A brightly painted van rattled along the desert highway, Sunset Shimmer at the wheel. The paint job loudly proclaimed it to be the vehicle of The Rainbooms, whose luggage filled the trunk and a rooftop trailer. It wasn't much of a van, really, which was a fact Sunset was actively avoiding thinking about for her own peace of mind. The air conditioner was a wheezing drone that almost drowned the chatter of her friends playing cards or video games in the back. And despite their best efforts at repairs over the past year, it was held together more by duct tape and several layers of paint than any virtue of it's original structure. Some days Sunset swore the Magic of Friendship was the only thing keeping it from spontaneously collapsing into a heap, never to rise again.
But still, she was smiling as she drove. And not only because she had just stolen a glance at her girlfriend, sprawled asleep in the seat beside her. Not that Twilight wasn't utterly adorable, glasses askew against the window and a book on quantum physics still open in her lap. But a sign in the distance had just become visible, showing that the long hours on the road were coming to a close.
"Look, we're almost at the state border!" She said. Twilight snorted awake and looked around wildly, while the others leaned forward to see.
"Oooh! I love the chili peppers on the sign" Pinkie chirped up.
"New Mexicolt. Oh, this shall be lovely" said Rarity, with a little swoon. "And such a charming motto."
"Ominous more like" Applejack replied. Rarity glared at her. "Now I aint sayin' I'm not lookin' forward to this here visit. It'll be a good time. But The Land of Enchantment? When this goes all giant women and rainbows ah just want y'all to remember I told ya so, that's all."
Rarity appeared briefly prepared to argue and then, on consideration, to decide that Applejack had a point.
"Well in any case" she said, "I for one will be grateful to get out of this van soon. No offense to any of you, but road trips have a certain...distinctive aroma I would be quite happy to be clear of."
"Ugh I know!" said Rainbow. "I get so tired of getting cooped up. Hey, can I run along beside the van again for a bit? There's no one else on the highway."
"Um...please don't open the door while we're driving" said Fluttershy from the back.
"Duh! But we've got to stop anyway."
"What? Why?" said Sunset.
"Isn't it obvious? Selfie at the sign!"
"Alright" said Sunset, pulling over as the sign approached. "I could use a stretch anyway. We'd better make sure to get all of us. Twilight, think you can handle working a camera with your magic?"
"No need" she replied, already rustling around in the bag at her feet. "Where is it...aha! My camera drone."
"You packed your camera robot in the car with you?" said Applejack, raising an eyebrow.
"Um...yes?"
The was a chorus of jostling, stretching, and groans as they spilled out of the car. Then there was a whir as Twilight's drone took to the air. Sunset joined in. Her shoulders and legs exhausted and sore. Maybe she could ask Twilight for a massage later.
"GAH!" Suddenly Rainbow darted by in a colorful blur, making her jump and look around wildly for the problem. Which seemed to be Fluttershy. The other girls were all backing away nervously.
"Aw, look at this little girl. Isn't she the cutest thing?"
"Fluttershy, that's a scorpion" said Applejack, staring at the huge arthropod in her hand.
"I know, isn't she beautiful? Oh yes. Yes you're very fierce. But we won't hurt you. And you're just such a wonderful little hunter aren't you? Yes you are! Yes you are!" She scritched it's head, and somehow convinced it to roll over for a belly rub. Sunset shook her head fondly. She should have known.
Before long they were assembled for the photo. Rainbow, of course, was perched on the sign, and Fluttershy was still cooing over her new friend. Applejack stood by Rarity, who had conjured a few of her reflective shields to help with the lighting. Sunset was grinning ear to ear, and she and Twilight held each other close. For all the exhaustion of the drive, this really was a wonderful idea. Her girlfriend and her best friends, a clear sky, and adventures in store. They would be in Santa Tabitha by nightfall. She knew this would be a trip to remember.
