...Run that by me again?"
"I mean, that's what Sunburst told me," Thorax explained. "I don't think he was lying. He might have been. I can't always tell when ponies are lying."
With the speed of a tortoise, Twilight's hoof made its way to connect with her forehead. The journey was accompanied by Starlight's continual choked gapes.
"Um." The changeling looked at the two. "Are you two okay? Is this some pony thing I don't know about?"
"Why would he--why would she--how could he--what does she--?!?!"
Thorax blinked at Starlight's rambling. "...I'm confused. Is this all one question?"
"THERE ARE TOO MANY QUESTIONS!"
"Oh. I'm not used to answering questions. Or thinking about questions. I used to just follow orders, and answer yes or no questions. I'm still figuring out when I should answer questions--"
"Thorax," Twilight said, her voice resigned. "What Starlight is trying to say is that she was not aware of this and is having some trouble comprehending all the implications."
"Yes! That!" The other mare pointed at her. "That is a thing that is happening!"
Thorax nodded. "I suppose that... actually, I still don't know what I should do here."
"Maaaaaaybe you should go find Sunset and Sunburst," Twilight suggested. "And bring them back so they can talk with Starlight."
"No need to find me, I'm already here." Sunset walked around the corner. "So, Starlight, listen, I kind of made a little mistake--"
"YOU'RE A CLONE?!"
Sunset blinked. Then she glared at Twilight. "Seriously?!"
"Wasn't me. It was Thorax."
The glare shifted to the changeling. "Seriously?! Wait. How did you know?"
"Um. Sunburst might have mentioned it."
"Oh. Okay, but... seriously, why would you tell her that?"
"She said you were his big sister, I thought I was confused!" Thorax cowered. "And now I am!"
"Why didn't you tell me you were a clone?!" Starlight demanded.
"Would you have believed me?"
"Yes!"
Sunset stared at her for a moment or two. "...Okay. Either you have issues, or your life has been far more interesting then I expected."
"It's both," Starlight assured her. "But that doesn't explain why you were acting the way you were around me!"
"...Basically I was being a super-interfering overprotective big sister figure, I dragged you in without thinking, and I apologize."
"Oh. You're just going to straight-up admit it."
"Dealing with both pony drama and teenage drama has taught me that swift action solves more problems then it causes."
Starlight took a moment to process that. "...So, basically, you don't hesitate."
"Not often. Not anymore."
"That's not a good thing," Twilight pointed out. "If you don't think about your actions--"
"I make mistakes, and I don't hesitate to apologize when I do, or to try to correct them."
"But you wouldn't make so many mistakes in the first place if you tried to plan things ahead of time!"
"Different strokes for different folks, Twi."
"Why were you so interested in getting me and Sunburst together?" Starlight demanded. "I mean, what did he tell you about me?"
Sunset blinked. Then she chuckled awkwardly. "Um. Aheh. Starlight... how much do you know about the Independent Construct Kinesis Equation?"
"...Isn't that purely theoretical?"
"NO. It isn't. Not anymore."
"Oh. Well, given the developmental framework is usually based off the cast...er..."
Starlight Glimmer trailed off, her eyes widening as she looked at Sunset.
"...To be ENTIRELY fair," Sunset allowed, "I have half a decade's worth of being seperate and gaining my own experiences, so--"
"Oh sweet Celestia. You--you and--that would mean--"
Sunset sat down. "Hey, Twilight? Are all ponies so easy to freak out, or is it just me?"
"You have to admit, you are a unique magical being," Twilight pointed out. "The only other self-directed constructs I know of were mirror pool clones, and repeated self-iteration led to monomaniacal protoforms with unstable operational matrices."
"What happened to them?"
"I had to dissolve their mystical format and return them to the generation engine. If I hadn't, they would have descended into potentially dangerous builderconstructs." Twilight blinked. "Not that I'd ever do that to you, of course! You've got a stable operational matrix, even if you went, uh, temporarily--"
"No, I get it, so much can go wrong." Sunset waved it off. "I'm sure you did what was best at the time."
"If you were--then that--and you--and--and--"
Sunset turned to the gaping Starlight. "Do you still do the grass thing?"
"YOU KNOW ABOUT THE GRASS THING."
"Maybe you should do the grass thing."
"I..." Starlight Glimmer nodded faintly, stepping off the train platform. "I'm going to do the grass thing."
Twilight blinked. "What's the grass thing?"
Sunset took a breath. "...Well, she's your student, you're going to find out sometime anyway..." With a cough, she pointed at where Starlight had lied down on the grass. "Don't worry, she's not in any pain."
"What are you talking abouohsweetCelestia."
"Huh. She's gotten more flexible. Interesting."
"Ponies--ponies shouldn't--bend that way."
"Yeah, apparently something about this calms her down. Scent on the skin and all that."
"I can't--" Twilight turned away. "She did this as a filly?"
"Yeah. It was weird, but kind of interesting, you know?"
"Should I come over there?" Thorax asked.
"No!" Twilight replied. "In fact, I--"
"Okay, I'm good now." Starlight stood. "Alright. Um. Sunset?"
"Yes?"
"...We've both changed a LOT since our foalhood. I wouldn't mind reconnecting. At the moment, though, things are super weird."
"Super duper weird."
"So... if... you don't mind, I'm going to head back to Ponyville and, uh, do some thinking while you chat with your...." Starlight paused, frowning.
"We've settled on a sibling relationship," Sunset assured her. "That much I wasn't lying about."
"Right." Starlight nodded. "So... yeah. I'll see you when you get back?"
Sunset nodded. "Absolutely."
"Well, this all seems to be resolved," Twilight announced. "I think I'll just take Starlight home, and... yeah." With an awkward grin, she and Starlight stepped back onto the train.
Sunset rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Yep. Still the same adorkable Twilight."
Thorax nodded. "I have no idea what that word you just said means, but I am going to agree because I've honestly lost track of the situation."
"Don't worry, it's confusing for me too. And I'm living it!"
The two of them watched as the train rolled out of the station.
"...So. You and Sunburst?"
"Um. Yes. This is a thing."
Sunset Shimmer put a warm, friendly, and above all tight foreleg around Thorax's thorax. "And what, exactly, are your intentions toward my brother?"