Saturday morning came and, for Canterlot, it was the true start of the weekend, with last night considered as a warm-up. The hype and buzz from a rambunctious Friday night was gone, now replaced with more definite plans and cooler heads—well, cooler when it came to celebrating two more days of no school, that was.
For one, Sunset heard no more horrendous mockeries that somehow passed for singing from the karaoke bar. In fact, she saw that it was closed with a sign stating, The Perfect Cadence is closed by the Canterlot City Authority due to facilitating civil disorder.
She kept that in mind as she crossed the streets, encountering familiar faces and greeting them before they vanished from her sight. Getting closer to downtown with its tall skyscrapers and its rush of cars, she could then see the tips of Crystal Prep with its shiny and icy-looking towers gleaming under the sun—maybe gleaming too much since she blinded herself with the wrong angle.
Getting past that little setback, she walked towards a large purple mansion with at least three floors. It looked more like a regal castle than a house, what with its columns and its stained glass windows. On the outside, it had all the furnishings one could dream of from a wealthy family—including an antenna of some sort—and there was that familiar six-pointed star, too, prominent on the windows and the front door.
Sunset took a deep breath and went up the stairs to ring the doorbell.
She waited, looking up and inspecting the details of this manor. “What do her parents do in their spare time?” she wondered out loud to herself. “Must be inherited.”
Then, some fast footsteps and the doors swung open to reveal Twilight Sparkle still wearing a baseball uniform and now wearing a matching glove on one hand, her pinstriped shirt and pants true to the sport. “Sunset! You made it!”
Sunset did a double take at Twilight’s unchanging set of clothes, and then burst into laughter.
Twilight then frowned, growing a bit bothered. “What’s your deal?”
Sunset wiped the tears off her face, trying to get a hold of herself as she bent to slap her own knees, almost rolling on to the ground. “Y-You...d-did you sleep with those on? D-Did you make a home run to get down here or what?”
Twilight adjusted her glasses. “Ha-ha, very funny, Sunset. I lost a bet to Rainbow Dash and Applejack; now I’m forced to wear this for twenty-four hours!”
Sunset sighed, finally wearing off her laughter. “Alright, alright...sorry, Twi, but...wow, you lost a bet to them? I thought you knew better!”
Twilight beckoned her to come inside with a gesture and so she did, Sunset stepping into the house with its spacious halls. “Well, Shimmer, maybe I wasn’t thinking straight, but having a chance at seeing them watch a documentary about P versus NP was too good to pass up!”
The kitchen was full of neatly organized shelves and cabinets, each labeled with something that would clarify all newcomers as to the contents inside. This one here at the top had herbs, that one by the sink contained the baking pans, and way out there near the main counter was where the vegetables lay—the ones fresh from the supermarket.
Despite the constant pleas of Twilight and the rest of her friends, Pinkie continued with her cooking lesson in a messy fashion, spilling butter and milk from the bowl with her rapid-fire beater as it whirred.
Pinkie was also wearing goggles and a safety helmet.
“And then,” she went on, “the next thing you do is get the cake from the oven—“ put on mitts and retrieved the hot cake from the oven “—put it down on the counter—“ did just that “—ooh, don’t forget to put your frosting into pastry bags!—“ she poured it all down into three of those, Rarity busy wiping up the thick frosting off the counter while trying not to stain her dress with it “—and I guess you know how the next step goes!”
Everyone else looked at Pinkie with dread as she held up those bags full of frosting, primed to fire.
“That’s right! Time to frost the cake!”
The green tea cake turned out quite nicely. It was not flashy or showy, it did not have multiple layers, and there were no other flavors to vie for attention. It was a simple cake with a dull shade of green and some frosting that was green, too. There was some green tea powder as well, which would add some variety to the cake’s otherwise spongy texture.