Sunset glared at the sunlight pouring through the hotel window and cursed the fates that had led her to love that most insufferable of creatures: a morning person. And not just any morning person either. Twilight Sparkle was the kind of girl who would spring out of bed at the first alarm and immediately launch into her routine with a truly indecent amount of energy. Normally it wasn’t a problem. They didn’t live together, though how long that would remain true was an open question. But in this hotel, in the extra room just for them Rarity had absolutely insisted on paying for, there was no escape. And the time zone difference hadn’t done anything to slow the purple monster down either. Who had even invented time zones? They were a stupid idea. This world was in dire need of some proper organization. This was the kind of anarchy that came of heliocentrism, spherical planets, and an utter lack of Princesses worth the name. Sunset pulled the blankets over her head and struggled to get back to sleep.
“Come on Sunset, it’s time to get up.”
Sunset grunted from under the covers.
“Sunset Shimmer, we have an itinerary.”
“The itinerary can wait for a bit” she replied, muffled by the blankets.
“It already has. See?” The brightly lit phone was shoved under the blankets, making her groan. She pushed it back and poked a single eye out from the covers.
“Twilight, I love you. And I’m telling you, one reformed demon to another, that love is the only thing keeping me from strangling you right now.”
Twilight had the grace to look apologetic. “Sorry. But we really should head down soon. We don’t want to miss breakfast. If Pinkie gets down there first it might all be gone.”
“Mrgh, darn you for being right. You’re lucky you’re cute” Sunset grumbled, emerging from the bed.
Unfortunately, this unavoidably involved looking around the room. The bed and breakfast Pinkie had found for them was well located, cheap, clean, and was even a local business. It was also, depending on which of their party you asked, "a bit...odd", "charmingly eccentric", or "crazier than a weasel in granny's garter". The walls were lined with photos of geoglyphs, pyramids, and other signs of so called Ancient Astronauts. The decorations were a retro-deco that made it look like everything was ready to take off at at least Warp 6. And on the roof a giant sculptural flying saucer was perched cheerfully, with a sign promising discounts to anyone who shared their Abduction Story.
As what she was sure was the closest thing to an alien anyone here had ever seen, Sunset found the whole thing insulting. Not to mention that any genuine 'Ancient Astronauts' were far more likely to be her ancestors than anything from another planet.
Ah well. Sunset shook her head. She reminded herself firmly that she had wanted a unique experience, and that Pinkie had just been trying to help, and started the hunt for her clothes. She could hardly go downstairs in her current state of undress. She blushed, remembering last night. She and Twilight didn’t get much time completely alone, due to Twilight’s parents having entirely justified suspicions of what they would get up to otherwise. And so things had gotten rather...intense.
Fortunately what Sunset lacked in enthusiasm for rising she made up for in speed, and so within a few minutes they were fully dressed and headed out the door.
“There, see? Exactly on time” said Twilight in a satisfied tone.
“Yep. And you said we were going to be late.”
“I said it was time to get up" Twilight corrected primly. She gave Sunset a mischievous sideways glance. "And you know I know what I'm talking about. I've actually developed an algorithm that lets me predict things down to the minute. I'm really pleased with it, I think it will revolutionize scheduling.”
Sunset scoffed. "Nope. No way you can do that."
"I can too!"
"Oh, so you're calling me predictably late now?" Sunset said teasingly. "There's no way. You're messing with me."
Twilight harrumphed back. "It's not a question of being predictable. It's just statistics."
“Uh huh. Then prove it. Let me see that itinerary.”
“What? No! It’s my plan and...hey!” Twilight complained as Sunset playfully snatched up her phone. And then Sunset stared as a blinking calendar alert popped up on the screen.
6:57 am: Sunset Shimmer steals my phone. Hello Sunset! Fortunately she is beautiful and I am ridiculously in love with her, so I forgive her.
"But...what...how?!?" Sunset sputtered. "There's no way that you...wait..." Realization dawned and she looked up to find Twilight grinning and giggling at her. She found herself grinning right back. "Okay, Rainbow Dash is officially a bad influence on you. When did you program that?"
"Last night. It's just hijacking the built in facial recognition from the security suite for a trigger, and a pop up with text and a clock. Nothing fancy."
Sunset just shook her head fondly. Only Twilight would call that 'nothing fancy'.
"You are so adorable. Come here." She kissed Twilight happily, and and the two of them headed down the stairs arm in arm.
