//------------------------------//
// Don't Cry After Sunset: Part 1 
// Story: The Alternate Adventures of the Power Ponies 
// by DisneyFanatic23 
//------------------------------//

"Relationships survive on trust, and if that is broken at any point, it's pretty much the end of the relationship. Besides, inability to communicate leads to problems."

- Yuvraj Singh





It was night at the Canterlot Museum of Magic, and the security guards were making their rounds. One guard, a green earth mare with a brown mane tied up in a bun, turned the corner into the Norwhinnean Mythology exhibit. Letting out a yawn, she shined her flashlight on the artifacts: a sculpture of Freya, a stone detailing Ragnarok, a pair of iron gauntlets, and an ancient spear.

A noise sounding like a hoof slipping made her jump. The guard spun around, sweeping her light down the two intersecting hallways. Seeing nothing, she shrugged and turned back to the exhibit.

Then her face grew pale.

"Uh, Lens?" she said into her walkie-talkie. "Is there anyone else in the Norwhinnean exhibit besides me?"

"Uh…no," a male voice said through the device. "According to the cameras, you're the only one anywhere near that area, Searchlight. Why?"

"Well, either invisibility is a secret power of Thor's Gauntlets," Searchlight said, pointing her flashlight towards an empty display case, "or they've just been stolen."





"You sure everything's alright over there?" Twilight asked into her cell as she pulled on a purple evening dress.

"Sure, sure," said Spike's voice on the other end. "Radiance and I just took care of some thugs. Nothing big, just your run-of-the-mill bank robbery."

"That's it?" she asked, using her magic to put on some black flats. "No supervillain activity? Mane-iac, Trixie?"

"Nope. All in Balkham."

"What about Discord?"

"Still no activity from him."

"No natural disasters? Because if there are, I could totally fly over there right now!"

"We're fine, Twilight. Zapp, Radiance, Saddle and I've got everything under control. You just relax, have a good time."

"Yeah, sure, relax. I can do that. I can…" Twilight froze as she caught her frazzled reflection in the mirror of her hotel room. "No, I can't."

She heard Spike sigh. "Twilight, it'll be fine."

"No, it won't be."

"Twilight, it's been almost a month. Plus ten years. Just talk to her."

"Oh, right, sure," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "And what am I supposed to say? 'Hi, remember me? The mare who practically ruined your…?'"

A knock at the door interrupted her.

"Twilight?" said Officer Flash Sentry's voice. "You ready? Lyra and Bon-Bon are waiting for us in the lobby."

"Coming!" Twilight called before returning to her phone conversation. "You'll call me the minute there's trouble, okay?"

"Twilight," Spike said in a stern voice. "Go."

"But what if…? Hello?"

The long tone ended the conversation for her. Sighing, Twilight hung up and slid the phone into the pink purse hanging from her shoulder. Looking into the mirror, she put on a big smile before walking to the door and opening it. Flash, wearing a dashing black suit and blue tie, greeted her with a smile.

"You look great," he said.

"Thank you," Twilight said, grinning back as she closed the door. "Let's go."





"I must say," Bon-Bon said, "it's nice to be in the backseat for once."

Twilight and Flash were in the back of a rented limo with Twilight's driver, Bon-Bon, and her partner, Lyra. The two mares were gussied up, Bon-Bon wearing a pink ruffled dress and Lyra wearing a matching yellow one.

"So Lyra, you and Twilight went to school together?" Flash asked.

"Oh yeah," Lyra said. "We weren't that close. I mean we did hang out a couple times. The first year, we sat with four other fillies at lunch, but that was before Twilight started hanging out with…"

"It's uncanny, isn't it?!" Twilight said quickly. She cleared her throat. "I mean…when I hired Bon-Bon to be my driver, I of course had no idea she was in a relationship with one of my old schoolmates. Funny how things turn out, huh?"

She nudged Flash so hard he fell sideways into the minibar.

"Oops," she said, bringing her hoof to her mouth. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Flash said, massaging his foreleg. "Thanks for inviting me to your school reunion. I can't wait to meet the rest of your schoolmates."