Of course, in order to taste it, one must first finish cleaning up the dirty kitchen which was now brimming with frosting on the floor and on the counter along with spilled milk and vegetable oil. That was what everyone busied themselves with as Applejack and Fluttershy took on mop duty, as Rarity and Twilight wiped the counters and the cabinets with rags, as Sunset and Rainbow Dash sprayed the whole room with fragrances to hide the cake’s sweet smell, and as Pinkie jumped from one job to the next to give her friends an extra helping hand.
There was no ill will against Pinkie if their warm laughs were any proof. Talks about exploding frosting went about in a light tone. When all was said and done—with the kitchen becoming squeaky clean—those seven friends hugged each other.
And then Pinkie wiped her forehead clean from sweat. “Boy, am I tired! Time to eat the fruits of my labor!”
“Don’t you mean the cakes of your labor?” Fluttershy added, trying to be funny.
Pinkie smiled and pinched Fluttershy on the cheek. “Aww! You made a joke!” Then, rallying the rest while avoiding Fluttershy’s dagger eyes, “Uh, tell me where are the knives and forks?”
“Got it!” yelled Twilight before she rushed to the cabinet labeled Silverware.
She pulled it open.
She saw the knives and the forks, all arranged in order from biggest to smallest, but there was nothing where the spoons had been.
“Huh?” She looked at her friends with that dumbfounded gaze. “We don’t have any spoons!”
“Duh!” Pinkie rolled her eyes, twirling a finger around. “That’s why I said ‘knives and forks’!”
Twilight nodded, biting her lip as she eyed the problem in the cabinet. “Uh, yeah, but our spoons are missing. All of them.”
Everyone else gathered around the cabinet, seeing the space where the spoons used to be.
“I reckon somethin’ fishy’s going on,” Applejack said, rubbing her chin like a detective would. “Does your brother need spoons today?”
“No…?” Twi scratched her head, focusing on the absent spoons and then the present forks and knives. “From the looks of it, it’s a very unusual disappearance.”
Sunset then ran over to the dryer and saw a few plates and other kitchenware but only two spoons, the ones used by Pinkie during her cake making. She took them out and held them up for her friends to see. “We got these!”
Everyone else looked her way. “Is that all?” Twi asked.
Sunset nodded then shrugged. “Nothing else.”
Pinkie put on her detective cap and blew some bubbles which popped on Rarity’s face, slightly ruining her make-up. “What if the mysterious and deceptive Spoon Stealer is out to get us?!” The wanna-be detective gasped and hid herself behind a counter, then raised her head up to scan the entire room. “She’s very sneaky! Did you know that she won’t stop at anything to get her grubby hands on spoons?”
“Uh, Pinkie?” Sunset spoke up.
“And,” she went on, putting a finger to her mouth to shush everyone else, “do you want to know what she will do when she has all her spoons in her collection? She’ll use all the spoons and use tem to conquer the world! But,” pointing at her geode, “we got the magic to take her down! So, what do you say, girls?! Ready for another adven—“
Applejack pulled Pinkie out of her hiding spot, yanking her detective hat away. “No, we’re not ready for another adventure—and, sorry for statin’ the obvious, but why would anyone steal spoons?”
“It could be Sweetie Belle’s doing!” Rarity suggested, wagging her finger as if to reprimand her sister for doing something without any evidence of it.
And then everyone looked at Rarity.
She looked back at them odd, blowing some of her hair out of the way. “What? If they broke into Sunset’s house and stole her camera, then surely stealing spoons is not out of the question, those deplorable felons!”
“Why would they need spoons?” Rainbow asked. “I know they’ll use whatever for their movie project, but don’t you think spoons are...amateurish?”
Sunset placed a hand on her hip, facing Rarity. “She’s right. After what they pulled last night, I think they’re smart enough to stay away from breaking into people’s houses and taking their stuff.”
“Besides,” Twi spoke up, voice filled with confidence, “we have security cameras in all the main rooms and hallways, and the CMC already took note of them the first time they came over.”
Sunset tapped her chin. “But there was no alarm?”
Everyone looked at everyone else, speaking a word or two but then stopping to see what someone else had to say.