The road trip, as with many things, had started when Rainbow Dash got an idea in her head. It had only been a month ago, actually, though it seemed longer. They were at Applejack’s house, sitting in the orchard as the night fell. Sunset was leaning against a tree, Twilight’s head resting in her lap, enjoying the cool evening breeze. Later they planned to cook on a campfire before heading in for a sleepover. Pinkie had even promised a surprise for later. Sunset was sure had something to do with how much she’d been texting with Trixie lately. The two had been thick as thieves before Trixie left for her summer Magician Apprenticeship program, chatting about magic tricks and pyrotechnics. It was an alarming combination, and distance had apparently done nothing to slow them down.
It was the kind of evening she could already tell she’d look back on fondly. And she was happy, listening to Fluttershy tell the others about the bear she had talked away from downtown and how she had helped it be brave. But still, she couldn’t help feeling a bit of melancholy slipping in.
“Sunset, are you okay?” asked Twilight. She said it quietly, but it fell perfectly into a pause in the conversation and everyone turned to look. Sunset blushed, and Twilight made a face at her poor timing.
“Oh! Heh, yeah, I’m fine” Sunset said, brushing her hair out of her face awkwardly. “Just, you know, woolgathering…”
Applejack raised a skeptical eyebrow, and Twilight snorted from Sunset’s lap.
“Yeah, sorry. It’s just I was thinking about how everything’s changing. We’ve graduated now. We’re applying to college. I guess I was just wondering how many more times like these we have left.”
“What?” said Rainbow, looking incredulous. “You don’t think we’re going to stop being friends just because of a little distance do you?”
“No!” said Sunset quickly. “It’s not that. You girls are the best thing that’s happened to me in my life, and that's never going to change.” She gave them all a genuine smile. “It’s more like I felt like I finally had things figured out. Everything was going so well. I guess I just... hoped I’d get to enjoy it for awhile longer before things changed again, you know? It's making me feel a bit rootless.”
Rarity nodded. “I understand completely dear. Our lives move on like seasons. We cannot hold on to the moments, but simply savor them as best we can.”
“You should listen to her, she's right. It’s why I never think ahead. Ow!” Rainbow rubbed her arm where Applejack had swatted her. “Sheesh, I was just joking. But yeah, things are gonna change. And we’ll all be here for each other when they do.”
Sunset smiled. “Yeah. Yeah we will. Thanks. I hope I didn’t bring down anyone’s mood.” A chorus of ‘no’s and ‘nope’s rang out. Fluttershy didn’t say anything but patted her head.
“Know what we should do?” said Rainbow. “We should go on a road trip. Pack up the bus and head out on an adventure. Make sure this summer is one to remember.”
“Road Trip! WOO!” Shouted Pinkie, and whipped out a large and obviously homemade firework. “Wait...hey! That’s not what I meant to grab!” The firework began to glow ominously as Pinkie’s magic soaked into it. “Uh oh…”
“Hit the deck!” Shouted Applejack, putting action to words as she tackled Fluttershy out of the blast zone.
“I got it!” Dash zoomed forward in a rainbow blur and hurled the firework in to the sky.
Rarity gasped and a dome of diamond force panes snapped up over them.
The firework lit itself in mid air and took off with a scream, bouncing off the forcefield before spinning into the night like a crazed catherine’s wheel. It burst in a deafening explosion: a pink, heart-shaped bloom over the trees, surrounded by a spray of starbursts.
Everyone stared at Pinkie. For once, she actually seemed sheepish. “Heh heh...surprise?”
"Alright, I confess! It was a heart because I was thinking of Trixie when I made that firework! She's so cute and clever and when she gets back at the end of the summer I'm going to ask her out!" Pinkie sat panting on the bed after her anguished proclamation. They had moved indoors quickly to avoid any awkward questions from police.
Everyone stared.
"Pinkie, darling, no one actually asked you any questions to confess to."
"Oh...he he...oops again?"
Twilight buried her face in her hands.
"Welp, I gotta say, I did not see that comin'" said Applejack. "Good on ya though Pinkie. Just wish you'd found a way to tell us without almost blowing us to smithereens."