"Can you believe it's been ten years?" Lyra asked. "Seems like only yesterday I was taking that entrance exam." She sighed dreamily. "It'll be nice to see every pony again: Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, Minuette, Moondancer, Sun—"

"Some night, huh?" Twilight said with a laugh, looking out the window. "Isn't Canterlot lovely at night?"

"Sure is," Flash said. "Apparently, there's been some serious crime going on in this town at night."

Twilight looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard?" Bon-Bon said, pulling up her phone. "There was a robbery last night at the Canterlot Museum of Magic. It's all over the news."

She showed Twilight her screen with the article. Twilight's eyes widened as they read through the tiny text.

"Someone stole Járngreipr?" she said.

Flash chuckled. "I think you're the first pony I've met able to pronounce it. Took forever for the chief to tell me about it just because of that word."

"Yarn-what-now?" Lyra asked.

"The Iron Gauntlets of Thor," Twilight explained, "the Norwhinnean God of Thunder. It was said that the gauntlets were what allowed Thor to wield his hammer, protecting his hooves from the lightning. But they are presumably useless without the hammer. Why would some pony steal them?"

Flash shrugged. "About ninety-five percent of the time, it's about money. I'd check it out myself, but this city isn't in my jurisdiction. Besides," he said, throwing his hoof around Twilight, "I'm off-duty for the weekend."

"Off-duty," Twilight muttered under her breath.

She kept glancing at Bon-Bon's phone throughout the drive, even after it was put away in her purse.





"Ah, it's just how I remember it!" Lyra said, taking in the sight of the decorated gymnasium.

Twilight looked around. "Honestly, in all my years at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, I didn't spend much time in the gym."

Lyra giggled as she whispered to Flash, "Except for those scholastic decathlons and science fairs."

Flash smirked at Twilight. "I took you for a brainiac."

Twilight blushed. "Is that a good thing?"

"Of course." He hooked his foreleg in hers. "You don't get to be one of the richest mares in the world without having brains."

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"

Before Twilight could see the source of the voice, she was tackled to the ground. She looked up to find herself face to face with a blue unicorn mare with blue and white hair.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly. "It's been so long!"

Laughing, Twilight stood herself up. "Nice to see you too, uh…" Squinting, she tried to put a name to the face. "Um…"

"Minuette!" the blue unicorn said, pointing to herself. "Don't you remember? We used to sit next to each other at lunch!"

"Of course!" Twilight said, clapping her hooves together. "Minuette!"

"And Lyra!" Minuette said, hugging her other old friend. "You look beautiful!"

"So do you!" Lyra said, admiring her dark blue gown. "Is the rest of the gang here?"

"Over here!" a voice called.

Two more unicorn mares joined their party. One was yellow with a curly blue mane, and the other looked like her twin, only her coat was white and her mane was pink.

"Lemon Hearts!" Lyra shouted excitedly. "Twinkleshine!"

The five unicorn friends all hugged each other. Flash couldn't help but notice that Twilight, though smiling, looked a tad uncomfortable. Bon-Bon cleared her throat.

"Oh, right!" Lyra said, pulling away from the group. "Every pony, this is Bon-Bon, my partner."

Lemon Hearts gasped while Minuette laughed.

"I knew it!" the latter said. "I told you she preferred mares! Pay up!"

Groaning, Twinkleshine tossed her a bit.

"You knew?" Lyra asked, blinking. "I didn't even know until after college!"

"We guessed," Minuette said with a shrug. "We made the same bet on Twilight."

"What?" Twilight said.

Twinkleshine smirked as she sized up Flash. "Looks like I get my bit back."

Minuette sighed as she gave the bit back to her. "Fair enough."

Shaking off the awkwardness, Twilight placed her hoof on Flash's shoulder. "This is Flash Sentry."

"Nice," Twinkleshine said, shaking his hoof and winking at Twilight. "Very nice."

"All we're missing is Moondancer," Lyra said.

"She hasn't arrived yet," Lemon Hearts said. "But she did RSVP."

"Lemon Hearts put this whole event together," Lyra explained to Bon-Bon and Flash.