Nothing, really, as they let the cake sit on the counter.
Pinkie then swiped the cake and inhaled its calming scent. She picked up a knife and fork with her other hand and said, “All this investigating is making me hungry! What about we talk about it over snacks?”
The cake tasted like a cup of solid yet soft and creamy green tea. With their “Mm!”’s, everyone at the dining table agreed that the cake was not bad, that it was another one of Pinkie’s successes in baking.
Sunset was almost done with her slice when she spoke up again: “So, Twi, you never heard your alarm go off last night?”
She nodded. “I’m sure Mom and Dad didn’t hear it. So did Shiny before he left, for that matter.”
Pinkie took a sip of water. “Maybe the alarm isn’t working!”
“Calm down!” Rarity said, talking to her with a gentle voice. “No need to get worked up about it; nothing is definitive yet.”
“Uh, why are we stressing over spoons?” Rainbow asked, scratching her head in confusion. “It’s not like they ran away.”
Sunset glanced at Twilight. “Did Spike misplace them?”
“Spike never even entered the kitchen since the last time I checked our silverware,” Twilight replied, now glancing at the cabinet.
“You check your spoons and forks on a regular basis?” Rainbow said to rib on her, about to make a teasing laugh.
Twi groaned. “We need to keep an inventory on everything...though my Mom usually does that for the family.” She put on a nervous smile.
Sunset rested a shoulder on the table, racking her head about the issue. “Uh, would they sell a lot at an auction?”
Twilight made another frown. “Just because I live in a mansion doesn’t mean I eat with diamond-studded spoons.”
Upon hearing that, Rarity smiled as she imagined what diamond-studded spoons would be like as she tasted the sweetness of gold-garnished caramel ice cream in some far-flung five-star luxury restaurant.
And Applejack tugged her back to reality. “We got more important business than fancy spoons, ya’ know.”
Rarity made a little posh giggle. “Why, yes, Applejack, which is why—“
She put on a feathered hat.
“—Detective Rarity is on the case!”
Sunset looked at her watch, then tapped on it for everyone to notice the time. “Uh, why don’t we just save this for later? We’re gonna eat out for both lunch and dinner anyway, Twi’s parents are out on a date in Equestria Land, and Shining Armor’s helping Crystal Prep students with their balloon parade. I’m sure those spoons were just misplaced and they’re hiding in another cabinet.”
Twilight shivered, her teeth clattering. “The longer they remain in hiding, the more likely they’ll get even more lost!”
Rainbow laughed as she crossed her arms and closed her eyes. “Come on, Twi! Those spoons don’t have legs...right, girls?” She opened her eyes to see her friends looking at her strange. “They could grow legs if they have magic!”
Sunset had an irked face as she stood up from her chair, turning her head all the way down so everyone could see her look at her watch. “So, anyone ready to go out or what?”
“Darling,” Rarity said, holding up a fork and putting down her hat, “you’re not even done with your food!”
The day had passed splendidly for those seven girls.
It started off with Applejack and Rainbow Dash continuing their historic rivalry by outscoring each other in all the games at the arcade; needless to say, their wallets were a tad emptier after that fun excursion, which soured everyone else’s mood since they were waiting to play the rest of the morning, too.
After that came lunch at Sweet Snacks Café where Pinkie, now just a regular citizen and not a rollerskating waiter, paid for everything her friends wanted—yes, even cherry burgers with egg.
“Is that a real option or is she joking?” Sunset whispered to Fluttershy’s ear.
“It’s real!” Pinkie shouted before taking a selfie with Sunset and a very terrified Fluttershy.
Once they were done with their meal, they moved on to the mall beside it where Rarity was, par for the course, obsessing herself over everything she deemed fashionable—and flying off the handle against anything beneath her good taste.
“Ugh!” she gabbed as they passed by a blue and bluer dress beset with buttons. The only thing that stood between her and the fashion monstrosity was a window. “Is that a sight for sore eyes?! More like...more like….”