"Yeah...I'm really sorry about that. I was reaching for my emergency streamers and I grabbed the rocket by accident. I was saving it for a Will You Be My Girlfriend party, but I guess I'll have to make another."
“Well, it does seem like you put quite a lot of effort into it” said Rarity. “Between you and Twilight, the bar has been set rather high for the rest of us should we want to make a decent showing.”
Twilight blushed. “It wasn’t really that much.”
Sunset gave her a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. “Yeah, it kind of was. I was just writing you a love song. You got the jump on me with a custom sidecar for my bike.”
“Well that’s hardly a big deal” said Twilight. “I build things all the time.”
“You said, and I quote, ‘Wherever we go, whatever the future holds, I want us to go together.’ It was the single most romantic thing I have heard in my life. Now stop reminding me how much I love you before I have to kiss you silly in front of everyone.”
Twilight blushed even redder. “Okay. I’m just saying, when you finally finished it? It was a really, really good love song.”
The others were looking on the scene with varying degrees of amusement and affection. All but Rarity, who had put on a determined expression.
“Right” she said. “That settles it. Yes, Rainbow Dash, we are going on a road trip. And not only that, it will be the best possible trip that can be imagined. Somewhere Sunset Shimmer has never been in her life.”
“Um, Rarity, I kind of haven’t been a lot of places in this world. Pony...juvenile delinquent...doesn’t lend itself much to sightseeing.”
“Pish tosh darling. Our world is somewhat a parallel of yours is it not? Then you know all about it. That hardly counts. We will go beyond your borders, into the wild unknown. At least in spirit.”
Sunset looked at her in confusion.
“Oh honestly. You told me that there was a nation of Griffons in your homeworld. Old enemies, improving relations, rather dreary. Named Griffonstan if I recall?”
“Griffonstone, but yes. What’s your point?”
“Sunset, in this world there is no Griffonstone. And Caneighda is hardly the home of either a lost city of love or nation of hirsute and uncouth demolition experts. The only place to the north I’ve heard you mention that I recognized is Vanhoover. For goodness sake, the Crystal Empire is a rival high school. In Canterlot.”
Twilight and Sunset blinked. Then they looked at each other and their eyes lit up.
“Oh my gosh, do you know what this means?”
“If there’s a geographical limit to the correspondence…”
“I bet it’s highest wherever Starswirl ditched the Sirens, dimensional resonance would stabilize an impromptu vortex. Too bad they probably won’t talk to us.”
“I can’t believe we never noticed this before. Canterlot’s correspondence actually isn’t that high except for people, now I think of it.”
“Not even that, the population actually aligns better with Ponyville. Unless we count it as a suburb? But Canterlot can’t just be Equestria in microcosm either. Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, Neigh Orleans. Whole cities with the same names.”
“That might just be a coincidence. Most naming conventions derive from the ancient Rohirrim, and they were all over the world. But if we could find a metric to chart the alignment, with the proper weighting of variables…”
“I need to write the Princess for supplies!”
“I need a digital atlas and history book!”
They kissed each other passionately, too caught up in the moment to care about the crowd, and dashed off in opposite directions.
“And they’re gone” chuckled Applejack. “Heh, sometimes those two seem like night an’ day, and others you can see they’re two sides of the same coin.”
“Yes. Yes, you can” said Rarity. “And now if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I must take a moment to freshen up. Won’t be a tick dears, do carry on.” Noone noticed Fluttershy squeeze Rarity’s hand and give her a sympathetic look as she left.
Fortunately, the bed and breakfast's eccentricity did not extend to their dining room. A perfectly normal set of waffle irons and batter, cereals and fruit were set on a long table. The only real difference from home was the radio, a local station playing western style lyrics set to what sounded like glass harmonica. It was surprisingly haunting, and Sunset made a note to experiment with a theremin or synthesizer for their own songs when they got home.
To Twilight's apparent chagrin they were actually the last of their friends there. It should have been obvious in retrospect. The other girls had been sharing a room, and Applejack was an even earlier riser than Twilight. Pinkie waved happily from the table, a stack of waffles in front of her. Waffles that were...blue.