"I really gotta thank you, Twilight," Lemon Hearts said, pointing to the buffet table on the other side of the room, "for suggesting those caterers to me at the last minute."

"Yeah, their food is amazing!" Minuette said, taking a bite into an apple fritter. "Where did you find them?"

"Oh," Twilight said, casting a sideways glance at the buffet. "They've worked for me on a few…events."

Meanwhile, at the buffet table, Pinkie and Applejack were in white servers' uniforms while serving food to the guests.

"Hey, look, it's Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed, waving her hoof. "Hiya, Twi—!"

Applejack plugged her hoof into her mouth. "Remember what Twilight said. We need to act like we don't know her on a personal level. If our secret identities become too friendly in everyday life," she leaned forward to whisper, "we'll risk exposin' ourselves as the Power Ponies."

Pinkie groaned as she popped Applejack's hoof out. "That shouldn't be too hard. We hardly know anything about Twilight personally. I mean we know her ultra-super-secret identity and all that, but we don't know what she was like as a filly or even her ultra-super-secret origin story. I mean she knows a lot about us but we hardly know a thing about her."

"We gotta respect her privacy," Applejack murmured, lowering her eyes. "Keep a lookout for that unicorn she was talkin' about."

Nodding, Pinkie glanced at the picture in her hoof. "She doesn't look like a dangerous criminal. She's actually kinda cute."

"Looks can be deceivin', Pinkie. Remember the Sirens?"

Pinkie narrowed her eyes at her. "Too soon, AJ. Too soon."

On the other side of the room, Twilight was catching up with her friends.

"So you're a dentist now?" Twilight asked Minuette.

"You always did take care of your teeth," Lyra said.

"And what do you do, Lyra?" Minuette asked.

"I work in a music store while Bon-Bon here is Twilight's chauffeur."

"And Lemon Hearts, you work in the Canterlot Castle?" Twilight asked.

"Mmm-hmm," Lemon Hearts said. "I help with all the big events: galas, banquets, that sort of thing."

"Lemony was always the best at throwing parties," Twinkleshine commented. "Meanwhile, I'm a vice-president at the hoof-polish factory." She turned to Twilight. "But I'm sure that's nothing compared to your success."

Twilight blushed. "Oh, it's nothing."

"You kidding?!" Minuette exclaimed. "When I told my coworkers I used to be friends with one of the richest, most influential ponies in the world, they didn't believe me!" She suddenly gasped as she looked over Twilight's shoulder. "Moondancer!"

She zipped off and came back with a pale yellow mare with thick-rimmed glasses. Her red mane was combed in a similar fashion to Twilight's, and her dress was a simple black one that went up to her neck and covered the upper part of her forelegs.

"Moondancer, hi!" Twilight said, hugging her. "I haven't seen you in such a long time!"

Moondancer narrowed her purple eyes. "I work at the Maretropolis Library. You see me almost every day."

Twilight's cheeks turned red. "Oh, um…of course! Right!"

"We should take a picture!" Minuette said, levitating her phone into view. "Now that the gang's all here!"

The six unicorns crowded together while Minuette's phone floated above them.

"Smile!" she said.

The cell flashed in their eyes.

"Interesting you should still include Twilight as part of the gang," Moondancer said.

Flash frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm simply saying," Moondancer said, pushing her glasses up her nose, "Twilight was a member of our social group only for our first year at this school, before she won the scholastic decathlon and became friends with…"

"I'm hungry!" Twilight interjected, taking her stallion's hoof. "Flash, let's go see what's at the buffet!"

Before Flash could say anything, he was dragged to the table, where Twilight immediately stuffed a whole apple fritter into her mouth.

"What was that about?" he asked.

Swallowing, Twilight replied, "Nothing. Just…some stupid thing that happened in the past."

Her eyes darted frantically around the room.

"So…I take it you had some falling out with them some time ago?" Flash asked.

Twilight shook her head. "I never meant to hurt them. It's just…you know, when you take an interest in…big things, you…tend to forget about…other things."