“You know ya’ don’t have to come up with something witty every time ya’ see a bad dress like that,” Applejack said.
“But, the world, Applejack!” Rarity said, crazing over the poor subject of her anger as she shook Applejack’s shoulders in fury. “The world must not see the likes of this in all of its days!”
It took a massive effort to drag Rarity away from the shop. Good thing it was also closed so there were no staff to see their wares berated by a fashionista.
Hours later, they found themselves in an antique shop where Twilight and Applejack geeked out over the retro, the old, and the ancient.
“Lookie’ here!” Applejack said, holding up a small trombone, rotating it and seeing its brass surface shine under the lights. “If ya’ ever need some class in the band, now’s the time!”
The clerk perked up from his counter and declared, “That would be two hundred dollars, ma’am.”
“Are ya’ kiddin’ me?!”
“It is an antique shop, darling,” Rarity said, coming to her side. “A trombone like that should be that expensive because it’s...a rarity.” She winked, brought out a toothy smile.
Applejack groaned. “Really?”
With the day winding down more hours later, they traveled out of the mall and on to Sweet Shoppe where Mr. and Mrs. Cake gave them not just pies and muffins but also some tacos and burritos to balance the sweetness of their desserts.
As Sunset received her burrito-taco pair, she inspected those two foods with their lush vegetables cabbages and tomatoes drizzled with cheese both in sauce and in grated form.
And the brown, luscious meat inside.
Sunset gulped.
Rainbow nudged her on the shoulder. “What’s the hold-up, Sunny?”
Sunset let out a sigh. “Oh, nothing much.”
Twilight looked at her, her mouth filled with savory delight. She gulped it down, wiped her mouth, and said, “You don’t look so good.”
Sunset waved it off with her hand. “It’s alright. Just...thinking about a few things, really.”
“Like what?” Fluttershy asked from her right.
Sunset smiled. “Random stuff. Like…” eyed the married couple handing out food to the customers in line, “since when did the Cakes make tacos?”
“It’s called expandin’,” Applejack answered, holding up a hand. “You know how they al’ernate between meat and sweets in those buffets so they don’t get tuckered out fast? That’s the idea here.”
Sunset nodded. “Oh, OK. That’s good to know.” Then, she pointed at her. “So, you’re saying they’re going to have another Sweet Shoppe?”
“I overheard them talkin’ about settin’ up a franchise over at Neighagra Falls, see if they can cash in on the tourists.”
Sunset smiled as first Twilight and then Pinkie asked Applejack more questions, contenting herself with being left out for the moment as she chewed on her juicy burrito.
And then, it was night.
Specifically, very late at night.
The windows were closed, the door was locked, and almost everyone was asleep in their sleeping bags at Sunset’s house, slumbering in the cold. Rainbow Dash and Applejack slept right before the television, Rainbow’s face covered by a drool-ridden controller. Fluttershy cuddled her sleeping bunny close to her while Pinkie snored long and loud though she was not able to wake anyone up yet. Rarity was the only one sleeping on the couch; she even brought her own custom-made pillow which contained her signature three diamond-mark. Snoozing right in front of the couch was Twilight who had set her glasses in her backpack.
Sunset Shimmer, on the other hand, sat on the chair before her computer, scrolling her phone to see stuff from her other friends and classmates, trying to distract herself.
Blood racing through her veins, she checked the time.
One fifty-nine A.M. Sunday.
She took a look at her geode, that necklace around her neck.
Sunset took out her journal. She flipped the pages through and went to the last page with words.
Nothing had been written after last time.
She closed the journal shut and put it inside her bag again.
Sunset looked upon her sleeping friends by the living room, their bodies and pillows and blankets sprawled all over the floor.
Sighed again. “This is it. Less than five hours to go before the big trip. I hope you girls are ready...especially you, Twi.”
She looked at her computer, the monitor off.
Got the journal again, flipped through the pages as she used her phone’s flashlight to see the words.