"Pinkie, did you put food coloring in the waffle batter?" Sunset asked suspiciously as she and Twilight went to pick up their own food.
"Nope! It's this really cool flour they have here made with blue corn. Tasty and colorful. I'm bringing some home with me!"
Sunset looked at the batter container. It was perfectly ordinary and probably came from a mix. She was going to ask further questions, then thought better of it.
"So now that you two lovebirds have joined us" Dash said, with shameless waggling of eyebrows that earned her a glare from Rarity "we're gonna head out soon right? Twilight may be a bit crazy with the itinerary but I know we all want to see the city."
Twilight nodded, and pulled out a set of pre-printed schedules from her purse. Of course she brought them, thought Sunset with both fondness and exasperation as she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, we're all on track so far and we're split up according to preferred activities. And there should be plenty of time for spontaneous exploring this time too" she added, looking a bit embarrassed. "I learned from that mistake."
Sunset glanced at her itinerary briefly. The exhibition of Desert Flower's work at the Art Museum with Rarity in the morning, meeting up with everyone for lunch, and then the Aerospace Museum with Twilight and Rainbow Dash in the afternoon. Perfect.
"And that was Space Cowboy by our very own Western Sphere" the radio cut it, with a brash static filled voice. "Be sure to check him out on Sonic Fog! And now for some local interest, we're sure you all want to hear about the latest alien sightings..."
"She's eating waffles, stop the presses" Sunset muttered irritably, making Pinkie choke with laughter. Twilight and Rarity looked at her with a bit of concern, but she forced a grin and a laugh at her own joke. Seriously, this alien touristy...stuff was getting on her nerves.
"Sadly, all we can tell you is what you already know. Full blown auroras in the lonely sky and silent orange lights are hardly typical behavior for our celestial friends. Even our consulting expert Truth Out, formerly of Nasa, has not offered any explanation. All we can say is keep calm and keep an eye on your cattle. This is KSFR. Now, on with the music."
"Yep, that's the Equestrian menace for you. We're here to steal your women and seduce your cows. Or maybe the other way around, I forget." said Sunset with a snort. There, that didn't sound too bitter right? Twilight kissed her for it at least, which was also nice, but soon she settled back into a bit of a funk. She tried to eat and keep up a pleasant face. The others teased Applejack good naturedly about when they'd be getting their rayguns, and Rainbow and Pinkie competed at making the best spaceship noises, but her heart really wasn't in it.
You're being stupid, she told herself. This is your home now. Twilight loves you. Your friends love you. They've proven that a hundred times over. You've conquered your demons.
Knowing all that was true did nothing to restore her appetite.
Sunset stood in the museum looking at an oversized painting of a flower and trying not to smirk. Certainly it was amazing to see any of Desert Flower's work in person, but these pieces, well...
"Something amusing darling?" said Rarity from behind her, making her jump a bit guiltily.
"Heh, nothing important" Sunset said. Rarity gave her a Look. "Well it's...you'll think I'm silly."
"Sunset, dearest," said Rarity, putting her hand firmly on her hip, "you might as well get it out of your system. I know what you're thinking, and believe me you are hardly the first."
"Other people think these are like exquisite still lives of a hamburger?" Sunset said, with an innocent smile.
"Yes, they could be seen as quite..." Rarity paused as her ears caught up to her brain. Then she laughed, a smile wide on her face. "Oh dear. And here I had such a witty line about deflowering ready too. You, Sunset Shimmer, are trouble."
"Always happy to serve" said Sunset, touching her forehead and giving a mocking little bow. "No, I know everyone says these flowers are erotic somehow. But I really don't see it."
"Well, that just goes to show that you are a far more insightful woman than the rest of humanity. Desert Flower always insisted that they were nothing of the sort, but you know how it is. We are all utterly obsessed with sex. And those rather striking nude portraits of her didn't...Sunset?" She halted with a blush entirely unrelated to her topic of conversation.
Sunset realized she'd been glowing at Rarity, enough that she'd even forgotten to be embarrassed.
"Sorry" she said sheepishly, gripping her arm. "I was listening. It's just...thank you."