"I get it." Smiling, Flash gently laid his hoof on her shoulder. "You got so swept up in your studies that you didn't make enough time for friends."

She sighed. "It's not just that. You see…"

"Twilight!"

Closing her eyes, Twilight mumbled, "Celestia, please, not now."

Starlight Glimmer walked up to her side. "I am so happy you were able to make it tonight, what with the busy schedule we successful businessponies have to keep."

Groaning, Twilight put on a bright smile before turning to her. "Starlight! A pleasure, as always!"

Flash glanced between the two mares. "You and Starlight Glimmer of Glimmer Industries went to school together?"

"You could say that," Twilight said.

"But we weren't friends or anything," Starlight said, waving her hoof. "Twilight was placed in Princess Celestia's exclusive advanced class, and I wasn't. She barely knew I existed." She used her magic to grab a cucumber sandwich. "A little unfair, if you ask me, that the princess should play favorites, just because some lucky ponies have stronger…talents."

Twilight tried hard to keep up her smile as she watched Starlight bite into her sandwich.

"But clearly," Starlight said, wiping the crumbs off her face with a napkin, "it doesn't matter what your educational level in school. I'm living proof of that. After all," she smirked at Twilight, "being advanced doesn't necessarily mean you will advance. Remember what happened to your…marefriend."

Flash cocked an eyebrow. "Marefriend?"

"She means platonically," Twilight said hastily, not taking her eyes off Starlight.

"I read the papers," Starlight said, pouring herself a glass of punch. "Honestly, if she dares to show her face here tonight after what she did…"

"Come on, Flash!" Twilight said, grabbing his hoof again. "Let's see what other food there is!" She darted her eyes at Starlight. "While I still have my appetite."

They came to the far end of the table, near the stage. Twilight used her magic to pick up a daffodil and daisy sandwich while looking around the room again.

"Who are you looking for?" Flash asked.

"Hmm?" Twilight said, turning to him.

He shrugged. "You seem to be looking for someone. Old boyfriend?"

"What? No!"

"Not that I'm jealous!" He held up his hooves defensively. "I mean we're both adults. It's understandable if you've been in past relationships."

Twilight bit her lip. "Actually…you're the first stallion I've…"

He looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

She shook her head. "That's not important!"

"Then…who are you looking for?"

"No pony," Twilight said, raising the sandwich to her lips.

He raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Twilight. What's going on? You've seemed distracted all night."

"I'm fine!"

She shoved the sandwich into her mouth and then her eyes opened wide. Sticking out her tongue, she revealed a small, thin piece of paper. Flash stared at it in confusion while Twilight levitated it off her tongue.

"I've heard of fortune cookies," he said, "but fortune sandwiches?"

Unrolling the paper, Twilight read the tiny words aloud. "I am often called, but never by name."

Flash cocked his head. "What does that mean?"

Twilight glanced around the room in thought. Then her eyes fell upon the stage. The blue velvet curtains were drawn, but she could've sworn she'd seen them move. Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Twilight slid the paper into her pocket and approached the stage.

Opening the curtains with her magic, she looked to her left and right. Backstage was dark, and she could only make out the faint outlines of ropes and sandbags and old set pieces. Powering her horn to illuminate the place, she stepped forward, letting the curtains close behind her.

Suddenly, her ear twitched as it picked up the sound of a hooffall. Her horn glowed bright red as she spun around.

"Surprise!"

Her light dimmed when she saw who it was.

"You…you came."

There was a low female chuckle. "Did you really think I would miss this?" The voice tsked. "Twilight, Twilight, Twilight."

The figure stepped into the light. It was a unicorn mare with a golden coat, yellow and red hair that in Twilight's red light resembled fire. Her green eyes stared at her in the dark, and her face held a sinister smirk.

"I've waited a long, long time for this moment," the mare said slowly.

Twilight took a fearful step back. Then the mare's smirk turned into a happy smile.

"Gosh, it's great to see you!"

The excited tone in her voice caught Twilight off-guard. She was even more surprised when the mare threw her hooves around her and held her tight.

"It's been so many years!" Twilight could feel tears dripping onto her shoulders. "I was worried you had forgotten about me like you forgot about all those others!"

