//------------------------------// // Horse and dog show // Story: The Issue of Multiple Sunsets // by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof //------------------------------// Big Macintosh Apple pulled the old truck into the driveway of his family farm. Since his sister, Applejack, had no idea how long she and her friends would be busy, and was perfectly capable of finding her own way home, she had told him not to bother waiting. As such, as soon as she and her friends were off, so was he, and honestly glad to be. That Adagio girl would have been frightening even if he had been unaware of what she and her cohorts had done at Canterlot High. Macintosh could easily see her as a siren... or a black widow spider. It made him appreciate his sweet and kind Sugar Belle all the more. Enough that he was going to call her and set up a nice date for them once he was parked. The old barn turned garage soon came into view, the doors wide open as he had left them. It was good to be home. Hopefully, there was still some supper Granny Smith made left for him. He was hungry enough to an entire steer, hooves, horns, and all. The engine gave an extra sputter and loud clunk as it stopped, which it was not supposed to do. He was going to have to check it some time tomorrow. Hopefully it was something simple that he could fix himself. Having the truck out of commission for a day was not something he was looking forward to. Making his way toward the door, he gave the horse a gentle pat on the flank as he went by. As Macintosh gripped the barn door to shut it, realization struck him. Stepping back in and turning on the light, he looked around. Sure enough, he was right. There indeed was a horse in the barn. It was not one they actually owned either. This one had a yellow tinged coat and reddish mane and tail. It even... had... Macintosh moved closer to get a better look. Which confirmed that, yes, it had a brand on its flank in the shape of a sun. "Nope," Macintosh declared. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope." Turning around, he turned off the light and shut the door. He was not dealing with this. He was not getting involved. If Applejack wanted to deal with it, that was her choice, and Apple Bloom could as well when she was older (although he really hoped she did not), but he absolutely refused to be dragged into this. That horse could just stay in there until she dealt with it. Stepping into the house, he made his way straight for the kitchen. "Apple Bloom," he called out as he walked past the young adult, "tell AJ that there's somethin' in the garage that she needs to deal with when she comes in." "What is it?" Apple Bloom asked, sitting up from her spot on the couch. Big Macintosh never answered, the door to the kitchen shutting behind him. "Bet it's somethin' weird and magical." In another part of town, another person was also just getting home, with the intent of heading straight to the kitchen and getting something to eat. "Fluttershy?" a soft feminine voice called out. "Is that you?" "Yes, mom," Fluttershy called back. She continued her way to the kitchen. All the running around and being terrified had left her famished. She now felt she had a deeper understanding of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. A small giggle escaped her as she imagined her in the role, although with her rabbit Angel Bunny taking the place of the titular great dane. Except there were too many of them. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle could fill the other roles on the team, but that would leave out Applejack, Sunset Shimmer, and Pinkie Pie. Opening the fridge, Fluttershy reached out to grab the plate of food for her. As she did, she noticed another one, with Zephyr's name on it. "Zephyr's not home yet?" she called out. "He said something about going to a gym," her father called back. Fluttershy let out a sigh, rolling her eyes as she pulled out her plate. This was not the first time that something had caused her brother to find a gym and sign up. Or the second... third... probably the fifth time if she bothered to keep track of it. However many times, it always seemed to go the same way: Zephyr would sign up, spend less than an hour there, then never go back. Hopefully, he would use his own money and pay for the one time, instead of forcing their parents to pay for a month and try to cancel the membership. Once her dinner -- a zucchini and lentil spaghetti with sliced eggplant -- was nice and warm, she added a bit of cheese and headed up to her room. Her parents would not mind, and she needed some time to think. They all did, really. Something had happened to Sunset Shimmer, and not only was Sunset Shimmer not able to help because of it, but they were also unable to reach Princess Twilight Sparkle, which means there was no one else who they could turn to. Admittedly, Fluttershy was scared, but she had to do something. A friend of hers was in danger, and she could not look at herself if she did not at least try to help. Maybe she could find something online? Although that was a long shot. One time, when she tried to look up magic, she found multiple sites that claimed to teach real magic spells, and a few that were about stage performance. Another, she tried looking up human-to-pony transformation. That... was something she was still trying to forget. So... many... pictures. As soon as she was inside, she set her plate down on her desk. "Finally," a familiar voice called out. Fluttershy froze at the sound, eyes going wide. Slowly, she turned around, looking for the source of the voice. There, sitting on her bed was a small dog. It had a yellow coat, but there was a tuft of red on its head. It scratched at one of its red ears, looking at Fluttershy with its big cyan eyes. "I'm starving," the dog said, speaking in the voice of Sunset Shimmer. "And could really use a walk. Your parents and brother never came up to let me out or anything." Fluttershy felt her knees give out, making her drop into her chair.