"For what dear? Trying to make you blush a bit with a risque topic? Because I seem to have utterly failed at my goal."
"No. What you said." Sunset looked down. "Talking about me like I'm human. I know it's odd but I really appreciate it."
"Oh dear" said Rairty with a concerned frown. "This is about this morning isn't it?"
Sunset nodded. "I know it's silly, but..."
"It is not silly" said Rarity emphatically, and put a hand on your shoulder. "Remember what Twilight always says. If emotions were logical they wouldn't be called feelings. This whole trip was because you were feeling uprooted. I'm very sorry if I've done anything made it worse."
"You haven't. You're my best friend, Rares. You're helping alot."
Rarity smiled at the compliment, and then got a coy expression. "Well, you say that, and I haven't even shown you why I brought you here yet."
"What, really?" said Sunset, surprised. "Rares, I thought we came here because we both wanted to see the exhibition, not to help me with my issues."
"Darling, can't I do both?" she replied with a wink and taking Sunset by the hand. "Come on. I may be a different kind of artist, but Desert Flower has always been a bit of a hero of mine. And for once I think I may actually be able to teach you something, rather than the reverse."
Rarity pulled Sunset along to the next room, leaving her wondering just what the she was getting at.
"In there you saw what most people associate with Desert Flower" Rarity continued her lecture. "Never mind her other accomplishments. People flock to scandal of course, and she certainly had enough of that in her life. That business with her husband, and in both directions at that. Not to mention being an artistic sex symbol she never intended. I rather think she wanted to get away from it all. Which is where we come to these." She gestured at the contents of the room, giving a presenter's twirl.
Sunset looked. Vivid, abstract landscapes of the New Mexicolt grasslands and canyons in strong blues and reds. She had seem them before of course, in books, but in person there was so much more presence.
"Wonderful aren't they?" said Rarity, apparently reading her mind. "She traveled here, to a land far from her home, to escape her past. An arid and desolate place, unlike anything she knew. But she found that she belonged there, despite all expectations. You can see her love for the place seep into everything she did." Rarity hugged Sunset closely. "She came looking for a refuge, but she found a home."
Sunset sniffled a bit, and wiped her eyes. "Darnit Rarity, making me cry in public..." She hugged her back. "Are you trying to destroy my tough girl image?"
"Well, if I have, it's nothing that turning into a Maiar and healing another monster won't fix" said Rarity, stepping back with a smile and putting on a prim tone. "In any case, while you certainly look stunning, I can't help but point out that heavenly blue dress hardly screams 'biker chic' no matter how fond you are of that leather jacket."
"You could find a way to do it if you really wanted to."
"Hmm, I could couldn't I" replied Rarity with mock modesty before they both laughed.
"I'm glad you came with me Rarity" said Sunset. "It's nice to have someone to talk about art with who really gets it. I love Twi. But, you know. If she were here she'd be identifying the flower species and trying to plot where the landscapes were painted from. Which...actually sounds pretty fun" she added with a blush "but it's not the same."
"I understand completely. And it's only to be expected. You are both incredible geniuses, of course. But you are more Leonard di Hoovsi, while she is more Solar Circle."
"Oh I see" said Sunset in a playful tone. "You're saying my girlfriend is going redefine how we see our place in the universe, shattering a whole paradigm and centuries of astronomical thought. And I'll be a dilettante engineer who can't make his designs work."
"Humph. Some people just cannot take a compliment" said Rarity in mock offense. "You know as well as I do those designs were to impress the Maredicis into patronage, and..."
"Alright, alright, I surrender" said Sunset putting her hands up. "You know, I don't usually see this scholarly side of you. I like it."
"There are many things you don't see about me, Sunset. I have mysterious depths, as a proper lady should. Besides, it's a matter of specialization. Not all of us can be good at everything."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short. I recognize that kind of self deprecation, and you're not getting away with it. You're pretty amazing yourself."
"Humph, base flattery Sunset" she replied, turning her back with an offended pout. Mostly, Sunset thought, to hide that she was smiling.
"Haven't you told me it'll get me everywhere? And I mean it. If we get to be geniuses then you do too. No arguments."