The warm hug comforted Twilight enough to diminish her horn. After about a minute, she smiled along with the mare and returned her embrace.

"Who could ever forget you, Sunset?"





Flash stared at the curtains behind which Twilight had disappeared. She'd been gone for several minutes and he was about to go search for her when she came out with another unicorn in a plum evening gown. The two mares were laughing as they walked foreleg in foreleg off the stage and towards him.

"A curtain call!" Twilight exclaimed. "Pretty clever, Sunset."

"Clearly not clever enough," Sunset said, nudging her shoulder with hers, "if you were able to figure it out in a matter of seconds."

"But to hide the paper in my sandwich… How could you have even known I would pick that sandwich?"

"Twilight. Daffodil and daisy sandwiches have always been your favorite."

"Yes, but…how could you have predicted that I would pick that exact sandwich on that exact plate before any pony else?"

"When are you going to learn, Twilie?" Sunset said, shaking her head. "I know you better than you know yourself."

She booped her on the nose, making Twilight giggle.

"Ahem," Flash said, clearing his throat.

"Oh!" Twilight said, gesturing between him and the mare. "Flash Sentry, this is Sunset Shimmer. Sunset, this is Flash, my…" She hesitated, her hoof going in circles. "Um…"

"We're together," Flash said, snaking his hoof around Twilight's waist.

Sunset's smile seemed to waver as she sized him up and down. "A police officer, Twi? I would've expected you to choose a scientist, a historian, someone with a career more at…your level."

Flash blinked. "How did you know I was a police officer?"

Her eyes glanced down to his coat. "Badge."

Flash opened up his jacket and stared at the pocket where his badge was well tucked in. "But…it's not even in plain view. How did you…?"

"Sunny's pretty observant," Twilight said. "When we first met, she'd already guessed I had a big brother who was in love with my babysitter."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "I never guess, Twilight. I know. Like I knew you were going to find my little note in that sandwich."

"That was you?" Flash asked.

"It's this game we used to play when we were foals," Twilight said. "We'd challenge each other with brain teasers and riddles."

Sunset flipped her mane. "I may have gone easy on you this time. After all, I didn't want to be waiting behind that curtain for too long."

Twilight scoffed. "How many times have I told you, Sunny, do not try to make things easy for me! You know I like a challenge!"

"So sorry," Sunset said with a smirk. "Perhaps next time, I should create a maze with a minotaur in it."

Shaking her head, Twilight said, "Minotaurs aren't a threat. They just act tough by yelling a lot."

"Not if he stole your daffodil and daisy sandwich," Sunset said, cozying up to her.

Giggling, Twilight playfully pushed her away. "You're awful!"

"I know." She batted her eyes. "But you love me anyway."

As the two of them laughed, Flash looked between them incredulously.

"So, um…how do you know Twilight?" Flash asked.

A look of fear flashed upon Twilight face for a moment, but she quickly grinned again. "We were college roommates."

Sunset scoffed. "And BFFs since our first year at this school!"

"Not at first though," Twilight said with a chuckle. "See, Sunset and I were both in Celestia's advanced class, and…she didn't like me very much."

"It was nothing personal," Sunset said, waving her hoof. "At my previous school, I'd been at the top of my class, but when I saw how brilliant Twilight was and how much Princess Celestia favored her, I felt a little…threatened."

"It wasn't until after I beat her in the final event of the scholastic decathlon that we became friends."

"Huh?" Flash said in confusion.

"It may sound backwards," Sunset said, throwing her hoof around her friend's shoulder, "but seeing her beat me at my best event was…eye-opening. No pony had beaten me at anything involving magic or math or science before. It gave me reason to appreciate and admire her as an intellectual equal." She pressed Twilight close to her shoulder. "We'd been inseparable ever since."

Flash was not one to be paranoid, but he could've sworn the glance Sunset cast him was almost…spiteful. He also couldn't help but notice how many of the other guests seemed to be staring at her. A group of unicorn mares spoke to each other in low whispers, their eyes narrowed.