One entry caught her attention:
….Except I can’t seem to keep my mind on anything other than our new powers, and the rogue magic that’s loose in this world, and how scary but exhilarating it all is.
Her eyes went wide at that. “Magic ought to work well in Equestria since it’s just full of it; it’s not rogue if it’s at home. Besides, we know how to handle magic responsibly.”
She looked back at the girls sleeping there.
“But...they’re just teenagers. Part-time working teenagers...but still teenagers. Even the air is magic; how will they not be overwhelmed by magic when they’ll get soaked by it for a full day?”
Then, turning her head round: “Sunset, remember that they—no, we have experience with magic before. They took me down, they took the sirens down, they took Midnight Sparkle down, they took Gaea Everfree down...all while handling magic that doesn’t belong here. Going to Equestria can’t be that bad...it’s just a different body, a different culture, a different level of magic, highly different levels of magic—“
Then turned her head round again, fighting herself mentally. “No! They’ll be f-fine. Princess Twilight must have a spell somewhere that’ll help them cope with everything. They know how to obey rules...who am I kidding?” Putting her hands on her head, “They’re high school students! Rules are meant to be broken!” Turning back to the monitor: “They’re more responsible than the average high school student, that’s for sure. Having the weight of the world because you have magic while everyone else doesn’t—not the best feeling in the world, but it teaches them, it changes them….”
She turned back to her sleeping friends.
“But, doesn’t she realize?” she asked herself. “Her curiosity about magic...wh-what if that causes her to crumble? What if...what if that triggers something in her mind...what if it brings Midnight Sparkle back? She’s all curious now...what’s stopping her from getting corrupted and become a reality-destroying monster again?!”
“Huh?”
Sunset almost jumped at that, then saw Pinkie turn her head around. “Uh, Pinkie?”
Pinkie gave her a thumbs up. “Don’t worry! Twi’s still sleeping! She still doesn’t know about the surprise!”
Sunset gave her a thumbs up back. “Thanks, Pinkie.”
And then Pinkie went back to a snoring sleep.
Sunset then swiveled around on her chair in an attempt to dizzy herself into sleep.
Under a blue sky awaiting sunrise, Sunset parked Applejack’s pick-up truck inside the school’s parking lot. After everyone else got off, Applejack and Rarity carried a sleeping Twilight off the truck and laid her down by the statue’s base.
All the while, Luna watched them from beside the statue, offering to help carry Twilight but then retracting when she saw that they had no trouble with her. Tapping her foot in some imaginary rhythm, “Promise me that you will be safe and not bring any magical threat to this world.”
Sunset nodded. “Don’t you worry, Luna. We’ll be back tomorrow before you know it!”
“Hmm.” Luna narrowed her eyes at everyone there. “I shall know for I will pass by the statue from time to time during my evening walks.”
Then, Sunset gave Luna the keys to the truck. “Is it OK if you drive it back? You know, to ward off any any nosy people?”
Luna smiled. “It is not much of a hassle,” then dropped the smile, “though next time, you are to realize that I am far superior than a mere butler.”
“So, we should treat you like a...Princess?” and Sunset smiled at that.
Luna groaned. “You win this time.”
After truly winning that time, Sunset then looked back at everyone else, silent as they did their best to make not a single sound to disturb the only one sleeping. “Princess Twilight is on the other side. On the count to three, we bring her through.”
“Ya’ sure this is safe?” Applejack asked, raising a brow over Twi’s head she was carrying.
“Of course, it is! The portal’s gone through worse, I’m sure.”
Applejack and Rarity gave each other a look and then positioned themselves before the statue’s base, the farmgirl standing by the base with Twi’s head and Rarity standing a bit farther away with Twi’s feet.
Everyone watched Sunset scribble a few words on her journal.
Then, she held her hand up, eyes on the space beneath her words. “Wait for it….”
Seconds passed by. Birds chirped as they flew overhead.
Words glowed on to her pages.
“Three!”
And the two slowly pushed snoring Twilight through the statue as she disappeared into the portal.