"Well..." said Rarity, in a pensive tone, "as long as you don't make me be Tycho Bray. I'm quite attached to my nose, thank you."
"I don't know. If anyone could pull it off it would be you. And silver goes well with ivory."
Rarity actually blushed at that, making Sunset smirk.
"Well, what about you?" she finally replied. "Gold would match your skin tone, but I hardly see you cutting off your nose to replace it. Or ear for that matter."
"Well gold suits you better anyway" Sunset replied without thinking. "It's perfect for you. But fine, no Bray. We'll still get you into my and Twilight's club somehow." At that point Sunset's brain caught up to her mouth, and heat rushed to her face. "Oh wow...I didn't...that came out so wrong." Well, more or less exactly right actually. Which was significantly worse.
"Yes, quite." Rarity was blushing just as hard, unable to look Sunset in the face.
"I'm really sorry Rares, I got caught up in the banter and I wasn't thinking. That whole thing went way more flirty than I meant to and..."
Rarity at least had regained some of her composure. "It's quite alright dear, no harm done. And we have at least determined something important."
"What?"
"You, Sunset Shimmer, are a tremendous nerd when you flirt. It's no wonder you and Twilight are so perfect for each other."
You were keeping up just fine yourself, Sunset thought, adding to her guilty feelings. Sure it was just letting her mouth run away with her (ugh, phrasing) but...
"Sunset Shimmer." Rarity's voice was sharp across her thoughts. "I know that look, and you must get better at not beating yourself up. You love Twilight, no harm was done, and I refuse to allow a moment of poorly guarded words become a major issue. Or allow it to ruin the rest of your day, as I know you will if I don't stop you. Are we clear?"
"I guess" she replied. What Rarity was saying did make sense at least. She was probably overreacting.
"Good. Now come on, we have hours left and more art to appreciate. Unless, of course, you feel unable to contain your terrible burning passion in my presence and need to leave. I wouldn't blame you."
Sunset laughed and sputtered at the unexpected jibe. "What...but...Rarity, what's wrong with you?"
"Just something Pinkie told me about laughter once, dear. Now do try to keep up."
Despite Sunset's worries and occasional twinges of guilt, the rest of their time passed amicably and with no return of the previous awkwardness. Rarity had been right, Sunset thought, sitting hand in hand with Twilight with her friends as they traded stories about the day. It really was fine.
"That rattler zoo? Shoulda expected it I suppose, just didn't think you had it in you Fluttershy."
"Oh yes, they're really fascinating and misunderstood creatures. Though... I did feel a bit bad for that handler."
"How's that then?"
"Ha! You should have seen it" Dash burst in. "Fluttershy's talking to the snakes, of course, and they're all swarming up to the glass and nodding along with the conversation. So then the keeper comes out wondering why they're acting so funny and making sure we aren't bothering them. And they all turn and just GLARE at him for interrupting. Poor guy just ran for it, it was straight out of Lightning Chaser and the Basilisk's Bane. Complete classic!"
"Well I don't blame them for being annoyed" Fluttershy said. "They were in the middle of a song and were about to get to the rhythm section. But, um, I'm still sorry we scared him."
"Well how about you Sparks" Sunset said, nudging her with an elbow. "You didn't cause a panic when you tried to take home a souvenir did you?"
"The Department of Irradiation Public Outreach Center isn't exactly a souvenirs kind of place" Twilight replied, blushing a bit. "Though I may possibly have disturbed the guard by cooing over the miniaturized cyclotron. A little."
"That's my girl" said Sunset, kissing her on the cheek.
"Well, now y'all are makin' me and Pinkie seem like the boring ones. And being an honest woman, I can't be having that. See there's this place called the House of Eternal Return, sorta like an all year Nightmare House, and..."
Sunset suddenly winced and bent over at a pain in her head, raising a hand to stop Applejack. There was a strange sensation coming through her empathy, not unpleasant but impossible to ignore. It was like trying to tune in on a bad band on the radio, but the announcer constantly muttered in a foreign language. She looked around, trying to see something that could be the source of it, but there wasn't anything visible. And just as quickly as it arrived, it was gone.