Pinkie was watching Sunset too. "Hey, isn't that the mare we're supposed to be looking for?"

Applejack looked up from the table to see Sunset Shimmer with Twilight. She glanced at the picture in her hooves.

"Looks like."

Pinkie cocked her head. "Is it just me or do she and Twilight seem kinda…chummy?"

As she said this, Twilight and Sunset started laughing together, their hooves entwined. It made Applejack raise her eyebrow.

"I don't get it," Pinkie said, scratching her head. "If Twilight wanted us to keep an eye on her, why doesn't she seem so afraid of her?"

"Twilight did say she was some pony from her past," Applejack said.

"So Twilight's friends with a…dark wizard?"





"When do you suppose Princess Celestia's coming?" Twilight asked Sunset. "I was sure she was going to be here tonight."

Sunset shrugged. "Probably fashionably late, as usual." She frowned slightly. "I just hope she isn't…too disappointed to see me."

"Why would she be disappointed to see you?" Flash asked.

"Gah!" Sunset screamed, turning around to face him. "Oh, you're still here."

Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Err, Flash, would you mind getting us some punch?"

"Um…" Flash said, glancing between the two of them. "Sure…okay."

Hesitantly, he headed for the punch bowl.

"Not very assertive for a cop," Sunset whispered.

Twilight nudged her in the side. "That's not very nice."

"I'm just saying," Sunset replied, rolling her eyes, "while I would've expected you to move on at this point, I didn't think you'd pick some pony so…bland."

Twilight folded her forelegs.

"I'm just kidding, Sparkle. He seems nice, I'll give him that." She muttered under her breath, "You could use someone nice."

There was silence between them for a long while.

"How…how are you doing?" Twilight asked, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You know, now that you're…"

Sunset glanced at the unicorns whispering and pointing at her. "That answer your question?" She sighed. "You make one mistake ten years ago, and no pony ever lets you live it down."

"Right." Twilight bit her lip. "Mistake."

Silence again.

"Sunset, I'm…"

A sudden crash interrupted the party. Every pony spun around to a gaping hole in the wall. When the dust cleared away, a unicorn all too familiar to Twilight stood upon an octopus-like machine with eight mechanical arms, four of them acting as legs to hold her and the control platform up.

"Fear not, fellow schoolmates!" she said. "Your best friend, the Great and Powerful Trixie, has arrived!"

Scowling, Twilight whispered into her commlink, "Spike! You told me Trixie was still in Balkham!"

There was awkward laughter on the other end. "Oops."

"What's she doing here?" Pinkie asked.

"Don't any of you remember me?" Trixie addressed the crowd. "Trixie was in your class!"

"That was in our class?!" a voice called.

Starlight huffed. "As if having one criminal in our year wasn't enough."

Starlight was about to eat her words as one of the mechanical arms grabbed her and pulled her up towards Trixie.

"None of you ever noticed Trixie, did you?" she shouted, pointing down at all of them. "No pony even thought to invite her! Well, you'll all be sorry you ignored the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

Pinkie and Applejack ducked under the buffet table. Twilight was about to slip away too when Sunset unexpectedly grabbed her hoof.

"You always were quite the drama queen, weren't you, Trixie?"

Trixie turned her attention to Sunset and smiled wickedly. "Ah, Sunset Shimmer." She made the machine trudge towards her, forcing the guests to scatter out of the way. "The Queen Bee herself. Never once gave Trixie the time of day. Trixie hears you turned out just as bad as Trixie. Did some time in the clink."

Flash, still wishing he had brought his gun, looked over at Sunset with wide eyes. She did not let Trixie's comment faze her. She was standing strong and staring hard at her with narrowed eyes.

"I paid my debt to society," Sunset said, taking a step forward. "It's time you finished doing the same."

Trixie laughed. "And what are you going to do about it? This isn't Maretropolis! There are no Power Ponies around to save you!"

"Maybe not, Trixie, but you still neglected to see one important thing."

Two of the mechanical arms moved to make it look like they were on the machine's hips. "And what's that?"

Sunset smirked as she powered her horn. "You just crashed a party for Equestria's most gifted and talented unicorns."

