Sunset glared at the girls surrounding her.
"It's not happening." She informed them, crossing her arms. "There is no reason."
"You have most of the symptoms, Sunset. This is a logical cure." Twilight said.
"I do not have any of the symptoms, Twilight. Besides, most of the symptoms talk about feeling different from others, being irritable, lonely, being sad, and connecting with something from home. None of which I have been showing." Sunset growled, fists clenched at her side.
The girls stared at her for a minute.
"I do know the symptoms, even though I'm not homesick."
"Riiight, that wasn't irrita-iirati--angry-like at allll." Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"I gotta agree with Rainbow, here. That bit was kinda angry-like. Plus, you're always carrying that book of yers." Applejack pointed out.
"Are you scared to go back since you've been kicked out and scared that if you go back you'll run into your princess and you'll get all angry and sad again and when you come back, you'll be that Demon Sunset again?" Pinkie took a slurp of her drink.
"It's not Demon Sunset I'm worried about. And I carry the book so Princess Twilight can contact me. No different than a cell, girls." Sunset smiled. "But I refuse to go back."
"Darling, it's natural that you would be concerned about returning to someplace where you would feel unwelcome, but you managed it just fine here."
"We're not trying to force you, Sunset." Fluttershy whispered.
"Yeah, we just think you'll be happy if you visit Equestria for a little bit." Twilight said.
Sunset laughed. "I'm not not happy. And I'm not going back to Equestria, girls. It's not up for debate. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet Celestia." Sunset departed, throwing a wave at the girls over her shoulder.
"I told you something was wrong." Twilight faced her friends. "You felt it, too, right?'
"I reckon ya got a point, Twi, but It ain't worth a hill of beans" Applejack asserted.
"Sunny didn't seem as sunny as she's been lately." Pinkie pointed out. "And she said 'She's not not happy'. That means she isn't happy."
"I'm not sure we should push her." Fluttershy twirled her hair around a finger.
"True, I'm not sure how she would react to us meddling in her life. A Lady does not meddle." Rarity informed the group.
"Then, it's a good thing we're not ladies. We're girls-- who should find out what's wrong with our friend. Because something was definitely off." Rainbow declared.
"I think y'all are barking up the wrong tree. If Sunset don't want to visit her stompin' grounds, that's up to her. And we shouldn't force her."
"Yeah, yeah. No forcing. C'mon 'Shy. We got spying to do." Rainbow dragged Fluttershy off in the direction Sunset had left.
"Oh dear. I do hope they don't do anything too illegal." The girls watched them go. "Well, off to my locker to get my sketchbook. Pinkie? Let's go." Rarity glanced around. "Pinkie?"
"She left a while ago. She gasped, jumped and rushed off to somewhere." Twilight mentioned.
"Great. Off on my lonesome, then. Goodbye, girls. See you at lunchtime." Rarity hurried off, leaving Twilight and Applejack.
"You really think nothing's wrong, Applejack?" Twilight asked, wringing her hands.
"Well, ain't nothing caught my eye, but my Gran always said 'If'n somet'ings got ya gut, ya had better falla it.' And that's what ya should do, Twi. Follow that gut of yours. See ya at lunch." Applejack left.
Twilight watched her leave. Follow my gut? What does that mean?
We'll have to try again.
"Has anyone seen Sunset since this morning?" Twilight asked Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie at lunch. "I ran into Principal Celestia when I was heading to the Science Exhibit and mentioned Sunset to her. She told me she hadn't seen Sunset at all."
"Not since this morning." Applejack said, "But since Rainbow and Fluttershy were following them, why not ask them when they arrive? Until then, Pinkie, where have you been all day?"
"I was planning on throwing a 'Don't-Be-Homesick-Sunny-You-Have-Us' party for Sunset. I've spent all morning working on it and inviting everyone and baking cupcakes and cakes and ordering ice cream and setting up streamers and confetti."
"Might wanna hold off on the party, Pinkie." Rainbow and Fluttershy arrived and sat down. "We can't find Sunset anywhere. And I don't know how we lost her."
"You lost Sunset? How does one lose a person?" Rarity inquired.
"We're not sure." Fluttershy answered. "We were following Sunset, which I still don't think we should have done, and after she walked a couple of blocks, she turned a corner-- and gone."
"Yeah, we turned that corner right after her and she was nowhere. I even ran up and down the streets next to us and nothing!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"We did run into Principal Celestia and she said that she hadn't seen or talked to Sunset in-- I think her exact words were 'in quite awhile'."
"I told you girls something was off about Sunset" Twilight reminded them.
"Wait, wait, wait a minute. Why would Principal Celestia say she hasn't seen Sunset in 'quite awhile?' It hasn't been that long since school let out and we always see her at our concerts." Applejack questioned.
"Who knows? Who cares? What I want to know is where Sunset is. Lets search her apartment." Rainbow suggested.
"How are we going to get in?" Rarity asked.
"Should we really do that? Isn't that, you know, kind of illegal?" Twilight asked, Fluttershy nodding.
"Nah, not really. We're not breaking in or anythin', Sunset has told us that we could go to her place anytime."
"Well, yes, but I believe she thought she would be there when we went."
"Shoot. This is a scratcher, fer sure, but we do need to know what happened to Sunset. I say we go to her place and look around--outside."