Twilight wrapped an arm around her while the others looked on in concern.
"Are you okay Sunset?" She asked. "What happened? Was it something magical?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm pretty sure it was" she said, shaking her head to clear it. "And I'm fine I think, just startled. That was new."
Twilight nodded, pulling out her trusty scanner and running it over Sunset while switching her phone to Record.
"My readings definitely confirm the magic, and I'm not picking up anything wrong with you besides elevated heart rate. Probably from stress." She tried to hide the relief in her voice, and failed miserably. "So what happened? Was it your magic, or somebody else's?"
"Definitely mine. The closest I can think of, it's like when I started overhearing everyone's thoughts by accident. But not quite. It felt more like there was someone shouting with a megaphone, and I just happened to be able to hear it."
"Shouting thoughts...we talkin' mind control here?" Asked Applejack with concern. Rarity gasped and Twilight's face hardened, but Sunset shook her head.
"No, definitely the wrong feel. That'd be invasive and catchy, like a song you can't get out of your head. This I wasn't even meant to understand. And it wasn't quite...on the same channel as usual either. I had a hard time zeroing in on it. Whoever they were, I think they were just 'talking' and didn't expect anyone to be able to hear them."
"Or whatever they were" Twilight replied, tapping out notes. "From what you describe, there's a distinct possibility they may not actually be human."
Everyone went quiet and stared at her casual pronouncement. In a moment she realized it, and looked up.
"Well, it's only a hypothesis" she said, nervously rubbing the back of her head. "I may be completely off base. But it does fit the admittedly scanty evidence so far. You've read Spike's mind before, haven't you Sunset? Without any notable differences?"
"Yeah, other than a weird obsession with catching squirrels."
"Then yes. This is in no way definitive, but we should prepare for some fairly unusual possibilities. Including the miniscule chance that these reports of UFOs may have far more substance to them than any of us suspected."
Applejack coughed loudly.
"Any of us other than Applejack suspected" she corrected herself.
"Well" said Rarity, "I was going to make this suggestion anyway but now it's a necessity." A subtle nod to Sunset that she was positive no one else noticed "I propose that we abandon our rather prophetically themed hotel and go camping."
"Oooh, investigation!" Pinkie chirped. "We've got the van, we've got the meddling kids, lets find the nearest goons in rubber masks and give them a good thwack!"
"Well I think lookin' into this is a fine idea sugarcube, and I'm always up for roughin' it, but why campin'? You hate campin'."
"I was inspired today to give it another chance" she replied smoothly. Too smoothly, Sunset thought. "And the radio did say the sightings were in the wilderness. If nothing comes of it we can try another avenue, but at worst we will have lost a night and had a unique experience."
"I would like to see the wild animals" Fluttershy said quietly. "And if they're really are aliens, they haven't hurt anyone. I think Rarity is right."
"Alright!" said Dash. "I'm liking this plan. All it needs is an awesome name. I'm voting for Operation Starfire."
"Dash, that's the name of the old laser weapon testing site" said Twilight. "It's taken. And besides, we all know where I stand on research but this was Sunset's phenomenon. She'll most likely be affected by it again. And no one has asked her yet."
Sunset looked at a round of vaguely guilty faces. "Thanks Sparks" she said. "But yeah, I'm down with this. On one condition." And she gave a cocky grin. "That we call this Operation Scorpion Tent."
The guilty faces were replaced with blank looks.
"Why would the scorpions want to bother us?" Asked Fluttershy. "I would explain they couldn't stay there very nicely."
Suddenly Pinkie cracked up, doubled over with laughter.
"Pinkie, what the tarts has gotten into you?"
"Hehehehehe...because it's...a sting AND a stakeout! Literally!" Pinkie howled. The others all groaned.
"Alright, who here votes that Sunset have all future naming privileges revoked?" asked Dash.
There was chorus of Ayes, even from Twilight, which Sunset would be sure to make her regret later. Pleasantly. But she was smiling brightly. And to think she'd been worried about having a place for herself in the world. She did, and she wouldn't have it any other way. And if it was a strange sort of place, where a possible alien invasion was a welcome dose of perspective? Well so be it.