She shot a beam at the machine, setting one of the arms ablaze. Trixie shrieked as she attempted to shake the flames off.

"Come on, ponies!" Sunset shouted to the crowd. "Are we gonna let this jerk ruin our night?"

The unicorns yelled as they ignited their horns and started firing at Trixie. Screaming, Trixie tried to dodge the attacks, but there were too many coming at her. Mare-velous and Fili-Second popped out from behind the buffet table but then their jaws dropped when they saw the unicorns ganging up on the villain.

"Um…are we needed?" Fili-Second asked.

"Reckon not," Mare-velous said, going back under the table.

Twilight looked down as Sunset clutched her hoof tighter.

"What do you say, Sparkle?" Sunset said with a grin. "We finish her off like old times?"

Twilight returned her smile. "Like old times."

She pressed herself to Sunset's side and leaned her head close enough for their horns to touch. Their green and pink magic sparked to life, creating a swirling red ball of light. Several unicorns stopped their attacks to watch the magical display in awe. The ball rose high above the crowd before lunging towards Trixie.

"Eep!" Trixie cried, shielding herself with the mechanical arms.

When the ball hit her, there was an explosion. Every pony shielded their eyes from the blinding red light. When the light diminished, the machine's mechanical arms were wrapped around Trixie like cocoon. Every pony cheered and laughed.

"Well, well, well, Trixie," Sunset said, walking towards the trapped villain. "Now I'm starting to see why you didn't make it to graduation."

Trixie wailed in agony as she writhed in her bounds. "The Great and Powerful Trixie swears, Sunset Shimmer, once Trixie defeats the Masked Matter-Horn, you're next on her hit list!" She glared at the unicorn standing beside Sunset. "You too, Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight couldn't hold back her laughter. Sunset chuckled along with her.

"Still got it," Sunset said. "Eh, Sparkle?"

"Yeah," Twilight said, smiling at her. "Still got it."

After calling the authorities, Flash rushed to see if Twilight was okay. He stopped a few feet away from her, his eyes focused on how tightly she was holding Sunset's hoof.

"Goodness, what happened here?" Princess Celestia said as she entered the gym.





Ten minutes later, the police were hauling Trixie away, using their magic to carry her and the robotic wreckage as they tossed her into the paddy wagon.

"You may have been able to escape Balkham Asylum, Trixie," Princess Celestia said in a stoic tone. "Let's see how you fare in the Canterlot Maximum Security Prison."

Trixie growled. "You never liked me, Princess! Always playing favorites!"

As the door slammed on her, Starlight, who was watching from a few feet away, snickered. "If that were the case, she wouldn't have locked away one of her prized pupils."

Flash, hearing her from a short distance away, gave her a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, Twilight didn't tell you?" Starlight glanced over at Twilight, who was talking to Sunset on the school steps. "About ten years ago, when those two were in college, Sunset Shimmer was caught practicing dark magic in her dorm."

Flash's eyes widened.

"That's right," Starlight said with a nod. "As soon as Princess Celestia heard, she sent Sunset straight to Canterlot Maximum Security Prison. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it in the tabloids at least. She was just given early parole a few weeks ago."

He looked to where the two mares were conversing, feeling uneasy.

"Though I must say," Starlight said with a shrug, "I had my doubts about Sunset Shimmer being invited to this reunion. However, it looks like she's decided to move forward from her past. I admire that in a mare."

That did not settle Flash's stomach.

Meanwhile, Twilight was saying to Sunset, "That was amazing, what you did back there, influencing the others to retaliate."

Sunset waved her hoof nonchalantly. "Like I'm gonna take orders from the likes of her. Besides, any pony would've done the same thing. I mean, it they had the guts, that is."

Twilight smiled. "You really haven't changed much."

"Oh, yes I have," Sunset said, giving her a serious look. "Didn't you read the tabloids?"

The smile was instantly replaced with a guilty frown.

"You know," Sunset said, looking down at the steps, "as great as it is to see you, I wish I'd been able to see you earlier." She locked gaze with Twilight. "I was allowed visitors, you know?"

Biting her lip, Twilight said, "I…didn't think you'd want to see me after…"

She trailed off when she felt Sunset's hoof touch her shoulder.

"Twilight," Sunset said slowly, "I don't blame you for what happened.

She blinked. "You…don't?"

Sunset shook her head. "Why do you think I never told the police about you? You had your whole life ahead of you. Just because I was going down didn't mean I was going to take you with me. Still, it was pretty lonely in that cell."

Her hoof tightened around Twilight's shoulder. Glancing down at it, Twilight quickly shook the hoof off.

"But," Sunset said, her smile returning, "if you want to make up for lost time, I'll be in Maretropolis next week for business."

Using her magic, Sunset took a business card out of her pocket and floated it into Twilight's hoof.

"'Magic Consultant?'" Twilight said, reading the card.

Sunset nodded. "I figured with my magical knowledge, I can help other unicorns improve their own magical abilities." She winked. "Not that you need any help."

Twilight grinned. "I'll call you if I do though."

A limo pulled up in front of the school's steps.

"Looks like your ride's here," Sunset said.

"Looks like," Twilight said. "Catch you later?"

"Not if I catch you first, Sparkle." Sunset smirked as she walked away.

Twilight gave her old friend a wave. When Sunset was far away enough, Twilight looked to where Applejack and Pinkie were loading their truck.

"Great job on the catering, girls!" Twilight said loudly as she trotted over to them. "The food was delicious!"

When she was certain they were out of earshot, Twilight leaned forward to whisper, "Before you turn in tonight, I need you to check something out for me."





"You okay?" Flash asked as he and Twilight walked down the hallway of hotel rooms.

"Hmm?" Twilight said, snapping out of her daze. "Oh, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You've been awfully quiet since we left the reunion."

"Right. I'm just disappointed that it had to end so early."

"Yeah," Flash said, glancing at his hooves. "You looked like you were enjoying yourself."

They stopped at a door.

"Well," Twilight said, getting out her card key, "good night."

She had just inserted the key into the slot, when Flash suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, kissing her hard on the lips. Twilight widened her eyes, unsure of how to respond. When he pulled away, she blinked incredulously. In all the months they had dated, he had never kissed her so…aggressively before.

"What was that?" she said in alarm.

Releasing her, Flash backed away in embarrassment. "I'm…sorry, I…didn't mean to scare you, I just…"

Twilight cocked her head. "Are…you okay, Flash?"

He locked eyes with her for a moment and then sighed. "Why did you invite me here?"

She scrunched her muzzle. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I came here to support you, but…you've practically ignored me all night. I mean I know you came here to catch up with your old friends but…there's clearly something about your past that you're not telling me. Heck, I had to hear about the fact that your roommate did time for using dark magic from Starlight Glimmer."

She took a step back. "She…told you about that?"

"Yeah, and…it kind of hurts that you don't have that kind of trust in me. I know we haven't been dating for a few months, but…" He closed his eyes. "What am I to you, Twilight?"

Twilight opened her mouth, but to her surprise, couldn't find the words. Flash hung his head.

"When you figure it out, give me a call."

He walked past her to his room. Twilight's mouth remained open, still speechless.





"This is all the footage ya've got?" Mistress Mare-velous asked the security guard at the Canterlot Museum of Magic.

"Yeah," Officer Lens said, indicating the security monitors. "I'm telling you, we've gone through this footage of the night of robbery hundreds of times, but the thief doesn't appear anywhere on these cameras! See?"

He pressed some keys, making one of the monitors rewind. The picture showed the Gauntlets of Thor inside a glass case.

"Gauntlets," he said.

A second later, the metal gloves vanished into thin air.

"No gauntlets."

Fili-Second turned her head upside-down. "Have you played the video really, really, really slow? Maybe the thief has super-speed! Or the power of invisibility!"

"Or is just real smart," Mare-velous said. "Can we have a copy of this?"

"Sure," Lens said, typing some commands into the keyboard. "But I doubt you're going to find anything else."

"Maybe not." Mare-velous squinted at the screen with the empty glass case. "But our really insightful partner just might."